The Grill's Top 5 Supercars Of 2011

As we approach the end of 2011, I thought it would be important--especially in light of the fact that the LA Auto Show will be coming-up in about a week--to create a list of my favorite supercars, both non and regular-production, that this year had to offer. This year was up-and-down in many respects, but 2011 offered us some of the most intriguing pieces of machinery to come out of the international auto market in a long time.

2011 Nissan GT-R:

This was the car that I was the least excited to write about; it's big, heavy, and the GT-R is essentially an overpriced Nissan coupe--more like a bad rip-off of a Skyline--that is not terribly faster than Lexus' limited-production LF-A, yet is powered by a 3.8 liter, twin-turbo V6, a hand-crafted, 24-valve engine that puts-out 530bhp at 6400rpm.

Though hand-crafted with care in a sterilized environment and as fast off-the-jump as the LF-A, Nissan's GT-R was produced in limited numbers for 2011, and with the "Basic" model being completely dropped for this sales year, the "Premium" trim became the standard for all GT-R owners.

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392:

For 2011, Mopar made just as much of a "muscle car comeback" as did Chevy with the '11 Camaro SS, especially the convertible version. But Mopar, possibly even more than a year before Chevy was to announce the ZL1 Camaro for 2012, stepped-up the bar on late-model cubic inches, punching out the then-current SRT8's 6.1 Hemi out to a 6.4 liter, or a 392-cube motor.

The result was substantial, as Chrysler's 392 cubic-inch Hemi V8 was now capable of producing 470bhp at 6000rpm, while max torque was 470 foot-pounds at 4200rpm; these figures represented a 45-horsepower increase with 50 more foot-pounds of torque, producing peak power at 200 revs lower than before, with peak torque being produced 600 revs lower than the previous Hemi.

2011 Shelby Mustang GT500:

Ford, with the Mustang in particular, has always been notorious for offering various performance packages for their "prized pony." It's true for the "Blue Oval" and has always been, especially when combining forces with legendary builder/tuner, Carroll Shelby.

A bad-ass, late-model racer, Shelby's GT500 is powered by an all-aluminum V8 with a wet sump that is based on the Ford GT's dry-sump motor, except that the block is different, despite the fact that both motors are aluminum.

From the 2010 GT500, the all-aluminum V8 in the 2011 car replaced the previous cast iron block, shaving 102 pounds from the nose and 120 pounds overall.

2011 Pagani Huayra:

A car of which not too much can be said, the Huayra from Horacio Pagani is a Lamborghini derivative, as Pagani himself is a former employee, and it is one of those fast supercars that has made it successfully as an AMG-Mercedes "lovechild."

Powered by AMG's stout V12, the Pagani Huayra is more of a "designer label" supercar, concentrating much more on styling and carbon construction then on brute, FIA-friendly horsepower.

2011 Ultima Can-Am:

This one goes without any introduction, except that it must be the best example of a V8 road car that our generation has seen.

Ultima offers their nut-and-bolt "GTR" as a Chevy/GM-powered alternative to Ferrari's Enzo and the Bugatti Veyron, and the drop-top Spyder version of their kit car, the Can-Am, is no less then a supercar than the hard-topped racer from which it evolved.

Peter Saywell, a prominent English businessman, is a profound fan of high-dollar, exotic sports cars. In fact, this one-of-a-kind, Pagani Zonda PS is a car that was built exclusively for Saywell, and it's safe to assume that it is one of the exotic market's most expensive, and equally remarkable finds.

The customized Zonda PS is powered by a 650-horse version of Mercedes-AMG's V12. The supercar is based on the Zonda F and R chassis, except that several exterior mods have been made that clearly separates Saywell's PS from other Pagani Zondas. These changes include a custom rear-diffuser, as well as a flat-layout exhaust that differs from the Zonda F and R's four-tip, circle-in-square layout. The air scoops found on the roof and wheel wells of the Zonda Cinque have been eliminated, and the PS features a sequential trans that will soon be debuting in Pagani's all-new C9.

With looks that kill and options that aren't even yet available from Pagani, Peter Saywell's Zonda PS is on the advance of Mercedes-AMG high performance.

Chevy Smokes Mopar?! What Is The World Coming To?!!!

For the 1968 sales year, GM did very little alterations to the currently-existing Camaro; the body was identical to the '67, except that for its second year of production, Chevy deleted from the Camaro the corner vent windows, and side markers were added in compliance with the federal safety regulations of the time. Another cosmetic change for the '68 Camaro was the switch from round to rectangular parking lights on the grille, but otherwise, '67-8 ponies are often hard to decipher at first glance.

The true hallmark, however, of the 1968 Camaro lies in the introduction of the 350bhp version of the 396; when it came to road racing, the 302-powered Z28 was the king of the Camaros from '67-'69, but the SS396 was the one RPO option that could have easily turned the mild-mannered Camaro into a tire-shredding, street-and-strip warrior.

Likewise, the pony car showdown lived as much in the Mopar world as it did in the GM market, though Dodge was the last of the "Big 3" to join the pony car movement with the Challenger. Introduced as a variant of the 'Cuda platform, Dodge's Challenger had a 2-inch longer wheelbase than the Plymouth, mostly for the purpose of increasing interior space. Like Chevy's Camaro, the Dodge Challenger was a pony car that offered everything from a straight-6 to a 426 Hemi, which meant that Dodge's options spectrum was one that was broad, and for consumers, the Challenger--like the Camaro--could be ordered as an everyday user or a race track bruiser, or else something in-between.


But for the Mopar world there is offered a challenge: manning-up to the legend of the 396. In this clip, the '68 Camaro SS not only smokes the 440-powered Challenger, it damn-near obliterates it. Now, for anyone who wants to be a "bench racer," a word of warning from the GM junkies: the video does show a Camaro spankin' a Challenger. No wonder at all, especially in this context, that Chevy so strongly represents what we love about America, especially when what we love has defeated the “other side” once more!

This '69 Chevelle Pro-Street Looks Like A Yenko, But It Has 509 Reasons Why It's Not!!!

Eric's Muscle Cars presents a nicely-done, '69 Chevelle pro-street "Yenko" with a 502 motor, turbo 400 trans and full, quarter-mile setup.

The car is built to the highest muscle car standards, featuring a GM 502 big block bored out to a 509 with a full, roller valvetrain, Holley 850cfm 4-barrel, a serpentine belt system and less than 1100 miles clocked since the motor was built from top to bottom. The Chevelle also features Kook headers, Flowmaster 44 Series mufflers and a 3" exhaust system.

The pro-streeted '69 is driven by a turbo 400 trans with a reverse manual body and 3500-stall with trans brake. The rear is a 9-inch with Moser 35-spline axles and 4.10 gears, and the car is brought to a halt via 4-wheel disc brakes.

Helping the Chevelle to keep power on the pavement are a set of 33 x 22 x 15 Mickey Thompson drag radials, with weld wheels from Pro Star to fill in the empty spaces. The pro-street's paint has been described as an "8" on a 1 to 10 scale, though the chrome is said to be clean throughout.

A set of Auto Meter gauges adorns the car's stock interior, and the car receives fuel supply via a 20-gallon, aluminum cell with a filter and sending unit. A straight pro-street build, this '69 Chevelle has never been run down the strip, and all of its body panels are said to be "laser straight." A meticulously-built street-and-strip performer, this '69 Chevelle has "pro street" written all over it, yet every piece has been executed with the attention of a show car.


* Read more about this car at Chevy Hardcore!