Road car history

How Supercars Evolved

The supercar era started in the 1940s.

Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Spider Corsa (1940)

During WWII, Alfa Romeo thought of making a sports car for Le Mans and Mille Miglia race, and it became easily a reality.

Jaguar XK120 (1941)

A car thats considered "super", was built during World War II. These cars were put to sale in around 1948/49, but the cars were already built in 1941, and designed by Malcolm Sayer.

Years 1942 - 1945

As World War II was increasingly getting worse, many automakers didn't produce any cars at all, and some of them were forced to build tanks, like Ford, Chrysler, Cadillac and Buick.

Cisitalia 202 (1946)

A hand-crafted supercar, especially designed for racing, where it has won the Brezzi Cup in Turin in 1946.

Norman E. Timbs Buick Streamliner (1948)

A vehicle that changed the supercars industry forever due to its mighty top speed, a design that was completely new in sports cars, and overall similar machine to the plane of a car, the Mercedes T80.

Aston Martin DB2 (1950)

In the 1950s, Arton Martin became the British car expert at building luxury vehicles, which also had an innovational look. This beauty is the example.

Mercedes-Benz W194 300SL (1952)

A sports car designed for long races, including Le Mans, Eifelrennen, Targa Florio and Mille Miglia. Altough W194 300SL didn't win at Le Mans, still, this beast is known to be the first Mercedes's "supercar" ever made.

Chevrolet Corvette C1 (1953)

The first generation of the Chevrolet Corvette is one of the first supercars ever made, dating back to 1953. Its not confirmed to be the first one ever made but still the supercar in America.

Mercedes 300SL Gullwing (1954)

One of the most popular Mercedes cars today due to its advanced technological system back in the day, including its gullwing doors + a top speed record.

Maserati AG6CS (1955)

An unknown aesthetic classic that was built for races. It has overall wins in Avellino, Caserta and Giro dell’Umbria race. In other races the car has finished second or third which still makes it a good machine.

Ferrari 250 GT Coupé (1956)

One of the first ferrari cars first introduced at the famous Geneva Motor Show, where only 5 of these were ever built.

Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (1958)

In the 1950s, Ferrari already had a quite massive audience due to its car excellence, and the Testa Rossa is one of these because of its multiple wings at Le Mans.

Porsche 356 B (1959)

A mass produced sports car between 1959 and 1963 with 30,963 made. Its actually one of the versions of Porsche 356, because there are multiple versions, including the A-type, B (this), C, and the first ones which were just named Porsche 356. Out of them all, this one is the most popular model.

Jaguar E-Type (First Gen) (1961)

This car was quite ahead of its time due to streching 150 miles on the road. Its also one of the prettiest automobiles ever made, designed by Malcolm Sayer.

Ferrari 250 GTO (1962)

Its actually a race car as well, because this machine raced in the Group 3 GT racing. Its also one of the most expensive cars ever made - one of these beasts was sold via RM Sotheby's car auction company for $51,705,000 in 2023.

AC Cobra 427 (1962)

Many claim the AC Cobra was the second supercar ever made in America, and its quite true! In the 1960s this car was really ahead of its time, at least in the terms of performance.

Porsche 911 (1964)

The photo shows the first version of Porsche 911. At the time these cars had a long way to go according to its small horsepower, but still, its a gorgeous classic.

Aston Martin DB5 (1965)

A car gained its fame by James Bond films, and it is the British automotive excellence.

Ford GT40 (1966)

A beast that changed history by winning 4 times at Le Mans with an outrageous design that no one has even seen before.

Actual supercars are built from now on (1966).

Begins with a Lamborghini Miura (down below).

Lamborghini Miura (1966)

The real first supercar ever made, thats specifically designed for both - racing and road. Secondly its the first real super vehicle due to its smooth design.

Iso Grifo GL Series I (1968)

A vehicle in the 1960s, that was really competitive to other supercars like Miura, Ferrari, and even more. The cost of maintenance was also lower than other sports cars, thanks to its American engine which was built by Giotto Bizzarrini.

De Tomaso Mangusta (1969)

A monster thats combined with American muscle car and an italian car appearance, while its gullwing engine covers. Giorgetto Giugiaro was the designer of the car.

De Tomaso Pantera (1971)

Now De Tomaso became even more successful because of their Pantera introduced in 1971. With 18x more times produced than the Mangusta and better performance, the car raised its popularity worldwide.

Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 (1972)

The third series of the Jaguar E-Type again claimed its award for the beautiness of the car, and also performance.

Lancia Stratos (1973)

Lancia Stratos was one of the World Rally Champions in 1974, 1975, and even 1976. The car suitable for road and offroad.

Lamborghini Countach (1974)

An absolute peak in the 1970s. The design carried a lot in sports cars.

