Blog

Oct 27, 2023

The Fastest American Supercars In The World, Ranked

The U.S. is home to some of the fastest cars planet and here are the fastest

The U.S. is home to some of the fastest cars planet and here are the fastest American cars ever produced

If you thought that the American car scene isn't synonymous with supercars, think again. Make no mistake, America does produce powerful, fast cars, including insanely fast muscle cars. However, American automakers have yet to make as significant an impression in the supercar realm as their European counterparts. The likes of Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini are the star players when it comes to supercar manufacturing.

However, the U.S.A is putting up a fight, demonstrating that they can not just compete with their European rivals, but even outperform them. In truth, the United States does produce some incredible supercars capable of not just setting blistering times on the track, but also competent machines capable of some truly serious speeds. Most of these cars are criminally underrated and here are the fastest American supercars in the world.

RELATED: Top 10 American Performance Cars

Dodge debuted the ACR (American Club Racing) package in 1999 on the second-generation Viper. ACR Vipers had more aero bits and were, therefore, more suited to track performance than straight-line speed. Dodge's ACR package worked brilliantly: the manufacturer claimed that the generation-five ACR Viper produced more downforce than any other production car.

Despite being tuned for the track, the Viper ACR was a bullet in a straight line, primarily due to the enormous 8.4-liter naturally aspirated V-10 powering the vehicle. With an engine producing 645 horsepower, the lightweight Viper ACR - it weighed as much as a Golf GTI - maxed out at 206 MPH.

The ZR1 was the last and most extreme C7 manufactured by Chevrolet. It featured a 6.2-liter V-8 supercharged engine producing 755 horsepower, making the C7 ZR1 the most powerful Corvette in the world. Chevrolet provided two aero packages: low-drag for straight-line speed; high downforce for track annihilation.

It takes 2.8 seconds to get from zero to 60 MPH in a C7 ZRI; the vehicle clears the standing quarter mile in less than 10 seconds. Per Chevrolet, the C7 ZRI maxes out at 212 MPH. However, a Corvette with the low-drag aero package hit 214 MPH at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds in Florida.

Ford's legendary GT40 inspired the design of the Ford GT, with its first generation debuting in 2005. The manufacturer planned to build 4,500 Ford GTs, but by the time production ended in 2006, Ford had produced 4,038 cars. The Ford GT's second generation premiered a decade later.

The Ford GT and the Ford F-150 have similar engines: twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6s. However, the GT's V-6 has larger turbochargers, unique camshafts, and an aluminum intake manifold. The 660-horsepower engine can propel the aerodynamic Ford GT to 216 MPH. Ford ended production of the GT supercar in 2022 by manufacturing a special model dubbed the Ford GT LM Edition.

RELATED: 10 Fastest Chevrolet Sports Cars, Ranked

The SCG 003 is a sports car developed by Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, an American boutique carmaker. It's powered by a 4.4-liter BMW V-8 tuned to produce more than 750 horsepower. It gets the 2,866-pound car from zero to 60 MPH in under 3 seconds. The SCG 003S, the street-legal version of the SCG003, can hit speeds of 217+ MPH.

The 003CS, with the CS denoting ‘Competition Street’, is a track day car that can be converted into a road-legal vehicle by installing license plates and road tires. It shares the same engine as the S but has more aerodynamic parts. The OO3CS can hit top speeds of over 230 MPH.

The iconic Saleen S7 debuted in 2000, featuring a 550-horsepower Ford engine capable of launching the car from zero to 60 MPH in 3.3 seconds. Saleen alleged that the S7 could achieve speeds of 220 MPH, though the manufacturer lacked evidence to support the assertion.

In 2005, Saleen updated the S7, strapping two turbochargers to the engine, which increased the horsepower to 750. The manufacturer also revised the aero and exterior. Dubbed the TT, it reportedly accelerated to 60 MPH from a dead stop in 2.8 seconds. Saleen claimed that the S7 TT maxed out at 248 MPH but didn't provide proof. However, a YouTuber named Rob Ferretti drove a naturally-aspirated S7 to 240 MPH. Ferretti's run suggests that the TT version can do well beyond 240 MPH.

The Czinger 21C V Max is a Czinger 21C stripped of the elements that induce downforce and make it draggy in a straight line. The 21C is a 3D-printed rocket of a car with a hybrid 2.9-liter V-8 producing 1,250 horsepower. The standard 21C is rapid: it holds the track record at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca for the fastest production car and has a top speed of 253 MPH. Zero to 62 MPH takes just under two seconds.

