Everyday ‘Supercar’
Discussion
hucumber said:
I had an R8 following me earlier, and I thought 'ooh cool, an r8!!' And it did indeed look cool in the rear view mirror.
The difference for me is if it had been a Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini etc I would have thought 'wow! A Ferrari/McLaren etc'.
That for me is the undefinable difference between a supercar and not a supercar. Obviously that's just me, and even though I have my own ideas on what us and what isn't a supercar, I certainly wouldn't waste my day arguing about it as it doesn't really have a set in stone definition.
In response to the OP, and based on no experience whatsoever, I would be looking at an FF or California for an everyday supercar, they are certainly the 2 cars that would fit the bill for me, and I'm not even particularly a fan of Ferrari's
Go on then. What where you driving at the time?The difference for me is if it had been a Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini etc I would have thought 'wow! A Ferrari/McLaren etc'.
That for me is the undefinable difference between a supercar and not a supercar. Obviously that's just me, and even though I have my own ideas on what us and what isn't a supercar, I certainly wouldn't waste my day arguing about it as it doesn't really have a set in stone definition.
In response to the OP, and based on no experience whatsoever, I would be looking at an FF or California for an everyday supercar, they are certainly the 2 cars that would fit the bill for me, and I'm not even particularly a fan of Ferrari's
McLaren, Ferrari, Bugatti? Maybe a Zonda?
Please tell.
Well, if nothing else this thread has made it clear that some R8 owners are pretty certain their cars are supercars. 
Here’s one for the OP, as I’ve been pondering my next car, probably in the 40-50k bracket. An R8 is certainly in the frame, an older Gallardo with some man maths and stretching the budget by a huge percentage might also be on the list, plus an Aston, California (same maths as Gallardo), and 911.
My problem is whether any daft sports car is “socially acceptable” in the climate focussed world we now appear to be living in. As a result, an i8 has also crossed my horizon. It’s clearly not a supercar, but I’m starting to wonder if a large engined sports / supercar might not be a faintly embarrassing thing to own in 4-5 years time…
Here’s one for the OP, as I’ve been pondering my next car, probably in the 40-50k bracket. An R8 is certainly in the frame, an older Gallardo with some man maths and stretching the budget by a huge percentage might also be on the list, plus an Aston, California (same maths as Gallardo), and 911.
My problem is whether any daft sports car is “socially acceptable” in the climate focussed world we now appear to be living in. As a result, an i8 has also crossed my horizon. It’s clearly not a supercar, but I’m starting to wonder if a large engined sports / supercar might not be a faintly embarrassing thing to own in 4-5 years time…
hucumber said:
I had an R8 following me earlier, and I thought 'ooh cool, an r8!!' And it did indeed look cool in the rear view mirror.
The difference for me is if it had been a Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini etc I would have thought 'wow! A Ferrari/McLaren etc'.
That for me is the undefinable difference between a supercar and not a supercar.
I agree entirely with this. Is something a supercar - hard to define and can be a bit determined by perspective, but I think the fact that there is such a debate on here about the R8 means it cannot be a supercar. A true supercar wouldn't have such a split of opinions.The difference for me is if it had been a Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini etc I would have thought 'wow! A Ferrari/McLaren etc'.
That for me is the undefinable difference between a supercar and not a supercar.
It's not just about price/performance (although these are always a factor) but does it have the "wow" factor. This can be driven somewhat by the brand - i.e. there would be little debate about most Ferrari/Lamborghini/McLaren, whereas only a few Porsche (the top-end GT models which are visually impressive) would be seen as a supercar.
It has to be something which feels very "special" to drive and most would never consider to be a daily driver.
It has to be something that the man on the street will generally say "wow" when they see one.
Order66 said:
I agree entirely with this. Is something a supercar - hard to define and can be a bit determined by perspective, but I think the fact that there is such a debate on here about the R8 means it cannot be a supercar. A true supercar wouldn't have such a split of opinions.
It's not just about price/performance (although these are always a factor) but does it have the "wow" factor. This can be driven somewhat by the brand - i.e. there would be little debate about most Ferrari/Lamborghini/McLaren, whereas only a few Porsche (the top-end GT models which are visually impressive) would be seen as a supercar.
