The global pursuit of being the fastest car on the road is nothing new. People were racing on foot or even on horseback long before the automobile even existed. Fast forward over a century later and the art of motorsports has supplied the technology necessary to experience the thrills of a race car in a street-legal machine.
With that being said, determining the fastest cars of 2022 may depend on who you are asking.
For example, some people might define the fastest cars going from 0 to 60 miles per hour as the winners. On top of that, many automakers still release production cars with a top speed limiter around 155 mph. That leaves a lot of room for debate, to say the least.
However, for those willing to break the 200 mph club, the fastest cars of 2022 have very little to do with the 0 to 60 times or a 155 mph cap. Some supercar and hypercar builders are even targeting the 300-mph mark and guess what? They are succeeding.
Of course, getting these companies to trust the average driver with insane 300 mph speeds is another story. Everything from tires to driver ability comes into question at that point. However, if you are one of the handful of people who will be able to get your hands on some of these cars, you just might be one of the few who get to experience 300 mph.
It should come to no surprise to gearheads that this list of the fastest cars of 2022 contain quite exclusive and difficult to acquire examples featuring a very gaudy price tag. As the saying goes, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. For those willing to pay the price to play, the rewards extend far beyond simple bragging rights. These hypercars deliver the most exhilarating driving experience on Earth, outside of professional racing.
For the sake of keeping the argument simple, the focus of this list will be overall top speed. After all, that is kind of the whole point when debating what is considered to be the fastest. It is not a shock that the cars on this list are very quick when it comes to acceleration as well. In other words, you get the best of both worlds with these babies.
The Reputable Hypotheticals
A few of the cars on this list have yet to do an official top speed run but claim to be able to hit ludicrous speeds over 300 mph. Considering the credibility of the companies behind these hypercars, it would be unwise to doubt their ability to deliver. These are some of the biggest swinging bolts in the world of supercar and hypercar engineering on Earth.
2022 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut
Obviously Koenigsegg needs no introduction to supercar and hypercar enthusiasts. The Swedish specialists have been churning out world-class high-performance sports cars and hypercars since 1994. Now the company is making a promise they intend on backing up.
Koenigsegg promises the Jesko Absolut will be their fastest series production road car ever. They vow to never make a production road car faster than the Jesko Absolut. Period.
You may be wondering how fast this thing is going to go with a promise like that. Well, Koenigsegg set a target top speed of 310 mph for the Jesko Absolut. In other words, George Costanza would really be able to make great time driving to the Hamptons in a Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut.
As always, the devil is in the details, which seduces high-performance driving enthusiasts everywhere like a voice from within. The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut packs a very powerful punch through a twin-turbo V8 engine capable of producing, get this, a minimum of 1,577 horsepower on E85 gasoline. That’s a lot of ponies.
The engineering never stops at the powerplant when it comes to hypercar development. To achieve jaw-breaking speeds, you need the kind of aerodynamic tuning you would expect from an aircraft.
Perhaps that is why Koenigsegg describes the Jesko Absolut as a “land-based rocket-ship determined to reach unheard of speed in record-setting pace”. Of course, there is one small bit of fine print, the company has not officially done a top speed run.
There could be a few obstacles in their way. For starters, it is not exactly easy to find a straight stretch of track long enough to reach these speeds. This isn’t exactly a flying DeLorean, you still need roads, Marty.
Secondly, finding tires that will not shred, melt, or malfunction at prolonged runs using excessive speed isn’t easy either. Until recently, there was no reason for tire development to even consider the need for a tire with this kind of speed in mind.
However, putting the perceived obstacles aside, there is really no reason to believe Koenigsegg will not deliver a 310-mph hypercar. Believe it or not, simulations performed by Koenigsegg for the Jesko Absolut have exceeded the 310 mph target. There is a pretty good chance the production version will be able to back that up when it is ready.
In case you are wondering how many Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut examples are being made for production, the answer is not exactly crystal clear. Koenigsegg planned a total of 125 Jesko models and all of them sold out upon the announcement of the car, well before delivery occurs.
Since the Absolut is a special version of the Jesko, the Absolut represents a small percentile of the 125 planned Jesko production models. There is no official total number of Jesko Absolute production models available to the public at this time.
2022 Hennessey Venom F5
If you are a high-performance truck, Dodge Viper, or Shelby GT350R/GT500 enthusiast, you already know what Hennessey is capable of. For everyone else, the Hennessey Venom F5 should put this high-performance company on the map.
A company normally associated with tuning the shit out of already high-performance cars and trucks is now working on their second-ever production model, the Venom F5. With a targeted top speed of 311 mph or faster, this is one snakebite that definitely comes with Venom.
