When the Bugatti Veyron officially became the fastest production car in the world in 2005, the record it beat was one set all the way back in 1993, by the McLaren F1. The breaking of such a longstanding record had a profound effect, and soon other firms began gunning for records again, trying to dethrone the quad-turbo W16-powered monster. Like it or not, we can thank the Veyron for today's vehicular arms race.