Who is the icon now?

The Lamborghini Countach was the king of the supercars.
Who took over the throne? Photo Credit lamborghinifans.com.

The year was 1974 when one of the most insane, incredible, and influential cars ever made was put into production.

That car was the Lamborghini Countach.

For years the Countach reigned supreme as the car that 11-year-olds would dream of owning when they grew up. It sparked the imagination with its striking design, and sharp edges. The only children that didn't want to own one of these cars when they grew up were the kids that wanted to be a Countach when they grew up.

But what about kids today?

What is the Countach of the here and now?


There are so many gorgeous supercars today made by so many companies, it is difficult to choose one supercar that every kid wants a poster of in his room.

You can choose anything from Aston Martins to Lamborghinis, Ferraris to Maseratis, but is there a runaway winner?

The fastest car in the world:
The Bugatti Supersport.
Photo credit motorward.com. 

Is it a Bugatti Veyron Supersport? Well, it is the fastest car in the world, and it's a technological beacon of hope for the speed freak with its W16 engine and more radiators than a house. The fact that it has 1,200 horsepower doesn't hurt its case either.

The thing is that perhaps this car is too complex to capture the imagination of most of the public who don't really care about horsepower and torque, and although we know the design is to provide as much downforce as possible, is it wild enough to be the posterboy for all supercars? I don't think so.

The Reventon. Photo credit
automobileupdates.com.

Well maybe the answer lies in the same company as it did before: Lamborghini. They consistently produce some of the most awesome and craziest designs for their cars. So is it the Reventon with its stealthfighteresque good looks and stunning lines?

No, the problem here is that there are parts of it that are still reminiscent of the Countach in its appearance. While it is beautiful, aspects of it feel like they've been done before.

We are close though, because the Countach of today comes from a different Italian car company: Pagani.

The Zonda R, the new king. Photo credit nfscars.net.

How can the Zonda R not be considered the most insane supercar of today?

It's a space shuttle on wheels.

The first word that came out of my mouth when I first saw the Zonda was "weird" and that is the reason why a poster of this car should be on the wall of every car loving child. It draws the eye, and then holds it there allowing the viewer to examine every little detail about the awesome design.

It captures the essence of a supercar with every aspect from its aerodynamic sleek front end, to its headlights and side mirrors, to the fantastically explosive quadruple exhaust.

It has all the specs to back up its supercar status as well. The Zonda R has close to 750 horsepower. It also holds the record on the Nurburgring for fastest non-series road legal vehicle. Even the Zonda F got around the 'ring in 7:24.

It's a road-going race car, and the "weirdness" of it only adds to its appeal.

Those are some bigs shoes for the Huayra to fill.

So, here's to the Pagani Zonda: The modern day Countach.