Top 10 Supercars of 2008 – The Coolest, Best & Most Exciting Cars in the World This Year
Tough fuel prices nor an economic crisis will slow down the march of the supercar. 2008 was another exceptional year with too many launches and too little time. With no flagship models coming from either from Ferrari or Lamborghini, we also had much more room to fill. As always 2008 was a good year for supercars which is why our list has 12 cars and not 10. Ooops.
At the very beginning of the year we got Mazda’s Furai which hits our top spot. Not only do we applaud its radical styling, but also the functional Courage chassis from motorsport. Nothing produced or tuned this year came together with such synergy.
A very good year, in fact. From four-door Lambos to American muscle that actually goes round corners, we’ve been treated to a whole bunch of insanely fast, insanely expensive metal that proves the supercar is far from on its last legs. In fact, it’s healthier than ever.
Here’s some of our favourite supercar stuff from the past 12 months. Click on the blue bits and appease your need for, er, speed…
Seasons greetings and all that. See you in the new year.
Related: Don’t forget to check out all our best supercar lists for more insanity.
Mazda Furai Concept
Best Concept Supercar
Furai takes Mazda’s unique Nagare (Japanese for “flow”) design language a step further as it is translated into a concept car based on an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) racing car. The car utilizes the Courage C65 chassis the company campaigned in the ALMS series only two seasons ago, and the 450-hp three-rotor rotary engine that distinguishes it from anything else on the track. It looks stunning and easily wins our best supercar concept of 2008. Learn more…
GTbyCITROEN
Spaceship on four wheels
GTbyCITROËN is geared to the world of motor racing, with its dynamic styling, sculpted lines and sharp graphics. The rear end is oversized, made exaggeratedly long in order to create an effect of retinal persistence. The idea is to make the concept car even faster visually. The white-to-grey gradation on the body side further underlines this impression of continuous movement. Learn more…
Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series
661 horsepower widebody monster
As the third Black Series car to come from AMG, this is the ultimate SL. The SL 65 AMG Black Series is AMGs punch in the face to the horsepower wars. With a new carbon fiber body and bonded roof that does away with the heavy 250 kg folding top. But the upgrades don’t stop there, almost every system in the SL Black Series has been upgraded for optimum performance. Here are the high level stats: 661 horsepower, a $300,000 price tag, and a limited run of 350 cars. Learn more…
Ferrari F430 SP1
The million dollar fully custom F430
SP1 is newest and first supercar to come from Ferrari’s own customization program. It was designed by Fioravanti but executed and sold by the Ferrari factory. Japanese collector Junichiro Hiramatsu took delivery of his SP1 earlier this year. It joins his extensive collection of Ferraris, literature and models.
Bugatti 16/4 Veyron Grand Sport
World’s fastest cabriolet
In Summer 2008, as a response to customer request, Bugatti is introducing a new model – the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, a roadster with a unique, removable roof. As well as a large number of new equipment features, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport also incorporates innovative structural solutions designed to ensure that the roadster offers the same extremely high levels of passive safety as the coupe. Learn more…
Ariel Atom 500 V8
Who said bigger is better
Ariel announce the latest version of the Atom – the Ariel Atom 500, powered by a small V8 engine. With over 500 bhp in a 500 kilo package the Atom 500 will boast one of the highest power to weight ratios ever for a production car, ever. At over 1000 bhp per tonne the Atom 500 will be the ultimate statement in performance and is destined to be made in a limited edition. Learn more…
Rolls-Royce Pininfarina Hyperion
Truly bespoke luxury
The Hyperion, a one-off custom-built car derived from the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe which made its world debut at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, America’s most important competition for historical classic and one-off cars and a prestigious annual event. The car is named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology, to underline its architectural and figurative power. The car as an artistic expression. Learn more…
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Chevy’s most powerful vette yet
”Chevrolet’s goal with the new ZR1 is to show what an American supercar can deliver, at a price that trumps exotics that cost two, three or four times as much ? and does so with exceptional driveability,” said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. The new LS9 6.2L small-block engine is the power plant the supports the ZR1’s performance capability. The enabler of the LS9’s performance and refinement is a large, positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger with a new, four-lobe rotor design. It is augmented with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for maximum performance. Try 638 bhp @ 6500 rpm and 604 ft lbs of torque. Learn more…
Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
Faster, harder, pointier
With the new Gallardo LP560-4, Lamborghini once again sets a higher standard for super sports cars. It delivers clearly improved performance and dynamics. In parallel, its innovative design takes the classic lines unique to the Lamborghini brand one step further. The Gallardo LP560-4 has a new 5.2 litre V10 engine with an output of 560 PS (412 kW) at 8000 rpm. The increase of 40 PS compared with that of the previous Gallardo, and the approximate 20 kilogram reduction in weight, improves the power weight ratio to 2.5 kilograms per PS (hp) and thus enhances performance. The LP560-4 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. Learn more…
Ferrari F430 Scuderia Spider
A drop-top lightweight Ferrari
This was the last Ferrari F430. The limited edition (only 499 we built) Scuderia Spider 16M was built to celebrate Ferrari’s 16 Formula One constructors’ championships and it is based on the Ferrari Scuderia coupe. The basics are the same as the Scuderia with the 16M getting the higher compression 4.3 liter V8 that is good for an extra 20bhp and 4 lb/ft torque over the base Spider. Bodykit, aero, suspension, interior and electronics are all fettled like the Scuderia coupe too. The 16M weighs in around 3300 pounds, about 200 fewer pounds than an F430 Spider, or just over 200 more pounds than a 430 Scuderia. Learn more…
Pagani Zonda Cinque
The craziest Zonda (by far)
Pagani released pictures of its new road-going track car in June of 2009 and it was called the Zonda Cinque. Behind the driver’s head in the Pagani Cinque Roadster is a hand built twin turbocharged AMG V12 engine that makes 678 HP. That tremendous amount of power lets the rocket ship inspired vehicle to sprint to 60 MPH from a standstill in just 3.4 seconds and hit 200 km/h in under ten seconds and it won’t stop until it reaches a top speed of 217 MPH. It’s a limited edition car (we’re talking only five examples) Racy doesn’t even begin to describe it. Learn more…
Aston Martin One-77
Bond’s DBS on steroid
The One-77 is Aston Martin’s definitive sports car, one that epitomises everything Aston Martin from technology, the hand-craftsmanship of the hand rolled aluminium panels to the attention to detail. A culmination of all the marque’s know-how, the One-77 delivers effortless beauty guaranteed to stir the senses with performance potential eclipsing any previous Aston Martin. Only 77 of Aston’s million-quid supercars will ever be built. Learn more…
