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.