Speed, diamond speakers: What makes a supercar a supercar?

Supercars are rolling theatre. They are as much about spectacle as speed. When one passes by, jaws drop, cameras flash, and conversations begin. They represent something rare — freedom from limits. While the dutiful world commutes in sensible sedans and fuel-efficient crossovers, the supercar says: “I am excessive, unnecessary, but utterly irresistible.”

Part of their allure is that they are objects of art as much as engineering. A Lamborghini Countach or a Pagani Zonda could be parked in a museum as easily as in a billionaire’s garage. Their body lines, noise, and exclusivity are intoxicating. They are, in many ways, dreams realised.

Icons of speed

Some supercars stand out not just for their beauty but for their milestones in speed and engineering. The 1949 Jaguar XK120 was the first production car to officially crack 200kmph. The lust-worthy Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing in the 1950s combined elegance with performance, and in the 1980s, Ferrari’s F40 showed what raw, turbocharged aggression looked like on four wheels.

Then came the 1990s. In 1993, Jaguar’s XJ220 touched 349kmph, but the real crown jewel was the McLaren F1. With its BMW-built V12 and central driving position, it became a legend, hitting 386kmph — a record that stood for over a decade. Then, in 2005, Bugatti reset the rules with the Veyron 16.4. It produced a mind-boggling 1,001 horsepower, was capable of hitting a ludicrous top speed of 407kmph, and carried a price tag well north of a million dirhams. It was engineering madness, something that we’d been waiting for.

 

More recently, Koenigsegg’s Agera RS hit 447kmph in 2017, taking the official record. And though SSC claimed 532kmph with its Tuatara in 2020, that number remains heavily disputed. Still, the relentless chase for the title of “fastest car in the world” is part of what makes the supercar story so compelling.

The challenges of building a supercar

Supercars keep pushing the envelope — each one faster, fiercer, and more exhilarating than the one that came before. But chasing perfection isn’t easy. The quest for peak design and engineering, besides having challenges of its own, also needs to overcome hurdles associated with aerodynamics, tyre technology, costs, government regulations, and safety.

Gregory Gouin, general manager, product and pricing at Al Futtaim Motors, explained: “Every company wants to showcase the pinnacle of its capabilities, and such a car is usually built as a halo for the brand.

“It starts with defining a target customer — designing a product for someone and ensuring the recipe works. Market insight is key. The automaker needs to analyse the current competition, learn from past products, and ground decisions in data rather than just subjective views. It also comes down to resources — where to invest, and ensuring teams address not only design and engineering but also regulatory and certification requirements.”

Bugatti

Design: The key to rapture

The beauty of the form, the parts that come together, is the magic that makes a supercar what it is. Beyond raw speed and engineering brilliance, it must stir emotion the moment it is seen. It must embody the philosophy of performance, while simultaneously signalling power even at a zero rate of displacement. It must captivate eyes, turn heads, and leave you pining for more. Without beauty, a supercar risks being reduced to a mere machine, but with it, it becomes timeless, iconic, and unforgettable. But very often, elements like cabin comfort, production inadequacies, and pedestrian safety place a stranglehold on the designer’s imagination.

Propulsion

At the heart of every supercar lies propulsion — how it generates and delivers power. Whether it’s the thunder of internal combustion, the instant torque of electric motors, or hybrids that mix the two, power is the first hurdle. Engines must be powerful enough to set records but reliable enough not to explode at a traffic light. Heat management is critical. Weight distribution is another minefield. Supercars like the Rimac Nevera push nearly 2,000 horsepower, but taming that power for real-world driving is as much a feat of software as of hardware. With horsepower numbers reaching the thousands, we’ll have to wait and see whether governing bodies or even manufacturers will make agreements to place a cap on it.

Aerodynamics: The invisible enemy

Air is essential for an internal combustion engine, but wind is an invisible enemy. At 321.8kmph, air becomes a brick wall. To go faster, you need exponentially more power or slithery bodywork with active aerodynamics. Elon Musk’s Hyperloop concept — eliminating air friction entirely — hints at a future where vehicles might achieve supersonic speeds on land. But, until then, every extra kilometre per hour is an expensive fight against drag.

Dynamics: Dancing to driver’s tune

A car that can only go fast in a straight line is only half a hero. True supercars must be imbued with the ability to dance around corners with as much grace as they storm down motorways. This means balancing power with chassis rigidity, suspension technology, and driver aids. The challenge is making a car feel thrilling without becoming terrifying. This is a tightrope walk only a few manufacturers truly master.

