is the F type a supercar?

[jakesmith]

petjam said:

BRR said:

I have an F Type coupe and whilst I think it's a very good car and gets a lot of positive attention, it's definitely not a supercar

I think the v10 R8 is a supercar, as is the 360

Angelis' event sounds like a pretentious and awful thing to be a part of

I can assure you it was a great day and not pretentious at all, everyone was extremely friendly.

My wife’s 86 SL was the one parked amongst the supercars which Angelis references. I attended in my R8 V10 (I don’t consider it a supercar).

Sounds like a jolly old romp-up

[Pesty]

What the hell does it matter.

It’s just letters in a made up words

Does and R8v10 become suddenly a better car if you call it a supercar?

See nothing changes it lives on its own merits such a silly thing to argue about.

I like F types a lot. I don’t care what you call it. I like it regardless

[Shnozz]

Angelis said:

I had an F Type come along to a Supercar lunch I organised a month or two a go and the owner was adamant it was a supercar when I told him it wasn't eligible to get in.

Had the same issue on other occasions with a woman in an SLK and a guy in an AMG coupe. The one like the saloon but with 2 doors.

The thing they all had in common was a bad attitude when told their cars were not "Super".

At the Cliveden lunch recently we had 40+ supercars parked on the drive and right in the middle of the display was an old Mercedes SL (brought by the wife of one of our members) which attracted more interest than many of the other cars. Why? Because most of us see Ferrari/Lambo/McLaren's all the time and we get a little bored with them. So it's nice to see something old school.

And if a 2.8i Capri had turned up.....

PS. R8's are not supercars either. Great sports cars, but not supercars.

Genuinely LOL

[ericmcn]

ghost83 said:

Lexus LFA can’t be a supercar

Its more rare than many of the 'prestigious' brands touted here and it hand built, packs a punch and has an awesome 500+ hp V10 powerplant. Good enough for me to get into the supercar list.

Road Test: LEXUS LFA

I NEVER thought that a small, grey-haired old man could possibly scare the life out of me.

But a 67-year-old Japanese guy called Hiromu Naruse did just that - by taking me on the fastest and most exhilarating drive of my life.

Hiromu, right, doesn't speak any English. He does all his talking with his hands and feet in a blur of high-speed movements that should belong to someone half his age.

He proved to me just how outstanding a supercar the LFA is by taking it to its considerable limits on the famous Nurburgring race circuit.

And he is known as the Godfather of Speed for very good reason.

Driving the LFA at speed is a pure adrenalin rush that left me sweaty-palmed at the end of several laps of sheer unadulterated pleasure.

I was left wishing I could win the Lottery so I could put my name down for an LFA.

Even though I know it's seriously overpriced, it's a car you'd love to own if money was no object.

On ordinary roads, you can drive the LFA like an ordinary car.

But trust me you won't...

furthermore -

'In February 2016, Lexus' European boss Alain Uyttenhoven confirmed that there would be no new LFA replacement in the near future, stating: “The LFA is an icon now and possibly always will be - we don't need to replace it to keep that status. It is a car we can reference for another 25 years if we choose. Its status is assured." He went on to state: “It is possible that we will one day create another supercar, but in my view a super-high-end machine is not what we need right now...'

[ghost83]

But it’s not a supercar

My argument here is the R8 v10

You hear on here how the R8 isn’t because it’s an Audi and they sell normal cars so it’s a mainstream car dealer

Therefore the lfa isn’t because Lexus IS a mainstream car dealer!

You can’t have it with one and not the other, both are expensive both have v10 engines so if the lfa is a supercar then so is the Audi R8

[ericmcn]

ghost83 said:

But it’s not a supercar

My argument here is the R8 v10

You hear on here how the R8 isn’t because it’s an Audi and they sell normal cars so it’s a mainstream car dealer

Therefore the lfa isn’t because Lexus IS a mainstream car dealer!

You can’t have it with one and not the other, both are expensive both have v10 engines so if the lfa is a supercar then so is the Audi R8

The LFA is far more rare than a R8 for starters, its a one of special edition car Lexus made. Not a mass produced model like the R8 variants from the VAG group.

