New Top Gear Supercars special edition magazine out now!

What defines a supercar in 2022? Well, going by the contents of the latest limited-edition Top Gear Supercars magazine, barely anything…

It’s a broad church right now. Not just the crossover between petrol, electric and hybrid – we’re used to that – but the niches being exploited. Retro recreations are still big, witness Lamborghini’s Countach or Singer’s work on the Porsche 911 to create the fabulous DLS. Some cars go one step beyond, leaving road legality behind altogether (McLaren’s 720S GT3X), others actually behave as if they’ve got a real transportation-of-actual-humans job to do (Ferrari Roma et al). 

In short, the class is expanding as all these creators of machines try to work out where the financial limit lies and what niches they have yet to plunder. But where we used to talk of two tiers of supercar with hypercars beyond (think Huracán, Aventador then Sián or Egoista), now the categories defy description. The barriers have broken down completely. 

Speed is no longer a marker – how can it be when a Tesla Model S could pull up at the lights alongside a Bugatti Chiron and you wouldn’t want to bet on the outcome. Nor is driving fun, when Hyundai and Toyota build hot hatches (the i20N and GR Yaris) that are more engaging than most two-seaters costing 10 times as much. What counts is design, engineering, sensation and exclusivity. 

Supercars are about the stories behind them as much as the abilities they possess. They’re automotive fairy tales. Sure, they weigh heavy on Instagram, but to really come to life the pictures have to be supported by words. It’s our pleasure to tell you the stories in the 2022 edition of Top Gear’s Supercars magazine, which you can order direct to your door by clicking these blue words. Don’t miss out!