Autoblog

Sister blog Gadling just posted this video of a French assault on the worlds fastest vehicle title. Forget the Veyron's 253 mph or the projected 273 that the SSC Ultimate Aero TT will do, this Gallic bullet just hit 357.2 mph! While the Bug and Aero have around 1,000 hp to help push them towards glory, this puppy packs a whopping 25,000 hp. And it's not just about top speed here, this baby corners like it's on rails. OK, it literally corners on rails because it's a train. It still rides on wheels. Fine, its a stretch, but it is a pretty amazing speed for a train. Although a Japanese bullet train still holds a slightly higher overall speed record at 361 mph, that was a mag-lev with no wheels touching the ground during the run. Semantics, sure, but fun none-the-less.

Actually, top-fuel dragsters are approaching these speeds, albeit in just a quarter mile, and various Land Speed Record streamliners have hit speeds in excess of 400 mph, but seeing something this huge hustling along the French countryside is breathtaking. This specially equipped TGV was pulling three double-decker cars and had larger diameter wheels fitted, plus it had a boosted engine and increased voltage in the overhead lines. But even the regular TGV motors along at around 300 km/h on a typical run. High speed trains are increasingly being pitched to markets as varied as China and California, so these tests serve not only to draw attention to this mode of transportation, but to test updates in track and engine configurations. The full video of the record run is after the jump.

[Source: Gadling]

EVO Magazine just released info (and pics) about that very special project from German Porsche tuner, 9ff. If 9ff sounds familiar, you may remember it as the company that has set a couple of street legal records with highly modified 911s. It appears they have given up on the 911's rear-engine configuration in favor of a custom vehicle with its engine mounted amidships. The new car is called the GT9 and uses some 911 componentry, but is really a unique project that looks somewhat like Porsche's own GT1. The idea is to use a 900+ hp 4.2 liter flat-six to outdo the Veyron's 253 mph top end. And they plan to do it at Nardo, the huge bowl–shaped test facility in southern Italy, which essentially means the vehicle will be in the turns the whole time. In case you were wondering, that generally results in a lower speed than on the 5.6 mile long straightaways at VW's Ehra-Lessien test track, the site of the Veyron's runs. The fight for supremacy in the supercar world is certainly getting heated.

American specialty manufacturer, SSC is currently going about that task in a slightly different way, and Koenigsegg and Saleen seem to have vehicles available that would also challenge these speeds, but 9ff has experience here, as well. They've already had a 911 go 241 with just 840 hp. Sorting out what kind of record this would be is a bit tricky. Tuners are generally separated from production cars, but specialty manufacturers can actually qualify as production vehicles, even if they sell far fewer cars than the tuners. If it's any consolation, 9ff says that it has already sold two of these GT9s before the first one was even built. Prices start at 400,000 euro, in case you were wondering, a pittance compared to the Bug's going rate. We'll be sure to let you know if and when the GT9 hits 409km/h, besting the Veyron's vmax.

[Source: EVO]

A few days ago we reported about Shelby Super Car's (SSC) attempt at the worlds fastest car title and now we have an unofficial update. We just got word from a trackside observer that the record was NOT broken. After getting snowed out on day 1, the cast and crew reconvened on Highway 93 in Nevada and had another go at the record books today. Test pilot (and veteran Silver State Challenge 200 mph club member) Rick Doria reported wheelspin at 190 shifting into 6th on one pass that yielded about 221 mph, but felt confident enough to try again. A couple more passes and the 1,183-hp Ultimate Aero TT posted a top speed around 230 mph at 50% throttle in 6th. At that point the car had traveled the 2 miles deemed appropriate for the test runs. The driver reported that he was sure the car could easily break the 253 mph Veyron speed, let alone the "official" 242 of the Koenigsegg CCR. The group will head back to the shop for now and try a second set of runs in a couple of weeks if all goes as planned. We'll post updates as more information becomes available.

OK, so it might not be World's Fastest Car or even World's Fastest Coupe, but the AC Schnitzer Tension just accomplished something pretty remarkable. It sped its way around the Southern Italian top speed track known as Nardo at a breathtaking 331.78 km/h. That, my friends, makes it the fastest BMW on record. That's 206.158 mph, in case you, like most of us, can't do the conversion in your head. The test was run by Continental AG and AutoBild magazine.

A GPS system recorded the speeds on the 13 km oval, which along with Ehra-Lessien in Germany, is regularly used for high speed testing. The successful run at 200 mph makes the AC Schnitzer Tension the fastest BMW in the world, which is impressive, as it packs just over 400 horsepower and is fully street legal as well. As we told you back in September, the Tension sports many changes including a Schnitzer-specific motor. Powering this particular Tension was AC Schnitzer's 411 hp, 5.1-liter engine that they claim offers "a true alternative to the M5 or M6." We just saw one at the VIP Auto Fashion Show in L.A. and we liked it in silver and black much better than some of the other combos we've seen. Looks purposeful and wicked. Sounds mean, too.

[Source: World Car Fans]