The battle for the world’s fastest car has played out in the news recently. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, claims his new Tesla S Plaid can race from 0 to 60 MPH in 1.98 seconds. The newest Tesla is run by a set of electric engines that put out 1,020 HP. The figure bests the numbers for gas-powered, extremely expensive supercars. Among these, one of the most well-known is the Porsche 911 GT RS. However, its pace from 0 to 60 is only 2.7 seconds.<\/p>\n
The fastest car in the world is not made by these widely known car companies at all. The SSC Tuatara claims it holds the pole position for speed. Unfortunately, its claim is based on a different measure than 0 to 60 MPH time, so the answer to the question of which is the “fastest car” remains a debate.<\/p>\n
According to car magazine MotorTrend, “The Tuatara hit a two-way average speed of 282.9 mph using 2.3 miles of a three-mile runway at Kennedy Space Center, with the data being captured using Racelogic VBOX equipment, as well as hardware and\/or software from Life Racing and Garmin.” In another test, it hit a top speed of 315.7 MPH. It is powered by a 1,750 HP engine.<\/p>\n
Among the differences it has with the Model S Plaid is that you will probably not find the Tuatara on the road, although it is “street legal” which means it can be driven on regular highways.<\/p>\n
The fastest car is built by SSC North America, a company almost no one has heard of. It was founded in 1998 by Jerod Shelby. He is not related to racecar design great Carroll Shelby. The Tuatara has a price tag of $1.9 million, well above the $130,000 Tesla charges for the Model S Plaid.<\/p>\n