Fuelling fantasy

The supercar is the pinnacle of motoring performance, aspiration and exclusivity. Sheets of carbon fibre, resined by hand, form the perfect picture frame for imposing V12 powerplants through a window of flat panel glass – an engine this beautiful (and valuable) is not to be hidden from the admiring public.

Designer patented trim fabrics soften the leather and carbon-clad interiors, which are adorned with every sporting attribute and luxury accessory that money can buy.

And the price ensures exclusivity.

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On the 2006 Motor Show floor, several production supercars stand out from the crowd – though they are usually hidden from sight by an admiring audience.

The great red hype of the 2006 Show was again a prancing pony. The fastest ever Ferrari production supercar, the 599 GTB Fiorano, is glossy red metal and steely alloy wrapped around a 6.0-litre V12 powerplant developing 456kW and 608Nm of major mumbo. It promises speed just sitting on the stand, and a $600,000 price tag dictates that most mere mortals will never get a taste. It’s almost cruel.

Bentley and BMW can both lay claim to the world’s fastest cabrio title. The bespoke Bentley Continental GTC (Grand Touring Convertible) takes the roof off the timeless Continental GT coupe, and ironically mixes leather luxury and wind-in-hair topless experience with a monstrous 411kW 12-cylinder twin-turbocharged engine.

It can sprint to 100km/h in just 4.8 seconds - the same claimed time as Beemer’s new weapon.

The M6 Convertible shares the 373kW V10 engine with its M6 coupe and M5 sedan siblings, while the fold-away roof bumps the price up $20K to $295,000. A steal next to Bentley’s $399,500 cabrio, but the two are of different worlds.

Speaking of a different world – the Audi R8. The show stopper. Named after the infamous multiple Le Mans-winning Audi supercar, the R8 is a new breed of performance supercar from the marque renown for its iconic TT coupe and wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing sports saloons.

The Audi R8 is a veritable Lamborghini-killer (a marquee which Audi ironically owns), powered by a 4.2-litre V8 FSI engine delivering 313kW at a high-revving 7800rpm, and 430Nm of torque. Top speed is 301km/h, and the 0-100km/h dash is done in 4.6-seconds.

The design is cutting edge, with sloping sills and aerodynamic lines still accommodating real-world scenarios like golf clubs and luggage with storage compartments in the front boot and behind the seats (fore of the huge mid-mounted engine).

The R8 carries a starting price tag of £77,000 in Europe, with pricing for Oz estimated at $250,000 to $300,000.

Those with a small fortune in the bank who want to purchase one of these exclusive cars will still have to wait.

The R8 will not arrive until mid 2007, and orders for the GTB Fiorano are backed up to 2008. So for the moment, the average punter and the handful of prospective buyers will have to admire, watch, and wait from the other side of the Motor Show velvet rope.

A small comfort, perhaps, to those of us who will only ever dream of owning a supercar...