[ghost83]

ericmcn said:

The LFA is far more rare than a R8 for starters, its a one of special edition car Lexus made. Not a mass produced model like the R8 variants from the VAG group.

Doesn’t matter
I’m going by the stupid rule on here that a mainstream brand can’t produce a supercar

(I’m literally taking the piss)

To me it is a supercar as is the R8 v10 but ppl will say the R8 isn’t because it’s an Audi and if you put your keys down others wouldn’t know any different! Same with the Lexus!

The lfa kind of looks like that lc500 coupe thing ppl say the R8 looks like a tt!

When you look at it all like this you will see how daft ppl on here are

[ericmcn]

ghost83 said:

Doesn’t matter
I’m going by the stupid rule on here that a mainstream brand can’t produce a supercar

(I’m literally taking the piss)

To me it is a supercar as is the R8 v10 but ppl will say the R8 isn’t because it’s an Audi and if you put your keys down others wouldn’t know any different! Same with the Lexus!

The lfa kind of looks like that lc500 coupe thing ppl say the R8 looks like a tt!

When you look at it all like this you will see how daft ppl on here are

If Audi made a one off special edition R8 variant and make them by hand in a dedicated factory then yes it should by all accounts fall into the supercar category, the current R8 is far too mainstream.

[ghost83]

ericmcn said:

If Audi made a one off special edition R8 variant and make them by hand in a dedicated factory then yes it should by all accounts fall into the supercar category, the current R8 is far too mainstream.

I don’t think it is tbh, I can’t remember when I last saw an R8, I saw a yellow lfa a couple of weeks ago, to me if the lfa is a supercar then so
Is the R8 they have the same credentials rly

[Pioneer]

ghost83 said:

I don’t think it is tbh, I can’t remember when I last saw an R8, I saw a yellow lfa a couple of weeks ago, to me if the lfa is a supercar then so
Is the R8 they have the same credentials rly

You need to do the lottery this week, considering only 500 LFAs were made. One of the problems with the R8 is availability. A supercar should be unobtainable to the average joe. There's always 10 or so R8 V10's available on AT for £40-45k. What's an LFA going to cost? No idea, but prob. £400k+ if you can even find one for sale.

All these cheap R8s tend to appeal to a certain demographic, which I've always thought does nothing for the model as a whole. I've met a few chaps on meets who have opted to spend £120k+ on R8s but in every case, they seemed to be enthusiasts who preferred a newer, reliable, comfortable performance car and didn't really care what it was labeled as. And usually had something tasty tucked away also. Unlike the lower end of the market who spend most of the time explaining why their car is a SC.

[jakesmith]

Pioneer said:

You need to do the lottery this week, considering only 500 LFAs were made. One of the problems with the R8 is availability. A supercar should be unobtainable to the average joe. There's always 10 or so R8 V10's available on AT for £40-45k. What's an LFA going to cost? No idea, but prob. £400k+ if you can even find one for sale.

All these cheap R8s tend to appeal to a certain demographic, which I've always thought does nothing for the model as a whole. I've met a few chaps on meets who have opted to spend £120k+ on R8s but in every case, they seemed to be enthusiasts who preferred a newer, reliable, comfortable performance car and didn't really care what it was labeled as. And usually had something tasty tucked away also. Unlike the lower end of the market who spend most of the time explaining why their car is a SC.

A few questions please

National lottery win and LFA sightings are mutually exclusive events and seeing an LFA does not then have any impact on a highly randomised independent game of luck unless you know different?

What’s the certain demographic then, please expand. I live in leafy Surrey and bought one locally from a lovely chap in his 30’s who owned a massive country estate. What demographic would you say we are?

According to your logic a 355 and a 360, available a few years ago for £30k, wouldn’t be supercars? Or did they stop being supercar a when they were too affordable and then start being them again when the prices rose?

And where’s your evidence that the entire ‘lower end of the market’ spend ‘most of the time’ explaining why their R8 is a supercar? I own a v8 one and don’t think it is a supercar. I love to see how bitter people that spent significantly more often on a very similar and sometimes almost identical car get about it though it is hilarious to watch. That and the same gormless plumbs who presumably said that a Boxster was a ‘poor mans porsche’ back in the day whilst driving around in a Hyundai.

