Hypercars are at the edge of engineering, the very pinnacle of technology. People often ask what goes into a hypercar to make it the greatest in the world.
Besides having a glance of these cars at international car shows, the only other place we may see such cars is outside the garage of a billionaire business tycoon. Hyper cars are quite a rare sight.
Whereas before these hypercars used to adorn the bedroom walls of automotive enthusiasts, they are now being seen on gaming consoles where young petrolheads can at least drive these cars virtually if not in the real world.
The massive price tag that hypercars come with mean they are more accessible to the super rich than to everyday car buyers. An opportunity to drive or even ride in a hypercar is indeed a rare occasion and should not be missed under any circumstances.
Hypercars are in between full-blown race cars and supercars meant for the road. Many hypercars have engines that are in excess of 1000 bhp taking them into the league of Formula 1 cars using advanced technology and specifications or parameters.
Such powerful engines come in ultralight weight bodies that are made from carbon fibre, aluminium, magnesium alloys and other exotic materials that match the hefty price tag.
Some established hypercar manufacturers include Bugatti, McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. These cars are both hyper fast and hyper expensive.
The Most Exciting Hypercars of 2022
In the past couple of years, we have seen new manufacturers join the ranks of hypercar makers with brands such as Koenigsegg, Pagani, and Zenvo producing some very exclusive and powerful machines.
Although these manufactures have taken the traditional route with petrol driven engines, there are some other companies like Rimac that are producing all-electric powertrains for their hypercars to deliver over the top performance.
Customer demand for these hypercars is always high, with billionaires looking to spend on flashy cars that are hyper exclusive on the roads. Demand for these types of cars shows no slowing down at least for the near future.
There are also a set of buyers that buy these cars for their collectability prospects, because many of them are made in such limited numbers, that a few years down the line, the price of the cars multiply as desirability for them increases.
Let’s have a look at some of the most exciting and mind boggling hypercars of 2022
Gordon Murray T50
After designing the McLaren F1 back in 1992, Gordon Murray is now looking to one up that masterpiece with the T50. And this hypercar will have the world at its knees for a number of reasons.
The T50 uses absolutely no electric motors, instead makes use of a V12 engine that is naturally aspirated, and has a rev range above 12,000 rpm producing a whopping 650 bhp.
Following in the footsteps of its lightweight sibling, the T50 makes use of ultra lightweight materials and compact engineering to make best use of all that power.
And just like the McLaren F1, the T50 will have a central driving position that seats three in its cabin. The T50 will also have a fan for active aerodynamics at the rear, something that has not been seen on production automobiles and has so far been reserved for the F1 world on the racetrack.
Road going versions are expected to be ready this year, and the automotive world is at the edge of their seats waiting for this hypercar to hit the roads.
Lamborghini Centenario
Built to celebrate the 100th year birth anniversary of company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, the Centenario uses a highly modified Aventador engine, a 6.5 litre V12 and comes with carbon fibre body panels designed for outstanding aerodynamics.
It was first unveiled at the 2016 Geneva motor show and was announced to have a limited run of only 40 examples, making this hyper car an exclusive model. A driving on road model is yet to be finished, but the prototypes are fast and look absolutely wild from all angles.
With an extremely noisy engine that has oodles of power, the extravagant and flashy hypercar from Lamborghini ticks all the boxes that the company is known for. It is indeed an insanely fast car and a very special one to drive. And with a price tag of $2 million dollars, it is hyper expensive as well.
Koenigsegg One:1
The Koenigsegg One:1 from Angelholm, Sweden comes with a turbocharged V8 that runs on ethanol and cracks out around 1300 bhp. It has an estimated top speed of 400km/h that comes up in an unbelievable 20 seconds, and is the quickest car to come out from the factory.
What’s missing on the car are jet engines and missiles, because this kind of techno wizardry has only been seen before on aircraft that are designed with only one thing in mind, and that’s speed.
It makes plenty of power and torque from its turbo and is fitted with a twin clutch transmission to put all that power onto the road through the wheels.
Road testers have ascertained that as you squeeze the accelerator pedal, the turbochargers can be heard spooling up and transferring great amounts of power to the rear wheels that can lose traction even in higher gears. A testament to the torquey engine that defies all limits. The One:1 has been designed as the holy grail of super cars having a 1000 bhp engine and weighing exactly 1000 kg, hence the name One:1 referring to that heavenly ratio that is supposedly going to give this hyper car otherworldly handling characteristics.
Bugatti Chiron
The Bugatti is well known for having the fastest and most powerful production cars in the world. When the predecessor of the Chiron, the Bugatti Veyron was built, its W16 engine, 1000 bhp four-wheel drive platform totally shattered the speed record of 400 km/h. It was only logical that Bugatti would step up to the plate again, to beat their own record.
