All posts in “The Icons”

2022 Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbreak Models

Personally, I rather like the idea behind the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, a big two-door car with a stupendous amount of power going to the wheels, and yes, I get this is a straight-line drag race car, but that’s fine by me, and in case you really need four doors, there is the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and for the 2022 model year there is something special available now: the SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody with 807 hp when you add the $995 Jailbreak option package.

Jailbreak models give the client the possibility to select from previously unavailable options when it comes to seats, wheels, badges, stripes, brake calipers and so much more, and these models are part of the two-year Dodge Never Lift campaign, launching a variety of new Dodge models and initiatives, check out the Dodge Never Lift 24 Months of Muscle calendar at Dodgegarage.com/never-lift.

From the press release:

In addition to unlocking previously restricted color combinations, Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbreak also unleashes new Jailbreak-exclusive content options, including:

  • Hammerhead Grey Laguna leather seats
  • Hammerhead Grey floor mat accents
  • Hammerhead Grey, Sepia and Demonic Red seat belts
  • Leather steering wheel and Alcantara steering wheel options, with white SRT logo
  • Copper Weaver carbon fiber bezel finish
  • Decklid stripe and Widebody side stripe
  • Brass Monkey, Satin Chrome and red exterior badging finish
  • Chrome fuel door finish
  • Blue and yellow brake calipers
  • 20-by-11-inch Warp Speed Satin Carbon and lightweight Low-Gloss Granite wheels

For the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbreak model, option and feature combinations include seven wheel options; six exterior stripe and brake caliper color offerings; five varieties of seats and exterior badging finishes; and four options of steering wheels, seat belt colors and floor mats. Exclusive Jailbreak content options for the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbreak include:

  • Hammerhead Grey Laguna leather seats
  • Hammerhead Grey floor mat accents
  • Hammerhead Grey, Sepia and Demonic Red seat belts
  • Leather steering wheel and Alcantara steering wheel options, with white SRT logo
  • Hood, roof and decklid vinyl stripes
  • Brass Monkey, Satin Chrome and red exterior badging finish
  • Black Nickel exhaust tip finish
  • Blue and yellow brake calipers
  • 20-by-11-inch Warp Speed Satin Carbon and lightweight Low-Gloss Granite wheels

Enthusiasts looking for inspiration can use “recipes” direct from the Dodge Product Design Office and available in the Jailbreak order guide, including “Old School” and “Brass Funky” ordering combinations, or let their imaginations run wild by configuring their own personalized combination. The first phase of Jailbreak ordering will be open only for customer sold orders and available through Dodge dealers.

Dodge has been profiling itself as a performance company with SRT editions on every single model in the lineup, for 2022 this translates into the Dodge Challenger SRT Super STock with 807hp to dominate the drag strip, while the Dodge Charger SRT Redeye comes with an eye-watering 797 hp making it the most powerful mass-produced four-door in the world, add the Dodge Durango SRT 392 which is the fastest, most powerful three-row SUV in America … so whichever body style you prefer, coupe, sedan, or SUV, Dodge has an SRT version available.

More than you can afford … Ferrari

Who doesn’t remember those glorious words from the 2001 movie The Fast and the Furious when Brian and Dom take the bright orange 1995 Toyota Supra for a test drive and they encounter a black Ferrari F355 Spider, and Brian asks about the retail on the Prancing Horse … to which the driver replies ‘More than you can afford pall … Ferrari’?

I must have watched all of the FF movies several times, but personally, I still feel the first one is among the best of the series, and while at the time this clip was recorded, that reply was accurate, things have changed considerably since then, and today that Supra is multiple times more valuable than the Ferrari F355, especially one of the orange movie cars that was actually driven by Paul Walker, as one of those sold at auction recently for $550,000 … and that wasn’t even the hero car.

Photo courtesy of Barret-Jackson

Chassis JT2JA82J3R0009030, the 1994 Toyota Supra, was built by Eddie Paul at The Shark Shop in El Segundo, CA, for the first movie, but it was this very car that was repainted gold to be used in FF2, later the original setup of Lamborghini’s pearl metallic orange was redone, but it didn’t get the engine mods like the real hero car, this specific car had a factory original 2JZ-GTE 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 with a 4-speed automatic.

Back to the famous drag race scene from FAST and FURIOUS, at the time this was a 19950 Ferrari F355 Spider, and she was driven by Neal H. Moritz, the co-producer of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, initial MSRP was $137,000, considerably more than the customized Supra MkIV, even with all the modifications like a 2JZ 3.1 engine swap, a large Turbonetics T-66 ball-bearing turbo & Delta II wastegate, custom headers, a NOS system.

While obtaining a 1995 period correct Toyota Supra MkIV is already getting expensive, making her into an FF look-alike will be next to impossible as the aero kit and wheels will be extremely difficult to source, but with a listing on BringATrailer for a 1997 Ferrari F355 Spider, you might be able to own the ‘other’ famous car from the first movie, the black Ferrari.

It might not be the real car from the movie itself, but it is a perfect look-alike nonetheless, so it might be interesting to look into, with just two more days of the auction the bid is at $73,000, so that number might still go up before the virtual hammer comes down, let’s take a look at what you get for that kind of money in today’s market:

The Ferrari F355 Spider comes with a 3.5-Liter V8 engine powering the rear wheels only, with a six-speed manual transmission capable to spin those large 18-inch, five-spoke original Ferrari wheels. And this car is a so-called triple black one, a black body over a black leather interior with a black canvas top, aside from red on tan probably the most interesting color combination out there.

The Ferrari F355 is a Pininfarina design, and while the predecessor, the 348 came with the side intake streaks inspired by the flagship V12 Testarossa, the F355 returned to twin round taillights and a large side air intake almost carved out of the door skin, a very beautiful car, even almost 25 years later, after this model Ferrari came up with the 360 Modena, which for me personally just didn’t look as good as the F355.

The all-black, leather interior inside this specific car features sport seats and leather upholstery on the dashboard and door cards, while color-coded black carpets are protected by floor mats, there is even a period-correct Sony radio/cassette player … probably without Bluetooth, but this is a classic, and let’s face it, the music from that V8 just inches behind your ears is all the sound you need driving this lady with the top down, the moment you wrap your left hand on the thick leather steering wheel and put your right hand on the chrome gearshift lever … nothing else matters.

If you are interested in obtaining this movie car lookalike, head over to the auction at BringATrailer and possibly put in your bid, so you can make that famous statement “More than you can afford pall … Ferrari”, just make sure you’re not next to an actual FF movie car …

Sir Frank Williams Passes Away At 79

Those of us that follow Formula 1 woke up to the news today that Frank Williams, the namesake of the Williams Grand Prix Engineering Formula 1 team, has passed away at the age of 79.

Frank WIlliams and Patrick Head
Frank WIlliams and Patrick Head Patrick Head (L) and Frank Williams at the carpet warehouse that became the first HQ of Williams Grand Prix Engineering

Working out of a former carpet warehouse, Williams Grand Prix Engineering was born in 1978 after the financial struggles and near bankruptcy of his first attempt at Formula 1, Frank Williams Racing Cars. After being bought out by Candian Walter Worf in 1976, he left the team in 1977 with Patrick Head, his chief engineer, and formed the now legendary team with little more than a bank loan and promises to pay from winnings and sponsorships to cover the loan. Less than a year later, Clay Regazzoni drove an FW07 to victory at the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

A young Frank Williams during the FWRC days
A young Frank Williams during the FWRC days Frank Williams with the plight of a team owner in the 1970s

1980 saw the team win the drivers and constructors’ titles, supporting Alan Jones in a modified FW07. Between 1981 and 1997, WGPE went on to field some of the most technically advanced cars the sport had ever seen, such as the FW14B which introduced computer-controlled active suspension, in doing so powering six more drivers to the drivers’ championship and winning the constructors championship eight more times. However, not everything would go to plan during these wild years of success, as tt was during this time period that the day that changed Frank Williams’ life forever occurred.

On the 8th of March, 1986, Williams had been at the Circuit Paul Ricard in the South of France to watch the FW11 chassis undergo high-speed testing, but was registered to run in the London Half Marathon on the 9th of March. As such, after the testing had finished, Williams, with team sponsorship manager Peter Windsor, drove a Ford Sierra 1600 car at speed to get to the Nice Cote d’Azur Airport when he lost control on a left-hand bend, went over a low stone retaining wall, and landed in a field 8 feet below the road on the driver’s side. Williams suffered a spinal fracture just below his neck and partially severed his spinal cord, rendering him a tetraplegic. He nearly died a few times in the tense 48 hours after the accident, but after urgent repatriation and an emergency tracheotomy in the UK, he survived.

