Definition of a supercar
Discussion
Algarve said:
When the looks go south and the performance is worse than a BMW or Merc that you can get on PCP for £300 a month I'd be inclined to say its not a supercar any more.
LaughableAlgarve said:
Whats special about a 355? I realise some won't agree but to me it looks dated, its not particularly fast, doesn't handle particularly well, isn't particularly rare/valuable, and doesn't do anything particularly well.
Don't feed the troll!For me there is a very simple test for this.
First find your self a child preferably that likes cars in my case my car obsessed 18 month old, place near car give 2 seconds for radar to kick in if he then points at the car starts shouting gibberish at you (he can't speak not mental . . most of the time) and stomping his feet before running up to it as fast as he can it is a supercar.
For me a supercar is something that makes non petrol heads or small children stop and stare. Best example I have is my Dad bringing a 911 to pick my mum from the school she works at nothing to report. Did the same in his Ferrari there was practically a scrum around the car and Mum has asked him never to do it again. Probably should say I live an area where this sort of thing is quite rare might not have the same affect in London.
I'm going to throw one in that technically meets most of the criteria but I wouldn't call a super car. Bentley 4.5 litre it's super rare, super expensive to buy, makes the running cost of a normal Ferrari look bargain basement, super fast in it's day and is identical to the cars that raced and won Le Man so real race pedigree. Discuss?
P.S If you want to see pure happiness let a toddler press the starter button in your super car it's priceless.
First find your self a child preferably that likes cars in my case my car obsessed 18 month old, place near car give 2 seconds for radar to kick in if he then points at the car starts shouting gibberish at you (he can't speak not mental . . most of the time) and stomping his feet before running up to it as fast as he can it is a supercar.
For me a supercar is something that makes non petrol heads or small children stop and stare. Best example I have is my Dad bringing a 911 to pick my mum from the school she works at nothing to report. Did the same in his Ferrari there was practically a scrum around the car and Mum has asked him never to do it again. Probably should say I live an area where this sort of thing is quite rare might not have the same affect in London.
I'm going to throw one in that technically meets most of the criteria but I wouldn't call a super car. Bentley 4.5 litre it's super rare, super expensive to buy, makes the running cost of a normal Ferrari look bargain basement, super fast in it's day and is identical to the cars that raced and won Le Man so real race pedigree. Discuss?
P.S If you want to see pure happiness let a toddler press the starter button in your super car it's priceless.
Never owned a supercar but have driven some. Have owned three GT3RS which I love. Not super cars. GT2RS? Amazing but not a super car. They all show too much 911 heritage.
To me it has to be very rare and instantly identifiable. From Ferrari 250 GTO to Koenigsegg to Porsche Carrera GT these are unmistakable for anything else.
Thus most of the cars that may be superb in their own right are not in the ratified level of supercar.
To me it has to be very rare and instantly identifiable. From Ferrari 250 GTO to Koenigsegg to Porsche Carrera GT these are unmistakable for anything else.
Thus most of the cars that may be superb in their own right are not in the ratified level of supercar.
Algarve said:
This is simply not true at all, as much as r8 owners would probably like it to be 
You're in cloud cuckoo land if you think an r8 is going to get more attention than a Ferrari or Lambo.
General public DO regard the R8 as a supercar.. this was the point I was making. PH wouldn't. You're in cloud cuckoo land if you think an r8 is going to get more attention than a Ferrari or Lambo.Girls love the R8, know more about them and desire them, in most cases more than a Ferrari. I didn't say an R8 gets more attention than a Ferrari. I said it attracts more girls. The sad fact is most girls don't care that you drive a Ferrari and in general most of the younger generation find older men driving Ferrari's a turn off. A younger guy in an R8 is far more attractive to the opposite sex.
I like the fact the R8 divides opinion on if its a supercar or not. the newer V10 plus certainly is, mass produced or not. the GTR seems to categorically never be classed as one, given its only saving grace is the actual supercar performance.
personally it is a multidtude of factors for me, and i know personally what i would (as a petrol head) class as a genuine supercar.
personally it is a multidtude of factors for me, and i know personally what i would (as a petrol head) class as a genuine supercar.
200Plus Club said:
I like the fact the R8 divides opinion on if its a supercar or not. the newer V10 plus certainly is, mass produced or not. the GTR seems to categorically never be classed as one, given its only saving grace is the actual supercar performance.
personally it is a multidtude of factors for me, and i know personally what i would (as a petrol head) class as a genuine supercar.
When the R8 was first launched it was classed as a supercar. Newer incarnations have certainly eclipsed it performance wise but there are numerous examples of that happening with other marques yet the original is still classed as a supercar - go figure?! However my R8 gets enough attention/stares that similarly prices cars (i.e. a Porsche) simply wouldn't get. I think a lot of it also comes down to sale figures and commonality and a R8 is definitely quite rare.personally it is a multidtude of factors for me, and i know personally what i would (as a petrol head) class as a genuine supercar.
