Supercar

The term "supercar" appeared in the 1920s and was entrenched in the 1960s and 1980s, thanks to the convergence of the market for standard passenger cars and professional racing models. In the 1980-1990s, the most famous in the sports car market were production cars from Porsche , Jaguar , Ferrari and Lamborghini , the most powerful models of which had a speed threshold of 320-330 km / h. In the 2000s, due to an increase in market demand, a leap occurred: a generation of new companies appeared that set the goal of creating their own car with an “individual face” and significantly exceeding the established stereotype of maximum speed.

The time frame of the “super-car” title itself is mobile, as the model range is constantly updated and over time more expensive and faster models appear. However, the most prominent cars remain in the history of the automotive industry, replenish private collections, museums and, as a rule, do not lose value over time. The consumer market has a tendency to expand, since ownership of such a machine is a status symbol. The term “supercar” itself has the greatest circulation in the automotive press .

Supercars are legally manufactured road sports cars, which distinguishes them from private modified cars. They are produced, usually in small batches, by companies specializing in sports and racing cars ; or small firms created to produce one or two of their own models of manual assembly.

Often such a car is designed not only for fans. Models of many supercars are tested in professional races of 24-hour series (e.g. 24 hours of Le Mans , 24 hours of Daytona ) or various races of GT series . Supercars of large automotive companies are sometimes a replication (modification) of their own purely racing models, such as the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR or Jaguar XJR-15 , or are the result of expensive, high-class and exclusive tuning of popular models.

Such cars often have a central-motor layout, with an engine located behind the seats, but within the wheelbase. This improves the weight distribution of the car (ideally 50/50%) and contributes to a more complete traction. As a rule, they have rear-wheel drive, in order to facilitate transmission. As a result, the car has good handling and dynamics. Not so long ago, individual companies began to build four-wheel drive cars using new technologies to more fully realize the potential of the engine (for example, Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo ).

Less common are models with a front engine and rear-wheel drive. A similar arrangement have cars Ferrari 599 and Ferrari F12berlinetta , Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Lexus LFA .

A hypercar (from the English hypercar ) is a class of cars in which the power, speed and maneuverability are extremely high and exceed the corresponding characteristics of supercars, although there is no clear boundary between these classes. ^[2] For the first time such a classification began to be applied with the advent of the McLaren F1 machine and is currently used, including in thematic video games. Typically, cars with a maximum speed above 350 km / h or with engine power above ~ 600 l are classified as hypercar. from. Hypercars are being developed that can reach a speed of 450 km / h ^[3] , and even cars with a declared maximum speed of 550 km / h. ^[four]

In 1994, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) founded the Hypercar Center to determine the technical characteristics and commercial potential of heavy-duty vehicles, and the term “hypercar” was launched in the Russian-language media , where it is currently applied to exclusive powerful machines of different manufacturers. ^{[5] [6]} In April 2014, among other media, Rossiyskaya Gazeta ^[7] dedicated an article to the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse hypercar.

The list of modern cars overcoming the mark of 400 km / h:

• Bugatti chiron
• Bugatti Veyron ^[8]
• Chrysler ME Four-Twelve ^[9] ( concept car )
• Dauer 962 LM ^[10]
• Hennessey Venom GT ^[10]
• Hennessey Venom 1000 Twin Turbo ^[10]
• Keating TKR ^[eleven]
• Koenigsegg Agera R
• Koenigsegg CCXR ^[10]
• Koenigsegg One: 1 ^[12]
• Koenigsegg regera
• Koenigsegg Trevita ^[13]
• Lotec Sirius ^[10]
• Melling Hellcat ^[12] ( concept car )
• Mosler MT900 GTR XX Land Shark ^[fourteen]
• Saleen S7 Twin Turbo ^[10]
• SSC Tuatara ^[15]
• SSC Ultimate Aero TT ^[16]
• Weber Faster One ^[17]
• 9ff GT9 Vmax
• 9ff GTurbo ^[10]

• September 13, 2007 SSC Ultimate Aero TT on a fenced section of a conventional highway near the city of West Richland ( Washington , USA ) reached a maximum speed of 413.83 km / h and an average speed in both directions of 411.76 km / h ^{[18] [19]} . October 9, 2007 the record is entered in the Guinness Book of Records ^[20] .
• On July 4, 2010, test driver Pierre-Henri Rafanel , driving a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport (1,200 hp), reached maximum speeds of 427,933 and 434,211 km / h in two consecutive races, which averages 431,072 km / h . Arrivals took place at the test site of the Volkswagen concern in the village of Era-Lessin near the city of Wolfsburg . Representatives of the German State Agency for Technical Standards ( TÜV ) and the representative of the Guinness Book of Records, who were present, measured the speed using GPS devices ^{[21] [22]} .

The gasoline consumption of a Bugatti Veyron car, with the manufacturer's average consumption of 20.7 l / 100 km ^[23] , in urban driving mode is 40 l / 100 km. At a speed of 400 km / h, fuel consumption increases to 100 l / 100 km ^[24] . This means that the capacity of the gas tank is enough for 12 minutes. Wheel tires wear out at this speed for 50 minutes ^[25]

The record holder for power and starting acceleration, the Maxximus G-Force model, has a 70-liter gas tank for a 9-minute drive ^[26] .

• Porsche 918 Spyder - minimum consumption: 3.3 liters of super-gasoline (AI-98) per 100 km ^[27] .

In addition to technical specifications, the following criteria symbolize a supercar:

• construction and design : advanced technologies are usually used to create supercars;
• expediency : supercars are not created for ordinary transport needs, it is often a way of self-expression, an element of luxury, a demonstration of the taste and commitment to the lifestyle of their owner with a certain social status .

•  

  Audi R8
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  Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron
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  Ferrari enzo
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  Gumpert apollo
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  Koenigsegg CCX
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  Lamborghini aventador
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  Maserati mc12
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  Mclaren p1
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  Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT
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  Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
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  Pagani Zonda C12
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  Porsche 918
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  Saleen S7
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  Spyker C12 Zagato
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  Vector W8 Twin Turbo

• In 1934, Auto-Union, together with Porsche , developed a road model with a centrally located V16 engine called "Auto-Union Type 52", a prototype was never released, possibly influenced by the outbreak of World War II ^{[28] [29]} .
• There is an opinion that the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is the first supercar, the car produced since 1935 developed 200 km / h.

• Sport car
• Racing car