I don’t want to get all philosophical and sentimental on this one, but since I just turned 20, and my teens ended, I wanted to reflect on my perception on expensive, seemingly unobtainable supercars. From childhood to my teenage years, I really have been going through an internal conflict really. As a child, I did not have much knowledge on cars, and like a moth attracted to a candy, I just found every supercar attractive. I did not know what made supercars special, but found them attractive anyway. But as I crossed 16, my perception of supercars changed, and I stopped liking them. I believed that what is even the point in spending stupid money on a garage queen, a shiny car that is going to stay in your garage, locked up, and as an investment, not a car. I did not see the point in stupid spec-sheet wars and keyboard-racing, and mostly the people who wanted supercars (please don’t misunderstand me I am not judging anyone) are just clout-chasers and are buying it for the wrong reason, to attract attention and seek validation from other people, specifically kids who believe that if they buy a supercar they are going to attract a girl they like. My friend, that is not gonna happen! I did not warm up to supercars because I did not see the point of having a shiny, idealistic car, and people going crazy over it, buying it either as a garage queen to later sell it and get a quick buck, or buying it to chase validation from people who do not even like you, and judging these amazing machines, in which billions, if not millions, of dollars of engineering has gone into to make them purpose-built scalpels, on the basis of a spec-sheet. Honestly, if you judge a car based on a spec-sheet, instead of properly judging it by taking a test-drive and experiencing how it feels to drive, especially a supercar, then I will send you the spec-sheet! It saddens me that car culture has come to this. This is what made me dislike supercars, and my belief became(and to an extent still is), that it is better to buy a normal car and push it to its full potential, than to buy a supercar and keep it locked in a garage. It is better to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. To those who want supercars, buy one because that car makes you feel they way you want to feel. Buy one and appreciate one because you genuinely like it. Please, do not buy a supercar to attract other people and girls, to lock it up, and to start a spec-sheet war. That is not what car culture is all about! It is never the car, its about the person driving the car. Car culture is about appreciating a car, not just for its heritage and the engineering gone into it, but also because it is yours. It means keeping that car like it is the most precious thing in the world (because it is, duh) and understanding how it works (if possible) and finding its limits and pushing it beyond those limits. But, thank god, because as I matured into adulthood, I have realized that supercars have a point. They are engineering marvels, which show what a manufacturer is really capable of, and push the boundaries of automotive engineering (P.S. Sorry for the rant). They are expensive, because they have no cost-cutting, are made up of exotic materials, and really are meant to achieve breathtaking levels of performance, handling, and excitement, to give drivers an experience of their lifetime. Each supercar is unique in its own way and provides a unique experience, which separates them from the mass market. There is, indeed, no bad supercar. And turns out, that I am human afterall, and there are some supercars that I really, really like. Since everyone has their own unique taste as to what they want to experience from a supercar, I have my own list, which might not be similar to yours. So, here are the 10 supercars that I really want to own.
1. Porsche 911 GT3 RS- Now, you might say that-“Bro(*in smug accent*) but it makes so less power and torque than the turbo 911’s. Wouldn’t you want the GT2?”No. The answer is no, my very observant spec-sheet warrior friend. It’s because I have a soft spot for high-revving, naturally-aspirated engines. (I don’t hate turbos, though). I learnt how to drive on a 2012 Honda City i-VTEC, and I loved to rev it out to it’ s red-line. This car is the same. The way it revs out to its 8-9000 rpm redline is something I want everyone on this planet to experience. It is sacrilege! The way that flat-6 engine screams to it’s redline is something special, that you do not get to see everywhere. Yes, I might not get bar-room bragging rights, but I honestly don’t care. And it is not the engine. The engine, the feedback-rich steering, the sharp brakes, the solid front end, the communicative chassis, the PDK automatic that gives lightning-fast shifts, and the light weight and race-tuned suspension, all of it combines in pure mechanical harmony, to give a package that is visceral and heaven on earth for any true car-enthusiast. It is a hoot to drive, in the hills, in the bends, and a perfect weapon to attack your favorite racetrack. Might not be fun on the streets though. The low ground clearance, top-end centric power and extremely stiff ride makes it not so appealing. If you want to hoon around on the street and go to parties and brag, then just get one of the turbo 911s.
