2003 Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fastest cars in the world by top speed, 0-60 and quarter mile

A claim for the title of “Fastest Car in the World” might seem easy to settle. ItÂ’s actually anything but: Are we talking production cars, race cars or customized monsters? And what does “fastest” even mean? For years, car publications have tended to define “fastest” in terms of an unbeatable top speed. ThatÂ’s distinct from the “quickest” car in a Usain Bolt-style dash from the starting blocks, as with the familiar 0-60 mph metric. Professionals often focus on track lap times or elapsed time-to-distance, as with a drag racer thatÂ’s first to trip the beam of light at the end of a quarter-mile; or the 1,000-foot trip of nitromethane-powered NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car dragsters. Something tells us, however, that you're not seeking out an answer of "Brittany Force rewriting the NHRA record books with a 3.659-second pass at a boggling 338.17 mph." For most barroom speed arguments, the focus is firmly on cars you can buy in showrooms, even if many are beyond the financial means of all but the wealthiest buyers and collectors. Here are some of the enduring sources of speed claims, counter-claims, tall tales and taunting dismissals that are the lifeblood of car enthusiasts – now with EVs adding an unexpected twist to these passionate pursuits.   Fastest from the blocks: 0-60 mph Thirty years ago, any car that could clock 60 mph in five seconds or less was considered extremely quick. Today, high-performance, gasoline-powered sedans and SUVs are routinely breaking below 4 seconds. As of today, the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 crushes all with a 0-60 mph time of just 1.66 seconds. That's simply absurd, but keep in mind the Demon was engineered with the single-minded purpose of going fast in a straight line. It's also important to realize that direct comparisons are difficult, because not all of these times were accomplished with similar conditions (prepped surfaces, adjustments for elevation and so on). The moral here is to take these times with a tiny grain of salt. After the Dodge, the Rimac Nevera comes in with an officially recorded 0-60 mph time of just 1.74 seconds. EVs crowd the quickest list, with the Pininfarina Battista coming in a few hundredths slower (1.79 seconds) than the Nevera and the Lucid Air sapphire (1.89 seconds) right after that. Eventually, you arrive to the Tesla Model S Plaid, which has a claimed 1.99-second 0-60 mph time, though instrumented testing by Car and Driver shows it accomplishes the deed in 2.1 seconds.

2017 Porsche 718 Boxster: Old name, modern performance

Porsche set the bar pretty high when it attached the number 718 to the new Boxster. The original Porsche 718 Spyder from the late '50s and early '60s remains one of the most iconic in the company's history. Nameplates aside, the biggest change to the new 718 Boxster can be found under the rear deck. That's where Zuffenhausen has embraced the latest trend in downsizing and turbocharging. In place of the previous naturally-aspirated flat-sixes, the new 718 packs a 2.0-liter turbo boxer four good for 300 horsepower, or a 2.5-liter version with 350 hp. They're smaller than the engines they replace, but also more powerful – and offer a significant improvement in torque as well. The result is a 0-60 time as low as 4.0 seconds – in what's long been considered the "junior" Porsche sports car. Of course Porsche didn't just swap the engines out and call it a day. The styling has been updated inside and out, and there's new equipment as well. The finished product will go on sale in April – but that's in Europe where it's been unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show. It'll hit US dealers in June, and we can look forward to a 718 Cayman version with a fixed roof to follow soon as well. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

What's the deal with all these Porsches Seinfeld is selling?

In case you haven't been able to tell from watching Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, Jerry Seinfeld is as fanatical about automobiles as he is about comedy. The man has one of the most enviable Porsche collections in the world. But now he's preparing to auction off a significant share of them, and Gooding & Company, the auction house handling the sale, has just released the full list. We got our first look at some of them a couple of weeks ago, including a 550 Spyder, a 356 Speedster, and a 911 IROC RSR – all of them valued in the millions. But that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Other Porsches from the Seinfeld collection set to cross the auction block include a 917/30 Can-Am Spyder, a 718 RSK, a Carrera GT prototype and a 962C racer. There are old and new 911s aplenty, a handful of 356s, even a 597 Jagdwagen and a couple of 1960s VWs thrown in for good measure. You can scope out the full list in the press release below and view some of them in the gallery above. And if you have the funds and the inclination, Amelia Island will be the place to be next month. Here's hoping it all works out better for the proud new owners than that time George thought he had bought Jon Voight's Chrysler LeBaron. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Gooding & Company Reveals the Complete List of Collector Cars To Be Offered from Jerry Seinfeld's Collection at the Amelia Island Auction Porsche Highlights from Jerry Seinfeld's Collection Include the 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder and the 1959 Porsche 718 RSK SANTA MONICA, Calif. (February 5, 2016) – Gooding & Company, the auction house acclaimed for selling the world's most significant and valuable collector cars, is honored to announce the full selection of consignments from The Jerry Seinfeld Collection to be sold at the Amelia Island Auction on March 11, 2016. Enthusiasts and collectors will not want to miss this historic event as these superb examples cross the auction block. "Mr. Seinfeld is recognized throughout the world as having acquired one of the finest Porsche collections ever assembled," said David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company. "He has become known as the definitive Porsche connoisseur based on his passion and devotion to the marque. We at Gooding & Company share his reverence for Porsche and are proud to offer these truly incredible examples.