The Bugatti Chiron uses a completely carbon fiber monocoque chassis that is lighter than its sibling’s aluminium body. And it comes with a 1500 bhp engine with 4 turbochargers, that has taken the record of the highest speed attainable by a production road car to 500 km/h. It has taken the hypercar to unbelievable levels and made its own stable mates look slow and weak compared to it, which is not such an easy task.
A hypercar has never broken records as easily as the Chiron. Given, the W16 engine of the Chiron has loads of turbo lag from its 4 units, and the engine sounds like a roaring lion, people cease to believe that this kind of power can come from just a car. The ride and handling are said to be firm (it should be when it can touch 500 km/h), and the Chiron has been described as an overwhelming and remarkable car that makes towering achievements in the world of hypercars.
McLaren Senna
When the most revered name in F1 history is used to identify the latest in a series of hypercars, people stand up and take notice, knowing that this is one special car from the McLaren stables.
There are people out there that already have a strong opinion about this marketing move, asking if McLaren really had the rights to use the name of a legendary F1 driver. Saying it is not such a good idea, McLaren had other plans.
The function over form ethos of this car is plain to see. The Senna is the fastest and most advanced hypercar to be manufactured by McLaren, and it definitely is the most exciting road legal race car that the manufacturer could create. It has people changing their mind about whether using the Senna name is justified. McLaren thinks it surely is.
The McLaren Senna has so much grip around a race track that it is capable of shattering previous records by whole seconds (which is a lot in the hypercar world). At its peak it can develop nearly 800 kg of downforce and has a screaming V8 that makes around 800 horsepower. You would expect this car to test your nerves on a race track and make road driving an impossible task. But the Senna is neither, having excellent road handling characteristics and impeccable manners around any road, track or not.
The amount of feedback, stability and drivability is unmatched even though the Senna can hit speeds known to only prototype racing machines around a circuit. It goes to show how much McLaren have worked to deliver an extremely drivable hypercar that lives up to a legendary racing heritage.
Ferrari LaFerrari
The latest and greatest hypercar to come out of the Ferrari stables makes a sensational peak that has been never seen before from the manufacturer.
It is powered by an incredible 789 bhp, V12 engine with a capacity of 6.3 litre and is assisted by a 161 bhp electric motor hooked up to the rear wheels, giving the Ferrari a total of 950 bhp to unleash on the road.
Ferrari have announced that this hyper car can reach 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds and touch 300 km/h in 15 seconds. Phenomenal figures that are utterly fast.
Even though the LaFerrari has enormous performance capability and extremely complicated mechanical components, its on road manners are very subtle and non-aggressive, making this an extremely approachable and exciting car to drive.
Each of these examples cost nearly $1.5 million dollars and it is limited to a run of 500 examples. The LaFerrari is a testament to what Ferrari does best and the standard by which all other hypercars are measured.
Porsche 918 Spyder
As the only hypercar that can match anything offered from Ferrari or McLaren, the 918 Spyder comes equipped with powerful electric motors that augment its brutal V8 engine that can rev to almost 9000 rpm and produce more than 900 lb ft of torque.
Its 21st century technology has an appeal that no other manufacturer can rival and a heritage that can be matched by no other car maker. The electric motor can be used on its own for only about 20 kilometres, but most of the time is used to add power to the already brutal and powerful V8 engine.
The 918 is both raw and exciting to drive, accelerating from rest with so much force, its hard to imagine how it behaves at full throttle on a race track, which is where it shines.
It is truly, staggeringly fast round a race track and holds records that were previously held by McLaren. Just by looks alone, the Ferrari LaFerrari is more beautiful, and it will not let you feel like a Le Mans racer, yet the 918 is a special car that can only be appreciated when driven at full throttle.
Conclusion
A hypercar is defined as a supercar that breaks through the elements of regular supercars in terms of performance, acceleration, exclusivity, handling, top speed, and design.
But all hypercars have some things in common like ultra-lightweight bodies, powerful engines, advanced aerodynamics, and sometimes hybrid powertrains that make the internal combustion engines even more powerful.
The very peak of hypercar performance and the fastest most exclusive examples have been chosen for this list of heavenly cars.
All these cars have set some sort of record, on track or off it, and come with insanely large price tags that keep them out of reach from you and me.
Yet, they have been listed here to show what the automotive world of hypercars has to offer in terms of speed, design and outright performance.
Some of these hypercars now come with state-of-the art, electric hybrid motors that propel them to unbelievable speeds around race tracks. Others have such powerful internal combustion engines that adding an electric motor would just be pushing the boundaries of performance too far.
But one thing is for certain, all hypercars in this list are a monument to automotive science and the thrill of outstanding performance.
