[Closed] What defines a 'Supercar'

One that can fly/talk/juggle.

It has "Supercar" written on it

[img] [/img]

Ground breaking/cutting edge performance and technology combined with a lofty price tag and exclusivity. Also it should probably be a stand alone product and with little or no derivation from a lesser model (unless that model is a supercar).

Must have a performance level completely unusable on the road or by anyone not called Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton etc unless they rely on computers to drive it for them and sold primarily to insecure Men to 'impress' others?

for current ones

Coupe/convertable
Rear wheel drive (though a few notable 4wd ones)
400bhp+
170mph+
£80k+
impractical for everyday use
sub 20mpg

Must have turbo boost

[img] [/img]

I get the feeling some of your may not be taking this seriously 😉

tomhoward - Member

for current ones

Coupe/convertable
Rear wheel drive (though a few notable 4wd ones)
400bhp+
170mph+
£80k+
impractical for everyday use
sub 20mpg

Twenty years ago perhaps.

[i]Twenty years ago perhaps.[/i]

Ooh, here we go: "my supercar's better than your supercar!" 😆

Coupe/convertable
Rear wheel drive (though a few notable 4wd ones)
400bhp+
170mph+
£80k+
impractical for everyday use
sub 20mpg

So the GTR isn't a supercar then?

0-60 in 3.*s

Okay being serious then.

This is a supercar. Everything else is bobbins.

[img] [/img]

While we're at what's the cross over point between super & hyper cars 1000bhp+ ?

LoCo - Member

While we're at what's the cross over point between super & hyper cars 1000bhp+ ?

I think the two terms are interchangeable. Or should be.

warton

So the GTR isn't a supercar then?

More of a sportscar or super sports car I would say.

Lol, not the guy in the Golf Estate R thread's 911

It was the late great LJK Setright who coined the term. Of cars which predated his passing I believe the Honda NSX would have been the epitome, maybe the McLaren F1 too.

If the marketing department say it's a supercar, it's a supercar. As DezB points out there has only ever been one Supercar.

The definition of a Supercar changes as things progress. 50 years ago, 6 secs to 60mph and 150mph was enough to gain entry to the Supercar club. Now there's practical family cars than can match those speeds.

Careful now though boys, the Fun Police will be along no doubt any time soon to say that all you need to get from A to B is a Diesel Passat and that to enjoy driving a powerful car 'briskly' on the road is more irresponsible, dangerous and unpredictable than encouraging a small child to prod a sleeping leopard with a pointy stick!

Performance and price. Bugatti Veron, McLaren 650 ...

GTR, 911 above are sports cars. Ditto "normal" Ferraris like the California and even the 458

actually, thinking about it, you're right, gtr, 911 etc would be sports, rather than super...

GT3?

One that can fly/talk/juggle.

My mate came over to my house in his Gallardo trying to show off and telling my son (4) it was a super car to which my son said "Can it fly?, No? Then its not a super car is it!" This is now (in my book) the dictionary definition!

Careful now though boys, the Fun Police will be along no doubt any time soon to say that all you need to get from A to B is a Diesel Passat and that to enjoy driving a powerful car 'briskly' on the road is more irresponsible, dangerous and unpredictable than encouraging a small child to prod a sleeping leopard with a sharp stick!

I've got a diesel Passat and I think it's super!!

I was a member of the Supercar Club.

Back in about 1963 when I was 10. You got a badge and a flexidisc with 3 tracks including the Supercar theme and amazingly, the "Supercar Twist"

Must have 42 wheels and 19 engines: [img] ?5[/img]

Hypercars - Veyron, 918, C-X75 (never went into production though), P1. All other high performance cars are either supercars or kit cars.

I'd go with sub-4 seconds 0-60, £100k+ and a racing pedigree for the supercar, e.g. Lambos, Fezzas and the like.