Frank Williams and Nigel Mansell, 1986
Frank Williams and Nigel Mansell, 1986 After recovering from his accident, Frank Williams was right back in the paddock before the season was over. Seen here with future champion Nigel Mansell

Frank Williams ultimately oversaw 114 grand prix wins as team principal. He was active with both the F1 team and the business side of Williams until 2012, when he stepped down from the board of directors and nominated his daughter Claire for the vacancy. From 2013 to 2020, he was a co-team principal with Claire, running more of the engineering side of things while his daughter oversaw the drivers and business delivery side. When Williams Grand Prix Engineering was bought out by Dorilton Capital Group in 2020, both Frank and Claire stepped down, ending the Williams family tenure of the team.

Ultimately, Frank Williams oversaw 50 years of competition as a team principal, and his team and company dominated the sport for nearly two decades. He survived bankruptcy, he navigated the politics of Formula 1 with skill, grace, and determination, and he didn’t let the fact that he was tetraplegic get in the way of his desire to push for every win, and have the best of the best drive and engineer for him and the team. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1986 after his recovery from his accident, and was made a Knight Commander of the OBE in 1999.

Sir Francis Owen Garbett Williams, CBE, born April 16 1942, will be sorely missed, and left a lasting legacy in the sport he loved so dearly.

Comments and Honours by teams and drivers on hearing of his passing:

Official Formula 1:

Williams Racing:

George Russell, the last driver personally signed to the team by Frank Williams:

Nico Hulkenberg (the Hulk), signed to Williams Racing in 2009:

The Lamborghini Countach LP500 shakedown

I was almost certain the magnificent 1971 Lamborghini Countach LP500 recreation was a commission by the famous Swiss collector Albert Spiess, and the new video from Automobili Lamborghini SpA on the ‘shakedown’ of this bespoke one-off confirms it, and while the car is currently on display at the factory museum in Sant’Agata, Bologna in Italy, in late November the car will be sent to Switzerland where she will join other iconic Lamborghinis in the Spiess collection, like the 350 GTV, the 350 GTS, the Marzal, a Veneno Roadster, the Zagato 5-95, and believe it or not, the Egoista.

So it’s clear Mr. Spiess already has an incredible collection, and enough money to buy any car in the world it seems, but what if you really want a car that doesn’t exist anymore? What are your options in that case you might ask? The concept of ‘money can buy anything’ might come to mind, and while money can’t buy happiness, it sure can buy a one-off, bespoke build from Sant’Agata, and that’s exactly what Albert Spiess managed to do back in 2019, he convinced Automobili Lamborghini SpA to recreate the 1971 Countach LP500 prototype as true to the original as possible.

It took Lamborghini Centro Style and Polo Storico a total of 25,000 manhours to finalize this amazing one-off, after 50 years the legendary Countach LP500 is back from the dead (the original car was used for crash testing at MIRA in the UK, the wreck was lost over time) and better than ever, a perfect replica to the mm precise, rolling on brand new, but classic looking Pirelli Cinturato tires while the interior is an exact replica of the actual prototype, complete with the ‘computer’ to the left of the steering wheel, now this is truly an homage to the 1971 Countach.

Enjoy this official Lamborghini Countach LP500: The Shakedown video from Lamborghini:

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The Countach is back!

Some of the more avid Lamborghini enthusiasts were rather disappointed when the company from Sant’Agata unveiled the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 in Pebble Beach during the 2021 edition of Monterey Car Week in the United States of America, while the idea of celebrating the 50th anniversary of probably the most iconic Lamborghini ever appealed to many, the resulting homage model didn’t get a warm welcome by all, especially not the older generation of both owners and fans that hold the classic Countach from the Seventies and Eighties in their heart.

Lamborghini released a contemporary interpretation of the classic Countach but was forced to use the underpinnings from the current Aventador, and while both are constructed in Sant’Agata and come with a massive V12 engine and feature the well-known upward opening, scissor doors … that is where the similarities end. There are some styling queues to be recognized in the 2021 edition, but not enough according to many, while the 112 units in the limited production run of the new Countach LPI 800-4 sold out even before the official public unveiling, each at an MSRP of US$2,600,000 before options and taxes, a lot of people would have loved to see a more traditionally styled homage to her majesty the Lamborghini Countach.

In comes a big-time Lamborghini collector, who got talking to Lamborghini back in 2017 and had one request for their in-house restoration department, the celebrated Polo Storico: build me a 1971 Countach LP500 prototype. I’m sure he had a blanc cheque in his hand to convince Lamborghini to actually build a replica of the actual prototype shown at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show from scratch, because the real car had a very hard life during the development of the Countach between 1971 and 1974, only to have it end up against the barrier for crash-testing at MIRA in the UK, the real prototype was lost, it doesn’t exist anymore.

Now you have to understand Automobili Lamborghini SpA didn’t always have ‘keeping records’ high on their ‘to do’ list, so that made this challenge rather difficult for Polo Storico: there is no car to use as a base, no original to take measurements from, and the actual Lamborghini Countach LP400 that still exist aren’t even built on the same chassis as the 1971 prototype, the latter had a steel plate chassis while the production car was built around a stunning, round tubed spaceframe.

Giuliano Cassataro, Head of Service and Polo Storico even stated: “The collection of documents was crucial, there had been so much attention paid to all the details of the car, to their overall consistency and to the technical specifications.” … Lamborghini had to dig through whatever records they managed to find, some of the original drawings were unearthed, but photos and magazine articles from the actual prototype published back in the Seventies had to be sourced from outside of the factory, they even had to enlist the help of Centro Stile to make this dream come true for that one fortunate client.

As the overall dimensions of the prototype were more or less similar to the Countach LP400, Mitja Borkert had the green production prototype from the factory museum taken into a massive 3D scanner for digitalization, it would take the Centro Stile another 2,000 hours of combining the scanned data with photos, articles, actual homologation sheets, and even relying on the memory of people that worked on the prototype back in the Seventies to have a perfect digital model of the real car … time to pass it on to Polo Storico now for the actual build.

To recreate the Lamborghini Countach LP500 as accurately as possible, the artisans at Polo Storico reverted to the metal hammering method used fifty years ago, going so far as to employ real “battilastra” with their inherited creativity and old-school tools from the Seventies, it would take over 25,000 hours to get to the result that was unveiled at the 2021 edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, and she is a beauty for sure.

The attention to detail also went into the engine, remember the prototype had an experimental 5-Liter V12 that didn’t make it into production, the Countach LP400 came with a 4-Liter V12, but for this recreation rumor has it they made a bespoke 4.8-Liter unit just to make it period-correct, right down to the gold-finished covers, which were black on the LP400 production version.

But that’s not the only return to the Seventies, the 1971 Lamborghini Countach LP500 was fitted with Pirelli Cinturato CN12 tires, these no longer exist today, but the archives of Fondazione Pirelli still had the original plans for this old tire, complete with images and preserved materials, so it was possible for the Milanese company to make four Cinturato CN12 in the Pirelli Collezione series to be fitted to the recreation, 245/60R14 for the front and 265/60R14 for the rear, fitted with the identical tread pattern and aesthetics from 1971, but using a modern compound and structure for safety.

And then we come to one of the things I personally felt strongly about when Lamborghini unveiled the Countach LPI 800-4 … the color, the new, limited edition homage was unveiled in Bianco Siderale, pearl metallic white, while the car it celebrates was finished in yellow … fortunately this bespoke commission for the Countach LP500 was done in the exact same shade the original car had in 1971, recreated specifically for this build by PPG, the LP500 was painted in ‘Giallo Fly Speciale’, and combined with the black leather interior this looks just right … exactly how she should look.

Please enjoy this official video from Lamborghini on the most important car in their history, the Lamborghini Countach, a true icon in automotive history:

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1995 McLaren F1 Sold At Monterey Car Week Joins Elite Top 10

Monterey Car Week is all about celebrating motoring, in whatever form it takes. There was the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance for the art that is the automobile. There was the Monterey Motorsports Reunion to see multiple classic race cars attack the track at Laguna Seca.

However, the biggest news of the week comes from the other half of Pebble Beach that was used for Car Week, the auction block. With the owner represented by renowned auction house Gooding & Company, a very rare McLaren F1 crossed the block.

1995 McLaren F1

1995 McLaren F1

The McLaren F1 is what happened when a revolutionary Formula 1 engineer and designer was given an unlimited budget to develop, quite simply, the world’s greatest supercar. Gordon Murray, that engineer, took four years to design, prototype, evolve and finally build the supercar. He set the strictest of power and weight requirements, was not satisfied until every millimeter of every dimension on the car was perfect, and was still not 100% satisfied with the end result.

1995 McLaren F1
1995 McLaren F1 Single block titanium suspension spar, gold foil heat lining, titanium exhaust

The engine bay is lined with gold foil, as it is the world’s best heat reflector. The stabilizer spar across the engine bay is carved from a single block of titanium.

