Fastest American Cars

Top 10 Fastest American Cars

These extreme machines pack some serious performance and can get you into trouble if you’re not careful with the gas pedal, and I mean that literally. So without further ado, here’s a list of 10 street-legal fastest American cars.

SSC Tuatara - 282.9 mph

Let’s kick things off with the SSC Tuatara. A successor to the Ultimate Aero, the Tuatara first debuted as a concept car at the 2011 Concourse’ D’elegance in Pebble beach. It was conceived with one purpose to reclaim the title of the Fastest car in the world, from the Bugatti Veyron. Remember, this was 2011, and the Chiron didn’t exist yet. The supercar was in development for the better part of a decade and the production model finally hit the road in 2018. 

Its V-8 engine was developed by Tom Nelson of Nelson Racing Engines. The 5.9-Liter twin-turbo V-8 features a flat-plane crank and puts out a whopping 1750 horsepower on 91-Octane gas. That is enough poke to propel the 2749 pounds, rear-wheel-drive Tuatara that features an all-carbon construction to some serious speeds.

SSC attempted a speed run back in October where the Tuatara hit an average speed of 316 mph. However, the legitimacy of this run couldn’t be verified. Consequently, Jerod Shelby himself came forward and said that they’d try again and a few months later, SSC went for it again, this time at the Florida Kennedy space center where the Tuatara clocked in an average speed of 282.9 mph, making it the fastest production car.  

Hennessey Venom GT - 270.49 mph

The Venom GT just like the Tuatara that I just spoke of was also designed to be the fastest production car in the world, designed to take on the mighty Bugatti Veyron. The Venom GT is the brainchild of John Hennessey of Hennessey Performance Engineering based in Sealy, Texas. The tuner is renowned for turning up the heat performance on a range of vehicles with everything from trucks and SUVs to sports cars.

But about a decade ago, they decided to have a go at the world record for the fastest production car. The Texan tuner created a stir when they showcased a Lotus Elise-based supercar at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Venom GT features a 7.0 liter twin-turbo V-8 engine that puts out 1244 horsepower, with power going to the rear wheels. In May 2014, Hennessey Performance pushed the Venom GT to V-max that managed to top out at a cool 270.49 mph, also done at the Kennedy Space Center.

Now although that was a number that was higher than the Veyron SuperSport, in order to claim the title of World’s Fastest Production Car, 30 production cars and tow back-to-back runs were needed, but Hennessey couldn’t care less. Do keep in mind that Hennessy never really had the kind of resources that Bugatti had, under the VW umbrella.

SSC Ultimate Aero - 257.41 mph

Turning it back to SSC once again, the third car on the list is the predecessor to the Tuatara, the SSC Aero, more specifically the Ultimate Aero. The Aero had a production run that was the better part of a decade from 2004 to 2013 and the Ultimate Aero was the car that was the car that went for the speed run. The hypercar made its international debut back in 2006.

At the heart of the Ultimate Aero TT lies a 6.4-liter twin-turbo SSC V-8 engine that delivers 1287 horsepower. The ultimate version had trick aero over the standard model including carbon-fiber louvers on the side intakes, and an active rear spoiler, which was quite advanced for its time. This RWD monster could hit speeds in excess of 250 mph as early as 2007. 

The same year, the Ultimate Aero went for a series of high-speed passes, on a closed stretch of highway up in Washington state averaging 255.83 mph, hence helping it eclipse Bugatti’s 253 mph back then. The SSC Ultimate Aero held this title until Bugatti came along with the Veyron Super Sport in 2010.

SCG 003S - 230 mph

The SCG 003, codenamed P33 is a limited run-supercar that was first announced by the boutique automaker back in 2013. Designed by Paolo Garella, the production version of the road-going racer first broke cover at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The firm chose to produce three variants, the Competizione, the Competizione Stradale, and the Stradale. 

