SSC Ultimate Aero TT (2007) This is currently the world's fastest production car in terms of top speed.

Supercar is a term used for a high-end sports car, typically an exotic or rare one, whose performance is highly superior to that of its contemporaries. The proper application of the term is subjective and disputed, especially among enthusiasts. 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. The automotive press frequently calls new exotic cars "supercars". Supercar may refer to: Supercar (TV series), in Supermarionation Supercar (car classification) for high-performance automobiles; see also list of supercars Supercar (band), Japanese rock band Supercars, a console racing game Knight Rider, the TV series, was retitled Supercar in Italy Category: ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 420 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The 2007 Ultimate Aero TT. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 420 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The 2007 Ultimate Aero TT. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are... The American-built SSC Ultimate Aero TT is a supercar built by Shelby Super Cars (SSC) in order to rival the new Bugatti Veyron with speeds of over 250 mph (400 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 2. ... 1963 Jaguar E-Type, a classic sports car 1963 Chevrolet Corvette was based upon European sports cars A sports car is an automobile designed for performance driving. ...

Origin of the term

The designation supercar was first applied to the Lamborghini Miura in a review by legendary British motor journalist L. J. K. Setright.^{[citation needed]} A Lamborghini Miura S. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lamborghini Miura Miuras in Los Angeles. ... Leonard John Kensell Setright (10 August 1931 – 7 September 2005) born in London, UK, was a British motoring journalist and author[1]. Setright, L. J. K. (2004). ...

Performance criteria

The term supercar usually refers to factory-built, street-legal sports cars, rather than modified production cars that may have similar performance. Supercars are usually designed for road and amateur track use rather than racing alone, and because of this their standard equipment often does not include roll cages and other features required for race cars. Street Legal, a rock album, was released by Bob Dylan on June 15, 1978. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ...

Some common criteria for measuring whether a car should be considered a supercar include the following:

Design

Many supercars have a rear mid-engine (RMR), rear-wheel drive layout, which allows for better distribution of weight. By moving mass towards the middle of the car, its moment of inertia is reduced. The result is often sharper, more agile handling. Some supercar makers have started building all-wheel-drive supercars as new engines are producing more power than a rear wheel drive car using street legal tires is able to take advantage of. For an example, see Bugatti Veyron or Lamborghini Murcielago. Sketch of RMR layout In automobile design, an RMR or Rear Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them, behind the passenger compartment. ... Rear-wheel drive (or RWD for short) is an engine/transmission layout used in automobiles. ... Moment of inertia, also called mass moment of inertia and, sometimes, the angular mass, (SI units kg m², Former British units slug ft2), is the rotational analog of mass. ... The Jeep Wrangler is a 4WD vehicle with a transfer case to select RWD or 4WD. The Lamborghini Murciélago is a 4WD/AWD that powers the front via a VCU if the rear slips. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The Lamborghini Murciélago is a GT and supercar automobile made by Lamborghini. ...

Power to weight ratio

Most supercars have high engine power and low vehicle mass, for the sake of high acceleration (see Newton's Second Law) and good handling dynamics. For example, the 2004 Porsche Carrera GT masses just 3 kilogram per kilowatt (5 lb/hp)—compare this to the similarly sized and shaped Porsche Boxster with nearly 7.1 kg/kW (11.7 lb/hp). The McLaren F1, introduced in 1991 and one of the fastest supercars of the 20th century, produced 467.6 kW (627.1 hp) against a mass of 1140 kg (2513 lb), translating to 2.44 kg/kW (4.01 lb/hp). Certain vehicles have a high power-to-weight ratio despite their heavy weight, due to a very powerful engine. For example, the Bugatti Veyron carries 2.61 kg/kW (4.30 lb/hp) despite weighing 1950 kg (4299 lb), including fuel ^[1], due to its 746 kW (1001 hp) engine. The Koenigsegg CCR and Koenigsegg CCX have the highest power-to-weight ratio among production supercars: with 601 kW (806 hp) (on California grade 91 octane gasoline) and a weight of just 1,180 kg (2,601 lb) the Koenigsegg carries only 1.96 kg/kW (3.23 lb/hp). According to the Shelby Super Cars website, the Ultimate Aero TT holds the new production record, carrying a mere 1.42 kg/kW (2.33 lb/hp). In physics, power (symbol: P) is the rate at which work is performed or energy is transmitted, or the amount of energy required or expended for a given unit of time. ... For other uses, see Mass (disambiguation). ... Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity and/or direction, and at any point on a velocity-time graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to the curve at that point. ... Newtons laws of motion are the three scientific laws which Isaac Newton discovered concerning the behaviour of moving bodies. ... The Porsche Carrera GT was a supercar manufactured by Porsche in Germany. ... Kg redirects here. ... The kilowatt (symbol: kW) is a unit for measuring power, equal to one thousand watts. ... The pound or pound-mass (abbreviations: lb, , lbm, or sometimes in the United States: #) is a unit of mass (sometimes called weight in everyday parlance) in a number of different systems, including the imperial and US and older English systems. ... This article is about a unit of measurement. ... The Porsche Boxster is a mid-engined roadster built by Porsche. ... For the Formula One team, see McLaren The McLaren F1 is a former fastest street legal production car in the world. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The Koenigsegg CCR is an automobile and supercar made by Koenigsegg. ... The Koenigsegg CCX is a supercar from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg, to replace the Koenigsegg CCR. CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X, the X commemorates the 10th anniversary of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996. ... For other uses, see Octane (disambiguation). ... The Koenigsegg CCR is an automobile and supercar made by Koenigsegg. ... Shelby Super Cars commonly known as SSC is an American automobile manufacturer of exotic supercars based out of the Tri-Cities in Washington State. ... The American-built SSC Ultimate Aero TT is a supercar built by Shelby Super Cars (SSC) in order to rival the new Bugatti Veyron with speeds of over 250 mph (400 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 2. ...