1995 McLaren F1

1995 McLaren F1

The S70/2 V12 engine required the expertise of BMW to make it as light as possible while also being as powerful as possible. The only engine ever since the F1 that required so much careful and technical development is the V10 that sits under the hood of the Lexus LFA.

1995 McLaren F1

1995 McLaren F1

Released in 1992, the McLaren F1 was the first car to ever cost $1 Million USD from the factory. Every part except the lightbulbs in the tail lights was bespoke and built only for the F1. It took the concept of a special edition or limited edition supercar and turned it on its head. Those that had come before, such as the Ferrari F40 and the Porsche 959, were all exceptional cars, but the Mclaren F1 was the one that broke the mold when it came to the absolute definition of a supercar, and it is still the measuring stick to this day.

1995 McLaren F1

1995 McLaren F1

It should be no surprise, then, that chassis number 029, one of only 64 ever built, started bidding already in the millions, and it quickly went up over $10 million.

1995 McLaren F1
1995 McLaren F1 Only 387 original miles… the engine isn’t even broken in!

The reasoning for this is that while it is a later model in the grand scheme of McLaren F1’s, this is perhaps the lowest mileage F1 ever sold. Technically, in 27 years, it has not even finished its engine break-in, as it has just 387 miles on the clock.

1995 McLaren F1

1995 McLaren F1

The original owner also bought the optional Facom Tool Cart that has a full set of wrenches and other tools to maintain a McLaren F1, often used by the McLaren technician that would be flown out to your car to perform services.

1995 McLaren F1
1995 McLaren F1 1995 McLaren F1 Facom optional tool cart specific for the car

The original owner also took the full leather luggage set in tan cowhide and even sprung for the handmade, bespoke to the car TAG Heuer 6000 McLaren F1 watch, which is still working perfectly.

1995 McLaren F1
1995 McLaren F1 1995 McLaren F1 full cowhide leather luggage kit

With such a collection of the options that one could specify for the car, it was no surprise when the bidding hit $15 million USD.

1995 McLaren F1
1995 McLaren F1 1995 McLaren F1 TAG Heuer 6000 McLaren F1 owners edition watch

Eyebrows started to raise, however, when it started to approach $20 million. Only ten cars have ever broken $20 million USD (adjusted to the time of their sale) at auction, and two of those are Ferrari 250 GTOs.

1995 McLaren F1
1995 McLaren F1 Le Mans style pedals for the ultimate supercar

Breaching $20 million would place chassis 029 as the 11th most expensive car ever sold at auction, and that record was reached after much deliberations between three of the remaining bidders.

1995 McLaren F1

1995 McLaren F1

Only two kept bidding, and the final competitive bid was $20,500,000 USD.

1995 McLaren F1

1995 McLaren F1

This number puts this 1995 McLaren F1, chassis #029, built in January of that year, into tenth place on the list of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction, pushing out a 1955 Jaguar D-Type Le Mans race car that sold for $20.3 million USD (adjusted) in 2016 .

It was also the most expensive car sold at Pebble Beach for the entirety of the 2021 Monterey Car Week, and if any car deserves to take that

One of 24 1986 Ford RS200 Evolution On Auction Block

When one thinks of supercars, the mind automatically wanders towards names like Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, and the like. It generally, at least until the 21st century, did not wander towards Ford. Yet, in the 1980’s, a special, unrestricted class of rallying known as Group B (or GrpB) thrust rallying supercars into the spotlight. The legendary Audi Sport Quattro S1 GrpB, the Lancia Delta S4 GrpB, and, in 1986, the Ford RS200 Evo GrpB. And one of the 24 Ford RS200 Evo homologation specials has made it to auction!

1986 Ford RS200 Evo side

The rules were pretty simple: build at least 200 cars that were road-legal homologation specials of the rallying supercar, and you could enter under the Group B regulations. In the group, the only restrictions were really wheel size and the amount of fuel that could be carried. This ended up allowing cars with more than 500 HP and all-wheel-drive to race across the roughest, toughest terrain the world had to offer, at times hitting over 160 MPH on long straights.

1986 Ford RS200 Evo

Unfortunately, halfway through 1986, after a string of both driver, co-driver, and spectator deaths, the class was immediately suspended, and then later canceled. The next class that was in development, Group S, was also immediately canceled. This left teams that had joined the class in 1985 and 1986 high and dry, and the extremely restrictive Group A regulations were introduced a few months later, meaning the rally supercar was dead.

1986 Ford RS200 Evo

This specific car, converted from a standard RS200 to the uprated RS200 Evo’s that ended the production run, features a 2.1-liter BDT-E high-pressure turbocharged inline-four developed by Cosworth, producing a mindblowing 600 HP. It also howled like an absolute demon when pushed hard, the turbo screaming, the blowoff valve twittering away, and the engine growling nastily under it to produce the howl.

1986 Ford RS200 Evo engine bay

This is fed to all wheels through a rally-spec transfer case after going through a front-mounted five-speed manual transmission, which has straight-cut gears with no synchros, meaning you really need to be precise with your rev-matching.

1986 Ford RS200 Evo engine

This specific car also has only about 500 miles on the odometer, and the engine was completely stripped down to bolts and rebuilt in 2018 by Geoff Page Racing in England, a specialist engine refurbishing and build shop. It features a motorsports grade Holly fuel pump and fully braided stainless steel lines for fuel, brakes, and all hydraulics.

1986 Ford RS200 Evo interior

In another special setup, the RS200 Evo also features three limited-slip differentials: front diff, rear diff, and mid-mount transfer case diff. This ensures that the car, even when going at a fair clip, corners as if it was on rails. This is also one of the hardest cars to drive well, exactly because of that reason. Many drivers don’t expect the car to rotate around its cornering circle quite as rapidly and directly as it does.

1986 Ford RS200 Evo suspension

It’s not a supercar because of exotic materials, a pleasant interior full of luxury, or for its ability to waft along comfortably. It’s not any of those things. It’s a supercar because it can quite literally out-drive, out-corner, and out-accelerate most modern supercars, with only hypercars being a match.

1986 Ford RS200 Evo turbo
That is one bigass turbo…

The RS200 Evo is currently on the block at $280,000 with 9 days left on the auction. A full 257 image gallery is available on BringATrailer.

AC Cobra Superblower

In 1901 Weller Bros. was founded in London, in the UK, but we know them better as AC Cars now, and they are celebrating their 120th anniversary with a very special series of AC Cobra Superblower models, and to mark their 120 years in the business of building cars, only 12 units will be made, listed at £129,500 (US$ 180,000).

Joyce in 200 mile race AC – long wheelbase 1921/22

AC Cars managed to set several milestones in automotive history, back in 1921 they were the first ones to have a car manage 100 miles in one hour with a 2-liter engine, in 1950 they introduced the lightweight AC Ace that would later become the base for the legendary AC Cobra from the 60s, and now 12 cars to celebrate 12 decades of existence come with a legacy beyond the special paint and twin stripes.

Over the months, AC Cars is turning to innovative, high performance electric cars that will couple speed and power with near silence, this change is important in their history, going from the massive V8 engines to electric, these 12 commemorative Superblowers will be the last of an era, with a supercharged, 580 hp V8 engine, and they will come a the race inspired livery with the famous center of the bonnet and boot stripes which mark the glory years of its racing pedigree.

AC Cars offers the option of five colors on these Superblowers, AC Red, AC Blue, AC British Racing Green, AC Yellow all come with white stripes, while a special edition comes in a distinctive blue signature shade with orange stripes.

Alan Lubinsky: “We are near the end of an era. In time we’ll be saying a final farewell to the iconic AC Cobra. My question is: Will we ever see (and hear) its like again? My answer is – these celebration cars guarantee that the legend that is the AC Cobra will live on into the future and outlive the ICE Age. We are looking forward to selling a truly hot car in a sunny climate.”

15k-mile 1999 Ferrari F355 F1 Spider For Sale

The year was 1996. Summer blockbuster season was upon the USA, and a Michael Bay film premiered with a massive amount of explosions, fireballs, quippy one-liners, and a section of the movie where a yellow Ferrari F355 Spider is driven in chase of a Hummer. That film was The Rock.

1999 Ferrari F355 Spider for sale rear three-quarter

So imagine our surprise here at SuperCars when a 1999 example of that very car showed up in our morning email from BringATrailer! And even better, this 22-year-old Ferrari only has 15,000 miles on the clock and has been kept in running order through meticulous care and proper servicing.

1999 Ferrari F355 Spider for sale rear

The interior is a sight to behold, with nary a crease in the driver’s seat leather, and clean, dirt-free carpets. As well, as it was the first model that also introduced F1-style paddle shifters, this car comes with those shifters, kept in working order again through meticulous care and proper maintenance.

1999 Ferrari F355 Spider for sale interior

In the middle of one of the best of the “boxy” Ferrari models is one of the best engines that Ferrari has ever made, the 3.5-liter DOHC F129 B/C V8. 375 HP from the factory and able to rev to 8,500 RPM, it was known for producing one of the best exhaust howls outside of a Formula 1 car.

