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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.

Singer offers first look at reimagined Porsche 911 Targa in the US

We're big fans of Singer's work. The company's "reimagined" Porsche 911s mix the best of what's old with modern technology, and the end results are simply fantastic to behold (and to drive). At the Quail Motorsports Gathering – part of Monterey Car Week – Singer's take on the Porsche 911 Targa made its North American debut, after the car was first shown at Goodwood in June. The car shown here is the second Porsche 911 Targa reimagined by Singer, wearing a really striking shade of brown. Parked next to it was an example of the 4.0-liter 911 that we drove earlier this year. Seeing the two cars next to each other was really special – two of the finest examples of restomod 911s in one place. Singer also used this showing to debut a new carbon ceramic braking system. These new stoppers were co-developed with WP Pro Racing Brakes, and offer a 42-percent weight savings over Singer's standard units. Still, the best part of Singer's display is that brown Targa. Take a few minutes and have a look, in the gallery above. Related Video:

Porsche 911 and Citro"en DS lovechild would look like this

The early Porsche 911 and the Citroën DS were two cars produced in the same era (though the DS launched in 1955, nearly 10 years before the 911), but they were vastly different from each other. The 911 was a uniquely German, pure-bred sports car, while the French-built DS had four doors and focused more on ride quality than sporting intentions. That made it all the more surprising when we came across the 911DS, a creation that binds the rear half of the Citroën to the front of an early, longhood 911.
The folks at Brandpowder are behind the creation, which we surmise was an exercise in design rather than an actual, completed project (some of the images look Photoshopped), but it's compelling nonetheless, with a turbocharged flat-six providing 260 horsepower. We hope someone builds it - though we're sure if that happened the early 911 crowd would cry afoul at one of its increasingly rare and valuable Porsches being grafted onto an old French car.
But as Brandpowder points out lightheartedly, perhaps the creation could transcend popular car culture: "The 911DS represents the effort of two countries, a genuine attempt to join their energy and talent into one thing. We hope Germany and France will be inspired by Brandpowder's story, as a metaphor for a better and greater Europe."