It has to be something which feels very "special" to drive and most would never consider to be a daily driver.
It has to be something that the man on the street will generally say "wow" when they see one.
+1 ‘wow’ vs ‘very nice car’ factor..It's not just about price/performance (although these are always a factor) but does it have the "wow" factor. This can be driven somewhat by the brand - i.e. there would be little debate about most Ferrari/Lamborghini/McLaren, whereas only a few Porsche (the top-end GT models which are visually impressive) would be seen as a supercar.
It has to be something which feels very "special" to drive and most would never consider to be a daily driver.
It has to be something that the man on the street will generally say "wow" when they see one.
DanL said:
I’m starting to wonder if a large engined sports / supercar might not be a faintly embarrassing thing to own in 4-5 years time…
But an awful lot of fun and memories over that time. Within our lifetime many of these cars will move from our roads and garages to only existing in museums, so get out and buy and drive one whilst you can.A bright yellow Emira is next on my list. And an auto too. And not a single f#ck was given that it's not the spec I should be going for!
NewNameNeeded said:
DanL said:
I’m starting to wonder if a large engined sports / supercar might not be a faintly embarrassing thing to own in 4-5 years time…
But an awful lot of fun and memories over that time. Within our lifetime many of these cars will move from our roads and garages to only existing in museums, so get out and buy and drive one whilst you can.A bright yellow Emira is next on my list. And an auto too. And not a single f#ck was given that it's not the spec I should be going for!
What is it about R8s that spark these threads?!
Totally subjective but it’s a nice car without the rarity to be really special. I don’t think many modern cars are though - what we used to call super cars when we grew up (in my case 90s) were properly rare things that you’d never see or afford.
Supercar to me is a modern equivalent of a Countach, Diablo or F40 in terms of rarity, specialness and performance (probably in that order).
I’d struggle to think of much that major manufacturers produce that feels like a supercar though, given the volume shifted.
Totally subjective but it’s a nice car without the rarity to be really special. I don’t think many modern cars are though - what we used to call super cars when we grew up (in my case 90s) were properly rare things that you’d never see or afford.
Supercar to me is a modern equivalent of a Countach, Diablo or F40 in terms of rarity, specialness and performance (probably in that order).
I’d struggle to think of much that major manufacturers produce that feels like a supercar though, given the volume shifted.
caminator11 said:
What is it about R8s that spark these threads?!
If you control for all of the other factors such as performance, engine type/displacement/layout, handling, sound, looks, and even rarity (more Mclarens have been built than R8's of late, and more 458's were built back in the day when their production overlapped), there is only one objective factor that remains and that's the badge on the bonnet. So I think it's worth exploring that a bit more.Some people care deeply about badge and the image it might portray to others, or the sense of heritage associated with it, and the resulting feelings of the car (and perhaps by association themselves) being made more special in some way. Others care less or not at all about these factors, or perhaps they weight them negatively, or perhaps they even secretly weight them heavily but claim not to, and resent the fact they couldn't afford the extra £50k for a Huracan.
We live in a materialistic society, where status and feelings of personal worth can be intimately tied to prestigious possessions. I would assert that affirming or denying supercar status to the R8, reduces the feelings of psychological self-worth to a subset of owners or non-owners alike. If you're an R8 owner and you derive psychological feel-good from believing it's a Supercar, it can only hurt when people say it isn't. Likewise if you are a Mclaren/Lambo/Ferrari owner, and derive psychological feel-good from the feeling of Supercar exclusivity, admitting an Audi into the ranks can only diminish that feeling.
I think this is at the core of why some people get so worked up about it all, and why there are 6 pages here of people arguing semantics. At the very least it makes for entertaining reading.
For full disclosure, I own a 2019 R8 V10+ that I rather like and seems to get a lot of attention, but like any car, I can't really get too hung up about it.
Ferrari California is not a Supercar in my opinion. It sits in the same space as say Aston DB9. It is more of a GT car.
Audi R8 specifically V10 does indeed share much componentry with Gallardo (Gen 2) and Huracan. Technically there is no reason why it should not be justifiably classed as a Supercar…….apart from the fact that it has an Audi badge. Like an A1, A2, A3, A4. A5, A6, A7, A8, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q7 and all the S and R/S derivatives thereof. It just sits in a long line of other models from the same brand.
