For those who need to shortern their daily commute, there's the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.
In a world going green – while trying, anyway – speed still seems to matter, as well. But who’s the fastest? Bugatti and Bentley are both laying claims.
Anyone who has seen the record books from the Bonneville Salt Flats knows that the record book can be carved up in nearly as many ways as baseball and football have parsed their stats. But the two European makers lay claims to top speed numbers that nonetheless deserve mention.
When it comes to unadulterated, flat out, foot-to-the-floor performance, it seems that the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport has set the new benchmark, achieving a new land speed world record for a production vehicle. The folks from Guinness World Records have certified the number at 431 kmh, or 268 mph, along with representatives of the German Technical Inspection Agency, otherwise known as TUV.
The record was set on June 26th, Bugatti reveals, at the Volkswagen Group’s proving ground in Ehra-Lessien, not far from VW’s headquarters in Wolfsburg. Bugatti pilot Pierre Henry Raphanel made the run in a striking red-and block stock version of the Veyron Super Sport. Its 16-cylinder engine produces 1,200 horsepower (up from 1,001 for the original Veyron) and 885 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a twin-clutch 7-speed gearbox and power is channeled to an intelligent all-wheel-drive system.
You can still hit 202 mph in the Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible, but your 0 - 60 times will slow to 3.9 seconds.
Along with bodywork modified to improve aerodynamics, the Super Sport edition features modified springs, shocks and stabilizer bars. The skin and monocoque use a unique carbon fiber structure.
The numbers took even Bugatti by surprise. “We took it that we would reach an average value of 425 km/h,” explains chief engineer Wolfgang Schreiber, “but the conditions…were perfect and allowed even more.”
Bentley, meanwhile, staged a public debut for its new Continental Supersports Convertible, rolling it out for a run up the “hill” at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed. Legendary driver Derek Bell was behind the wheel for the event, though in the end, the steep dogleg course didn’t provide an opportunity to test the maker’s claims for the new “drophead” model.
The British maker, also a Volkswagen subsidiary, is listing a top speed of 202 mph, which if verified would make the car the world’s fastest production convertible. It’s 0 – 60 time of 3.9 seconds, meanwhile, is impressive but not in itself the current benchmark.
The slightly lighter hardtop version of the Bentley Continental Supersports, meanwhile, claims a top speed of 204 mph and 0 – 60 time of 3.7 seconds. Both models draw power from a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12, which makes 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.
Both versions of the Bentley Continental Supersports are now on sale, though the ragtop edition won’t be available for delivery until later this summer.