the new age of the supercar

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nitro_2005

nitro_2005

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you know, it's fascinaing that nowadays, in the 21st century, the supercar category is getting better and better and better. cars are becoming faster, safer and more aerodynamic. cars like the Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Murcielago and the Porsche Carrera GT are great examples. but what does the futurs hold for sportscars. already it's been proven that you can squeeze over 1000hp form a production sportscar, as the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 has shown us (the actual figure is 1001hp) and i think we can all agree that as we go into the future, the horsepower figure IS going to rise above the 1000hp mark. this would mean that the McLaren F1's reign as the World's Fastest Production Car will soon be over. Manuafacturers like Koenigsegg, with their CC8S, Bugatti with the Veyron and Saleen with their awesome S7 Twin Turbo, are knocking down the door to beat the record held for so long by McLaren.

So...what do you think will be in store for the supercars of the future???:confused: :confused: :confused:
 
I agree supercars are becoming more "Super".However the definition will have to be tweak because more cars are becoming more powerful( 300C SRT-8 SL65 AMG). The SL could be considered one of course, but a 425 horse sedan from Chrysler?
 
The horsepower amounts are all going up, but so is their weight - you can give a car a high top speed, and cracking acceleration figures, but all this extra weight will always dull their overall performance - making them no more 'super' than a Macca or F40.
 
I thought the term was now HyperCar?

You can't count teh Bugatti as a supercar yet, as it isn't for sale it is just another 'wannabe', for now atleast.
 
I think aerodynamics have been and will be huge in the coming years. It takes alot of power to make a car with the aerodynamics of a wall to go 200mph. Optimization of downforce with respect to drag has become huge. Active aerodynamic surfaces are allowing the car to have both a low drag and high downforce when needed, as best seen so far on the enzo. New mills are creating cleaner more efficient power. Computers are allowing virtually flat torque lines.

But, with the proliferation of electronics comes a sort of numbness to the road. You are no longer controlling the car, you are just pointing one way and the car sorts it out. No real talent is involved. I think the best example of this is the SLR, it is fast no matter who is driving it. I guess that really doesn't matter because the majority of the owners of hypercars are collecters or super rich celeb types, neither of which will ever really want to find their car's limit.
 
I still think that for their time, the EB110S and the XJ220 are/were by far, leagues ahead of all the other supercars. Technologically speaking of course, and not from a "Automatic iDrive STS esc vhs dvd ..." crap standpoint.
 
The term "super" has a very specific meaning which has nothing to do with any fixed measurement. It simply means "better than the rest". So "super cars" are just the best cars. There is usually a huge margin between the super car group and the ones that are just "really high performance sports cars" like the M5, 911 GT3, DB9, NSX, and such. Don't try to assign values to "Super Cars" - they're just the best and you leave it at that.

An example of how assigning fixed values to a dynamic adjective can become a problem is the advertising campaign Apple used when they announced the G3 PowerMac. They billed it as a "personal super computer". Well, yes, it is a super computer if you are going by numbers from the early 80s. But the computer was being sold in the late 90s, so those numbers don't really mean jack-crap anymore.
 
I agree with xcsti, the cars now adays are getting too intelligent, taking half the fun out of driving. So what if you car is .3 seconds quicker to 60 with one of those fancy SMG transmissions. It's more fun if you're shifting the gears yourself.

For instance, the ford GT is a great car, IMO. Supercar performance and you still get to do something other than hold the gas and tap some shifters.

Granted, the enzo/carerra gt/mclaren slr are just unbelievable technical marvels, but they're TOO technological. Give me a shelby 427 cobra, and I'd still be happy :)
 
Granted, the enzo/carerra gt/mclaren slr are just unbelievable technical marvels, but they're TOO technological. Give me a shelby 427 cobra, and I'd still be happy
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The Carrera GT still has a good ol' stick shift. Unlike the 'fappy paddles' of the others.
 
yeah i think "super" cars have become too soft. one example is power windows, power locks, power anything, and A/C. they were meant to do one thing and being comfortable was not it <8- ) while forced induction is good it does not mean much with a super car. the way i see it is the car could not make enough power alone. i know that sounds stupid but look at the pagani Zonda. they even give you shoes.
 
No reason fast and comfortable can't go together. I find racing buckets a lot nicer than anything stock! :D
 

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