1999 Ferrari F355 Spider for sale engine

The reason the Ferrari F355 is so important is that it was the first model to come after the boxer flat-12 and boxer flat-8 models that had dominated the 1980s and early 1990s, most famously through the 512 Testarossa. A proper V8 engine, back in a Ferrari, howling away at 8,500 RPM… it was the engine and the sound that needed to come to America to reignite the passion of those who were considering a Ferrari but had better options from Lamborghini or Porsche. As a result, the F355 was one of the best-selling Ferrari models in the US, before the F430 overtook it 5 years later.

1999 Ferrari F355 Spider for sale odo

There is a 131 picture gallery at the car’s BringATrailer listing, with many underbody and specific mechanical parts pictures as well.

McLaren F1 for sale

I’m sure you’ve read our article on the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s Niki Lauda supercar posted recently, with that trademark center seating position, and I’m also confident you know where we’ve all seen that before, right? In the original McLaren F1 road car from the Nineties … with only 64 built for the streets, getting your hands on one of the latter isn’t easy, and chances are rare and far between … but Issimi has one listed for sale right now.

Photo courtesy of Issimi

Personally, I would prefer a silver metallic finished McLaren F1, just like the factory demonstrators, but with only very few changing hands at any given time, you can’t be picky when it comes to finding one of these for sale, so the red over black finished 1995 McLaren F1 listed by Issimi on their website.

Photo courtesy of Issimi

When Gordon Murray created the McLaren F1, his intention was to create the ultimate driver’s car and with the 6.1-Liter V12 engine underneath the gold-insulated engine cover, I would say he succeeded in doing just that, this red sample is one of only 7 cars that were originally sold in the United States of America, and it has been maintained by an expert and currently is still in perfect condition despite being over 25 years old.

Photo courtesy of Issimi

The McLaren F1 set the world record for the fastest production car in 1998 with a speed of 240.1 mph, verified by the Guinness World Records, and with an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 3.7 seconds, this 25-year-old lady is still considered very fast today.

Photo courtesy of Issimi

Powering the McLaren is a quad-cam, 48-valve, 6.1-litre BMW V12 engine with variable valve timing. It produces a staggering 627 bhp. The F1’s engine uses competition-inspired dry-sump lubrication. More complex than a conventional wet sump, it shaved vital inches from the oil pan, allowing the engine to be mounted lower.

Everywhere you look at the McLaren, attempts have been made to reduce weight. Like the front and rear wishbones which are machined from solid aluminum alloy; or the wheels, constructed out of magnesium alloy.

Photo courtesy of Issimi

To show off McLaren’s dedication and Formula heritage, Murray used a central driver’s seat and provided an option for two seats on either side. Like a race car, this provided the best possible view and was a good example of how uncompromising the F1 was. Additionally, the McLaren wasn’t equipped with any driving aids which meant it lacked traction control, ABS, power brakes, and power steering.

Make sure to check our extensive McLaren F1 – Ultimate guide published earlier to get an in-depth look into this amazing car, and if you are really adamant about adding this rare car to your collection, you might want to get in touch with someone at Issimi, just get ready to open that checkbook as this car will not come cheap.

Photo courtesy of Issimi

Just to prepare you for the shock, Bonhams sold chassis SA9AB5AC5S1048044 at auction in 2017 for US$ 15,620,000, which is astonishing as the MSRP back in the Nineties was about $815,000, and it gets even better, in 2019 RM Sotheby’s sold chassis SA9AB5AC1R1048018, which was a little special for being one of only two cars that were converted into LM-Specs by the factory … the hammer came down at $19,805,000 including fees.

Renowned Hagerty lists the value of a ‘normal’ McLaren F1 around the $22,000,000 mark today, with special ones valued even higher … I would be really interested to learn just how much hard-earned money would need to be exchanged to park this red one on your driveway.

The Greatest Supercars of the 1990s

The Golden Era – Homologation, The Big Mac and the Rise of the Everyday Supercar. Your Ultimate Guide to the Best Supercars from the 1990s

This is our first in a series of posts about the awesome cars of the 1990s. In this post we curate the best supercars from the 1990s, an era stacked with exotic masterpieces. Some of the defining features of the 1990s supercar era includes the amazing McLaren F1 and the revelation that was the Honda NSX as well as the spirit of competition amongst top manufacturers in prototype racing that created some awesome limited run homologation specials for the road.

The high performance supercar market went from niche to mainstream in the 1980s. Supercars like the Lamborghini Countach, Porsche 959 and Ferrari F40 had collectively wowed car fans the world over in the late 1980s and with Wall Street humming and the global economy in good shape, the appetite for exotic cars only grew going into the early 1990s. As the 1990s started, many pundits wondered however whether we had already reached peak car. After the extraordinary supercars of the eighties, many supercar manufacturers entering the nineties asked “how on earth do we follow that?”

It is impossible to talk about the 1990s supercar era and not mention the impact of the mighty McLaren F1. McLaren came along in the mid-90s with the ultimate supercar, the McLaren F1. The F1 did not just beat the other supercars at the time, it blew them away so convincingly that it wasn’t until the Bugatti Veyron came along more than a decade later that its acceleration and top speed records were beaten. It was Gordon Murray, the former F1 engineer and his obsession with weight savings and attention to detail that redefined what a supercar could be. It was like no other supercar before it (or like any other since), a car that redefined what it meant to be a supercar.

At the other end of the spectrum was the Honda NSX. It came along in the 1990s and shook up Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche. Here was a major manufacturer known for small compact Honda Civic cars who created a supercar that was easy to drive, was fast and agile and didn’t break down. Anybody could drive it. It forced all the sports car makers to get better and ushered us all into the world of the everyday supercar. Speaking of everyday Supercar, the 1990s saw the 911 Turbo genuinely scare the top players with more than 400 horsepower, all wheel drive and astonishing performance in a daily driver.

On our list of the best 20 cars, no less than six cars raced. In fact, five of the cars on our top supercars of the ‘90s list were expressly built to race and are known as homologation specials. Carmakers had fully embraced the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” mantra in the early 1990s and channeled vast amounts of money into trying to find racing glory. Racing homologation rules (stipulating that road-going versions of cars had to be manufactured for homologation) inspired automakers to produce these machines. The FIA GT1 class therefore produced some of the best race cars of the mid-1990s and (thanks to those loosely interpreted homologation requirements), some of the wildest street cars too. These included the Porsche GT1, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and the insane Dauer 962 LM.

In terms of awesome supercars, the 1990s were the golden age. Fun times indeed. Please read on for our take on the greatest 1990s supercars.

Criteria note: We focused on the first year of manufacture as our criteria for a car making it into the decade. If the car had first been manufactured in the 1980s and was carried over into the 1990s largely unchanged then it belongs in the 1990s (aka Ferrari F40). If it was initially built in the 1980s but was substantially updated or had a sub-model in the 1990s then it could make the 1990s list (aka Ferrari F512 M). 

Author note: This initial article was written by JACK MATTHEWS in May 2017 and was updated by Nick Dellis (with help from car nut Kenny Herman) in May 6th 2019.

20 Best Supercars from the 1990s

Read on for our ranked list of the greatest supercars of the nineties. We discussed whether to rank the cars versus just have an unranked list and realized it was way more fun to have people argue about rankings than not.

Lotus Esprit Sport 350

Lotus Esprit Sport 350

20. Lotus Esprit Sport 350

The best Lotus of the 1990s. Rare, fun, a little underpowered though.

Power: 349 bhp @ 6500 rpm / Torque: 295.0 ft lbs @ 4250 rpm / Engine: 3.5 liter twin-turbo V8 / Produced: 1999 / Base Price: £64 950 / Units made: 50 / Top Speed: 175 mph (281.6 kph) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.7 seconds

Having raced the Esprit in GT2 and GT3 classes, Lotus began to develop a new version of the car to race in GT1 class racing. Development of the car was entrusted to the newly formed Lotus GT1 Engineering group, which included many staff from the recently dissolved Team Lotus. For us however the more impressive Lotus of the 1990s was the 1999 Lotus Esprit Sport 350.

It was the ultimate incarnation of the Esprit. Only 50 were made. Taking the V8 GT further, the Sport 350 was one of the most exclusive Esprits made. It featured the standard-spec V8 with blue-painted intake manifolds. What set the 350 Sport apart from the VT GT was a number brake, suspension and chassis improvements. Lowering the kerb weight was a primary design focus for Sport 350. Apart from the weight reduction, the other major change to Sport 350 was its braking system. While exclusivity was offered with the Sport 350, it is a shame Lotus never tuned the engine beyond its standard specification. This is strange given the fact that every other aspect of the car was up-rated for track use. It was one of the closest cars to emulate the track experience on the road.

Read more: Lotus Esprit Sport 350.