Acceleration

Supercars, by the usual definition, offer extremely high acceleration compared to most vehicles, including ordinary sports cars. Some current expectations are as follows:

• 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph): Under 5 seconds for virtually all supercars today. The Ultima GTR can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds and the Bugatti Veyron can do this in 2.5 seconds.^[2]
• 0 to 160 km/h (100 mph): Under 9 seconds is generally recognized as the standard, with undisputed supercars being significantly faster.
  • Versions of the Ultima GTR, introduced in 2006, have recorded a 0 to 160 km/h time of 5.3 seconds.
  • A Bugatti Veyron can achieve 0 to 160 km/h in 5.5 seconds.^[3]
• 0 to 320 km/h (200 mph): Under 30 seconds. McLaren F1 28 seconds, Saleen S7 23 seconds, Bugatti Veyron 22 seconds.
• Standing quarter-mile (400 meter): Under 13 seconds is arguably a requirement, as is a trap or terminal speed of at least 175 km/h (110 mph).
  • The Ultima GTR beat the former quarter mile record held by the Bugatti Veyron of 10.4 seconds at 139 mph (224 km/h) by half a second (9.9 seconds) and reaching 143 mph (230km/h). ^[4]
  • The Ferrari Enzo completes the quarter mile from a stop in about 11.1 seconds at 214 km/h (133 mph).
  • The Koenigsegg CCR, introduced in 2004, is officially claimed to run the quarter mile in "9 seconds, end speed 235 km/h (146 mph)" ^[5]
• Standing mile (1.6 km): Trap (terminal) speed of at least 320 km/h, for example the Saleen S7, Bugatti Veyron, Pagani Zonda, Koenigsegg CCR, McLaren F1, Ultima GTR.

The Ultima GTR is a supercar manufactured by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, available both in kit form and as a turnkey (i. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The Ultima GTR is a supercar manufactured by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, available both in kit form and as a turnkey (i. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... For the Formula One team, see McLaren The McLaren F1 is a former fastest street legal production car in the world. ... The Saleen S7 is a limited production, hand built supercar developed jointly by Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, Phil Frank Design, and Ray Mallock Ltd. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The Ultima GTR is a supercar manufactured by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, available both in kit form and as a turnkey (i. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... This article is about the car. ... The Koenigsegg CCR is an automobile and supercar made by Koenigsegg. ... The Saleen S7 is a limited production, hand built supercar developed jointly by Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, Phil Frank Design, and Ray Mallock Ltd. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The Pagani Zonda is a supercar produced by Pagani in Italy. ... The Koenigsegg CCR is an automobile and supercar made by Koenigsegg. ... For the Formula One team, see McLaren The McLaren F1 is a former fastest street legal production car in the world. ... The Ultima GTR is a supercar manufactured by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, available both in kit form and as a turnkey (i. ...

