As technologies improve, so you would think does the speed of the car, but this does not tell the whole story.
Jordan joined the Formula One world in 1991 and since then the FIA have been looking for ways to keep the top speed under control. Engine size has been cut from 3.5 litres to 3.0 litres, we have had the introduction of the infamous grooved tyres and now, in 2001, there has been a reduction in the amount of downforce allowed. These measures, and many others, have ensured that the average speed of the pole-winning lap, over a season, is kept in the region of 210kph.

The fastest lap ever was by Keke Rosberg in a Honda powered Williams while qualifying for the 1985 British Grand Prix. He completed a lap of Silverstone in an average speed of 258.983kph. Despite the newer cars being substantially more advanced, they haven't a hope of getting anywhere near this speed.

One way to judge the speed of the various Jordans - from the J191 through to the EJ11 - is to compare the top qualifying time by a Jordan against the pole time. This allows for the various technical limitations the FIA have put in place over the years and should give a good indication as to how fast a car was in a particular year, by comparing the car directly against its peers.

Interestingly enough, the well documented reliability issues aside, the EJ10 was actually faster than the J199 despite only scoring 17 points to 61, and no wins to the two in the 1999 season.

The changable conditions at Spa have made a bit of a mockery of the 2001 result, but even with an average time to pole, the EJ11 would only be 2nd, behind the EJ10.
The EJ11 had a good start to the season, but obviously not enough development was done during the year, so performance dropped off from half way through.

2002 was another year of disappointment with the EJ12 not once getting near the front of the grid. An underpowered Honda engine, together with a dominant Ferrari car meant Jordan were always off the pace.

We can but hope that the Cosworth customer engine, and the new facilities currently being built at Silverstone will help to push the EJ13 to front of the grid.