Porsche 911 Turbo S (993)

Porsche 911 Turbo S (993)

19. Porsche 911 Turbo S (993)

All wheel drive. Twin turbo flat six engine. Over 400hp. Ludicrous performance. Porsche delivers a daily driver that destroys supercars. The ultimate air cooled 911.   

Power: 424bhp @ 6250 rpm / Torque: 423 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm / Engine: 3.6 L twin-turbo Flat-6 / Produced: 1997 / Base Price: N/A / Units sold: 183 cars produced / Top Speed: 183 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.4 seconds

Considered by many Porsche enthusiasts as the “ultimate 911”, the type 993 represented a unique blend of power and simple elegance. The car had a more streamlined look and was “lower slung” than earlier versions of the 911. The styling was perfect and it is still the best looking 911 series. This was the last of the “air-cooled” Porsche 911s (insert sad face here).

The turbo-version of the Type 993 Porsche 911 was also introduced in 1995 and featured a bi-turbo engine that was at the top of the performance pack for the time. For Turbo 993s the 3.6 liter got twin KKK K16 turbos and made 402 hp although you could customize your order (on Turbo S and GT2 models) to up that to 444 hp. The 993 Turbo was the first 911 Turbo with all wheel drive, essentially lifted from the 959 flagship model.

During the second to the last year of production of the 993 (1997), Porsche offered the 993 Turbo S. The X50 power pack had larger turbos, intake and exhaust upgrades, and a new computer. Power upgrade got it to 424 hp and included extras like carbon fiber decoration in the interior as well as very cool yellow brake calipers, a slightly larger rear wing, a quad-pipe exhaust system and air scoops behind the doors. This was the last of the air-cooled 911 Turbos and our favorite.

Read more: Porsche 911 Turbo S (993).

Nissan R390 GT

Nissan R390 GT

18. Nissan R390 GT

The fastest and most expensive Nissan road car ever developed. 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds and 0-100 mph in 6.5 seconds. Road car was capable of 220 mph.

Power: 549.9 bhp @ 6800 rpm / Torque: 470.0 ft lbs @ 4400 rpm / Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8 / Produced: 1998 / Base Price: ~US$1,000,000 / Units sold: 1 (road car) / Top Speed: 220 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.9 seconds

The ultra-rare Nissan 390R was basically a detuned Le Mans racer offered for sale to the public at a hefty $1,000,000. Only two were made. It was the fastest and most expensive Nissan road car ever developed was created to comply with the Le Mans GT1 Class regulations which required manufacturers to build at least one street-legal version of the race car.

Unlike many others, Nissan built the road car first and built the racing version from it. The R390 GT1 design was the work of Ian Callum at Tom Walkinshaw Racing. Behind the driver sits the heart of this true supercar, the VRH35L twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre double-overhead-camshaft V8 engine with electronic sequential port fuel injection which produces 549.9 bhp @ 6800 rpm while complying with all European market exhaust gas regulations. R390 GT1 performance as one would expect is staggering and includes a sub 4.0 second zero to 60 mph time and top speed north of 220 mph.

Inside are normal road car appliances such as full instrumentation and leather-covered driver and passenger racing seats. The short-throw gear lever for the Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox and tiny racing steering wheel are reminders of the close alliance between the road car and the vehicle which captured four out of the top-ten spots in the 1998 Le Mans 24-hour race.

Read more: Nissan R390 GT

Aston Martin V8 Vantage 1990s

Aston Martin V8 Vantage 1990s

17. Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Big, bruising and totally nuts. This twin-supercharged V8 Aston was the most powerful car in the world for a while. Handling sucked, quality was iffy, but it was still very cool.

Power: 550.0 bhp @ 6500 rpm / Torque: 550.0 ft lbs @ 4000 rpm / Engine: Twin Supercharged V8 / Produced: 1993 – 2000 / Top Speed: 186 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.5 seconds / Base Price: NA / Units sold: 281 cars made

Bullish, aggressive and in many ways a tad ham-fisted when compared to today’s lithe, delicate yet calmly aggressive Astons, the Vantage battered its way to 186mph with the help of its 5.3-litre supercharged V8 mounted ahead of the driver and sending power to the rear.

The Vantage was one of the cars that emerged during the era of Aston Martin’s ownership by Ford Motor Company, and featured harsher edges to its styling than had been seen on many Aston Martins previously. This styling was taken a step further in 1999, with the release of the Aston Martin Vantage Le Mans. The special edition’s looks came somewhere between that of a bull and a shark, which fit the 600bhp machine’s personality quite well.

Read more: Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Ferrari F512 M

Ferrari F512 M

16. Ferrari F512 M

Last production mid-engine flat-12 model and the final iteration of the famed Testarossa. Updated chassis and engine massively improved performance and driving experience.

Power: 440 bhp @ 6750 rpm / Torque: 368.8 lb/ft @ 5500 rpm / Engine: 4.9 L Tipo F113 G Flat-12 / Produced: 1995–1996 / Base Price: N/A / Units sold: 501 produced / Top Speed: 196 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.6 seconds

We chose the F512 M over the 512 TR as our favorite Ferrari Testarossa. The result of constant evolution, the 512M shared almost all of its engineering from the 512 TR that came before it. The F512 M was the last version of the Testarossa.

The F512 M sports had the same 4.9-litre Tipo F113 G longitudinally mid mounted flat-12 engine with 440.0 hp at 6,750 rpm. Most of the changes were limited to slight body upgrades that many consider ruin the lines of the original design. In our eyes it looks better so it got the nod over the 512 TR. The front and rear lamps received a design change. The pop-up headlamps were replaced by two fixed square units. The rear tail lamps were round and the bumpers had been restyled to yield a more unified look as well as the addition of cool twin NACA ducts.

Read more: Ferrari F512 M in detail

Porsche 911 GT3 (996.1)

Porsche 911 GT3 (996.1)

15. Porsche 911 GT3 (996.1)

This is where the GT3 legend begins. Porsche wanted to go racing in the GT3 endurance category and developed this 3.6 liter Mezger engined masterpiece. Thank you Porsche.

Power: 360 @ 7200 rpm / Torque: 273 lb/ft @ 5000 rpm / Engine: 3.6L Water Cooled Flat-6 / Produced: 1999–2001 / Base Price: $90,000 / Units sold: ~1,868 cars produced / Top Speed: 187.7 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.5 seconds

The GT3 we love today all started in 1999 with the 996 model GT3 and it all started because Porsche wanted to enter the GT3 class of the FIA. Porsche began investing in developing both the race car and the road-going version which was required by GT class homologation rules and the GT3 was the result. The GT3 became the 996’s range-topping model until a new GT2 was launched.

Based on the 996 Carrera, the 996 GT3 was a really a track focused sports car that was lighter, sharper and more potent than its everyday sports model siblings. To help in the performance stakes, the GT3 the water-cooled flat six was loosely based on the GT1 and got a dry-sump crankcase with an external oil tank making it more powerful and higher revving. Gone were the rear seats, sunroof, air conditioning, radio and a boatload of sound deadening.

Major design changes included a more aggressive front end with larger headlamps shared with the Boxster, a sleeker body, and a more raked windshield. Design and aerodynamic features exclusive to the GT3 included slimmer air vents for the front bumper, a front splitter, new side skirts, a revised rear bumper, new wheels, and massive rear wing.

The GT3 quickly became the choice for drivers because of its remarkably sharp throttle response, better steering, steady balance, and amazing engine. While a Turbo had it beat for outright speed, this was the ultimate drivers Porsche. Its lighter body and race tuned suspension tuning also made it a perfect machine for attacking weekend drivers who wanted a track car.

If you are in the U.S you may at this point wonder why you can’t find any GT3s from the era for sale. Porsche did not bring the GT3 to the United States until 2004 (see the 996.2 model just below).

Read more: 2000 Porsche 911 GT3

Pagani Zonda C12-S

Pagani Zonda C12-S

14. Pagani Zonda C12-S

Brought back the magic to the supercar world

Power: 550 bhp @ 5500 rpm / Torque: 553.2 lb/ft @ 4100 rpm / Engine: Mercedes AMG V1 (7010 cc) / Produced: 1999-2002 / Top Speed: 210.1 mph (338.0 km/h) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.8 seconds / Base Price: NA / Units sold: US$325,000

My favorite car debuted in 1999. Most people think the Zonda was a car from the early 2000s. While it was the 2002 Zonda with the upgraded 7.3-liter V12 that people remember, Pagani had already been successfully marketing the Zonda for three years up till that point. It was originally launched as the C12-S in 1999.

