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",[1] 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 rarefied atmosphere of its own."[2] 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.citation needed The term supercar may refer to factory-built, street-legal sports cars.[3] Some vehicles referred to as supercars include many of the features required for race cars such as roll cages.[4]
Origin of the term
An advertisement for the Ensign Six a 6.7 L (≈409 cu in), 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."[5] The Oxford English Dictionary also cites the use of the word in an advertisement for an unnamed car in The Motor dated November 3, 1920 "The Supreme development of the British super-car."[6] 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 British motor journalist L. J. K. Setright writing about the Lamborghini Miura in CAR Magazine in the mid-1960s.citation needed The magazine still claims to have "coined the phrase".[7] 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.[8][9]
See also
References
- ^ (2003) Collins English Dictionary. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0007109830.
- ^ Ward, Ian (1985), "Secondhand Supercars", London's Motor Show Motorfair 85 Official Catalogue
- ^ "Superfour Challenge". www.caranddriver.com (2005-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ "MG launches 175mph supercar". www.autotrader.co.uk (2004-11-16). Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- ^ "British Ensign Motors", The Times (11 November 1920), p. 6.
- ^ "super-, prefix 6.c". Oxford English Dictionary (1989). Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ "About CAR magazine". CAR Magazine Online. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ Stuart Marshall (September 04, 1975). "Rewards and frustrations of the supercars", The Times (London), p. 23.
- ^ "BUSINESS ROUNDUP; From the Land of the VW, a $35,000 Supercar", New York Times (New York) (September 21, 1975), p. F15.
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