The need for speed is what makes people produce faster cars. A hundred years ago, driving at 30 km/h was considered insane. Modern race cars, on the other hand, reach a 400km/h speed.

“For more than a century of automotive history, there has been released a lot of race cars that impress with their performance. Their speed is reflected in the mass culture – street racing, competitions, films about racers, etc.” – Jim Malkovich, auto mechanic & the owner of mechanicfaq.com.

“Sports cars” is the conventional name of the niche which includes vehicles with a fairly high power allowing them to reach high speed. Most often, these sports cars have two seats (coupe or roadster types), however, four-seaters (sedan and convertible), which are called sports limousines, can also be met.

Contrary to stereotypes, racing cars are not necessarily equipped with a powerful engine. At the same time, a lot of sports sedans from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, and other companies have large engines that provide high power density, even more than double counterparts.

The defining criterion for a sports car is the ratio of engine performance, number of gears, the balance of transmission and relatively lightweight aerodynamic body. The combination of these factors allows the driver to feel confident while driving. It is noteworthy that ordinary tuned cars do not belong to the racing car class.

Common, but optional features are also the following:

  • Location of the engine in the rear or middle part of the sports car body. This allows you to maintain torque and high speed on dynamic sports cars. It also improves handling and weight distribution.
  • Internal combustion engine with a large number of cylinders. Many cylinders allow you to process the volume of fuel faster, allowing you to gain high speed from the start. In any case, this feature is not always found in sports cars – you can meet four-cylinder racing cars as well. In addition, the models are equipped with hybrid, electric and rotary engines.
  • Transmission with a large number of stages. The small gearshift pitch provides better responsiveness and smoothness, but the manufacturers often equip their sports cars with 5-gear units which is now an average indicator. More expensive racing cars are equipped with an automatic or combined gearbox while the low-cost ones receive a manual.

In addition, there are absolutely no requirements for interior decoration – it can have Spartan conditions without even air conditioning, and can be equipped with advanced systems and expensive materials.

Koenigsegg Agera R Oman

Swedish sports car opens the top 3. Released in 2011, unlike other models of the Oman Royal family, this car has  1105 hp (+ 195), hidden in a 5.0-liter engine. Agera (which is Swedish “to act”) is controlled by an automatic transmission. The body of the sports car has an aerodynamic shape with a spoiler in the back. It reaches 420 km/h, accelerating up to 100 in 2.9 seconds. This model differs from Agera of mass production, first of all, by its status – the car is produced for the royal family of Oman. The car has rich decoration and the corresponding price.

Koenigsegg Agera R

A mass-produced racing car launched in 2011, positioning itself as one of the fastest in the world. It also has a 5.0-liter engine with 8 cylinders, double turbocharging and 1115 horsepower. Such characteristics allow acceleration up to 420 km/h, gaining a 100 in less than 3 seconds. The Chief Engineer of the vehicle claims that its speed limit is 20 km/h higher, though it’s impossible to be reached due to the lack of durability of the existing tires. The model is controlled by 7-speed automatic gearbox with an electronic lockup control system.

Bugatti Veyron Mansory Empire Edition

The exterior of this racing car is made entirely of carbon fiber. The body has a streamlined design and is equipped with an air intake and a spoiler. The car is equipped with an 8.0-liter engine of 1350 hp, accelerating up to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds. The maximum speed of this sports car is 430 km/h, but it is limited artificially to avoid the tires damage. The car has not only an unusual design but also an elaborate interior which is manually equipped with expensive materials and modern appliances.