There are so many 3D modelers making incredible-looking digital renders out there that sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between the virtual and real world. Especially with lesser-known car companies, it's easy for them to create a virtual model of their car but many of them never make it past that stage.
Even with more established automakers, there are scores of fans that make their own design studies of models they'd like to exist, some of which even get noticed by the brand themselves. As cool as virtual models are though, they can never match the real thing. These eight cars all look like they're just a digital render, but unbelievably, they're real-life models that have been seen testing or even been delivered to customers. They look too good to be true, but they're actually all real-life supercars.
8 Devel Sixteen
The Devel Sixteen is supposedly the world's most powerful supercar, with an insane 5,000hp engine. When it was first announced, many doubted such a car could even be built, let alone be driveable.
Devel proved those doubters wrong though, and several high-profile reviewers like Supercar Blondie have got their hands on the Sixteen prototype. There's still some questions over whether that 5,000hp figure is correct, but even so it's just amazing that such an unreal-looking car actually exists.
7 Pininfarina Battista
The impossibly smooth lines of this car in the press shot above makes it look more render than real, but the car is in fact very much real. The first deliveries of the Battista have been shipped to customers, eager to get their hands on this super-EV.
Yes, this 1,900hp beauty is all-electric, and supposedly has a range of around 280 miles. Perhaps it's less surprising to know the car made it to production when it was made by Pininfarina, one of the greatest design houses of all time. If anyone could have created a gorgeous electric supercar, it would be them.
6 Bugatti Le Voiture Noire
This special creation is a on-off based on the already-insane Bugatti Chiron. It took the crown as the most expensive new car ever when it was unveiled, costing over $18 million. That's an unbelievable sum of money, but then this is an unbelievable-looking car. The car was designed as an homage to the original "Le Voiture Noire", a Type 57 Atlantic that went missing when Bugatti moved factories.
It's probably the most expensive automobile ever to disappear. Designer Ralph Lauren reportedly turned down an offer of over $100 million for his Atlantic, so it's safe to say the original Le Voiture Noire would be worth even more. In that context, it makes sense that this new version is the most expensive new car ever.
5 Zyrus LP1200 Strada
The Zyrus LP1200 Strada looks like a 3D modeler went ham on a Lamborghini Huracan, and well... that's because they did. The only difference is that this design was actually brought to life by Norweigan company Zyrus.
It's arguably the most insane Huracan ever, with an engine that produces 1,200hp. At first it was a track-only model, but after exceptional demand Zyrus managed to make a road-legal version that's available to commission for anyone with deep enough pockets.
4 Bugatti Bolide
The unbelievably fast Bolide is Bugatti's latest project, and is strictly track-only. That means that the company's designers have been able to go even more extreme with aero than previously. It's led to one of the most unique designs Bugatti has ever built.
Development of the car is currently in progress but prototypes have been spotted testing in various locations around the globe. Other than that, most details haven't been announced yet. That means car fans will just have to watch and wait to see exactly if and when Bugatti start shipping these cars to customers.
3 Apollo Intensa Emozione
Rising from the ashes of Gumpert, the Apollo IE was reborn in 2017. The car has been developed in conjunction with HWA AG, a racing manufacturer that usually makes parts for Mercedes AMG. Only 10 units of this spaceship-like car are planned to be produced, and they sold out shortly after the IE was announced.
The car uses a Ferrari V12 to develop 780hp, and its unique design was specifically created for optimum aerodynamics. The Gumpert Apollo was a divisively-styled but undeniably brutal car, so it's great to see the company getting a second life with the arrival of the IE.
2 Lamborghini Terzio Millennio
This design study was created by Lamborghini in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The idea was to explore what cars of the future may be like, and well it certainly looks the part.
It's an all-electric car described by Lambo's chief technical officer as a "thinking box" rather than a production car. Unfortunately that means that there's unlikely to be any more built after the one prototype that already exists. But, hopefully some of the car's features make it into production Lamborghinis very soon. It might not be the most practical thing to drive every day, but that still wouldn't stop most car fans from trying.
1 Hyperion XP-1
While most manufacturers are touting electric power as the transport of the future, startup carmaker Hyperion have taken a different route. Their XP-1 is powered by hydrogen, an unusual choice but one that's received significant interest from big names such as Toyota.
It's a very futuristic-looking car, one that up until recently some dismissed as a piece of vaporware. However, a heavily-camouflaged prototype has been spotted in public several times, including driving round Los Angeles. It's always uncertain whether a new car company will make it to the production stage with their car. But, the XP-1 looks awesome so let's hope that it does.