Posts Tagged ‘Venom GT’

Bugatti has been in and out of the news recently, for both good and bad. Firstly, the brand was stripped of its title as the”world’s fastest production car” after deactivating the restrictor that limits the car’s top speed during its record run. Bugatti rebounded from that knock by announcing yesterday that its Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse secured the record as the “world’s fastest convertible,” managing a speed of 254 mph. Keeping with the good news, Guinness World Records announced today that it has in fact now reinstated the Veyron Super Sport as the “fastest production car in the world,” returning the 1,200 hp hypercar to its rightful spot as number one.

Let’s recap what happened here. This is Guinness’s original statement declaring the stripping:

“It has come to the attention of Guinness World Records that there was an oversight in its adjudication of the ‘Fastest production car’ which was set in 2010 by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. As the car’s speed limiter was deactivated, this modification was against the official guidelines. Consequently, the vehicle’s record set at 431.072 km/h is no longer valid. As we are now reviewing this category with expert external consultants there is no current record holder.”

This latest announcement from Guinness, received today, backtracks somewhat from their original statement, claiming that the deactivation was not as problematic as they initially believed:

“Following a thorough review conducted with a number of external experts, Guinness World Records is pleased to announce the confirmation of Bugatti’s record of Fastest production car achieved by the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. The focus of the review was with respect to what may constitute a modification to a car’s standard specification. Having evaluated all the necessary information, Guinness World Records is now satisfied that a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine.”

So there you have it, the Veyron stands as number one. Again. And if we’re honest, a restrictor that limits the car by a mere 9.8 mph to protect crazy customers attempting to surpass 258 mph is not much of reason to lose it in the first place. Not having that restriction, allowing drivers to potentially surpass what is deemed a “safe” speed for tires to withstand, remains even crazier.

As we’ve heard a lot recently, Hennessey Performance claim its Venom GT remains “the fastest production car available to the public” at 265.7 mph. But who cares? In the eyes of Guinness, the 267.8 mph Veyron remains king.

REPOSTED BY MIDWEST GLASS TINTERS FROM:  http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/bugatti-veyron-reinstated-guinness-world-fastest-production-car-181741988.html

Lotuses are being used for all sorts of things nowadays; Hennessey utilizes one for the Venom GT — a machine they claim stands as the fastest production car in the world — and now Detroit Electric reveals its SP:01, stated as the fastest pure-electric sports car in the world. And with a 0-62 mph time of just 3.7 seconds, complimenting its top speed of 155 mph, if it does indeed see the light of day, the Detroit Electric SP:01 could provide further proof of a resurgent Motor City.

No doubt the SP:01′s stats are impressive, but it’s not power that makes the electric sports car so rapid, it’s the weight; the SP:01 tips the scales at just 2,354 lbs. Power derives from an air-cooled, asynchronous AC electric motor, delivering 201 hp and 166 lb. ft. of instantaneous torque. Those figures, even mixed with the lightweight carbon-fiber body, make the speed statistics seem quite a stretch; I suppose it showcases the power of instant torque.

The manual gearbox seen on the Lotus remains, but the 5th and 6th gears are blocked off (5th can be reinstalled at a price). Changing gear promises to be seldom, however, as the taller ratios are only needed when achieving top speeds. Having multiple ratios makes a lot of sense in an electric car, as the drive ratio is often so long it diminishes the rewards offered by the instant torque. Having recently driven the Mercedes SLS Electric Drive (currently the fastest production EV in the world), which maintained that long gear, the initial power, while impressive, didn’t match expectations. Perhaps this could be the answer?

With a power rating of 37 kWh, the lithium polymer batteries provide a range of 180 miles with a charge time of around four hours (when using a 240V charge point). A patented bi-directional charge feature enables the car to power your house, too. Cooling is controlled by an in-house system, with a thermal management pack fitted to keep the batteries and motor running at an optimum temperature.

At $135,000, the SP:01 will not be an electric sports car for the masses. And despite this announcement, Detroit Electric has a long road ahead to get its promised output of 999 cars into production, let alone sell any to stay afloat. The concept, on paper, sounds great. But as we’ve seen before, promises like this are increasingly difficult to fulfill.

REPOSTED BY MIDWEST GLASS TINTERS FROM:   Detroit Electric reveals the SP:01, claiming the fastest electric sports car in the world