Dubai royal built the world's fastest car that you'd never heard of at the time

A Dubai royal once commissioned Mercedes to make a one-off supercar that proved to be the fastest car in the world and became a Monterey Car Show award winner – but you’ve likely never heard of the Lotec C1000.

Back in 1995, the McLaren F1 reigned supreme in the supercar industry.

Capable of 240mph, the F1 topped the likes of the Bugatti EB110 Super Sport, Lamborghini Diablo VT, and Ferrari F50.

But Dubai Royal and current Emirates Airline CEO Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum commissioned the fastest car in the world from Mercedes and Lotec, and it blew the automotive industry away.

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Dubai Royal commissioned the Lotec C1000 as the fastest car in the world

The title for the fastest car in the world has changed hands this week, with the Yangwang U9 Xtreme usurping the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.

Capable of over 300mph, the BYD supercar took the throne and became one of the very few icons to hold this accolade.

But back in 1995, a one-off production car held top spot on the charts, after Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum commissioned the Lotec C1000 as a one-off supercar.

Costing Mercedes and lesser-known German brand Lotec around $3.6m to make, and boasting 1,000hp, the one-off supercar is capable of 268mph

That surpassed the McLaren F1 at the time, although it was never proven on a track.

Since it was first commissioned, the Lotec C1000 changed hands on numerous occasions and recently ended up in the care of an Italian man who wanted to bring it back to its finest form.

How it became a Pebble Beach icon

Speaking on VINwiki, Curated Co-Founder John Temerian revealed that in 2024, the world-renowned tuning company gained access to the one-off supercar and restored it to compete in a Monterey Car Show division.

With just 90 days to prepare.

Lo and behold, it won.

The car also had a humorous malfunction heading towards the stage, as the Lotec C1000 is not supposed to be driven at 10mph, and struggles performing at anything under 30mph.

So the Curated team had to push it to the stage to collect its award, or face a huge clutch burnout in front of the finest car collectors on earth.

Nowadays, the Lotec C1000 might have fallen down the pecking order in the top speed lists, but it is certainly one of the best one-off supercars ever made.

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