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Top Gear Advice
Here are the 20 current supercars you should know about
From Porsche to Pininfarina, Lotus to Lamborghini, these are the supercars of the moment
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport
Behold: the world’s fastest production car. Yep, the go-faster Super Sport is based on the Bugatti Chiron that Andy Wallace piloted to 304.773mph back in 2019, and features an 8.0-litre quad-turbo V16 producing an extra 100bhp over the standard Chiron. All in, that’s 1,578bhp at your disposal. In fact, there’s just one difference to the Chiron which smashed the 300mph barrier – the top speed has been limited to a mere 273mph. But as Jack Rix will tell you, that’s plenty enough, especially at a sopping wet Nürburgring…
Advertisement - Page continues belowRimac Nevera
“The Nevera is astonishingly fast. Fast in a way that’s tricky to put into words, either while you’re sitting in it trying to process what the hell is happening to your mind, body and soul when you nail the throttle, or a few days later writing about it,” wrote Jason Barlow when he got the call to test drive the Rimac Nevera in Croatia last year. So allow us to hit you with some numbers instead: courtesy of a 120kWh battery, four motors driving each wheel individually, and a power output equivalent to 1,914bhp and 1,740lb ft of torque, Mate Rimac’s hypercar is capable of 0-60mph in 1.85 seconds, 100mph in 4.3secs, and 186mph in 9.3secs – on to a 258mph max. Ah dammit, we’re even more lost for words…
Pininfarina Battista
Meet the sister car to the Rimac Nevera. It’s based around the same powertrain technology, electrical architecture and carbon core (Rimac supplies the internal gubbins), but wears an Italian frock of Pininfarina design. Worried about charging? No drama, Pininfarina has agreed a deal with ChargePoint, meaning free charging for five years. Which means, theoretically, if you get enough miles under your belt, you could break even on the £2m purchase price. Challenge accepted…
Advertisement - Page continues belowLamborghini Sián
With a name derived from the Bolognese dialect for lightning bolt, it’s no surprise that electrification is the Sián’s talking point, too. It features a tuned version of the Aventador SVJ’s 6.5-litre, naturally aspirated V12, with another 34bhp of electrical oomph (courtesy of lithium-ion supercapacitors) added for a total of 808bhp. And while that electroboost may not sound a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, it helps to smooth out the savage gearshifts that have plagued Lambos since the Aventador. We approve.
Ferrari 812 Competizione
The 812 features a naturally aspirated V12 – no electric gubbins or turbos in sight – but it’s also quite possibly the last we’ll ever see. We’re not crying, you are. It’s essentially a go-faster, er, Superfast, with power upped to 819bhp and torque to 513lb ft. Add in much weight saving and aero work and the results are predictably ballistic. If, as suspected, it is Ferrari’s last bastion of non-hybrid nat-asp, it’s not a bad way to go out.
McLaren Speedtail
You’ll surely be up to speed with the, erm, Speedtail, by now, but the fact remains: it still holds the title of McLaren’s fastest car ever – 250mph – achieved at the old Space Shuttle landing strip at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, courtesy of 1,036bhp from its hybridised 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. That, and its super-streamlined shape, which in a world of same-same supercars remains as suited to the red carpet as anything else that’s gone before it. The Senna can only look on enviously.
Maserati MC20
Maserati’s latest rejuvenation plan starts here and if the MC20 is a sign of things to come, we’re mighty pleased about that, too. The Italian manufacturer’s first supercar since the MC12, it was conceived and launched in just 24 months, and all the while in the midst of a pandemic, too. Looks the part, doesn’t it? The mid-engined 3.0-litre V6, complete with F1-grade pre-chamber combustion tech and outputting 621bhp and 538lb ft of torque, is pretty handy too, while a pure electric-only powertrain is set to come later. Decisions, decisions….
Advertisement - Page continues belowLotus Evija
See that Tron-style paint job? Yeah, we designed that. Not to blow our own trumpet or anything. We’ll leave that to the rest of the car… and what a car it promises to be. Four motors, four-wheel drive, 1,972bhp, 0-62mph in well under three seconds, 0-124mph in six seconds, and 124mph to 186mph in half the time it takes a Bugatti Chiron. Little wonder it walked away with our 'One to Watch' gong in the 2021 TopGear.com Electric Awards.
Lamborghini Huracán STO
Lamborghini’s maddest Huracán yet? Arguably so, and that’s no bad thing, either. The recipe goes as follows: take one Performante, remove the front driveshafts, add in rear-wheel steering, a new aero package and a handful of other ingredients and you’ve got yourself a signature bake. While the 5.2-litre V10, with an already healthy 631bhp and 416lb ft, has been mostly left alone, the car weighs 43kg less while producing 53 per cent more downforce. Whether you can get over the rather garish livery is another matter entirely.
