Move over, Bugatti! The Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero is now officially the world’s fastest production car. A 71 year old driver named Chuck Bigelow took SSC’s Ultimate Aero for two passes on highway 221 in Washington state. The first pass reached 257.45 mph, the second at 254.92 mph. The official record speed was 256.19 mph. Guiness officials were on hand to witness a the recordbreaking attempt that supersedes the Bugatti Veyron’s still-unofficial time of 254 mph. (Despite being validated unofficially by Top Gear’s James May).

Word is, Koenigsegg and McLaren are both talking about taking runs in new cars of their own, and Bugatti has yet to respond. Could we be in the midst of a top speed arms race? God, I hope so!

[Source: Shelby SuperCars]