Classic Supercars Of Auto History

2. Mercedes 300SL Gullwing

Despite being introduced in 1954 and delivering just around 250 HP, the 300SL was one of the first cars to be called a supercar. It was fast, exclusive, expensive, and had gullwing doors which were unheard of in the mid-50s. It also had serious motorsport credentials and a gorgeous design. All of that is so good, you’ll need to pay over $1 million for a 300SL today.

3. Lancia Stratos

In the mid-70s, Lancia wanted to go rally racing so they made their first purpose-built rally car in the form of the Lancia Stratos. But although they had the design, they needed an engine. The company borrowed a compact V6 from Ferrari. The Lancia powered by the Ferrari created a legend, becoming a world champion in 1977. With its design, exclusivity and racing success, the Stratos was a rally supercar.

4. SSC Ultimate Aero TT

Introduced in 2009, the Ultimate Aero TT was a true masterpiece of engineering. It featured a turbocharged Corvette mill providing 1,200 HP and an improved suspension, chassis, and aerodynamics. Soon after, the Aero TT broke the production car speed record achieving 256 mph, making it the fastest car in the world. With a price of close to $300,000, they only built 24 Aeros between 2006 and 2009.

5. Lamborghini Countach

The Countach is probably the best-known supercar of its day and the most popular poster car on kid’s walls in the ’70s and ’80s. Introduced in 1974 as a concept, it soon became a reality for wealthy playboys of the day. It was notoriously hard to drive and cramped inside but still a legendary car.

6. BMW M1

The first BMW sports car was the legendary M1 they introduced in 1978. Considered a failure because they only sold less than 500 examples, the M1 is now a highly collectible car with an enormous price tag. A 3.5-liter engine with 280 HP was mounted behind the driver and provided this sleek Bavarian supercar with respectable performance.

7. Dome Zero

A small Japanese car company, Dome was dedicated to producing expensive road-going and race models. Production started in 1976 and continued until 1986 but it’s unclear how many cars they built. The Dome Zero was powered by a 2.8-liter SOHC six-cylinder engine with 147 HP. That doesn’t sound like much. But the car was extremely light, so its performance was respectable.

8. Porsche 959

The Porsche 959 is one of the fastest, most advanced, and technologically complex supercars of the ’80s. The 959 was a super Porsche in every way, not only by design but also by performance and price. It had a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six engine pumping out 450 HP to all four wheels over an intelligent AWD system, the first of its kind. The car also came with traction control, ABS, and a host of electronic systems that helped the driver control its crazy power.

9. McLaren F1

There is so much information about the F1, like the way they designed and produced it and the way it changed the supercar world forever. They presented the F1 in 1992 and it stayed in production until 1998. During that period, McLaren produced 106 cars. That includes the GT-R versions, which were highly successful racing models. The F1 featured a bespoke 6.1-liter V12 engine by BMW Motorsport that delivered 627 HP and used a six-speed manual transmission.

10. 2004-06 Ford GT

The 2004 GT was a perfect supercar in many ways. Not only it did it arrive at the height of retro-futuristic car design, but it was also extremely capable, powerful and fast. At the time, it was one of the best supercars on the scene and buyers loved it. In fact, in just two years of production, Ford managed to sell more than 4,000 examples, making it one of the most successful supercars in terms of popularity.

11. Vector W8

The legendary Vector W8 is a wedge-shaped, V8-powered monster they presented in 1990. It was an ambitious project by the Vector Aeromotive Corporation. Under the engine cover was a typical American powerhouse in the form of a Chevrolet small-block V8. They paired it up with twin turbochargers to produce 625 HP, which was an impressive figure.

12. Hennessey Venom GT

The Venom GT is not a 100-percent American supercar but rather a British-American hybrid. They based it on the Lotus Elise but significantly modified, widened and stretched it with a different suspension, brakes, design, and drivetrain. Practically everything is new and different from the original car. The power comes from a 7.0-liter LS2 V8 engine with three power levels: 800, 1,000 and 1,200 HP.

