Viper or F40? R8 or NSX? These are the cars TG readers want to see built forever more

The Pagani Zonda just refuses to die, and we're perfectly OK with that. What if other supercar makers took a leaf out of Horacio's book and decided to reanimate and resurrect the big guns from their back catalogue... forever? We asked you lot that same question this week, and there have been some brilliant answers.

Let’s start with A. Smith’s logical argument: “The R8. Once Audi started making it, it never should’ve stopped. It was always good-looking with exciting powertrains, and daily usable in all weather. It was well-built and felt expensive, but it could equally be more reserved or more wild depending on packages. If the 911 is the eternal sportscar, the R8 should’ve been the forever supercar.”

What a cracker of an ending line, that. Further support for the R8 was provided by Isaac Landers: “Definitely the R8 for me. It’s utterly timeless and would’ve kept at least some excitement in the Audi range. If you were to ask me the same question but with sports cars instead, I’d have even said the TT. Whenever Audi makes a performance car, it seems to excel. So it’s still such a mystery to me as to why it stopped.”

Next up is Huzi: “I’m going to go with the Dodge Viper here; a car killed unjustly, and one that still looks like it could be produced today.”

We agree, friend. Let’s shed light once more on the car we voted for to kick-start this conversation in the first place: the howling Lexus LFA. Arvin Adilaksono says: “If I were to be nitpicking here I do hope its engine lives on in other supercars as well. For instance, we know Lotus was interested in bringing the Esprit back into production previously and using the engine from the LFA would certainly have got people to notice.”

Let’s run with the Japanese theme and shed some light on the car which, arguably, remains the nation’s greatest-ever hit. Al Kim commented: “While some of the cars that others have suggested here are pretty extreme in one way or another, I'm going to vote for the original Honda NSX, specifically because it isn't. 

“It slots between a less efficient past era of design by intuition on one flank and larger, carbon-skinned but counterintuitively still heavier, excessively powerful, digitised and automated experiences on the other. The automotive industry is at a turning point, and whatever anyone thinks of this development, that turn is not going to be 180 degrees. But there are lessons it could still learn from a compact, lightweight, modestly powerful Nineties hero. Now that's a supercar.”

Well said, Al. Mohamed agreed with the idea: “I think the first-generation NSX is the perfect fit here because that’s pretty much what it was supposed to be: a supercar with supercar handling and speed, while also being as bulletproof as an Accord or Civic of the time. Part of the bulletproof-ness makes it more humble, and in my opinion, a better overall experience to drive.”

Time to head back to Europe and get a couple of suggestions for Italy, and TBP’s request is something we very much agree with: “Even though I’m not a Ferrari fan in the slightest, I think it could have kept the F40 in production. Just modernising it as time goes on but keeping its simplicity.”

Since the prancing horse was mentioned, it’s probably the right time to flag up Mr T.Bird’s pick, which owes a lot of its existence to said manufacturer: “The Maserati MC12. It sold all of them immediately and made far too few. It’s the Enzo’s prettier sister with success on the track.”

And how can we possibly touch on some of the great Noughties supercars without mentioning the crown jewel? Eu Kiwi said: “It’s got to be the Carrera GT. What a (almost uncomfortably) desirable piece of howling V10 theatre and passion. One goes screaming up the hill past me on occasion, and every time I get goosebumps and a severe case of jealousy. What a car.”

Let’s wrap up with a few V12-powered titans, starting with MJC: “The GMA T.50 is more than its 11,000rpm redline and its central driving position; it’s the brainchild of Gordon Murray himself. In a world where cars weigh as much as skyscrapers and are as interactive as the lifts inside them, the T.50 embodies everything that must never die. An emotive engine, manual gearbox and exquisite attention to detail, all nestled within a package that weighs no more than a few sheets of paper.”

Here’s one more for you, this time penned by Andrew Robinson: “It's got to be something stunningly beautiful, as well as being something you might reasonably aspire to own without a lottery win. It also has to be something that could be built in a traditional Morgan-style factory, so production can carry on using traditional methods forever. It must, of course, have a V12 (and ideally the option of something smaller that wouldn't be too offensive to convert to EV). 

“It can't be so exotic that it never gets used (sorry Miura, you'll always be my first love) and it can't be too mechanically complex. It needs to be repairable by an enthusiast in a shed when all the world's gone electric. Lastly, it needs to be reasonably rapid, but more of a weekend GT than a hypercar, so it's drivable and insurable by mere mortals, and there should be options for roadster or hard-top. So I'm saying Jaguar E-Type. Final answer.”