Need For Speed- Most Wanted Cars

With the already released ‘Need For Speed’ breaking out in every direction across the country, it’s already proving a fine vehicle for propelling Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul onto the big screen.

Inspired by the massively successful multiple version EA game franchise, Dreamworks got behind the movie, presumably with a franchise in mind to syphon maximum juice out of the concept, if no wheels fall off.

Certainly the virtual Need For Speed has one of the most exhaustive supercar line-ups of any game out there and they’ve cherry-picked a select handful for the big screen debut, aiming squarely at the youth demographic with an unashamedly high-octane turbocharged thrill-ride of a film.

Ok. I think I’m done. I’ll try to avoid any more puns.

Sweden have stumped up three of the quickest players, with these variants. The ‘S’ is no different from the ‘R’, other than the fact that it doesn’t run on biofuel, but standard petrol.

Koenigsegg Agera

• 5.0 litre twin turbo V8

• 940HP

• 260mph

Koenigsegg Agera R

• 5.0 litre twin turbo V8 biofuel

• 1140HP

• 273mph

Koenigsegg Agera S

• 5.0 litre twin turbo V8

• 1030HP

• 273mph

A movie about cars wouldn’t be a movie without a true muscle car or two to style it out and these are provided by Ford, Pontiac and Shelby, although the Ford Mustang marque on show isn’t even for sale yet. Did anyone mention marketing opportunity?

1969 Ford Gran Torino

• V8 335 HP

• 120mph

1966 Pontiac GTO

• V8 360HP

• 114mph

2013 Shelby GT500

• 5.8Litre V8

• 190mph

2015 Ford Mustang GT

• 5 Litre V8

• 420 HP

• 155mph

As a departure from the expected, a US built Saleen has been included, utilising a Ford 427 7.0 litre V8, although like most of the cars in the movie version, not all of them will be the real deal, but replicas with expensive sound recordings pasted over them.

Saleen S7

• Ford 7.0 litre V8

• 550HP

• 199mph

Although initially looking a bit sluggish in the stat department against esteemed competition, my Most Wanted remains the ‘torque-y’ all-carbon Lambo Sesto. Without doubt the Dark Beast of the crew. It may only do 186mph, but it’s how it gets there that is so impressive, with a 0-60 in just 2.4 seconds. That’s quicker than any of the others.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

• 5.2 litre V10

• 570HP

• 186mph

The McLaren one of two cars here assembled that takes advantage of hybrid technology, not that you’ll see that reflected in reduced fuel bills, the P1 is a revolution in power units and here repping the UK at the top end with a none too shoddy set of wheels.

McLaren P1

• 3.8 litre V8

• 903HP

• 217mph

Another more unexpected inclusion, a Spanish made mid-mounted V10, with an advertised 0-60 of just 2.9seconds.

GTA Spano

• 8.3 litre V10

• 900HP

• 217mph

Not content with one engine, and a couple of turbo’s, Bugatti elected to weld two engines together, bling it out and slap a £2.2million price tag on the windscreen, thereby bludgeoning any competition into the rear view mirror. No car movie would be complete without one.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

• 8.0 litre Quad-Turbocharged W16

• 268mph

Finally, although you won’t see hide nor hair of it on screen, director Scott Waugh realised he would need a pretty bodacious chase car if he was going to stand any chance of keeping up with the wide-boys, hence the use of a very modified mid-engine Ferrari, allowing the camera rig to sprout out from under the bonnet. I doubt he’d get the advertised 202mph, or even the 3.3 second 0-60, for that matter though…

Ferrari 458 Italia

• 4.5 litre V8

• 560HP

• 202mph

With the inevitability of sequels, it does leave a mouth-watering opportunity for many more of the game supercars to come to the fore and take a bow (GT40, anyone?). But I guess they worked that out for themselves.