Have you ever got confused between the terms “Supercar” and “Hypercar”? If yes, then you are not alone as many petrol heads aren’t also so sure what’s the difference between the two.
It is very hard to distinguish which class offers the best features with so many options in the market. Is it a subjective matter?
One thing is for sure, both terms belong to the top category in the automobile industry which features exotic design, insane power, luxurious and premium tech, and mind-blowing performance!
So in this short but detailed post, lets dig in to this matter and learn the real difference between a supercar and a hypercar. Or, are these cars the same? Lets find out!
What is a Supercar?
To be able for us to differentiate the two, we need to know how these two are defined by majority of people in general. According to Wikipedia (1), a supercar or also called as “exotic car” is a street-legal, high-performance sports car.
Supercars are the common flagship or top of the line model within a particular vehicle maker’s line up of sports car which features top spec performance and technology. This include car models such as Lamborghini Aventado, Mclaren 720s, Ferrari 458 Italia and many others.
In some point in time, muscle cars such as Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger were all considers supercars. But today, a sports sedan such as the BMW M5 Competition is classified by most beamer fanatics as “sport sedan supercar”.
Typically, a supercar can reach 200 mph (or higher), and hit 0 to 60 mph in under four seconds. However, some car manufacturers produces supercars that even exceeds that number in conjunction with latest tech in speed and performance.
With that said, lets talk about hypercars shall we?
What is a Hypercar?
Through decades of using the term “supercar”, a new automobile classification was born recently to describe the highest performing supercars – the “hypercar” category.
While most gearheads view a hypercar to be a step higher from a conventional supercar, there is actually no specific definition to describe a hypercar.
Vehicle manufacturers often define a hypercar as “a limited production car”, “top-of-the-line supercar”, or a supercar that exceeds the price tag of $1 million, or packs a power of 1,000 horses or higher.
With those descriptions, a hypercar is indeed a notch higher than a normal supercar.
The first ever mass produce hypercar was the 2005 Bugatti Veyron, though McLaren F1 owners can dispute that.
Another characteristic of a hypercar is the introduction of a hybrid drivetrain, which is powered by both electric and internal combustion engines.
Some hypercars today can even switch in full electric mode or vice versa. Based on my research, here are some of the known hypercars that are available in the market right now:
Supercars vs Hypercars – What’s the Difference?
The definitions above are straightforward and already gives a very specific differentiation between the two classes.
What else to tell?
Well, I believe that automobile journalists, car experts and all those car fanatics are the ones that makes the distinction between the two classes. So they play a big influence on what should be the perception of the public with regards to a supercar or a hypercar.
Here are the takeaways that you should remember when talking about these two classes of luxury, exotic cars:
A Supercar must have:
And Hypercars have these qualities:
Still confused? Comment your opinion below!
References:
WikiPedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercar
