As a child, I used to fantasize all the time about zipping around the galaxy in my own personal spaceship. I still do, actually, but that’s not the point. The point is that the folks who call the shots at the world’s top automakers are just as prone to flights of fancy, but unlike the cardboard-box dreams you and I have, these people have the means to make it happen – on four wheels, that is. And that’s awesome, because if you take a second to look around, you’ll realize automotive spaceships are all over the place. Here’s our Top 5.
The criteria for this list are pretty simple. First off, we limited it to production cars, which means no one-offs. However, race cars and anything not street legal is okay, given that highway patrol has yet to deploy a space division. Beyond that, warp speeds and exotic materials are a must, as is interplanetary styling.
All strapped in? Enjoy the flight! Three… two… one…
Continue reading to learn more about TopSpeed’s Top 5 Spaceships On Wheels.
Number 5 – Ford GT
Good things happen when racing dictates design. Such is the case with the Ford GT, the latest and greatest to bear a Blue Oval. From tip to tail, this thing is almost entirely crafted out of carbon fiber, including the wheels. The windshield is made from the same material that’s used to cover your smartphone, offering high-flexibility, strength, and even less weight. Under the rear cover, you’ll find 600 ponies from a twin-turbo, 3.5-liter V-6.
Read the full review here.
Number 4 – McLaren P1
Just look at this thing. I’m pretty sure that prior to designing the P1, McLaren managed to sneak a GoPro into Area 51 for a walkaround of whatever the government has under wraps in those hangars. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a cloaking device was optional. Get up to speed, and the aerodynamics shift around to make it stick. And that’s a good thing when you’ve got 900 horsepower at your back.
Read the full review here.
Number 3 – Bugatti Chiron
Back in the ‘60s, NASA cooked up the Saturn V rocket to help propel us to the Moon. It was positively massive in every conceivable way – over 300 feet tall, 33 feet in diameter, and weighing over 6.5 million pounds. It cost $6.4 billion to create (that’s in 1960’s money, by the way). Spark it, and hundreds of thousands of gallons of kerosene and liquid oxygen would turn into 7.5 million pounds of thrust. And that was just Stage 1.
If ever there was an automotive equivalent of the Saturn V, the Bugatti Chiron is it. Here are the vitals – 1,500 horsepower, 1,180 pound-feet of torque, 16 cylinders, 8.0 liters, four turbos, and, most importantly, 260 mph.
Read the full review here.
Number 2 – Koenigsegg One:1
While the technology is getting cheaper every year, it still costs about $10,000 to put a pound of anything into orbit (and that’s if you go with cheap-o SpaceX). With a number like that, it becomes obvious that every little bit counts when attempting to break free of Earth’s gravity. The same is true for breaking lap records.
Case in point – the Koenigsegg One:1. This Swedish star-skipper leaves nothing on the table, and I do mean nothing, as the name is a reference to the power-to-weight ratio, producing one horsepower for every kilogram of curb weight.
Obsessive? Definitely. Necessary? Absolutely.
Read the full review here.
Number 1 – Aston Martin Vulcan
The name is probably a reference to the star system where this thing came from. Sent to obliterate the laws of physics in a naturally aspirated V-12 crescendo, the wings of the Aston Martin badge never appeared so appropriate. Grip the wheel, and you’ll get mind-meld handling. Even the taillights look like they shoot laser beams.
Read the full review here.