2. Lexus LFA V10-The amount of overengineering that has gone into this car alone will make most people it’s fans. But for me, the highlight of this car, the very reason why this car is so revered, is its engine. A naturally aspirated V10, that revs to it’s 10,000 rpm redline, and it gets there so fast, that they had to install a digital tachometer, and give it an automatic. Not only that, it also handles really well, and was intensely tested on the track, and it has some exotic material of its own too. But you know what makes it really, really special? The sound it makes. Let me be frank. I am very, very particular about how a car sounds. That matters to me a lot. And this car more than fits the bill. It is arguably one of the best sounding cars, ever, in the history of cars. This car has a sound to die for. It sounds so damn good, that Ferraris and Lamborghinis will cry in shame. In fact, so much effort was put into making this car sound like a bomb, that engineers from Yamaha were called to make this car sound right, I mean the Yamaha that makes motorcycles, pianos and guitars. It is so revered for its sound, that the great Jeremy Clarkson once said-“If petrol cars were to come to an end, the last quart of petrol must be put in an LFA”. God, I want one. What a glorious start to a day would be hearing that engine, at 10000 rpm…..okay back to reality, on to the next one!
3. Acura NSX-I am not talking about the most recent hybrid turbo thing. That is not a real NSX, even though it might be a good product. I am talking about the original one from the 80’s and 90’s. That car is indeed special to me, not just because of its real-world performance, but because it was just an unapologetic beast. It showed what Honda engineering at its peak is capable of. It was tested by the legend Aryton Senna himself. The way that 6-speed manual bangs through the gears and that aluminum V-6 savagely redlines to its 8,500 rpm redline, and the way it corners and the raw feel that it has, just makes it a car that I really want to have.
4. Ford GT-I don’t mean the latest V-6. I mean the one that came in the early 2000’s, the one with the 6-speed manual and the amazing supercharged V-8. This car is literally a race car for the road, just like all the previous ones. And this one means a lot to me, because of the historical significance it has. It is really the grandson to the Ford GT40, the car that Ford used to beat Ferrari in Le Mans with the help of Caroll Shelby and Ken Miles. There is indeed, a point at 7,000 rpm, where you experience true automotive bliss, raw and unfiltered, from this amazing mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive car.
5. Dodge Viper-Man! This car is indeed something special. You know why enthusiasts love Dodge? It is because they always do the craziest stuff. The Hellcat, the Demon, the Hell-ephant, the TRX! But you know what one of their best Frankenstein experiments resulted in? The Dodge Viper. Dodge one day, saw the Corvette taking in customer after customer, and guess what they did? They took a massive 8.4 liter V10 engine from a truck, and plonked it in a light-weight chassis. The result? A car that will kill you if you do not know how to control it. I am serious! This car is infamous for demanding a lot of skill to control it. It has so much torque and no ABS and other aids in the earlier generation, which made it a raw monster. That V10 just has endless torque, so it can get you to alarming speeds in any gear. But, it’s monstrous performance is what makes me like it. It is just so characterful, substantial, and very American in that sense. It is unrefined, but that’s what makes it special, and makes it differ from European supercars. It is a shame that most people did not buy it and it got discontinued.
6. Porsche Carrera GT-This is another widow-maker, just like the Viper. It also has a V10 and a manual gearbox. Only difference is that it has that Porsche sophistication to it, and it is a high-revving V10, so it is more similar to the LFA in that sense, much unlike the torquey Viper motor.
7. Ferrari 458 Italia-You might ask, why didn’t I choose a V12 Ferrari, and why didn’t I choose an exclusive one, like the La-Ferrari, or one of those old Ferrari’s like the 250 GTO? It is because I like this one. It is a decently modern Ferrari, has decent handling by Ferrari standards, which are high, and I just love the engine. Now Ferrari has switched to turbocharging and hybrid powertrains, so this was one of the last naturally aspirated Ferraris to exist. The way this V-8 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft revs to its redline is truly something special and something that I at least, want to experience for myself.
8. Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06-This is a special moment for Chevrolet, and the Corvette’s original creator, Zora Arkus-Duntov, because his last wish finally gets fulfilled, and for the first time ever, the Chevrolet Corvette gets a much-deserved, mid-engine treatment. This one with the new flat-plane V-8, truly makes the C8 a unique supercar experience, which reminds me of the 458 Italia. That is why I like it.
9. Mercedes AMG GT-R- This car really deserves a lot of love in my opinion, and gets a lot of hate because it is not a proper AMG in the opinion of AMG purists. But I love it, Specially in the green color (which is called “green hell”) which shows that it was developed in the famous, or dare I say infamous, Nurburgring racetrack in Germany. It is so track-focused that some of its testing was done by F-1 driver Lewis Hamilton himself. The immaculate bi-turbo V-8 by AMG, the amazing chassis and suspension which is track-focused, rear-wheel drive, lighning fast dual-clutch automatic, and its clever front-mid engine layout, not only makes it a good track tool, but the torque and so many levels of traction control makes it a muscle car of sorts. You can go fast in corners, but also choose to cruise on the road or do some burnouts and donuts and hoon around, you know, things that muscle cars do.
10. Koenigsegg Agera R- This car is indeed special to me because I just love the timeless design, and Koenigseggs just feel so special in their own unique way. Also, it is insanely fast.