Porsche 911 Turbo (1975)

This vehicle was one of the fastest Porsche cars on the road in the 1970s

Ferrari 512 BB (1977)

The car was particularly made to compete with Lamborghini's cars and other sports machines.

BMW M1 (1978)

BMW's first M class car, faster than any other Porsche back in the day.

Chevrolet Corvette C3 L82 (1978)

At the time this Corvette was quite big of a deal due to its L82 engine offering some speed. American cars are also popular because of their price tag, so was this car a low cost while giving huge power.

Maserati Merak SS (1980)

Altough the original model was first unveiled to public in 1972 and was named simply "Maserati Merak", the company thought of upgrading the car because of its low horsepower, and naming it Maserati Merak SS. Now its overall faster and better performance.

Renault 5 Turbo (1981)

The Renault 5 Turbo was initially focused on more rallys and overall offroad racing, but later in 1981 people began using this car on a roads too. The car's nice performance is caused by its lightweight body which makes it really manageable.

DeLorean DMC-12 (1982)

A gullwinged, modern-looking car which is known for the time travel movies. This supercar is specifically designed for its looks but not performance.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1983)

In the 1980s, Aston Martin's cars looked like they were from America, notably this one. Its beloved due to its ford mustang appearance, its headlights.

Ferrari 288 GTO (1984)

This Ferrar's car started a new supercar era in the 1980s, with its looks and top speed.

Porsche 959 (1986)

Porsche's plane of a machine that broke the fastest car on the road record in 1986.

Ferrari F40 (1987)

Considered one of the most beautiful supercars ever made that broke the fastest car record in the 1980s.

Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition (1988)

A monster made to celebrate the 25th year of making Lamborghini Countach. This is the final version of the Countach with more modernized looks and better aerodynamics.

Toyota Supra Mk3 (1989)

Toyota Supras are Japanese supercars due to their highly tuneable engines and overall modifications. The Mk3 is also one of these, with its extremely customizable engine.

Lamborghini Diablo (1990)

An upgrade from Countach, now with bigger body, better acceleration, and look of more like a hypercar.

Jaguar XJ220 (1991)

1991 started with an unveiled car Jaguar XJ220, which is considered a gorgeous classic as well.

Bugatti EB110 GT (1991)

As the 1990s already started with a big Jaguar machine, Bugatti also introduced their new powerful model after 30 years.

Dodge Viper RT/10 (1992)

A new legend was born in 1992, the Dodge Viper. Many people have been claiming that specifically, the first generation was a hazard drive due to its valves being right next to the driver's door and oversteering because of horsepower. There are even more dangers on this car but its still an iconic American muscle car.

Lotus Esprit Sport 300 (1993)

Firstly shown at the Birmingham Motor Show in 1992, the cars went for sale in 1993 for only about $30,000, which was significally lower than other sports cars prices in the 1990s.

Ferrari F355 (1994)

Also one of the beauties on the roads in the 1990s, with its smooth appearance, good handling and overall fun driving.

Mclaren F1 (1995)

Gordon Murray thought of a concept, Peter Stevens made it into reality. This beast is the ultimate example of a supercar.

TVR Cerbera (1996)

TVR is overall a noticed vehicle making company, mostly its British sports cars with unique styles. TVR Cerbera is one of them with its odd headlights.

Ferrari 550 Maranello (1997)

Ferrari has been always at the top of the leaderboard, so was this car in the 1990s with its 5.5L V12 Engine.

Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion (1998)

One of the rarest Porsche vehicles ever made, where only 20 of these ever built. The Strassenversion means its the street version of the GT1, the GT1 was a Le Mans prototype that won Le Mans in 1996.

Mercedes CLK GTR (1999)

An absolute monster of a body on 4 wheels. This car was specially designed for the FIA GT Championship, winning a number of 6 of the 11 races. In 1998 Mercedes decided to make the street version of the car, and in 1999 it was done, with only 20 units ever made.

BMW M5 (1999)

One of the France cars that are highly tuneable with their engine and body. A lot of people have used this car when going to races because of its quite awesome handling and performance.

Pagani Zonda C12S (2000)

At Geneva Motor Show, Pagani unveiled their first car which was the Zonda C12. It gave lots of courage to the Italian car manufacturers.

Aston Martin Vanquish (2001)

Aston Martin's road-goer that reinitialized their iconic car design. This time their new model came with a huge grille, startling other sports cars in case the vehicle needs to breathe more when really hitting the gas pedal. The car was also in a James Bond film

"Die Another Day".

Ferrari Enzo (2002)

The 2000s began with a striking beast which was named Ferari Enzo because of the company's founder Enzo Ferrari.

Koenigsegg CC8s (2003)

The CC8s was Koenigsegg's first car ever made, with a striking top speed and acceleration.

