Top-speed wars have been going on for decades and currently, the race is between the big three hypercar manufacturers; Bugatti, Koenigsegg, and Hennessey. Each one has had their time at the top of the production car speed table, with different cars at different times. The race to 300 MPH was won, with Bugatti holding the record with the Chiron Supersport at 304.77 MPH (490 Km/h). But this doesn’t stop the other fast car manufacturers from trying to claim that spot.
Hennessey has been at the heels of Bugatti with several speed tests trying to dial in the car. During a recent sit down with the CEOs from Bugatti and Koenigsegg, we got to hear some challenges John Hennessey has faced trying to set a top speed record. Hennessey has plans to not only beat Bugatti’s record, but completely claim that position.
Hennessey Plans To Beat Bugatti With A Two-Way Average
Bugatti currently holds the production car top speed record, but that has come with a little controversy since Bugatti only did it in one direction on the Bugatti test track at Ehra-Lessien. Hennessey plans to take back the record with a two-way average run, similar to what Koenigsegg did during the top-speed run with the Agera RS. But doing this has presented them with the very first challenge, which is tires. Bugatti and Koenigsegg have achieved their top speed runs using Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which means this can be achieved with those tires, but Hennessey faces another issue, which is lack of space.
Koenigsegg had to make use of the Nevada highway, which was shut down to achieve that record. But there are a lot of uncertainties when attempting such records on an open road. Unlike Bugatti’s purpose-built test track, the tarmac on the highway is uneven and rough in some areas. You also run the risk of hitting some wildlife. John Hennessey says he has hit a bird at 200 MPH, and at those speeds, you can’t take any chances. A lot of preparation goes into planning a top speed run, and Hennessey plans to take every precaution necessary.
Beating Bugatti Is A Challenging Feat
Beating a record set by a company like Bugatti is a daunting task, since most manufacturers do not have access to that kind of facility. Ehra-Lessien is a test track with 60 miles of Tarmac available to the VW group for testing on its cars and isn’t available to the public. It has a 5.4 mile straight where Bugatti has set many top speed records, and unless there’s bad weather or issues with the cars, Bugatti can test there all day.
Not having a fully controlled environment can have dire consequences, such as when a Hennessey Venom F5 crashed at 250 mph (402.34 km/h) while testing at the Kennedy Space Center due to a loss of downforce at that speed. Luckily, the test driver walked away from the accident. If Hennessey wants to beat Bugatti, all of these issues have to be addressed. Since they do not have readily available resources like Bugatti, it may take a while and a lot of planning and safety precautions before they can claim that top speed record.
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