Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2021-03-08

SUPERCAR SPECIAL

March 8, 2021

Extras you see everywhere today originated in some of the most exotic vehicles ever made

By Hannah Elliott

A Track Record of Innovation

Bloomberg Pursuits

1960s 1970s

Warning lights on your dashboard may be commonplace—even required—now, but when the Lamborghini Countach came out in 1974, the idea was more science fiction than reality. The car’s designer, Marcello Gandini, dreamed up a spaceship-like display for the center console that would blink when the car exceeded a set speed, a system that would also presage advanced modern cruise control. Likewise, nobody thought all-wheel drive or a flat-six engine could be associated with the world’s fastest car until Porsche did it with the 959 in 1986. But supercars

have always been on the cutting-edge frontier—that’s why they appeal to our imagination. A speed-sensitive electronic rear wing and air flaps near the rear window of the Bugatti EB110 were the 1990s precursor to today’s “active aero” kits, which can even help slow down the car under additional braking. The McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder hybrids p

roved electric supercars can keep up with those

powered by combustion, while looking even sexier. Here’s an abbreviated survey of the supercars that have driven innovation through the decades.

LAMBORGHINI COUNTACHWith a long production

life

(19

74-90), the

Miura’s successor affected

w

edge-

shaped cars for decades.

Its

V-12 engine could produce

375 horsepower—twice that of the era’s standard sports car. The then-new

scissor doors ended up on

subsequent models, including

today’s

Aventador SVJ Roads

ter.

LAMBORGHINI MIUR

A^

Released in 1966,

it

w

as not only the fastest

production car on

the

road—with a top speed

of 174 mph and a zero

to 62 mph

time of 6.7 seconds—b

ut

also the first of its

kin

d to

include the midengine

,

two-seat layout that’s

been the supercar

nor

m

ever since. The low

rid

e height and

cockpit design influen

ced countless others.

BMW M1

Made in 1978 in

a^

unique

partnership

with Lamborghini

an

d inspired by BMW’s

Turbo concept car

fr

om 1972, the M1 had a

fiberglass body

and

a six-cylinder engine that

was the brand’s

first

to be midmounted

and produced for

roa

d use.

(The second was

the

i8 hybrid, which

cam

e

ALFA ROMEO 33 STRADALE out in 2014.)

The first production vehicle to use dihedral, or butterfly, doors, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale had a unique body made from magnesium components and a suspension taken from the more glamorous and successful Italian race cars of the 1960s. Only 18 were made, starting in 1967, but the design proved very influential.

MAGNESIUM COMPONENTS

SCISSOR DOORS

RAa

s^ not

only

the

fastest

roa

d—wit

h^

a^ top spee

d

to

62

mph

but

d^

to

e, rm

de

h

eig

ht

an

d^

nced countless

others.

H^9

74-90),

the

wedge- g

(^) ster.
SCI
SSO
R^
DOO
RS
qp
p
nd
ins
pir
ed
by
BMW’s
rom
1972,
the
M1
had
a
a^
six-cylinder
engine
that
to
be
mi
dm
ou
nted
ad
use.
e me