Top 10 fastest production cars from zero to 60 mph

THE GOLD STANDARD BY WHICH EFFICIENCY MEASURED

How fast is fast? Is it the highest t op speed, t he quickest quartermile or the first to cross 100 km/ h? All of these are good yardsticks, for sure, but the eyeball-flattening nature of a launch to 60 mph (97 km/h) is the gold standard by which most manufacturers measure a car’s performance, the one regularly trotted out by fans or friends to officially settle the score about which favourite car is fastest.

Plenty of factors affect zero- to-100 km/ h times, of course. Stats from British or U.S. manufacturers are made in runs to 60 mph, not 100 km/ h ( 62 mph); or, they’re crudely converted. Other rankings might exclude initial “rollout,” the distance a vehicle can move before a timing device is activated, which can account for fractions of seconds. When striving for under three seconds to 60 mph, however, every millimetre counts.

Wikipedia, however, has updated its fastest production cars by acceleration by reconciling manufacturer claims with reliable, i ndependent and verifiable sources, then ranking the quickest to 60 mph, as well as the quickest in the quarter mile (402 metres). According to the online encyclopedia, the list is exclusive to “production vehicles” — those “being constructed principally for retail sale to consumers, for their personal use, and to transport people on public roads.”

To be called a production car and be eligible for the under- 3.0- second club, the original manufacturer must have built 25 or more units ( those by tuners are not included, nor are limited hand-built models), as well as be fully street- legal, passing all government tests, in the market for which they will be sold.

Here is the countdown of the top 10 fastest production vehicles to 60 mph (all prices in U.S. dollars): 10. Porsche 911 (997) Turbo S Independently measured time: 2.7 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 3.1 seconds Engine: 3.8- L twin- turbo flat-six Horsepower/torque: 530 hp, 516 lb-ft Notes: Second 911 Turbo S to crack the 3.0-second mark MSRP: $161,650 9. Nissan GT-R Independently measured time: 2.7 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 2.7 seconds Engine: 3.8-L twin-turbo V6 Horsepower/torque: 545 hp, 463 lb-ft Notes: Only car in list under $100,000 MSRP: $95,000 8. Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Independently measured time: 2.6 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 2.8 seconds Engine: 6.5-L D O HC 48-valve V12 Horsepower/torque: 740 hp, 509 lb-ft Notes: Available in 34 colours MSRP: $497,000 7. Audi R8 V10 Plus Independently measured time: 2.6 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 3.2 seconds Engine: 5.2-L D O HC 40-valve V10 Horsepower/torque: 602 hp, 413 lb-ft Notes: No turbos required MSRP: $190,000 6. Tesla Model S P90D with Ludicrous Speed upgrade Independently measured time: 2.6 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 2.8 seconds Engine: Twin AC induction, 259 hp front, 503 hp rear Horsepower/torque: 762 hp, 713 lb-ft Notes: Only all-electric car in list, and the fastest four-door ever built; the new Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode will move the Model S to the third spot on this list, with an insane zero- to- 60 mph time of 2.5 seconds MSRP: $115,700 before credits 5. McLaren P1 Independently measured time: 2.6 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 2.8 seconds Engine: 3.8- L twin- turbo V8 plus electric motor Horsepower/torque: 904 hp, 723 lb-ft Notes: Production ended in Dec. 2015 after 381 units MSRP: $1,150,000 4. Porsche 911 (991) Turbo Independently measured time: 2.5 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 2.8 seconds Engine: 3.8- L twin- turbo flat-six Horsepower/torque: 580 hp, 553 lb-ft Notes: Time recorded with sport chrono; seats four MSRP: $160,250 3. Bugatti Veyron Independently measured time: 2.5 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 2.5 seconds Engine: 8.0- L quad- turbocharged 16-cylinder Horsepower/ torque: 1,001 hp, 922 lb-ft Notes: Veyron Super Sport recognized by Guinness World Records as the fastest street-legal production car in the world; top speed of 430.9 km/h MSRP: $1,250,000 (in 2006) 2. Ferrari LaFerrari Independently measured time: 2.4 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: < 3.0 seconds Engine: 6.3- L V12 plus AC electric motor Horsepower/ torque: Combined, 950 hp, 664 lb-ft Notes: 499 units built, first mild hybrid from Ferrari MSRP: $1,400,000 1. Porsche 918 Spyder Independently measured time: 2.2 seconds Time shown by manufacturer: 2.5 seconds Engine: 4.6- L V8, plus two electric motors Horsepower/ torque: Combined, 887 hp, 940 lb-ft Notes: 918 units built, cars now doubled in value MSRP: $848,000