What makes a Supersportscar, and is this one too extreme?

What makes a Supersportscar, and is this one too extreme?

Author
Discussion

carspath

Original Poster:

857 posts

185 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
Lets use the term Supersportscar ( as now routinely used by Lamborghini and KTM etc ) instead of Supercar or Hypercar as these are loaded terms that can sidetrack a discussion .

If I was considering a supersportscar these are the features that I would be looking for ( and please tell me which ones I have missed out ) :

- affordable capital costs ( for arguments sake lets say a max of £200k for a new or 2nd hand car ) - the lower the better .
- affordable maintainance costs
- affordable warranty costs - preferably a car that doesnt need a warranty
( Money , gauche as it may be to some , is central to a realistic discussion )

- good outwards visibility
- narrow
- lightweight
- excellent brakes
- superb handling in the dry and also in the wet
- excellent torque-to-weight ratio
- sensible grip-to-torque ratio

- manual transmission for involvement , simplicity , and reliability

- mid-engined ( which can be front or rear mid-engined ) simply because i am bigotted .

- sub 3 seconds to 60 mph , and sub 7 seconds to 100 mph
- top speed totally irrelevant

- great drivetrain noises

MUST BE AS MUCH FUN TO DRIVE AT 30 MPH AS IT IS TO DRIVE AT HIGH SPEEDS .

- excellent reliability
- simplicity of design as this contributes to reliability

- outrageous looks because looks maketh the supersportscar .


What would be your criteria for a great supersportscar , and which actual car would you pick ?
Let's assume that this supersportscar would be a 2nd (or 9th ) car , so would not have to be a daily driver or even remotely practical .

I have in mind one car which meets these criteria , but it is much under-discussed to the point of being ignored .

I would love to hear from you before telling you which car I am thinking of

Super Sonic

7,399 posts

62 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
Ariel Atom?

andrew

10,092 posts

200 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
you missed out

- steering feel
- decent ride
- some semblance of practicality
- must fit tall people
- must not smell of glue or fibreglass

Edited by andrew on Sunday 29th September 17:59

carspath

Original Poster:

857 posts

185 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
Hi Super Sonic - You're clearly a Honda fan - the best engine makers ever ?
The late , great L.J.K . Setright thought so .

Hi Andrew - thanks for that list of omissions , the gravest of which was missing out ''steering feel '' - you are absolutely correct there .
So what's you're guess as to the supersportscar ?

andrew

10,092 posts

200 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
ultima ?

Implus1

186 posts

48 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
Exige 430 Cup with the KomoTec 475 upgrade.

andrew

10,092 posts

200 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
andrew said:
- must not smell of glue or fibreglass

Jimjimhim

1,565 posts

8 months

Sunday 29th September
quotequote all
A car (I'm not going to use the daft sounding Super Sports Car!) that fits your brief nicely is a Caterham.

JamieF78

97 posts

109 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
Exige 430 Cup, albeit under half the price of the 200K mentioned.

Trev450

6,445 posts

180 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
- excellent reliability

JamieF78

97 posts

109 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
I’ve had my Exige 410 for 3 years and had very little issues, I had huge doubts about buying one for that reason but thankfully that turned out to be unfounded.

ITP

2,135 posts

205 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
Ducati panigale, BMW S1000RR tick the boxes, just have 2 wheels, which to be fair makes them narrow! Great visibility too! And a lot less than 200k.

Bispal

1,717 posts

159 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
There are only a very few manual cars that can crack 60 in under 3 seconds. You are really in the realms of ultra lightweight track specials. I can't think of a single one I would want to won as too extreme. I have owned an Exige 430CUP and that comes close and was an amazing car but it still wont crack 60 in under 3 seconds.

If I was in the market, now, for a very fast manual car (but not 3 seconds to 60) It would be a TVR Sagaris or a Superformance GT40. I think Noble perhaps, but not keen on kit car interior. I don't think there is a single Porsche that would meet your criteria? Only a 992 GTS manual comes close. I certainly would not want to drive a track special on the public roads as would only manage 1 or 2 mornings a year.


Trev450

6,445 posts

180 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
JamieF78 said:
I’ve had my Exige 410 for 3 years and had very little issues, I had huge doubts about buying one for that reason but thankfully that turned out to be unfounded.
I'm truely pleased for you as owing a Lotus can be a real lottery in terms of reliability.

A good friend sold his 2 year old Exige because of repeated transmission issues and purchased a new Emira. On the drive home from collecting it the wiper arm flew off and a large piece of interior trim became loose.

JamieF78

97 posts

109 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
The transmission is the weak point of the Exige no doubt but the later ones tend to be better than the earlier V6 models. As for the Emira, I’ve read quite a few stories now of rather questionable build quality which is a shame as it’s a very pretty car.

carspath

Original Poster:

857 posts

185 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
Thanks for all the suggestions including some I hadn't thought of .

Andrew - I can promise no smell of glue , and very limited use of fibreglass !

Bispal

1,717 posts

159 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
Trev450 said:
JamieF78 said:
I’ve had my Exige 410 for 3 years and had very little issues, I had huge doubts about buying one for that reason but thankfully that turned out to be unfounded.
I'm truely pleased for you as owing a Lotus can be a real lottery in terms of reliability.

A good friend sold his 2 year old Exige because of repeated transmission issues and purchased a new Emira. On the drive home from collecting it the wiper arm flew off and a large piece of interior trim became loose.
I owned my 430CUP for 3 years and 8k miles. It was very reliable and only had one issue (ate its cats) which was fixed under warranty. Otherwise build quality was top notch, no rattles, no niggles, comfortable (more so than my prior 350). Only lottery I experienced was I sold it for more than I paid, so a lottery win...!


Trev450

6,445 posts

180 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
Bispal said:
Trev450 said:
JamieF78 said:
I’ve had my Exige 410 for 3 years and had very little issues, I had huge doubts about buying one for that reason but thankfully that turned out to be unfounded.
I'm truely pleased for you as owing a Lotus can be a real lottery in terms of reliability.

A good friend sold his 2 year old Exige because of repeated transmission issues and purchased a new Emira. On the drive home from collecting it the wiper arm flew off and a large piece of interior trim became loose.
I owned my 430CUP for 3 years and 8k miles. It was very reliable and only had one issue (ate its cats) which was fixed under warranty. Otherwise build quality was top notch, no rattles, no niggles, comfortable (more so than my prior 350). Only lottery I experienced was I sold it for more than I paid, so a lottery win...!
Another pleasurable ownership experience by the sound of it. Maybe my over cautioness is preventing me from getting a truely great drtiver's car.

MingtheMerciless

468 posts

217 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
I had an Atom 4 and it wouldn't be my pick as my only supersportscar after the ownership experience (except for track days and short local blasts). Awesome though it is for those limited purposes.

It is very uncomfortable on long drives (small thing but if you drive into the sun you have to hold your hand up to block the sun or you are blinded even with sunglasses - no windscreen so no sun visor), it has no luggage space (the "glove box" fills with water when it rains), it is a horrid thing to drive long distances in heavy rain (you have a choice of staying above 40mph and risking skids on the standard semi slick tyres or drowning) and you cannot drive it even slowly without ear protectors as the turbo wastegate sound emanates from about six inches behind your head (you can get a windscreen so you don't need a helmet but most Atom drivers think that is too effeminate).


Jimjimhim

1,565 posts

8 months

Monday 30th September
quotequote all
Trev450 said:
- excellent reliability
Caterhams look to be very simple, so not much to go wrong. I bet 1 would be a lot more fun than a big heavy super car.