Autoblog

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record for fastest open-top car

John Neff — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Bugatti

Bugatti has come back from losing its "World's Fastest Production Car" title with a new superlative to add to the Veyron's trophy case: World's Fastest Open-Top Production Car. That's right, if you can't beat 'em, take the roof off and join them.

The record of 408.84 kilometers per hour, or 254.04 miles per hour, was set by a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse driven by Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu at Volkswagen Group's proving grounds in Ehra-Lessian, Germany. The speed was measured and verified by the German Technical Inspection and Certification Association, or TÜV.

That last point is important to note, as the kerfuffle over the closed-roof Veyron's record involved the Guinness World Records organization, which both sanctioned the car's world record run back in 2010 and then stripped Bugatti of the title after it was learned the car used to set the record had its speed-limited removed. Also, whereas Guinness calculates a car's speed based on the average of two runs in opposite directions, Bugatti doesn't say what criteria TÜV used to verify and calculate the convertible's speed.

So what we're really saying is that Bugatti claims to have the world's fastest open-top production car, but that claim remains unsubstantiated by what many consider to be the only authority on world records, Guinness World Records.

As for the particular Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse that hit 254.04 mph, the special black-and-orange model will be on display at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month, and Bugatti plans to sell eight World Record Editions just like it for the princely sum each of 1,990,000 euro, or about $2.61 million dollars

Continue reading Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record for fastest open-top car

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets world record for fastest open-top car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hennessey Venom GT officially sets 0-300 km/h world record [w/video]

John Neff — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos

We're happy there's a John Hennessey who walks the Earth. While any number of humans may have had the idea of marrying a stretched Lotus with a twin-turbocharged ZR1 engine, only Hennessey had the wherewithal to make the Venom GT. And because he has, we bring you the news that the Venom GT has officially broken the world record for a car traveling from 0 to 300 kilometers per hour.

The deed was done on January 10th and officially certified by Guinness World Records. Conducted at Ellington Airport near Houston, Texas, the certified time of 13.63 seconds is actually the average of two separate runs going the opposite direction. The first run, with a 4-mile-per-hour tailwind, was achieved in 13.18 seconds, and the second, with a 6-mph headwind, happened in 14.08 seconds.

Guinness only recognizes deeds done in kilometers per hour, but you may be interested to know that the 1,244-horsepower Venom GT also reached 200 mph on that day in a record 14.51 seconds. According to Hennessey, the previous record for that achievement was 17.68 seconds by the Koenigsegg Agera R and the 1,200-hp Bugatti Veyron Sport requires a positively glacial 22.2 seconds.

There are more numerically significant accomplishments in Hennessey's press release below, but what you'll really want to do is check out the video replay, as well as flip through these photo galleries of the world record run and glamour shots of the car in question.

Continue reading Hennessey Venom GT officially sets 0-300 km/h world record [w/video]

Hennessey Venom GT officially sets 0-300 km/h world record [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear snags Guinness record for being world's most widely watched factual show

Zach Bowman — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:32:00 EST

Filed under: UK, Celebrities

It's official: Top Gear has collected a Guinness World Record. Everyone's favorite show about three jokers and their automotive exploits is the most widely watched factual TV program - you guessed it - in the world. All told, the original show is viewed in 212 territories around the globe, which is enough to take the honor. Jeremy Clarkson himself accepted the award on behalf of his cohorts and the crew behind Top Gear, saying only, "I am very proud to be involved in such a factual program."

Is that a hint of sarcasm we detect, sir?

The show certainly isn't lacking for fans with a Facebook page boasting over 12.1 million likes and counting.

Top Gear snags Guinness record for being world's most widely watched factual show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini gets in Guinness with tightest parallel parking job

John Neff — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: China, Etc., Videos, Hatchback, Mini

Electronic nannies have become so prevalent in cars that they've even taken over even the simple act of parking. Luxury cars have offered parallel parking assist systems for a while now, but these days you can get automatic parking tech on cars as mainstream as the Ford Focus.

