Supercars
The supercar… If one car had to symbolize excess, it would be it! A supercar is everything but reason: it is incredibly fast, powerful, noisy, excessive in its shapes, doors cinematic, interior… in a word, excessive in everything, including its price tag!
Modena, Italy, where it all started supercars
Modena in Emilia Romagna and its surroundings is the cluster of the World fastest automobiles. It is the place Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti (during the Artioli era), Pagani and many others have called (and for most, still call) home.
We can easily affirm the supercars were born in Modena. With its sharp lines, elytra doors and outstanding performance, the Lamborghini Countach LP400 launched in 1974 could be an ideal candidate to be named the first supercar in the World. Its predecessor, the sharp Lamborghini Miura launched in the 70s could also deserve this status.
But they were not officially called supercars yet. For that, we have to wait 1984 to see the first real supercar: the Ferrari 288 GTO.
The 288 GTO is indeed a superlative car, right up to its name GTO, which stands for “Gran Turismo Omologato”, in the tradition of the Ferrari 250 GTO, the “Mona Lisa of the automobile” with its 36 units, which are the most expensive cars in the World today.
The DNA of the Ferrari 288 GTO is very much in line with what defines supercars: an extreme car with mind-boggling performance and most importantly, produced in very limited numbers. For the GTO, we could add a car that was originally designed for competition, which is not always the case for supercars.
The F40: the one that created the supercars’ bubble of the Nineties.
The ANNA LISA Art On Wheels collection includes the queen of supercars: the Ferrari F40 launched in 1987 in Maranello to celebrate the brand’s 40th anniversary. It is indeed a very special car and the last one to have been launched by Enzo Ferrari himself.
It is a direct result of the work carried out by Maranello on the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione, of which only five were made for track use only.
Often compared to the Porsche 959, its high-tech rival, the F40 remains THE ultimate supercar for most people. With its exuberant styling, advanced technological innovations and devilish performance, the F40 caused a stir when it was launched in Maranello. This is still true today. We are very proud to have a very low mileage example in our collection.
The Jaguar XJ220: the unexpected supercar born in the UK.
Another iconic supercar from the 90s in the ANNA LISA Art On Wheels collection is the Jaguar XJ220, which was presented on 18 October 1988 at the Birmingham International Motor Show. The long, sleek supercar was unexpected and it was a total hit, in line with the launches of the XK120 and the E-Types, which had already seen a number of orders far exceeding all expectations. Contrary to its predecessors, the XJ220 was very expensive, even compared to other supercars.
However, with a V6 instead of a V12 and a modified design, the car disappointed when it was finally released. Many buyers had already cancelled their orders due to long additional delays, and more did when the car was eventually released. Despite stunning performance, outstanding styling and use of state-of-the-art technology, the XJ220 struggled to sell and has for long been overlooked. It took years to see the Jaguar desirable again, as shown by a world record for a low mileage example in a 2021 auction.
It’s very tempting to compare the exuberant F40 and the sleek Jaguar. We have long dreamed of organising a battle between our two cars, both being very low mileage examples. Both have been beautifully shot in a studio; so do not hesitate to take a closer look at them in our gallery.