13. Ferrari F40

Debuting in 1987, the Ferrari F40 was a commemorative model to mark the company’s 40th anniversary. However, it was and still is one of the greatest sports cars ever built and one of the best Ferraris ever produced. Most of the chassis and drivetrain came from the 288 GTO, but they updated the engine to produce around 450 HP.

14. 2017 Ford GT

Ford’s newest and most advanced supercar is the mighty GT. Armed with a racing heritage and the latest technology, the GT is one of the best and fastest cars you can buy today. The engine of the new GT is particularly interesting. It’s a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 producing 656 HP, which gives the car a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 216 mph.

15. Cizeta-Moroder V16T

A group of ex-Lamborghini engineers built the Cizeta-Moroder V16T, giving it a rather crazy drivetrain. The main feature of this obscure beast was a monstrous V16 engine they made out of two flat-plane crank V8 units mounted transversely behind the cabin. The base list price was close to $300,000. And they stopped production after only 20 examples, so they are a rare sight today.

16. Monteverdi Hai 450 SS

A Swiss boutique car manufacturer, Monteverdi produced the Hai 450 SS supercar. They introduced it in 1970 featuring a fully new chassis and body and the famous Hemi 426 V8 engine in the back. Monteverdi wanted the most powerful engine Mopar had to offer and in 1970, that was the mighty Hemi. The car was called “Hai,” which is a German word for shark.

17. Ferrari F50

Continuing the theme set with the F40, Ferrari introduced the F50 in 1995 as a coupe and a convertible. The idea behind the F50 was to present a Formula One car with license plates. Behind the passengers was a race-derived 4.9-liter V12 with 520 HP and fantastic performance.

18. Jaguar XJ220

When Jaguar conceived it in the late ’80s as their first road-going supercar, the XJ220 looked promising. The concept car and the first prototypes had Jaguar’s V12 engine tuned to produce a high output. However, halfway into development, they decided to install a new 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 unit with 542 HP. The design of the car was fantastic, with flowing lines along with a wide stance to emphasize its performance and speed.

19. Honda NSX

When the NSX first appeared in 1989, it revolutionized the supercar market. The buyers got Ferrari performance and looks at supermarket prices along with Honda’s signature reliability and maintenance costs. The heart of the NSX was a 3.0-liter V6 with 274 HP and later, a 3.2-liter V6 with 290 HP. Since the car was light, the 0 to 60 mph time was a lightning-quick five seconds. The top speed was over 170 mph.

20. Ferrari Enzo

The market expected the F60, but Ferrari once again surprised their enthusiasts with the Ferrari Enzo, a supercar from 2004. It was the spiritual successor to the F40 and F50 featuring even crazier specifications thanks to the high revving 6.0-liter V12 engine. It produced 660 HP and had a special F1-styled automatic gearbox for the ultimate performance.

21. Bugatti EB110 SS

Before the mighty Bugatti Veyron or the new Chiron developed with Volkswagen’s money, there was the early ’90s Bugatti. However, they only produced one model. They named it the EB 110 and it was only on the market for a few short years.

Powered by a 600 HP engine capable of reaching 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, the EB 110 SS costs over half a million dollars new. Sadly, they never sold it in the U.S. The Bugatti factory only made 33 of those brutally fast supercars before they went bankrupt.

22. Dodge Viper ACR

As you already know, ACR Vipers were always a car purist’s dream. It is a specially prepared road/track car with immense possibilities, sublime handling, and performance. The secret of the ACR Viper was a slightly more powerful engine producing 645 HP. It underwent a significant weight loss, perfectly balanced chassis, race tires, and powerful Brembo brakes.

23. Porsche Carrera GT

The designers at Porsche always relied on racing in developing components for road-going cars. In the case of the Carrera GT, they developed the whole car for racing and just detuned it for normal drivers. The Carrera GT looked like something more suited to Le Mans races than on the street. With a screaming V10 engine, vicious performance, and sublime handling, it was just that.

