The 242mph Hennessey VR1200 -- the world's fastest family car | New Release - Car News Sep 2012

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10:42 Thursday 13 Sep 2012

This Cadillac CTS-V is the fastest family car in the world, with a top speed of 242mph.

Called the Hennessey VR1200, it is the work of a small Texas-based tuning firm called Hennessey Performance and the company's founder, John Hennessey, has been fitting insanely powerful engines to normal road cars for over twenty years.

Clearly Hennessey was unimpressed by the 6.2-litre V8 wedged under the Caddy's bonnet, so he decided to replace it with a 7.0-litre V8 with twin turbochargers.

The results are, ahem, impressive. And by impressive we mean 'Oh-no-I-seem-to-have-made-a-mess-in-my-pants' scary.

The CTS-V now produces 1,226bhp and 1,109lb-ft of torque. 0-62mph takes 2.9 seconds and flat out the Caddy will do 242mph.

This means that this all-American brute is faster than any Ferrari, any Lamborghini and any McLaren you care to mention, not to mention more practical.

And don't think for a second that Hennessey has made the classic American mistake of putting a big engine in a car which won't take the power. Oh no, the VR1200 gets brakes from Brembo, lowered suspension and Michelin Pilot tyres.

So, while it's not likely to trouble a Ferrari around a track, at least you won't find yourself careering off the road backwards in a giant fireball. Probably.

Hennessey is planning to build just a dozen VR1200s, priced at £190,000 apiece.

And what's more, you can also spec it as an estate.

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