Hypercars are in the sub-3 second 0-60, small volume specialist makers and a pricetag that is never quite fully disclosed, e.g. Koenigsegg Agera R, Pagani Huayra, McLaren P1

LoCo - Member
After a few car threads and references to supercars, what do people define super cars as?

When it goes Vrooom, you feel your diaphragm resonate and all 3 of your testicles rattle.
Your mind empties of all thoughts of emmpeegees, service intervals, and insurance brackets.
You wonder about the market value of your spare kidney and other superfluous organs.

And finally it does not have a roof or mudguards (other than cycle type).

A cycle rack merely adds class.

LoCo - Member

GT3?

Surely not. No more than an M3 GTS etc

Lots of exhausts
[img] [/img]

and awesome bodywork
[img] [/img]

and just a touch of stylish je ne sais quoi
[img] [/img]

Back in about 1963 when I was 10. You got a badge and a flexidisc with 3 tracks including the Supercar theme and amazingly, the "Supercar Twist"

So the GTR isn't a supercar then?

No, it's a saloon car with super car type performance. Just like the evo's, imprezas, cosworths etc.

Of course, this is coming from a bloke who drives a diesel golf....

Super car = unaffordable to anyone less than a multi-millionaire
Hyper car = unaffordable to anyone that doesn't own their own oil field

...and your Supercar pilots licence.

I'd forgotten about that!

Presumably we now have to do a secret greeting now Slowoldman? Or was that just the I-Spy Club?

(How)

Isnt the answer undriveable and impractical, the GTR can be used every day and in any real world sceanrio beat a F40 Veyron et al into a cocked hat.

Scenario wet night in Mid Wales you have to get from Builth to Machynlleth as fast as you can, weapon of choice would most probably be an Imprezza or Evo for 99.9% of the population.

..or a 2.0TDCi Mondeo.

Sports car = powerfull, lightweight, you can probably afford it instead of a focuss/mondeo

Super car = powerfull, light-ish, but they've left the air con and leather seats, etc in and made it more powerfull to compensate. You probably can't afford it.

Hyper car = like a supercar, but indistinguishable from a luxury car inside, even more powerfull to compensate. You pay your accountant enough that he has a supercar and you need to differentiate.

Lots of exhausts

That Citrôen looks like it has a huge organ inside of it. Which, I suspect, it regularly does.

I was going to say anything that makes molgrips nervous, but in reality that is probably anything that does 0-60 in under 18 seconds and tows anything under 2.5 tons.

Pigface

Isnt the answer undriveable and impractical, the GTR can be used every day and in any real world sceanrio beat a F40 Veyron et al into a cocked hat.

It wouldn't though. A GT-R is 600+ Kilos heavier than an F40. Power fro the F40 was stated at 480bhp but many were dyno'd at 520-550bhp. American versions all had more boost to compensate for slightly heavier fuel cells to comply with safety regs. The GTR's 4x4 and clever launch control give it that 0-60 time but above 100mph a veyron will trounce it and an F40 would destroy it on the track with modern tyres and brakes.

Ground breaking/cutting edge performance and technology

What about Noble's and Ginetta G60 ?

Pigface - Member
Isnt the answer undriveable and impractical, the GTR can be used every day and in any real world sceanrio beat a F40 Veyron et al into a cocked hat.

Pigface - Member
Scenario wet night in Mid Wales you have to get from Builth to Machynlleth as fast as you can, weapon of choice would most probably be an Imprezza or Evo for 99.9% of the population.

Isnt the answer undriveable and impractical, the GTR can be used every day

A friend of mine had an Aventador which he drove nearly every day (if he could get the keys off his wife). Yes it was a bit unreliable. His only gripe was it was such an uncomfortable and harsh ride. When he opened the garage one day and decided he'd prefer to drive the 10 miles to Wolverhampton in the 8-seater Viano van he got rid.

jimjam happily ignoring the real world scenario 😆

digga yes they do flatter a driver of that there is no doubt.