10 fastest cars of 2011

With a top speed of 205 mph, the Porsche 911 GT2 is one of the fastest production cars.

(Credit: Porsche)

There's no real need for a production car to go over 200 mph. Few public roads in the world allow that kind of speed, whether legally or physically. But a few automakers continually push the boundaries of speed, for the same reasons that mountain climbers scale the highest peaks.

The fastest production cars hit well over 200 mph, using big displacement or near-racing engines to achieve these speeds. Of course, all of these cars are ridiculously expensive, but the varieties of design will come as a surprise.

We've assembled photos and specifications for the current crop of fastest production cars. Ferrari claims three places in the list, but is far from the top. Surprisingly, Lamborghini doesn't place at all, as the company discontinued its Murcielago, and the Gallardo isn't quite fast enough for the top 10.

Other cars featuring the kind of power that should make them competitors, such as the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS, fall behind because of electronically limited top speeds. Newer contenders that made the cut are not even out of the factory yet, but are promised for this year.

Check out the world's fastest production cars.