Supercars: mostly the preserve of the Italians, sometimes the English when they’ve put their trousers on backwards, or the Germans when they’ve had too much Leberwurst. The French car market hasn’t been so vulgar as to busy itself with such exercises in frivolousness and vulgarity. Or has it? Rare as they are, French supercars have come and gone over the years. Let’s count down some of the best.
Venturi Atlantique 300
The definitive French supercar of the last 30 years is for us the Venturi Atlantique. It’s about as French a supercar as it’s possible to be: exceedingly beautiful, not all that fast and not in any hurry to be judged on such crude metrics as performance. Packing, at its most potent, a 310PS (228kW) turbocharged Renault/Peugeot V6, the Atlantique 300 BiTurbo in 1998 was far from the Ferrari fighter its looks might have led you to believe. And that doesn’t matter. Just look at it! So elegant, so sophisticated, its design alone implies thrice the pedigree and history Venturi ever had. Just 700 were made in its eight-year production run.
Aixam Mega Track
No, this wasn’t just a concept. Yes, they really did make some. This is the Aixam Mega Track, an off-road-ready French supercar with a Mercedes V12 (Zonda-esque certainly) that has better ground clearance – 203mm – than most crossovers. In fact, with the air suspension stretched out fully, it’ll extend to 330mm of clearance. Some supercar manufacturers will boast of lap times, of relationships between their car and Le Mans, or even F1. The big claim about the Mega Track? That it could do the Peking to Paris rally.
With four seats the Mega Track was quite practical for a mid-engined V12 supercar, though the 6.0-litre V12 didn’t reach the heady heights it did in the Zonda, putting out only 390PS (287kW) for 0-62 in 5.8 seconds on the way to a 155mph top speed. We can sort of see why it didn’t catch on – less than 20 were sold in five years from 1995 – but it is desperately cool.
Bugatti EB110
Though still fairly obscure, the Bugatti EB110 is a motoring celebrity by comparison to the Mega Track. Like all Bugattis since its original era, it’s arguable the EB110 isn’t French, given that the new company – Bugatti Automobiles S.p.A. – was headquartered in Italy.
The EB110 was an especially Italian-looking car too, with a wedge supercar shape and monster V12 engine in the middle. But with that badge, the (tiny) horseshoe grille and bright racing blue paint, there’s no denying the EB110’s Frenchness. It was cutting-edge too, using a bespoke 3.5-litre quad-turbo V12 good for up to 612PS (450kW) and all-wheel-drive. It was beautifully made too, with few squeaks and rattles while getting to 62mph in 3.2 seconds on the way to a 221mph top speed.
Between the ground-up specially-designed factory and the sophisticated uncompromising car it turned out, there’s little wonder the operation wasn’t sustainable. It did however set the precedent for a successor under a new custodian.
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport
The Bugatti Veyron is perhaps the most famous supercar in the world, isn’t it? While it is a Bugatti built in a French city, Molsheim, like the Veyron itself, does feel very German, with surrounding areas like Dachstein and Mutzig. It’s very close to France’s eastern border, with the land of its parent company Volkswagen.
Bugatti was to be Ferdinand Piech’s vanity project, a vessel for the harnessed might of his conglomerate’s engineering prowess. In 2005, the Veyron was just that, producing over 1,000PS (736kW), topping over 250mph and getting to 62mph in under three seconds.
Seventeen years ago, these figures were out of this world, especially for what proved to be a refined, luxurious, beautifully-made grand touring-capable vehicle. Our pick of the bunch? The open-topped Grand Sport. It leans the hardest on the grand tourer nature of the Veyron – very French. The groundwork in the Veyron underpins Bugattis still today, over 20 years on from its conception.
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport
One of those is the Chiron Super Sport, the Bugatti that carries the torch the original Veyron once did, of ultimate top speed capability. Where 253mph was the seemingly unsurpassable benchmark in 2005, in 2022, things have moved on a bit. The very fastest Bugatti has over 1,600PS and is capable of over 300mph. With elongated bodywork compared to the ‘regular’ Chiron, the car’s aero profile and stability are improved. It looks good too, doesn’t it? As if hewn out of acrylic.
Renault R.S. 01
Okay, away from the big Bugs and over to Renault. No, there is no road-going Renault supercar but there is a one-make racer/ Ferrari XX-style track toy. Meet the RS. 01, a mid-engined race-spec machine with Nissan GT-R power. In GT3 spec it’s claimed wins at Mugello and Spa, as well as second-in-class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. In truth, it’s a concept car brought to life, designed at the time (2015) to show the world what future Renaults might look like. We do wonder what a road-going version with an Alpine badge might have been like…
Citroën GT
Another one that only just about escaped the motorshow was the Citroën GT. Originally designed for the digital realm of Gran Turismo – hence the GT name – this car was another styling and PR exercise that caught on just a little too strong.
While in the game the concept uses an all-electric powertrain with 789PS (580kW), the real thing ended up using a Ford V8 with 655PS (482kW). Yes, there was genuinely a ten-car production run developed, thanks to a great deal of pressure from designer Takumi Yamamoto and Gran Turismo godfather Kazunori Yamauchi. The two were close friends from childhood.
Renault Clio V6
Okay, we admit, it’s tough to consider a Clio a supercar, so this is sort of a commiserative entry. But the Clio V6 is so out there, so odd, that it just had to get a mention.
Because building a conventional sportscar wouldn’t be enough, they had to stick a Nissan V6 in the middle of a heavily modified Clio. Such a specialty item was the Clio V6, that its initial development was carried out by TWR, British Le Mans winners and co-creators of the Jaguar XJ220 and XJR-15. Like a conventional supercar, it commanded respect behind the wheel, punishing severely those who underestimated its snappy characteristics.
A Ferrari fighter? Like the Venturi we opened with, not in any way. Gorgeous? Unlike the Venturi, not particularly. But it is shot through with a ludicrous special sauce not unlike that which makes a supercar a supercar. It’s just a very French way of going about it. Magnifique!
Peugeot Oxia
A quick mention for the Oxia. Yes, it’s been on our concept list before but arguably, it was more ready for production upon its cancellation than the Citroen GT above. The one that got away – the stunning, spectacular, 680PS (550kW), 216mph Oxia. *Sigh*.
Keyword: The nine best French supercars ever made