Supercar 155904 224581378 2008-07-09T14:46:45Z Swaq 4168244 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 224529525 by [[Special:Contributions/Manyranch007|Manyranch007]] ([[User talk:Manyranch007|talk]]), [[WP:NPOV]], unsourced {{Expand|date=June 2008}} {{otheruses}} [[Image:SSC Ultimate.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[SSC Aero|SSC Ultimate Aero TT]], world's fastest production car with a top speed of {{convert|256.15|mi/h|km/h|2|abbr=on}}.]] '''Supercar''' is a term generally used for a high-end [[sports car]], whose performance is highly superior to that of its contemporaries. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car with a centrally located engine"<ref>{{cite book |last= |first=|authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Collins English Dictionary |year=2003 |publisher= HarperCollins Publishers|location= Glasgow|isbn=0007109830}}</ref>, and stated in more general terms: "it must be very fast, with sporting handling to match," "it should be sleek and eye-catching" and its price should be "one in a rarified atmosphere of its own."<ref>{{Citation | last =Ward | first =Ian | year =1985 | title =Secondhand Supercars| | newspaper =London's Motor Show Motorfair 85 Official Catalogue }}</ref> but the proper application of the term is subjective and disputed, especially among enthusiasts. The use of the term can be dependent on the era; a vehicle that may have been considered a supercar in one decade may not be considered the same in another decade.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} The term supercar may refer to factory-built, [[street-legal vehicle|street-legal]] sports cars.<ref>{{cite web | first = |date=2005-11 | title =Superfour Challenge| publisher = www.caranddriver.com |url=http://www.caranddriver.com/supercarchallenge/10165/superfour-challenge.html| accessdate = 2008-01-13 }}</ref> Some vehicle referred to as supercars include many of the features required for [[race cars]] such as [[roll cage|roll cages]]. <ref>{{cite web | first = |date=2004-11-16 | title =MG launches 175mph supercar| publisher = www.autotrader.co.uk |url=http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/27178.html| accessdate = 2008-01-13 }}</ref> ==Origin of the term== An advertisement for the [[Ensign Six]] a {{Auto L|6.7}}, high-performance car, similar to the [[Bentley Speed Six]], appeared in ''[[The Times]]'' for [[November 11]] [[1920]] with the phrase "If you are interested in a supercar, you cannot afford to ignore the claims of the Ensign 6."<ref>{{cite news | title = British Ensign Motors | publisher = The Times | page = 6 | date = 11 November 1920 }}</ref> The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] also cites the use of the word in an advertisement for an unnamed car in ''[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]]'' dated [[November 3]] [[1920]] "The Supreme development of the British super-car."<ref>{{cite web | first = | title = super-, prefix 6.c| publisher = Oxford English Dictionary|year= 1989| url = http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50242443/50242443se176?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=supercar&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50242443se176| accessdate = 2007-12-27 }}</ref> and defines the phrase as suggesting a car superior to all others. However, the phrase did not enter popular usage until much later and is often said to have originated with the [[United Kingdom|British]] motor journalist [[L. J. K. Setright]] writing about the [[Lamborghini Miura]] in [[CAR Magazine]] in the mid-1960s.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} The magazine still claims to have "coined the phrase".<ref>{{cite web | first = | title = About CAR magazine| publisher = CAR Magazine Online| url = http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/GLOBAL/About-Us/| accessdate = 2007-12-28}}</ref> although it was also used in the American magazine ''Car Life'' in May 1965 in a test of the [[Pontiac GTO]]. By the 1970s, the phrase was understood and in regular use, if not precisely defined.<ref>{{cite news |author=Stuart Marshall |title=Rewards and frustrations of the supercars |work=The Times |location=London|page=23 |date=September 04 1975}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author= |title=BUSINESS ROUNDUP; From the Land of the VW, a $35,000 Supercar |work=New York Times |location=New York |page=F15 |date=September 21, 1975}}</ref> ==See also== *[[Halo vehicle]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{dmoz|/Recreation/Autos/Enthusiasts/Exotic_Cars/|Exotic Cars}} <center>{{Automobile classification}}</center> [[Category:Car classifications]] [[bg:Суперавтомобил]] [[de:Supersportwagen]] [[es:Automóvil superdeportivo]] [[fr:Supercar]] [[ko:슈퍼카]] [[ja:スーパーカー]] [[no:Superbil]] [[pl:Supersamochód]] [[ru:Суперкар]] [[fi:Superauto]]