La

m
o
b
y
o
T
r
o
r
r
e
J
g
a
g
F
u
hin
ar
Acuta
r
i
W
a
t
M
d
B
For Fia
i
r
a

SUPERCAR
y
a
e
l
u
d
t
n
n
A
o
L
e
H
B
E
E
X
S
H
U
i
i
C
t
a
d
g
S
S
Bu
P

R
O

i
t
r
a
M
n
o
t
s
A
i
h
s
i
b
itsu

SUPERCARS
A supercar is a very expensive and
fast sports car . Supercars are
marketed by automakers as unusual
and include limited production
specials from an "elite" automaker,
standard-looking cars modified for
power and performance, as well as
models that appeal to enthusiasts
from smaller manufacturers.

"Supercar" is also a label

custom car retrofitters reserve
for their showcase, one-of-akind project vehicles; typically
these are very extensively
modified collectible muscle
cars, sports cars or grand
touring automobiles updated to
the very latest "streetable"
racing technology

HISTORY

An advertisement for the Ensign Six, a 6.7 L (410

cu in) high-performance car similar to the
Bentley Speed Six, appeared in The Times for 11
November 1920 with the phrase "If you are
interested in a supercar, you cannot afford to
ignore the claims of the Ensign 6." The Oxford
English Dictionary also cites the use of the word
in an advertisement for an unnamed car in The
Motor dated 3 November 1920, "The Supreme
development of the British super-car ."and
defines the phrase as suggesting "a car superior
to all others". A book published by the Research
Institute of America in 1944, that previewed the
economic and industrial changes to occur after
World War II, used the term "supercar" (author's
emphasis) to describe future automobiles
incorporating advances in design and technology
such as flat floor pans and automatic
transmissions.

In the United States, the term "supercar" predates the

classification of muscle car to describe the "drag strip bred"
affordable mid-size cars of the 1960s and early 1970s that were
equipped with large, powerful V8 engines and rear wheel drive.

lightweight car began with the 1957 Rambler

Rebel that was described as a "veritable
supercar". "In 1966 the sixties supercar
became an official industry trend" as the four
domestic automakers "needed to cash in on
the supercar market" with eye-catching, heartstopping cars. Among the numerous examples
of the use of the supercar description include
the May 1965 issue of the American magazine
Car Life, in a road test of the Pontiac GTO, and
how "Hurst puts American Motors into the
Supercar club with the 390 Rogue" (the
SC/Rambler) to fight in "the Supercar street
racer gang" market segment. The "SC" in the
model name stood for "Super Car". The
supercar market segment included regular
production models in different muscle market
segments (such as the "economy supercar"), as
well as limited edition, documented dealer-

THE FIRST
SPORTS CAR

ambler Rebel
1957

The word supercar later became to mean a "GT" or

grand touring type of car. By the 1970s and 1980s the
phrase was in regular use.

During the late 20th century,

the term supercar was used to
describe "a very expensive,
fast or powerful car with a
centrally located engine", and
stated in more general terms:
"it must be very fast, with
sporting handling to match",
"it should be sleek and eyecatching" and its price should
be "one in a rarefied
atmosphere of its own"

The supercar term has also been applied to

technologically advanced vehicles using new
fuel sources, power plants, aerodynamics,
and lightweight materials to develop an 80
mpg-US (2.9 L/100 km; 96 mpg-imp) familysized sedan."Supercar" was the unofficial
description for the United States
Department of Commerce R&D program,
Partnership for a New Generation of
Vehicles. The program was established to
support the domestic U.S. automakers (GM,
Ford, and Chrysler) develop prototypes of a
safe, clean, affordable car the size of the
Ford Taurus, but delivering three times the
fuel efficiency.

To Be Continued