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FastestThings

Cars

SSC Ultimate Aero

SSC announced a two-way average of 256.18 mph on 13 September 2007, timed by Dewetron GPS, before Guinness had signed off.

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Top speed

Published as 256.18 mphPublished as 256.18 mphPublished as 256.18 mph

Two-way average of passes at 257.41 mph and 254.88 mph. Dewetron GPS, closed public highway, Washington. Manufacturer announcement of 13 September 2007, which said Guinness verification was still ahead.

VerifiedSSC North America (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 3.9× a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
  • 1.3 football fields a secondConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)
  • London to New York in 13 h 31 minConstant · London to New York, 5,570 km great-circle

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

This list

Why it's so fast

A car is fast when the force pushing it forward still beats the air, and when the tires and the gearing can use that force. A limiter is a different fact from an unlimited run.

  1. Drag and gearing

    Top speed is the balance point: thrust equals aerodynamic drag. The gearing has to still be pulling when the car gets there, or the engine falls off its power.

  2. What the sources signed

    A manufacturer claim, a magazine test and an electronic governor are not interchangeable. The measurement line says which one this page ranked.

A limited example is the Bugatti Chiron.

This is how the category works. A note written for this entry appears here once it is in the database.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 412km/h256.18mph115m/s223knRanked figure

    Two-way average of passes at 257.41 mph and 254.88 mph. Dewetron GPS, closed public highway, Washington. Manufacturer announcement of 13 September 2007, which said Guinness verification was still ahead.

    Verified
    SSC North America (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Timing
Dewetron GPS
Passes
257.41 mph and 254.88 mph
Venue
Closed public highway, Washington

Head to head

Compare SSC Ultimate Aero

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