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What is the fastest car in the world in 2024?

It wasn't that long ago that the notion of reaching 200 miles per hour in a car, on a road, seemed basically impossible. As you likely know by now, that time has passed. And once that threshold was crossed, the automotive world immediately began eying the next triple-digit benchmark: 300 miles per hour. It may have taken a little while, but the 300-mph line has been crossed, and some cars have moved well past that seemingly insane speed number. While some of these speeds have been achieved in simulations (including the fastest car listed below), there's little doubt that a driver with nerves of steel and a heavy right foot could indeed push several automobiles up to 300 miles per hour and beyond. Interestingly, it’s not just one car or automaker in the 300-mph club, as a handful of models have earned a place (sometimes claimed but not yet demonstrated) on the leaderboard. The fastest car in the world is: Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut (330 MPH) That title goes to the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, which recorded a staggering 330 mph top speed earlier in 2023. The carÂ’s twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 lays down 1,600 horsepower and 1,106 pound-feet of torque, which plays a significant role in delivering that speed, but KoenigseggÂ’s engineers have given the car a lot more than mind-blowing power. The Jesko Absolut has a super-slippery 0.278 drag coefficient and a nine-speed transmission that shifts so quickly itÂ’s almost imperceptible. Koenigsegg calls it a Light Speed Transmission (LST), saying its shifts happen at almost light speed. While that might be a slight exaggeration, the gearbox is impressive, bringing several wet multi-disc clutches and a super lightweight construction. As Koenigsegg says, "the Jesko Absolut is destined to achieve higher, more extraordinary speeds than any Koenigsegg or any other fully homologated car before it." How expensive is the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut? If you were reading that and wondering how much the fastest car in the world costs, the price tag is just another dizzying number on the Jesko Absolut's spec sheet. All 125 Absolut cars offered sold out at a price of almost $3 million. Of course, being able to afford the Koenigsegg is just the first step in realizing its full potential. There are very few places on the map that can support a 300-plus-mph speed run, and the locations that do are not conveniently located.

2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale

Where the current roadgoing Ferrari coupe with its rear-mounted V8 can go beyond this Speciale edition, I don't know. The 458 Italia and Spider already hold a very dear place in the hearts of anyone who has driven them on a sunny day over great roads or tracks, and I was pretty sure nothing could beat the heady sensory combo presented in the 458 Spider when I first drove it back in 2011. I may have to change my opinion now.
Companies like Ferrari are in the enviable position of sprinkling performance dust on their already-great base cars, all just to make them a skosh better and grab us again by the loins for one more model year. Some perspective: in 2002, the legendary Enzo set its personal best around Ferrari's 1.9-mile track at Fiorano, pulling a 1:24.9. This 458 Speciale with four fewer cylinders and more weight beats it with a time of 1:23.5, and not once during my laps did I feel as though I might die if my slightest judgment behind the wheel was less than on the money.

Ferrari going with turbo V8s, hybrid V12s

More for less – that's what automakers are striving for: more output with less fuel. For some that means downsizing and employing turbochargers. For others, it means going hybrid. With its latest models, Ferrari has embraced both – or rather, either – but don't expect its twelve-cylinder engines to get a set of snails, or its V8s to get an electric assist. The latest intel paints a picture of Ferrari going two different routes. As it is, the company offers (much like it has for the past several decades) both V8 and V12 supercars, and it's bringing both types into the modern era, but in different ways. As demonstrated with the California T and 488 GTB, Maranello's eight-cylinder models will shrink in capacity but add turbochargers to increase their output while decreasing their fuel consumption. Meanwhile the engine in the LaFerrari showcases the direction in which its twelve-cylinder models will go: hybrid V12 powertrains. "There will be no turbos on our V12s," an unnamed source reportedly told Autocar. "Expect instead to see 48-volt systems on the next generation." With the eight-cylinder models already having adopted their turbochargers, that means we can expect the replacements for the FF all-wheel-drive shooting brake and F12 Berlinetta two-seater to go hybrid in their next iteration. We'd expect the former to arrive first, with the hybrid F12 to arrive sometime thereafter. The company first toyed with the prospect of a hybrid twelve with the 599 HY-KERS concept showcased at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The first production application for the hybrid system was on LaFerrari, but of course the Scuderia developed a much smaller 1.6-liter V6 that's both turbocharged and electric-assisted for Formula One. Related Video: