The Greatest Supercars

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And though it has yet to race Bugatti's monster Veyron, speed fans and supercar aficionados are already placing bets that if anything can make the French-made Veyron look like a Parisian poodle on the raceway, it's a car built by Saleen.

Unlike some models, Veyron included, that attempt to provide a rounded experience by merging speed with comfort, the S7 forgoes weight-adding extras such as mufflers, airbags, all-wheel drive, antilock brakes, or even seat adjusters. It sticks to the essence of its purpose: pure speed. The result is a blow-dart light vehicle that shoots to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds.

Royal Dutch Racer

Some supercars have cropped up in other unlikely regions, too. No one, for instance expected a record-breaking supercar to hail from icy Sweden, but the Koenigsegg CCX proves it's possible (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/24/06, "A Revolution in Swede Speed"). The product of one man's childhood fantasy, the CCX is the U.S. street-legal version of the Koenigsegg CCR. That supercar currently holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest speed in a production vehicle.

Likewise, the Dutch nameplate Spyker was revived in 1999 to capitalize on the growing class of wealthy car enthusiasts. The company is all-new but acquired the storied brand name and pitches its vehicles not as the fastest or most expensive but as having a bona fide royal lineage. (See LINK TO SPYKER PIECE)

There is, of course, a fan base entirely devoted to the classics (See LINK TO HISTORY PIECE). These fans find more interest in cars such as the classic Jaguar E-type, which redefined the meaning of sport curves in 1961, and the AC Cobra, which proved Americans could, too, be the fastest in the world. The value of these cars at auction has risen dramatically (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/15/06, "Auto Gems from Every Era").

Best of Everything

Others prefer the most exotic fare from much smaller, less publicized brands. Nameplates like Mosler, Ascari, and Zonda may not ring a bell with car consumers at large, but for a devoted few they mean a lot. These cars are often a composite of parts and technologies brought together by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.

Indeed, vehicles from those manufacturers are endowed with considerable capabilities. The Mosler MT900S, for instance, has a Corvette Z06-source engine and can go from zero to 60 in a blistering 3.5 seconds. The Ascari KZ1, with its BMW M5-based engine, gets there in 3.7 seconds.

What exactly makes a supercar super will likely continue to be a subject of debate. And whether, in essence, their proliferation represents a gladiatorial contest against nature or simply a manifestation of vast wealth is unlikely to become entirely clear anytime soon. In the meantime, enjoy the resulting automotive theater.

To see the greatest supercars in the world today, click on the links below:

Click here to see a slide show of the Ascari A10.

Click here to see a slide show of the Audi R8

Click here to see a slide show of the Bugatti Veyron.

Click here to see a slide show of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

Click here to see a slide show of the Koenigsegg CCX.

Click here to see a slide show of the Lamborghini Murciélago.

Click here to see a slide show of the Mosler MT900S.

Click here to see a slide show of the Pagani Zonda.

Click here to see a slide show of the Saleen S7.

Click here to see a slide show of the Spyker D12.

Newton's Three Laws of Motion

First law:

An object will stay at rest or move at a constant velocity (constant speed in a straight line) unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Second law:

The rate of change of the momentum of a body is directly proportional to the net force acting on it, and the direction of the change in momentum takes place in the direction of the net force.

Third law:

To every action (force applied) there is an equal but opposite reaction (equal force applied in the opposite direction).

Douglas MacMillan contributed reporting to this article.

Matt Vella is a writer for BusinessWeek.com in New York.