SSC Ultimate Aero. Click the photo gallery link to see all the supercars.
Photograph by: Handout , Canwest News Service
The Green revolution has gone completely unnoticed by some in the
automotive world, judging by the horsepower under the hoods of today’s
supercars.
Despite these tough economic times and our newfound environmental
sensibilities, there is still an appetite to build and buy the next
generation of supercar. There is now a new exclusive group called the
1000-horsepower club.
Let’s put that into perspective. The World War Two Spitfire MK1A fighter
plane tipped the scales at 2.9 tonnes and was powered with 1,175-hp
engine. Most of the cars in the 1000-hp club are lightweights weighing
little more than a tonne.
If a lottery win is in your future, you might want to cast your eyes
over these top-ten supercars, rated by horsepower that qualify you for
membership in the 1000-hp club. (All prices quoted in U.S. dollars.)
1. Locus Pléthore, 1,300-hp, $412,000.
Surprisingly the supercar with the highest horsepower rating is built in
Canada. Perhaps this spectacular creation will help repair the memories
of our last Canadian built sportscar the Bricklin SV1.
Dubbed the “Quebec Bomb”, the Pléthore is built by HHT Locus
Technologies in Quebec. The chassis and body is made entirely out of
carbon fibre weighing approximately 1,134 kg. Fitted with the option
high horsepower engine the 1,300-hp version has a power to weight ratio
of a formula one racing car. The heavily modified 8.2 litre Chevrolet
V-8 engine is mated to a Tremec six-speed manual transmission and
capable of 328 km/h.
2. SSC Ultimate Aero, 1,287-hp, $620,000.
The SSC Ultimate Aero is an American-built mid-engine supercar, built by
Shelby SuperCars (SSC), of West Richland, in Washington State, no
relation to the famous Carroll Shelby.
It is capable of speeds in excess of 400 km/h thanks to the SSC 387-cid,
V-8 billet aluminum engine block. The Aero knocked the Bugatti Veyron
off its perch as the fastest car in the world when officials from the
Guinness Book of World Records recorded an official speed of 411.85 km/h
making it the world’s fastest supercar.
3. Lotec Sirius, 1,200-hp, Price upon request!
Lotec is a small German company that works closely with Mercedes-Benz.
Its uses the same 48-valve, 6.0-litre Mercedes-Benz V-12, with
twin-turbochargers, that powers the Italian built Pagani Zonda. The
Sirius uses the CIMA gearbox (also used by Koenigsegg) which sits behind
the engine. The bodywork is made from the optimum combination of
carbon, Kevlar and fibreglass materials.
A Lotec C-1000 at the 2005 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale,
Arizona, sold for $225,000 but it was built at a cost of $2.2 million!
It weighs in at 1.2 tonnes, can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 400 km/h.
4. Mosler 900S, 1,150-hp, $329,000.
The Mosler 900S is a culmination of over 20 years of research and
development of Warren Mosler’s technical team and designer Mark Trenne.
The California based company uses the iconic 5.7-litre Corvette LS6
engine, mated to a German Getrag 6-speed transmission. The body is
comprised of three large sections of carbon-aluminum honeycomb over a
chrome-molly tube chassis.
Nelson Racing in the USA has tweaked a Mosler accomplishing an output of
1,800-hp. The 900S can hit 100 km/h in 3 seconds and is capable of well
over 320 km/h.
5. Zenvo ST1, 1,104-hp, Price has never been published.
The 1,104-hp Zenvo ST1 is a 100 percent Danish product. The
cutting-edge, sharp lines and simplicity that is often associated with
Danish design makes it a stunning car to look at. Everything about the
Zenvo is over the top, from its turbocharged and supercharged (yes both,
that is not a typo) 7.0-litre V-8 engine to the yards of carbon fibre
covering its chassis. The transmission is a 6-speed manual that drives
the rear wheels. This supercar has a 0-100 km/h time of 3.2 seconds and
boasts a top speed of 373 km/h (233 mph) the top speed is electronically
limited. Does it remind you of Darth Vader!
6. Koenigsegg CCXR, 1,018-hp, $2,205,600.
The Koenigsegg CCXR is a specially modified version of the CCX, easily
recognized by its unpainted carbon fibre body. Only six of these special
order examples were built. The CCXR has to be the first environmentally
friendly million-dollar supercar. It runs on E-85 biofuel, the ethanol
cools the combustion chambers and the higher octane value increases
horsepower. The twin-supercharged 4.7 litre biofuel V-8 CCXR weighs 1.2
tonnes, is capable of 0-100 km/h in 3 seconds and has a top speed
exceeding 400 km/h.
7. Bristol Fighter “T”, 1,102-hp, $670,000.
Bristol is one of England’s most exclusive luxury car builders, in business for 62 years.
The marque’s most recent model, the Bristol Fighter, was named after one
of its successful World War Two aircraft. The Fighter is fitted with a
purpose built 8-litre, Chrysler V-10 Viper engine.
After the launch of the Fighter its clientele requested more horsepower,
to accommodate a desire for sheer power. Bristol responded by offering
the Fighter “T” fitted with twin-turbochargers and intercoolers. The
V-10 produces 1012-hp and 1,036 ft-lb of torque. Unlike most supercars,
the Fighter “T” has room for six-footers, has room for luggage and is a
very comfortable touring car for intercontinental journeys.
8. Barabus TKR, 1,005-hp, $660,000.
The TKR, produced by Barabus Sportscars, of Italy, is capable of
achieving Formula One times. I is powered by a 6.0-litre aluminum block
V-8, with twin intercooled turbochargers, capable of accelerating the
TKR from 0-100 in 1.67 seconds and a top speed of 437 km/h.
The front-end styling is similar to the Saleen S-7 and the rear
resembles the Pagani Zonda. Ceramic brakes are standard equipment but at
the published speeds, parachutes might be preferable!
9. Bugatti Veyron, 1,001-hp, $1,440,800.
The Bugatti Veyron has its place in supercar history as one of the most
powerful and fastest street legal production cars in the world. The 8.0
litre, quad-turbo, W-16 engine produces 1,001-hp. If you drive the
Veyron at its recorded top speed of 407 km/h you will drain its
100-litre fuel tank in 12 minutes. Perhaps running out of fuel is a
built in safety measure, as the $25,000 worth of tires used at this
speed would explode after 15 minutes.
10. Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo, 1,000-hp, $580,000.
Saleen is now offering customers of their 750-hp S7 Twin-Turbo supercar
the option of a performance upgrade. For an additional $65,000 on top of
the S7’s $580,000 base price they will boost the 7-litre, twin-turbo,
V-8 output to 1,000-hp.
With the 1,000-hp upgrade the car has topped more than 416 km/k in
testing. At this year’s Barrett-Jackson, a used S7 sold for $412,500.
Now that’s more my kind of price.
Posted 14th October 2012 by rupak khan
