An Introduction to Supercars

The Ups and Downs of Dream Cars

I read somewhere that the cars we value the most are the ones that made us dream when we were kids. This would explain some people’s obsession with supercars, while older generations venerate Classics. It is very rare today to find someone interested in pre-war cars, as they were built over a century ago, no one alive can relate their personal experience to them. Today, to a large group of people “collectible cars” are instantly associated with supercars, or hypercars even. The purpose of this blog is to popularize and explain the value of historically significant cars, and supercars are a big part of that history too. Luckily, the Demers Car Collection has a few noteworthy ones to tell that story. 

What Exactly Is a Supercar Anyway?

Put simply, a supercar is a very expensive and very performant sports car. Other common, but not mandatory, characteristics of supercars is their two seater, mid-engine configuration. Presence is also an important feature of supercars with cars competing on their looks as much as their performance.

Although the word “supercar” was used as early as the 1920s, it is commonly agreed that the first ones appeared in the mid 1950s. Beyond what would be expected from road cars, supercars rival the performance of race cars. Produced for about 70 years now, each one pushes the limits of engineering and design (and wallets).

They are popular despite their impracticality. Indeed, they are ill suited for everyday use due to their lack of luggage space, large dimensions, reduced field of vision, and, yeah, their astronomical price. Plus, the road conditions in many countries and the existence of road laws prevent supercar owners from fully experiencing their potential. As Jeremy Clarkson put it in an old episode of Top Gear, you would need your own personal racetrack to be able to fully enjoy a supercar. Despite it all, supercars are dream cars depicted on posters, seen on television and guaranteed to turn heads.

The Creation and Rise of the Supercar

While America was producing its first sports cars, Europe was about to start a whole new race: the supercar race. It is widely recognized that the 1954 Mercedes 300SL and the introduction of the Lamborghini Miura in 1964 mark the beginning of the supercar. What followed is an avalanche of new models from a variety of old and new constructors trying to one-up each other. Inspired by race car technology, some focused on reducing weight, others in increasing power, the best did both, and all of them did it in great style.

I say race because the development of supercars was characterized by many old and new rivalries. A great example of this is the development of the Ford GT40 as a reaction to Ferrari snobbing the American firm. Although it was developed for the race track, about 30 were made or converted for the road. Worthy of mention, the Lamborghini Countach made a big entrance in 1974 with its innovative design that set the standard for generations to come. It was produced for two decades and has entered popular culture like no other! Another important standard setter was the Ferrari F40, the first car to pass the 200mph (or about 322 km/h) mark, beating the Porsche 959’s old record. Announced in 1987, the F40 became the reference and the one that every other constructor had to beat.

The Fall of the Supercar

Because there was such a hype and demand for supercars, for a while cost was no object and prices rose. Not only that, people started buying supercars as investments. The limited production of each model guaranteed high resale prices. Like anything else, it created a bubble that eventually burst. The fall happened in the 1990s when the economic crisis and sometimes unfulfilled claims of certain models resulted in lower sales than anticipated and speculative interest seemed to dwindle. For example, only 275 of the announced 350 of the highly anticipated Jaguar XJ220 were produced as people withdrew their down payments. Similarly, the resale value of a Vector M12 was lower then its price when new, which made the sexy but otherwise not that exceptional car unappealing to buyers. By the end of the 1990s, the craze seemed over.

The Legacy

Apart from their exceptional look and mystic, supercars are important for a couple other reasons. Often, they drove innovation. The back and forth between the racetrack and production supercars fuelled innovation that trickled down in all directions of car manufacturing. Race tech was adopted on road cars and the need for performance pushed the limits of engineering. Supercars have also marked the collective psyche. What would shows like Miami Vice or movies like The Wolf of Wall Street be without them? But more importantly, how would you show your neighbors that you’ve finally made it in life? Supercars made a whole generation dream, dream of success, of what was possible.

What Now?

Although the supercar bubble burst in the 1990s, it didn’t stop innovation or interest in supercars. Now, new car segments have developed. On the lower end, we have super high performing sports cars, they are more affordable than supercars, but they are also more performant and practical than regular sports cars. On the higher end, we now have hypercars. Yes, cars even crazier, rarer and more exclusive than supercars. And innovation in the car industry is not stale yet either. New hybrid and electric technologies now offer the possibility of creating supercars that are not dependent on fossil fuel. In fact, Bugatti announced the sale of its last all fuel car in 2023, suggesting the future, at least for Bugatti, is electric. As of the writing of this article the fastest supercar is the SSC Tuatara with a recorded speed of 295.0 mph or 474.8 km/h.

Don’t miss out on next week’s blog where we explore the history of one of the more obscure supercars. We’ll touch on how the Vector M12 came to be, and why so little of them exist in the world today.