13 Supercars That Could Outrun Ferrari But Never Got The Spotlight
Ferrari usually steals the show, but not every speed demon wears a prancing horse badge.
Lurking in the shadows are supercars that had the power, precision, and pulse-pounding speed to give Maranello’s finest a serious scare.
Some were lightning quick off the line, others mastered corners like ballet dancers on nitrous.
Yet despite their talent, they missed the fame, slipping under the radar while the spotlight stayed fixed on the usual stars. Quietly brilliant and brutally fast, they never got their due.
1. Noble M600
Hand-built in a tiny British workshop, the Noble M600 packed a twin-turbo Volvo V8 pushing 650 horses with zero electronic nannies to save you.
No traction control, no stability systems – just raw, unfiltered speed. Top Gear’s Richard Hammond called it “terrifying and brilliant.”
With a 0-60 time of 3 seconds flat and a top speed over 225 mph, this carbon fiber monster embarrassed Italian exotics while maintaining the production numbers of a rare coin collection.
2. Spyker C8
Crafted by aircraft enthusiasts, the Spyker C8 turned heads with its polished aluminum shifter mechanism exposed like mechanical jewelry inside the cabin.
The Dutch masterpiece featured an Audi-sourced V8 that sang like an opera star.
Fighter plane inspirations weren’t just marketing fluff – the interior featured toggle switches and a dashboard that would make pilots jealous.
Despite beating Ferrari’s lap times at various tracks, Spyker remained automotive caviar, too exotic for mainstream recognition.
3. Gumpert Apollo
Beauty contests? The Apollo would lose every time. Function absolutely murdered form when Roland Gumpert (ex-Audi Sport director) designed this German monster with one goal: destroying track records.
Aerodynamics so extreme you could drive it upside down at high speeds. The twin-turbo Audi V8 cranked out 650 horsepower in a package weighing less than a Civic.
Ferrari owners got quite the shock when this awkward-looking beast disappeared into the horizon, hitting 60 mph in 2.7 seconds.
4. Mosler MT900S
Warren Mosler didn’t just build cars – he created physics-defying weapons. The MT900S weighed just 2,500 pounds (lighter than a Toyota Corolla) but packed a 600-horsepower Corvette engine behind the driver.
Born in a Florida workshop rather than a glossy European factory, this carbon fiber spaceship demolished track records without the fancy marketing budgets.
Jay Leno owned one and called it “the best handling car I’ve ever driven.” Yet somehow, this American masterpiece remained virtually unknown outside hardcore enthusiast circles.
5. Vector W8
Before Elon Musk was cool, Jerry Wiegert created automotive sci-fi with the Vector W8.
This wedge-shaped alien spacecraft packed a twin-turbo V8 making 625 horsepower in 1990 – when Ferrari’s flagship made just 478.
The cockpit featured aircraft gauges and looked like something from Star Trek. Only 17 examples escaped into the wild before the company imploded.
Each Vector was assembled using aerospace-grade materials and techniques, creating a legend that still drops jaws at rare car shows today.
6. TVR Cerbera Speed 12
TVR literally canceled this beast because it was too wild for the street. Company test drivers reported it was “simply too powerful to be driven by most people.”
The Speed 12 packed a homemade V12 engine rumored to make over 800 horsepower.
With no driver aids whatsoever and weighing less than a Miata, this British monster could demolish supercars costing three times as much.
TVR eventually refused to sell the completed prototypes to customers, fearing the inevitable headline-making crashes. The ultimate “what could have been” supercar.
7. Ultima GTR
Starting life as a kit car you could build in your garage, the Ultima GTR became the giant-destroyer nobody saw coming.
This bare-bones British rocket held the production car acceleration record, hitting 0-100-0 mph in a neck-snapping 9.4 seconds.
With a small-block Chevy V8 mounted midship and a featherweight chassis, the GTR demolished Nürburgring lap records while costing a fraction of Italian exotics.
Imagine building this in your garage on weekends, then casually embarrassing million-dollar hypercars at track days!
8. Saleen S7
Born from racing legend Steve Saleen’s obsession with beating Europeans at their own game, the S7 was handcrafted in California with a space-frame chassis and carbon fiber body.
Under the rear deck lurked a twin-turbo Ford V8 pushing 750 horsepower to the rear wheels.
The doors swung upward, the interior was trimmed in leather, and the performance was otherworldly – 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds.
Despite appearing in Hollywood blockbusters like “Bruce Almighty,” the S7 never achieved the brand recognition of its Italian rivals.
9. Zenvo ST1
Created in a country known for pastries and Lego, not supercars, the Zenvo ST1 blindsided the automotive world with its brutal approach to performance.
The twin-charged 7.0-liter V8 (both supercharged AND turbocharged) produced a ridiculous 1,104 horsepower.
Each car took 8,000 man-hours to build by hand. The ST1’s party trick was its active rear wing that actually tilted sideways in corners for additional downforce.
Despite embarrassing Ferraris on paper, Zenvo’s tiny production numbers and infamous Top Gear fire incident kept it in relative obscurity.
10. SSC Ultimate Aero
For three glorious years (2007-2010), a car built in Washington state held the title of world’s fastest production car.
The SSC Ultimate Aero hit 256.18 mph without the benefit of a legendary name or massive engineering team.
Jerod Shelby (no relation to Carroll) created this twin-turbo V8 monster in a small facility with a handful of employees.
With no electronic driver aids and 1,287 horsepower pushing just 2,750 pounds, the Ultimate Aero was the automotive equivalent of riding a missile. Ferrari who?
11. Hennessey Venom GT
John Hennessey took a humble Lotus Elise chassis, stretched it, and stuffed in a 7.0-liter twin-turbo V8 making 1,244 horsepower.
The result? A car that accelerated from 0-200 mph faster than most sports cars hit 60. In 2014, it reached 270.49 mph at Kennedy Space Center, though official record books snubbed it on a technicality.
Only 13 were ever built in a Texas workshop better known for tuning Mustangs and Camaros. Despite beating Bugatti’s Veyron in raw speed, the Venom GT remained an underground legend.
12. Wiesmann GT MF5
Looking like something from a 1950s sci-fi movie but packing BMW’s legendary V10 from the M5/M6, the Wiesmann GT MF5 was automotive contradiction done right.
Hand-built in a factory shaped like a gecko (their logo), each car took six weeks to complete.
The retro-styled body hid modern tech that could smoke Ferraris while making a sound that car enthusiasts still talk about in hushed tones.
With perfect 50:50 weight distribution and 547 horsepower in a package weighing just 2,800 pounds, this German oddity delivered supercar thrills with vintage charm.
13. De Tomaso Pantera GT5
Imagine Italian supercar looks with a bulletproof American V8 heart – that’s the Pantera.
While technically older than other entries, the GT5 variant from the 80s packed widebody looks and enough power to smoke contemporary Ferraris at half the maintenance cost.
Elvis famously shot his Pantera when it wouldn’t start.
With Ford’s 351 Cleveland V8 making sweet music behind the driver’s ears and styling that still drops jaws today, the Pantera represented the perfect marriage of Italian design flair and American muscle reliability.