[Omkar]

This topic may ruffle some feathers among enthusiasts, but I think there will be some who would agree with this. Do you still get as excited as you used to get when reading or watching content about supercars?


I find myself going meh every time I read about a new supercar launch that makes over 1,000 horsepower from its hybrid engine or an electric car breaking the fastest accelerating production car record. IMO, it has become a rat race to make the fastest car or fastest accelerating EV and on some level, it seems like the soul is lost. Maybe it’s also the fact that there are just so many cars being launched that are fast. You’ll easily find 50+ cars that can do the 0-100 km/h dash in under 3 seconds. Back in the day, there were just a handful high high-performance cars that we would ogle at. We would collect posters and scale models of them. Electric cars have even cracked the 2-second mark and now that’s the new benchmark that everyone's chasing.


Being an automobile engineer, I love reading about technology. And these days, I end up reading about the new engine technologies or systems more than I do about the supercars that implement them. And the latest Ferrari or Lamborghini being driven by a YouTuber in the Alps doesn’t seem as exciting as it once was. Cars themselves have become too dependent on electronic aids and that further distances the driver from the car. The less involving a car is to drive, the less interesting it will be. A bit off-topic, but recently even Max Verstappen voiced his concerns over the 2026 F1 regulations which would involve active aerodynamics that the driver can’t control. Ergo even F1 drivers want cars that feel more connected and things that they can fully control.

Image Source

Some might even argue that the supercars these days don't look all that exciting. With the primary focus on going fast, cars are becoming more and more aerodynamic and again, the designs aren't exciting enough like the supercars from back in the day. The point being that cars are becoming less and less interactive and if it’s just a technological race to have the fastest car, then that would kill the interest of a lot of people. The only cars that have excited me in recent times are the ones that Gordon Murray Automotive built. The T.50 and the T.33 are powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine have manual transmission and send power to the rear wheels only.


Do share what you think about the supercars these days. Do you still get excited about supercars? Or do you just find them to be boring?

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[Divya Sharan]

Topgear's GMA T.50 coverage brought me immense joy after very many years.
This is one automobile will will sell well and age gracefully. It doesn't boast crazy looking cuts and lines and is soothing to the (my) eye.
And that sound! <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd6CR8PMsk8

[Maky]

Great thread idea!

Originally Posted by Omkar

Do you still get as excited as you used to get when reading or watching content about supercars?

A very good question.
While I still glance when one crosses by it just doesn't blow my mind as it used to. Is it because I live in Bombay? where seeing such exotics has become more and more common over the years?. Is it because I'm getting older and care less now? I do not know.
All I know is EVs haven't left an impact on me... let alone EV 'supercars'. I'm still a internal combustion guy.

The one thing that does bother me is how shit supercars have started looking, perhaps that's part of the reason why I don't find them appealing as much anyone. Not just Lamborghini that have gone overboard with styling but even Ferrari which were always known to be beautiful, they all seem to be built to drag specs rather than absolute beauty anymore

The Super exotics like Pagani or Koenigsegg for whatever reason I still do drool over, although yet to see one in real life : )

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Could also be because these machines become a very distant and disconnected dream as the years pass by!

Imagine the crores required to purchase and maintain a 3-sec (0 to 100kmph) car - 99.9% of the enthusiast community may not be able to get there in this life. And these prices are only ever increasing!

Good thread and I totally can relate to it. For someone who used to watch every single video I could find on these high performance machines - I'm now struggling to remember when was the last time I watched one (been a few months atleast).

PS: Whereas a 3-second motorcycle can be had for less than the price of a top end Creta!

[Dippy]

The answer to the question here would be a mixed bag for me. A yes and a no. Yes because I still keep interest in every new Ferrari that breaks cover, even though they might not be smashingly beautiful as those of yore.

No because I now feel sad that even the super car is going the hybrid and electric way. Till date that's not what the definition of a super car has been for more. For me it will always be the brash V12s and V8s, V10 etc. Not to mention how the introduction of crossovers that these car makers have started building. Practical yes and they have started bringing in volumes, but they dilute the complete essence that a super car marque stands for. eg. the Urus, DBX, Purosangue etc. (yes I still do wan to drive a Purosangue)

Coming to the cars, every model from now on gets hybrid tech. Even the big bad Lamborghini V12 was not spared. The Revuelto might be an insane car but it still doesn't invoke a desire like say the Aventador, Murcielago and the likes. Ditto for Ferrari. Give me a 458 over a 296 GTB anyday. I don't want my super car to be plugged into a charging point.

Earlier I used to watch lots of new super car reviews. But now i kind of give them the pass. I still have to watch a full video of the Revuelto. I stick to watching videos of older super cars, the ones I grew up with.