Conversely Lamborghini essentially make 3 cars currently Huracan, Aventador and Urus (which is not really a Supercar either) and Gallardo before that. (Counting only because of R8 link) Ok, they also make insane one offs and very limited models, which essentially are derived from one of the Gallardo, Huracan, Aventador cars. Previous to those Lamborghini made one or two different cars simultaneously through each evolution.
In my opinion, a Supercar needs to be in a small family of high performance cars to have that exclusivity, nicheness (I think I invented that word). However, also in my opinion, everyone is entitled to a differing opinion to mine, even if that means they are wrong….
Whatever, call it a Supercar, Spidercar or Captain Americar, your car your choice. All that matters really.
Audi R8 specifically V10 does indeed share much componentry with Gallardo (Gen 2) and Huracan. Technically there is no reason why it should not be justifiably classed as a Supercar…….apart from the fact that it has an Audi badge. Like an A1, A2, A3, A4. A5, A6, A7, A8, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q7 and all the S and R/S derivatives thereof. It just sits in a long line of other models from the same brand.
Conversely Lamborghini essentially make 3 cars currently Huracan, Aventador and Urus (which is not really a Supercar either) and Gallardo before that. (Counting only because of R8 link) Ok, they also make insane one offs and very limited models, which essentially are derived from one of the Gallardo, Huracan, Aventador cars. Previous to those Lamborghini made one or two different cars simultaneously through each evolution.
In my opinion, a Supercar needs to be in a small family of high performance cars to have that exclusivity, nicheness (I think I invented that word). However, also in my opinion, everyone is entitled to a differing opinion to mine, even if that means they are wrong….
Whatever, call it a Supercar, Spidercar or Captain Americar, your car your choice. All that matters really.
Superleg48 said:
Ferrari California is not a Supercar in my opinion. It sits in the same space as say Aston DB9. It is more of a GT car.
Audi R8 specifically V10 does indeed share much componentry with Gallardo (Gen 2) and Huracan. Technically there is no reason why it should not be justifiably classed as a Supercar…….apart from the fact that it has an Audi badge. Like an A1, A2, A3, A4. A5, A6, A7, A8, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q7 and all the S and R/S derivatives thereof. It just sits in a long line of other models from the same brand.
Conversely Lamborghini essentially make 3 cars currently Huracan, Aventador and Urus (which is not really a Supercar either) and Gallardo before that. (Counting only because of R8 link) Ok, they also make insane one offs and very limited models, which essentially are derived from one of the Gallardo, Huracan, Aventador cars. Previous to those Lamborghini made one or two different cars simultaneously through each evolution.
In my opinion, a Supercar needs to be in a small family of high performance cars to have that exclusivity, nicheness (I think I invented that word). However, also in my opinion, everyone is entitled to a differing opinion to mine, even if that means they are wrong….
Whatever, call it a Supercar, Spidercar or Captain Americar, your car your choice. All that matters really.
Is the Audi TT not a supercar?Audi R8 specifically V10 does indeed share much componentry with Gallardo (Gen 2) and Huracan. Technically there is no reason why it should not be justifiably classed as a Supercar…….apart from the fact that it has an Audi badge. Like an A1, A2, A3, A4. A5, A6, A7, A8, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q7 and all the S and R/S derivatives thereof. It just sits in a long line of other models from the same brand.
Conversely Lamborghini essentially make 3 cars currently Huracan, Aventador and Urus (which is not really a Supercar either) and Gallardo before that. (Counting only because of R8 link) Ok, they also make insane one offs and very limited models, which essentially are derived from one of the Gallardo, Huracan, Aventador cars. Previous to those Lamborghini made one or two different cars simultaneously through each evolution.
In my opinion, a Supercar needs to be in a small family of high performance cars to have that exclusivity, nicheness (I think I invented that word). However, also in my opinion, everyone is entitled to a differing opinion to mine, even if that means they are wrong….
Whatever, call it a Supercar, Spidercar or Captain Americar, your car your choice. All that matters really.
R8 is on the left in case like my wife you can’t easily tell the difference.
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