So many petrolheads proclaim the Ferrari F40 as the ultimate supercar – and back in 1987 that was the case.
The F40 was seen as an F1 car for the road – and was the first production car ever to hit 200mph.
But a couple of hundred miles per hour is nothing today – a BMW M5 estate will nudge it with its limiter removed. And the new Audi RS6 Avant will exceed it with its 580bhp engine.
And you can probably squeeze a mattress from IKEA in the back of the Audi.
The yardstick for ‘super’ is now completely blurred. Where does the line go between sportscar, supercar and hypercar?
The fastest car in 1967 was the Ford GT40. Some still claim it is a supercar. But with a top speed of 167mph it’s 4mph less than today’s Porsche Cayenne Turbo 4×4.
For some, supercars are all about looks, others all about speed. Take these to the extreme and you’re left with the Koenigsegg CCX, Bugatti Veyron and SSC Ultimate Aero - hypercars.
So we want to know from you – where is the benchmark for a sports car, supercar and hypercar? Is it all about speed or are looks and personality just as important?
Tell us what you think below.
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8 Comments
November 7, 2007 at 4:57 pm
225mph+ like the Gumpert Apoolo
November 15, 2007 at 10:39 am
For me a car pushing more than 300bhp and able to give a 0-62 time of less than 5 seconds gives them the right to be called supercars.
November 16, 2007 at 9:43 pm
A tricky one, the line of defitions has become blurred, I don’t consider the porsche cayenne turbo a supercar, it’s just a very ugly, very fast 4×4,
A supercar should be a car that is totally conserned with going fast, forget looks, boots space and creature comforts.
Yes many cars available today will do more than 200mph, because technology has advanced, in the 1980’s, when VCR’s were new and CD’s didn’t exist, 200mph was a technically very difficult to acheive in a road car, so the ferrari F40 is a hypercar innit’s own right, even today.
Sportscars are cars that can go very fast when you want them too, but, can be used everyday to a modest standard, like the porshce 911 and the Audi r8.
Supercars are commented cars of speed only, but are available to anybody who has the neccesary dough.
Hypercars are similar but the owners are normally hand picked from a list of thousands, there production is usually limited too.
That’s how I see the terms used today, A ferrari enzo is a hypercar, whilst the 360 is a supercar.
November 22, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Well i think its the same as always, its classed as a super car if its worth more than your house!!
as alot of the cars mentioned could get done by a tuned sierra cosworth for eg, but would you call a cosworth a super car???
February 17, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I drive an E31 BMW 850CSi doing about 14 mpg - by the time it reaches 60mph from standstill you could have boiled an egg yet it will bully the average Ferrari on the motorway - the Ferrari only passing . Can a GT like the 850 be considered a supercar or must all the boxes (0-60, top end, looks and ultra high fuel consumption) be ticked?
December 4, 2008 at 10:16 pm
1 car - Aston Martin DB7 Zegato.
Discuss.
December 7, 2008 at 7:05 pm
i agree with the other guy..if its worth more than your house its a supercar.supercar too me is a car that belongs on the track…but is affordable to the director of a company
December 8, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I think is has to do with speed, looks, price, exclusivity, luxury, comfort, as well as all around performance. What makes a car a supercar is being the best of the best. I love the M5, it has the performance of a F 430, but the BMW is ugly compared to the looks of the Ferrari .
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