So to sum it up, yes the interest has dwindled in the recent past. Except for Ferrari as mentioned above with Porsche coming in a close second. I love Lambos too ( the Aventador is by far the most wicked car I have driven till date), but the number of variants they come out over a model's production life somehow is a downer.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Gone are the V10s and V12s. V8s have also become a rare commodity. The exclusivity factor of these cars is no longer what it was. So many of these cars share components internally. Also, it’s just not the same when the likes of Lamborghini, Audi, Porsche and Bugatti are all owned by the same company.

Also, supercar level performance is no longer the monopoly of a select few. EVs have democratised performance like anything. 4.xx second for 0-100 is like nothing nowadays. ‘Budget’ Volvos are doing it for fun.

[GTO]

Voted for no.

I would rather read a review of the 3rd-gen Hyundai Creta (just an example) which is important to the market, and accessible to me, rather than the new Ferrari FFFXXXXLLLeggera that is now faster by 0.1 seconds in the 0 - 100 run. I guess the review view counts (especially from India) also prove it. Take a look at which of our Official Reviews have the most views. It's not the 1-crore cars.

Does it really make a difference if a car can do 0 - 100 in 2.3 seconds or 2.5? All supercars are good. All handle well. All brake well. All are obscenely expensive and available only to the 1% club.

If I see a supercar in person, I'll of course drool over it. If I get to drive a supercar, obviously I will make the most of the drive. But Maruti launching a hybrid in the Grand Vitara, Tata's facelift of the Safari and the Innova Hycross' positioning Vs the Innova Crysta just interest me a lot more.

I don't remember the last time I read a single article on supercars. Most of my reading is on 5 - 50 lakh rupee cars, I read a little bit on the 51 - 100 lakh segment, and almost zero on the 1+ crore machines.

[greenhorn]

Even in the 90's the poster on my bedroom was a Lambo diablo. None of the 90's cars evoked the raw admiration (except maybe the Jaguar xj220) the diablo could.
Anyone who says they're priced too much really doesn't get the concept of a fantasy garage

What turns me of most of them, is that most are engineered rather than styled, because of the immense aero requirements, and most of their road tests end up with reviewers talking about too many driver aids and an anaesthetized driving experience.

Having grown up looking at some sexy Italian wedges back in the day, I really cannot relate to the newer crop of super cars, but then this is something that spans a lot of other objects of desire of this age, where I feel the world's tastes have moved on from my own

[GForceEnjoyer]

Voted no.

If my younger self had answered this poll, I'd probably have gone with "sometimes". However, with time, my attention has been drawn to realistic and affordable (and at least somewhat reliable) cars which I actually stand a chance to own in my lifetime.

Cars abroad which fit this criteria are aplenty, from American muscle like the Mustang to cars like the Mazda MX5 and the Acura Integra if I had to choose something new. Looking at used ones, the E92 BMW M3 comes to mind, or something like an NC (third generation) Mazda MX5 to make a project car. Some long-discontinued but interesting cars like the SAAB 9-5, the Mercury Marauder, the Chevrolet SS and the Ford Mondeo ST220 (a V6 Mondeo with a manual!) are also cars I'd proudly own.

You get the idea, mostly financially viable cars with character which I intend to actually drive. Such choices in India are severely limited now (previous generation Civic, Accord V6, 530d, W212, etc.), and even those are becoming less and less viable, with ever-increasing ethanol blending and arbitrary 10/15 year bans.

So yes, supercars aren't really all that interesting to me anymore, apart from perhaps a few interesting reads on the technical progress they showcase (for example, the Koenigsegg Jesko).

[CentreOfGravity]

As a younger kid, my classmates and I used to talk about just a handful of cars. Conversations about the Lamborghini Aventador, Mercedes SLS AMG and the Bugatti Veyron are some of my earliest supercar memories.

When I came across the thread title and thought about it, I realised that the number of supercars which excite me is shocking low. As rightly pointed out before, numbers and stats are what are being chased. Nowadays, sports cars take too much in their control and instead of you extracting fun from the car, the car serves it to you.

However, I would be lying if I say that they don’t excite me at all. The new Mustang’s looks have blown me over. I am quite amused at an electric car going at 2xx kph in reverse. And I tried to think of a third example, but in vain.

Biggest indicator = How many kids do you find talking about the Lambo Revuelto, the Merc EQXX or the Lucid Air Sapphire? Close to none.

Voted for Sometimes.

[vb-saan]

Voted No. The price difference to pay for that 1-2 seconds 0-100 speed is obscene. And with the likes of a plain jane Model 3 closing the gap, offering more space and practicality, the super cars are getting even more irrelevant.

[antz.bin]

Voted No. While they are a thing of beauty, I still haven't figured out how an average Joe like me can bring one into my life.