I like the child analogy a few posts above and using that, the R8 is certainly a supercar - kids love it.
Edited by PompeyReece on Wednesday 15th November 12:34
Yipper said:
An R8 looks like an S8 or TT when you see one approach in the rearview mirror, so it is placed in the sportscar bucket. The R8 does seem to attract 30-something recruitment-consultant types, while Lambo attracts 40-something scrapyard owners, and Ferrari gets the wheezy 50-yearolds.
You literally can’t stop spouting crap can youjakesmith said:
Yipper said:
An R8 looks like an S8 or TT when you see one approach in the rearview mirror, so it is placed in the sportscar bucket. The R8 does seem to attract 30-something recruitment-consultant types, while Lambo attracts 40-something scrapyard owners, and Ferrari gets the wheezy 50-yearolds.
You literally can’t stop spouting crap can youIts a bit like saying Jo Brand looks almost the same as Taylor Swift.
Chemical Ali said:
Looks like an S8 or a TT? I would get to an Audi dealer and do some basic research or Specsavers. Supercar or not, the R8 does not look like an S8 or a TT unless you really don't care about cars - in which case why are you on this website?
Its a bit like saying Jo Brand looks almost the same as Taylor Swift.
To us perhaps but to a casual observer, a TT may not be too dissimilar to an R8 whereas Italian exotica will generally stand out more.Its a bit like saying Jo Brand looks almost the same as Taylor Swift.
Yipper said:
The R8 does seem to attract 30-something recruitment-consultant types, while Lambo attracts 40-something scrapyard owners, and Ferrari gets the wheezy 50-yearolds.
Utter bs. Ferrari owners tend to be older as it's generally been the older generation could afford them, fulfilling lifelong dreams once the mortgage had been paid off and the kids had left home!jakesmith said:
ntiz said:
For me a supercar is something that makes non petrol heads or small children stop and stare.
Only issue here is that I get a lot of that in my Smart Brabus Roadster, much more so than my Maserati!!I class hyper cars by if it turns adults into small children as well.
Craigwww said:
General public DO regard the R8 as a supercar.. this was the point I was making. PH wouldn't.
Girls love the R8...
I have owned Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo and McLaren, my OH thinks they are all nice enough. Girls love the R8...
Show her an R8 and both her and her sister go into instant "Oh my god it's an R8!" mode.
There is truth in Craig's words!
Kyodo said:
To us perhaps but to a casual observer, a TT may not be too dissimilar to an R8 whereas Italian exotica will generally stand out more.
No. The level of "casual" an observer would have to be would be someone that is completely disinterested in cars to the point of could not tell the difference between to 301 to clacton and a Lycan Hypersport. If this casual observer were that unobservant a boxster would look like a chiron or an R8 a TT tdi. But this is the kind of mistake a 6 year old girl would make but not an adult with a driving licence. At any rate, for an R8 to blend in with the observers surroundings to the degree you suggest then it would be unlikely they would even understand the concept of what a super car is (or even a car for that matter), let alone have the ability to categorise one car from another.
With regards to exotic - I raised this point earlier. The R8 (especially Gen 2) is a super car, as is a 991 Turbo S, but not exotic in my view, whereas a Huracan or 458 Italia are both. Supercar and exotic are different things, notwithstanding the two overlap significantly.
dang2407 said:
I assumed that the original point being made is that there is not a lot of difference between an R8, a TT and an S6 in your rear-view mirror. To a non Audi-phile I think that would be true.
Easy way to solve that:IMHO, I think there's a fair amount of difference that a non Audi-phile would notice...
If you put the TT and the R8 in the same colour and a non-car fan saw them in their rear view mirror, separately, rather than side by side, I suspect a number wouldnt know the difference.
Personally I think the R8, like the 911, and the AstonVantage are all sports cars, not super cars.
The R8 has a supercar look externally. The inside is very "Audi" and the few i have driven haven't been terribly exciting to drive. They also dont sound particularly impressive. It was built to compete with the 911. Generally I wouldnt put a 911 as a supercar either (I have owned several). Aston Vantage (I have owned one and it was one of my favourite cars) but again its a sports car to me.
Personally I think the R8, like the 911, and the AstonVantage are all sports cars, not super cars.
The R8 has a supercar look externally. The inside is very "Audi" and the few i have driven haven't been terribly exciting to drive. They also dont sound particularly impressive. It was built to compete with the 911. Generally I wouldnt put a 911 as a supercar either (I have owned several). Aston Vantage (I have owned one and it was one of my favourite cars) but again its a sports car to me.
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