Supercar (car classification)

Supercar may also refer to the 1960's television series Supercar, or the Italian title of Knight Rider, another TV-show

A supercar is a term used for a sports car, typically an exotic or rare one, whose performance is highly superlative to its contemporary sports cars. The proper application of this term is subjective and disputed, especially among enthusiasts. In addition, the use of the term is dependent on the era; a vehicle that is considered to be a supercar at one time may not retain its superiority in the future. Nonetheless, the automotive press frequently calls new exotic cars "supercars". Also see the list of supercars to help understand the term subjectively.

Performance criteria

• High Power, Low Weight — most supercars have a high power to weight ratio — that is, high engine power and low vehicle weight. This is done for the sake of acceleration (see Newton's Second Law) and top speed. For example, the 2004 Porsche Carrera GT carries just five pounds per horsepower (3 kg/kW or 438 hp/Mg) — compare this to the Porsche Boxster which hauls nearly 12 pounds per horsepower (7.1 kg/kW or 193 bhp/Mg). The McLaren F1, introduced in 1991 and widely considered as one of the fastest supercars of the 20th century, produced 627.1 hp (467.6 kW) against a weight of 2513 pounds (1140 kg), translating to 550 hp per 1000 kilograms or 4 pounds per horsepower.

• High Acceleration — supercars, by the usual definition, have extremely quick acceleration compared to most vehicles, including ordinary sports cars. Some current expectations are as follow:
  • 0 to 60 mph (96.56 km/h): Under 4 seconds for virtually all supercars today. The McLaren F1 has a 0 to 60 mph time of about 3.2 seconds.
  • 0 to 100 mph (160.9 km/h): Under 10 seconds is generally called for, with undisputed supercars being significantly faster. The Ferrari Enzo, introduced in 2002, has a 0 to 100 mph time of about 6.5 seconds.
  • Standing Quarter-Mile (402.3 meters): Under 13 seconds is arguably a requirement, as is a trap or terminal speed of at least 110 mph (177 km/h).
    • The Ferrari Enzo completes the quarter mile from a stop in about 11.1 seconds at 133 mph (214 km/h).
    • The Koenigsegg CCR, introduced in 2004, is officially claimed to run the quarter mile in "9 seconds, end speed 235 km/h (146 mph)" [[1]]

It should be noted here, however, that the term supercar usually refers to particular models of factory-built, street-legal sports cars, which tend to be perceived as unmodified; heavily modified and potentially street-illegal vehicles can often accelerate faster than any production car, requiring well under 10 seconds in the quarter mile. Because supercars are usually designed for road use as opposed to drag racing or straight-line racing alone, their standard equipment often do not include roll cages and other mandatory requirements for fast cars on a dragstrip.

• High Top Speed — Today, undisputed supercars can exceed at least 300 km/h or about 186 mph (even with a top speed of close to 300 km/h, the Ferrari 360 is usually not considered a true supercar). Among many enthusiasts, a simple supercar requirement is the ability to break 200 mph (321.9 km/h). The fastest models today have speeds exceeding 240mph (386 km/h).

• • On March 31, 1998, the McLaren F1 (number XP5, a standard 1993 F1 road model) recorded an official top speed of 386.7 km/h (240.3 mph). The car was driven by Andy Wallace on the 9 km straight line of the Volkswagen Ehra-Lessien facility in Wolfsburg, Germany. This was the world record for production cars in the 20th century.[[2]][[3]]
  • On February 28, 2005, the Koenigsegg CCR with 806 hp (601 kW) achieved a top speed of 387.87 km/h (241.01 mph) on default settings. The car was driven on Italy's Nardo Prototipo proving ground, a circular track with a circumference of 12.5 km. This exceeded the McLaren's record.[[4]]
  • On May 20, 2005, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 achieved a two-way average speed of 400 km/h (248.5 mph) at parent company Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. This exceeded the Koenigsegg's record.[[5]]

• Superb Handling — In contrast to a sports car which simply has a more 'sporty' or involving handling than a normal hatchback or saloon, a supercar is usually built for maximum cornering and road gripping ability in order to achieve superior racing times.

Other criteria

In addition to performance, the following criteria are also cited in determining if a particular sports car or exotic car deserves the supercar moniker:

• Styling — Supercars often feature groundbreaking styling elements. The Formula One-inspired Enzo Ferrari, for example, set a new styling direction for that company.
• Focused design — Supercars are not designed to be practical transportation devices, with functionality varying widely between different examples. Many car body styles (including 2+2 coupe, station wagon, and pickup truck) make inherent tradeoffs of performance potential for utility. By this measure, extreme vehicles like the Dodge Ram SRT-10 are not normally called supercars. While one undisputed supercar, the McLaren F1, featured seating for three (and had a number of useful storage spaces), performance was not sacrificed, but instead improved by the seating design: the driver's central position lowered the vehicle's moment of inertia and increased its turning ability.
• Technology — All supercars feature cutting edge contemporary racing car technology. This has included the use of carbon fibre and ceramics, ground effects and wings, and novel layouts like mid-engine. The use of turbochargers has fallen out of favor in many recent supercars, though the Bugatti Veyron will use four. All wheel drive is also used in most modern supercars, reflecting the success of the Audi Quattro rally car.
• Production — Most commentators would not include one-off concept cars or self-built kit cars under this category. Although no objective metric has been agreed on, homologation often makes the case for a supercar. Similarly, the term is never applied to a pure racing car — supercars must be legal for use on the street. Although their makers often promise to produce dozens of examples, some supercars never reach these production targets. For example, while 400 Enzos were built, just two Mosler Photons have been sold.
• Spirit — An extremely difficult aspect to objectively discuss is the "spirit" or "soul" many supercar buyers search for. This is often more a reflection of the manufacturer's reputation, especially on the race track, than the absolute qualities of the vehicle in question. This factor is often cited in disqualifying cars like the Honda/Acura NSX and Dodge/Chrysler Viper and including even the lesser V12-powered Ferraris.

See also

• list of supercars
• list of automotive superlatives