What Is A Supercar and Why Is So Exciting About One

A supercar is a high end sports car. It is usually a hard to find car that is superior in performance to other cars. Many supercars are exotic in appearance and are considered to be so today whereas they may not be considered one in the future.

A supercar is usually factory built and not modified by it's owner. There are several factors that go into building one.

1. Acceleration- These cars are fast going up to 160 m.p.h. in less than 6 seconds.

2. Design- Many supercars have rear-wheel drive layout, and a rear mid-engine. This makes better weight distribution which gives better traction by moving the engine to the back of the car. They are not designed to be practical.

3. Power vs. Weight- These cars are powerful yet are very light in design. Built for quick acceleration this is achieved through high engine power and low vehicle mass.

4. Fast. The fastest supercar to date was clocked at 253 m.p.h. Production models are limited to 231 m.p.h.

5. Handling- They have superior road gripping and maximum cornering ability.

6. Brand- Supercars are brand eccentric such as Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, and Lamborghini among others. Even common brands such as Ford and Honda have had models that ere accepted as supercars.

7. Rarity- Cars can be fast and not be considered supercars. Cars that are mass produced fall into this category.

8. Style- They are often ground breaking in how they look and are designed.

9. Price- You will pay several hundred thousand dollars to buy one. The top price in the world is for an Ferrari FXX listed at $1.8 Million.

Businessweek.com did an article in November 2006 that discussed the pitfalls of buying a supercar. You have be aware of things like special insurance for example when you buy or lease one.

Because of the price leasing is more common, yet even if you think you can afford it you need to do your due diligence and slow down. Do not get caught up the int excitement of such a rare purchase.