The 21C V Max can go beyond 253 MPH, considering it has no rear wing and a reworked low-drag nose with no winglets. Czinger hasn't released the 21C V Max's numbers. However, credible reports claim that the low drag variant of the 21C V could hit 281 MPH.

RELATED: The 10 Most Iconic American Cars From The 1990s

SSC announced its entry into the industry via the Ultimate Aero, which debuted as a prototype in 2004. The Ultimate Aero TT was built for speed: its 1,287 horsepower V-8 engine powered a vehicle with a lightweight chassis and a carbon fiber composite body. Wind tunnel tests at NASA's Langley, Virginia facility revealed that the Ultimate Aero TT maintained aerodynamic stability up to 273 MPH.

The tests showed that the Aero TT could beat the Bugatti Veyron's 253 MPH top speed, becoming the fastest production car in the world. The Aero TT delivered, setting an average top speed of 256.18 MPH on a closed highway in Washington state. Three years later, Bugatti's Veyron Super Sport smashed the Ultimate Aero TT's effort by 12 MPH.

Hennessey Performance Engineering built a reputation for being one of the best at modifying sports cars. Led by John Hennessey, the company built its first car, the Hennessey Venom 650R, based on the Dodge Viper. In 2007, Hennessey debuted a modified version of the 650R dubbed the Venom 1000 Twin Turbo Viper to compete in an acceleration contest.

The Venom 1000 won, but Hennessey wasn't satisfied. To improve the vehicle's performance, Hennessey swapped the Dodge Viper for the lighter Lotus Elise and strapped a 1,244 horsepower engine onto its chassis. And thus, the Hennessey Venom GT was born.

Zero to 60 MPH in a Hennessey Venom takes under 2.8 seconds. In January 2013, the vehicle set a world record when it accelerated from a dead stop to 186 MPH in 13.63 seconds. A year later, the Venom GT achieved a top speed of 270 MPH. In 2017, Hennessey discontinued production of the Venom GT to focus on the Venom F5.

The 6.6-liter V-8 engine powering the Hennessey Venom F5 is rightly dubbed ‘Fury’: it produces 1,871 BHP. Yet, the Hennessey Venom weighs just 2,998.3 pounds. The F5's V-8 behemoth can propel the car from zero to 62 MPH in 2.6 seconds. It takes just 15.5 seconds to accelerate the F5 from a dead stop to 250 MPH. The Venom's top speed so far is 271 MPH, achieved at the NASA runway in March 2022.

Hennessey is another American manufacturer who dreams of building a car that blasts past 300 MPH. Its hopes rest on the Venom F5, which, according to Hennessey boss John Hennessey, can hit 300 MPH. In early 2023, John stated that the F5's high-speed test would happen in the next year. He added that the F5 needs five to seven miles of straight tarmac to hit its peak top speed.

RELATED: The Fastest American Cars Ever Produced

SSC North America's goal when developing the Tuatara was to reclaim the top spot as the manufacturer of the fastest production car in the world. Bugatti snatched the production speed record crown in 2010 with the Bugatti Veyron Supersport. The Tuatara previewed at Pebble Beach a year later. SSC North America took its time: the production version of the Tuatara debuted in August 2010.

The manufacturer claims that the Tuatara has one of the lowest drag coefficients among production vehicles. A twin-turbo V8 sending 1,750 horsepower to the rear wheels propels the ultra-slippery Tuatara to a top speed of 295 MPH.

SSC courted controversy when it claimed that the Tuatara had maxed out at 331 MPH, recording an average speed of 316.11 MPH over two runs. For a while, SSC weathered the storm, repelling opposition against the Tuatara's alleged top speed. Eventually, however, the company buckled under the pressure, admitting that the vehicle hadn't even surpassed 301 MPH. Comments from SSC head Jerod Shelby made after the SSC hit 295 MPH suggest that the manufacturer believes the Tuatara can hit a higher top speed. Shelby said the Tuatara isn't ‘even close to reaching its ceiling’.

Moses Karomo is an enthusiastic automotive writer who can talk and write endlessly about EVs. He has extensive automotive reporting experience, writing about all manner of automotive topics. He keeps up with innovations and trends in the car industry to provide readers with up-to-date information about the ever-evolving automotive industry. When not writing, Moses is traveling or cooking.