Supercar vs. Hypercar: What Do These Terms Even Mean Anymore?
Key takeaways
- Is something like the Corvette ZR1 really a hypercar?
- There’s nothing controversial about asserting the following: The Mazda Miata is a sports car, the Porsche 911 is a supercar, and the Bugatti Chiron is a hypercar.
- Why would Aston say something so obviously untrue?
Why this matters: an automotive development that could shape industry direction or buying decisions.
Is something like the Corvette ZR1 really a hypercar? And if not, why not?
There’s nothing controversial about asserting the following: The Mazda Miata is a sports car, the Porsche 911 is a supercar, and the Bugatti Chiron is a hypercar. Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s obviously some sort of duck. The thing is that the lines are blurred today more than ever before. Sometimes they’re blurred for impure reasons.
For example, executive editor Mac Morrison recently drove the Aston Martin Valhalla, a hypercar by any other definition, and poked fun at Aston’s own claim that its mid-engine, funny-doored, 1,064-horsepower monster is not in fact a hypercar but rather is just a lowly supercar. Why would Aston say something so obviously untrue? Because it wants to say the Valhalla is the company’s “first ever supercar,” thereby not stepping on its other, even more extreme existing hypercar, the Valkyrie. And probably to avoid irritating all its Valkyrie owners. But come on. Likewise, General Motors was hella quick to market its 1,250-hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X (and even the standard ZR1) as “America’s hypercar.” But are the beastiest ’Vettes really just incredibly powerful supercars?