2011 Porsche Boxster 2dr Roadster Spyder on 2040-cars

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Fastest cars in the world by top speed, 0-60 and quarter mile

A claim for the title of “Fastest Car in the World” might seem easy to settle. ItÂ’s actually anything but: Are we talking production cars, race cars or customized monsters? And what does “fastest” even mean? For years, car publications have tended to define “fastest” in terms of an unbeatable top speed. ThatÂ’s distinct from the “quickest” car in a Usain Bolt-style dash from the starting blocks, as with the familiar 0-60 mph metric. Professionals often focus on track lap times or elapsed time-to-distance, as with a drag racer thatÂ’s first to trip the beam of light at the end of a quarter-mile; or the 1,000-foot trip of nitromethane-powered NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car dragsters. Something tells us, however, that you're not seeking out an answer of "Brittany Force rewriting the NHRA record books with a 3.659-second pass at a boggling 338.17 mph." For most barroom speed arguments, the focus is firmly on cars you can buy in showrooms, even if many are beyond the financial means of all but the wealthiest buyers and collectors. Here are some of the enduring sources of speed claims, counter-claims, tall tales and taunting dismissals that are the lifeblood of car enthusiasts – now with EVs adding an unexpected twist to these passionate pursuits.   Fastest from the blocks: 0-60 mph Thirty years ago, any car that could clock 60 mph in five seconds or less was considered extremely quick. Today, high-performance, gasoline-powered sedans and SUVs are routinely breaking below 4 seconds. As of today, the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 crushes all with a 0-60 mph time of just 1.66 seconds. That's simply absurd, but keep in mind the Demon was engineered with the single-minded purpose of going fast in a straight line. It's also important to realize that direct comparisons are difficult, because not all of these times were accomplished with similar conditions (prepped surfaces, adjustments for elevation and so on). The moral here is to take these times with a tiny grain of salt. After the Dodge, the Rimac Nevera comes in with an officially recorded 0-60 mph time of just 1.74 seconds. EVs crowd the quickest list, with the Pininfarina Battista coming in a few hundredths slower (1.79 seconds) than the Nevera and the Lucid Air sapphire (1.89 seconds) right after that. Eventually, you arrive to the Tesla Model S Plaid, which has a claimed 1.99-second 0-60 mph time, though instrumented testing by Car and Driver shows it accomplishes the deed in 2.1 seconds.

Porsche planning more plug-ins

Which automaker offers the most plug-in models in the industry? The answer may surprise you, because it's not Toyota, it's not Renault or Nissan or any other automaker that might spring to mind. The answer is Porsche, which already offers the Cayenne and Panamera in plug-in hybrid spec in addition to the 918 Spyder. And it could offer more in the near future. Speaking with Automotive News, Porsche's global sales and marketing chief Bernhard Maier spoke of the importance of plug-in range-extended models to the company's future plans. The 55-year-old executive, who endeavors to make his 56-mile round-trip daily commute from home to the company's headquarters in Stuttgart entirely emissions free, indicated that his company only plans to offer more plug-in models. Previous reports indicated that E-Hybrid powertrain in the Cayenne and Panamera wouldn't fit in the Macan, and that no such plans were in store for the Boxster, Cayman or 911. But when asked what Porsche had in store for the future, Maier replied: "We have a lot of ideas, but we have not approved them for production yet. The 918 Spyder shows that Porsche has the capability to produce very convincing hybrid sports cars." While clearly guarded, Maier's answer points to a future of more plug-in hybrid models from the storied German marque. All that remains to be seen is whether that will come in the form of a Boxster, Cayman, Macan or another new model altogether, like the rumored mini-Panamera dubbed Pajun or a mid-engined V8 supercar.

Porsche 911 RSR stops just long enough to have its photo taken

When it comes to Porsche and its rapidly escalating endurance racing program, all eyes may be on the new 919 Hybrid - and with good reason: that's the vehicle with which Porsche will be challenging the likes of Audi and Toyota for wins in the top-tier LMP1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and at Le Mans. But it's the 911 RSR that does and will continue to form the backbone of the factory's effort.
The 470-horsepower racing version of the road-going 911 took a one-two finish in its class at Le Mans last year, and also won its class at the Daytona 24 this past January as well. This year Porsche will field two of them in the WEC, another two in the United SportsCar Championship here in the US and will sell countless more to customer racing teams that will undoubtedly continue to rack up trophies in racing series around the world. This, then, might be a unique chance to see one standing still. Check it out in our gallery of live images above from the Geneva Motor Show.