Supercars. Jewels on the road

Once upon a time there was a super-powerful, exceptional car that only came out on Sundays, was driven only with gloves and one’s exercise for the day was to press the clutch. It also required a great deal of passion and patience because its tight spaces were either too hot or too cold. Now almost every luxury brand has supersports models, while those that have always had important custombuilt cars still produce the greatest models in history, offering extraordinary figures in terms of performance and prices, but appetising enough for enthusiasts and collectors. This is the modern story of the car, which has scaled every obstacle that once seemed insurmountable. We begin with the Germans: all with a sporting history, all with great ambitions. What better place than the few remaining derestricted autobahns to unleash, for example, the 540 hp V10 of the latest “R8 Spyder“from Audi: a car half born to race, half for discovering the joy of its unique sound and comfort. Compared to the previous version it offers a more comfortable ride, with an extensive range of electronic driving aids, but also quality finishes. There are, instead, 462 hp on the Porsche “Panamera 4 E-Hybrid“: a wonder of a four-seater coupé with electric motor associated to the ‘usual’ V6, which delivers a system torque of 700Nm as soon as you touch the accelerator. Extremely easy to handle thanks to four-wheel drive, it also impresses for its range in all-electric mode of approximately 50 kilometres and an average consumption at moderate speeds of 2.5 l/100km. Similar in philosophy but with much better performance is the brand new “GTC4 Lusso T“from Ferrari, which has the same 3.9 litre V8 engine as the 488GTb and 610 hp California T but in the front to make space for passengers in the back seat. A decision made to please those who admired the latest GTC4 Lusso version, but felt they could do without 12 cylinders for the greater benefits it offered. BMW unveiled their latest “i8” to the public at the most recent Paris