Porsche Carrera GT (2003)

Due to its entertaining ride, many have passed, including Paul Walker. Porsche Carrera Gt is dangerous because of its highly loseable grip.

Maserati MC12 (2004)

One of the Maserati's rarest cars (50 built), and also the coolest looking.

Ford GT (2004)

The car that lifted America's desire to build more exotic cars like this one here.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (2005)

In 2005, Bugatti once again made big history, breaking the 400 km/h barrier.

Ultima GTR 720 (2006)

An inexpensive small supercar that can hit 370 km/h, but hard to find.

Audi R8 (2007)

Audi's actual first road supercar is here with fancy looks. The photo shows the most iconic colors of the classic R8.

Aston Martin DBS (2008)

Another legendary Aston Martin's car launched in 2007, at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance automobiles event. The car selling began more in march 2008 with its original grey color. Later models have more colors which are mostly dark.

Aston Martin One-77 (2009)

The car named One-77 because 77 models were made in total. This art is known for its design, roaring engine and the amount of luxury. Also each customer got to choose costumization for the car, making every One-77 unique on its own.

Lexus LF-A (2010)

One of the best Japanase sports cars created up to this day, with interesting design and a screaming engine.

Ferrari 458 Italia (2010)

Its one of the most successful cars Ferrari has ever made, with sold over 14,000 - many suggest.

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale (2011)

A smooth-designed car built for the Alfa Romeo's manufacturer 100th birthday. With only 10 ever created, they still some of the fastest Alfa Romeo's machines today, where their Dodge Viper's 8.4L V10 offers 640 horsepower.

Hennessey Venom GT (2012)

Made by the American manufactuer Hennessey, this is also one of the fastest cars on the road today.

Pagani Huayra (2012)

Pagani released their machine called Pagani Huayra. With its odd-looking design, controversies are up to this day - is it pretty or ugly.

Rimac Concept One (2013)

In 2013, the company Rimac came to the stage and presented their first supercar which was electric.

Mclaren P1 (2013)

It was Mclaren's time to shine due to their arrived beast P1. With outstanding looks, performance, and sound.

Porsche 918 Spyder (2013)

Porsche's hybrid supercar that has quite good handling, an hypercar design, and acceleration of a dragster.

Ferrari LaFerrari (2014)

Unveiled at Geneva Motor Show, this was "The Ferrari" as Ferrari said. With a price tag of $1.6 million, you get everything from this car, including sound, quality, performance and looks.

Koenigsegg One:1 (2014)

The machine almost looks like its from a video game - its monstrosity and design. Koenigsegg gain more popularity because their car has been in many racing games, where this car primarily being the fastest.

BMW i8 (2014)

This vehicle being one of the most famous BMW's of all time, because its a supercar, and also rich youtubers use this car.

McLaren P1 GTR (2014)

After Mclaren released their P1 (which is a cool machine), about a year later they built the track version of the car that has even more horsepower, better cornering and the look of a rocket.

Ferrari FXX K (2015)

Out of all the big manufacturers track cars, this beast is one of the most powerful ones there is, even today. This is the new version of the FXX (2005) where they added just one letter to the name "K". The K means "KERS energy recovery system" and was made from their Formula One program. You can click here to view the car more explicitly.

Aston Martin Vulcan Stradale (2015)

After Ferrari, Mclaren, and even more popular manufacturers built their own track cars, Aston Martin thought about the same thing, and became a reality. In 2015 they introduced the Vulcan at the Geneva Motor Show, which is based on a GT3 car but even faster.

Bugatti Chiron (2016)

A rebuilt from Bugatti Veyron, with even more monotomous sound, appearance, and top speed.

Ford GT Mk II (2017)

Just like the Bugatti Chiron, an upgrade from the previous iconic Ford GT, but now with more techy looks, horsepower and desire.

Mclaren Senna (2018)

Mclaren's new model which was first driven in 2018. What all its downforce, the car is mainly focused on track.

Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 (2020)

In 2020, Lamborghini introduced their Sian FKP 37. The car has a 6.5L naturally aspirated V12 engine which operates on a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, making it an unusual Lamborghini car to have such power, and indeed, its still one of the fastest Lamborghini vehicles there is.

Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ (2021)

At this point Bugatti is considered the builder of top speed records. It was actually in 2019 when this car broke 300 miles per hour on a road. Photo shows the 2021 updated version.

Mercedes AMG One (2022)

Mercedes's monster based on a F1 machine, which is breaking track records to this day.

Aston Martin Valkyrie (2022)

Altough first versions of this car were made in 2017, it has been updated at least in the terms of design.

Koenigsegg Jesko (2022)

Bugatti's top speed challenger wasn't only Hennessey, Rimac, or C zinger 21c, but Koenigsegg - which has been the most intense competitor to Bugatti.