by Nathan Hook

Created on: January 10, 2008   Last Updated: September 22, 2008

Amongst the world's most prestigious automakers, there are currently perhaps a half dozen manufacturers whose vehicles are the fastest most prestigious in the luxury sports car market and can breach the 240 mile an hour mark.

It began with the McLaren F1, which is still one of the most revered super cars around, well over ten years since its release in the early 90's. Designed by Gordon Murray to be the ultimate super car, it features a custom built normally aspirated BMW V12 engine, which produces an astonishing road legal 630bhp. One slightly modified car was pushed to a top speed of around 240 miles an hour. No expense was spared it its' development, where extensive use of carbon fiber kept the weight to a mere 1140kg. Real gold was used to shield the engine cover from excessive heat and an onboard modem records data on performance. One of the more unique elements of the vehicle was the driver's position, which places the driver in the center of the vehicle with two passenger seats either side. Racing versions were also built and the car finished the 1995 Le Mans 24 hour endurance race in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and a respectable 13th position.

The McLaren's incredible hold on the title eventually had to be relinquished as technology in the industry progressed. Surprisingly, it came from a relative new comer in the auto industry, Sweden. The Koenigsegg company took the top speed title with its' Koenigsegg CCR vehicle, which breached the 240 mile an hour mark. More recently they have produced the CCX which exceeded 245 miles an hour. The vehicle is an engineering dream, from its' uniquely hinged door struts to the smooth but aggressive styling and low slung appearance. The roof slants back towards the engine bay and hood, which neatly hides a super charged V8 which produces an enormous 806bhp. The car, in terms of shape, is reminiscent of the famous McLaren, sans the roof scoop and horizontal lines. The body work reads like a military specification, made from pre-impregnated carbon fiber/Kevlar, with light weight hard foam sandwich reinforcements. The car weighs a rather light, 1180 kilograms and reaches a quarter mile in a mere 9.9 seconds. Koenigsegg have announced on their website the development of the CCXR, which develops just over 1000bhp and we can assume then that top speed records may yet be broken.

A few years ago, Volkswagen CEO, Ferdinand Piech, charged his designers with making a car which would be the ultimate sports car. A car which was capable of

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