The Fast & Furious franchise features some of cinema’s most skilled drivers behind the wheels of the world’s fastest cars, but what’s the fastest anyone has actually driven? What began as a low-budget film for a niche market of street racers and gear heads has transformed into a global phenomenon complete with death-defying stunts, international plots, and inflated budgets. However, the Fast & Furious franchise remains grounded in its two core values: family and fast cars. Although the movies feature some of the fastest cars in the world, factors like location, terrain, and scene motivation limit how fast the characters can drive. However, one street race provides the perfect opportunity for the franchise's top speed.
The illegal street racing scene of Los Angeles serves as the backdrop for the franchise's debut in The Fast and the Furious. From these humble begininngs emerge Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner, two characters from different ends of the law who share a passion for fast cars. The nighttime street races double as block parties and are littered with souped-up cars featuring superchargers, fuel and exhaust system upgrades, cold air intakes, nitrous oxide, and more to increase torque and horsepower. These types of modifications, especially the nitrous oxide (N2O) tanks, have become synonymous with the franchise and are featured in every movie to make for even faster and more furious action sequences. It’s hard to know exactly how fast the characters drive as the cars’ speedometers are rarely shown, especially in later movies. However, the second installment in the series, 2 Fast 2 Furious, features a confirmed speed higher than any other.
In 2 Fast 2 Furious, former LAPD officer Brian O’Conner has relocated to Miami and now makes a living racing his silver 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34. Brian enhances the car’s natural power with a nitrous oxide system that serves him well in the movie’s opening sequence, in which he races a trio of competitors through the streets of Miami. Brian injects his N2O at the end of the race down a long, clear straightaway to clear a raising drawbridge and pole vault over the leader. A shot of his Nissan’s speedometer reveals a top speed of over 160 miles per hour (mph). Although faster cars are featured in the franchise, some with top speeds exceeding 200 mph, they typically are given neither the stretch of straightaway nor the time required to reach their top speeds, and with no speedometer shots to prove otherwise, this makes Brian’s roughly 161 mph drive the fastest, confirmed speed in the series.
Race Wars, a drag racing competition on a quarter-mile track, provides a unique setting for drivers to reach top speeds on a closed-course straightaway. There’s no mention of the highest speeds reached at Race Wars, but it’s safe to assume no one beats nine seconds flat, the time Dom’s dad drove the same distance in his 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. To cover a quarter mile in nine seconds, the car would have to reach about 145-150 mph, just shy of Brian’s 161 mph. In the real world, only a few racers have ever broken the ten-second quarter-mile mark. One of the fastest cars in the world, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, only clocks in at 9.7 seconds. Roman Pearce drives a variation of this car in Furious 7, but he doesn’t appear to reach anywhere near its top speed. In fact, the fastest cars in the series are either driven in conditions that don’t allow for top speeds (2015 Lykan HyperSport) or never pushed to their limits (1968 Dodge Charger R/T "Maximus").
Most of the driving throughout the Fast & Furious franchise either occurs on populated streets or includes rapid decelerations and hairpin turns. A closed-course straightaway would allow for the fastest times, something only Race Wars and a few street racing scenes provide. Even Race Wars is only a quarter-mile track. Brian O'Conner reaches roughly 161 mph in 2 Fast 2 Furious, marking the fastest, confirmed speed in the franchise. Dom would be proud.
