06/28/2007 ContiSportContact Vmax is the world's fastest standard production tyre

Hanover, June 2007. The ContiSportContact Vmax, which has already repeatedly demonstrated its performance at up to 360 km/h (225 mph), has now been entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's fastest standard production tyre. The certification experts from the TÜV Süd Automotive GmbH in Munich were on site recently  as independent technical witnesses to document this record-breaking attempt. This record, which has been recognised by the publishers of the Guinness Book of Records, is expected to appear in the new edition of the book and to be available for viewing on the internet at www.guinnessworldrecords.com/.  Continental has had the world's first tyre approved for road use at speeds up to 360 km/h (225 mph) in its product range since 2004. It was designed specifically for ultra fast super sports cars in the customising sector. When developing this high-speed tyre Continental, Germany's leading tyre manufacturer, did not need to get involved in Formula One or similar racing series - the company was able to call on the expertise gained by its engineers when working together with renowned sports car manufacturers and car customisers. Jan Fatthauer, who owns the Porsche customising company 9ff and who achieved 388 km/h (242 mph) with the ContiSportContact Vmax under test conditions, currently holds the record for the world's fastest vehicle approved for road use.

Here you can download the press release as a word-file (338 KB).

Modern sports cars now have engines powerful enough to achieve speeds that not even racing cars can equal. Exclusive models from top customisers, as well as from Porsche, Ferrari etc., can today reach speeds of 360 km/h (225 mph) and more. It was specifically for this group of cars that Continental developed the ContiSportContact Vmax.

Here you can download the tyre photo as a TIF-file.

The super sports tyre is based on the successful ContiSportContact product family; the ContiSportContact Vmax model underwent further development to achieve substantially enhanced high-speed characteristics. Top priority in this context was efficient tyre cooling, whilst maintaining good handling and positive characteristics in the wet.

"When developing this high-tech tyre, which is approved for road use, we were able to call on experience gained in the design of high-performance tyres for Original Equipment and for our technology partners in the customising sector" explained Holger Berkmann, tyre developer at Continental. "Adopting Formula One concepts would not help us here, as high-speed tyres approved for road use have to build up grip on wet and dry roads and they are also expected to achieve an appropriate mileage." The pre-condition for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records is certification of the record by independent experts.

The ContiSportContact Vmax is the world's first standard production tyre to be approved for up to 360 km/h (225 mph). This is something that is also documented on the sidewall of the new super sports tyre from Hanover, which bears the designation Vmax alongside the well-known ContiSportContact name. The new super sports tyre carries the familiar 'ZR' rating (approved for speeds over 240 km/h - 150 mph) in the operating code, because the speed scale for tyres does not go beyond 'Y' (approved for up to 300 km/h - 187 mph).

Under controlled testing conditions, even faster speeds are possible with the new sports tyre from Hanover. The current record was set back in December 2004 by Jan Fatthauer, proprietor of the sports car customising company 9ff, at the wheel of a Porsche GT3 when it reached a maximum speed of 388 km/h (242 mph) in Nardò in southern Italy. Jan Fatthauer also set the record for the world's fastest convertible - again in a Porsche customised by 9ff and fitted with ContiSportContact Vmax tyres - in October 2006, when he reached a speed of 380.5 km/h (237.8 mph).

Here you can download the Photo as a JPG-file. 

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of tyres, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realised sales of EUR14.9 billion. It currently has a worldwide workforce of around 87,000.

The tyre divisions are an Official Sponsor of UEFA EURO 2008^TM, which will be held in Austria and Switzerland in June 2008, and of the UEFA European Under‑21 Championship, to be held in Holland in June 2007. For further details, visit the websites www.ContiSoccerWorld.de, www.contifanworld.com and www.conti-online.com.