Powering this slithering snake is a 6.6L twin-turbo V8 engine producing 1,774 hp. Fire it up, reach full-throttle and you will hear the roar of a V8 in harmony with what sounds like two jet turbines at times thanks to the twin snails.
Similar to the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, the Hennessey Venom F5 is still working on delivering their target top speed in the production version. They have yet to do an official top speed run. However, considering the Hennessey Venom F5 can go from 0 to 186 mph in only 8.4 seconds, you might need a flight suit just to hop in the cockpit.
Considering the F5 part of the car’s name is a reference to an F5 tornado, you understand what kind of dust the Venom can kick up. In the words of Clark Griswold, “Let’s burn some dust here, eat my rubber”. Of course, he would have no difficulty smoking that old Dodge pickup in the Hennessey Venom F5. Just not sure where he would put a tree that big.
Hennessey is limiting the production of the Venom F5 to only 24 examples. If you want to see what it is like to be Top Gun: Maverick inside a hypercar, the Hennessey Venom F5 is the perfect car for you.
The Best of the Rest
As for the fastest cars of 2022 that actually have official top speed runs under their belt, there are quite a few options if you are a Speed Racer. You will definitely steal the show anytime you show up at the track or pretty much anywhere behind the wheel of one of these beauties. If you are not sitting behind the wheel, good luck trying to keep up.
2021 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+
Since 1909, Bugatti has been a pioneer in everything from racing to making luxurious hyper sports cars. The French automaker really turned industry heads when setting a then-world record for a street-legal production sports car in the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 at 267.86 mph on June 26, 2010.
Bugatti never stopped chasing the top speed dragon, how could they? They already tasted the sweet nectar of success and that can only drive engineers to keep going. Cue the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, a car that is actually capable of helping you join the 300-mph club with one small caveat.
The production version is shipped with a top speed of 273 mph but don’t lose hope. Bugatti is willing to let you do a real top speed run on their Ehra-Lessien test track if you add a roll-cage and follow their protocols. Then, Bugatti will unlock the full potential of the Chiron Super Sport 300+ for you.
With enough driving skill, you just might be able to crack the 300-mph barrier seeing as the Chiron was the world’s first hypercar to ever do it. You have a twin-turbo W16 engine at your disposal. That’s an 8.0L 16-cylinder with twin-turbochargers and it produces 1,577 hp. With great power comes great responsibility.
Compared to the standard Chiron Super Sport, the 300+ edition features a longer body with more aerodynamic tuning. Bugatti also reduces the weight of the 300+ version compared to the standard Chiron Super Sport. There will only be a total of 30 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ models built during its production window.
2021 SSC Tuatara
SSC first made a top-speed-run name for themselves back in the first decade of the 2000s by setting the Guinness World Record for the fastest production car. They held the record for three years with the SSC Ultimate Aero.
When the Tuatara was under development in 2020, there was a time when SSC claimed a top speed of 316 to 331 mph with another project but hold your horses. Some inconsistencies were found in the measurement of those flashy numbers. They are not official.
By 2021, SSC was ready to take another crack at it with the Tuatara. This time the results are official with the top speed of the SSC Tuatara clocked at 286 mph. That will get you a speeding ticket in most jurisdictions.
Powered by a twin-turbo 5.9L V8 engine, the SSC Tuatara produces 1,725 hp. In case you are wondering what SSC stands for, well, they were formerly known as Shelby SuperCars. This North American-designed hyper sports car only weighs 2,650 pounds dry. It is lightweight and it has plenty of power to take off.
If you have ever tried to do a top speed run in a vehicle with longer gears, you know it can take a while for the car to reach the pinnacle. The SSC Tuatara does not suffer the same fate. It only requires 2.87 seconds to accelerate from 274 mph to 286 mph.
SSC North America makes it very publicly known that the buck does not stop here, they still have their eyes set on breaking the 300-mph barrier soon. Stay tuned. Pun intended.
2021 Aston Martin Valkyrie
If you are a fan of motorsports, you know the strong racing heritage Aston Martin brings to the table. The Aston Martin Valkyrie is the culmination of their expertise with many years of development, sweat, and tears along the way.
First revealed as a concept car in 2016, the first customer did not take delivery of their Aston Martin Valkyrie until early 2022. It was definitely worth the wait. This is the best road car from Aston Martin yet.
With a naturally aspirated 6.5L Cosworth V12, this is the only gasoline-powered car on this list that is not using forced induction to squeeze more performance out of the engine. This V12 engine produces 1,143 hp and revs up to an astonishing 11,000 rpm. Hearing this engine at wide-open throttle will make any motorhead weak in the knees.
On top of that, the Aston Martin Valkyrie only weighs 1,360 kilograms or about 2,998 pounds. If you want to Fly Like an Eagle, the Aston Martin comes with wings. The aerodynamic body is tuned for optimal downforce.
