Search For Speed

Auto Express is feeling the need for speed! Courtesy of our German sister magazine, Auto Bild, and in association with tyre giant Continental, we’ve brought together the world’s fastest cars at Europe’s premier high-speed facility – the Nardo ring in Italy.

Forget ride comfort, value for money and fuel economy – each one of our contenders has been taken to its maximum mph potential by a variety of aftermarket tuning firms. And the results are nothing short of astonishing.

Our cars have a combined power output of 10,981bhp and a jaw-dropping total price tag of more than £3.6million. And while exotic machinery like this rarely gets the chance to stretch its legs properly, the 7.8-mile circular banked track will allow every model to be taken to its limit.

We’ve gathered everything from a 690bhp Audi estate to a 986bhp Porsche 911. There is even a 193mph VW van! And our class-by-class breakdown will crown the king of the ring...

Estates

More often associated with the supermarket car park and school run than a high-speed test track, an estate car is an unlikely candidate to go home with the spoils. But this is no ordinary trio of wagons.

Even the least powerful of the three, the Steinmetz Insignia VXR, packs a 390bhp punch and hits 178mph. But that’s not enough to keep up with the Manhart M3 Touring. This is a regular 3-Series estate, adapted to look identical to the muscle-bound M3, and fitted with a tuned and derestricted version of the 5.0-litre V10 from the M5. The result?

An incredible 197mph. Ruling the roost, though, is ABT’s conversion of the already insanely powerful Audi RS6 Avant. Despite weighing more than two tonnes, the 690bhp load carrier sailed past 200mph, and only maxed out 8mph later.

Convertibles

Looks can be deceptive – as our two cabrios are no show ponies! AC Schnitzer’s garish gold ACS4 Z4 was the underdog in this battle of the drop-tops. But it produced the shock of the day when it left the 9FF Speed9 Porsche trailing in its wake.

We were impressed enough that the ACS4 could hit 188mph with the roof up. With the top folded, though, it blew us away with its windy 181mph top speed! And a tweak to the ECU was all it took for Schnitzer to take BMW’s regular six-cylinder twin-turbo engine up to its huge 375bhp power output.

In contrast, the 9FF Speed9 was the biggest disappointment of our day at Nardo. It packed 271bhp more than the Z4, but 9FF engineers complained that they had struggled to find the right tyres for the car. In the end, the Speed9 clocked up ‘only’ 179mph with its top down. All this means that the Lamborghini LP540-4 remains the open champion – it was recorded at 204mph in 2006.

Supercars

Models in this class were designed with speed in mind, and are the ultimate expression of uncompromised performance. Let a tuning firm get its hands on one, and the results are mind-blowing. No surprise, then, that the viper green Geiger Z06 commanded most of the attention all day – and it didn’t disappoint on the track.

Geiger’s aim was for its car to be crowned the fastest-ever Corvette at Nardo, although not everything went to plan. At the last minute, new ignition cables had to be couriered all the way from Munich. Plus, the clutch hoses failed in the 11th hour – but even without a clutch, the Z06 hit a record 213mph.

Vying for second place were the Edo Gallardo – one of the few naturally aspirated cars on display – and the ABT R8, which had a supercharged V8 over its rear axle. The V10 Lamborghini proved there’s no substitute for cubic capacity. On its fastest run, it hit 211mph – comfortably faster than the 195mph Audi.

SUVs

It’s our very own clash of the titans! At around two tonnes each, the Techart Cayenne and Brabus GLK V12 are the heaviest cars on test. And at £225,000 and £340,000 respectively, they are two of the most expensive.

The Cayenne is powered by a 670bhp twin-turbocharged V8, while the Brabus’ twin-turbo V12 puts out a huge 750bhp.

First on track was the GLK, which looked unsettled as it struggled to a 196mph top speed. In contrast, the Cayenne comfortably cruised to 199mph.

Undeterred, the GLK V12 left the pits for its second high-speed run and edged ahead with a speed of 200.2mph. The Porsche managed 199.6mph to hand victory to the Mercedes – although our driver described the run in the GLK as “scary”.

Saloons

Next up was a pair of Porsche Panameras. Tuned by 9FF and Edo, these super-saloons can launch four adults to 200mph in the lap of luxury. But the teams were realistic about their chances – 9FF had started work on its car only 10 days before the event, while Edo had a mere two days to prepare.

First to run was the 9FF PT55, which posted an impressive speed of 191mph. The more expensive Edo did all it could to keep up, but with 10bhp less power, it topped out at 189.8mph. That was it – we thought the saloon title was wrapped up. Yet little-known tuner Hohenester had other ideas. Its 641bhp Audi A4, fitted with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, blew the Porsches out of the water. A speed of 219mph not only makes it the fastest four-door, but also the second fastest car of the entire day.

Coupes

Most two-doors put style before substance, yet that’s a criticism you could never level at these powerhouses!

First up is the only diesel brave enough to show its face at Nardo: AC Schnitzer’s take on the BMW 335d Coupé. Even though it was hampered by the extra weight of its oil-burning engine and its 4,500rpm red line, the car delivered 680Nm of torque. This took it to 180mph – that’s 6mph faster than Auto Express achieved at Nardo in 2008 in an uprated 535d.

Tuner MKB’s Mercedes SL AMG Black Series was targeting the 227mph set by the Brabus Bullit in 2006. But a technical hitch saw its power reined in from 805bhp to ‘only’ 741bhp, and held it back to 205mph.

Favourite for the title was the Porsche 911 Turbo-based 9FF TR 1000. It looked the part on paper, with 986bhp – and boy did it deliver

And the winner is...

9FF TR 1000
Nobody tunes Porsches like 9FF. It reworked a 911 Turbo to produce a Bugatti Veyron-rivalling 986bhp. The result was an earth-shattering maximum of 234mph. Can the firm go faster in 2011?

The contenders:

Hohenester HS 650 G
Top speed: 219mph
Price: £71,800

TH2 RS
Top speed: 193mph
Price: £224,500

Edo Panamera Turbo
Top speed: 190mph
Price: £143,700

Techart Cayenne Turbo
Top speed: 199mph
Price: £224,500

Lorinser CLV8
Top speed: 195mph
Price: N/A

9FF PT55
Top speed: 191mph
Price: £139,200

Manhart M3 Touring V10
Top speed: 197mph
Price: £112,200

Steinmetz Insignia VXR
Top speed: 178mph
Price: £55,600

AC Schnitzer ACS3 3.5d
Top speed: 180mph
Price: £77,200

9FF Speed9
Top speed: 179mph (roof down)
Price: £166,000

ABTRS6 Avant
Top speed: 208mph
Price: £116,700

ABT R8
Top speed: 195mph
Price: £188,500

MKB SL65/12 TT
Top speed: 205mph
Price: £338,200

Edo Gallardo LP 600-4
Top speed: 211mph
Price: £206,500

AC Schnitzer ACS4
Top speed: 181mph (roof down)
Price: £72,000

9FFTR1000
Top speed: 234mph
Price: £250,000

Brabus GLKV12
Top speed: 200mph
Price: £343,700

Geiger Z06 Bi-turbo
Top speed: 213mph
Price: £134,600