Alastair Shephard

Content Writer

Alastair Shephard | Author

Joseph Law

Bumper Content Writer

Joseph Law | Author

Ever wondered what it would look like if your favourite football club took a detour from the pitch and entered the fast lane? 

In this fun fusion of sport and style, we imagine what cars might look like if they were designed by football clubs. 

From sleek, high-performance rides to bold, personality-packed designs, here’s what happens when football passion meets automotive imagination.

What if football clubs made cars?

Ever since the car was invented, people have been vying to design and make the fastest one possible. 100 years ago the fastest car just about managed 130mph. Nowadays half the cars on the road could reach that speed. 

So what are the fastest cars ever made, and which one currently holds the record?

Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut - 330mph (claimed)

Whilst the famous Swedish hypercar maker has not yet conducted an official top speed run, they have plenty of form at breaking world records, previously holding the top speed title with their first car, the CCR, then again with the Agera RS. 

Not only have simulations shown the Jesko can hit 330mph, but real tests have also shown it beating the 0-400-0kmh record (0-249-0mph), achieving the feat in a staggering 27.83 seconds, and hitting the near 250mph peak in only 19 seconds!

Unlike the Chiron it borrows its engine from, the Bolide is a track-only car; not meeting the regulations for use on the public roads. That doesn’t make its speed any less impressive though, with an 8 litre W16 engine producing 1,847 horsepower and some serious aero, it's got all the ingredients to hit the manufacturer's claimed 310mph.

Only 40 cars were made by the German arm of the French automotive legend Bugatti, which helps to make the £3.5m price tag make a little more sense.

The first car on this list to actually set a world record, the Chiron Super Sport is the speed-focussed variant of the Chiron, announced in 2016. Only 30 cars were made, with the cars being delivered between September 2019 and July 2022.

As standard, the car was fitted with a speed limiter that prevented drivers from reaching the top speed on the road. But as part of the package, Bugatti would track-prep the car at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany.

John Hennessey started his business tuning and modifying standard vehicles, they still offer tuning packages for many models including the Ford Raptor pickup truck and the Dodge RAM. In 2017 they unveiled the Venom F5, featuring the company's first in-house made engine.

Hennessey squeezed over 1,800 horsepower from the relatively small 6.6 litre LS-based V8 engine, and simulations state the car should actually be capable of 328mph! A notable variant of the Venom F5 is the F5-M, a six-speed manual version, which unsurprisingly holds the record of the most powerful manual car ever built.

Despite the name, SSC or Shelby Super Cars, founded by Jerod Shelby is of no relation to the formidable Carroll Shelby of the 1967 Le Mans winning fame. The passion and performance are there, though. In 2022, the Tuatara hit 295mph on a closed runway in Florida.

This comes after the SSC made headlines in 2020 for releasing a promo video of the new car hitting 331mph, but eagle-eyed viewers noticed the on-board telemetry systems didn’t quite tally. After some discussion and admissions of misinterpreting, the Tuatara may always be known mainly by the controversy, rather than the genuinely impressive performance.

Out-and-out speed is one thing, and the car that holds the top spot will always be talked about, but in a world of simulated top speeds, social media and controversy, it’s often more satisfying to learn and reminisce about the older greats, and special breakthroughs.

First Car to hit 200mph - The Sunbeam 1000hp

Although very much a race car, the Sunbeam 1,000hp is worthy of an essay all on its own, not least because it highlights how far engine and aero design have come in the last 100 years.

In 1927, the Sunbeam 1,000hp set a new world record on Daytona Beach, Florida. Reaching a top speed of 203.79mph. The car, known as ‘The Slug’, was built in Wolverhampton by Sunbeam, a motorcycle, motorcar and aero engine manufacturer. 

It was their access to aeroplane engines that enabled the Sunbeam 1,000 to exist, it used two 22-litre engines that jointly developed over 900 horsepower.

First Road Car to Hit 200mph - Ferrari F40

The F40 is famously the first road car to achieve 200mph, with a top speed of 201mph on its release in 1987. This is, however, strongly contested; the Firebird-based Pontiac Tojan is claimed to have reached at least 203mph three years before.

The Tojan used a marine-based small block V8 with two huge turbochargers, and was built by a small tuning shop in Nebraska, but as that was a very limited run coach built car, the title is usually given to the Italian car.

And what a car, the F40 has to be one of the most recognisable and iconic supercars of all time, with its low, angular body and huge wing. Mechanically it was remarkable too, with a 2.9L turbocharged V8 - Compare that to the 44 litres in the Sunbeam above, just 60 years earlier.

