infonetorg: Top 10 Supercars of 2012!

From speed, looks, and cornering to straight-line raw power, meet our top 10 gas guzzlers.

Aston Martin Rapide

Tech Spec

Price: £139,950/$223,000*

Engine: 6.0L V12

Horse Power: 470bhp

0-60 mph: 5.0 seconds

Top Speed: 188mph

Best For…

A true sports car experience with the dignity and ease of four doors, meaning you and three other passengers can all enjoy luxury GT motoring.

Drives Us Crazy Because…

The Rapide is remarkable in that it actually drives and handles as well as (if not better than) some of Aston’s two-seaters. It’s no Vanquish, but it compares favourably to both the DBS and the DB9. It’s also an absolute beauty for such a long vehicle. Should the driver decide to hit the Sport button and shift into Lewis Hamilton mode, then the Aston’s rear seats are snug enough to hold you firmly in place. Up front, the centre column is a dazzling array of plush luxury. With a 6.0L V12 beating under the bonnet, it feels and sounds every inch a thoroughbred supercar. And if you do wind up in the back seat, don’t worry: All of the noise and thrill of being aboard an Aston Martin remains intact. That said, the back seats can be folded down quite easily if you prefer.

Killer Feature

The V12 engine and its noisy warble will have you smiling every time you shift gear. The Rapide’s interior is also luxury incarnate, and, while it’s a pricey piece of kit, you really do feel every penny of it.

Supercar Bar Trivia

The now-famous DB moniker stands for David Brown, the saviour of the company in the late 1940s. His first car was the DB2 in 1950, and the rest is history.

Celebrity Ride

Ex-Liverpool Football Club midfielder and Dutch International Dirk Kuyt got something right when he sprang for the Rapide.

Porsche Boxster S

Tech Spec
Price: £45.384/$72,500
Engine: 3.4L
Horse Power: 311bhp
0-60 mph: 5.1 seconds
Top Speed: 172mph

Best For…
Getting to 60mph in a smidgen over five seconds and then shooting to a top speed of over 170mph, all for a relatively reasonable price.

Drives Us Crazy Because…
Despite its brilliant mid-engine handling and more than decent performance, the Boxster used to get saddled with the “Poor man’s Porsche” moniker. Thankfully, Porsche’s third incarnation, the Boxster S, is no longer the spotty, pubescent, twitching sibling of the 911, but a full-blown porker in its own right.

Killer Feature
For a far raspier noise and explosive engine notes, we suggest having the sports exhaust plumbed onto the 2012 S.

Supercar Bar Trivia
The first Porsche, the 356, had just 35bhp and a top speed of just 86mph, meaning a Ford Fiesta could easily batter its ass. To be fair, though, that was in 1984.

Celebrity Ride
Lindsay Lohan burns a Boxster around the Hollywood Hills.

Ferrari 458

Tech Spec

Price: £178,461/$285,000

Engine: 4.5L V8

Horse Power: 570bhp

0-60 mph: 3.4 seconds

Top Speed: 202mph

Best For…

Impressing the ladies. There are slightly quicker cars out there, but few look as stunning as the prancing horse, and nothing will get you more attention than whipping around in the Ferrari 458.

Drives Us Crazy Because…

With a reputation for being temperamental and more high-maintenance than Paris Hilton, Ferrari really stuck a finger up at the doubters with the 458. If its stats make for a slack-jaw then ogling one in the flesh will have you seriously contemplating mechanophilia (that’s guys who are sexually attracted to cars – yes, seriously). But it’s not just about drop-dead gorgeous looks: the 458 is the most sensational and evolved car Ferrari has ever built. Oh, and any car that can get you to around 125mph in just over 10 seconds is officially mental.

Killer Feature

The F-1-style steering wheel hosts a wealth of controls—so many that at first, you’ll probably be adjusting the lights when you want to signal left.

Supercar Bar Trivia

Before becoming head honcho owner of Ferrari, founder Enzo shoed mules for the Italian army.

Celebrity Ride

Manchester City donut Mario Balotelli rides a 458... well, at least until he stoves it into someone’s front room!

Lotus Exige S V6

Tech Spec

Price: £52,900/$84,556

Engine: 3.5L Supercharged V6

Horse Power: 345bhp

0-60 mph: 3.8 seconds

Top Speed: 170mph

Best For…

Taking bends at breakneck speed and living to tell the tale – the Exige is the world’s fastest go-kart, grips like a needy girlfriend, and loves cornering.