Advertisement - Page continues belowMcLaren Artura
Meet the plug-in hybrid McLaren for the everyday. The numbers are as follows: 671bhp, 431lb ft of torque, 0-62mph in 3.0 seconds, 0-125 in 8.3, top speed 205mph. OK, arguably more then you need for the everyday, but you will at least get up to 20 miles of electric range from the 7.4kWh battery. Relief, at last, for the neighbours on those early morning starts – that is, if it ever arrives, with ongoing delays potentially set to see it superseded by the Ferrari 296 GTB…
Ferrari Monza
Say hello to Ferrari’s windscreen-less speedster. Yep, car manufacturers are on one at the moment when it comes to chucking the windscreen in the skip – as you’ll see later in this list – and the Monza was arguably the trendsetter. It’s offered in two body styles, either the single-seat SP1 for the anti-social type, or the dual-seat SP2 in case you’ve got any friends who’re mad enough to come along for the ride. The 6.5-litre nat-asp V12 engine is nicked from the 812 Superfast, but as we found on an excursion in the Scottish Highlands, it’s best driven in sunnier climes only.
Gordon Murray T.50
Apparently, the McLaren F1 had some wrongs. Not our thoughts, but instead that of its founder – Gordon Murray himself. So, he’s gone back to the drawing board, and this is the result: the T.50. You’ll notice the parallels, of course, from the lighter-than-light laser focus to the nat-asp V12 to the three-seat carbon-fibre tub. But where the F1’s ground effect fans were hidden from sight, the T.50 wears its signature piece loud and proud, much like the Brabham BT46B F1 car. All we can say is we’re very, very excited to have a go.
Porsche 911 Turbo S
Remember our Speed Week Champion of 2020? We do. Because it left quite the impression on us all, not least Chris Harris. Come sunshine or showers, track, A-road, B-road, motorway, and with 641bhp and 590lbft to play with from its 3.7-litre twin-turbo flat-six, it ate them all up and still had room for dessert. On its way it beat the likes of the McLaren 765LT and the Ferrari F8, too – not bad for a comfy four-seat coupe with a big boot.
Aston Martin V12 Speedster
Another entrant in the windscreen-less-and-absolutely-bonkers-but-yet-we-love-it category is this, the V12 Speedster from Aston Martin. This is the one to have, however, if you’re going for that windswept surfer dude look – there’s little to protect your face, or hairdo, other than a pair of glass aero ramps. Under the bonnet is a 691bhp V12 (the clue’s in the name), while it’ll propel you from 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 186mph. Which, with the wind in your face, will probably feel about triple that.
Hennessey Venom F5
Fury. That’s what Hennessey calls the Venom’s 6.6-litre twin-turbo V8, good for 1,792bhp and 1,192lb ft of torque. Yep, seems pretty apt. With its bespoke carbon tub and panels it weighs 1,360kg dry, just 30kg more than a Ferrari F8 Tributo… and yet it has over 1,000bhp more. Performance is equally mind-boggling: it’ll do 0-250mph in 15.5secs, more than twice as fast as a Bugatti Chiron. Tough luck if you want one – all 24 being produced have found buyers, with the first having been delivered just last month. We wait to hear whether it can achieve Hennessey’s claimed 311mph top speed…
Czinger 21C
Little did we know it, but 3D-printers can be used for pretty much anything these days – including your next supercar. Enter Californian start-up Czinger with its 3D-printed 21C hypercar. We’re told it’s still happening, and the numbers make for good reading, too, with a twin-turbo 2.9-litre V8 aided by two electric motors on the front axle for a total of 1,233bhp. It can also reportedly run on its electric motors only – meaning London’s ULEZ charge shouldn’t bite. Phew.
McLaren Elva
Not ones to miss out on a party, third and finally in the windscreen-less category is the McLaren Elva. But there’s science at play here too, courtesy of the Elva’s Active Air Management System, which raises a wind brake at the front of the car about 15cm into the air to reduce the blast on the driver and passenger. With the same 804bhp twin-turbo V8 as the Senna, and the lightest kerb weight of any road-going McLaren, driving one will – quite literally – take your breath away.
Koenigsegg Jesko
Wouldn’t be a best supercar list without at least one Koenigsegg, would it – and we had plenty to choose from. But this one tugs on the heartstrings more than most, not least because Jesko is the name of boss Christian von Koenigsegg’s father, who helped him set up the company when he was just 22 years old. Beneath the skin lies a 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine and purpose-built nine-speed multi-clutch transmission, with the aim being to top the 310mph mark. Which, says CvK, will ultimately come down to location, tyres and whether the driver is brave enough to fully send it. No pressure.
Ferrari SF90 Stradale
Where the Ferrari 812 Competizione is arguably a last hurrah to the V12, the SF90 is Fezza’s first ever plug-in hybrid. Boo, hiss. But wait! It’s also Ferrari’s fastest, most powerful road car ever. Capable of 0-62mph in 2.5secs and on to 124mph in 6.7secs courtesy of 986bhp, that’s not all – the 7.9kWh battery and three electric motors are good for a claimed 15-mile range. See, the future isn’t all that scary, promise…
McLaren 720S
The best all-round supercar there is? It’s certainly up there – which makes the fact it was introduced to the world way back in 2017 all the more impressive. Top-line numbers include 710bhp, 568lb ft, 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds, 0-124mph in 7.8, and a max of 212mph. And while the hardcore 765LT may trump those figures, as we found out during Speed Week 2020, it’s arguably too much of a handful in comparison, too. The 720S is the one you’d choose at the end of a long day, but also the one you’d likely pick for a weekend blast. Because when it comes to driving enjoyment, it’s the clear winner.