Mini has set out to show that human beings can still do some things better than machines. It recently held a promotional event in China for the debut of a new version of its hatchback called "The Chinese Job," where the car in question was used to set the Guinness World Record for the tightest parallel parking job. Two drivers with apparent stunt skills were used, and suffice it to say, breaking the record was no sweat for them.

Using a handbrake maneuver to deftly slide the car into place, the first man to make an attempt set the new record at a combined distance of just 21 centimeters left between his Mini hatchback and two Clubman models. The second gentleman proceeded to one-up his counterpart by breaking the record again at 20 cm. Proving how important pride is to the Chinese people, this one-upmanship continued in single centimeter intervals until the new record was set, and left, at just 15 cm as certified by an official representative from Guinness World Records. The name of the man behind the wheel was Han Yue, and the prior record he broke was 21 cm set by Patrik Folco in Italy just a little more than a month earlier.

Scroll down to watch the tit-for-tat record-breaking that went on for yourself, and join us in wondering why those automatic park systems don't parallel park like this with a running start and 180-degree drift.

Continue reading Mini gets in Guinness with tightest parallel parking job

Mini gets in Guinness with tightest parallel parking job originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How a few college buddies racked up $100,000 cab ride [w/video]

Jeff Sabatini — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Wagon, Etc., Work, Humor

No, this is not the screenplay for The Hangover Part III. But this story does demonstrate how brilliant ideas conceived at the bar with your buddies have a tendency to snowball out of control. In this case, a single, flippant thought (How high can a taxi meter go?), one that might have been resolved by Googling, led to a 50,000-mile excursion in an eBay Motors-sourced, $2,000 car.

The story, as told by The Wall Street Journal, is an adventure tale of epic proportions, starring three 20-somethings from Great Britain. They left the U.K. over a year ago on a drive around the world, armed only with a 1992 London Black Cab and the desire to set the world record for the longest taxi ride. Their journey has taken them to the Middle East in time for the Arab Spring, up to the Arctic Circle, and as high as a Mount Everest base camp.

The Journal caught up with the trio in New York City after a 12-state tour of the U.S., where one of the British buddies saw fit to comment on our national obsession with the cost of gasoline. "Americans don't know how good they have it," he told the reporter, after recounting how he paid $12/gallon for fuel in Turkey.

As the friends have driven their cab, dubbed "Hannah," around the world, they've been having quite a laugh, but they've also been raising money for the British Red Cross, in the form of corporate sponsorships, according to the report.

Click past the jump to see a video interview with the intrepid travelers, and don't forget to check in on the trio's progress via their blog, ItsOnTheMeter.com.

Continue reading How a few college buddies racked up $100,000 cab ride [w/video]

How a few college buddies racked up $100,000 cab ride [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Chinese driver nail world's largest loop-the-loop

Jeff Sabatini — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:41:00 EST

Filed under: China, Etc., Videos

Anyone who has ever set up a Hot Wheels track knows that there is no more awesome an automotive stunt than the loop-the-loop. While some would argue that a good old fashioned Duke Boys jump takes the prize, we feel that the case for driving upside down is just irrefutable. That there are apparently people actively setting new world records for driving around loop-the-loops only makes us more convinced.

A new Guinness World Record for circling the largest loop-the-loop was set just a few months ago by Li Yatao, who drove a Youngman Lotus L5 around a loop with a diameter of 42 feet, 2.69 inches. The car appears to have had both front and rear bumpers removed to improve ground clearance during the run, and of course, a full roll cage was fitted. Yatao is a driver on a Youngman factory team - yes, that Youngman, the would-be suitor for Saab.

Go ahead and watch this amazing video for yourself, after the jump.

Continue reading Watch Chinese driver nail world's largest loop-the-loop

Watch Chinese driver nail world's largest loop-the-loop originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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