Best Supercars in the World: A Car Culture Special

A car pre-faced with the word “super” is bound to be special, and supercars are indeed special. Becoming a pop culture phenomenon unto themselves, although supercars are primarily adored by automotive culture enthusiasts, they enjoy widespread recognition beyond endurance race tracks and lavish European car shows.

They are admired by kids and adults of the general public alike. After all, everybody has a “dream car”, even those who cannot and perhaps never will learn how to drive.

More often than not, that dream car is a supercar, or something that very closely resembles it. So before we examine a list of the best supercars in the world, perhaps it’s best to define what exactly one is. The term is broadly attributed to luxury high performance cars; luxury being a key term here as no expense is spared in creating and manufacturing these lavish beasts.

They are not something that is ever meant to be defined as affordable. This means they are also commonly referred to as “exclusive”, “rare” and “exotic”. Although as we go through this list, you’ll learn that not every supercar ticks all of these boxes, and whether it really matters anyway.

So without further ado, Rear View Prints presents its list (in no order) of 13 the best supercars in the world.    

1. Mclaren F1

  Although this blog is quite clearly labelled a discussion of the best supercars in the world, part of what makes the Mclaren F1 special is that it became the catalyst for the era of a step above; which would be come to known as the “Hypercar”. Probably quite easily the greatest car of the 1990s, and potentially the greatest car of all time, the Mclaren F1 has some seriously luxury hardware, including a gold-plated BMW V-12 which pushed the vehicle to an almost unbelievable 240MPH.

On its debut it was the fastest and most expensive car in the world, perhaps a byproduct of the manufacturers goal to make it “the best road car in the world”. It was also highly celebrated for its unique driver focused seat arrangement, with one central drivers seat and two passengers seats pushed back and to the side.  

2. Bugatti Veyron

  It’s not hard to see why the Bugatti Veyron would feature on a list of the best supercars in the world. In some ways, it embodies some of the central themes the supercar has become so well known for, not least absolute lavish excess.

When German manufacturing giant Volkswagen set out to make the vehicle, it became very quickly clear that very little expense was to be spared. A top speed of 254 mph was to go down in legend and add to the overall mythos of the Big Bad Bug, becoming one of the most sought after and celebrated supercars ever made.  

3. Ferrari F40

  You knew it wouldn’t be long before the Italian giant Ferrari appeared on a list of the best supercars in the world, but you’ll have no prizes for guessing what comes first.

Even in a list lacking an overall order there are just some cars that will always be mentioned before others; and the Ferrari F40 is one of them. A 478-horsepower twin-turbo V8, a brilliant chassis and an overall style that oozes 80s excess and nostalgia, it’s not hard to see why the F40 is one of the most popular cars ever made.

Boasting ringing endorsements from driving greats such as Dario Franchitti who named the F40 as his favourite drivers car, as well as being the last car that Enzo Ferrari personally approved, it’s easy to see why the Ferrari F40 occupies such a special place in the hearts and minds of not only car fans but people in general across the globe.  

4. Ford GT

  Based on the Ferrari-slaying GT40, it would be clear from the get go that the GT would have some serious pedigree in the modern world of supercars.

Tuned by Carroll Shelby for an impeccable drive, the car was an instant hit upon release, with 4,038 models eventually produced. Its looks and heritage make it a staple favourite amongst supercar fans and an easy entry into a list of the best supercars in the world.  

5. Ferrari 250 GTO

  The 250 GTO is officially the most expensive car of all time. That fact alone is enough to secure a place on our list of one of the best supercars in the world. There is much else to celebrate though.

It’s often voted the best Ferrari of all time, which is no mean feat considering the cars the red giant has manufactured. It was able to hit a stunning 158 mph in the grand old year of 1962. Impressive, eh?

But standard fare for a supercar! You can own your very own tribute to the most expensive car of all time with our awesome Purebred Legacy print, available here. A no-brainer for any Ferrari fan across the globe.  

6. Jaguar XJ220

  Even though the XJ220 was met with disappointment commercially, it still managed success on the road that’s not to be snorted at.