Top speed

• On March 31, 1998, the McLaren F1 prototype (XP4) set the speed record at 386km/h (240.1mph) at 7800 rpm. The production models are normally limited to giving them a top speed around 231 mph. The prototype was driven by Andy Wallace on the 9 km straight at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track in Wolfsburg, Germany.
• On February 28, 2005, the Koenigsegg CCR with 601 kW (806hp) 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 12.5km. This exceeded the McLaren's record [2] The steering wheel was kept at 30 degrees, slowing the car; the car has not been tested on a straight track.
• In October, 2005, Car and Driver magazine's editor Csaba Csere test drove the final production version of the Veyron for the November 2005 issue. This test, at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track, reached a top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). The Veyron can also go from 0 to 300 km/h (190 mph) in just under 19 seconds [3].
• In 2006, Finaru Ovidiu drove a Logan tunat rau de tot tata to its rated top speed of 407 km/h on Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessein track, replicating Csaba Csere's experience, for the BBC's Top Gear television program, the first time this had been done for any international broadcast network.
• The SSC Ultimate Aero TT is currently the world's fastest production car with a top speed of 256.15 mph (412.233 km/h), reportedly achieved on September 13, 2007 in West Richland, WA. The results of this test, verified by Guinness World Records on October 9, 2007, gave the SSC Aero the world's fastest production car title.

For the Formula One team, see McLaren The McLaren F1 is a former fastest street legal production car in the world. ... Volkswagen AG (ISIN: DE0007664005), or VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. ... The Koenigsegg CCR is an automobile and supercar made by Koenigsegg. ... Cover of Car and Driver from age of psychedelic lettering Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. ... Csaba Csere (pronounced ; in American transliteration Chubba Chedda) is a Hungarian - American former technical director and the current editor-in-chief of Car and Driver. ... Volkswagen AG (ISIN: DE0007664005), or VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. ... Csaba Csere (pronounced ; in American transliteration Chubba Chedda) is a Hungarian - American former technical director and the current editor-in-chief of Car and Driver. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Top Gear may refer to: Top Gear (current format), a BBC television series about cars and motorsport in its new format (2002–present). ... The American-built SSC Ultimate Aero TT is a supercar built by Shelby Super Cars (SSC) in order to rival the new Bugatti Veyron with speeds of over 250 mph (400 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 2. ... The American-built SSC Ultimate Aero TT is a supercar built by Shelby Super Cars (SSC) in order to rival the new Bugatti Veyron with speeds of over 250 mph (400 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 2. ...

Handling

A supercar is usually built for maximum cornering and road gripping ability in order to achieve superior cornering speeds. Lateral g-forces during the tightest turns can generally exceed 1 g. The term g force or gee force refers to the symbol g, the force of acceleration due to gravity at the earths surface. ...

Brakes also have to be very powerful to slow cars traveling at high speeds. Distances from 100 to 0 mph are typically less than 300 ft (90 m). A good example of efficient brakes are those on the Dodge Viper SRT-10, which is capable of stopping from 100 mph (161 km/h) in 274 ft (84 m). The brakes must not only stop cars quickly, but also resist brake fade, which is reduced braking performance due to continuous use. A Dodge Viper participating in a Drag race. ... Vehicle braking system fade, or brake fade is the reduction in stopping power that can occur after repeated application of the brakes, especially in high load or high speed conditions. ...

A popular benchmark is a lap time around the Nürburgring of under 8 minutes. There are also other tracks where supercars are being tested. Lap time tables from different racetracks are posted at fastestlaps.com. A benchmark is a point of reference for a measurement. ... Detailed Nürburgring map showing both the Nordschleife and the new GP section. ...

Other criteria

Gumpert Apollo

In addition to performance, the following criteria are also cited in determining if a particular sports car or exotic car deserves the supercar moniker: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x900, 893 KB) Summary en: Description: Gumpert Apollo (Salon International de lAuto - Geneva) Source: GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH Friedrich-Ebert-Str. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x900, 893 KB) Summary en: Description: Gumpert Apollo (Salon International de lAuto - Geneva) Source: GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH Friedrich-Ebert-Str. ... // The Gumpert Apollo is the first supercar produced by Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH in Germany. ... 1963 Jaguar E-Type, a classic sports car 1963 Chevrolet Corvette was based upon European sports cars A sports car is an automobile designed for performance driving. ...

• Brand: Supercars are often very brand-centric (e.g. Ferrari) and a new brand wanting to join the list has to prove itself before its acceptance.
• Styling: Supercars often feature groundbreaking styling elements. The Formula One-inspired Enzo Ferrari, for example, set a new styling direction for that company.
• Rarity: Supercars do not necessarily have to be rare. A very limited production run of a sports car would classify it as an “exotic” and not a "supercar" by default. Some might consider this controversial as it opens a host of other vehicles to the “supercar domain” For example, the Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 meets the 0-100 acceleration, handling, speed, weight:hp ratio, and Nordschleife times to be considered in the supercar territory.
• 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 (in the case of Dodge Ram SRT-10, it is classified as a truck, not car, so the car-based description would not fit anyway). 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 and forward position lowered the vehicle's moment of inertia by allowing the engine to be mounted further toward the centre of the car, thereby improving handling.

