The Fast Five: Hypercars that shatter speed records and defy physics

There’s a moment – just a heartbeat – between stillness and rip-roaring speed where everything changes. It’s in that flick of a moment, as your back is pinned to the seat and the world blurs into a tunnel of motion where time stretches and snaps back in an instant, that the soul of a hypercar reveals itself. Even if you have tested everything from grand tourers to track warriors over the years, nothing quite prepares you for the surge of pure velocity delivered by today’s fastest cars. Whether measured by sheer top speed or mind-bending acceleration, these machines redefine what’s possible. In everyday driving, these speeds are, of course, wildly impractical. But on a closed course, they’re pure, unadulterated exhilaration.

Here are five of the fastest cars in the world right now – each a feat of performance, technology, and daring vision.

Aspark Owl – The Electric Apex Predator

At 1.78 seconds to 100 km/h and a record-setting top speed of 438.7 km/h set by a prototype of the SP600 variant, the Aspark Owl is more than just Japan’s answer to the hypercar – it’s the fastest electric car ever made. Launched at the Dubai Motor Show in 2019, the Owl glides with deceptive serenity until its four electric motors unleash 1,980 horsepower in a shockwave of acceleration. Built with obsessive precision and tested in wind tunnels and racetracks alike, this electric monster pairs sci-fi speed with real-world performance. With modes like City and High Speed, it offers civility and savagery at the twist of a dial. This is electric performance, uncaged.

Rimac Nevera R – Lightning Strikes Twice

Rimac’s Nevera stunned the world when it was launched in 2021. The Nevera R, revealed last year, takes that thunderbolt and sharpens it into lightning. Delivering 2,107hp and reaching 100 km/h in just 1.81 seconds, the R variant evolves into a true hyper-sports car. It’s engineered with race-inspired brakes, torque-vectoring wizardry, and active downforce, turning raw speed into composed control. Despite its incredible straight-line numbers – 300 km/h in just

8.66 seconds – what’s remarkable is its agility on winding B-roads. It’s precision wrapped in power. Only 40 of these will ever be made, making the Nevera R a rare breed that turns electrons into adrenaline with ferocious grace.

Automobili Pininfarina Battista – Italian Art. Instant Torque

Rooted in the design language of classic Ferraris, thanks to its legendary coachbuilding past, Pininfarina’s first all-electric hyper GT, the Battista, blends beauty and brute force. It hits 100 km/h in just 1.86 seconds and screams to 200 km/h in under 4.8 seconds. During its dynamic debut at the Dubai Autodrome in November 2022, it set a benchmark for both acceleration and braking – stopping from 100 km/h in just 31 metres. Handcrafted in Cambiano, this EV masterpiece is not just about numbers. It’s a sensual experience, with a whisper-quiet drivetrain and explosive performance elegantly coexisting. It’s the future of electrified Italian performance.

Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale – Maranello’s Hybrid Monster

Ferrari may have embraced electrification, but it hasn’t abandoned its soul. The SF90 XX Stradale is proof that Maranello’s mastery of internal combustion still burns bright. Combining a 4.0-litre V8 with three electric motors, this plug-in hybrid generates 1,030hp and rockets to 100 km/h in 2.3 seconds. It’s not the quickest on this list, but it’s the most visceral. Every throttle input comes with a symphony of snarls, and every corner reminds you that this is still, at heart, a Ferrari. The SF90 XX isn’t just a fast car—it’s a fast Ferrari, and that makes all the difference.

Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut – The Swedish Speed Crown

If top speed is your metric, look no further than the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut. A product of Swedish obsession, the Jesko is built to go beyond 500 km/h according to simulations – though the official top speed number remains unverified. However, on 26 June 2024, at Örebro Airport in Sweden, it set a new 0–400–0 km/h record in just 27.83 seconds with factory driver Markus Lundh behind the wheel. Powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 producing up to 1,600hp, it’s a purist’s dream: a combustion monster with zero hybrid trickery. The Absolut’s long-tail aerodynamics and near-zero drag design make it Koenigsegg’s fastest car ever, and potentially the fastest road car on Earth. Its theoretical speed remains the stuff of legend, but the engineering behind it is very real, and terrifying.