When does a Super become a Hyper Car??

[Wayney]

Chaps,

Had a conversation the other day, what defines a Supercar & when does a Supercar become a Hypercar? What defines a Hyper car?

Pls enlighten me with your knowledge.

Take this clip from TG, they refer to the Murci SV as a Hypercar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEaSZMYV498

[Luke.]

When it's on your bedroom wall. Though not a good look if you're over 14.

[StottyZr]

From my understanding its just a term TG invented?

I would define it as a car that will only be bought by people who have more money than they know what to do with

[MartyPubes]

StottyZr said:

I would define it as a car that will only be bought by people who have more money than they know what to do with

Agreed, a 'hypercar' is a supercar with a price tag three times bigger.

[TommyBuoy]

StottyZr said:

From my understanding its just a term TG invented?

I would define it as a car that will only be bought by people who have more money than they know what to do with

I'd go with that - and add that a Hyper car is a vehicle that cannot be fully experienced on the road and as such is compramised for day to day use (Therefore I don't consider a veyron a hyper car, but I do consider a Caparo T1...one). I know that's a bit vague, but I know what I mean!

[Jaykaybi]

Pretty easy yardstick, if there is a distinction at all : over 600bhp, over £300k, mid engine layout and no more than 3 seats. But this is all just subjective nonsense.

[V88Dicky]

200 MPH+ would be the easiest yardstick, or perhaps undriveable on public roads (almost).

[Meoricin]

It's a supercar with some aspect which makes it stand out from the other supercars available. Price/Top speed would be the usual two. So an Enzo is a hypercar, wheras a 458 is merely a supercar, despite being similar in performance - because the Enzo was substantially more expensive.

A Gallardo is a top-end sports car, a Murcielago is a supercar, a Reventon is a hypercar.

It is also possible for there to be a supercar which is very expensive, without coming into hypercar status. So I suppose hypercar status requires nothing to have been held back in development - a car which is intended to be the best, rather than being made at all to budget.

My opinion, anyway.

EDIT: Limited numbers would be important too. Nothing which goes through proper mass-production could be a hypercar.

[Wayney]

From watching that TG video

Hypercars a built in limited numbers, 500 or less.
650 bhp +
All with £350+ price tages (Except the Murci SV as its a bargin at £270k)
Not an every day car, more a sunday morning blast car.

[Wayney]

Meoricin said:

"Hypercar status requires nothing to have been held back in development - a car which is intended to be the best, rather than being made at all to budget.

I think you've summed it up in your above message.

[Twincam16]

The 'hypercar' tag was first used by various car mags in the late '80s and early '90s to describe the new breed of cars that'd do 200mph+. There was once, IIRC, a 'hypercar club' - an owners' club for cars that could crack 200 - featuring things like F40s, XJ220s, XJR15s, Diablos, EB110s and the like. Don't know what happened to it in the end, probably lost all relevance after various derestricted autobahn-missiles with automatic gearboxes turned up capable of beating them, and fizzled out.

Featured on Clarkson's first non-Top Gear video back in about 1993 IIRC.

[TomN1994]

Meoricin said:

A Gallardo is a top-end sports car, a Murcielago is a supercar, a Reventon is a hypercar.

But the murcielago and Reventon weren't too dissimilar in performance, so its mainly a price tag thing, also, the 200+mph thing for hypercars isn't ideal as an R8 V10 remapped from 518 to 585 can do 204..

[Streps]

I have always thought something like the ssc ultimate aero..

Or a higher performance model of an already established supercar.

[RobCrezz]

TomN1994 said:

But the murcielago and Reventon weren't too dissimilar in performance, so its mainly a price tag thing, also, the 200+mph thing for hypercars isn't ideal as an R8 V10 remapped from 518 to 585 can do 204..

Modified cant count. A modified Evo can do 200mph, doesnt make it a super/hypercar.

[Pingman]

When it has too much sugar


(I came up with that all on my own )

[PaulFontaine]

Pingman said:

When it has too much sugar


(I came up with that all on my own )

+2

[Nedz]

As far as i am aware the 'Hypercar' tag came from clarkson and co and refers to the highest of high end supercars of which opinion could be divided.
To me supercars are supercars,some are alot more expensive and much faster than others but trying to classify them as super or hyper seems a bit pointless to me.

If there is such a category i suppose they would be the limited run,ultra expensive one offs like the veyron and f1 or super expensive super fast editions of established supercars like the reventon,zonda R,koenigsegg ccxr etc.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Truth is that since the phrase was first used the performance of "supercars" (F458, MP4-12C) as now risen to virtually the same level as "hypercars" (Enzo, Koengigsegg)so the distinction has really ceased to exist.

All we are left with is hypercar = hyperexpensivecar.

[wackojacko]

When you feed it blue Smarties ?

[JPearson]

When you think its mental, thats when.