There was a time when a sports car was fast, but eventually, they just weren’t enough, so the supercar was born. This type of car included Lamborghini Countach, Porsche 959, the Ferrari F40, and the Ferrari 458. These were high-speed cars with price tags that excluded most buyers. Then in the 21st century, with better technology and materials, not even the supercar was enough. At that point came the hypercar. These cars pushed speed to a new level with massive engines, turbos, and hybrid systems. They also moved the price to a level that even supercar buyers couldn’t afford.

Beyond performance and price tag, there is another crucial factor, and that’s innovative and exciting designs. To go as fast as they do, hypercars needed more oversized air intakes and more aerodynamic bodies, which changed how these cars needed to be made. Today hypercars are some of the most beautiful cars available, if not ever available. Unfortunately, many of them make you say, “What were they thinking?”

10 Beautiful: 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari

2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta In Red On Bring A Trailer
Bring a Trailer

2015 was a special year for the hypercar, with the delivery of three of them, one of which was the LaFerrari. It’s hard to find a Ferrari that isn’t beautiful, but there are a special few that separate themselves from the herd. The front end with its aggressively slanted headlights makes it look angry, which is appropriate because it can destroy the roads. The wedge-shaped body flows smoothly from front to back with butterfly doors ahead of its massive air intake built inside its flared rear fenders.

161-Mile 2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta Sells For $5.36 Million On BringaTrailer
Via: BringaTrailer

To make It part of the Hypercar class, it goes from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and reaches 100 mph in 4.8 seconds, making it quicker than many supercars get to 60 mph. Its V12, along with a KERS electric motor, produces 959 horsepower and will reach 217 mph. To do that will cost you $1,420,000.

9 Beautiful: 2019 Ferrari Monza SP1/SP2

Ferrari-Monza-SP1
via caranddriver

The next Ferraris to make this list are the Monza SP1 and SP2. Along with the new Daytona are what Ferrari calls its Icona line. These cars are new takes on a historic model known as the 166 MM Barchetta. The number of seats makes these models different, with the SP1 even more racecar-like. Both models are even more unique than modern cars with their lack of windshields that assist in making them extraordinarily aerodynamic.

grey 2018 ferrari monza sp1
via Ferrari

The engine borrowed from the 812 Superfast makes 809 hp and gets to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. These cars were only available to 499 select Ferrari owners with a price tag of $1,800,00. Those who bought one now own a great vehicle and a piece of history.

Related: Ferrari Monza Vs Aston Martin V12 Speedster: How The Two Supercars Stack Up

8 Beautiful: 2015 Aston Martin Vulcan

Black Aston-Martin-Vulcan on the driveway
via wired

No one is surprised to see an Aston Martin on this list, as they are famous for their gorgeous designs. Named after Vulcan, the Roman god of volcanos was influenced by other cars in the Aston Martin lineup, the Vantage, the DB9, and the super limited edition One-77. The Vulcan is designed for the track. It sits very low to the ground and looks even lower thanks to its underbody diffuser. The large rear wing created plenty of downforce to go around the track in phenomenal times,

Aston-Martin-Vulcan
via pinterest

It has a massive 7.3L V12, specially tuned to make 829 hp with a top speed of over 224 mph, but is said to feel even faster. While it was initially designed to only be used on the track, there have been owners who have modified them for use on the road. Only 23 were made, and each one cost $2.3m.

7 Beautiful: 2022 Koenigsegg Regera

Koenigsegg-Regera
via supercars

Its shape draws heavily from the cars Koenigsegg has built before. It starts with a front splitter and a hood that slants upward to a removable double-bubble roof. The doors are dihedral synchro-helix with a hinge mechanism that allows the doors to rotate 90° by sweeping outwards and upwards at the hinge. After passing the large air intake, you get to the back with a rear diffuser. There appears to be a tailpipe, but in reality, it’s a vent for the electric motors.

Koenigsegg Regera
Via: WSupercars

The hybrid system has three parts, three electric motors, two of which make a combined 697 hp, a third that makes 215 hp, and a 5.0L twin-turbo V8 that produces 1,100 hp for a mind-blowing total of 1,797 hp. That power gets to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and its top speed of 249 mph in 23 seconds, with only one gear. Koenigsegg ended up building 80 of them, all of which are taken for a price of $2,000,000 and can go up another million by the time you add in options.