Read more: Pagani Zonda posts / Pagani Zonda C12-S

Dodge Viper RT:10 ‘Phase II SR’

Dodge Viper RT:10 ‘Phase II SR’

13. Dodge Viper RT/10 ‘Phase II SR’

8 liters of truly brutal American muscle

Power: 415.0 bhp @ 5200 rpm / Torque: 488.0 ft lbs @ 3600 rpm / Engine: Naturally aspirated 8 liter V10 / Produced: 1996-2002 / Base Price: US$58,500 / Units sold: NA / Top Speed: 170.0 mph (273.6 kph) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.7 seconds

Some might not consider the original Dodge Viper a supercar, but at the time of its release it was a revelation with its aggressive looks and insane 8-liter V10 engine. The 1996 RT/10 could be referred to as a second generation Viper and it featured a host of upgrades over earlier Vipers produced from 1992 to 1995. It was a much better car. Outwardly the main difference to the 1996 Viper was the absence of side exhausts which were replaced with two standard exhausts exiting the rear. The three spoke wheels were also gone and replaced with 5-spoke counterparts. Inside, the cabin remained largely unchanged, but a removable roof was standard as was sliding plastic panels for the windows. Underneath, the chassis was stiffened, suspension geometry revised and a more robust rear differential was installed.

Our pick of the 1990s Viper’s was the GTS which was launched in 1996. It was a more powerful version of the RT/10 with 450 hp and a new double bubble coupe body. Beyond more power though, the GTS had over 90% new parts compared to the RT/10. In 1997 and 1998 model years the Viper would continue to receive minor updates and the GTS would get second-generation airbags, revised exhaust manifolds, and a revised camshaft for 1997, and the RT/10 would gain a power increase up to 450 hp (336 kW; 456 PS) for 1998.

Read more: Dodge Viper RT/10 ‘Phase II SR’

Toyota GT-One

Toyota GT-One

12. Toyota GT-One

A pure-bred Le Mans car, created specifically to contest the world’s most famous 24-hour race with no compromise in terms of design or engineering. Road version equally nuts.

Power: 600 bhp @ 6,000 rpm / Torque: 479 lb/ft / Engine: 3.6 liter 90-degree V8 twin-turbo / Produced: 1998 / Base Price: US$1,400,000 / Units sold: 2 / Top Speed: 236 mph (380 kph) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.2 seconds

The Toyota TS020, better-known in Europe as the Toyota GT-One, is a pure-bred Le Mans car, created specifically to contest the world’s most famous 24-hour race with no compromise in terms of design or engineering. The engine had its heritage in the twin-turbo V8 which powered Toyota’s Group C cars in the late 1980s.

In accordance with the FIA rules of the day, the GT-One had also to be developed as a legal road car. In fact the differences between the race and road versions were small: in road-going mode, the rear wing was set lower and the suspension ride height was raised. A smaller fuel tank was fitted and the addition of catalytic converters ensured the vehicle complied with emissions regulations. Toyota says the engineers at Toyota Motorsport GmbH created just two ‘production’ TS020 GT-Ones – one is on display in its museum, the other in Japan.

Read more: 1998 Toyota GT-One

Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion

Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion

11. Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion

Porsche wants race. Takes 993-based 911 and grafts it to the rear-end of a 962. Adds twin-turbo 3.2-liter water-cooled flat-six engine capable of developing 600 hp. Done.

Power: 544 bhp @ 7,000 rpm / Torque: 443 ft lbs @ 4,250 rpm / Engine: 3.2-liter twin-turbo flat-six / Produced: 1996-1998 / Base Price: ~US$900,000 / Units sold: 23 / Top Speed: 193 mph (310 kph) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.4 seconds

Porsche management wanted to compete in factory-based GT racing programs. It developed a brand new car. Basically it was 993-based 911 and essentially grafted it to the rear-end of a 962. dropped a twin-turbocharged 3.2-liter water-cooled flat-six engine capable of developing 600 hp. A futuristic 911-inspired carbon fiber shell finished the exterior packaging.

In order for Porsche to enter the highly competitive GT1 category back in 1996, a total of 23 road going-machines had to be built. To be specific there were two 1996 cars, 20 1997 cars and only one variant was built in 1998. The Strassenversion (road going) uses a 3.2-litre twin-turbo flat-six engine which puts out 536bhp and 443lb ft of torque. Now these might not seem like big numbers compared to modern supercars like the Porsche 918, but considering the GT1 only weighed 1120kg, the GT1 could get to 62mph in around 3.4 seconds. Unfortunately the GT1 was routinely beaten on track by Mercedes’ ferocious CLK-GTR. As a result, Porsche – along with a number of other manufacturers – pulled out of the GT1 class for 1999, effectively killing the championship class.

Read more: Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion

Ruf CTR-2 Sport

Ruf CTR-2 Sport

10. RUF CTR-2 & Ruf CTR-2 Sport

Might be based on a Porsche 911, but the Ruf CTR2 is far from a typical German sports car. Almost 520 hp from a Le Mans-derived twin-turbo engine. Straight line monster.

Power: 520 bhp @ 5800 rpm / Torque: 505.2 ft lbs @ 4800 rpm / Engine: 3.6 liter air-cooled twin-turbo flat-6 / Produced: 1995-1997 / Base Price: US$315,000 / Units sold: 16 standard CTR2, 12 CTR2 “Sport” / Top Speed: 220 mph (354 km/h) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.5 seconds

Based on the 993-chassis 911 Turbo the CTR2 featured either the standard rear-wheel drive or an optional all-wheel-drive. It had a totally upgraded and custom suspension system, uprated brakes and integrated roll-cage as well as a very custom and cool wing. The body was made out of kevlar to save weight. The heart of the CTR2 was the race derived air-cooled Porsche 3.6 litre. It had twin-turbos and was based on the engine used in the Porsche 962 Le Mans Group C car. The team at RUF tuned it to produce 520 hp 505 ft lbs of torque.

In addition to the “regular” CTR2 was the CTR2 Sport. Built up from a Porsche 911 Turbo body-in-white, RUF manufactured the CTR-2 Sport for ultimate outright performance. The specially built engine was tuned to produce almost 600 hp depending on boost. Options included a roll-cage, a clutchless RUF EKS transmission, adjustable torque bias, adjustable boost control. This is the ultimate in straight line insanity, able to accelerate to sixty in 3.5 seconds (in 1995) and onto a top speed north of 220 mph. Crazy.

Read more: 1997 Ruf CTR-2, 1997 Ruf CTR-2 Sport

Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR

Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR

9. Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR

Homologation special madness by the crazy Germans at Mercedes-Benz. Only car here that can easily do a backflip for those fun “what-the-f**k” moments.

Power: 612.0 bhp @ 6800 rpm / Torque: 571.6 ft lbs @ 5250 rpm / Engine: 6.9 liter Mercedes-Benz M120 V12 / Produced: 1998–1999 / Top Speed: 191 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.4 seconds / Base Price: US$1,547,000 / Units sold: 20 coupes, 6 roadsters

The CLK GTR was born out of Mercedes-Benz desire to duke it out against Ferrari and Porsche in the FIA GT Championship. Essentially taking elements of a CLK racer and some road car trimmings and mashing them together, they produced the prototype in time for the 1997 season.

Although the 1999 GT1 class was cancelled, Mercedes-Benz had already promised 25 road-going homologation versions to customers and was obliged to produce these. Customer cars featured a 6.9-litre V12 which produced 604bhp, bestowing the GTR with ballistic performance – 0-60mph took 3.8 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 214mph.

This came at a steep price; despite comforts being kept to a minimum in an effort to save both weight and cost, the production CLK GTR was listed at the time as the most expensive production car ever built in the Guinness Book of World Records, costing $1,547,620.

In 1999, Mercedes-Benz were due to race a CLR – a track-focused version of the CLK GTR – at Le Mans, until in qualifying on the back straight of the Circuit du Sarthe Mark Webber’s car took off, flipping several times as it tumbled into the bushes. In the race itself, a second similar incident took place while Peter Dumbreck was at the wheel, leading Mercedes to withdraw from the event and move away from sports car racing.

Read more: 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Straßenversion

Jaguar XJ220 - Best 90s SupercarsJaguar XJ220 - Best 90s Supercars

8. Jaguar XJ220

Jaguar’s first production supercar, the XJ220 was a bold step. Crappy sounding engine and huge turbo lag. Held top speed record till McLaren F1 came along.

Power: 542.0 bhp @ 7000 rpm / Torque: 475.0 ft lbs @ 4500 rpm / Engine: TWR 6R4 V6 (twin turbo) / Produced: 1992 – 1994 / Top Speed: 217 mph (349.2 kph) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.9 sec / Base Price: US$700,000 / Units sold: 281 cars made

The XJ220 started life as a mid-engine, four-wheel-drive concept car developed by Jaguar employees in their spare time. That initial concept was planned around a V12 powerplant. By the time the first customer cars were delivered in 1992, a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 sat mid ship, delivering 542bhp. The basic shape and aims of the car remained the same however.