Your fascinating tale of the extremely niche owners you have (very conveniently) met who do have an R8, don’t think it’s a supercar, did want a performance car, and helpfully also have another undisputable supercar, well being kind that’s at best ‘highly anecdotal’. Presumably these ones are a different ‘demographic’.

Edited by jakesmith on Wednesday 11th September 09:38

[nbot]

Completely agree with everyone's reasoning in respect to the LFA being a super car & the R8 not being one - one of the biggest issues with the R8 is that it depreciates like a bomb and there are 100's of them available, this automatically takes away from the credentials of being a "super car" LFA is rare as hell, only made 500 and costs almost half a million, its very exclusive - forget the cars themselves, a super car is much more than just engine and performance, although engine and performance plays a part. Also, any manufacturer can make a super car - just look at Ford with the GT....

p.s. i actually love the R8 V10 Plus and almost bought one last year, a hell of a lot of car for money, looks great sounds great - but its not a super car. its a fantastic sports car.

[ghost83]

jakesmith said:

A few questions please

National lottery win and LFA sightings are mutually exclusive events and seeing an LFA does not then have any impact on a highly randomised independent game of luck unless you know different?

What’s the certain demographic then, please expand. I live in leafy Surrey and bought one locally from a lovely chap in his 30’s who owned a massive country estate. What demographic would you say we are?

According to your logic a 355 and a 360, available a few years ago for £30k, wouldn’t be supercars? Or did they stop being supercar a when they were too affordable and then start being them again when the prices rose?

And where’s your evidence that the entire ‘lower end of the market’ spend ‘most of the time’ explaining why their R8 is a supercar? I own a v8 one and don’t think it is a supercar. I love to see how bitter people that spent significantly more often on a very similar and sometimes almost identical car get about it though it is hilarious to watch. That and the same gormless plumbs who presumably said that a Boxster was a ‘poor mans porsche’ back in the day whilst driving around in a Hyundai.

Your fascinating tale of the extremely niche owners you have (very conveniently) met who do have an R8, don’t think it’s a supercar, did want a performance car, and helpfully also have another undisputable supercar, well being kind that’s at best ‘highly anecdotal’. Presumably these ones are a different ‘demographic’.

Edited by jakesmith on Wednesday 11th September 09:38

Exactly what constitutes a supercar is down to ones own ego!

The R8 imo is a supercar but I think classed as a junior supercar! Why gets my goat is how ppl say if they make cheaper cars then it isn’t a supercar as Audi is a mainstream manufacturer then that has also got to be said for the Lexus you can’t say a v10 Lexus IS any more a supercar than a Audi R8 v10 and if it comes down to cost is a 6.75 litre Bentley super sport hyper whatever a supercar because of cost? As you say a 355 and 360 were around 30-40k a Gallardo can be had in the 60s and a mclaren 12c in the 70s bracket, so if the 12c is a supercar at 75k is an R8 if anything the R8 has a v10 over the v8 they’re both mid engined coupes and both available to the masses

[ghost83]

nbot said:

Completely agree with everyone's reasoning in respect to the LFA being a super car & the R8 not being one - one of the biggest issues with the R8 is that it depreciates like a bomb and there are 100's of them available, this automatically takes away from the credentials of being a "super car" LFA is rare as hell, only made 500 and costs almost half a million, its very exclusive - forget the cars themselves, a super car is much more than just engine and performance, although engine and performance plays a part. Also, any manufacturer can make a super car - just look at Ford with the GT....

p.s. i actually love the R8 V10 Plus and almost bought one last year, a hell of a lot of car for money, looks great sounds great - but its not a super car. its a fantastic sports car.

So is the 720s not a supercar?