For other uses, see Ferrari (disambiguation). ... F1 redirects here. ... Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... The Peugeot 406 Coupé, designed by Pininfarina 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupé, noted for its large, angular design 1997 Rover Vitesse Coupe, club coupé Rover P5 Coupe, a traditional four-door coupé Mercedes CLS, a modern four-door coupé Gala-Coupé of Leopold II, Brussels 1970s Sunbeam Alpine fastback coup... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... The best selling North American pickup truck, the Ford F-Series. ... The Dodge Ram SRT-10 was introduced at the January 2002 North American International Auto Show, but was not put into production until 2004. ... For the Formula One team, see McLaren The McLaren F1 is a former fastest street legal production car in the world. ... Moment of inertia, also called mass moment of inertia and, sometimes, the angular mass, (SI units kg m², Former British units slug ft2), is the rotational analog of mass. ...

Gallery

These are examples of some notable supercars.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2741x1692, 945 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bugatti Veyron Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ...	Enzo Ferrari Image File history File links Taken by Nrbelex at the Scarsdale Concours. ... This article is about the car. ...	Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2683x2112, 909 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (internal code F139) is Ferraris 2-seat Gran Turismo flagship model, replacing the 575M Maranello in 2006 as a 2007 model. ...	Gumpert Apollo Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x900, 893 KB) Summary en: Description: Gumpert Apollo (Salon International de lAuto - Geneva) Source: GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH Friedrich-Ebert-Str. ... // The Gumpert Apollo is the first supercar produced by Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH in Germany. ...
Jaguar XJ220 Image File history File links JagXJ220. ... The Jaguar XJ220 was a supercar produced by Fords Jaguar luxury marque in collaboration with Tom Walkinshaw Racing as Jaguar Sport between 1992 and 1994. ...	Koenigsegg CCX Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2529x1682, 653 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Koenigsegg CCX Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... The Koenigsegg CCX is a supercar from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg, to replace the Koenigsegg CCR. CCX is an abbreviation for Competition Coupe X, the X commemorates the 10th anniversary of the completion and test drive of the first CC vehicle in 1996. ...	Lamborghini Murciélago Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x901, 163 KB) Lamborghini Murcielago in Melbourne, Australia Photo taken by Luke van Grieken on 3 February 2007 using a Canon IXUS 750 camera. ... Lamborghini Murciélago coupé Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 on display Lamborghini V12 engine, with the Murciélago roadster in the background The Lamborghini Murciélago is a supercar produced by a Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p. ...	Lamborghini Reventón Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 683 pixel, file size: 372 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Lamborghini Reventón is a supercar that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. ...
Maserati MC12 Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2200x1284, 356 KB) Summary A Maserati MC12. ... The Maserati MC12 is a grand tourer and halo vehicle produced by Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. ...	McLaren F1 McLaren F1 Photographed in Boston, Mass. ... For the Formula One team, see McLaren The McLaren F1 is a former fastest street legal production car in the world. ...	Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2819x1905, 1026 KB) Summary 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Photographed by Jagvar at the Greenwich Concours dElegance in Greenwich, CT on June 4, 2006. ... The McLaren Mercedes-Benz SLR is a Anglo-German supercar jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive. ...	Pagani Zonda Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (933x768, 138 KB)Pagani Zonda Photographed in Lodi, New Jersey. ... The Pagani Zonda is a supercar produced by Pagani in Italy. ...
Porsche Carrera GT Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 195 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Porsche Carrera GT Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... The Porsche Carrera GT was a supercar manufactured by Porsche in Germany. ...	Saleen S7 Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 140 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Saleen S7 Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... The Saleen S7 is a limited production, hand built supercar developed jointly by Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, Phil Frank Design, and Ray Mallock Ltd. ...	SSC Ultimate Aero TT Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 420 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The 2007 Ultimate Aero TT. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are... The American-built SSC Ultimate Aero TT is a supercar built by Shelby Super Cars (SSC) in order to rival the new Bugatti Veyron with speeds of over 250 mph (400 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 2. ...

References

Edmunds. ... Ultima Sports Ltd. ... Ultima Sports Ltd. ... The Ultima GTR is a supercar manufactured by Ultima Sports Ltd of Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, available both in kit form and as a turnkey (i. ... Koenigsegg CCR at Broughtons, Berkshire, UK Koenigsegg Automotive AB is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance cars based initially in Olofström, later moving to Margretetorp, just outside Ängelholm. ...

External links

• Exotic Cars at the Open Directory Project
• Supercars.net