And just like that, it’s like it never happened.
Guinness World Records has returned the title of “World’s Fastest Production Car” to the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport after pulling it earlier this week due to a suspected rules violation.
The 267.8 mph record was invalidated by Guinness after pretender to the throne Hennessey Performance claimed the title for itself with a 265.7 mph run by its Venom GT, arguing that the only reason the Veyron could go so fast was that it had deactivated a 258 mph speed limiter that all of the production versions of the cars are equipped with.
But Bugatti maintained that not only was Guinness aware of the limiter at the time it set the record in 2010, but that any of the owners of the 30 or so cars it has sold can have it deactivated during events held at the automaker’s test track in Germany, allowing them to reach the 267.8 mph top speed.
Having put the matter under thorough review, Guinness has now decided that it is “satisfied that a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine.”
During the interregnum, Bugatti went out and set another record for “World’s Fastest Open-Top Production Car” at 254 mph with the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, which is basically a Veyron Super Sport with a removable roof. Guinness wasn’t involved in that event as it currently doesn’t recognize a category for open top cars.
It might want to think about adding one, though. That Venom GT also has a removable roof, and Hennessey says it’s already hit 230 mph in testing with it off.
When it comes to superfast cars, it seems even the sky’s not very limiting these days.