Hypercar is a term few people, even in automotive enthusiasts circles, understood or used 10 years ago. Sure, hypercars existed before 2010, but there were very few of them, and very few people who fully recognized what defines a proper hypercar. I’m going to assume plenty of people still don’t understand exactly what the term “hypercar” means, and provide an explanation before we get into how this market has evolved in recent years.
A hypercar is essentially a vehicle that marries extreme performance with extreme styling, extremely low production numbers, and an extremely high price tag. If you’re noticing a theme here, you’re on the right track. Hypercars are a step above supercars, which offer their own set of impressive performance numbers, styling cues, and price. But where supercars top out, hypercars are just getting started.
As an example, a (relatively) high-volume Ferrari or McLaren might cost $300,000, produce 630 horsepower, accelerate from zero to 60 in 3 seconds, have a top speed of 205 mph, and have global production in the 1,000-4,000 range. As stated, these are impressive numbers. But today’s hypercars cost well over $1 million, offer 800+ horsepower, accelerate to 60 mph in around 2.5 seconds (or less), have a top speed over 220 mph, and boast total production numbers of less than 500 cars, often far less.
Why “Rare” Hypercars Are Suddenly Not So Rare?
Those numbers might seem ridiculous for a street-legal automobile, but it’s exactly this level of ludicrous performance, and cost, that drives the customer passion for hypercars. Brett David, CEO of Prestige Imports in Miami, confirmed the market for these cars has multiplied in a relatively short time. “The exotic car market has transformed over the last few years,” says Brett. “Lamborghini was a single model brand for much of its history, now it offers 3 separate volume models, plus limited-production hypercars like the Sian FKP 37. We used to sell 3 Lamborghinis a month. Now we sell 20.”
