10 Fastest Production Car Engines Ever Made

Nov 15, 2023

These ten engines are the mind-boggling engineering masterpieces powering some of the fastest cars ever.

Advanced technology and futuristic materials are the stuff hypercars are made of. It is what delineates a hypercar from a supercar. Engineering ultra-high-performance machinery to push the limits of the past creates increasingly greater speeds, ever-improved weight advantages, and more efficient horsepower. The 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 pictured here in all its splendor is an example of advanced engineering. You will see it's an engine that has been used in more than one hypercar.

The advent of the Koenigsegg Jesko introduced a revolutionary transmission design. As another example of hypercar advancements in technology, the Light Speed Transmission (LST) goes where no other transmission, or CVT, has gone before. Switching between nine gears, sans flywheel, gear selection is not limited. Instead of a dual-clutch, the geniuses at Koenigsegg invented a nine-speed six-clutch gearbox. Now we are going to look at how 10 of the fastest production cars ever achieved such great heights.

This mid-engine sports car was built to be the fastest car in the world. The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut thusly one-upped the original Jesko, roaring too, so far at least, 330 mph. Aerodynamics, light materials, and custom-engineered parts put it squarely in the hypercar territory. Instead of a rear spoiler, there are a pair of innovative air-sculpting fins.

The Jesko Absolut was introduced at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show and offered at $3 million. The Swedish company made 125 examples and no more. Christian von Koenigsegg, owner of the company, said the 2021 Jesko Absolut, "is the absolute fastest Koenigsegg that we will ever make." The Jesko was named after his father, the man who funded Christian von Koenigsegg's dream to build the world's fastest cars in 1994.

The 5.1-liter twin-turbocharged V8 uses a flat-plane crank. It has the world's lightest crankshaft, forged of a single solid-steel billet weighing 28 pounds. The proprietor-named LST gearbox was also engineered in-house. It's a transmission with two sets of three gears, giving it nine variations. As mentioned, there's no flywheel. It's a multi-clutch design. It is free of selector forks and synchronizers, and gears can be selected at will, at any speed. As a six-clutch instead of a dual-clutch, gears are not in a set order. This is partly why the car can redline at 8500. To the point, it is smaller and more lightweight than other gearboxes. And arguably, better. Exactly why the company prefers to design its own parts.

The Koenigsegg 5.1-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine makes 1280 horsepower in the Jesko Absolut. Zero to 60 is accomplished in 2.5 seconds. It is loaded with downforce and also ponies. When fueled with E85, this car makes 1600 horsepower.

The Bolide is Bugatti's answer to a track-centric hypercar that meets FIA safety standards. This fireball of a sports car stables an 8.0-liter W16 engine that is turbocharged four times over. The quad-turbos are designed to increase pressure at higher speeds. Increased turbo pressure, naturally, translates into increased power. In this case, it's quadrupled. Newly designed is the cooling system which is air-to-air instead of water-to-air.

Bugatti's 8.0-liter powerplant is the only 16-cylinder known to be in a car. It has an output of 1578 horsepower. Bugatti introduced the W16 in the Veyron 16.4. This new exotic by Bugatti shoots from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. It can hit 310 mph.

The first hypercar in the world was powered by Bugatti's W16. That would be the Veyron. The Chiron went on to surpass the Veyron using the 8.0-liter W16 pictured up top as if it were a museum piece. In future years, it may well be.

A lightweight frame enables speed. The Bolide is built on a unibody carbon fiber chassis, as is the front end and much of the body build. All of the carbon is aerospace quality. Bugatti's mastery of aerodynamics developed through countless hours in the wind tunnel. The intake scoop on the roof of the Bolide is a state-of-the-art invention that Bugatti debuted in this car.

The fun part would be taking it out on the track. The company described the experience like this: "Driving the Bolide is like riding on a cannonball." Owning one of these is a different story. It’ll cost you northward of $4 million. The good news is that it will be available relatively soon. The bad news is the 40 Bugatti Bolides offered for sale are sold out.

Hennessey is a Texas performance tuning enterprise that has built fleets of highly engineered automotive wonders since its 1991 inception. The Hennessey Venom F5 is a prime example of what the company is capable of. It runs on the house-built "Fury" engine that makes an unbelievable 1817 horsepower and 1193 lb-ft of torque. Redlining at 8200 rpm, it is a 6.6-liter V8 made of forged steel with twin turbochargers housing a set of precision ball bearings and making 23 psi of boost pressure. The crankshaft is extremely durable as it is crafted from a single steel billet.

