# How quick can production cars get? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632 "2011-01-14T19:19:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/1 "2011-01-14T19:19:48Z")
The upcoming generation of supercars can boast 0-60 times of under 3 seconds, and top speeds well over 200 mph. Is there a theoretical limit for how quick/fast a U.S. street legal car can be? I’m sure drag limits top speed and acceleration but I’m not sure how or when those factors come into play. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/2 "2011-01-14T19:27:17Z")
The [Tesla Roadster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_roadster) (which is US street-legal; I’ve seen several on the road) has a 0-60 of 3.7 seconds. I imagine that there’s gotta be a gas-powered supercar (say, a Ferrari or a Lamborghini) legal for U.S. roads that’s quicker. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/3 "2011-01-14T19:57:52Z")
Really its limited by 1) the grip of the tires and 2) strength of the drivetrain. Of course the mass of the car plays a huge role too. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/4 "2011-01-14T20:05:24Z")
How does the [Veyron Supersport’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Veyron) 268 mph sound? ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/5 "2011-01-14T21:38:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The [Tesla Roadster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_roadster) (which is US street-legal; I’ve seen several on the road) has a 0-60 of 3.7 seconds. I imagine that there’s gotta be a gas-powered supercar (say, a Ferrari or a Lamborghini) legal for U.S. roads that’s quicker. Petrol cars are going to be leading the performance tables for some time to come, the Tesla won’t get a look in. Pooling together various internet sources regarding the Veyron we get this progression of speed and the HP required to attain it: 100mph - 150HP 185mph - 500HP 252mph - 1001HP I can’t vouch for these figures as being 100% accurate but they do demonstrate what is to be expected, once you get up to very high speeds (200mph+) drag becomes a serious factor and the amount of power required for further acceleration becomes insane. How much would the Veyron need to hit 300mph? Maybe as much as 1800HP? Generating this much power whilst maintaining road-legal status has to be very very difficult. I don’t think you will get a definitive answer to your question as the method of propulsion may change if/when someone invents a new way of powering cars. Certainly if standard family cars ever reached 300mph+ you wouldn’t have people driving them anymore, the reaction times required are beyond most people so computer-driven cars a la Minority Report would be the order of the day methinks. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/6 "2011-01-14T21:42:49Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > I can’t vouch for these figures as being 100% accurate but they do demonstrate what is to be expected, once you get up to very high speeds (200mph+) drag becomes a serious factor and the amount of power required for further acceleration becomes insane. How much would the Veyron need to hit 300mph? Maybe as much as 1800HP? FWIW I recall reading somewhere that the Veyron, at top speed, would empty its gas tank in 12 minutes. I imagine going faster with an even more powerful engine is only going to make that worse. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/7 "2011-01-14T22:38:44Z")
More horsepower and less weight are always possible. How fast someone wants to go is simply a matter of money. However, as a practical matter, and with more top end, more significant obstacles would be suspension and aerodynamics. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/8 "2011-01-14T23:01:10Z")
Included in the aerodynamics issue is making sure that the car doesn’t take off. You need to generate lots of downforce to keep the tyres on the road and of course more aerodynamic downforce means more drag which means more power is required. If you make a car with more power then it will run out of fuel very quickly indeed, so you add a larger fuel tank, which adds weight, which means you need more power etc. etc. The whole thing just doesn’t scale favourably. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/9 "2011-01-14T23:05:31Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The [Tesla Roadster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_roadster) (which is US street-legal; I’ve seen several on the road) has a 0-60 of 3.7 seconds. I imagine that there’s gotta be a gas-powered supercar (say, a Ferrari or a Lamborghini) legal for U.S. roads that’s quicker. I have an [Ariel Atom](http://www.arielatom.com) which does 0-60 in under 2.8 seconds. 300HP, 1325 pounds (before I get in it :D). I’ve got 30,000+ miles on mine, and I’ve been [back and forth across the US](http://www.atomacrossamerica.org/) quite a few times now. The Atom does have the aerodynamics of a brick, though, and to get past 200MPH requires the 500HP version. And pretty good nerves, too, since you’re only about [3" off the ground](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VItN3LOfiM). ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/10 "2011-01-14T23:20:59Z")
The speed of light is the upper bound. But really what is a car? does it have to have 4 wheels? I mean some cars out there are just a chunk of metal on a rocket not really fair. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/11 "2011-01-14T23:43:44Z")
As the guys on Top Gear lamented, it’s likely that the Veyron is it as far as production cars go. Volkswagen is apparently taking a multi-million dollar loss on each one they sell, and that’s with a sticker price of $2 million or so. It was made as an exercise to see if it could be done. Sure, someone could make another ‘street legal’ car that gets an extra MPH or two, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. It becomes exponentially more costly to produce more speed at the levels we’re talking about, and I’m not sure there’s a car company out there with the extra cash sitting around to make it worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![TurboNuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@TurboNuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TurboNuke)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/12 "2011-01-14T23:57:17Z")