As for a top speed, the track-focused Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro edition will make it to 250 mph. Aston Martin stripped the interior down to make it similar to their Le Mans Prototype race cars but it still features seating for two. Unfortunately, Aston Martin is only building a total of 150 Valkyrie examples.
2021 Rimac Nevera
You may have noticed a common theme thus far on this list of the fastest cars of 2022, everything is gasoline-powered so far. Electric vehicles have an unfair stigma about not being capable of being fast above the speed of about 150 mph.
Enter the Rimac Nevera, an EV hypercar capable of reaching a top speed of 258 mph. That’s right, this EV is hypercar fast and it comes from a Croatian company who has a controlling interest in Bugatti with Porsche.
Using a combination of four electric motors, the Nevera produces 1,873 hp. It can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in under two seconds while being capable of stamping the quarter-mile slip in only 8.6 seconds.
Between using two separate single-speed transmissions and advanced torque-vectoring technology, the Rimac Nevera is at the cutting edge of what EV performance potential can translate to. It uses a 120kWh battery which Rimac claims features a 340-mile range.
Rimac will only be building a total of 150 Nevera examples. Don’t be shocked if you can’t get your hands on one.
2020 McLaren Speedtail
McLaren knows how to make a fast production car and an even faster Le Mans race car. Their racing heritage is only matched by their expertise. From aerodynamic tuning to maximizing performance potential, McLaren is always on point.
The McLaren Speedtail is actually considered to be their fastest and most aerodynamically efficient model to date. It can reach 250 mph.
Believe it or not, this is one of only two hyper cars on this list featuring a hybrid powertrain. The McLaren Speedtail uses a combination of an electric motor along with a twin-turbo 4.0L V8 engine. This motor combination creates a grand total of 1,050 hp.
It may not be as much power as some of the other fastest cars of 2022 but the McLaren Speedtail holds its own in another category. This is more of a GT or Grand Tourer riding experience. That means you can enjoy a more comfortable and practical experience for daily driving when compared to many of the other cars on this list.
Besides featuring excellent drivability, the McLaren Speedtail shares something else in common with the legendary McLaren F1 from the ‘90s. Both models feature the central driving position where the driver is sitting in the middle of the windshield rather than to the side.
If you do not currently own a McLaren Speedtail, you better get in line for whenever a current owner decides to part with one. McLaren only made a total of 106 Speedtail examples. They sold them exclusively to hand-selected buyers.
2021 Koenigsegg Gemera
As the other hybrid hyper car on this list, the Koenigsegg Gemera can hold its own in a category traditionally dominated by standalone gasoline power. With all-wheel-drive activated, the Gemera can reach a top speed of 250 mph. It can reach a top speed of 186 mph when operating in standalone rear-wheel-drive mode.
Now, being a hybrid is not the only category where the Gemera is different from the rest of the fastest cars of 2022. This is the only four-seater on this list and it has the smallest displacement gasoline engine of the cars that qualify.
Believe it or not, the Koenigsegg Gemera operates on a hybrid powertrain featuring a 2.0L three-cylinder engine. This three-cylinder engine produces 591 hp by itself. Sometimes good things really do come in smaller packages. Even more interesting is the fact that this three-cylinder engine can run on ethanol or methanol to make it a little more environmentally friendly.
The three-cylinder engine combines with three electric motors to produce a total of 1,676 hp. With only 300 Gemera examples under production, Koenigsegg should have no trouble finding drivers for all of them. Deliveries are set for 2023.
Racing to the Finish Line
With so many companies chasing the 300-mph barrier, even speeds as ridiculously insane as 250 mph seem so insignificant on paper. However, sitting behind the wheel or being a passenger in a hypercar traveling at a speed of 250 mph-plus is nothing to scoff at. At some point over 200 mph, a lot of background can begin to blur for most human eyes if you are not focused as a driver.
Then there is the question of controlling the hypercar at excessive speeds which is a completely separate challenge to face if you want to be a driver who joins the 250 mph-plus club. If you want to be a daredevil, do yourself a favor and make sure you have some advanced racing school training and several hundred hours of a driving simulator under your belt.
Most modern Formula 1 drivers use racing simulators to prepare for each track. It would be wise for you to do the same if you ever want to attempt a top speed run. Every single example you see on the fastest cars of 2022 features a seven-figure price tag. You are literally playing with fire in the priceless and irreplaceable category should something go wrong on the track.
For the lucky few who will find themselves behind the wheel of one of the fastest cars of 2022, kudos to you. You are living the dream and surely you are going to make the most of your free time in hypercars such as these. Enjoy every mile and the smiles that come with it while everyone else is watching your taillights pulling away at the track.
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