Then to Now: Seven decades and seven significant supercars

The more things change, the more they stay the same, goes the old saying, and that’s particularly true for supercars.

While there have been great advances in chassis, engine and aerodynamics technology, the mission of the supercar has remained the same – to be bolder and faster than anything else around it.

Aside from serving as a halo model, the best that a carmaker’s design and engineering departments have to offer, the supercar also acts as a street-legal test bed for new technology. Now-commonplace elements such as direct fuel injection, active aerodynamics/suspension and even the mid-engine layout made their debut on supercars, but these technologies were first seen on the racetrack. The role of the supercar, then, is to be the bridge between racing and reality, to be the ultimate race car for the road or the ultimate road car for the circuit.