With a top speed of 212mph, the XJ220 was the fastest production car from its launch through to 1993, when it was topped by another British-built speed machine. This peaked initial interest in the car, but between the 1990s financial recession and the car’s retail price of £470,000, few took up the offer of ownership and only 281 cars were produced throughout its run.

It was handy on the track too; it went straight to the top of the Nurburgring time sheets in 1991, recording a lap of 7:46:36; Hardly surprising, considering it was built with help from Tom Walkinshaw racing.

Read more: Jaguar XJ220

7. Lamborghini Diablo GT

Lighter, faster and better handling than all other Diablos. Race car modifications finally made the outrageous Diablo a serious road racing supercar.

Power: 575.0 bhp @ 7300 rpm / Torque: 465.0 ft lbs @ 5500 rpm / Engine: 6.0 liter 60 Degree V12 / Produced: 1999-2000 (Diablo GT) / Top Speed: 215 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.6 seconds / Base Price: US$309,000 / Units sold: 83 cars made

Lamborghini were never ones for making their own job any easier. This is the manufacturer that built the Miura then gave itself the task of following it; they managed that – in terms of impact if not necessarily driving experience – with the incredible Countach. Entering the nineties, they had to do it again.

Enter Diablo, the name literally translating as Devil (check). At launch it was fitted with a 5.7-litre V12 producing 485bhp, enough to launch its sleek and flash, yet still muscular body from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 196bhp.

The Diablo, despite its nefarious name, was somewhat tamer than the car that came before it. It featured carbon fibre in the cockpit, but this was surrounded with luxurious leather trim.

That’s not to say it wasn’t without its evil side, most potent in later iterations the 510bhp SV and the rear-wheel-drive SE30 Jota – featuring that 5.7-litre V12 bumped up to 595bhp and various racing-focused changes that revealed the Diablo’s darker side. Only 15 Jotas were delivered from the factory, though 28 kits were produced, making this one of the rarest Lambos of the era.

Our pick of the litter is the Diablo GT. Lamborghini introduced the Diablo GT in 1998 based on the formula of the SE30 and the SE30 Jota. It combined the modifications of the GT2 race car with the outrageousness of the Diablo to offer serious road racing performance. So much so, it remains as the fastest road-going Diablo ever made by the factory. At the time of delivery in September 1999, the Diablo GT was also one of the fastest supercars as well, reaching a top speed of 215 mph (346 kph). It was easily the best Diablo made.

For the detailed oriented, about is a picture of the GTR. It took the GT and made it even crazier. Interior was stripped bare, it got a full roll cage and things like the stereo, soundproofing, and air conditioning were all removed. Add some Plexiglass windows, a fire suppression system, and single seat with a six-point harness. Hardcore. 

Read more: Lamborghini Diablo GT

Ferrari F50 Best 90s Supercars

Ferrari F50 Best 90s Supercars

6. Ferrari F50

Ferrari’s most undeservedly underrated supercar. Superb.

Power: 513.1 bhp @ 8500 rpm / Torque: 347 lb/ft @ 6500 rpm / Engine: 4.7 L DOHC 65 degree Tipo F130B V12 / Produced: 1995 – 1997 / Top Speed: 202 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.7 seconds / Base Price: $480,000 / Units sold: 349

So far in this countdown, we’ve had a lot of homologation-special racing cars repurposed for the road to meet the entry requirements for their respective championships. The F50 was different in that it featured components of an actual racing car, toned down only slightly for the road.

The Ferrari F50 began life with a tough act to follow. Its predecessor, the F40, had blown the motoring world away through the eighties and well into the nineties. Ferrari had to pull something very special out of their hats to follow Enzo’s final sign off for the company.

Their starting point was one of their old racing engines; the 3.5-litre V12 from the company’s 1990 F1 car. This was bored out to 4.7-litres before being mounted mid-ship in a carbon fibre monocoque chassis.

The resulting machine produced 513bhp, sent to the rear wheels in a car that weighed just 1320kg. The result? 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, a claimed top speed of 202mph and a deafening driving experience that shook owners to their cores. For those seeking an even more visceral experience, the roof could be removed.

Sadly the F50 could never live up to its legendary predecessor. In tests, its top speed came up far short of the F40’s 201mph, and the more bloated F50 was never as pure an experience as the car that went before it. Still, we feel it deserves a place on the list of the greatest supercars of the nineties.

Read more: Ferrari F50

Dauer 962 Le Mans

Dauer 962 Le Mans

5. Dauer 962 Le Mans

Dauer showed up to Le Mans with road and race versions and promptly won. FIA changed the rules to make sure the 962 wouldn’t be back in 1995. Now that is badass.

Power: 730.0 bhp @ 8250 rpm / Torque: 517.0 lb/ft @ 5000 rpm / Engine: 3 liter water-cooled twin turbo flat-six / Produced: 1994 / Base Price: $1,200,000 / Units sold: 13 / Top Speed: 253 mph (405 kph) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 2.7 seconds

One of the weirder footnotes in Le Mans history is the Dauer 962, which won the race in 1994 thanks to some creative rulebook interpretation.

From 1983 forward, the Porsche 956 and its 962 IMSA spec version dominated for a decade. Porsche manufactured nearly 150 956/962s and sold many of the cars to private teams. Dauer took a handful of these Porsche 962s and modified them for street use. It is one of the most extraordinary cars to be sold for the streets, but that’s what allowed Porsche to enter the 962 in the GT category at Le Mans in 1994.

Of the companies that have produced a 962 road car, the most successful has been Dauer. After displaying their first 962 at the 1993 Frankfurt Show, Dauer partnered with Porsche to manufacture a contender for the 1994 24 Hours of LeMans. At the 24 hour race, Dauer showed up with both a road version and race version of the Porsches 962, a design which had already won Le Mans six times. After winning the race, the FIA declared it would be creating rules to make sure the 962 wouldn’t be back in 1995. However, with a Le Mans win under their belt, and with support from Porsche, Dauer continued to build their road-going 962.

Read more: Dauer 962 Le Mans.

Porsche 911 GT2

Porsche 911 GT2

4. Porsche 911 GT2

Wide arches, rear wheel drive, Turbo engine. GT2 craziness begins here.

Power: 444 bhp @ 6000 rpm / Torque: 431.5 lb/ft @ 4500 rpm / Engine: 3.6 L twin-turbo Flat-6 / Produced: 1995–1996 / Base Price: NA / Units sold: 57 cars produced / Top Speed: 187 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.7 seconds

I dread to think what the nineties supercar scene would have been like had it not been for homologation requirements. The track-focused, road-going 911 GT2 was introduced in 1993, initially to meet the requirements for GT2 regulations.

The formula of ultra-light, high-power and track credentials seemed to strike a chord with Porsche’s customer base, as the German marque kept the twin-turbo track rocket on its order sheets all the way through to 2012.

424bhp came courtesy of the rear-mounted 3.6-litre power plant, fed air through neatly-positioned intakes at either end of the GT2’s colossal rear wing. Other contemporary road-going 911s of the day also had four-wheel-drive, though this was scrapped in the GT2 in favour of racier rear-wheel-drive.

This made the 993-generation GT2 quite the handful on track or on the road, and a certain level of driving prowess is required to keep one pointing in the right direction over a “spirited” series of bends. You know is good when it gets a top 20 finish in our best Porsche’s ever list.

Read more: 1998 Porsche 911 GT2

Bugatti EB110

Bugatti EB110

3. Bugatti EB110

With a quad turbo, 3.5-litre V-12 the Bugatti EB110 GT seemingly defined the term “supercar”. It was one of the most technologically advanced cars of the 1990s.

Power:  650.0 hp @ 8000 rpm / Torque: 477 lb/ft @ 4200 rpm / Engine: 60 Degree quad-turbo V12 / Produced: 1992 – 1995 / Top Speed: 217 mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.35 seconds / Base Price: US$380,000 / Units sold: 31 cars made

Initially revealed on the company’s founder, Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday in 1991, the EB110 came to be the last Italian-produced Bugatti before VAG took over the troubled automaker.

These days the Bugatti name stands purely for all-out speed and refinement, and though the EB110 was never a record breaker at the top end of the speed stakes, topping out at 216mph in the era of the McLaren F1, it was capable of reaching 62mph in just 3.2 seconds in 1992 Supersport trim – one of the fastest cars of its era over that dash.

That rapid acceleration was mostly thanks to the Bugatti’s 3.5-litre, quad-turbo V12, which transferred 604bhp to the road through all four wheels.

There’s something really appealing about all of the little design details on the EB110 which could be easily overlooked; from the cluster of circular air intakes just behind the doors, to the elegantly simple interior, all the way down to the gearshift layout positioned on the transmission tunnel, keeping the gear knob uncluttered.

Read more: Bugatti EB110

Honda / Acura NSX

Honda / Acura NSX

2. Honda / Acura NSX

The car that shook the supercar world. A supercar that could be driven every day, didn’t break down and anybody could drive. Thank this car for today’s supercars being usable.

