The world of supercars is a fascinating and highly competitive one. This never-ending arms race between car manufacturers continues to produce some of the most incredible machines to ever grace Tarmac, often shifting the landscape in the process.
Here’s our 10 that changed the world.
Honda NSX
Honda’s NSX is one of the most significant cars on this list thanks to being arguably the world’s first truly usable supercar. Big beasts of old were tricky to drive, often highly strung, and far from reliable. The NSX was a supercar you could actually daily drive.
Developed with the help of Ayrton Senna, the NSX handles beautifully and delivers strong performance from a V6 VTEC engine. Being a Honda, it has proven very reliable over the years, not to mention a very easy car to live with in terms of practicalities.
Audi R8
While the Honda NSX established itself as the world’s first honest to goodness everyday usable supercar, the original Audi R8 hammered the point home. The notion of Audi building a supercar was thought crazy back at the R8’s inception, but it pleasantly surprised critics the world over.
Introduced with a V8 at launch, a V10 was later offered and ultimately made the only engine option over time.
Ferrari F40
A truly legendary car. The Ferrari F40 was the world’s first production car to hit 200mph – a serious landmark for its day and even now. It was originally destined to be a Group B racer, but the raw supercar ultimately became a road car when the racing series was scrapped.
The F40 was the last car Enzo Ferrari signed off before he died.
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C was criticised for being a bit too challenging on the limit, and not exciting enough below it. So, why is it on the list? Because it heralded a new era of road car competition that would go on to keep Ferrari honest. McLaren in just a decade has become a supercar superpower, and it all started with the MP4-12C.
A McLaren MP4-12C is now a bit of a bargain on the used market.
Porsche 901
Don’t we mean Porsche 911? Well, the car was originally dubbed 901 before Peugeot announced it had the exclusive right to cars with ‘0’ in the middle of two numbers within France. Porsche rebadged to 911 and the car ultimately went on to become one of the most successful performance cars ever.
There are a few early Porsche 901 cars that escaped the factory.
Ferrari Enzo
The Ferrari Enzo was named after the legendary founder of the marque, so it had no choice but to deliver something of a mission statement. Plenty of Formula 1 technology went into the Enzo, ranging from techniques for its ‘F1’ paddle-shifting gearbox and lightweight materials. This thundering V12 supercar was a poster car for a new generation.
The final Ferrari Enzo was given to The Pope to auction for charity.
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 remains an automotive icon for its driver-focused traits and outright pace. Designed by F1 legend Gordon Murray, the car featuring a central driving position was capable of hitting 240mph – a record that stood for many years. While not a huge sales success in period due to global finances, the engineering brilliance of the F1 is what drives today’s values.
The McLaren F1 was nearly powered by an Isuzu V12, but ultimately BMW would donate its 12 cylinder engine.
Porsche 918 Spyder
The year 2013 was very special for car enthusiasts as the stars aligned with three manufacturers launching halo models simultaneously. McLaren, Ferrari, and Porsche all created incredible hybrid machines, dripping with the latest tech? Why not include the McLaren P1 or LaFerrari in this list? Because the Porsche was the car that most definitively pointed to the future.
The 918 was the most electrified of the trio, and on some tracks proved the fastest thanks to its pair of electric motors and all-wheel drive. Thinking about what direction all performance cars are heading in, the 918 embraced hybridisation far sooner than most.
Ariel Atom
Sometimes less is more. The Ariel Atom is a stripped back machine that’s effectively some scaffolding, an engine and some wheels. Its purity makes it an incredible machine to drive, and due to its lack of mass, also one of the fastest.
The Atom 2 with its Honda VTEC engine launched in 2003 with its screaming power plant being the cherry on top for this model.
Bugatti Veyron
This was very much a Concorde moment for the world of cars. The Bugatti Veyron was the first road car to breach 250mph. Better still, it would reliably do this without shaking you to death seven days a week. It was a true engineering marvel.
Powered by a quad-turbo W16 engine, the 1000bhp+ machine is destined to become as stoic as the McLaren F1.
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