worlds fastest cars
1. Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron 253mph+, 0-62mph 2.5 secsOfficially the fastest car in the world. Ever. In a straight line the Bugatti Veyron simply owns the opposition. Electronically limited to 253mph, the Veyron’s top-end superiority is underlined by simply staggering acceleration. Remember the 243mph McLaren F1? Even given a 100mph head start, the Veyron would still beat one to the double ton. More fun stats include emptying the 100-litre fuel tank in 11 minutes at maximum velocity – a situation engineers have described as a ‘safety feature’. Travel that fast for a whole half hour and even the special high-speed tyres would apparently start to melt. With four turbochargers, the 8.0-litre W16 engine makes a minimum 1000bhp, so it’s no surprise to discover the car contains 17 different cooling devices. Four-wheel drive and sophisticated aerodynamics mean the Veyron isn’t just a hyper-performance dragster, either, cornering incredibly for something weighing 1888kg. A super-fast shifting seven-speed DSG gearbox and mega price-tag completes this ultimate high-speed package.
2. Koenigsegg CCX 245mph+, 0-62mph 3.2 secs
Poor Koenigsegg. Having spent the entire century so far trying to capture the McLaren F1’s top speed record, the Swedish supercar maker finally achieves it with the 242mph CCR when Bugatti comes along and rearranges the rulebook. That’s got to hurt. Still, what better way to bury the pain than to develop a new version – the CCX. A bespoke 4.7-litre V8 with twin superchargers sits just behind the passenger compartment, developing 806bhp and 678lb ft of torque – enough to propel the car from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds despite only having rear wheel drive.
245mph is achievable if you can find, well, a runway long enough, though the low drag shape that allows this does mean the Koenigsegg can be a handful in the corners. Extra bonus points for having carbon-fibre wheels on the options list and doors that are cooler than a penguin’s feet.
3. Bristol Fighter T 225mph+, 0-62mph 3.5 secs
Eccentric is an overused word, but as a description of Bristol, the reclusive British carmaker, it seems perfectly apt. Imagine a sideboard on wheels, add a whacking great American V8 and you’ve got a Blenheim. Bristol got by building variations of these for years (and years) until suddenly it decided a supercar was desperately needed to complete the line-up. Thus, the 200mph Fighter was born, and having gotten hip to the new millennium, Bristol can’t stop improving the specification of the thing. Apparently due to customer demand – no seriously, Bristol customers do attend trackdays – the new Fighter T has an utterly bonkers 1012bhp and immense 1036lb ft of torque.
That’s more power than the Veyron, thanks to a twin-turbocharged version of the 8.0-litre V10 more often found under the bonnet of a Dodge SRT-10. Electronically limited to 225mph, Bristol claims a frankly ludicrous potential maximum of 270mph.
4. Gumpert Apollo 224mph, 0-62mph 3.0 secs
Yikes. Well, you’re not exactly going to miss this, uh, beauty appearing suddenly in the rear-view mirror. And seriously, move over, because although you’ve probably never heard of it, being fourth on this list means there aren’t many cars capable of outrunning a Gumpert Apollo. 224mph is impressive, but it’s the 0-62mph time that really grabs our attention. Three seconds flat is seriously quick – you’ll be needing a Veyron if you want to go faster. Such high levels of poke hint at an exotic under-bonnet experience, but don’t be too disappointed when we tell you the Apollo is powered by a 4.2-litre Audi V8.
5. Pagani Zonda C12 F 214mph, 0-62mph 3.5 secs
The Pagani Zonda has never been about outright top speed. When you’ve got such extravagant design and exquisite detailing, not to mention epic acceleration, sublime handling and a pair of shoes made by the Pope’s cobbler included in the asking price, becoming part of the supercar elite was almost a given. And Pagani’s done it in record time – going from obscurity to revered supercar status in the blink of an eye. Still, it’s nice to know you can back up all that flash with a bit of firepower if you need to, and the introduction of the 214mph Zonda F nicely boosts a range that otherwise barely cracks the magic 200.
7.3-litres of bespoke Mercedes-Benz AMG V12 does the business very nicely, providing upwards of 602bhp (650bhp in Clubsport guise), and 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds. We’ll take ours in bare carbon-fibre, please.
6. Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 211mph, 0-62 3.4 seconds
Lamborghini is synonymous with flamboyance. So when it unveiled this car at the 2006 Geneva motorshow, the world gasped. Who on earth had decided to paint a Murciélago in gloss primer grey? But the LP640 isn’t any ordinary Murciélago , and we rather suspect the utilitarian hue wasn’t just about making the car look harder than a Stealthbomber on a night out. Toning down the paint helps emphasize that this Lamborghini is all about performance, an impression enhanced by the optional transparent engine cover that keeps the LP640’s wailing V12 hard permanently on display. 211mph is six more than the standard version, which doesn’t sound much until you realise it’s taken 61 more horses to achieve, and the going gets pretty tough over 200mph. The total bhp count now stands at 631, helping drop the 0-62mph time by an impressive 0.4 seconds to only 3.4.
7. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren “722 Edition” 209mph, 0-62mph 3.6 secs
What kind of supercar really needs a special edition? Well pretty much everyone is at it these days so that’s something of a moot point. But if anything does, it’s the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren – which has the unfortunate double problem of the McLaren F1 as a forefather and various AMG Mercedes as siblings. Ceramic brakes and an unrestricted top speed are all very well, but you don’t really expect them to be combined with an automatic gearbox and the interior from an executive saloon.
So, in order to up the interest a bit, only 150 “722 Edition” SLRs will ever be made, featuring a 650bhp version of the 5.5-litre V8, specially tuned suspension, a quicker 0-62mph dash and a top speed of 209mph – that’s a whole 1 mph faster than the ‘ordinary’ car. Hmmm. Tough to pick when an SL65 with the limiter removed will lose you your licence just as comprehensively for about £200,000 less.
8. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 205mph+, 0-62mph 3.7 secs
The Ferrari Enzo was such a technical tour de force that it’s easy to imagine the engineers at Maranello scratching their heads over what to do next. No such luck for the competition as it turns out, since in developing a replacement for the 575M Maranello, Ferrari have completely re-written the script for front-engined GT supercars. Other cars on this list may be faster – in some cases very much so – but the 599 GTB Fiorano is just fantastically accomplished to drive.
Technical highlights include Magnetorheological Suspension Control, Formula 1 derived traction and stability control, and the not insignificant achievement of being 40kg lighter than the outgoing 575M despite being considerably larger. Don’t care about the techy stuff? Then simple glory in this 6.0-litre V12’s 8,400rpm redline, soulful interior, and the fact you’re driving a car with a prancing horse on the bonnet. Shame it doesn’t look a little bit prettier, but then the world never has been perfect.
9. Aston Martin Vanquish S 200mph+, 0-62mph 4.8 secs
The original Vanquish could never really be accused of being short of power, but such is the pace of development these days its cheaper DB9 relative was snapping at its heels in the performance department. Costing some £60,000 more than the DB9 that simply wouldn’t do. So the Vanquish S was born, raising power from its front-mounted V12 to 520bhp, a hike of 60bhp. That also pushes the top speed of this British bruiser up beyond the 200mph barrier.
As well as the engine modifications the S has a tweaked chassis to provide a more focussed, rawer driving experience, marking it out from the still available regular Vanquish and the DB9. Still largely hand built, in tiny numbers, the Vanquish S is a perfect British riposte to the thoroughbred Italians here; sophisticated, yet brutally fast, Aston Martin’s flagship is a very desirable and useable 200mph+ machine.
10. Ruf RT 12 -
Rather than stick a single car into the number 10 slot, we thought it’d be more fun to round up the list with several… let’s say ‘unverified’ alternatives. No official showing from Porsche since the demise of the Carerra GT could easily be countered with a number of tuner 911 from specialists so deep into modification they actually count as independent manufacturers in some countries. Ruf and 9ff, for example, will happily sell you a professionally fettled 911 turbo capable of well over 200mph. Similarly, Brabus and others make a business out of making Mercedes go very quickly indeed, and the CLS based Rocket has 730bhp and is supposedly electronically limited to 217mph.
