2016 was a good year for supercars. Over the course of the year, the new Ford GT and Acura NSX commenced production in North America, Ferrari introduced the LaFerrari Aperta roadster, Lamborghini the updated Aventador S, Bugatti the long-awaited Chiron, and McLaren the 675LT Spider that could be its most exciting model to date.
But as exciting as 2016 was, we’re looking forward even more to what the 2017 has in store.
Before this year is out, we should be seeing new supercars from automakers large and small: groundbreaking performance machines that will challenge our perceptions of what an automobile can do. We’ll also see the first second-generation model from one of our favorite manufacturers, and one of the world’s biggest automakers launching a mid-engined supercar for the first time.
There’s plenty to look forward to, in short, so enthusiasts will want to watch this space. But in the meantime, here’s a forecast of the best things to come.
Mercedes-AMG Project One
Mercedes has been gradually scaling back its flagship supercars over the past couple of decades. The Enzo-rivaling SLR McLaren was replaced by the 599-baiting SLS AMG, which was in turn effectively succeeded by the AMG GT that’s closer to Porsche 911 territory. But the German automaker is blasting right up to the stratosphere again with the hypercar currently known as Project One.
Drawing on Mercedes’ Formula One domination, the road-going exotic is slated to be powered by an F1-derived 1.6-liter turbo six hybrid powertrain expected to produce about 1,000 horsepower. Look for its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, after which only a couple hundred will be made, each priced at around $2.5 million.
Aston Martin AM-RB 001
Mercedes isn’t the only automaker looking to translate its Formula One prowess to the road. Aston Martin is also teaming up with Red Bull Racing on the program currently known as the AM-RB 001.
Combining the talents of Aston’s chief designer Marek Reichman and Red Bull’s legendary chief engineer Adrian Newey, the AM-RB 001 may yet adopt a similar form, output, and price tag to the Benz, but is slated to use an entirely different engine: an old-school, naturally aspirated V12 – which ought to be derived from Aston’s own design, not the new turbo unit it developed with (wink wink) Mercedes. Expect F1-rivaling levels of grip and performance – and hopefully a debut in final form before the year’s out.
McLaren 720S
Since the launch of the MP4-12C in 2011, McLaren Automotive has been steadily expanding its lineup in both directions. The 12C was effectively replaced by the 650S, but the successor to them both – the company’s first complete second-generation program – is just around the corner.
Codenamed project P14, the next Super Series model is anticipated to carry (in its primary form) the name 720S, which tells us something about how much muscle it will pack. 720 metric horsepower ought to put up an even stronger fight against the likes of the Ferrari 488 and Lamborghini Huracan, coming from an enlarged (and potentially electrically assisted) version of the automaker’s signature 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 – and augmented by more advanced aerodynamics.
We’ll expect to see it on the stage at the Geneva Motor Show come March, heralding a new design language that will eventually make its way onto everything to follow from Woking.
Chevrolet Corvette C8
2017 may finally be the year that we get to see the long-awaited, much-rumored mid-engined Corvette – either supplementing or replacing seven generations of front-engined Vettes, and opening an entirely new chapter for GM’s flagship model.
Codenamed “Zora,” the mid-engined Corvette will, if the Pope is still catholic, pack a V8 engine in the high-five- to low-six-liter range, with or without the addition of a supercharger. Just what this means for the future of the front-engined Plastic Fantastic, or how Chevy might position one alongside the other, we don’t know, but we’re looking forward to finding out before the year’s done.
Pagani Huayra Roadster
The last item on our list may seem the most straightforward. We’ve already seen the Pagani Huayra with a fixed roof, and the roadster version will simply lop that off the top… right? Only there’s ample reason to believe that the open-top Huayra will be even more extreme and potent than the solid-topped versions we’ve seen to date, and will bear some revised bodywork as well.
Expect the 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 (sourced once again from Mercedes-AMG) to produce upwards of 750 horsepower and drive the wind at alarming pace through the hair of anyone fortunate enough to climb inside, with the reveal confirmed the take place barely over a month from now in Geneva.
And You Can Bet There’ll Be More
These are just five that we know about, but they won’t be the only supercars that will arrive this year. Ferrari will likely reveal a more hardcore version of the 488 GTB to follow in the same vein as the 458 Speciale, 430 Scuderia, and 360 Challenge Stradale.
McLaren has yet to unveil the 570S Spider. Lamborghini has the Performante version of the Huracan on its way. And Porsche has more focused versions of the latest 911 en route as well. While there will be many surprises over the course of the year ahead, 2017 is already gearing up to be just as tantalizing in the realm of exotic supercars as the year behind us.