So I've noticed that over the last few years and years to come, the super car population is starting to really boom. On the same token, the definition of a super car is a bit loose compared to what would define a super car ten years ago. However, it hasn't changed so much that today's definition of super car would include ANYTHING that would be considered 'weak'. Alot of people, however, are very traditional, so I know what I would consider a super car others may just consider a 'true sports car'. Anyhow, to the point.
The Viper has always been considered a super car really (well, except for maybe the gen I), but this latest iteration of the Dodge Viper is just ridiculous. The corvette, on the other hand, has also entered the super car club, with its z-06 at well over 500 horsepower and enough handling capability to whip up on alot of the big players. The new BMW m3, if I recall correctly, is over 400 horsepower, and its handling and braking are always top notch. The porsche 997 turbo is over 500 horsepower now, and well, it's a porsche. Then the japanese engineers wanted to get involved. The japanese have been tied down for an unofficial Gentleman's Agreement for a little over a decade now. The GA worked great considering the power levels of most the cars in that particular period of time. The Gentleman's Agreement was essentially an agreement not to let themselves get to zealous with engineering, topping power levels at 280 horsepower. This was reasonable, considering the corvettes of the time were pushing anywhere between 280-350 horsepower, the Viper between 400-450 horsepower, the porsches between 300-400 horsepower, the bmw's between 200-400 horsepower, and so on and so forth. However, with the average 'sports car' nearly doubling in power from its older predecessors. At this point the Gentleman's Agreement was proving to be unjustifiable in the way it held back the japanese engineers from being competitive with these other monsters coming out of the factory. Well, with that, it's safe to say the Gentleman's Agreement pretty much dissolved itself.
The first real power to come out of Japan as of late is the Nissan GT-R (probably considered the 'r35') at a rated 480 horsepower. This value, however, is believed to be highly underrated and is probably more like 520-530 horsepower. It's power and handling are phenomenal considering it weighs over 3800 pounds and crushed the porsche gt2 on the nurburgring.
The next monster is coming from Toyota, in the form of the Lexus LS-A. This car is still somewhat shrouded in secrecy, but considering it's nurburgring performance and a few other leaked info, this car is believed to have a power level approaching 600 horsepower. This is quite remarkable considering the vehicle is still in its tuning phase with the engineers at Toyota. I'm eager to see what the final product will accomplish.
It's only a matter of time before race car giant, Honda, would follow suit. As of right now there is talk of reviving the Honda NSX into a more hardcore platform (as if the 3.2 liter v-6 ~300 horsepower 2700 pound monocoche mid-engine chassis wasn't hardcore enough) by improving the chassis and suspension for a new 5.0 liter v10. A 5.0 liter v10 from Honda is going to be outrageous.
So far there's been nothing from Mazda or Mitsubishi; yet. Being the Mitsubishi fan that I am, I'm eager to see if Mitsubishi will answer the call to yet again producing Japanese high performance sports and/or grand touring cars. Maybe we will see the rebirth of the 3000gt (GTO). As far as Mazda, I have a glimmer of hope that they will throw caution to the wind and bring out the first production THREE rotor wankel powered turbocharged sports car that will pretty much prove to be impossibly competitive.
Time will tell.
