Paul's Top 5 Supercars

Writing about my favourite supercars feels a bit like trying to pick your favourite child, although, let’s be honest, it’s probably easier because supercars don’t answer back. After careful deliberation and much arguing with myself (and occasionally losing), here’s my definitive list of automotive greatness, from brilliant to biblically good.

5 — Aston Martin Valhalla

Let’s kick things off controversially. Yes, it’s a car I’ve never driven, mainly because nobody has — yet. It’s also a hypercar and not a supercar. However, after accompanying a Supercar Driver member to the Aston Martin factory to spec his Valhalla, I found myself lost in the beautifully nonsensical world of customisation. The Valhalla, Aston’s mid-engined hybrid rocket, has a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 paired with two electric motors, producing around 1,064 horsepower. It promises a 0-62 mph time of 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 217 mph. No one can say how it drives yet, but frankly, with beauty like that, even if it handled like a wheelbarrow, you’d forgive it.

4 — Ferrari 458 Spider

My first Ferrari – you never forget your first, do you? The 458 Spider had a 4.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 screaming out 562 horsepower. 0-62 mph took a mere 3.4 seconds, and it could howl its way up to 198 mph with the roof down, ruining your hairstyle and dignity simultaneously. I eventually sold it to a fellow Supercar Driver member, and every time I see it at an event, my heart still skips a beat — a testament to just how brilliant the 458 truly is.

3 — Ferrari 296 GTS

Now, let the arguments begin. Yes, the hybrid 296 GTS — a V6 Ferrari, which some see as sacrilege — is high on my list. But there’s method in my madness. Having attended the Corso Pilota course in 2023, flogging this hybrid thoroughbred around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track for two days, I can confirm it’s properly quick. A 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 combined with an electric motor dishes out 819 horsepower, which is enough to rocket you from 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds. More importantly, during our recent tour of Spain, four 296 GTS models joined our group, highlighting just how perfect they are for touring – comfortable, spacious, and shockingly reliable — proving hybrid Ferraris don’t burst into flames every five minutes (contrary to internet legend).

2 — Porsche 992 GT3 RS Weissach

The GT3 RS Weissach isn’t merely good — it’s transcendental. After recently driving one for a film you will see in due course, I was convinced Porsche had finally cracked the code to automotive perfection. Despite 'only' having a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six churning out 518 horsepower (positively pedestrian these days), it corners like it’s magnetically attached to the tarmac. People whine that it’s too track-focused, but that’s nonsense. I drive a 992 GT3 every day, and this is no harder. Yes, the power might be lower than its shouty rivals, but that’s precisely why it’s brilliant – you must actually know how to drive it, and when you do, it’s more rewarding than solving the Times crossword without cheating.

1 — Ferrari F12 TDF

The F12 TDF tops my list, and honestly, it wasn’t supposed to. I’ve always preferred mid-engine Ferraris – until now. On the recent Mil Millas España tour, a member threw me the keys to his F12 TDF, and by 'threw', I mean cautiously handed them over, hoping I wouldn’t immediately crash it. But something magical happened. It felt instantly familiar, as comfortable as your favourite armchair but capable of ripping your face off if you dared push past 6,000 rpm. Powered by a 6.3-litre V12 unleashing 769 horsepower, this front-engined monster hits 62 mph in under 3 seconds and won’t stop until it hits 211 mph – or you run out of courage. It’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde grand tourer, civilised enough to tour Europe in comfort yet ferocious enough to reduce grown men to quivering wrecks of joy.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the F12 TDF is not just my favourite Ferrari – it’s possibly my favourite car. Ever.