Slowing down a supercar is almost as hard as making it go fast. That’s why modern supercars sprout wings, active flaps, and massive diffusers. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren even used its rear spoiler as an air brake, rising like an aircraft flap to slow the car down"

Speed is nothing without control. Brakes must be colossal, often carbon-ceramic, and supported by electronic systems. But as discs grow larger, they add weight, pushing engineers into new materials and active braking systems. Cars now use wings and spoilers to help them stop. In short, slowing down a supercar is almost as hard as making it go fast. That’s why modern supercars sprout wings, active flaps, and massive diffusers. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren even used its rear spoiler as an air brake, rising like an aircraft flap to slow the car down.

Tyre technology and Safety

Tyres are where theory meets tarmac. They must withstand colossal forces, provide grip at dizzying speeds, and not disintegrate under pressure. Tyres are so critical that James May, the famous co-host of Top Gear, once quipped about the Bugatti Veyron on a top-speed run, “Getting close to the maximum, which means the tyres will last for only about 15 minutes, but it’s OK, because the fuel runs out in 12 minutes.” That’s how punishing speed can be. Specially built, low-volume tyres cost tens of thousands each, and without them, all that horsepower is meaningless.

Active and passive safety features are also crucial to occupant safety. Very often, these cars are purchased by or gifted to young adults with little to no experience behind the wheel. With blistering acceleration, razor-sharp handling, and top speeds that push the limits of physics, the margin for error becomes incredibly slim. Active systems such as advanced traction control, stability management, and adaptive braking ensure the driver can harness power safely, keeping the car composed even under extreme conditions. At the same time, passive safety — rigid carbon-fibre structures, energy-absorbing crumple zones, and multi-point harnesses — provides reassurance that if the unthinkable happens, occupants remain protected. The fusion of both safety dimensions doesn’t necessarily dilute the thrill… it amplifies it, allowing drivers to experience the car’s potential with confidence.

McLaren

Creature comforts: From the basic…

For all their wild speed, supercars still need to behave like cars. Owners expect air conditioning, infotainment systems, and even massage seats. The audio system alone can cost thousands of dollars. The Bugatti Chiron, for example, has diamond membrane speakers that apparently cost $10,000 (Dh36,725) a piece. And with features like a nose/front suspension lift system to climb over speed humps and exploding bolts in the gull-wing doors of the Mercedes SLS that allow you to open the door in case the car flips over, you have to think of everything, you see.

Why is your super ride so expensive?

This is perhaps the biggest hurdle of all. Developing a supercar costs hundreds of millions, sometimes billions. And yet, they will only sell a handful of units. That’s why they cost as much as private jets. This is not just because they can, but because they must. For example, it takes about $6 million (Dh22 million) to produce a Mercedes-AMG One hypercar. But sometimes building a supercar has broader objectives. It may be seen as a branding exercise, a very expensive one, to create an aura around the brand. Sometimes, the people sitting in the boardrooms are simply bored with efficiency and value engineering and need something that excites them. But every new supercar project has a different set of objectives; after all, no two supercars are the same. In such rare cases, departments are given free reign over expenditure.

Beyond the commonalities, every high-cost, high-performance project has a different set of directives.

Jamie Corstorphine, the director of product planning at McLaren Automotive, says: “The priorities shift depending on the brief for each model. On the Senna, for example, we were chasing extreme downforce. On the Speedtail, it was all about reducing drag to reach the highest possible top speed. With the W1, we went for a more balanced and adjustable set-up, and on the GTS, the aim was to make the aero work in a way that’s refined and usable for everyday driving.”

Do we even need supercars?

Here’s the twist. In a world where everything is delivered to our doorstep, where we can video call across continents instantly, or even be present in distant places in our bio-mechanical or holographic avatars, do we even need supercars? Or cars at all? The pandemic reminded us that much of life can be lived from the sofa. When groceries, gadgets, and entertainment are a tap away, the justification for a machine capable of 400kmph seems more symbolic than practical.

But perhaps that’s the point. Supercars aren’t built because we need them. They’re built because we want them. They remind us that human ambition still burns bright, that art and science can meet in a mechanical sculpture, and that speed still thrills us — even if we never experience it ourselves.

So, while the world becomes ever more digital, the supercar remains defiantly analogue in its emotional appeal. It’s loud, it’s excessive, it’s impractical. And maybe that’s why, against all logic, we’ll never stop building them.

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