As automotive excellence evolves, so does the vocabulary to describe it. The word “supercar” has been around since at least 1920 to represent vehicles that could already go faster than 100 miles per hour. So what’s the difference between a supercar and a hypercar—or any of the other excitable nouns you might hear? These definitions can help.

Preliminary Categories

Car enthusiasts have been using these words to describe automotive masterpieces for decades.

Sports Car

Dating back to the 1900s, this label has applied to any car with an emphasis on speed. If your heart skips a beat at the thought of driving one, it’s probably a sports car.

Muscle Car

This term originated in the ’60s to describe mass-produced cars designed for drag racing, such as the 1961 Chevrolet Impala. The muscle car had a major revival in the ’80s with high-output V8 engines for vehicles like the Pontiac Firebird Formula/Trans Am.

Luxury Car

These beauties are more about status: the prices are high, comfort is king, and the amenities are indulgent. In recent years, less prestigious brands have been presenting models as “luxury,” but the real thing is somewhere between a high-end Lexus and a Bentley.

Exotic Car

Exotic car buyers are looking for the highest performing luxury cars. But more and more, people are beginning to use its new synonym, “supercar.”

Supercar

The requirements for a supercar are stringent. They must have high-end:

• Performance
• Design
• Rarity

If you’re still not sure if you’re looking at a supercar, check the price tag. It will more than six figures. And if you want one, you’re likely to go on a waiting list. A supercar is usually the flagship model of an automaker’s line of sports cars. One example: The McLaren 720S.

Hypercar

Here we enter the world of cars with warp speed. Welcome to the 1 percent, the extreme tip of the supercar pyramid. Rarity? A manufacturer will produce fewer than 1,000 models of a hypercar—sometimes less than 30. Price? Multi-millions. Street-legal? Probably not. A clear-cut example of the most hyper of hypercars is Bugatti’s La Voiture Noire. That means “The Black Car,” and there’s just one in existence. Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo bought it for more than $12 million—before taxes.

Is there a short answer for what’s the difference between a supercar and a hypercar? Of course not. As soon as you define these categories, something cooler/faster/rarer will come along. In fact, some car enthusiasts are already using the word “megacar.”

Whatever you call your high-end vehicle, Nahas Motorcars is interested in buying it when you’re ready to sell. If you need some liquidity to invest in your next model, contact us for a free quote. We can come to you wherever you are in the country and offer you cash on the spot. The thing about the finest cars is that it’s impossible to buy just one.