First Car to Achieve 200Kmh (124mph) - The Jaguar XK120

At the time of its debut in 1948, the Jaguar XK120 was the fastest production car in the world, achieving 124 miles an hour in standard trim, and 135 with some slight modifications. The early cars featured a sleek all-aluminium body and convertible roof, it was powered by a 3.4 litre inline 6-cylinder engine.

A number of records were broken with the Jaguar XK120, including averaging 130mph for an hour, over 100mph for 24 hours and one particular test conducted on a racetrack in France, where an XK120 was driven for 7 days and 7 nights averaging just over 100mph for the entire run, a great testament to the durability of the car.

First Car to Hit 150mph - Mercedes Benz 300SL

A few years after the Jaguar XK120 was released, the Stuttgart manufacturer of prestige vehicles decided to make its first road-going sports car, the 300SL. Attention was drawn predominantly to the beautiful body and gullwing doors, but its 160mph top speed was another string to its bow. 

At the time the 300SL was the world's fastest production car, based on the race car of the same name that won Le Mans a few years prior. Thanks to its beauty, prestige and rarity, used prices of the 300SL are some of the highest on this list!

First Car to Hit 250mph - The Bugatti Veyron 16.4

A surprising venture that spawned out of Volkswagen’s re-launch of the Bugatti name, the design brief for the Veyron was that it should be as competent in reaching its proposed 248mph top speed, as it was being driven to the opera.

This led to an ultra-powerful, ultra-luxurious hypercar that produced over 1,000 horsepower from its 16.4-litre engine. Over the course of developing the Veyron, Volkswagen Audi Group spent $1.6 billion, meaning each Veyron cost at least $3.5 million to make. Upon launch, the car was priced at $1.9 million.

 has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Fastest Cars Ever Made

Speed cameras. Love them or loath them, they're there for one purpose – to keep our roads safe.

But is there a point where speed cameras go too far; when these speedy defenders become downright nosy parkers?

That's the debate around a new trial of speed cameras powered by artificial intelligence currently in operation across the UK.

These new AI cameras are designed to enhance road safety beyond just speeding. They look for drivers committing offences such as driving without seatbelts or using mobile phones, a new approach that aims to penalise distracted drivers and reduce road accidents.

So, how do they work? The system uses a multi-cam setup to capture different views of the driver and passengers. Artificial intelligence then analyses the footage to see if an offence has been committed.

But don't worry, it's not all down to AI. Identified offences are checked and verified by police officers.

Early results from the trial were promising. The cameras detected 590 instances of drivers not wearing seatbelts and 40 cases of mobile phone use within just a few weeks.

Following the trial's success the programme was expanded in 2024 to include 10 police forces across the country – Durham, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley, and Sussex.

With so many drivers caught not wearing their belts and on their phones, the results speak for themselves – the more drivers fined for these simple errors, the fewer accidents we'll see, making our roads a safer place for everyone.

What do you think of the new AI cameras? Would you be happy to have one in your home town?

This new speed camera can see MORE than just your speed

Supermarkets put a lot of effort into trying to get customers through their doors. Memorable Christmas adverts, friendly mascots, and price-slashing loyalty cards; they're full of creative ideas that will get you to do your big shop in their store.

But we've had an even better idea. What if supermarkets made cars? 

What would they look like? How would they handle? And, most importantly, would they give you a discount for filling up at one of their pumps?

To find out, we've asked AI to create what cars would look like if they were created by our favourite big grocery shoppers.

What if supermarkets made cars?

Music whilst driving is an absolute must. There's no better way to pass the time than belting out some tunes at the top of your lungs.

But with so much time spent in our cars and only, let's face it, a handful of songs that we truly like it's incredibly difficult to find the perfect playlist.

We're all guilty of playing the same songs over and over until we can't stand to hear them one more time – I'm looking at you, Wicked Soundtrack.

But fear not, to spice up your drive-time playlists, we bring you the ultimate list of the most popular songs for your next musical road trip.

's research, the most popular driving songs of all time have now been revealed.

Taking the top spot is the undisputed ultimate rock banger Mr Brightside by The Killers. Followed closely by good 4 u by American singer-songwriter, Olivia Rodrigo. Heat Waves by Glass Animals took third place.

Other honourable mentions include Africa by American rock band TOTO, As It Was by One Direction's Harry Styles, and Hey Ya! by Outkast.

Want to add these top tunes to your driving playlist? We've included the full list below. Happy listening!

Revealed: Most popular driving song of all time

We've all done things we're not proud of behind the wheel – road-raging at other drivers, playing music too loudly, accelerating when we see the amber light. 

But not all bad driving habits are made equal. Some are particularly worse than others.

When one anonymous X (formerly Twitter) user took to the platform to confess their driving sins, they could be forgiven for thinking it was a habit everybody shared.