Not only is the Venom "Fury" overengineered, but so is the body. The entire chassis is made of carbon fiber. The lightweight chassis facilitates an amazing top speed of 304.77 mph. Advanced lightweight materials comprise components throughout, like the pistons, connecting rods, and the "Fury" custom engine block. Hennessey built 24 units of the ridiculously fast Venom F5 hypercars, 12 for the U.S. market and 12 abroad. They sold for a premium price of $2.1 million each.

Related: Here's Why The Hennessey Venom F5 Is One Of The Sickest American Cars Ever Made

The SP Automotive V10 Chaos is an exotic that challenges the genre. Creator Spyros Panopoulos calls his Greek-made automotive fantasy an ultracar. Building it in Greece with house-made parts and primarily Greek labor, it is designed with aerospace-grade materials like Kevlar, Zylon, and titanium, made by 3D printing. The ultra-lightweight car has a ridiculously impossible 2:1 weight ratio. The company website claims its ultracar is not just a car, "it is the epitome of the future, the next step in automotive evolution." It also says the Chaos is a 3064-horsepower monster with 1462 ft-lb of torque that doesn't hit a redline until 12,200 rpm. You read that right. The Chaos ultracar rips through the quarter mile in 7.5 seconds and does a zero to 62 straight line in 1.55 seconds, a veritable blink of an eye.

Advanced technology like fingerprint ignition and an augmented reality steering mechanism, requiring virtual reality glasses and 5G capabilities with driver observation software, are one way this mythological creature impresses. Getting back to the basics, the SP Chaos boasts a 90-degree mounted twin-turbo V10 with a 4.0 displacement. The company said it is making 20 units per continent and speed tests are happening soon. A top-of-the-line "Zero Gravity" Chaos will be offered for $14.5 million. A lower "Earth Version" trim will cost $6.4 million.

In 2020, TopGear had the opportunity to take the Shelby SuperCars (SSC) Tuatara out on Highway 160, a two-lane stretch of blacktop near Las Vegas, Nevada, to test its speed. Up until then, the Tuatara did not cross the 300 mph threshold. The image of the 331-mph readout with British race driver Oliver Webb behind the wheel was a wild sensation. Not only because of the physics-defying achievement.

The hoopla was driven by the interest of a bevy of skeptics who happened to be math geniuses. Calculating the real-time rate by measuring the Tuatara's actual distance and time, it was figured that the car's top speed was in the previously determined 295 mph range. The company admitted as such. In May 2022, SSC published a top speed of 295 mph, accurately calculated by independent dual high-tech data systems. The SSC custom Tuatara is a 5.9-liter twin-turbo V8 with 1350 horsepower that can fire out 1750 horsepower on E85 or methanol race fuel. It's one of America's fastest sports cars and 100 units were produced.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie available in 2023 is Aston Martin's first foray into hypercar territory. The company delivered with the fastest naturally aspirated production engine car. It also is the fastest-revving car in production. It was highly engineered in collaboration with notable F1 designer Adrian Newey and F1-winning Red Bull Racing. Aston Martin's two-seater roadster is the closest thing you can get to driving a Formula One car on the street. Cosworth tuned the V12, and Rimac Automobili is another partner.

These cars are rare, however, and only 150 Valkyrie coupes were offered at $3 million. Named after Norse mythology maidens of heroic warriors, Valkyrie is also a 2008 Tom Hanks film title about an assassination plot by German officers against Adolf Hitler.

Powering this exquisite-looking driving machine is a 6.5-liter V12 engine with an extra 160 electric horsepower up its sleeve; it is not turbocharged. In all, these performance cars make 1160 horsepower and 663 lb-ft, sending it to the rear wheels. The Valkyrie redlines at 11,100 and zips zero to 60 in 2.6 seconds with a g-force of 3.3g. The all-carbon fiber body and sculpted aerodynamics, including front and rear wings, are crafted for a top speed of 250 mph. Downforce is an insane 2425 lbs at top speed. This is where the Valkyrie outdoes an F1 car.