[nbot]

of course it is, it looks like one, it performs like one and McLaren, even though they are probably making too many cars causing this depreciation issue coupled with their reliability woes, are still a very exclusive brand, in that they only produce super cars and nothing else - but i get your point. Issue with the R8 is, in my view it that it just doesn't have the same effect on the heart strings because of its more subtle styling and the fact that Audi as a brand is mainstream - we all know that the Huracan is essentially the super car version of the R8.... But what i am certainly not saying is that Audi is not capable of making a super car, just look at other mainstream brands that do it - the likes of Merc with the Project One and Ford with the GT for example.... i guess another one which falls into this grey area for me is the Merc AMG GTR - Super car or sports car.....?

to be honest it’s all very fickle nonsense, but it is what it is and fun to discuss.

[jakesmith]

What about the SL65 Black? They are £300k, lots of bespoke body parts, V12 bi turbo hand built engine, carbon bucket seats, bunkers performance, incredibly rare...

What about the McMerc SLR? Engine and interior based on the sl55 but fairly bespoke outside that

Both from a manufacturer of the A class and various vans.

[nbot]

The SL65 black and Merc SLR are both super cars, without question, nobody can argue that they are not - both exceptionally rare and collectable cars produced in very limited numbers, both had very bold design aesthetics and both very fast in respect to when they were launched.

Edited by nbot on Wednesday 11th September 14:12

[ghost83]

nbot said:

The SL65 black and Merc SLR are both super cars, without question, nobody can argue that they are not - both exceptionally rare and collectable cars produced in very limited numbers, both had very bold design aesthetics and both very fast in respect to when they were launched.

Edited by nbot on Wednesday 11th September 14:12

But that contradicts again because there are so many versions of them cars just like the R8

For some reason the R8 really triggers ppl and I can’t understand why

[nbot]

so i agree, there is something about the R8 where people just don't regard it as a super car - i think the main issue actually stems from one thing... the Huracan, the R8 is and is designed to be a toned down subtle (every day daily) version of the Hurrican - therefore making it a sports car, Audi in fact say that the R8 is a 911 competitor - i think, because the R8 is so good, that a lot of people think it should be a super car when actually it was never even designed to be one, otherwise it would be competing against the Huracan and would therefore cannibalise the Audi groups own product. They don't want Huracan customers buying an R8 do they, and i think it has worked well, because the R8 is widely regarded as a sports car although it punches way above its weight.....

that's how i look at it anyway.

I dont think Audi will ever produce an all out super car, why? because they want potential customers who desire an all out super car to buy a Lambo.....

[jakesmith]

ghost83 said:

nbot said:

The SL65 black and Merc SLR are both super cars, without question, nobody can argue that they are not - both exceptionally rare and collectable cars produced in very limited numbers, both had very bold design aesthetics and both very fast in respect to when they were launched.

Edited by nbot on Wednesday 11th September 14:12

But that contradicts again because there are so many versions of them cars just like the R8

For some reason the R8 really triggers ppl and I can’t understand why

It's funny isn't it, there are all these criteria that they hit but there's always an elusive one that prevents them being seen as supercars, even though those factors have plenty of exceptions in other cases that people will happily ignore

R8 V10 not a supercar as it is from a mainstream manufacturer, who make normal shopping cars, the badge is too common
BUT.... LFA, Ford GT, XJ220, SL65 Black are despite being from mainstream manufacturers, Ford FFS? Mercedes even make vans!

R8 not a supercar as it shares parts with other Audis
Despite the Zonda doing the same thing borrowing from cars that weren't even as good as an Audi, or Lamboghini using the exact same part in their supercars

R8 not a supercar as too cheap, despite list price being comparable to new V8 Ferarri of its day, and plenty of McLaren's, Ferarris and Lamboghinis now being available comparable price or cheaper than many R8s. 355 and 360's were £30k not long ago, were they not supercars then? And back to being one now presumably?

R8 not a supercar as too common but Ferarri is, despite making over 15,000 458s. 458 was not a limited model AFAIK

R8 not a supercar despite it's Le Mans history and Quatro's heritage that is just as well known & successful as McLaren & Ferrari's F1 association and in fact the road car has more in common with the race car than some of its segment competitors

I think it's haters fueled by jealousy, or they bought something much more expensive that is comparable and don't like it perhaps