> [@Terry\_Kennedy](#): > > I have an [Ariel Atom](http://www.arielatom.com) which does 0-60 in under 2.8 seconds. 300HP, 1325 pounds (before I get in it :D). I’ve got 30,000+ miles on mine, and I’ve been [back and forth across the US](http://www.atomacrossamerica.org/) quite a few times now. > > The Atom does have the aerodynamics of a brick, though, and to get past 200MPH requires the 500HP version. And pretty good nerves, too, since you’re only about [3" off the ground](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VItN3LOfiM). Gratz on the Atom. I was thinking of getting one but I think I’m getting a Factory Five Cobra instead. How do you like the Atom? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/13 "2011-01-14T23:57:42Z")
The Veyron does 0 to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds. That is insanely fast. I would imagine that their million plus loss per vehicle is mostly development costs in engineering and testing. They have extended the run for the Grand Sport and Super Sport and will probably recoup some of those costs. If they could find a market for a couple thousand of these monsters, then they might break even or make a profit. But not that many Saudi princes want such a vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/14 "2011-01-15T00:39:05Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > FWIW I recall reading somewhere that the Veyron, at top speed, would empty its gas tank in 12 minutes. > > I imagine going faster with an even more powerful engine is only going to make that worse. I believe in the Top Gear video they also said you’d run out of tires shortly after that! Here it is: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk1t6S737Cs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk1t6S737Cs) Veyron maintenance costs (:eek:): [http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2010/01/19/does-owning-a-bugatti-veyron-cost-as-much-as-a-private-jet/](http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2010/01/19/does-owning-a-bugatti-veyron-cost-as-much-as-a-private-jet/) The Ariel Atom (which looks like a helluva fun car to drive): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA) ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/15 "2011-01-15T02:00:37Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > The speed of light is the upper bound. But really what is a car? does it have to have 4 wheels? I mean some cars out there are just a chunk of metal on a rocket not really fair. I think the bounds here are defined by the OP stating that the car has to be street legal in the USA. I’m not sure there would be a rule that it only has 4 tires but i’m sure they frown upon strapping rockets to metal sleds! ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/16 "2011-01-15T04:31:18Z")
> [@TurboNuke](#): > > How do you like the Atom? It is a lot of fun, nearly all the time. It can get rather unpleasant during a really heavy rain - unlike a motorcycle where you’re sitting on a saddle that has someplace to drain to, in the Atom the bucket seats turn into, well, buckets. I’ve driven the Atom in temperatures from below freezing (Bighorn National Forest) to 127 F (Death Valley), elevations from -280 feet (Death Valley) to 14,260 feet (Mount Evans). I have the US mileage record (it helps that I’ll do things like drive from New York to California and back for a track day, and drop in on a friend in Texas because “I was in the neighborhood”). One of the European owners has driven his up into the Arctic Circle. While I haven’t done anything that extreme, I am planning on Yellowstone in early April 2011. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/17 "2011-01-15T05:12:12Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > The Ariel Atom (which looks like a helluva fun car to drive): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA) From that video comes this picture, which has been known to crack me up to no end: [http://www.fakeposters.com/posters/farglalarghahghrghalrgh/](http://www.fakeposters.com/posters/farglalarghahghrghalrgh/) Which is on a website that is somewhat NSFW, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/18 "2011-01-15T12:45:09Z")
If you want to go 0 to 60 in around 3 seconds and you don’t have a lot of money buy a sport bike, they are under $20,000. They will also do 150 mph. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/19 "2011-01-15T13:28:10Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I believe in the Top Gear video they also said you’d run out of tires shortly after that! > > Here it is: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk1t6S737Cs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk1t6S737Cs) > > Veyron maintenance costs (:eek:): [http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2010/01/19/does-owning-a-bugatti-veyron-cost-as-much-as-a-private-jet/](http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2010/01/19/does-owning-a-bugatti-veyron-cost-as-much-as-a-private-jet/) > > The Ariel Atom (which looks like a helluva fun car to drive): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA) And remember, too, to get the Veyron up to top speed they had to take it to VWs test-track in Germany and put it on a 5.5 mile straightaway. I can think of only a few places in the US where you could give it a shot on the open road, and you’d be in danger of a crash at all times due to the speed cutting down reaction time. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632/20 "2011-01-15T18:46:30Z")
Most of the cars mentioned here are “exotics” that the average person can’t afford or wouldn’t buy anyway. My Ford Mustang GT cost me a little over 20K after negotiating and rebates, and is reported to top out at 160 stock! Having had it in Texas where the limit is 80 (and having “pushed” that limit juuuust a wee bit;)) I can tell you I’m rather confident it could have hit that. Maybe more. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-quick-can-production-cars-get/567632.md?page=2)