The firm had previously developed and raced cars at places like Le Mans and the Nurburg ring. The Stradale, which was essentially was the road-going version and was by far the most forgiving of the three variants. However, that wasn’t to say that it was forgiving in any way. Its BMW sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo S63 V-8 put north of 800 horsepower, enough to take the 2866 pounds, SCG 003 to some serious speeds. How fast? Well, speeds in excess of 230 mph.  

The most extreme car of the bunch has to be the Competizione Stradale. While this car is street legal, it is essentially a track weapon with license plates attached to it. The car features a beefier rear wing and a stripped-down cockpit. The SCG 003 is hand-built at a quaint little town up in Hollow, New York.

Ford GT - 216 mph

The Ford GT is one of the most iconic model names in automotive history. The OG GT40s of course became world-famous for giving Ferrari a run for their money at Le Mans back in the mid to late ’60s. 

Now nearly six decades on the GT name lives on. While the first-gen GT hit the road back in the mid-2000s and features a V-8, the current model for the first time features a V-6. Not just any V-6, but a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 647 horsepower. The top speed is rated at 216 mp with all that power channeled to the rear wheels.  

Back in 2016, Ford Performance along with Chip Ganassi Racing took the GT LM GTE-Pro back to Le Mans and managed to take an emotional victory celebrating 50 years of Ford’s first-ever win of the 24 hours endurance race. Coming back to the road-going car, production began in 2016 and around 1350 units have been planned in total.

Chevrolet Corvette C7 ZR1 - 212 mph

This is a Vette that you don’t want to mess with. The ZR1 nameplate is reserved for the Ultimate Corvette that money can buy and the C7 ZR1 is the ultimate Corvette in history. Chevy first used the ZR1 moniker on the C3 Vette back in the 70s and since then, it has appeared on all generations except the C5. 

Coming to the engine, the C7 ZR1 features a 6.2-liter Supercharged LT5 V-8 that puts out 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque. The ZR1 takes the already potent Z06 and turns it up a notch. The Aero package is made up of the splitter, a rear wing ad, and an underbody spoiler developed in collaboration with Pratt and Miller’s racing team. The result? 0-60 in is decimated in 2.8 seconds and top speed is rated at 212mph. 

To give you some context about how big a deal these numbers are for the C7 Chevy Corvette ZR1 has more power than most Aventadors is faster than a Ferrari 812 Superfast snd has more than twice the torque of a Lexus LFA. But that’s not all, Chevy will do you one better. The optional ZTK Performance package for the ZR1 adds a higher fixed rear wing that generates 60% downforce as compared to the Z06 with the Z07 package. 2019 was the final model year of the C7 ZR1 Vette. 

Dodge Demon - 211 mph

We can’t talk fastest American cars and not bring up muscle cars can we now. In fact, before all these mid-engined American exotics came along, thorough-bred American muscle cars were not just the fastest cars Stateside, but some of the fastest in the world. 

Let’s talk Demon. The Demon name itself dates back to the early 70s when it was used on the Dodge Dart. Today’s SRT Demon is essentially a Drag Racer for the road. It is the most extreme Dodge Challenger that money can buy today. Under the hood lies a 6.2-lIter Supercharged HEMI that puts out 840 ponies. With the right settings, the Demon is capable of 0-60 in 2.1 seconds topping out at 211 mph, and did I mention this thing getting some air while launching?

From the factory, Dodge offers what is called the Demon Crate. It comprises all the things that you’d need to annihilate the competition at your local drag strip. This car is all about 1/4 mile times and it comes as no surprise that it comes with barely street-legal drag slicks, designed specifically for the Demon. Having said that with a 9.65 second 1/4 mile time, the Demon can’t really take part in NHRA Drag races as any car with a sub-10 second time requires a roll cage.

Dodge Viper ACR - 206 mph

One of Dodge’s most influential cars of all time was the Viper. The car initially debuted over three decades ago and it quickly gained a bit of a reputation for being one helluva of a car to drive. Why? It was thanks in part to that V-10 monster of an engine which I’ll get to in a bit. 

