At any given time in history, there's only one fastest production car for each generation and with new technology comes new records. On this article, we break down the fastest production cars just after World War II to see how they evolved over time.
The most recent 70 years of production history is easier to cover following WW2, to accurately record times, since the post-war period saw car production boom to their highest levels. The likely contenders are arguably among the fastest production cars being made and the list is being presented in part based on the archives accumulated over the years as recorded by New Atlas.
1946-1960:
In December of 1946, noted British designer Donald Healy became the first person to claim the honor of having the fastest closed-production car post-war, with his Healy Elliot 2.4-liter car tested in Italy. The Healy-Elliott reached 104.65mph over a flying quarter mile and was recorded by Motor Magazine.
By 1960, the honor went to Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato during the London Motor Show in October that year. Being a lightened 314hp with Zagato styling, it clocked 153.5mph, the fastest production car at that time. There was a bit of controversy regarding the DB4 GT Zagato being a real production car since only 19 were ever built.
1962-1986:
In 1962, the most revered car was the Ferrari 250 GTO. It was built to compete in the 1962 3-liter class FIA GT World Championship Series. With a top speed of 158mph, it won the world title in both 1963 and 1964 FIA Group 3 Grand Touring Car category. Thirty-six production cars were made and its performance proved it had the speed to beat all corners.
By 1986, Porsche proved it was king of the world when the Porsche 959 was timed at 197mph. It was also the first four-wheel drive Porsche road car.
1987-Present:
Current Official Title Holder: 2010 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport @ 267.8mph
Unofficial Record Holder: 2014 Hennessy Venom GT @ 270.49mph
Five years after it was introduced, the Texas-based Hennessy Venom GT became the unofficial record holder for the fastest production car in the world after beating the Bugatti Veyron in the top speed category, as reported by TopSpeed.
Unfortunately, Guiness World Records didn't acknowledge the achievement since Hennessy didn't follow the mandatory run and production of the car was less than the required 30 units. That means officially, the Bugatti Veyron Super sport is still the official record holder for the fastest production car in the world.
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