10 Fastest Cars of 2008
From Brian Sy, Featured Contributor
Posted on July 23, 2008
400 horsepower was an astronomical sum at the turn of the century, yet here in today's world it takes 500 just to get noticed.
At this rate, no car will hold the crown for long, but it's still fun to take a snapshot of the moment, right? So we've compiled a list of the ten fastest production cars you can buy in 2008.
The cars are ranked by acceleration rather than top speed, and to keep it simple, 0-60 times take precedence over quarter-mile times. All performance figures are the best figures found among the major-name car enthusiast magazines (Car and Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend), and for reference, every car's engine and horsepower specs are listed as well.
| Car | 0-60 | 1/4th Mile | Top Speed | Engine | HP/Torque | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Mercedes CL65 | 3.8 | 11.8 | 155 | Turbo 6.0-liter V12, 604 HP | 604/738 |
| 9 | Mercedes SLR McLaren | 3.6 | 11.6 | 207 | Supercharged 5.4-liter V12, 617 HP | 617/575 |
| 8 | Lamborghini Murcielago | 3.5 | 11.8 | 211 | 6.5-liter V12, 631 HP | 631/487 |
| 7 | Ferrari F430 | 3.5 | 11.7 | 198 | 4.3-liter V8 483 HP | 483/343 | 6 | Dodge Viper | 3.5 | 11.6 | 202 | 8.4-liter V10, 600 HP | 600/560 |
| 5 | Chevrolet Corvette Z06 | 3.4 | 11.7 | 198 | 7.0-liter V8, 505 HP | 505/470 | 4 | Porsche 911 Turbo | 3.3 | 11.6 | 193 | Turbo 3.6-liter H6, 480 HP | 480/460 |
| 3 | Saleen S7 Twin Turbo | 3.3 | 10.6 | 248 | Turbo 7.0-liter v8, 750 HP | 750/700 | 2 | Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano | 3.2 | 11.2 | 206 | 6.0-liter V12, 611 HP | 611/448 |
| 1 | Bugatti Veyron 16.4 | 2.6 | 10.2 | 253 | Turbo 8.0-liter W16, 1,001 HP | 1,001/922 |
Notes:
- The Lamborghini, Porsche, and Bugatti are all-wheel-drive; the others are rear-drive.
- The Porsche's times were taken with an automatic transmission. Because automatics complement turbochargers for drag racing, its times are even faster than a 911 with a stick.
- Only two cars here carry a five-figure price tag: the $72,000 Corvette and the $88,000 Viper.
Read More:
- Apparently Men Find it Tough to Shop for Cars, Too
- 4 Things to do With Your Car, Other Than Drive It
- 10 Cheapest 2008 Cars You Can Buy
Brian Sy is a featured contributor for vLane.
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Comments for this article
Displaying 1-10 of 10 comments
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on August 14, 2008you forgot the ssc ultimate aero
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on September 11, 2008You also forgot the Nissan GT-R......
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on September 14, 2008how fast is the ford gt 40?
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on September 18, 2008u forget ferrari enjo
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on September 23, 2008I love how small the flax six is, go Porsche!!!
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on September 24, 2008since when SLR has a 12 cilinder engine?
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on September 28, 2008Ascari A10, Gumbert Apollo, Koenigsegg CCX...... What about them??
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on October 1, 2008I agree with comment below, just as an example the Koenigsegg is 850HP and runs at 245+ mph! Even more amazing is the CCXR that runs on BioFuel and is an amazing 1018 HP and 250+ mph. That is an awesome Enviro friendly supercar
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on March 27, 2009What you have to realise is most of the cars they have on that list are now in america, The others you talk about like the Nissan GTR, Ascari, The Gumbert and the Koenigsegg arnt in america / street legal here. Heh, Plus your SLR has a 12 cylinder engine...Just not in the US
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FlagFrom Anonymous
Commented on June 14, 2009can you tell more on rare car brands
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