Drives Us Crazy Because…

Okay, so the Lotus takes bends better than almost any vehicle out there, but it does come at some cost. To get the car from 0-60mph in less than four seconds and achieve a belting 170mph top speed, the Lotus is stripped of any unnecessary weight, meaning equipment is basic and soundproofing all but non-existent. Don’t bother with the Lotus for that romantic break away with a ladylove either - there’s just too little space and refinement to keep your better half happy. But for balls-out, honest-to-goodness badass fun, the little Lotus is perfectly suited to strapping in a mate and ripping up some country lanes.

Killer Feature

It’s all about that supercharged engine with the Exige, and everything has been done to squeeze more performance out of the car. Equipment is on the light side of staggeringly minimal; even a cup holder is considered an extra.

Supercar Bar Trivia

Lotus was pivotal in the chassis design of Marty McFly’s DeLorean in Back to the Future.

Celebrity Ride

Top Gear pundit Jeremy Clarkson famously tried to evade the missile lock of an Apache Gunship helicopter in an Exige.

Bentley Continental GT 6.0L

Tech Spec
Price: £151,100/$242,000
Engine: 6.0L
Horse Power: 616bhp
0-60 mph: 4.2 seconds
Top Speed: 205mph

Best For…
Living it up like a Lord while still having the welly to cane it past practically everything on the road.

Drives Us Crazy Because…
The Bentley really is a beast, and even though it weighs in at a whopping 2.5 tons, it can still get you to 100mph in a fraction over 10 seconds. And, unlike the majority of its sports bedfellows, you’ll barely hear a thing as you’re propelled to super-high speeds, thanks to the car’s triple-laminated windows. Of course comfort is king with the Bentley and the GT comes packed with just about every in-car extra you could imagine cramming into a dashboard. If ever there was a car suitable for Cristal-sipping while being chauffeured at 200mph, here she is.

Killer Feature
Most cars think they’re getting greedy with a six-speed box, but the Bentley boasts an eight-gear auto tiptronic set-up. Eighth is frigging quick!

Supercar Bar Trivia
Until 2011 the Bentley Continental GT held the world record as the fastest car on ice, reaching a powder spraying speed of 205.67mph.

Celebrity Ride
Paris Hilton cruises in a Continental.

Audi R8

Tech Spec
Price: £127,575/$204,000
Engine: 5.2L V10
Horse Power: 518bhp
0-60 mph: 3.9 seconds
Top Speed: 197mph

Best For…
Being an unknown quantity in the super car department. While Audi is known as a maker of quality autos, they’re not synonymous with speed and sports. But the R8 in its V10 incarnation is enough to make even 911 owners think twice.

Drives Us Crazy Because…
Okay, so at the end of the day, it’s an Audi, and it shares the same controls, buttons, and badges as the rest of their fleet. But that’s where the similarities end. The R8 is a racing monster that can’t wait to gobble up rivals and spit them out. Its dreamy handling and excellent grip rival only its performance, and with the right hands on the wheel, this is a car capable of taking down many of the other cars on this list.

Killer Feature
Audi’s world-renowned Quattro four-wheel drive system is killer in the R8, and, should you screw up a corner, the system can push power to the front wheels to help dig you out.

Supercar Bar Trivia
Audi had an electric car all the way back in 1922, and was the first auto company to smash dummies into brick walls back in 1938.

Celebrity Ride
Lady Gaga dances around the road in her R8.

Maserati GranTurismo Sport

Tech Spec
Price: £90,390/$144,500
Engine: 4.7L V8
Horse Power: 454bhp
0-60 mph: 4.6 seconds
Top Speed: 186mph

Best For…
Gunning it along an open road and listening to its beautiful engine roar. The GT’s V8 practically purrs along A-roads and loves a long trek.

Drives Us Crazy Because…
This Maserati isn’t the fastest car to hit 60mph, nor the one with the highest top speed in this list. It could also be argued that it’s not the prettiest in our pack either (though you’d be hard-pressed to find many better-looking cars), but it does have the sweetest engine note to ever warble on four-wheels. It’s a big old beast too, seating a driver plus three passengers quite comfortably.

Killer Feature
Try checking out the GranTurismo with a matte finish paint job.

Supercar Bar Trivia
If you’re struggling to raise the 100K needed to buy the GT, you can drive it in Sony’s GranTurismo 5 driving simulation.

Celebrity Ride
Footballer Lionel Messi - who is currently closing in on the world record for goals scored in a season - uses the Maserati as his run-around.

