5 Most Powerful ICE-Powered Hypercars Ever Produced

If the 1970s and 1980s saw the arrival of high-powered sports cars that we now call supercars, performance was pushed to another level over the last two decades, and such vehicles went from super to hyper.

It all started when Bugatti rose from its ashes and produced the insane Veyron. Unleashed on public roads in 2005 with a humongous, 987-hp W16 quad-turbo engine behind the passenger compartment, it soon broke the world record for the fastest production car.

In the following years, several carmakers joined the French brand on a mission to push the boundaries of power and speed.

These days, some of the most potent series-production hypercars feature all-electric powertrains. Still, models that only use an ICE are not far behind, so let's see which are the five fastest ever built.

5. Bugatti Divo -1,479 hp

Since introducing the Veyron, Bugatti followed up with a series of breathtaking hypercars that became more and more powerful with each iteration.

A track-focused masterpiece, the Divo was unveiled to the public on August 24, 2018, at an event held in California, and it went into production a year later.

Like the Veyron and the Chiron, the track weapon was named after one of Bugatti's legendary drivers, Albert Divo, while its design mixed elements inspired by the Type 57SC Atlantic and the Vision Gran Turismo concept.

Another tradition carried over from its modern siblings was the use of the quad-turbo W16, rated at 1,479 hp.

Though that figure puts it on par with the standard Chiron it was based on, the Divo was faster around the Nardò test track thanks to superior aerodynamics. However, because its body generates more drag, its top speed dropped to 236 mph (380 kph).

This fantastic hypercar was produced from 2019 to 2021 in 40 examples sold for over $5 million each.

4. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ - 1,578 hp

Named after Bugatti factory driver Louis Chiron, the Veyron's long-awaited successor entered production in 2016.

Though the W160 was carried over, numerous upgrades boosted output to 1,479 hp, almost 500 hp more than the engine made in the original Veyron.

As astonishing as that figure was, Bugatti delivered even more in 2019 with the 1,578-hp Chiron Super Sport 300+.

Limited to 30 units priced at $3,5 million each, the Super Sport came in a bespoke naked carbon finish with orange stripes running the entire car's length.

The car also featured a top speed limiter, but Bugatti demonstrated that it lived up to its name and could go past 300 mph (483 kph) without it on a closed track.

The same powertrain was also used in 2022 on the rarer, more expensive Bugatti Centodieci.

3. Koenigsegg Jesko - 1,600 hp

Koenigsegg is one of the carmakers that was always hot on Bugatti's heels in terms of ludicrous performance figures and eventually managed to surpass it.

After making a name for itself with mid-engine beasts like the CCR, CCX, or Agera, the Swedish manufacturer revealed its latest physics-defying hypercar at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.

Named in honor of founder Christian von Koenigsegg's father, the Jesko comes in two distinct configurations: the standard, high-downforce Attach and the high-speed version Absolut, which is theoretically capable of 330 to 350 mph (530–560 kph).

Both versions are powered by the same 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8, the latest development of the unit previously used in the Agera.

On standard gasoline, the engine makes 1,280 hp, but it can also run on E85 biofuel, which improves output to a whopping 1,600 hp.

2. SSC Tuatara - 1,750 hp

Jerod Shelby (unrelated to the legendary Carroll Shelby) has been on a mission to write a new chapter in the American automotive history book by developing the fastest production car in the world.

He managed to do that in 2007 when the SSC Ultimate Aero set a new Guinness world record by reaching 254 mph (410 kph), but three years later, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport managed to break that record.

SSC began developing an even faster successor dubbed Tuatara, and in 2018, the production version was shown to the public.

Designed by former Pininfarina chief stylist Jason Castriota, the beautiful hypercar is powered by a rabid 5.9-liter twin-turbo V8 capable of 1,350 hp on regular gasoline.

However, like the Jesko's V8, the Tuatara's can also run on E85 fuel, which increases output to 1,750 hp.

Even more impressive, SSC offers a non-street-legal upgrade that enables the engine to gobble up methanol and make 2,200 hp.

The Tuatara made several attempts to break the production car speed record, achieving 295 mph (475 kph) in the spring of 2022, but the record has yet to be officially recognized.

1. Hennessey Venom F5 - 1,817 hp

Since its establishment in 1991, Hennessey has made a name for itself as one of America's top tuners by taking powerful production models and making them even more potent.

In the first part of 2010, the company revealed a project that aimed to create its first in-house designed production model and one of the fastest, most impressive hypercars ever built.

Eventually dubbed Venom F5, the engineering masterpiece finally made it into production in 2020 after a decade of arduous development.

Apart from being one of the most beautiful cars ever built in the US (at least in my opinion), the Venom F5 stuns with its outrageous engine.

Loosely based on the Chevy LS architecture, the high-revving 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 called Fury can make 1,817 hp. Even more astonishing is that it can deliver that mind-blowing figure on regular E85 gasoline.

Thanks to its impressive V8, the Venom F5 is currently the most powerful hypercar driven solely by an internal combustion engine.