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The latest mid-engined Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens… our road testers rank them and name the best

Very few cars inspire the kind of instant, child-like, gleeful excitement that the best supercars do.

The term 'supercar' has become a little fluid over the past few years, but essentially they aim to combine exotic and singularly purposeful looks with kidney-crushing performance and physics-testing handling, at a lower price than a hyperpcar.

The route to outright performance has changed over the years too, with everything from pure-petrol machines to plug-in hybrids in the mix. There’s also still a surprisingly wide array of engine layouts, as turbo V6s jostle with atmo V10s and flat-crank V8s for combustive supremacy.

Even so, to take top honours in this class, a contender has to demonstrate a remarkable breadth of ability – because unlike the even more focused hypercars, these models have to be able to cope with day-to-day duties, with owners often keen to use their purchases for more than just high days and holidays.

Read on, then, as we reveal the best supercars on sale in the UK today. 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/

    Best for: driving pleasure

    Most Porsche 911 variants are excellent to drive, but the Porsche 911 S/T takes things to a whole new level. 

    Developed by Porsche's GT division, the S/T is one of the brand's most scintillating machines so far. It's an utterly magic 911, and quite possibly the greatest ever. 

    Powered by a 4.0-litre flat six, (a masterpiece, in our view), the S/T unleashes 518bhp in the most slick of fashions. It'll dispatch 0-62mph in 3.7sec.

    Thanks to a host of chassis and suspension changes, the 911 S/T is one of the sweetest road-going cars of its era, with accurate and responsive handling that befits even the roughest of UK roads. It's comfortable too, if a bit noisy.

    Just 1963 examples of the 911 S/T will be built, the number chosen to mark the 911's debut year. The 911 S/T was launched as part of the 911's 60th birthday in 2023.

    It's a remarkably exclusive car and has an initial list price of £231,600. That said, you'll probably spend closer to double that if you want one. Used examples command a price of nearly £500,000.

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    Latest in long line of fabulous Ferraris gains EV ability but loses nothing of its drivability. Another benchmark

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    https://www.autocar.co.uk/

      Best for: distance driving

      A few Ferrari fans fretted over the demise of the old F8 Tributo, the last pure-petrol mid-engined car to bear the prancing horse badge. Many thought a plug-in hybrid Ferrari would be a soulless shadow of its predecessor. 

      They were wrong. The Ferrari 296 GTB is sensationally well executed.

      At the heart of the car is a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine mated to a 164bhp electric motor to deliver a staggering combined total of 819bhp - in what's essentially a 'mid-ranking' Ferrari.

      Performance is relentlessly, savagely sensational, plus the 298 GTB will also crack a claimed 15.5 miles of electric-only range.

      What's more remarkable is that Ferrari has managed to make a car with this much power and performance potential feel so approachable and engaging.

      It's a remarkable supercar and shows that increasing levels of electrification don't necessarily mean diminishing driver rewards.

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      https://www.autocar.co.uk/

        Best for: V12 thrills

        Lamborghini finally confronted the age of electrified supercars with the Revuelto – the latest in a fabled line that includes the Miura, Countach and Diablo.

        While rivals shrink and turbocharge their engines to suit their new purposes, somehow the boffins at Sant’Agata kept a wonderful, free-revving, atmospheric V12 engine as part of the Revuelto’s mechanical recipe. Because, well… would a big Lambo be a big Lambo without one?

        The Revuelto features the most innovative, rigid, lightweight carbonfibre spaceframe-cum-monocoque chassis that Lamborghini has designed, using it to help offset the weight of three electric motors and a lithium ion drive battery.

        In total, it produces 1001bhp at 9250rpm, enabling the car to hit 62mph from rest in just 2.5sec and run to 217mph. 

        At 1800kg, it's a heavy supercar, but its handling is enhanced by the technology behind its electric motors. The car simply goes right where you’re pointing it, as it screams away at real pace and stratospheric revs. Overall, the Revuelto is a deeply impressive feat of engineering.

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        https://www.autocar.co.uk/

          Best for: handling

          A lot is resting on the success of the McLaren Artura, which is arguably the brand's first clean-sheet design in more than a decade.

          Immediately from its launch, it was clear the Artura meant business. It shares almost nothing with its myriad of predecessors, all of which were related in one way or another.

          It uses a completely new carbonfibre structure and electrical architecture, plus a new twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine, which is mated to a 95bhp electric motor.

