2013 The year of Ultracar??

Ill start by clarifying what I mean when I say Ultracar. For cars are categorised by their performance, to begin we have cars, then supercars and the most ridiculous category so far has been hypercars (really fast supercars) such as the Bugatti Veyron, Pagani Huyara or Koenigsegg Agera. An ultracar would therefore be then next stage of lunacy (though I admit it doesnt sound quite as exciting as it should given the cars it describes). In terms of power and acceleration, the gains to be had are reducing, particularly thanks to the yardstick set by the Veyron and also the increasing importance placed on efficiency. So it is likely that performance in straight lines is nearing, if not already at, its peak for conventionally powered cars. One area where developments continue to be made thanks to innovation and technology is the handling of cars and this is where strides will be most noticeably made in the future. So what can we look forward to? 2013 will see the launch of two very special machines indeed that as far as I'm concerned, could well redefine the order of performance for cars.

http://www.mclarenautomotive.com/uk/default.aspx

The exterior of the McLaren P1 was unveiled in Paris last year and the car has been in development since then. It is rumoured to be fully released at this years Geneva Motor show. Knowing McLaren, this car will handle like nothing we've seen before, performance rumours suggest downforce generated up to 600kg and a power-to-weight ratio of 600bhp/tonne, greater than the mighty Veyron, which means it will be ridiculously fast.

http://images.cdn.autocar.co.uk/sites/autocar.co.uk/files/imagecache/article_image_480/ferarri-enzo-2.jpg

Then of course there is the decadal limited release from Ferrari, this one codenamed the F150. Not too much is known about the F150, Ferrari are keeping tight lipped as you would expect. Power is likely to come from a variant of their beautiful V12 supplemented by a hybrid KERS system, all told resulting in around 850bhp. That really is fantasy levels of power and with 10 years of development and innovation since the Enzo, it will be right at home when things get twisty.

Was it fate that these two incredible machines were launched in the same year or pure coincidence? Who knows, I for one cannot wait to see just what they bring.