Most of us know a Ferrari from a Lamborghini, know the Hennessey Venom is not a snake but a car and understand why the McLaren is such a marvelous piece of engineering. But these are supercars we have heard of, seen (if we are lucky enough) and know about.
What about the supercars we have never even heard of? From car companies, we did not know existed? Unless you are a supercar buff and follow each new release from all parts of the world avidly, this list may come as a surprise to you. Of course, just because we haven’t heard of them, doesn’t mean they are any less awesome…
10 Tushek Renovatio T500
With many countries producing indigenous supercar models, why should Slovenia be left behind? Presenting the Tushek Renovatio T500 that is pretty cool but follows the standard supercar DIY model of today – a lightweight body, a V8 or more engine from a reputed company and some OTT styling.
The Renovatio T500 zips 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds with a 4.2-liter V8 engine sourced from the Audi RS4 that jets out 450 horsepower. Top speed is roughly 198mph and this car is the brainchild of the race-car driver and Tushek founder, Aljosa Tushek. It differs from many others by being a convertible rather than a hardtop coupe most supercars tend to be.
9 The Nio EP9
With the US and Europe going all out with supercars, how can China be left behind? Presenting the Nio EP9, a halo car for Chinese EV maker NextEV. Its claim to fame is that it is the fastest electric car on the Nurburgring, or rather, it is the fastest road-legal car to lap the ring ever.
Meaning in 2017 it set a new record lap time of 6 minutes and 45 seconds, powered by four electric motors that produce one megawatt (forget kilowatts and forget Tesla too). A good muscle car could do 0-62mph in about 6-7 seconds, the Nio EP9 manages 0-124mph in 7.1 seconds making it a blink-and-you-missed-it kind of a car.
8 The Techrules Ren
Imagine a car that looks good and is powered by a turbine engine instead of a normal V8 or V12. Jaw-dropping, right? But that is what the Techrules Ren is – a marvelous piece of automobile engineering produced by the Chinese but designed by Italians.
The Ren comes in three engine forms – a turbine and two electric motors (429 horsepower), a turbine and four electric motors (858 horsepower) or the final avatar of a turbine and eight electric motors (1287 horsepower). A carbon fiber chassis and an aluminum rear bulkhead keep the total weight to about 1630 kg and a top speed of 205mph for this three-seater car.
7 The Zenvo TSR-S
Danish company Zenvo is no stranger to being in the spotlight. In 2009, they launched the ST1 supercar which hit the news for all the right reasons. The same ST1 made headlines for all the wrong reasons when it caught fire on Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson behind the wheel after it had broken down twice already. Zenvo was not happy, but neither was Clarkson. But now, Zenvo is back with the TSR-S.
Only five will be made each year by Denmark’s only native automaker, and the price is likely to be close to $2million. The 5.8-liter V8 goes Mad Max with two superchargers, and aided with a centripetal (read waggling) rear wing, this supercar can do 0-124mph in 6.8 seconds at a top speed of 202mph.
6 Arash AF10
Home of the AC Cobra (think Shelby), Aston Martin, Jaguar, and the McLaren – the Brits do not shy away from their supercars. So when Iranian entrepreneur and British resident Arash Farboud wanted to buy a Porsche 911 GT1, he was refused on the grounds of the sale being one by invitation only.
With a surfeit of funds, Arash Farboud decided to make his cars, first launching the Farbio Sports Car under Farboud Limited. After selling both car and company, he launched Arash Motor Company Limited in 2006. In 2009 the AF10 was unveiled, then powered by Corvette’s Z06 6.2-liter V8 engine that jetted out 505 horsepower. AF10 never made it into production but a 2016 revised model now shows 2080 horsepower from a hybrid drivetrain.
5 The Lykan Hypersport
Forget Arabian tales, now the Arab world is famous for its cars with the Lykan Hypersport even making an appearance in the Fast and Furious 7. The company who makes this $3.4million car is an Arab-Lebanese venture called W Motors, and they have Italian engineers to really up their supercar game.
The twin-turbocharged (Porsche?) engine has been tinkered with by German tuner RUF and manages 770 horsepower and 750 ft-lb torque, making it go 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds. If you had the wherewithal to buy this, you would get a $200,000 Cyrus Klepcy watch as a gift, and a 3D holographic screen as car infotainment. Mad!
4 The GTA Motors Spano
Hola from Spano, the GTA Motors supercar from Spain. While it was initially introduced in 2009 as a concept car, they are now well into production with a mark of 99 cars only. The chassis is a blend of carbon fiber and titanium, and the engine is a turbocharged 8.4-liter V10 from the erstwhile Dodge Viper.
They place this behind the seats instead of under the hood, and it still pulses out 840 horsepower, making the car zoom from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of 230mph. The current price is supposed to be somewhere near $1.5million, and Spain is now firmly amongst the supercar countries of the world.
3 Shayton Equilibrium
This is the second car from Slovenia on this list – which means this country seems to have gone all out in supercar production. Shayton in Sioux Indian means falcon, and one look at the Equilibrium’s powerful lines makes you scream predator.
This is not a car you want to see behind you in the rear-view mirror. But it is a car you’d love to be barrelling down the highway to hell in because it has a V12 engine that whips up 1084 horsepower and a torque of 685 ft-lb. It sprints 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds at dizzying top speeds of 250mph. Think of it as a falcon on wheels.
2 Trion Nemesis
Rooting for good old Murican supercars? Here comes the Trion Nemesis, that looks as mean as it sounds. Trion is an automaker based out of California, founded by automotive engineer Richard Patterson. Nemesis is their first offering to the supercar world and with its home-engineered twin-turbo quad-cam V8, it will pulse out a whopping 2000 horsepower.
This baby will hit the ground running, and how! An eight-speed sequential gearbox makes sure this beauty whizzes around at top speeds of 270mph and does a 0-60mph sprint in 2.8 seconds. They plan to make a special Black Ops edition for the Nemesis, with a predator mode that makes it look even scarier.
1 Arrinera Hussarya
Poland is in the race too, with the Arrinera Hussarya. The car is named after Poland’s Hussar Cavalry renowned for their prowess as fighters and their fighting style. It was dangled as a concept car in 2012 and entered production in 2016 – being Poland’s first-ever sports/supercar. A 6.2-liter V8 engine jets out 789 horsepower, making it accelerate from 0-62mph in 3 seconds.
As compared to the other supercars around, this one is only expected to reach a price of $300,000 – maybe because initially there were reports of it being nothing more than a Lamborghini in disguise. A whole design change and a few years later, the Hussarya hit the market in 2016.