Our Pick: 1998 ACURA NSX-T / Power: 290 bhp @ 7100 rpm / Torque: 224 lb/ft @ 5500 rpm / Engine: 3.2L VTEC 6 Cylinder 290 hp / Produced: 1990-2005 / Top Speed: 162.2-mph / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.8 seconds / Base Price: $88,725

1991 saw the launch of a supercar that caused a shock across the whole automotive scene. With the NSX project, Honda set out to build a true supercar that had none of the ergonomic issues or reliability problems that plagued exotica at the time.

Sold under the Acura brand in the States, and the Honda brand across the rest of the world, the NSX featured a 3.0-litre V6 with Honda’s trademark VTEC technology supplying the power, mounted mid-ship with extra consideration to the positioning of the seats and fuel tank for optimal weight distribution.

Honda’s pedantic construction of the car paid off; famous fans of the NSX included none other than Ayrton Senna himself, and the handling was enough to take the fight to the supercar elite of the day and cement the NSX’s place in supercar history – even becoming the reference point for a certain McLaren still to come on our nineties list.

Our pick of the range is the 1997 NSX-T. Acura increased the DOHC 24-valve VTEC V-6’s displacement from 3.0 liters to 3.2 and replaced the five-speed manual with a six-speed box for 1997. That meant 290 horsepower and 224 pound-feet of torque from the normally aspirated, 8000-rpm-redline engine. The immediacy of the NSX’s reflexes is matched with elegance and phenomenal precision and the engine’s flyweight reciprocating assembly loves to rev.

Read more: Honda/Acura NSX

McLaren F1

McLaren F1

1. McLaren F1

The best ever. Period. The end. Obsessive focus leads to the creation of the greatest supercar of all time.

Our Pick: McLaren F1 LM / Power: 671 bhp @ 7800 rpm (F1 LM) / Torque: 520 lb/ft @ 4500 rpm (F1 LM) / Engine: 6.1 L (6,064 cc) BMW S70/2 V12 / Produced: 1993–1998 / Top Speed: 240.1 mph (386.4 km/h) / Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3.2 seconds / Base Price: ~US$650,000 / Units sold: 106 cars

If cars like the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 began the chase for something beyond the supercar, then McLaren birthed it with the F1. Gordon Murray’s masterpiece was for a long time the fastest production car ever made. Its top speed of 240 mph puts much of even today’s supercar crowd to shame, and ergonomic features like the driver-centered, three-seat cockpit have rarely been seen since.

The technical challenge of getting a road car to such incredible speeds was one unlike any other manufacturer had undertaken. McLaren, after initially seeking out Honda power given the two company’s success together in Formula One racing, eventually settled on a 6.1-litre BMW V12. This was mounted in the middle of the car, and put 618bhp through the rear wheels.

The F1 was also the first production car to use a carbon fibre monocoque chassis, and gold famously lined the engine bay to aid with heat dispersal. This effort paid off, granting the F1 a staggering 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds and that all-important 240 mph top speed.

After delivering 100 customer cars McLaren stopped production after seven prototypes, 64 road cars, 5 special F1 LMs (built to commemorate victory at Le Mans in 1995), three F1 GTs (road going versions of the long tail 1997 F1 GTR race car) and 28 F1 GTR road cars. Of these, the Sultan of Brunei owns the most, and has two very special black F1 LMs with striking Pininfarina graphics as well as an exact replica of the F1 GTR that won LeMans.

Read more: All McLaren F1 posts

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Ferrari LaFerrari: Price, Specs, Videos, Images, Performance & More

Introduction

What happens when quite possibly the world’s greatest supercar and hypercar maker sets out to create its greatest model ever?

The Ferrari LaFerrari – that’s what.

Described at launch by company president Luca Di Montezemolo as “the maximum expression of what defines our company,” the LaFerrari was revealed at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

Limited to just 499 examples (although since an additional 210 Aperta open-top LaFerraris have been produced), the LaFerrari featured a Formula-One derived HY-KERS system – an electric motor teamed to a 6.3-litre V12. Some would shirk at the concept of a hybrid Ferrari, but while enhanced efficiency is a by-product of the LaFerrari’s powertrain, this was by no means Ferrari’s motivation with the system.

Following in the footsteps of legendary Ferrari halo cars as the 288 GTO, the F40, F50 and Enzo, the LaFerrari had its work cut out from the start. Add to that competition – yes, at this insane level of performance and prestige – from Porsche and McLaren with their hybrid hypercars, the 918 and P1, and this ultimate Ferrari model had a lot to deliver in order to stand out.

Design, Styling & Interior

The overall shape of the LaFerrari – inside and out – is dictated mainly by the car’s carbon fibre tub chassis. Up front, surfaces are kept to a minimum and what is there is minimised to aid aerodynamics, with every strafe and slice in the car’s bodywork having been optimised in the F1 Wind Tunnel. Ferrari sought to produce a shape with the highest degree its efforts have granted the hypercar with a drag coefficient of just 3.

Underneath the car, active aerodynamic features including diffusers and a guide vane team up with the rear spoiler to generate downforce, gluing the LaFerrari to the road or track. These active features are automatically controlled by the car’s computer brain, which analyses various parameters to adjust the systems to work optimally to the conditions.

Inside the LaFerrari, carbon fibre detailing dominates, with the two seats bolted directly to the tub. A bulky squared-off steering wheel greets the driver, with Formula-One inspired LEDs to indicate when to change gear and Ferrari’s now-familiar Mannetino drive mode selector nestled among the various controls on the wheel.

An in-house design team headed up by Flavio Manzoni handled styling for the Ferrari LaFerrari. Inspiration was gathered from the engineering team to ensure a form that reflected the functional elements of the car, as well as taking inspiration from various Ferrari racecars from over the years.

Performance

LaFerrari’s 6.3-litre V12 hybrid power plant produces 950hp (788hp at 6750rpm from the V12 and 160hp courtesy of the electric motor, which delivers the power to the differential). The car’s dry weight is a meagre 1255kg, and on a charge 0-60 is dispatched in under three seconds. Top speed is rated by Ferrari as somewhere north of 217mph.

Figures only tell a part of the story with this car, with the sensations and usability involved in that performance having been prioritised by Ferrari during the car’s development. Despite its obvious track potential the LaFerrari is reputedly fairly comfortable and compliant on the road. Ambling about town, the car’s double clutch automatic gearbox takes the onus of shifting away from the driver, while a surprisingly supple ride cossets the driver, despite the perceived harshness often brought on in vehicles fitted with carbon fibre tubs.

Get it to a track, however, and the LaFerrari will do its thing better than almost any other road car on the planet. Those who questioned the addition of the hybrid powertrain may be surprised to find out its fitment is mainly to help out on the racetrack – with lowered emissions just a byproduct of that.

The HY-KERS system ensures on-demand torque across the rev range, improving throttle response for the driver and making chasing that 9250rpm redline even more addictive.

Ride & Handling

Performance and track capability are almost a given in a car of this caliber, and those the LaFerrari has in cartfuls. Its really surprising party piece are its manners on the road.

Ferrari wanted the car to be usable on the road and its automatic gearbox is sedate and easy to live with around town as these systems go, according to reviews of this scarlet missile.

Visibility is good around the front three-quarters, while the ride quality is as good as you can expect in a hypercar with seats bolted directly to a super-stiff carbon fibre chassis.

Take things up a notch and the LaFerrari provides an involving experience, with the active aero and stability control system working in tandem to flatter the driver. Steering response is smooth and communicative; giving an enjoyable response on the road that also translates well to track driving. Many of the videos we have brought together include footage of LaFerraris in acrobatic tail slides, which the system allows to flourish – to a point.

On track, the LaFerrari impresses further with the full fury of the V12 and HY-KERS systems available to be exploited in a chassis that is more than up to the task. Gearshifts are reputedly so quick as to almost be seamless, and the balance of the package allows the car to simply erupt along straights and flow through corners.

Prices & Specs

If you’re looking for a LaFerrari, it will have to be used as the limited run of 499 hardtops and 210 Aperta open-tops all sold out, despite an initial asking price of around $1,420,000 for the coupe and no official price confirmed for the convertible.

Thanks to the exclusivity of this “ultimate Ferrari” prices have quickly skyrocketed to hilarious levels on the auction circuit, so if considering one then deep pockets and a chequebook long enough to fit at least six zeroes and a digit or two in front are a must.

Ferrari auctioned off the final “new” examples of the Aperta and coupe LaFerrari to benefit charity. The final coupe (car number 500) went for $7 million, in aid of reconstruction in Italy following 2016’s earthquakes.

More recently, the last of the run (210th) Aperta convertible broke records when it went under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s, fetching almost $10 million, with the proceeds of the sale going to Save the Children.

Ferrari LaFerrari Performance & Specs >
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