Related: Koenigsegg Shatters 0-249-0 MPH Record With Regera Hypercar

6 Beautiful: 2022 Lotus Evija

Lotus Evija, front
Via: Lotus

The Evija has a similar wedge shape body that many supercars and hypercars do these days, but with its unique twist. The hood has two large air inlets that flank its slanted headlights, and the car's sides have deep indents that maximize its aerodynamics. The taillights are an unusual ring shape that encircles two rounded triangles. Because it’s a purely electric car, there is no need to vent the exhaust, which gave Lotus the freedom for creativity above its large rear splitter.

Lotus Evija, rear
Lotus

The four electric motors produce 1,970 horsepower, and Lotus says it will reach 60 mph in under 3 seconds and 124 mph in under 9 seconds. They also haven’t released an exact top speed, but it will be north of 200 mph. It cost $2.3 million and required a $250,000 deposit to claim one. All 130 have been spoken for, so you’ll have to wait for one of the owners to put theirs on the market.

5 Missed The Mark: 2014 Lamborghini Veneno

The Veneno Roadster
Via Pinterest

Lamborghinis have always had a more is better philosophy regarding design. They’re incredibly flashy and showy that they feel over-complicated. They have excess air vents and oversized wheel fenders. You can see this in the rear window of the Aventador SVJ, Centenario, and nearly all of their concept vehicles. The Veneno is also a great example of this.

2014 Lamborghini Veneno
Via MobileAvto:YouTube

There is no elegance to it, just harsh angels that look like they would cut your finger if you touched them. The Veneno is a modified version of the Aventador, a supercar that looks like a Lamborghini but without being gaudy. Hypercars are supposed to be serious vehicles, but the Veneno seems silly.

4 Missed The Mark: 2022 McLaren Senna

2019 McLaren Senna Sports Car
Via: Pinterest

McLaren had built three cars in what they call their Ultimate Series. The first two, the F1 and the P1 were beautifully designed and a pleasure to look at. However, they seemed to have lost their way with the Senna. It was designed to be as fast as possible, and that’s clear from how they put aesthetics second.

2019 McLaren Senna Sports Car
Via: Pinterest

It looks all right from the front, but as soon as you go around the side and look at its profile, things go downhill. Many of the fastest cars have found ways to be aerodynamic and look good, but McClaren seems to have missed that class in school. The good news is that it looks more like a blur when moving at speed.

Related: Sibling Supercar Showdown: McLaren Senna Vs 720S Drag Racing

3 Missed The Mark: 2021 Aston Martin Valkyrie

via autoexpress.co.uk

Even the makers of the most beautiful cars have a bad day now and then. Aston Martin seems to have had one of those days with the release of the Valkyrie in 2021. They stepped right off a cliff in their attempts to take things in a new direction.

via carmagazine.co.uk

They intended to build a car that would make its driver feel like an F1 driver, but they forgot that when it leaves the track, people are going to see it. The size of the wheels doesn’t seem to be in proportion to the rest of the car, and while the thin front end may be suitable for speed, it’s hard to look at.

Related: Look At The First Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar Rolling Off The Production Line

2 Missed The Mark: 2020 Hispano Suiza Carmen

Hispano Suiza Carmen front third quarter view
Hispano Suiza Cars

Where do you even start with this one? The last car Hispano Suiza built went on sale in 1938, and it looks like they resurrected the designers of that car to create this one without telling them it was the 21st century.

Hispano Suiza Carmen rear third quarter view
Hispano Suiza Cars

It seems like they took a Bugatti Veyron, took a belt sander to its sides, slapped on the 1/4 panels of a Plymouth Prowler, and bolted on the tailfins of the Batmobile from the 1960s TV show. Then the back suddenly drops off, and the taillights seem to be in bed, hiding under the covers.

1 Missed The Mark: Bugatti Centodieci

White Bugatti Centodieci on the road
Bugatti

Was there anything wrong with the Bugatti Chiron? The design was an improvement over the Veyron that came before it. Then Bugatti tried to get cute. They decided they needed to build spin-offs as if they weren’t making enough money off of each Chiron.

Bugatti Centodieci quarter rear
Via Bugatti

It has the Chiron’s long body and general shape, but they gave it a botched facelift that took its front end from looking aggressive to looking like a cat with whiskers and a windshield that looks too small to see out of. It was supposed to be a tribute to the EB110, but it feels more like an insult.