ssc

10 fastest cars of 2011

There's no real need for a production car to go over 200 mph. Few public roads in the world allow that kind of speed, whether legally or physically. But a few automakers continually push the boundaries of speed, for the same reasons that mountain climbers scale the highest peaks.

The fastest production cars hit well over 200 mph, using big displacement or near-racing engines to achieve these speeds. Of course, all of these cars are ridiculously expensive, but the varieties of design will come as a surprise.

We've assembled photos and specifications for the current crop of fastest … Read more

Five cars too awesome for stereos

It goes without saying that listening to music in the car is popular amongst most drivers. In fact, it's so popular that in most cars today, there are countless ways to avoid a silent drive: AM/FM radio, CD players, iPod connectors, auxiliary inputs and even satellite radio have become common across the entire spectrum of the automotive market. We personally refuse to drive more than a block without some decent music.

But today, we're focusing on the other guys - the cars that won't play any music for you, no matter how nicely you ask. These aren't cars for the layman, as the layman loves his Bruce Springsteen and wouldn't buy a car without speakers even if it did his taxes for him. These are among a highly specialized breed of automobile.

5. The Peel P50

This is it - the car so small and amenity-free that it makes a Smart Car look like a Hummer limo with a Jacuzzi in the back. The makers of this 52-inch-long car didn't even include a reverse gear, so it's no surprise they skipped the stereo completely. But what to do if you just can't live without tunes, and you happen to have a Peel P50? We'd put in a single speaker and have it play the Benny Hill Show theme song on repeat (at a top speed of a breakneck 38 mph). That way, whenever we had to get out of the car to lift it up and turn it around or yank it out of a pothole, we'd at least have appropriate music. Check out this classic Top Gear clip to see what it's like to drive.

4. The Popemobile

Okay, you can probably tell just by looking at it that the Popemobile (here a modified Mercedes M-Class) most likely has a stereo up in the front cabin, which should immediately disqualify it from this list. But this car is called the Popemobile, not the Chauffermobile, so as long as the Pope doesn't get to rock out while waving politely to all of Christendom, we consider the Pope's oddity of a vehicle stereo-free. After all, it's vitally important that the Pope isn't distracted by music when making appearances - especially considering he didn't seem to notice this. Maybe he had his headphones in?

Driving the world's second-fastest car

When we first covered the limited-production supercar known as the SSC Ultimate Aero, it had just laid claim to the title of fastest production car in the world. More recently, Shelby SuperCars announced it would install an electric drivetrain and thereby make the SSC the world's fastest electric car as well.

We have yet to see the electric version, and as of late June, the new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport had snatched away the production car speed crown from the Ultimate Aero. But SSC was in Monterey for this year's global pilgrimage of car nuts, and we were able to get some seat time in the car that was the world's fastest for almost two years. It's not an experience for the faint of heart.

SSC was founded in 1998 by lifelong car enthusiast Jerod Shelby, a trained mechanical engineer who had previously helped start a medical-device company. For the record, he is no relation to that other automotive Shelby, but one can be forgiven for assuming a connection based on each company's humble origins as one man's vision, not to mention their penchants for producing seriously hairy-chested machinery.

The Ultimate Aero is a beast by any measure. Its SSC-designed 6.8-liter engine is based on a billet aluminum block, and twin turbochargers boost output to a heady 1,287 horsepower and 1,112 pound-feet of torque, according to current figures on the company's site. Serious rubber is required to keep that power reasonably useful, and that helps push the overall width of the car to nearly 7 feet. Again, the timid or twitchy need not apply. … Read more

From 0 to 1,000 mph in 42 seconds

Meet Bloodhound, the 1,000 mph supersonic car. Actually, its top speed is 1,050 mph, but when you're a couple hundred miles an hour faster than the speed of sound, most jets, and all other Land Speed record holders, who's counting?

A life-size replica of the Bloodhoud SCC was unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow on Monday. The organization, which uses the supersonic car as a teaching vehicle to promote science education throughout schools in the U.K., also uploaded an animation of the Bloodhound's 133,000-hp propulsion system.

The Bloodhound will attempt to break the … Read more

Bloodhound SSC car faster than a speeding bullet

Bloodhound SSC is a bona fide rocket car and Britain's latest attempt to break the world land speed record. Crave UK got up close and personal with the jet-powered non-flier at England's Gadget Show Live, where Rich Trenholm met Nick Chapman from the project's Web team.

Click here to watch a video of Crave UK's interview with Chapman.