24. Lexus LFA

Luxury car company Lexus needed something to draw the attention of hardcore car enthusiasts. So a supercar was just what the company needed, and that’s how the LFA was born. The heart of the super-capable sports car was a 4.3-liter V10 engine that developed 560 HP.

The power went to the rear axle over a special six-speed robotized automatic transmission that shifted fast and accurately. The rest of the car was equally advanced with innovative materials, bespoke components and perfect craftsmanship throughout.

25. Pagani Zonda

One of the most interesting members of the highly exclusive supercar society is Pagani. They stole the spotlight of the automotive public with the fantastic Zonda. Powered by a Mercedes AMG V12 and almost entirely consisting of carbon fiber, the Zonda is extreme in all aspects and highly praised by people lucky enough to have a spin.

26. Maserati MC12

If you think the Ferrari Enzo is not exactly the prettiest supercar but you love the design and performance, then the Maserati MC12 is the car for you. Built on the same platform with the same drivetrain, the MC12 is slightly longer, a bit more comfortable, and much better looking. Also, it’s much rarer than the Enzo.

27. Ferrari LaFerrari

Under this strange name, Ferrari presented the ultimate road-going model and successor to the Enzo in 2012. It was a big step forward for the company since the LaFerrari was the first hybrid car that combined a V12 engine with a KERS system. With a combined output of 950 HP, the La Ferrari is one of the fastest supercars of the 21st century.

28. Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

Despite the fact it’s now irrelevant in the supercar class, in the late ’60s, Alfa produced one of the most interesting supercars ever built in the Tipo 33 Stradale. It was not only the most expensive production car at the time, but it was also the most exclusive. Powered by a screaming race-bred V8, Alfa only sold around 15 of them.

29. Lamborghini Miura

Many car fans claim the Miura is the first proper supercar in the world. It has all the right ingredients, like a fantastic design with crazy power and performance numbers. Also, it has a high price tag and they produced it in limited quantities. The Miura was also the first car to feature several technical solutions that later became mandatory in the supercar segment. If it wasn’t the first, it’s certainly one of the most influential and iconic.

30. McLaren P1

If the McLaren F1 revolutionized the supercar category in the ’90s, the P1 was set to do the same in the 21st century. With its unbelievable technology, advanced hybrid drivetrain and close to 1,000 HP, the P1 is the epitome of performance, style, and speed. It’s all the things a supercar needs to be.

31. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

The Veyron is one of the cars that doesn’t have any direct competitors. Although there are similarly fast or exclusive models, there is nothing quite like it. It has the W16 engine producing 1,001 HP and a 270 mph top speed. In fact, it is one of the greatest supercars ever made.

32. Lamborghini Diablo

Coming from a long line of world-class supercars, the Diablo was the definitive Lamborghini of the ’90s. It has a screaming V12 behind the driver and Lambo-styled scissors doors. Also, it has a 200 mph top speed and glorious soundtrack. It was only available with manual transmission and air conditioning was an option.

33. Koenigsegg Agera R

One of the newest members of the exclusive supercar society is the Swedish brand Koenigsegg. With its bespoke cars, advanced technology, and super-powerful engines, Koenigsegg soon became the pinnacle of automotive engineering. The Agera R comes with a twin-turbo V8 producing 1,100 HP with a 280 mph top speed.

34. Audi R8 V10 Plus

The sportscar world was surprised when Audi presented the first-generation R8. Nobody expected such a bold move from Audi and such a great sports car. The Audi R8 is a supercar with a mid-mounted V10 engine and design. It comes at sports car prices, making it available to a wider audience. The engine itself is a true piece of art. It’s a naturally-aspirated 5.2 liter V10 with dual-injection intake and 610 HP.

35. Lotus Esprit V8

They produced the Esprit from the early ’70s up to the early 2000s. It was always a fantastic supercar despite the fact it had smaller engines than the competitors. The last and the best version was the V8 that produced 350 HP. It had a lightweight body that could outrun many competitors while still retaining that classic wedge look.

These are 35 of the best supercars they ever made. Which one is your favorite dream machine?