What is a Supercar?

Performance, the most important factor, can be broken down into three groups, Hypercar, Supercar and Junior Supercar. In the case of Hypercars (such as the McLaren F1 or Bugatti Veyron) and Supercars (such as the Ferrari 575M or Porsche Turbo) there can be no argument as to their inclusion. Junior Supercars are a different matter. The line between Supercar and hot hatch in becoming increasingly blurred in recent years, so with that in mind we have set the criteria for inclusion as 0-60mph in 6.5sec or less and a top speed of 150mph plus (there are exceptions, such as the Caterham R500, where top speed is lower but acceleration is so good that it must be included)

Historical significance may not even be considered by some as a relevant factor but without it cars such as the E-Type Jag and BMW 2002 would have been omitted from the site! The performance of cars such as this may seem average by modern standards but, in their day, they were of such significance that they thoroughly deserve their place amongst today's more powerful machines.

To be included, cars must have been produced for road use (even if it was just a single example). Concept cars are included, in their own section.

Finally, there is one more factor that sees some cars included that meet neither of the above conditions - Editor's privilege! They may not be true Supercars but due to looks, nostalgia or just plain sympathy, we want them on the site anyway. So the Aston Martin Lagonda, Maserati Merak and Plymouth Prowler have a lot to thank us for!

The cars on SupercarWorld have been categorised as follows :-

• Hypercar - The top performing cars of their day, typically limited edition and very expensive (e.g:- Bugatti Chiron)
  
  
• Supercar - Mainstream production high performance cars but a level down from hypercars of the day (e.g:- Ferrari 488 GTB)
  
  
• Trackfocused - Specialist or hardcore versions of existing supercars optimised for track work (e.g:- Porsche 991 GT3 RS)
  
  
• Sportscar - Sporting cars but without the performance, cachet or price of supercars (e.g:- Lotus Elise)
  
  
• GT - All the performance of a supercar but designed for cruising comfort rather than handling (e.g:- Aston Martin DB9)
  
  
• Hothatch - Typically a budget sporting version of a mainstream hatchback with enhanced performance (e.g:- Ford Focus RS)
  
  
• Supersaloon - High performance saloon (sedan) cars designed for four/five passengers (e.g:- BMW M5)
  
  
• Luxury - High quality luxurious cars designed for comfort but with decent performance (e.g:- Bentley Mulsanne)
  
  
• SUV - Sports utility vehicles (aka 4X4s) often with the performance of a sports/supercar (e.g:- Range Rover Sport SVR)
  
  
• Concept - A design study not intended for production or prototype of a forthcoming car (e.g:- Pininfarina Modulo)

  We have put a lot of thought into this, but there are grey areas and categorisation is often a subjective matter.

   

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