Here in Britain we have been responsible for the design and manufacture of some the worlds favourite supercars. Think of the word supercar and more than likely you will picture an awesomely red Ferrari Enzo or a ferocious Yellow Lamborghini Diablo. Germany has its Porsche 911, and in France there is Bugatti with its Veyron but on our own shores we have produced some of the greatest high performance sports vehicles ever created.
Our machines are worthy contenders to be battling for grid position at the high end of sports car manufacturing, with Mclaren, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley and Lotus all having rich and glorious automotive histories and they have all have contributed with their own unique machines.
Supercars are elite cars built for raw and brutal performance; they are very, very expensive, as well as being quick and loud and they possess distinct features like no other cars. They are uniquely designed with centrally located powerful engines, they have nimble handling and of course they are sleek, eye catching with a bumper price tag to match.
Supercar manufacturers make an art out of speed and engineering, they crave the buzz from their invention having the fastest acceleration, the mightiest turbo engines and unparalleled cornering ability.
It is all about automotive perfection, performance and quality.
You can define a supercar by its specifications (or stats) but it is really all about being ridiculous, you wouldn’t nip to the shop for a pint of milk in a Pagani Zonda or drop the kids off at playgroup in a beautiful Lamborghini Gallardo – supercars are on a whole different level.
Impractical as they are for everyday life, these motors are fun, fast and they blow your mind!
We don’t own them; as kids we had posters of them on our walls. We rubberneck if these dream machines bellow their obnoxious noise down the high street. Anyway, enough of the superlatives, onto the cars themselves and – specifically – the British ones. The five most impressive supercars to have been manufactured by British automotive companies.
Of the British manufacturers of stylish and exclusive high-performance sports cars, Mclaren is probably a good of a place to start as any, with the legendary F1.
Mclaren F1
The Mclaren F1 is regarded by most in the automotive industry as being the car made with the most impeccable engineering skill, a car which took supercars to a whole new level. On March 31st 1998 the Mclaren F1 set the record for being the worlds fastest production car, reaching 231 mph (372 km/h) with the rev limited enabled and 243 mph (391 km/h) with it disabled.
The concept was the brainchild of Gordon Murray, he was backed by Mclaren Founder Ron Dennis and exterior designer Peter Stevens; together they firmly put Britain and Mclaren on the motoring map. The Mclaren F1 will be remembered as one of the greatest cars in history and the speed record it set is still very hard to beat nearly 20 years later.
It could travel from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and 100 mph comes in 3.2 seconds, but the F1 is more than just impressive stats, it set superior standards with innovative manufacturing techniques which were way ahead of its time.
106 F1s were produced between 1992 – 1998 at the Mclaren headquarters in Woking, although the incredible 6.1-liter 60-degree V12 engine was sourced from BMW in Germany. This same engine was also used to power the BMW V12 LMR prototypes from 1998 to 2000. Murray actually looked to both Honda and Isuzu before settling on the BMW V12 LMR engine to power this supercar.
The Mclaren F1 was built to blow every other car that had come before it out of the water and it did. Its uncompromising nature led it to Le Mans victory in 1995, it stood alone both in its abilities and design, including its centrally based drivers seat
Mclaren is now in the process of developing the P1 which was due to go into production in late 2013, can they raise the bar even further?
Aston Martin One 77
Aston Martins entry into my top 5 British supercars is the One 77, this front engine, rear wheel drive, two door coupe first appeared at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. A special offering from the quintessentially british manufacturer that optimises everything that a supercar should be.
Only 77 of them were manufactured (its in the name) and they were priced at £1 million, each of these ultimate cars was bespoke to each different customer and one they were all sold almost as soon as they were announced. It was limited in production but this beautifully crafted British supercar was certainly not limited with its astonishing speed or style.
No more One 77s were produced and Aston Martin was strong on its stance of there being no test drives for the press.
With a top speed of over 220 mph, the One 77s 7.3 litre V12 is capable of 0-6mph in 3.7 seconds and as per Aston Martin and their design team, they have created a beautiful vehicle full of class, character and that handsome Aston look. Its lucky owners of the special edition supercar will be getting the first Aston Martin to reach speeds in excess of 200 mph, thanks in part to its incredibly light carbon fibre body.
Aston Martin One-77 Specification:
Engine: 7.3-liter V12
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Engine: 7.3 Liter V12.
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Top speed: 220 mph.
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0-60 mph: 3.5 seconds.
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2700 man hours of hand. craftsmanship.
The car retained the DB9s 6-speed automated manual transmission but it was improved along with added dynamic stability control.
Assembled in Warwickshire, the heartland of British car manufacturing, the One-77 has picked up several international awards including the Concorso dEleganza, The Chicago and Best Design from Auto Express magazine amongst many others.
Like most supercars, the only way many of us will get to be behind the wheel of this powerful machine is on Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport – its just not fair!
Jaguar XJ220
My next choice in this list of supreme British manufactured supercars is the Jaguar XJ220, a car which held the record for being the fastest production car throughout 1992 until the mighty Mclaren F1 stole that mantle.
This does not detract how mighty this collaboration between Tom Walkinshaw Racing and Jaguar itself was. The XJ220 made use of engineering work from Jaguars racing car team, the turbocharged V6 engine was installed in only 275 cars which were produced by the time production ended.
Jaguars slogan for years was Grace, Space, Pace and a mantra which was recognised in both their line of luxury high end cars and also by record sales of the MK vII, IX, Mks I and II saloons. The XJ220 is one of the fastest cars Jaguar has ever produced and was the pet project of Jim Randle – the goal was to exceed 320 km/h, which they met comfortably.
The prototype initially had a V12 engine but it was replaced with the eventual V6 resulting in an overall weight reduction. The reason it was replaced was to ensure the car complied with emission regulations and it was actually a more powerful option. The production car differed substantially from the original show car, and demand was lower than initially anticipated and production was capped at 280.
It took years for these final cars to leave the factories and sadly the XJ220 will be remembered as a failed super car mainly due to its timing, the engine problems and the success of its contemporaries which resulted in this lack of success.
Lotus Esprit
Lotus Esprit is my next entry into my top five British supercars and is the car with the longest history. Originally produced between 1976 – 2004, this vehicle was produced and assembled in the Lotus plant in Hethel Norfolk. It is also is the car in my list with the biggest number actually produced. There were 10,75 built and a number of different generations were rolled off production lines.
The original concept car was unveiled at the 1972 Turin Motor Show as a developed version of the Lotus Europa, eventually replacing it in the Lotus model lineup.
There have been five generations of the Esprit manufactured by Lotus:
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First generation 1976 – 1979
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Second generation 1978 – 1981
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Third generation 1980 – 1987
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Fourth generation 1987 – 1993
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Fifth Generation 1993 – 2004
The Esprit is an iconic and a classic sports car, it gained initial fame when it appeared in the 1977 James bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. In 1997 the Esprit E1 was powered by the Lotus Type 907 engine and contrary to its role in the spy movie, it was not able to drive underwater, in 1981 the car version again appeared in another James Bond Film, For Your Eyes Only, this time it was the S3 Turbo model.
Throughout the years the Esprit has been designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, Peter Stevens and Julian Thomson. All have revamped the car and added improvements to the original which was widely acknowledged have excellent steering whilst lacking power and, in the USA, the S1 engine was downgraded for emissions purposes. Lotus claimed that the Esprit could reach 60 mph in 6.8 seconds; this was considered to be optimistic when road tests could only manage it in 8 seconds.
By 1980, Lotus were effectively building three different models of the Esprit – the domestic S2.2, the Export S2.2 and the dry-sump turbo esprit, in 1987 Peter Stevens (who later designed the Mclaren F1) introduced a new body and kevlar reinforcements, the type engine retained 215 bph and achieved 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, the Stevens styled Esprit is also known by its project code of X180.
Lotus used many parts from other manufacturers throughout its development. Before 1993 many British Leyland parts were sourced but after that period many GM (Vauxhall) parts were used.
In September 2010 the New Lotus Esprit 2013 was revealed as Lotus began development of the resurrection of the legendary Esprit brand, taking the challenge to Ferrari and Lamborghini. The new car features an all new V8 engine and Lotus hopes the vehicle can reach 62 mph in 3.4 seconds, truly thrusting this legendary British supercar into the next generation.
TVR Tuscan Speed 6
Personally my favourite car of all time, the TVR Tuscan Speed-6 was developed by TVR between 1999 – 2006 in Blackpool. Five different engine options were offered to customers which were variants on the 4.0L Speed 6, making different amounts of power.
It took a long time for TVR to redevelop the Tuscan and they produced a car which, contrary to the belief of many, turned out to be a very reliable option. Peter Wheeler wanted to turn TVR into Blackpools answer to Italian giants Ferrari, and with the Tuscan they produced a classic head turning car, its shape is unique and exotic, it screams of individuality and, when climbing inside, the interior is fully bespoke and all designed in-house.
The Tuscan Speed-6 features their own engine which produces between 360 bhp and 400 bph and can hit 100 mph in 8.5 seconds, fast enough to hold its own against its supercar rivals.
This vehicle has it all – including performance, looks and a reasonable price tag (relatively speaking). Handling is incredibly sharp but TVR didn’t install ABS, traction control or air bags; there is just a roll cage so only the brave need apply.
The Tuscan Speed-6, with its metallic paint job, superbly curved bonnet and three menacing headlamps on either side is a beautiful feat of engineering. Sadly, the TVR group split up into smaller subsidiaries in 2006 and they have considered potential options to create a new car but, as of writing this article, there are no plans, mainly due to financial problems.
There you have it, a quick rundown of my favourite British supercars but what do you think, which is your favourite British supercar of all time?
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