Related: Aston Martin's Valkyrie Is The Ultimate British Hypercar

British machinery at its finest is what the McLaren F1, built between 1992 and 1998 exemplifies. This mid-engine performance sports car adds a bit of German finery with a 6.1-liter V12 by BMW. These spectacular McLaren supercars, which are agreed by many to be the first modern hypercar, roar with 618 horsepower, an exceptional amount for the ‘90s. The BMW engine was developed from the M73 and the V12 N73 and then customized by BMW for use in the McLaren F1. This car used an aluminum flywheel and a carbon clutch, Formula One car standards, making the McLaren the first production car to match those standards. With a nimble 2579 curb weight, the two-seater is crazier than an e-ticket ride.

When the McLaren F1 debuted, it left every other sports car in the dust. Its zero to 60 time was 3.2 seconds. It ripped through the quarter mile in 28 seconds. Redlining at 7500 rpm, this performance car is capable of 230 mph, according to Gordon Murray. He designed the car, so he should know. To procure an engine, he reached out to Paul Rosche, BMW's top engineer. The two customized the naturally aspirated 6.1-liter V12. It is one of the most prestigious car engines ever made. The McLaren F1 is the oldest hypercar on this list, but it deserves its inclusion.

This may be a British vehicle, but it doesn't drive on the right, nor the left, for that matter. This three-seater hypercar places the driver in the center. The Speedtail is a rear-engine 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. Assisting its ripping zero to 62 mph in 3.0 seconds is a parallel attached electric motor. In all, the Speetail is good for 1036 horsepower and 848 lb-ft. Just 106 units were released. Platinum nameplates and solid gold tools are an option.

The Speedtail is McLaren's first unapologetic hypercar. For what it's worth, it is Doug DeMuro's absolute favorite modern hypercar in the entire world. That is because this British sports car is indescribably amazing in more ways than one. The McLaren Speedtail is not available in the U.S. except for show purposes. One reason it doesn't pass regulation is its lack of side mirrors. Instead, the Speedtail has sophisticated side-view cameras that extend from the side doors when the key fob is depressed. Two screens, on either side of the dash, work as side-view mirrors.

Aerodynamics is primary. The entire body flows, tapering off at the tail, a sleek finale. The lack of side mirrors or other air obstructions makes the Speedtail super sleek. The outer wheels are even covered to achieve those few increments of less wind resistance.

The Saleen S7 is slightly different from European hypercars. To start, a new example went for a modest $100,000 to $400,000 instead of millions of dollars. Prices have risen somewhat. But besides that, this performance car has what it takes. It's a mid-engine sports car with a 7.0-liter twin-turbocharged naturally aspirated Ford Windsor V8 that makes 550 horsepower and 360 lb-ft. By 2005, the S7 ramped up output to 750 horsepower with a pair of Garrett turbos.

This exotic from Orange County, Calif. clocked a zero to 60 speed at 3.5 seconds and hit 180 mph in 11.3 seconds. It had a presumptive top speed of 220 mph. This car was a contender. In the early 2000s, the Saleen S7 topped Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1.

The Saleen S7 was produced from 2000 to 2009 by Saleen Automotive Inc., an automobile manufacturer launched by former racer Steve Saleen. The somewhat rare American mid-engine was just the fifth mid-engine American sports car at the time of production. Approximately 30 Saleen S7s were made. Steve Saleen has not divulged the exact number.

The Pagani Huayra is the fastest Italian supercar ever built. To accomplish it, Horacio Pagani's hypercar gets bespoke power from German engineering. A 6.0-liter AMG V12 engine with 36 valves is the impetus behind the Huayra. This Italian exotic makes a top speed of 238 mph and completes a zero to 60 mph sprint in 2.8 seconds. Maximum downforce of 1102 pounds is achieved at 174 mph. An impressive rear wing is both massive yet subtle. Fittingly, it's named after the Incan god of wind, Huayra-tata.

This Italian luxury hypercar uses ultra-advanced materials to keep down curb weight and to withstand heat. HP62, a carbon-titanium material that is more durable than carbon fiber arms the Italian handmade mid-engine. It is a twin-turbocharged and inter-cooled V12 generating 791 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque. Zero to 60 happens at 3.3 seconds. Entry prices started at nearly $4 million. This car was manufactured in 2019 and 2020, there were 100 made in total. The newer, Pagani Huayra Codalunga might be even faster. But as a custom build for a wealthy client, the Huaryra long tail is limited to five examples, so it is not exactly a production car.

This author was drawn to media as a news writer. With aspirations to be that investigative reporter who rips the lid off a government scandal, she began writing for a local Huntington Beach newspaper. Later, as a staff writer at ABIILTY Magazine, she moved toward pop culture writing.