What is your definition of a Supercar?

NVP · 14 Jun 2011 at 14:52

General question which has stemmed from a conversation I had with a friend.

She basically implied she was impressed that I own a supercar at the age of 26, but it's a M5 not a Murcielago, Zonda or F40/50/60 etc. which to me are real supercars where as the BMW is simply more of a performance car although I can't really define the difference, I think for me personally the marques play a big part in the definition.

Her reasoning was that it goes more than 200mph which is supercar territory and has acceleration on par with other supercars, but I still wouldn't class it as a super car even though performance may be similar, but I can't really justify my reasoning.

I mean Ferrari's and Lamborghini's etc. make both tracked out supercars and also everyday "luxury" supercars... so is it just about performance? In which case could you class the M5, the RS6 or the E55 as supercars?

And the Merc brings me to another perplexing point... the SLS. I would class that as a supercar and also the SLR, and the Audi R8, which confuses my personal definition even more.

So question, what defines a supercar to you? The marque, or the performance? For example, would you class both a Ferrari 360 and a Ferrari 458 as supercars?

What is your definition?

NeverWinter · 14 Jun 2011 at 14:58

I think it's about performance, but not just straight line... Exclusiveness too, maybe?

Matt82 · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:03

Supercar:

Rare, high performance, heavily compromised in order to achieve that performance, uncivlised, not an everyday car

M5 is more of an uber uber saloon to me, epic, but not an F40esq supercar

Will Gill · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:05

it has to be exotic, a bog standard bmw is not exotic

a bog standard zonda, is

and the 360 ferrari is a glorified fiat, the 430 is a high end sports car, neither is a super car

Firestar_3x · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:07

Sport car = 911 C2 etc

Supercar = 458 etc

Hypercar = Zonda etc

Will Gill · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:09

Firestar_3x said:
Sport car = 911 C2 etc

Supercar = 458 etc

Hypercar = Zonda etc

no no no

sports car = 911, m5, 430

super car = zonda

hyper car = veyron

Skidder · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:09

Worst........

Not a term I use very often but definitely conveys some level of exotic / rareness for me rather than a beefed up, highly tuned version of a normal car.

Firestar_3x · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:11

Will Gill said:
no no no

sports car = 911, m5, 430

super car = zonda

hyper car = veyron

No.

For starters an M5 is a supersaloon.

paradigm · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:11

Will Gill said:
no no no

sports car = 911, m5, 430

super car = zonda

hyper car = veyron

Nah, the hypercar moniker came about when road cars cracked 200MPH

F355 = Supercar

F50 = Hypercar

Will Gill · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:12

Firestar_3x said:
No.

For starters an M5 is a supersaloon.

tomato tomato

Matt82 · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:13

paradigm said:
Nah, the hypercar moniker came about when road cars cracked 200MPH

F355 = Supercar

F50 = Hypercar

i dont remember hypercar being coined in the mdidle of the 80s, i thought it was a lot later

Peerzy · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:13

So if the 911 is a sports car what does that make a Boxster S?

Firestar_3x · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:14

It's a sports car also, the term 'sport car' ranges from lets say an Mx-5 right up to stuff like the 911.

Will Gill · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:14

a gay roadster

Dup · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:14

MX5s are SUPER, thanks for asking <3

paradigm · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:15

Matt82 said:
i dont remember hypercar being coined in the mdidle of the 80s, i thought it was a lot later

First time I heard it in popular culture was in the mid 90s.

Not many 200+MPH road cars in the 80s, they didn't need a sub-genre.

Will Gill · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:16

Firestar_3x said:
It's a sports car also, the term 'sport car' ranges from lets say an Mx-5 right up to stuff like the 911.

Firestar_3x said:
No.

For starters an M5 is a supersaloon.

I think you mgiht be confusing yourself

if you say the m5 isnt a sports car then sure as **** the mx-5 isnt

NeverWinter · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:16

Dup said:
MX5s are SUPER, thanks for asking <3

No, you're super!

Matt82 · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:17

paradigm said:
First time I heard it in popular culture was in the mid 90s.

Not many 200+MPH road cars in the 80s.

F40, 959 i suppose

i terms of hypercar, i think of the carrera GT and things like that, absolutely bonkers cars

NVP · 14 Jun 2011 at 15:18

So the main consensus is that supercars must be exotic and exclusive with high performance? What about a Noble M600 or a C6 Z06 'vette? Sports cars or supercars?