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You’d be very wrong if you think anyone with a driver’s license could drive just any car.
Passing your driving test is the first step in any gearheads learning process that takes years of practice. Even then, there is a selection of fast sports cars that really should be left to the professionals.
Overconfidence in the wrong car, say the Porsche 930 turbo, can have lethal consequences, they don't call it the widow maker for nothing. Several generations of 911 are still professional driver's cars poised to bite unfamiliar hands. Other carmakers tread a slightly different path preferring to deliver raw thrills by removing intrusive electronics. Safety aids such as ABS, traction control and even airbags are ominously missing from every TVR, Nobel, and several Lotus cars. Over-step the mark in one of these, and the nearest ditch could well be your next parking spot.
If it looks fast, be wary. These 10 fast cars are probably best left to serious, experienced drivers.
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Track focused supercars represent the pinnacle of car design, raw, uncompromising, and fast. Based loosely on McLaren's 720s, the Senna takes hardcore to the next level, sporting more outrageous wings and vents combined with a weight loss of 200 lbs. Beneath the lightened all carbon fiber skin, McLaren tweaked the 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 so it now produces 789 hp.
Despite the power and weight differential the two are neck and neck in both top speed and acceleration. But, on a track, where things get more technical, the Senna over a flying lap of the Hockenheim GP circuit romps home 5-seconds quicker.
Every so often Porsche treats gearheads to their vision of the ultimate supercar. In 2004, amid a battle of the fastest cars, the Carrera GT waded in to the mix with a mid-mounted 5.7-liter V10 engine cranking out 603 hp. Initially, Porsche intended to limit numbers to 1500 cars only to later reduce this figure to 1,270 examples on safety grounds.
Blaming stricter airbag regulations in the U.S. where just over half of its customers were based, Porsche pulled the plug in 2006. However, dig a little deeper and safety features in other areas are oddly absent also. Common standard fit anti-lock brakes and traction control were not even on the options list.
RELATED: 8 Reasons Why We Love The Porsche Carrera GT (2 Reasons Why We'd Never Drive One)
Savior and custodian of TVR, former owner Peter Wheeler, doesn't come across as your typical sports car designer. But don't be fooled by the down to earth appearance. Despite TVR's shed-built reputation, the Cerbera Speed 12 is the perfect example of brawn over ability.
The Cerbera model was already a ferociously fast supercar that demanded owner's full attention at speed. That seemingly wasn't enough for TVR. Shoehorning a home-grown 7.7-liter 800+ hp V12 under the hood with no driver aids transformed Blackpool's best into a serious McLaren F1 rival. Sadly, even Peter Wheeler thought the Speed 12 was too savage and canned the project.
Few supercars generate as much attention as a Lamborghini. By the 1990s Lamborghini had realized the Countach was badly outdated and rolled out its successor, the Diablo. Surely, learning from the criticisms of the Countach, the Diablo would be superior in every regard. Sadly, the heavy controls remained, as did the limited visibility.
In SV trim Lamborghini bestowed the Diablo with a revised 5.7-liter V12 punching out 510 hp, not bad for the entry level model. More power is normally a good thing. In the Diablo SV, with rear-wheel-drive only a loss of traction is all too common a mistake separating rich owners from the pros.
The AC Cobra is probably one of the most recognizable and copied sports cars in history. Whenever gearheads mention the Cobra, it's inevitable the car's UK origins are included. However, despite the AC Ace heritage, the Cobra is more about Carroll Shelby than anything else.
Speed and horsepower are a powerful addiction to gearheads, Shelby as a former racer was no different. In 1965 adding a big-block FE series Ford V8 cranking out 425 hp seemed a logical upgrade. For inexperienced drivers, the extra horsepower with so little weight and no traction control is an accident waiting to happen.
RELATED: Here's What The 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster Costs Today
Before the ultra-rare Valkyrie and Vulcan, Aston Martin teased gearheads with the limited edition One 77. Launched in 2009, the One 77 featured the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the world, a 7.3-liter V12 cranking out 750 hp. Finding one of these quintessentially British supercars is going to be tricky at best. Despite the branding, 78 examples are known to exist.
An all carbon fiber chassis dressed in gorgeous aluminum bodywork hides the One 77's race derived underpinnings. While the carbon-ceramic brakes and push-rod suspension are well suited to track use, on less than perfect public roads, the Aston can be a handful. In 2012 one unlucky owner pushed the One 77's limits too far writing off the car.
Rarely does a production coupe pack quite so a large punch as the Hellcat. Aside from a slightly lower and wider stance, plus the obligatory hood bulges there is little to give away the Challenger's secret.
Around town at "normal" speeds, the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi motor is barely discernable from lesser models. However, stepping on the loud pedal unleashes the full 707 hp, testing both man and machine's desire to go anywhere, but in a straight line.
Ferrari's ownership should be a thrill ride of noise and speed to get your adrenalin pumping. The standard 599 achieved this remarkably well. But like every model in the prancing horses history, a hotter version followed with the F599XX breaking cover in 2010.
Less weight and more power should have been a recipe for success. Sadly for Ferrari, the 599XX's track tuned chassis required all but the world's best drivers to leave the traction control switched on. While turning it off allowed the V12 engine up-front to scorch to 60 mph in 3-seconds, taming the power delivery was impossible.
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As with anything, automotive beyond the outer limits the Lotus T125 flopped. Motorsport loving gearheads with a desire to go single-seater racing are pretty limited. That didn't stop Lotus from trying. In 2010 the T125 made its debut, aimed at bringing the speed and thrills of F1 to wealthy gearheads.
Originally, production of this bonkers track only racer was limited to 25 cars, but production eventually stalled at just 10 cars. Wealthy owners in exchange for their $950,000 investment were invited to partake in some professional tuition before being let loose on track. Packing a 3.5-liter V8 pumping out 640 hp, the T125 is a monster capable of scaring any gearhead.
Right from the very beginning, the Dodger Viper was a bit of a handful. Over time, Dodge/Chrysler updated the all-American V10 powered muscle car adding refinement and a few driver aids. Generational updates naturally came with more performance, the V10 engine growing to 8.4-liter and 645 hp.
Dazzled by big displacements and huge power numbers, gearheads tempted by the Viper ACR should be cautious. In professional hands you can expect a 200 mph top speed. In inexperienced hands with no traction control or ABS, maybe you'll get lucky and not spin out.
Raised in a car-obsessed environment from an early age ensured a keen interest in anything car-related. first and foremost an F1 fan, but also an avid follower of other motorsports. Professional background working closely with a well established UK based Supercar manufacturer in recent years.