2023 preview: 7 supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

I turned 65 just before Christmas. It sorta crept up on me. One minute I was a spry 40 years old trying to convince Postmedia that it desperately needed an auto section to review cars; the next thing I know, I’m trying to figure out why I wasn’t smart enough at the same time to send some money — just a few dollars, dammit! — Jeff Bezos’ way.

Along the way, something completely unexpected happened. Driving — we called it Driver’s Edge back then — became wildly successful. Never in my wildest business plan did I ever dream that what started life as a lowly three man operation — myself, the indispensible Brian Harper and Alex Law — would ever become the world-class 20+ stront force in automotive news it’s become. Nor would have I ever dared to predict that said world-class stature would see Driving be at the top of the supercar-testing foodchain — right up there with Top Gear, Car & Driver and, well, if you’re reading this you know the rest. One might, as a youth, dare to dream about driving Ferraris and Lamborghini. One never, take it from me, expects it to happen.

But here we are in 2023 and I need to plan out all which of this year’s batch of the ludicrously over-powered deserves Driving’s attention. With the economy — or at least the stock market — starting to spring back and electrification making outrageous performance increasingly commonplace, there’s no shortage of the “ludicrous” to choose from so here’s my wishlist for 2023:

2023 Pagani Utopia

2023 preview: 7 supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

2023 Pagani Utopia Photo by Pagani

Even amongst big-buck, small production run supercars, Pagani stands out. With booming twin turbo V12, more carbon fibre than an F1 car and a craftsmanship of interior bobbles that would make a Faberge egg jealous, a Pagani — any Pagani — is the ultimate in automotive panache.

Indeed, before Pagani, few supercars had what one would call style. Oh, the Countach wowed and a Testarossa was plenty fast, but neither had a true sense of occasion. Before Zonda, most were the most recalcitrant of beasts, all power and gummy tires, brute force and stiff suspension. Worse yet, at least to Horacio Pagani, founder and still chief designer, they were artless, their appointments lacking, the detailing haphazard and the interiors typically as Spartan as a Hyundai. Speed they had; craft they did not.

Since the creation of the first Pagani, they all had to up their game. Ferrari’s La Ferrari boasted a modern interior because the Zonda’s cabin was a work of art. Lamborghini’s Huracan Performante was imminently drivable because Horacio’s Huayra proved that 750+ horsepower did not necessitate bad road manners.

They’re all might be playing catch-up again. The all-new Utopia’s big Mercedes V12 has been boosted to 852 horsepower. That may not be the most boasted by a supercar but it’s still a phenomenal number given that the Utopia, thanks to even more liberal use of carbon fibre, weighs but 1,280 kilograms. And Pagani has once again pushed supercar design forward, the Utopia almost completely free of gawdy aerodynamic appendages yet still boasting the world-class downforce required when you’re autobahning at more than 300 kilometres an hour. Throw in a steering wheel machine from one single block of aluminum and you have a piece of art screaming along at 200 miles per hour your derriere barely inches off the ground.  So, when people ask me what car I’m looking forward most to driving in 2023, the answer is easy: It’s the one that would be equally at home racing round Imola as being displayed at the Guggenheim.

2024 Maserati Granturismo Folgore

2023 preview: 7 supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore Photo by Maserati

That said, there are lots and lots of other worthy candidates that probably won’t cost four million bucks. A Maserati Granturismo Folgore, for instance, will probably go for somewhere around three hundred large or so.

But, thanks to three electric motors, it theoretically produces a Pagani-baiting 1,207-hp. I say theoretically, because each of those electric motors — one in the front, two out back — is capable of 300 kilowatts, which, if you convert it, works out to exactly 1206.92 SAE-approved horses.

The only problem with that “theory” is that Maserati also says that the Folgore’s “combined maximum power at wheels” is 560 kilowatts. That’s 751 horsepower, a daunting and impressive number to be sure, but, it’s not the 1,206 — point 92! — horses that have garnered so many headlines.

So, I am eager to test the latest-tech Grantursimo. For ont thing, 751-hp is never to be sniffed at especially if it’s backed up by instant electric-motor torque. But I also want to see if there’s a way to hot-rod its 92.5 kilowatt-hour battery so it can feed those hungry electric motors all 900 KW. That would be insane.

2023 Lamborghini Sterrato

2023 preview: 7 supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

2023 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato Photo by Lamborghini

Like so many things — political affiliations, gender identification, etc. — the definition of a supercar has become more, well, fluid of late. A “Ludicrous” Tesla might well sport four doors, but it accelerates harder than a Ferrari 488. A Mercedes-AMG One pushes the definition of “road car” pretty much to the limit. And Gordon Murray’s T.50 seems to test multiple boundaries all at once.

Then there’s Lamborghini’s Sterrato which would seem the automotive definition of segment fluidity. Essentially a garden-variety Huracan, it has morphed into actual off-road warrior. Not just a styling exercise for the grand prix de Rodeo Drive, Lamborghini seems to really expect at least some Sterrato owners to rally their V10-powered supercar off-road.

