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Your own supercar definition.

Eudemon

By Eudemon
in Automotive Discussion

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Eudemon Grand Master

Eudemon

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There's a debate going on about what a supercar actually is and what cars are deserving of this what is to be honest prestige label. Since the phrase was first coined almost 50 years ago it seems like it's being watered down in my and others' opinions to include cars that in the original sense of the word don't deserve it.

 

Supercar was meant to describe a car that was a dream, it was only available to the wealthy few who could afford it even if it wasn't a limited production, if you couldn't afford 2 of them then you sure as hell couldn't buy 1 due to the servicing and maintenance costs. So rather than keep the same argument going on in the thread that has spawned this, let's get the views and opinions of our members and let's see if a certain group are the only ones who seem to keep agreeing on what they all keep saying.

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Nodz86 Grand Master

Nodz86

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Well, funnily enough Clarksons car years was on Dave the other day and he was trying to define this aswell.

 

He said the fist real supercar was the Lambo Muira as the GT40 and Ferrari equivilant at the time were designed for racing and not the public were as the Muira was.

 

The trouble with Supercars in this day and age there are so many different cars trying to tag onto this labal, some are more than supercars others are not but still get the tag.

 

TBH its like the RX 8 its a coupe but to be a coupe there has to be a saloon version so its not, alot of cars do this. So defining a genre cars fall into is the same as defining a genre that music goes into, you can do a rough overview but when you start looking at it in depth it gets a bit complicated.

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Eudemon Grand Master

Eudemon

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A car can be a coupe as the definition of the word is usually used with the term "2-door coupe", never seen a 4-door coupe or anything then again I always associated 'coupe' with 2-doors and sleek.

 

Interestingly though some people are calling the CLS exactly that though the word actually means 'to cut'.

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Fridge Magnet Rabbit Mentor

Fridge Magnet Rabbit

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IMO the definition of 'supercar' is any car that is not very easy to get hold off either through a high cost or limited avaliability. Also it can mean any car that is super like super man such as the Peel P50. A 'supercar' is mainly a car or vehicle that can do incase/silly speeds which the average car cannot reach with those speeds usually being over 170MPH (dont know KM/H equivalent) and is therefore very expensive or due to manufacturing costs, limited supply.

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MCW Proficient

MCW

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This is harder than I thought lol

 

To me, a Supercar is not the most prestige label that can be given to a car. The word Hypercar (used by Clarkson) is the most prestige label that can be given to a car imo. A hypercar has the properties of a Supercar, but better

e.g A Supercar can do 205 mph, a Hypercar can do 220mph.

 

But back on topic, I think a Supercar has to look special and turn heads when it drives past like a Lamborghini or a Zonda, not like an 800bhp Nissan Skyline. It has to have unique styling, and have things on it the normal cars don't have.

 

Performance wise, I think a Supercar must be able to reach 200mph, be able to handle itself on a track and amaze the owner every time he drives it. As Diablo says, a Supercar is a machine that only the very privileged can own.

 

Also, it should be made with passion so when you drive it, it feels like your in something unique, something very very special.

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Eudemon Grand Master

Eudemon

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Bloody hell, i thought about making this thread but i thought it wasn't worth it.

 

I think a supercar is a car built intentionally with speed and handling in mind and amazes you when you drive it.

Why was the old Porsche Turbo, the one with the whaletail dubbed a supercar when in fact it was more than likely to kill the driver due to it's terrible handling? Many yuppies ended up in ditches and fields due to that beast.

 

Supercar's are not meant to handle well, that is not there main priority or draw so to speak.

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Eudemon Grand Master

Eudemon

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Because it's not about the handling, it's about the way it looks, the way you feel when you hear it or see it even if you're not driving it, if you are lucky enough to drive it then it's the feeling when you turn the key, it's the high maintenance that doesn't matter to you, it's the way others move out your way or drive up to you and talk to you because of what you're in. I see a tuned car I think that's nice, I see a supercar and it's like wow, speechless and so is everyone else around. You hear people who don't know about cars getting the name wrong like "is that a Ferrari" when it's a Lamborghini and such.

