What Makes a Supercar a Supercar?

What is the definition of supercar?

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Complex Original

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What is a supercar? It's a term these days that's so casually used it seems that nobody really knows what the true meaning is anymore. There aren't just a few brands making insanely high-performance, high-design vehicles anymore. There are cars coming out of places you rarely hear about, like Dubai (W Motors) or Croation (Rimac). And with the rise of car blogging, where anybody can say anything on the Internet, it seems that so many cars these days are catching the tag "supercar" that don't really deserve it.

So what really makes a supercar a supercar? We turned to the opinions of people we know, respect, and trust in the auto industry, whether that be writers, editors, photographers, racecar drivers, or videographers, to find the answer. To get the conversation going, we prompted them with these questions:


  • How would you classify something being a supercar? How would you define a car as being "super?"

  • Or what about a hypercar—where is that line?

  • How do you think the term is overused/misused?

  • Are there any cars that are widely considered supercars that you don'tactually think are supercars? If so, how do you determine that?

  • Do you think that older supercars that have stats that aren't really impressive now should still be called supercars?

Some responded with a simple but effective paragraph, others responded by directly answering each question, and several responded with mini essays, describing exactly how this word has been shaped. See what they all had to say ahead.

[What Makes a Supercar a Supercar? is the first article of Complex Rides' "Supercar Week," seven days of nothing but features and coverage about everything supercar. Stay locked for a new feature everyday detailing the corners of the supercar world, including interviews, essays, and best-of lists.]

Jeff Glucker

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Noah Joseph

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Tim Burton aka Shmee150

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Stuart Hayim

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Zach Doell

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Douglas Sonders

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Tony Markovich

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Travis Okulski

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Sami Haj-Assaad

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Stirling Matheson

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Nelson Ireson

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Brian Makse

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