Nissan GT-R

Tech Spec

Price: £74,480/$119,000

Engine: 3.8L V6

Horse Power: 523bhp

0-60 mph: 3.05 seconds

Top Speed: 196mph

Best For…

Hardcore technology. Nissan’s super-car is jam-packed with enough state-of-the-art kit to make NASA jealous.

Drives Us Crazy Because…

The stats speak for themselves, and there’s no questioning the GT-R’s sporting credentials or incredible handling, but it’s the jet fighter dash that really sets this Nissan apart. The front console is more reminiscent of a 747 cockpit than a car, with the dashboard alive with banks of digital read-outs and switches.

Killer Feature

An LCD screen that’s packed to the max with digital dials and needles that tell you everything you’ll ever need to know about this car. Flick through 11 separate read-outs that keep you posted on geeky updates like steering input and cornering G-force. Overkill? Never. Who doesn’t love loads of needles simultaneously hitting the red line?

Supercar Bar Trivia

The GT-R can take corners so quickly its wheel rims have a special criss-cross grip to stop G-force forcing the tyres off the wheel. The tyres are also pumped with nitrogen, as normal air is just too unstable.

Celebrity Ride

Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, tears up the tarmac in a GT-R.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT

Tech Spec
Price: £168,425/$269,000
Engine: 6.2L V8
Horse Power: 583bhp
0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
Top Speed: 198mph

Best For…
Turning heads. The SLS is a thing of pure beauty, a real looker from every angle. Wherever you go, crowds will swarm to admire the car’s killer curves.

Drives Us Crazy Because…
The SLS is as happy trundling around town as it is gobbling up tarmac at seat-of-your-pants speeds. But while there’s no question that it’s quick and flexible, it’s the gullwing doors and their nod to the classic 300SL that set the SLS apart.

Killer Feature
Put the doors in the ‘up’ position, climb out of the driver’s seat, sit yourself by the side of the road, and just weep at how gorgeous the SLS is.

Supercar Bar Trivia
Mercedes-Benz has withdrawn completely from motorsport on several occasions, most tragically after the 1955 Le Mans race where their 300SLR collided with another car careening into spectators and killing more than 80 people.

Celebrity Ride
Rapping, weed-smoking jailbird Lil Wayne decided the SLS was a good way to spend some of his bank.

Jaguar XKR-S

Tech Spec
Price: £97,430/$156,000
Engine: 5.0L V8
Horse Power: 542bhp
0-60 mph: 4.2seconds
Top Speed: 187mph

Best For…
Being the total surprise package. With an XK and an XKR already caning concrete, the XKR-S was a ‘skunk works’ project that got the green light when Jag management found it was so darned hot!

Drives Us Crazy Because…
Fact: This is the fastest-production Jaguar since the XJ220, a car that was great in a straight line but a pig to actually drive. Not so with the XKR-S, mainly thanks to the fantastic supercharger skulking beneath the bonnet’s front slits. It handles like a dream. Some major tinkering around with the chassis has transformed a great ride into an outstanding one, giving the big cat some serious street cred. We also love how the XKR-S stinks of Jaguar heritage while looking as mean a contemporary as any of its German or Italian rivals.

Killer Feature
Thanks to the stupidly big engine and supercharger combination, the Jag can easily handle the extra calories added by the vast array of kit that adorns its interior. We particularly like the parking camera, which is an extra, but makes reversing and parking much easier given the car’s limited rear view.

Supercar Bar Trivia
Before the Second World War, Jaguars were called SS cars, but on the conflict’s end it was decided that the association with Nazi Germany’s SS (Schutzstaffel) was too problematic, so a list of animal and fish names were drawn up. Thankfully, Jaguar was the winner; the idea of driving around in an XK Trout just doesn’t have the same appeal.

Celebrity Ride
Pneumatic life-saving blonde bombshell Pamela Anderson is the proud owner of the Jaguar XKR.

BMW M3

Tech Spec

Price: £54,085/$86,460

Engine: 4.0L V8

Horse Power: 420bhp

0-60 mph: 4.7 seconds

Top Speed: 155mph

Coupe with colossal performance that just about qualifies as a family car.

Audi RS6

Tech Spec
Price: £77,625/$124,000
Engine: 5.0L V10
Horse Power: 572bhp
0-60 mph: 4.6 seconds
Top Speed: 155mph

Audi’s most powerful engine straddles the front arches of the RS6. Also comes as an estate that can take down a Porsche!