Barabus TKR
America is another notable absentee, but the most likely candidate, Saleen’s S7 Twin Turbo makes no greater claim than 200mph+, even if previous talk had suggested 260mph might be possible. The UK’s very own Ultima also claims 200mph+ for certain versions of the GTR, but specifications are quite individual. What we can say for certain is that Ultima does hold the 0-100mph-0 world record, with its GTR720 performing the feat in 9.4 seconds – half a second faster than even the Veyron can manage. Another UK wild card is the Barabus TKR, which was a surprise showing at this year’s British motorshow, and is theoretically good for 270mph.
Portable Laptop
Laptops are usually shaped like a large notebook with thicknesses between 0.7–1.5 inches (18–38 mm) and dimensions ranging from 10x8 inches (27x22cm, 13" display) to 15x11 inches (39x28cm, 17" display) and up. Modern laptops weigh 3 to 12 pounds (1.4 to 5.4 kg); older laptops were usually heavier. Most laptops are designed in the flip form factor to protect the screen and the keyboard when closed. Modern tablet laptops have a complex joint between the keyboard housing and the display, permitting the display panel to swivel and then lie flat on the keyboard housing. They usually have a touchscreen display and some include handwriting recognition or graphics drawing capability.
Laptops were originally considered to be "a small niche market" and were thought suitable mostly for "specialized field applications" such as "the military, the Internal Revenue Service, accountants and sales representatives". But today, there are already more laptops than desktops in businesses, and laptops are becoming obligatory for student use and more popular for general use. In 2008 more laptops than desktops were sold in the US and it has been predicted that the same milestone will be reached in the worldwide market as soon as late 2009.
मिचेल JACKSON
Jackson's death certificate has been formally changed to reflect the Los Angeles coroner's ruling that his death was a होमिसिदे. Jackson's cause of death, previously marked "deferred", has now been changed to "injection by another".
Investigators have concluded that a cocktail of prescription drugs, particularly the anaesthetic Propofol, led to the singer's death on 25 June. Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, has been questioned by police, but not named as a formal suspect and no charges have been laid. Murray denies any wrongdoing.
In another decision yesterday, a judge ruled that Michael Jackson's estate may go ahead with the "extraordinary" expenses planned for the singer's funeral and interment. Superior court judge Mitchell Beckloff released the funds to estate administrators despite reservations that they might not have enough cash for the lavish funeral.
Jackson will be interred at the Grand Mausoleum at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park, north of Los Angeles. Few details of tonight's funeral have been released, although estate attorney Jeryll Cohen said they are purchasing 12 burial spaces. It is not clear whether these are for other family members.
Cohen said the estate had more than enough money for the funeral. "The expenses are extraordinary," he admitted, "however Michael Jackson was extraordinary."
Wikipedia too complicated for many
Wikipedia bang-up Jimmy Wales: "We point to the results"
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Wikipedia is too complicated for abounding humans to adapt admitting announcement itself as "the chargeless album that anyone can edit", its architect has said.
Jimmy Wales told BBC News the website wants a new bearing of contributors, including added women.
The online encyclopedia, which is 10 years old on 15 January, is the world's fifth a lot of accepted site.
It aims to access its users from 400m to 1bn by 2015. But advance requires a new interface, said Mr Wales.
"We accept to abutment our old ability users because they body the site," he said. "But we aswell charge to accept a access for new users."
He said a lot of humans were "afraid" to accord to the website by the sometimes complicated cipher - accepted as Wiki mark-up - bare to architecture entries.
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“Start Quote
Humans thought: 'let's accord the guy the money so he'll go away'”
End Quote Jimmy Wales
"If you bang adapt and you see some Wiki syntax and some camp table anatomy - a lot of humans are actually afraid.
"They're acceptable humans and they don't wish to breach something.
As able-bodied as initiatives such as "adopt a user", that allows accomplished Wikipedians to yield a new user beneath their wing, he said his for-profit aggregation Wikia had been accomplishing a lot of plan designing simple "what you see is what you get" alteration tools.
"We're absolution all of that accessible antecedent and Wikipedia will apparently accept some of that."
'Ugly mug'
However, Mr Wales said that one change he would not accomplish would be to the site's banking model.
It currently operates as a not-for-profit organisation adjourned by donations from its users.
"We accept just accomplished our fundraiser for the year - we aloft $16m (ВЈ10m) faster than we accept anytime done it before," he said. Read more...