It will undoubtably be the fast rally racer on said dirt path. Said V10 bellows out some 610 horsepower from just 5.2 litres. All-wheel-drive gets the Sterrato from a stop to 100 kilometres an hour in just 3.4 seconds, though not necessarily on loose soil (despite the locking rear differential). And thanks to 44-millimetres more ground clearance and more generous suspension — 30 per cent more travel up front and an even greater 35 per cent in the rear — it will do so while conquering Ontario potholes if not Laurentian backroads.

Lamborghini swears they’re going to let us loose off road during the press launch. I absolutely gotta try this.

2023 Ferrari 296 GTS

2023 preview: 7 supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

Ferrari 296 GTS Photo by Ferrari

I really want a go at Ferrari’s 296 GTS. For one thing, I have a soft spot for Ferrari V6s. Even if Maranello has never recognized it as one of their own, the Dino remains the one Prancing Horse I would really like to own. Better yet, the 296 reminds me of the Dino, a little smaller, less overtly garish in its styling and a little more reasonable — if US$300,000+ can be ever be considered reasonable — in its demand on your wallet.

Besides, not only do I have a soft spot for the plug-in electrification of internal combustion engines, but Ferrari really does a bang-up job when combining electric and ICE motors. The La Ferrari was incredible, the SF90 the best thing out of Maranello since the 458 and the 296 promises 24 klicks of gas-free motoring while also able to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds. It’s also a Berlinetta, the most classic of road-going Ferraris. Expect a review sometime this summer.

2023 Ferrari Purosangue

2023 preview: 7 supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

2023 Ferrari Purosangue Photo by Ferrari

OK, it’s not a supercar. Hell, most purists decry it as beginning of the end — or, is that the end of the beginning? — of Ferrari. But, it’s a sport brute with a big, old V12 stuffed under its front bonnet. If that’s not a perfect paean to the days of fossil-fueled glorious excess, I don’t know what is.

Besides, Lamborghini already did this with its late-‘80s LM002 and no one complained about the Rambo Lambo. I’ve driven that beast too and if the Purosangue has but an iota of its presence, it will be a huge hit. With 715-horsepower from 6.5-litres of screaming Maranello V12, a top speed of 310 kilometres per hour and electric motors at all four corners to maintain suspension stiffness, this will be the ultimate SUV when the world really does go all Mad max. I’ll be sending you a report from the Italian Dolomites in early February.

But, as much as I love blasting around in impractical and over-powered supercars, loyal readers know my heart races fastest for even more impractical and over-powered superbikes. Heading this year’s list of two-wheelers I just have to ride is…

KTM’s new 990 RC

#News KTM RC 990 Prototype https://t.co/sCmsBO8lJO pic.twitter.com/uZOSL9iH8S

— Flyin18T Motorsports (@Flyin18T) December 6, 2022

Still only in prototype form — but spy-cammed undergoing final street testing — the KTM 990 RC has the entire motorcycle world abuzz. That’s because a) KTM has set the world of motorcycle racing alight lo these last six years and b) its previous attempt at a meaty twin-cylinder superbike, the limited edition, track-only RC 8C, sold out in two and a half minutes when its online order book went live a couple of months ago.

An evolution of the 790 and 890 parallel twins that form the meat of KTM’s mid-displacement range, the RC looks to be the first to use this new litre-class version of its high-revving twin. An all-new frame houses the new engine, but it does appear — at least from those aforementioned spy shots — to use the company’s trademark steel trellis frame. Brembo brakes and WP suspension further bolster the RC’s sporting bona fides. We don’t know how much power the 990 will pump out but it surely won’t be the 200+ horses common to almost all the four-cylinder superbikes that rule the litre class. On the other hand, the KTM promises rider friendly power delivery and lighter weight. For those us looking twisty-road fun rather than miles-long power wheelies, the new KTM may be just ticket.

MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 9.5

2023 preview: 7 supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 9.5 Photo by MV Agusta

The MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 9.5 may not be an actual superbike — it’s more a two-wheeled equivalent of Ferrari’s Purosangue — but it comes from the most successful company in the history of MotoGP. Yes, a small Italian company you probably have never heard of has won more grand prix titles than Honda (38 in all, including every GP500 championship from 1958 to 1974). In other words, the Lucky Explorer’s pedigree is not in question.

So, while it’s twin headlights and close-fitting bodywork pay homage to the Cagiva Elefant that won the Paris-Dakar in 1990 and ’94, its high-revving 931-cc triple is a direct descendent of the glorious triples that propelled the immortal Giacomo Agostini to all of his 13 GP350 and GP500 titles. Good for 121 horsepower at 10,000 rpm — and 75 pound-feet of torque at 7,000 — the Explorer is also light and, despite the off-road-oriented 21-inch front wheel, fairly spry on its tires. Being a top-end “aspirational” soft-roader, all 9.5s will come with switchable cornering ABS, a six-axis IMU and even front-wheel lift control (that’s legalese for wheelie control). I can’t wait to ride it…

Though I may shut off that silly wheelie control software!

Keyword: 2023 Preview: 7 Supercars — and bikes — we can't wait to take for a spin

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