Why GT And Sports Cars Are Better Than Super And Hypercars In Every Way

The next two years will be an unprecedented time when it comes to the super car and hyper car.

The next two years will be an unprecedented time when it comes to the super car and hyper car. There is an unheard of number of cars with astounding performance figures and even more astounding performance figures offered in limited numbers. It's not just the usual suspects like Ferrari putting out a halo car like the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. These cars are used as demonstration models of the brand at its engineering heights. It's not that you can buy the nearly million dollar Stradale, it's that some part of that Stradale's engineering is in your 458 Italia.

There are more newcomers to the game of insane hypercar numbers. Designer Pininfarina has a 1,877hp all electric hypercar of their own. Lotus is entering the game with their own 2,000hp electric hypercar. McLaren, who arguably started the hyperspeed wars for hypercars with its 235mph McLaren F1 just tested its new 250mph Speedtail.

There are dozens of cars coming out in the next few years with high top speeds and limited production numbers. Each one has or will inspire breathless headlines that gasp at stratospheric horsepower numbers and amazing 0-60mph times. Columns will be written about fans that draw air from underneath the car or moving wings or other gimmicks that present these limited production cars as the pinnacle of the art of the automobile.

And they're also complete garbage.

Hypercars Bad At Both Jobs

via wikimedia.org

Take the father of the current hypercar, the one that unseated the F1 as the fastest production car ever made, the Bugatti Veyron. Meant as a platform for Volkswagen's bonkers W16. The car's high horsepower and record breaking top speed sent bench racers to their bar stools to discuss whether it was the true king or if that honor belonged to a Hennessey or Koenigsegg. For those well heeled buyers who want to experience that insane horsepower, though, there are a few dozen steps.

First they have to notify Bugatti who will come out and affix a special set of tires and turn a special key that unlocks the extra horsepower at a broad enough track that would allow the car to get up to speed.

In the meantime, drivers are stuck with a car with a near rigid suspension with an awkward driving position with limited visibility. That's made even more difficult with the cars being extraordinarily wide.

The whole idea of a hypercar is that they bring select customers race car performance with license plates and headlights.  To achieve the stats to win any bench race, sacrifices have to be made on the altars of speed and performance. The biggest victim in these sacrifices is generally drivability.

For every extra heavy clutch or steering or a lack of any kind of view to the rear of the car as a compromise to the god of speed, there's an equal set of compromises on the track for the extra weight of regulation bumpers, headlights, and creature comforts.

The end result is a car that is essentially bad at both of their jobs. Sure you can drive them on the road, but you'd only want to in order to get to Cars and Coffee to collect your accolades for having one of 150 cars and back again. The ability to drive your car to the track day means that dedicated track cars that didn't pay a premium for a car stereo and nav system are able to keep up with your seven figure hypercar.

Look at any auction where these rare cars change owners the truth of the hypercar is hidden in the low mileage put on these cars. Their stats are meant to be argued by kids with aspirational posters on their walls and the cars meant to build the portfolios of the collectors who buy them.

GT And Sports Cars Are Usable

via businessinsider.com

Meanwhile, grand touring cars like the evergreen M3/M4 and Porsche 911 all the way down to the Mazda MX-5 offer a better purist experience than the most advanced hypercar. Now more than ever the performance gap is so small that regular sports or GT cars can find themselves compared to supercars.

Yes the sports car, especially of today, will make far more allowances to day to day driving. The end result is a car that the owner can drive day to day. They are cars where the driver can experience some of the cars ability in a canyon without having to alert the manufacturer first. They can be driven to a track day to stretch their legs and still provide fast car thrills and challenges while ending the day parking with ease at the local burger stand.

In short, a sports car or a grand tourer is a car you can drive versus a hypercar which is something you can own. A car you don't drive is like a symphony that you only read. Sure you get the idea, but you'll never fully appreciate it unless you play it at full song.