But unfortunately, it didn't go down the way they'd planned, as other users responded with absolute disgust.

Posted by @fesshole, an account sharing anonymous confessions on various topics, the motorist admitted to a driving habit so gross not even the strongest amongst us could stomach it.

I used to have a strange addiction”, the user began. They then explained how they “used to wipe my earwax on the underside of my driver's seat in my car.”

The user then confessed how they'd sold this waxy vehicle to another unsuspecting driver: “It got to a bad point actually, so if you're driving around in a 56-plate VW Golf covered in earwax then I personally apologise.”

Well, at least they've apologised to the new owner!

Some Twitter users, understandably, found this disgusting. One said, “This grosses me out." While another replied simply, “I hate”.

Other users seemed to see the funny side, with one user commenting, “The real test drive isn’t on the road—it’s the immune system of whoever bought that car.” Another said, “Volkswaxen golf”. 

However you see this confession one thing is for sure, if you're the owner of a 56-plate VW Golf, you'd better check under your seats.

Motorist admits to gross driving habit

Whether you're letting your imagination run wild or standing on a piece left on the living room floor, everybody loves a bit of LEGO – right?

But imagine if you could step into your very own showroom and select your favourite car made completely out of these colourful little bricks.

Well, now you can! We've used AI to turn the most popular cars on UK roads into marvellous LEGO creations.

Ready for a tour of our showroom? Step inside…

What would our cars look like made out of LEGO?

If you’re anything like most drivers, as soon as you pass your test everything you learnt goes straight out the window.

At least that’s what a recent survey asking drivers what common road signs meant has revealed.

The shocking survey results showed just how many drivers have no idea when it comes to road signs, with many not being able to identify the simplest ones.

With so many not knowing what the meaning of these common signs are, you wouldn’t be blamed for not wanting to get back out on the road any time soon.

This simple sign was particularly troublesome for survey respondents with a massive 62% unable to identify it.

The white rectangle on a red circle is in fact the no entry sign. You may see this sign when you’re driving around town. This sign is telling you no vehicular traffic can enter an area.

A slightly more forgivable one next on the list here. This red cross on a blue background means no stopping at any time. 42% of respondents didn’t know what this meant and with so many rules and signs around stopping and parking, we’re not too sure we can blame them.

3. Single diagonal line on a blue background

Perhaps responsible for the confusion over the no stopping sign, this red and blue symbol looks very similar. It also has a similar meaning – no waiting. 

You can stop on the road briefly, for example to drop off or pick up a passenger, but you cannot linger there.

Now we certainly think there are a few drivers who don’t know what this sign means.

The white number on a blue background is there to tell you the minimum speed you should be driving. 

A shocking 70% of drivers didn’t know the meaning of this sign. So that’s the reason for those slow drivers in front of me on a Monday morning!

Hmm. It must be something to do with a bus. Right? 

It may seem obvious but a shocking 79% of respondents didn’t know that this sign was a ‘with flow bus and cycle lane’. 

Simply put, this is a lane buses and bikes use, and it goes in the same direction as the other traffic.

6. Bus behind a dashed line on a blue background

Similar to the previous example, this sign is also to do with bus lanes. Unbelievably, 72% were unable to identify this meant a ‘with flow bus lane’ was ahead. 

Sometimes these signs are accompanied by a time when the bus lane is active (usually during rush hour) so make sure to check to avoid any fines!

Those of you who like to take your push bikes out for a spin should recognise this one. 

This white bike on a blue background simply means a recommended route for pedal cycles on a road. 

Make sure to keep an eye out for any unaware drivers on your next cycle, however, as 57% didn’t know what this sign indicated.

8. White arrow pointing left on a blue background

This white arrow on a blue background simply means turn left. Signs in blue circles always indicate you must do something. This sign with an arrow is clearly telling you to turn left.

54% of drivers didn’t know the meaning of this sign.

9. White arrow pointing towards the bottom left on a blue circle

This sign looks pretty similar to our last one, so you couldn’t be blamed for thinking they have similar meanings – and they do!

This sign is telling us to keep left and is often used on roundabouts, road work signs, and at the start of dual carriage ways.

41% of drivers didn’t know the meaning of the keep left sign.

This one is an incredibly important sign to look out for. Scarily, 43% of respondents didn’t know that this sign meant they were approaching a level crossing without a barrier. 

Make sure to look out for these, particularly in rural areas.

So there you have it, 10 common road signs that drivers don’t know the meaning of. Make sure to look out for some of these on your next journey. 

Plus, keep an eye out for the 54% of drivers who didn’t know the turn left sign meant ‘turn left’!

People don’t know what these common road signs mean 

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