The Viper was in production for over five generations, until production finally ended in 2017. The ACR version, which stood for American Club Racing by far was the most extreme form of Viper that you could get. The ACR package first appeared on the second-gen Viper back in 1999 and it was mainly about the additional aero bits. The Final ACR hit the road in 2015 on the gen-five (VX) Viper and was essentially a racing car for the road. Dodge claims that the aero package produced the highest downforce of any production car, i.e close to one ton at 177 mph.

Its mammoth 8.4-Liter naturally aspirated V-10 engine was good for 645 horsepower and it hit 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds. The Viper ACR can hit a top speed of 206 mph. All this through a manual transmission and in a car that weighed the same as a Golf GTI. The Viper will remain as one of the all-time greats and the ACR was its most extreme incarnation.

Hennessey Venom F5 - 311 mph (Est)

The Hennessey Venom F5 is the successor to the legendary Venom GT. While that car was built on the underpinnings of a Lotus Elise, the Venom F5 was developed in collaboration with Delta Motorsports of Silverstone, England. Initial mockups of the car were first shown at the SEMA show in November 2017.

The mid-engined supercar features a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V-8 with a bespoke iron block that produces 1817 horsepower. Power is sent to the rear wheels. With a body comprising of a complete carbon-fiber construction, the Venom weighs 2950 pounds. It features active aero, which is apparently a first for Hennessey. Now with those kinds of numbers, Hennessey is clearly looking to enter the 300 mph club. The Texas-based tuner claims a top speed of 311 mph.

As with its predecessor, the F5 has been designed with one sole purpose, to be the fastest production car in the world. Production is limited to just 24 examples and customer deliveries are already underway.  

Saleen S7 - 248 mph (Est)

The Saleen S7 was America’s answer to the McLaren F1. It came to fruition around the turn of the century. The firm based out of California is of course is most well-known for being a tuner of Ford Mustangs but in the early 2000s, they decided to build their own mid-engined supercar to take on all those highspeed exotics from Europe and Japan. 

The S7 with its aggressive styling and mid-engined layout was essentially a racecar for the road. It was developed by Steve Saleen, Phil Frank, and Ray Mallock Limited. The body was made completely out of carbon fiber and the S7 weighed just 2865 pounds. The car featured an Under the hood was a modified 7.0-liter Ford V-8 engine that put out 550 horsepower.

If that wasn’t enough, Saleen tuned up the heat with a twin-turbo version in 2005 that made 750 horsepower. The S7 is rated at an estimated top speed of 218 mph. The Supercar was made in a limited number with just 100 examples in existence. This includes cars that were primarily designed for the race track.

Conclusion

Okay, so this is 2022. I get that and there isn’t a single EV on this list. They could have been included if I was looking at the quickest American cars. You’d have the usual suspects including the likes of the Model S Plaid, the Model X Plaid, the Lucid Air, and even the Rivian R1T. But top speed on EVs, work is underway I’m sure and we could very well be looking at cars like the Tesla Roadster making it to this list. But until that happens, this right here is a list of some of the faster American cars of all time.

Fastest American Made Cars

FAQ

What is the fastest street-legal car in America?

With a top speed of 282.9 mph, the SSC Tuatara is not just the fastest car in the world, but the fastest street-legal car in America.

What is the fastest American Car 0-60 mph?

With a time of 1.98 seconds, the Tesla Model S Plaid is the fastest American Car 0-60 mph.

What is the fastest American Muscle Car?

With a top speed of 211 mph, the Dodge Demon is the fastest American Muscle Car

What is the fastest car made by Ford?

The 216 mph second-generation Ford GT is the fastest car made by Ford

What is the fastest American car made in 2022?

The SSC Tuatara is the fastest car made in 2022

What American Made Car has the most horsepower?

The Hennessey Venom F5 is the American made car with the most horsepower

What is Chevys fastest car?

With a top speed of 212 mph, The C7 Corvette ZR1 is Chevy’s fastest car

What is the 0-60 on a Dodge Demon

The 0-60 on a Dodge Demon is 2.1 seconds

What is the fastest car Dodge ever made?

The Demon is the fastest car that Dodge ever made