# 'The World's Fastest Road Cars--and the People Who Drive Them' **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041 "2023-12-18T12:41:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/1 "2023-12-18T12:41:03Z")
> **[The World’s Fastest Road Cars—and the People Who Drive Them](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/12/25/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them)** > > “Hypercars” can approach or even exceed 300 m.p.h. Often costing millions of dollars, they’re ostentatious trophies—and sublime engines of innovation. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/2 "2023-12-18T13:29:47Z")
I know I will never be able to afford anything remotely close to anything Super/Hypercar related so I have never paid much attention to them other than when I see pictures or every now and then in person, I think they are cool but I don’t keep up with them… Well I did like when Tanner drove them on Top Gear (really miss the USA version lol)… Now that being said, don’t think for a second that if I had the money that I would not have one or more of them… You know, the little 1500 sq ft house with the 12 bay garage out back with my vehicles all in it… 🤘 😁 Edit, no I didn’t read any of it, too many pop ups… ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/3 "2023-12-18T13:53:52Z")
There have always been car manufacturers who push the technical boundaries Cars from 1902 that can have a top speed of 70 mph with 60 hp when most cars of the era can barely top 30 mph. And these are never inexpensive cars. The expensive cars use the latest expensive technology that later filters down into mainstream (and cheaper) cars. Always has, always will. the 1909 Ford Model T made 22 hp and went 40 mph on a good day. Most cities had speed limits of 8 to 10 mph and average speeds outside cities was about 25 mph, depending on the road quality. The 1909 Mercedes-Simplex could reach 73 mph even though test tracks were the only safe place to achieve this. And that Merc cost FAR more than a Model T - $12,750! The 1930 Duesenberg had 265 hp making it the most powerful road car in the US if not the world. It could cost $18,000 and could reach 91 mph when a Ford Model A cost about $600 and had a top speed of 65 mph. The Duesey had a straight 8 with double overhead cams and 4 valves per cylinder. Technology common today. There will always be well-heeled people who want the fastest, most technically advanced car manufacturers can create. And good for them because our cheap cars would not be nearly as good without them. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/4 "2023-12-18T14:27:40Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > The 1909 Mercedes-Simplex could reach 73 mph even though test tracks were the only safe place to achieve this In 1907, Fred Marriot is believed to have hit 190 mph, just before his Stanley Steamer racer became airborne, and crashed on Daytona Beach. Because it crashed, there is no _official_ record of that day’s speed, but the year prior, he was confirmed to have reached 127.7 mph in his Stanley Rocket. > **[THE CAR THAT FLEW](https://vault.si.com/vault/1956/03/26/the-car-that-flew)** > > In the days when the old Stanley Steamer was in its glory, there was a legend that its manufacturers had a standing offer of $1,000 to be paid to any driver ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/6/6/66cc896dcda34551b48c778e927f5517dab51a7d.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/5 "2023-12-18T14:40:13Z")
> [@davesmopar](#): > > I know I will never be able to afford anything remotely close to anything Super/Hypercar related so I have never paid much attention to them other than when I see pictures or every now and then in person, I think they are cool but I don’t keep up with them Even if I could afford one I never would. But I do like the technology in them. I think it was Amazon Prime that had a show on hypercars. Pretty interesting. Millions of dollars to build ONE prototype. They did get into some deep technical aspects of the cars. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/6 "2023-12-18T16:28:20Z")
> [@davesmopar](#): > > You know, the little 1500 sq ft house with the 12 bay garage out back with my vehicles all in it… 🤘 😁 That’s classic! I saw a place like this once- the garage mahal with a dinky little attached house on the side…He’s single 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/7 "2023-12-18T16:37:55Z")
> [@TwinTurbo](#): > > the garage mahal with a dinky little attached house on the side…He’s single 😀 A guy my friend used to date had a 6 car garage with a one bedroom apartment above it. Was building another 6 car garage across from the first. All her guy friends LOVED it… they didn’t date very long. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 7:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/8 "2023-12-18T19:42:56Z")
I don’t know, but suspect that price did not include the coach work. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/9 "2023-12-18T21:55:07Z")
A Duesey with coachwork was anywhere from about $13 to $18K depending on the coachbuilder and design. > **[Duesenberg Model J: Greatest car of the 1920s - Hagerty Media](https://www.hagerty.com/media/archived/duesenberg-model-j-greatest-car-of-1920s/)** > > There’s a reason people say “That’s a Duesey” when describing the best of the best. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/10 "2023-12-18T22:51:30Z")
As a point of comparison, a Ford Model T sold for $260 in 1925, about 50 times less than a Deusenberg. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/11 "2023-12-18T23:08:13Z")
The Great Depression took a toll on Duesenberg’s sales. The company hoped to sell 500 per year. People that could afford one still had the money but the optics of driving such a flashy expensive car, when unemployment was 25%, kept sales down to 481 over 10 years. Not enough to keep the company open. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/12 "2023-12-19T01:13:45Z")
I wouldn’t know. I right-clicked on the link, saved the page (html only) read that copy. I also have it in my archive for future reference. Actually, I listened to the audio, https://audm.herokuapp.com/player-embed?pub=newyorker&articleID=6578867f759cfe80599e351d ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/13 "2023-12-19T01:47:48Z")
Too much like work, plus it just takes up space on the computer and the best reason is cause I have a hard time finding anything that I save to my computer… 😆 I am much better taking stuff apart, I HATE when I get an update and it moves stuff around… I am still using a S9, that replaced my beloved S3, cause I don’t want to have to learn a new system… BTW my last computer is so old that the daylight savings time is still on the other time before they changed it around 2008 ish. My wife got me a new one about 3 years ago… I am with computers like George is with vehicles… I only replace them when even a new battery will not hold a charge or the computer keeps freezing up due to the OS being too old nothing works anymore… 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/14 "2023-12-19T04:40:20Z")
Same here for most of the exotics, Can enjoy watching a professional driver but even with the money i’m not sure i’d want to own one. Tanner and Rutlege are ready and willing to host another version of Top Gear but they don’t have a network willing to host the show at the moment. There’s a 25 car garage with a 1bdrm apartment in or near Malibu that last sold for $7,325,000 with a driveway that runs around the building so you can pull the transporter’s semi onto the property with room to spare. An acre of land is probably a big part of the price. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/15 "2023-12-19T14:14:53Z")
> [@davesmopar](#): > > too many pop ups I solved the pop up issue with a different browser. I use DuckDuckGo. It doesn’t allow advertisements, including pop ups. Other browsers, like Firefox, have options to preclude pop ups. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/16 "2023-12-19T14:35:31Z")
You may have missed my last post… lol My biggest issue would be moving ALL my tons of info I have bookmarked in folders inside of folders inside of more folders and crap over to a new/different browser… Plus my phone and laptop are linked… Maybe one day I will try a new browser… ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/17 "2023-12-19T16:24:24Z")
A new browser often pulls in bookmarks from the old one when you set it as the default. It doesn’t hurt much to download and install a new one and see if you can move bookmarks. You can always uninstall the new one if it doesn’t suit you. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-worlds-fastest-road-cars-and-the-people-who-drive-them/194041/18 "2023-12-19T17:03:11Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > A new browser often pulls in bookmarks from the old one when you set it as the default. +1 That’s exactly what happened when I switched from Internet Explorer to Chrome.