          The Artura's set-up has been designed to be as light as possible, with motor and battery weighing just 130kg. As a result, the car dips under 1500kg all in. It is also capable of a claimed 19 miles of pure-EV running. 

          Overall, the powertrain produces 671bhp, which allows the Artura to sprint from 0-62mph in 3.2sec and from 0-100mph in 6.3sec. 

          Meanwhile, its chassis delivers plenty in the way of driver engagement and dynamic excellence.

          The brand has persisted with its hydraulic steering set-up, which means few rivals are able to deliver such crisp communication to your fingertips. The car corners flat and fast with superb body control too.

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          https://www.autocar.co.uk/

            Best for: versatility

            The Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato is the last and perhaps most entertaining variant of the company’s staple supercar – and that's no mean feat.

            It's based on a regular four-wheel-drive Huracán coupé but has been raised by 44mm and given 25%-softer springs and an additional 35%  suspension travel at the front and 25% more at the rear. The front track is 30mm wider, the rear track is extended by 34mm and the wheelbase is 9mm longer. 

            The car is clad in rugged plastic exterior trim, which you'll need when you take this stunning supercar off road. It's certainly not the most subtle car in the world, and that naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 – Lamborghini’s last – is as sweet as ever.

            On its off-road tyres, the Sterrato has a relaxed, easy and absorbent gait to its ride that’s slightly at odds with the sharpness of the 602bhp engine and quick-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 

            If it wasn't so loud, the Sterrato would definitely be the Huracán of choice if you were to choose one as a daily driver. Its ride is immaculate, and it's well isolated, despite its uncarpeted floors and unupholstered door cards. 

            As for the Sterrato's off-road ability, it feels incredibly natural on loose surfaces. Driving this supercar on dirt and gravel is as easy as driving it on road, and frankly, intoxicating. It's no wonder we voted it 2024's Best Driver's Car.

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            https://www.autocar.co.uk/

              Best for: all-round ability

              McLaren hit spectacular form when it launched the 720S in 2017. It showed that class-leading results could come from an unrelenting focus on stunning performance made usable.

              Be in no doubt: this was the best and most accomplished supercar on the planet for some considerable time. Not the most exciting, perhaps; not the most outrageous, either. Just the best.

              This car spent years in a league of one for its neat cornering balance and taut body control twinned with a fluent, road-appropriate ride; for its superlative ergonomics and visibility; and for its outstanding tactile control feedback and linear responses, rather than class-typical hyped-up steering.

              But if the 720S was the supercar of the 2010s perfected, and sweated for every detail, the 750S is… well, it’s broadly the same thing. Wonderful in all the same ways, but existing in the era of the 800-horsepower, electrified plug-in hybrid supercar, something of a particular prospect with a whiff of antiquatedness about it.

              When McLaren revised this car last year, it tweaked the exterior styling. Engineering-wise, it quickened the steering rack a little here, stiffened some engine mountings there, fitted new dampers and wheels, and installed a new braking system. But it updated details, rather than making wholesale changes where they weren’t needed.

              And the 750S is still sensational to drive – though perhaps not as technically alluring as its predecessor once was.

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              https://www.autocar.co.uk/

                Best for: agility

                There was a point not that long ago when many felt Maserati was ready to be read the last rites. The Italian brand had become a shadow of its former self, with the lacklustre Ghibli and Quattroporte saloons propped up by the characterful but aging GT models.

                Then, out of nowhere, it launched the sensational MC20, a supercar straight out of the top drawer. Rumoured to have started its development as an Alfa Romeo before Maserati took the reins, it ticks all the mid-engined exotic boxes.

                For starters, there's a carbonfibre tub, double-wishbone suspension all round and an all-new twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine that musters 621bhp. It's good for 0-62mph in 2.9sec and will top out at 202mph, even if it can't match the aural theatrics of a Lamborghini V10.

                Yet while the performance is on point in this company, it's the way the MC20 deals with the bits between the straights that marks it out as something a bit special.

                It weighs the right side of 1500kg for starters, which in combination with the quick steering delivers the sort of agility usually reserved for fleeing gazelles.

                It's perhaps not as communicative as a McLaren or quite as quick-witted as the Ferrari 296 GTB, but it's not far off, and it combines this cornering dynamism with a ride quality that makes it genuinely easy to live with.

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                https://www.autocar.co.uk/

                  Best for: track days

                  We thought the regular Porsche 911 GT3 was excellent, and then came the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS. 

                  With 518bhp and 343lb ft, the GT3 RS is a stunning technical achievement with blistering pace that includes sprinting from 0-62mph in 3.2sec. 

