The supercar landscape has, like the crowd it caters to, never been richer than in 2022. McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Maserati and more, all have potentially protagonists for your two hundred-or-so thousand pounds. All have their pluses and their minuses but overall they are all utterly fantastic. Pick your badge, pick your style and be on your way. So if you’re fancying getting into something new and exotic, here are the best choices for 2022 and 2023.
The ten best supercars to buy in 2022
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McLaren 720S – the do-everything supercar
Accepting the criteria laid down in our intro pretty much the whole McLaren range this side of its Ultimate Series hypercars fits the supercar definition, there being no fewer than 10 different models built on derivations of a carbon-fibre tub and twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The Super Series is McLaren’s core product though, the 720S expressing brand values of immense performance combined with incredible tech and surprising usability. For a 212mph, 720PS (530kW) car capable of hitting 0-124mph in just 7.8 seconds the thing that first strikes you is how refined and easy it is to drive, though its wild side is never far away. A car of huge breadth, the 720S is arguably the definitive modern supercar, still after over five years. If your tastes are a bit more hardcore, the limited 765LT is worth a punt too.
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Ferrari 296 GTB – the one to flatter your ego
Traditional Ferrari road cars use front-mounted V12s and the latest 812 Superfast is a brazen modern expression of this long history, blurring the lines between supercar and GT. But mid-engined machines are also a staple of the range and the models that spring to mind when you think ‘Italian supercar’. The 296 GTB properly changes things up after 13 years of the same basic 458-derived platform and V8 engines, with its hybridised twin-turbo V6 and monster 830PS (610kW) output. Yet in spite of that near hypercar-level power, the 296 is an ally to your ego, deftly deploying its performance potential in a way that doesn’t overwhelm. Don’t get us wrong, it’s otherworldly fast when you really open the taps, but it’s delivered in a more accessible package than you’d have thought possible. It’s pretty too.
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Lamborghini Huracan STO – the pinup you want to drive
With the Aventador bowing out imminently, can we look to the lower Lamborghini ranks for a true pinup? Why yes, we can. Look no further than the be-winged, clam-nosed Huracan STO, the most extreme V10 Lamborghini this side of a Super Trofeo pit wall. Indeed, STO stands for Super Trofeo Omologato, which combines that screaming engine with race-inspired aero. The engorged bodywork, enormous wing and splitter can deliver as much as 420kg of downforce at 174mph – a 53 per cent bump on the Performante. The STO also improves aero efficiency by 37 per cent… and you don’t care, because look at it! Happily, the STO isn’t a car just to look at, garnering critical acclaim as one of the best Lamborghinis to drive, perhaps ever. A win-win-win, then, unless you’re trying to fly under the radar.
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Maserati MC20 – the leftfield one
It’s so good to see Maserati return to making truly exotic and desirable cars and what a return the MC20 is. It’s prettiness and elegance on the outside is matched by a beautifully judged chassis and what is overall a superb driving experience. The Nettuno V6 is clever too and delivers its 630PS (463kW) with a real wallop, even if it is lacking the charisma of the old V8. It’s also simpler than rivals, electing not to take the middle ground hybrid route and instead offer an engine, or an electric version. The latter is still to come but the petrol-powered car has impressed everyone so far. Then there’s the open-topped Cielo, which thanks to the MC20’s carbon structure, should offer all the finely-honed performance and feel of the coupe. A++ Maserati, well done.
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Audi R8 – the 911 Turbo beater
For four decades the Porsche 911 Turbo has patrolled the gateway into the real supercar world, offering equivalent performance but the reassurance of more ‘normal’ surroundings and daily usability. A new Turbo S has just launched and carries this tradition on in fine style. But for similar money, there’s now an alternative, the R8 combining the mainstream accessibility of any Audi with the more exotic vibes of a proper mid-engined supercar thanks to a howling, high-revving, naturally-aspirated V10 engine and close genetic link to the Lamborghini Huracan. Like a 911 Turbo it’s got all-wheel-drive and you could use it every day, pretty much as you would a TT. But line up alongside a Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren and you can hold your head high too. Which is a neat trick, executed with typical Audi precision.
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McLaren Artura – the future of McLaren
If the 720S is McLaren at its best, the Artura is the intersection of what we’ve already had and what’s yet to come. It brings an all-new V6, an all-new carbon tub, a plug-in hybrid system, a new limited-slip diff and a new naming strategy. This is a big departure for McLaren but everything we love about the Woking supercar marque is still there. The driving position, the view out, the driver focus, the steering. The added LSD improves agility and the high-revving twin-turbo V6 is a real howler and the combined 670PS (493kW) output means it’s as powerful as you’d want your supercar to be on the road. The electric power also means you can drive for 11 miles silently and emissions-free.
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Honda NSX – the rational one
The original Honda NSX was a wake-up call for complacent supercar manufacturers who’d long assumed owners would tolerate any number of practical limitations. Honda proved otherwise, showing you could have both performance and usability in one. For its successor Honda could have just reinterpreted this for a new age and we’d all have been very happy. But that’s not its style and, instead, it set out to offer hybrid hypercar ability at supercar money. Basically a Porsche 918 Spyder for a quarter of the price, the NSX can purr on pure electric power at low speeds before unleashing its full turbocharged explosion of conventional combustion engine power when the moment comes. It may have the least exotic badge here but the NSX’s real-world rarity means exclusivity Ferrari and McLaren drivers can only dream of.
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Corvette C8 – the American one
Corvettes have a long and rich history as America’s blue-collar supercar but have traditionally stuck to a traditional front-engined configuration and avoided direct confrontation with the European brands. The new C8 still has a pushrod V8 but moving it to the middle of the car has been a cause for much soul searching, never mind the fact the result is basically an entry-level supercar for the price of a 718 Cayman. Corvette traditionalists may well be conflicted by the C8’s radical reinvention of the brand’s core values but you can’t argue with the idea of a mid-engined supercar with a 6.2-litre, 502PS (369kW) naturally-aspirated small-block V8 at its heart. For the first time in Corvette history it will be built in right-hand drive form too and, while it might not be quite so affordable on UK soil, it’ll still be a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, for some really mad supercar thrills, the screaming Z06 with its flat-plane crank V8 and 8,600rpm redline gives 458 vibes and should be here in 2023.
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Porsche 911 Turbo – the sensibly mental one
The Porsche 911 Turbo S is stonkingly fast, and one of the most time-warping machines out there. But it might actually be slightly overshadowed by its younger brother. The 'standard' 992 Turbo is anything but, with the ability to climb to 62mph in under three seconds – about as fast as the McLaren P1 – and an all-wheel-drive system that means it can tackle an Alpine pass faster than most supercars in history. People may argue that a car with four seats cannot be a supercar, but the 911 Turbo is so astonishingly fast that it just has to be on this list, in reality, the Turbo S is too much, the Turbo is about right. Of course, if you want something that’s more driver-focused, the screaming GT3 is always a shout, though it’s probably more of a sportscar than a supercar in the sense that all of these are.
Ferrari Roma – the pretty one
None of the cars here is unattractive But the Ferrari Roma gets a spot because it isn’t just fast but possibly the prettiest Ferrari since the 458 Italia in 2010. It has all of the tech you’d expect, with the latest generation of traction and stability controls, including a smarter Ferrari Side Slip Angle Control, a system that essentially lets you dial in your desired drift and hold the car there in a beautiful, fear-free slide. Its twin-turbocharged V8 engine, meanwhile, delivers 620PS (456kW) of power and with a devilish noise. On top of that its design is simple and pared back with minimal vents, scoops and creases all over the bodywork. Harsh angles and aggression are overrated.
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