How do the past and present 'holy trinities' compare?
Has the game moved on much since the start?
With a new era of Formula One-derived hypercars on the horizon that look like they're going to redefine the hypercar phrase itself, I felt like it was time to take a look at the past hypercar trios (and quartets) that have blessed each decade of motoring and see how each compares.
With the Chiron now looking towards a 300mph top speed and the Aston Martin and Mercedes Formula One hypercars waiting in the wings, let's see what the '90s, '00s and recent holy trinities have coughed up and whether they still stack up nowadays.
1990s (quaternity)
Mclaren f1
Engine: 6.1-litre V12 Power: 618bhp Torque: 480lb ft Top speed: 240mph 0-60mph: 3.2sec
Jaguar xj220
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 (twin-turbocharged) Power: 542bhp Torque: 475lb ft Top speed: 212mph 0-60mph: 3.6sec
Ferrari f40
Engine: 2.9-litre V8 (twin-turbocharged) Power: 471bhp Torque: 425lb ft Top speed: 201mph 0-60mph: 4.2sec
Porsche 959
Engine: 2.8-litre flat-six (twin-turbocharged) Power: 450bhp Torque: 370lb ft Top speed: 197mph 0-60mph: 3.7sec
2000s
Ferrari enzo
Engine: 6.0-litre V12 Power: 650bhp Torque: 485lb ft Top speed: 218mph 0-60mph: 3.14sec
Mclaren-mercedes slr
Engine: 5.4-litre V8 (supercharged) Power: 617bhp Torque: 580lb ft Top speed: 209mph 0-60mph: 3.4sec
Porsche carrera gt
Engine: 5.7-litre V10 Power: 603bhp Torque: 435lb ft Top speed: 205mph 0-60mph: 3.5sec
2010+
Mclaren p1
Engine: 3.8-litre V8 hybrid (twin-turbocharged) Power: 903bhp Torque: 723lb ft Top speed: 218mph 0-60mph: 2.8sec
Laferrari
Engine: 6.3-litre V12 + HY KERS Power: 950bhp Torque: 516lb ft Top speed: 219mph 0-60mph: 2.9sec
Porsche 918 spyder
Engine: 4.6-litre V8 hybrid Power: 875bhp Torque: 944lb ft Top speed: 214mph 0-60mph: 2.2sec (Car and Driver test)
As you can see from these stats, it's probably the torque values that are the most progressive over the years. The implementation of electric motors in the latest crop of hybrid hypercars has seen torque surge in some cases to over double the values of the previous generation, culminating in some frankly scary 0-60mph times.
On the contrary, it is only really the 918 Spyder that has created a sizeable gap from the holy trinity of the Noughties in terms of outright stats, especially when you consider its Nordschleife lap time in relation to its P1 and LaFerrari counterparts. Then again, who wouldn't want to see a track face-off between an F40, an Enzo and a LaFerrari; I'll let Bovingdon and Catchpole fight that one out.
The next generation holy trinity should see the term 'road car' completely recalibrated
Judging by the claims of the engineers and manufacturers behind the next crop of F1-derived hypercars, I imagine even the 918 Spyder will struggle to cope with the aerodynamic and powertrain potentials at hand. Whether the claims are upheld is yet to be seen but who knows what an F1-engined road car can do.
Which car is your favourite from this list? Do you think the hypercar technology game has moved on enough from each decade to the next? Or is it about to take a quantum leap into pure motorsport? Comment with your thoughts below!
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Comments (16)
F50 v McLaren F1 v Diablo for the 90s, you clearly weren't from that era!
Exactly. F40 and 959 represented more the 80s than the 90s. I'd also add the Bugatti EB110 to your list.
I disagree, it should be McLaren F1 v XJ220 v Bugatti EB110 - they all existed in early 90's and were all limited run and ridiculously expensive. The F50 came a bit later, so would have been compared to them in road tests but really the F1 and...
Read moreDamn, I would love to see the jaguar c-x75 up with the LaF P1 and 918, too bad they never made it ;(
The SLR was never meant to take on the ENZO and the Carrera GT. It was built to be a refined grand tourer
Why talk about F40 when you had the F50? The F50 it's such an amazing, fabulous and under-rated car that I wonder why publications have pretty much forgotten, perhaps, the most legendary car Ferrari has ever built!?
Beats me... as far as I'm concerned the F50 has a much more unique and beautiful design. The Bugatti EB110 is also underrated and far too frequently ignored.
I love the early 2000s lineup, wouldn’t have thought of the slr. For the 90s you could also do the gt1 cars with the f1, the 911 gt1, and the clk gtr