From your bedroom wall to the desktop of your first computer, these are the cars that celebrated big power, big engines, and spectacular performance.
Audi R8
The Audi R8 first graced the market in 2007. We loved its futuristic design, and how it didn’t really deviate much from the Audi RSQ concept Will Smith drove in “I, Robot.”
Bugatti Veyron
This was the car that redefined production car performance. For a car with 16 cylinders, 10 radiators, and 4 turbochargers, it was comfortable and luxurious on the inside. It famously made 1,001 bhp.
Corvette ZR1
Chevrolet’s brutally fast, supercharged ZR1 wiped the smirk off the face of the European supercar market. Costing nearly half the price of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, the ZR1 was the ultimate bang-for-your-buck performance car.
Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
Ferrari took lessons from its experience in FIA GT races to produce the performance-focused version of the 360 Modena. Weight was significantly reduced and the car was fitted with an F1-style gearbox and finished off with a stripe down the middle.
Ferrari Enzo
The predecessor to today’s LaFerrari, Ferrari bestowed honor upon the Enzo by naming it after the company’s founder. The F1-inspired looks ushered in a new era of design at Ferrari.
Ford GT
A throwback to the Ford’s legendary Le Mans racer, the GT40, the Ford GT managed to capture the retro styling of the old race car and offered a supercharged V8 and one of the tallest first gears ever.
Koenigsegg CCX
Koenigsegg designed the CCX as its first car to enter the U.S. market. It had the extremely cool “dihedral synchro-helix actuation” doors that wowed everyone who laid eyes on them.
Lamborghini Superleggera
Lamborghini took the Gallardo and increased the power and reduced the weight. The result was this “superlight” Gallardo with a lovely stripe arcing up its side.
Lamborghini’s 2000s halo car was featured in Chris Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” It had huge air ducts to feed the massive V12 engine sitting between the front- and rear-axles.
Maserati MC12
Few people will get to lay eyes on the rare Grand Tourer Maserati created in 2004. Derived from Maserati’s race cars, the MC12 was light and rigid and had a 6.0 liter engine that produced 630 bhp.
Mercedes SLR McLaren
Born from the Mercedes and McLaren Formula One partnership, the SLR McLaren had a supercharged V8. Don’t let the luxurious Mercedes body fool you: this car was insanely fast.
Nissan GT-R
By typical supercar standards, you wouldn’t consider the R-35 GT-R. It seats four and has a front-mounted engine. But in terms of performance and acceleration, we’ve always admired it.
Pagani Zonda
Each Zonda was handcrafted in a workshop in Italy under the watchful eye of Horatio Pagani. More art than car, Paganis are in their own class of quality and design
Porsche Carrera GT
A lighter-than-air flywheel and a glorious V10 exhaust note. What more do you need?
Saleen S7
Steel spaceframe aluminum and honeycomb panels made up the body of the S7. With a huge 7.0 liter engine, it made a whopping 750 bhp. Unfortunately, though, Saleen didn’t make many S7s, and the chances of seeing one are pretty low.
From: Road & Track