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The past year saw a number of technological and engineering developments in the automobile industry. Here's a look at some of the amazing advances made in the realm of high performance vehicles. You may even be lucky enough to see some of these cars on the road in the coming year! |
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1. Aston Martin CC100 Speedster Concept |
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This year, the renowned English manufacturer celebrated 100 years with this stunning retro concept car. The design of the roadster echoes the beauty of the high performance vehicles of the 1950s, as it windshield-less and sports the era's sleek design. However, the car is still equipped with all of the latest materials and technology, and reaches a speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) in just four seconds! Only one issue of the car was actually made in celebration of a century of Aston Martins, so don't expect to see it speeding down the street any time soon. |
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2. Lamborghini Egoista |
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Lamborghini may only be 50 years old, but it celebrated its birthday this year with three wild high performance cars, the Egoista being the most radical of them all. This stunning vehicle has a single-seat cockpit that was inspired by the helicopter cockpit, so the driver has to remove the steering wheel to get in and out of the car through the glass enclosure. The orange accents on the car scream out for attention, giving the car a unique and futuristic style. The Egoista is equipped with a powerful 600 horsepower, 5.2 liter V10 engine that will get you from place to place in super speedy style. |
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3. McLaren P1 |
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| Another special edition design this year for McLaren's birthday, the P1 is the dream of any fan of the British Formula One team. Topping the Aston Martin, the P1 accelerates from 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds, and 0-124 mph (200km/h) in just 6.8 seconds! The speed and beautiful design of this vehicle (orange seems to be a trend) are hard to beat! |
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4. Ferrari LaFerrari |
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The successor to Ferrari's recent releases like the Enzo and F40, LaFerrari has a super powerful 950 horsepower V12 engine and a number of other top-of-the-line features. The design is similar to the classic F1, but matches the McLaren P1 in performance and muscle. |
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5. Parcour Concept |
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The Italian designer Giugiaro Parcour came out with this incredible design for a high-performance super coupe. The car was modeled to be powered by a Lamborghini engine, and is even designed to exert power on and off the road. If you are looking for an off-road-racing car mix, the Parcour could be the ultimate solution, sometime in the future. |
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6. Audi Nanuk Quattro |
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The buzz around Parcour's design this year at the Geneva Motor Show spiked the curiosity of the designers at Audi, one of Germany's top automobile manufacturers. The Nanuk Quattro is Audi's new super-off roader that have a 544 horsepower 5.0 liter V10 engine, adjustable ride height for any terrain and powerful four-wheel force. The car will hit 62 mph in just 3.8 seconds, and will reach a speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) on the track. Unlike a number of other models on the list, the Nanuk Quattro is set to hit the streets in the coming year. |
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7. Volar-e |
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| With funding from the European Commission and Rimac Concept One, a Spanish company called Applus+ Idiada revealed in February the world's most powerful electric car. The environmentally-friendly vehicle was put to the test on a Formula 1 track in Barcelona and the results were spectacular. The car was developed in only four months and uses four individual motors backed with a 38-kWh battery. Each wheel of the car is powered by its own motor, which, when combined, totals about 1,000 horsepower. The car can reach a speed of 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds, and is a good indicator that the future of racing may be in electric, battery-powered cars! |
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8. Icona Vulcano |
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| Another of the Italian design highlights of 2013, the Vulcano debuted this year at the Shanghai Motor Show. The luscious Italian style of the car is paired with powertrain technology designed by Claudio Lombardi, the former powertrain technical director for Ferrari. The car is also being configured with a hybrid and regular driving function, including 4WD in the rear wheels and a number of other attractive features. It seems that boutique cars are the way to go! |
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9. J.M. Brabazon |
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| Belgium's long-forgotten car manufacturer Minerva pushed its way back onto the scene this year with the J.M. Brabazon. The details about the car are still limited, as the design was released only in July, but the car's AWD plug-in hybrid powertrain is testament to the fact that this automobile does not miss out on high performance. The top speed of the vehicle is currently estimated close to 250 mph (400 km/h). |
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10. VUHL 05 |
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Originating in Mexico, where it happens that most of the American sports cars are built, the VUHL is a powerful two-seater equipped with a 285-bhp Ford EcoBoost engine. The car can reach 62 mph in just 3.7, which isn't the most impressive statistic on the list, but it's not bad for a car with an economical price like $82,750. The car is currently marketed as 'road legal', which means that you could be driving off in one soon, that is if you don't need a windshield and you're ready for an open cockpit. |
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11. Magnum MK5 |
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The MK5 comes out of the Magnum motorsport manufacturer, with a black and white color scheme and open cockpit like the VUHL. The MK5's numbers are also similar to the VUHL's, although it is a bit faster, reaching 62 mph in 3.2 seconds. The price, however, is slightly higher than the VUHL's, about $139,000, which may harm the vehicle's sale as a 'modest' sports car. |
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12. Epitome Concept |
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One of the top concept cars this year, the Epitome Concept from Morocco's Laraki Motors is the embodiment of the supercar in all its aspects. The founder of Laraki Motors, Abdesslam Laraki, comes from the yacht industry, which makes sense with all of the car's various vents and triangular shape. However, what's under the hood is pretty standard - a 7.0 liter V8 engine from Chevy. The car has yet to hit the road for a test, but when it does, millionaires will be lining up down the block to pay the $2 million for this unique trophy of superior car design. |
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13. W Motors Lykan Hypersport |
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One of the more expensive high performance cars on the list, the Lykan Hypersport debuted at the Qatar Motor Show this year, and ready seemed ready for production at the Dubai Show later in the year. What has been called the world's first Arabian supercar, the Hypersport reaches a speed of 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds, and tops out at a speed of 245 mph (394 mph). The car has been priced at about $3.4 million, making it one of the most expensive cars on the market. However, the car is equipped with all of the top tech and luxury features, like LED headlights surrounded by white gold and packed with 15 carats of diamonds, just to name one of the high-class perks. |
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