This beastly supercar set world race records as well as winning the prestigious 24 Hours of Le-Mans. Further still, this car was an absolute beast performance wise. In pursuit of top speed, it near enough compromised on everything else. A recurring theme for some of the best supercars in the world  

7. Pagani Zonda

  A modern supercar manufactured by the late and great F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio, the Pagani Zonda is going to be one of very few cars on this list made by a smaller manufacturer.

This beautiful carbon fibre monster was powered by one of the greatest engines ever made, the AMG M120 V12 placing it easily amongst the best Italian cars ever produced and one of the best supercars in the world.  

8. Porsche 918 Spyder

  Level with us, you’ve scrolled down or hit CTRL + F on page to find where Porsche was mentioned, haven’t you? We don’t blame you, rabid Porsche fans. The 918 Spyder is one of the more modern cars on the list, which is not to degrade its position at all.

On the contrary, this subtle beast features tweaked design elements that make it stand out from predecessors and will ensure a modern flair for years to come, as well as boasting a 0-62 mph speed in just over 2.5 seconds. Pure class.  

9. Lamborghini Miura

  Widely regarded as the first true supercar and it’s not difficult to see why. The Miura was the beginning of the Lambo brand that would become synonymous with high performance and supercars that you see all over the world’s roads today. At the time its introduction it was the fastest production car in the world.

Not bad for a vehicle that was made largely in the spare time of the design team and against company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s wishes, who was not much interested in competing with local rival Ferrari’s race car inspired beasts.  

10. Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale

  Only 18 of these vintage delights were ever produced, so that’s the “rare” box ticked straight away on the list of supercar credentials. More than that though, the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale was an absolute beauty.

If looks are your thing, many car fans will tell you it’s hard to beat what the Tipo 33 Stradale has going for it. Long making it one of the most popular supercars in the world.  

11. LaFerrari

  Ferrari have dubbed their hybrid supercar “the maximum expression of what Ferrari is about”. Strong words, but it’s probably fair to say the LaFerrari lives up to the hype.

It’s a beautiful and modern design with power that means 62 mph is hit in less than three seconds. Furthermore it could be all yours for a cool $1 million. Happy shopping!  

12. Koenigsegg

  In an era where manufacturers are building with modern hybrid technology, the Koenigsegg instead chooses to keep it old school with its 1:1 ratio in power to weight ratio.

This beautiful Swedish supercar was first introduced at the March 2014 Geneva motor show, making it another modern entry on to the list. Just in case you wasn’t convinced of its credentials to be on a list of the best supercars in the world, it is officially the fastest car on the planet, hitting a top speed of 284 MPH. Wow.

13. De Tomaso Pantera

 Back to the old classic throwback of supercars, we couldn’t let this blog end without a glowing tribute to the De Tomaso Pantera. It’s not likely to be first or maybe even last on a lot of people’s lists of best supercars in the world, but the Pantera oozes an Italian beauty and romance that is largely unmatched by today’s modern hybrids.

The vehicle itself houses a humble Ford-sourced 266-horsepower V8 which isn’t going to topple any of the more powerful cars on this list, but that’s never been the De Tomaso Pantera’s main appeal. Its sheer beauty is iconic; with some supercar fans even arguing its supremacy to early Lamborghinis.

That just about rounds up our latest blog. As always we do hope you’ve enjoyed reading it, and if you haven’t, you are more than welcome to let us know why on all our usual social media channels of twitter, facebook and instagram.

Please, try and keep disagreements respectful! We’re all passionate car fans here and will all have varying opinions. Remember you can buy some amazing car art and posters featuring some of the iconic supercars listed in this blog over on our website here, so make sure you don’t miss out on that.

Next week in the magazine section we’ll be starting a series on some of the more famous F1 tracks in history, featuring some quite frankly awesome infographics for your consumption as well as the usual accompaniment of words from the Rear View Prints team. 

If you're still not satisfied and are thirsting for more car content, check out how you can get 12 TOTALLY FREE wallpapers for your phone, tablet, desktop, laptop or whatever gadget you desire! Available below right now! See you next time.