                  That huge swan-neck wing, which measures 6ft wide, provides three times more downforce than the regular GT3. It's the key to the GT3 RS's ferocious performance, along with new damper and differential controls. 

                  To rein in its pace, the GT3 RS also features exceptional brakes, which allow it to come to a standstill from 70mph in just 38.8m. That almost matches lighter, more aero-focused cars like the Dallara Stradale and the McLaren Senna. 

                  Make no mistake: this is a five-star car for track-day fans, and almost perfect for everyone else.

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                  https://www.autocar.co.uk/

                    Best for: devastating performance

                    This successor of sorts to the LaFerrari hypercar is the most powerful road car in Ferrari's history – or, at least, it was until the even more powerful XX version came along in 2023, which has now set the quickest lap time for a production car around the firm's Fiorano test track.

                    It's also a plug-in hybrid that can travel for up to 15 miles on electricity alone. 

                    The SF90 Stradale is a very different kind of Ferrari, then. It makes use of a heavily reworked version of the 488 Pista's twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 engine, which is complemented by a trio of electric motors that raise the Ferrari's total power output to a staggering 986bhp, allowing for a 0-62mph time of 2.5sec.

                    Despite the additional weight that the powertrain brings, the car is still just as grippy and devastatingly quick as you would expect a mid-engined Ferrari to be.

                    That said, the SF90 Stradale demands respect and concentration when exploring the area between grip and slip.

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                    https://www.autocar.co.uk/

                      Best for: hardcore racing

                      The uprated Corvette Z06 has ruffled quite a few feathers in the rarefied atmosphere of the supercar class.

                      As you’d expect, there’s more power than the standard Corvette, with a flat-plane-crank 5.5-litre V8 developing a healthy 670bhp and revving to a heady 8500rpm.

                      It'll get you from 0-60mph in 2.9sec but, just as important, it sounds the business, bellowing and crackling with the aural excitement of true blue-blood Italian. 

                      With a 30%-stiffer suspension set-up than the standard C8, the Z06 dives in to corners with zeal, gripping hard and resisting run-wide understeer.

                      For road use, its limits are spectacularly high, while the quick steering engenders the car with a real sense of agility. The adaptive dampers combine supreme control with enough compliance to make the Corvette a usable, everyday car too.

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                      FAQs

                      What is a supercar?

                      A supercar is a high-performance car that combines breathtaking performance, class-leading driving dynamics and stunning design. They're designed for drivers who crave speed and come in a variety of engine layouts, including V8s, V10s and even high-octane V12s. Supercars are capable of achieving incredible acceleration and top speeds, often combining cutting-edge, motorsport-derived technology, lightweight materials and superb aerodynamics to elevate the driving experience above that of a regular sports cars. Despite all of these desirable features, they're outpaced by the more exclusive, rare and powerful hypercars, but they're still fabulous driving machines. 

                      How fast can supercars go?

                      There's no set rule or top speed for supercars but they often reach speeds higher than 200mph, putting them well above the fastest sports cars on sale. It's not all about outright top speed, though. Supercars are some of the fastest-accelerating cars too, with some travelling from 0-62mph in less than four seconds. The fastest can sprint to 62mph in under three seconds. 

                      How much do supercars cost?

                      Supercars are vastly more expensive than sports cars but don't often come close to the price of hypercars. They're certainly not cheap. The most 'affordable' (for want of a better word) supercar on this list is the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, which starts from around £150,000, should you spec one for purchase in the UK. Compare that with the most expensive - the £450k-plus Lamborghini Revuelto - and it shows just how broad the gulf in price can be. Others, such as the Porsche 911 S/T, are so exclusive that you'll need to go to specialist dealers to buy any remaining stock - often for double the original list price, nearing £500,000 for that particular Porsche. Ouch. 

                      Can supercars be driven every day?

                      Yes, supercars can be driven daily, but they are best suited to short drives due to their low ground clearance, stiffer suspension and limited storage space. They are ideal for weekend drives or special events rather than everyday commuting.

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                      Comments
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                      CoralineEstrella 22 July 2023

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                      deppi0 22 July 2023

                      Slightly biased review imho... 3 McLarens and another British car that hasn't even hit the market yet?None of the Porsche 911?Ferrari F8 tributo?Audi R8 

                      sabre 22 July 2023

                      "old school approach"  "six-speed manual gearbox, plus there's no anti-lock braking, traction control or airbags"  is a rather noble way to commit suicide