Just for comparison sake, A 3.5 Cr Porsche 911 GT3 RS accelerates to 100 roughly as fast as a 12 lakh Triumph Street Triple RS, slightly faster than a 9.2 Lakh Kawasaki Z900.

One of those is ~30-40x easier to acquire than the other. All of them don't come with an Aircon .

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

PS: Whereas a 3-second motorcycle can be had for less than the price of a top end Creta!

The Z900 actually costs less than a top end Baleno.

[AMG Power]

I was thinking of putting this up as a separate thread, but I guess it can go here:

Living the dream - 2 Lamborghinis for 1 day !!

There are several bucket list items that enthusiasts have and driving a Lamborghini is usually right up there on top. But to have a list to drive 2 Lamborghini’s is pushing one’s luck. So I didn’t have that on my list.

But the universe decided otherwise and I got to drive 2 Lamborghini’s - The Hurracan Evo and The Urus.

Let me start with the Urus, a frog that becomes a prince when you touch it. It’s not as ugly as the earlier model probably because it’s grown on a lot of us. This SUV has no damn business handling like a hatchback which is what it does with its rear wheel steering making mincemeat of corners.

As for the Evo let me try and put it across in a familiar format:

What you'll like:

1. You can finish your monthly salary in one day just on gas. And that's after this years hike.

2. It looks like it could go to Mars and come back quicker than anything NASA or Elon Musk has made.

3. On the expressway, that DAMN Volvo bus can no longer attempt to overtake you.

4. Everyone knows where you went, who you saw and what you probably did even without accessing Google’s data on you.

5. You get on first name terms with all the Petrol pump attendants as you see them more than your friends, family and colleagues.

6. Waking up the neighbours at night doesn't require you to press their door bell.

7. Maintenance costs aren't as prohibitive as you thought it would be - buying a set of tyres only costs an apartment or two.

8. A never ending queue of girl friends all of whom didn't even know you existed until now.

9. The A/c vents are the same shape as in an Eon - I thought that was a thoughtful little gesture by Lamborghini just to make me feel at home.

10. The Need for Speed video game now feels slow.

What you won't:

1. No shark fin antenna

2. Only 2 doors

3. Only 1 wiper

4. Boot big enough for your sons school bag only. Once you put that in, grandma's toothbrush doesn’t fit in.

5. A bit difficult to accommodate a 16 member family in 2 seats. (But you could still give it a try).

4. Depending on ones skill set, you could make it go faster than you can think and that could be a serious issue.

5. Makes more noise than all the neighbours' dogs howling together.

6. You can't go over speed breakers in your usual zoom-thud-something's-broken manner as everything-would-break.

7. Powerful engines and brakes - and you thought the i20N was the gold standard.

9. When you park your car everyone stares like the Martians have landed.

10 . Parking lots become a terrorist location - till you get a personal security guards.

Conclusion:

I love super cars. But there is a perspective - they are irrelevant on 99% of Indian roads.

Maybe NATRAX or the Mahindra Testing ground are places where one drive can them the way they are meant to be driven. That makes these cars irrelevant in India for their stated purpose. Of course, you can still buy one to show off to the neighbours.

But for indian conditions a humble Ford Ecosport TCDI is a lot more fun!!

[Tutenkhamen]

Going against the tide on this thread.
Sure enough everyone is right in saying that Indian roads are not made for anything doing less than 5 seconds to the ton. And then, does it make any practical difference to be doing sub 3 second to the ton vs sub 4 second vs sub 5 second?
Probably not.
BUT, the idea here is technical prowess that reflects humans’ ever increasing need to extract that last pound of efficiency, break that last speed record, beat acceleration limits.
It’s the exact same process in so many areas we have been historically involved in.
Check Cold war stuff. It pushed 2 superpowers to newer and newer standards in ICBM technologies, bombers, supersonic jets, Mach3 breaking planes (US Valkyrie), Rotodynes, Convair Conorado, Mig25 Foxbat etc. etc.
Check Germany’s never ending pursuit to push on the limits of their arsenal (Schewerer Gustav will make for an amazing read).

Ok, I digress. But the same applies to so many different fields. I am equally impressed by a true beat analog watch (Zenith Defy Lab 18Hz) rivalling the best Quartz watches as much as the latest Quantum superposition discoveries beating ‘normal’ super computers.

Back to cars, I’hd love to drive a Ferrari Roma and an Aston DB12. But realistically, from owning a mild supercar perspective, been lurking on Jaguar forums to get a F type v8.
Remapped P450 makes 600HP!!
Now thats a 80% Roma to me

(this plan is still a distant dream though now that everything nice and with a soul is EoL in car market. Ugh).