Image via Complex Original
Over the past 10 years, the word supercar has become a staple in the automotive world. And although some people use it a little too loosely, it generally describes a car that is extremely powerful, extremely luxurious, and equally as expensive. That last part is a bugger, the very thing that keeps us from driving supercars.
Often, the most intriguing and most beautiful vehicles on the planet are accessible to only an extremely small group. Some of you see the cars and simply accept that they're expensive because they're awesome. Other question, "Why?" Why the hell is that Bugatti more than $1,000,000. Why is that Rolls-Royce more than $400,000? What could possibly make a car cost that much?"
We're here to explain how these high costs are rationalized. Read on for 8 Reasons Supercars Are So Damn Expensive.
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8. Emerging Technology
Let's use the Rimac Concept_One as an example here. Rimac claims it's the world's first electric hypercar, and the $980,000 price let's you know they 100 percent think they're correct in saying so. The car that has concept in its name but isn't actually just a concept anymore has four individual-wheel 92kW motors running the power, producing 1,088-horsepower (0-62 in 2.8 seconds), and allowing for 372 miles on one charge. These high-society companies are always on the hunt for ways to make lighter, more efficient and more powerful powerplants. When they're the first ones to discover these new techniques and methods, they put price tags on their cars that reflect that.
7. Specialized Vehicles
Although some might not bracket them in the same grouping, we still consider more affordable cars like the Nissan GT-R and Chevrolet Corvette supercars. Their performance gives them the right to be in this discussion. The ZR1 starts at $112,600 and has a 638hp supercharged V8, while the $96,820 all-wheel-drive GT-R has a 545hp twin-turbo V6 that sprints to 60 mph in an other-wordly 2.7 seconds (do you hear that sound? The sounds of Lambo and Ferrari owners gulping down their words of objection?).
Anyway, why can these cars put out that performance and maintain a lower price? Although part of it has to do with the rest of the quality of the car, part of it has to do with the backing of companies that make their money selling $20,000 vehicles. They aren't really selling the Corvettes and GT-Rs to make huge profits. That's what the other cars are for, and hiking the price even further just wouldn't make any sense. Companies like Ferrari are selling high-end cars and high-end cars only.
6. Hand-Built
Although you can ceratainly walk up to lots and buy used supercars straight from the lot, that's not how most people play the game. When going to these dealerships, they expect to have a car crafted for them, not a burger that's been getting stale under the heat lamps. When these companies get orders for their customers cars, it can sometimes takes weeks or months before they see the vehicle. Why? Because these specialty boutique companies don't use mass production lines like the corporate manufacturers. Every part on these cars is assembled by human hands, constructed with love, care and tenderness.
5. Branding and Marketing
Many of the high-performance supercars you see on the market are not solely in the business of making production vehicles. Often, these companies like McLaren originally built cars for the race circuits and have continued to do so. With the nature of speed and performance ingrained into their heritage, the production vehicles of these companies are no doubt part of the promotion and marketing of these track teams. There's no better promotional tool than to actually have the cars that inside the pits out on the everyday roads.
4. Customization
People don't spend $200-500,000 and expect to pull up to the same car next to them. Despite the built-in wow factor of the supercars, these people will be hanging out with crowds of the same types of vehicles, therefore, they need to add custom touches that separate their vehicle from everyboy else's on the planet. Whether this means new wheels, a one-off paint color (Rolls-Royce never uses the same paint twice), or a diamond volume knob on the stereo, these companies will tailor your car specifically the way you want it.
3. More Advanced Structuring
The higher the stakes are raised for supercars, the lower and stronger the base structures of these cars go. Increased use of carbon fiber is the wave of the future and is being seen in the monocoques of upcoming cars like the highly anticipated Ferrari F150 and BMW i8. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer is much more easier to mold and use in curves, is vastly lighter than materials like steel, and provides incredible strength. So, why doesn't your Honda Civic have a CFRP frame? Fork over the mula and the guap and it could.
2. High Quality Interior Materials
Last year we were able to speak to the head leather man for Rolls-Royce Motor Company. He helped explain to us the exact process of how they find and produce the leather and interior materials that go into their $400,000 cars. When Andrew Monachan took over, he went to Italian markets, searched high and low for various leathers, learning what people preferred and chose over other options.
They ended up going into business with a small father and son company, for which they provide about 60 percent of their business now. The leather comes strictly from bulls that are used for producing meat. And these aren't steroid-juiced, mass production bulls. Rolls-Royce hides come from cows that eat high-protein meals and live in open fields. Furthermore, the paint on their leather is one-sixth the thickness of the average high-end leather, giving it an incredibly soft an supple feel.
1. Limited Runs
The exclusivity of these cars is a bit of a self-feeding cycle. Although much of the prices of these cars is self-sustaining and justified, part of it is to produce the air of rarity. Because of the high prices, only an extremely small percentage of people can afford them. And because not a lot of people purchase them, the prices need to remain high for business sense. The crazy part is that supercar companies often make limited special editions of their supercars.
Take the Aston Martin One-77, for example. As the name suggests, only 77 were produced. For this specialty vehicle, Aston Martin produced a 7.3-liter V12 engine that was 25 percent lighter than its 6.0-liter, a newly designed six-speed sequential manual, re-engineered Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes, and a range of bespoke options. Is that worth paying $1.5-2 million? For the most powerful naturally aspirated car on the planet, maybe.