 

The Countach was a supercar but you know what it was a terrible car but to the many rich and famous who bought it that didn't matter as it looked like it should have missles firing out the front, wings out the side and a jet engine from the back, it looked crazy and mental at the same time, it made people expel expletives when it drove by them and stopped people and traffic when it drove by. In fact to be honest a supercar is hardly ever a good car! :D

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CarMadMike Grand Master

CarMadMike

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Just to Add to Diablos Last post, Do you remember the Zonda, F430 + Ford GT In the south of france?

 

Well, Remember richard saying that the Zonda makes him feel like a little Boy again, Well, That is what a Supercar is meant to do

 

Now, If a car made me feel like that again, Id be calling it a supercar, if it had some other aspects also etc

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DriftNismo Mentor

DriftNismo

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I see what you mean Diablo, i do the same come to think of it. When i see a really nice modified car i think "Wow, that's done really nice", but when i see an LP640 or a Vanquish i think "Woah... That looks/sounds fantastic!".

 

@CMM

 

I don't watch Top Gear, but i might check that episode out. Anyone know the episode and season number?

 

EDIT: Ok, tyvm, +rep :).

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Guest RB26DETT

Guest RB26DETT

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a supercar for me is one that has a lot of respect in the automobile industry like. one that has incredible performance whether it being a quick car, fast car, or a great handling car. and of course one that has passion!

 

/cheesy post

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YeOldeTDUMan Veteran

YeOldeTDUMan

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Supercar : a 'Halo' car of an ERA (time period is VERY important)... a car to aspire to that portrays the manufacturers direction ... a car that is not affordable too many ... a car with performance (speed and/or handling) that is in the top group or defines that for it's era ... a car that is a unique design rather than a development of something (unless it's developed from a race car which obviously isn't street legal) ... must be reasonably impractical!

 

I think that'll do as my theory on the definition ... however as mentioned in the other thread it is a Wooly one as things this is a very subjective classification of a car unlike a Hatchback or a Saloon which is very easy to define

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Car Freak Grand Master

Car Freak

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Ooh toughie!

 

Erm, ok here's my stab at it:

A supercar has to be expensive, fast, turn heads (everybody's, not just car enthusiasts), and IMO most important, not share body or chassis parts with any other models lower in the range. Being mid-engined isn't a requisite (like some of you seem to imply looking at you, Aqula DK) but it certainly helps. That means things like the Z-Tune - and R34 GTR for that matter - and BMW M6 can't be classified as a supercar because they share majority of parts and especially styling with lesser models.

 

Other than that, it's really quite hit-and-miss about what is and isn't a supercar. For me my bottom rung would be the Audi R8 and Honda NSX, then moving up to the F430, Gallardo, DB9 and 911 Turbo. The upper ceiling of "supercar" would end at the really high end stuff like the Vanquish, DBS, 599GTB, and regular Murcielago. Things like the Zonda, Koenigsegg, Carrera GT, Enzo and Veyron are, as I've already said, "hypercars".

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Aquila DK Experienced

Aquila DK

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(like some of you seem to imply looking at you, Aqula DK)

Holy... There's another Danish guy who has a name that starts with Aq on here? What are the odds? But why can't I find his welcome thread? Or even his name when I search? Damn.. Car Freak must be seeing things :D

Yes I know you meant me, allow me to explain.. The GT is a more balanced car, compared to the Z06, and handles better because of it, compared to the Viper..

 

Hmm.. My definition of a supercar?

The car needs to be quite rare, depends on how you define rare, expensive in maintenance, oil, petrol, price itself. Needs to have a headturning design. A V engine, (they all do, so surely it has to :D), often, they are ahead of their time, or atleast some of the best have been.. (Miura, F40 etc.) They need to be fast, OF THEIR ERA, as Hybrid also pointed out.. They need to be made with passion, a real, treat to all car lovers, from on to another. They need to be noisy. But most importantly, if it makes my brother turn his head, it has to be one, because he couldn't see the difference between an Escort and a Gallardo.

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