Automakers have competed for the title of who has the fastest car arguably since the dawn of the automobile. It's one of the most perennial questions of automotive history -- how fast can we get a car ...

In the late 1920s, America was roaring. Jazz spilled from speakeasies, skyscrapers pierced the skyline, and the motorcar was no longer a novelty but a symbol of freedom, speed, and sophistication.

Back in the 1960s, bragging rights were measured by top speed. Everyone wanted the crown, but numbers like 170 mph sounded like science fiction on public roads, and the battle to be the fastest car of ...