As we near the end of the decade, I thought that now would be a good time to reflect on what has been achieved this past ten years - how has the car world changed? A lot can happen in ten years. Companies can be changed forever, rare technologies can become mainstream, and fashions can go full circle. Some decades were known for different things, but the noughties was all about living large. Excess was the name of the game, and no other type of car does excess like the supercar. There were many amazing supercars of the noughties, and so I thought I'd summarize what they were all about in alphabetical order. Were they hits, or were they misses?

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione (2007): It takes it's parts from all over the Fiat Group, but Alfa's first true sportscar in nearly twenty years hit the spot. It didn't have to be the greatest driving tool ever (and it wasn't, really - it couldn't corner to save its life), but it had to be sexy, fast, and prestigious. And it certainly hit the mark. It featured somewhat retro proportions and stance, but brought the design into the modern era with Alfa Romeo's new face. A convertible version has also recently gone into production - only 500 will be made at a mad price of $350,000 AUD. Save up, children.

Engine type 4.6 Litres, eight cylinders
Power/Torque 331kW/480Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual with paddle shift
Performance 0-100 kmh: 4.2sec
Top speed: 291 kmh
Price $250,000 AUD approx

Aston Martin DBS (2007): Honestly, we could have included every new Aston Martin in this list, but instead chose to stick with the DBS. It's the fastest Aston, and the headline act in the new 007 James Bond films. So it gets a place here. There is no doubt that this is one sexy, agressive car. Attempting to build on what was probably the most beautiful design of the decade (the DB9 of course) was never going to be easy. But the DBS defines cool, and will go down in history as quite possibly the sexiest, most aggro Bond car in history. And in 2010, there will be a DBS Volante. I have heaps of photo galleries, for your pleasure.

Engine type 6.0 Litre V12
Power/Torque 380kW/570Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 4.3sec
Top speed: 307 kmh
Price $500,000 AUD approx

Audi R8 (2006) - (V10 model 2009): Audi set out the R8 with only one intention - to destroy the legacy of the Porsche 911. Is it better than a 911? Who knows, but when the R8 is this good, who cares? The R8 cuts a menacing figure, especially with the glowing day-time LEDs, but crucially, was a car that could be used as a daily drive. That alone was a feat of magnificence. Let alone the speed...

Engine type 5.2 Litre V10
Power/Torque 386kW/530Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.9sec
Top speed: 316 kmh
Price From $280,000 AUD approx

Bentley Continental GT (2003): Despite the sales wonders the GT has performed for Bentley, reviews for the car were largely mixed. Many could see how what a comfortable, fast, grand tourer is was, but many more saw that it was simply a Volkswagen on steroids. It didn't drive as well as it should have, and wasn't as fast as it needed to be, weighing in at 2300kg. At the time, however, it could rightly claim to be the world's fastest four-seater.

Engine type 6.0 Litre W12
Power/Torque 411kW/650Nm
Transmission Six-speed automatic with paddle-shift
Performance 0-100 kmh: 4.8sec
Top speed: 319 kmh
Price From $400,000 AUD approx

Bugatti Veyron (2005): The iconic supercar of the noughties, and the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car in production history (at the time). A mighty vehicle, everything about it was truly a startling feat of engineering. It will likely be the fastest accelerating road car we will see for a long time, especially since the economic meltdown, sadly. But on a lighter note: have you ever dreamed of owning a Bugatti Veyron? What two-tone colour scheme would you choose? Have a play around at this site, then, the best timewaster ever. Only 133 Veyrons were produced.

Engine type 8.0 Litre W16
Power/Torque 736kW/1250Nm
Transmission Seven-speed DSG sequential
Performance 0-100 kmh: 2.9sec
Top speed: 407.9 kmh (...!)
Price: $2,000,000 AUD approx

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (2009): The fastest production Corvette ever made was an absolute cracker - dynamite around corners, and blasting down straights. If anyone wanted a slice of delicious Yank action, the ZR1 was the perfect ticket. In a new era of "Yes we can!", the big Corvette proved that Americans could actually make a brilliant car. Sensational, in fact. And ridiculously cheap, too - though you'd want it to be, with the kind of interior you get. Americans still can't pull off a cool interior.

Engine type 6.2 Litre V8
Power/Torque 476kW/819Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.4sec
Top speed: 330.6 kmh
Price: $150,000 AUD approx

Dodge Viper SRT-10 (2008): Just because a car is fast, doesn't make it so remarkable. In fact, the Viper passed largely unnoticed when it was launched into its fourth-generation in 2008, because by that time, there were so many other cars out there that were cooler, more exciting, better quality, and even faster. There just wasn't any subtlety and quality of engineering about the Viper, though there was with the Corvette. It's hard to explain. Anyway, there just wasn't any really big reason why one should buy the Viper and not the Corvette ZR1. I'd have to agree, anyway.

Engine type 8.4 Litre V10
Power/Torque 450kW/760Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.5sec
Top speed: 325 kmh
Price: From $130,000 AUD approx

Ferrari Enzo (2002): Ferrari were so proud of their supercar creation that they named it after the company's founder, Mr. Enzo Ferrari. And what a car it was. Sure, it didn't really look that great, but just one look at it told you it would be lightning fast. It dawned the new era of supercar madness, and was super exclusive. It came at just the right time - Schumacher was at his peak, and everything about Ferrari made them seem unstoppable.
Engine type 6.0 Litre V12
Power/Torque 485kW/657Nm
Transmission Six-speed semi-automatic
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.14sec
Top speed: 365 kmh
Price: $1,000,000 AUD approx

Ferrari F430 Scuderia (2008): I was almost tempted to say that this car was a miss, and not a hit. Want to know why? Because I think the Lamborghini Gallardo is better than this car. But then I realised - so what? The F430 was an outstanding car in its own right, and in every respect. So much so that the waiting list to buy one stretched into several years. If that is anything to go by, this is one popular car. Soon to have a Spider form!
Engine type 4.3 Litre V8
Power/Torque 375kW/657Nm
Transmission Six-speed sequential
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.6sec
Top speed: 315 kmh
Price: $575,000 AUD approx

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (2006): Ferrari continued their brilliant streak with the 599. This was a car that could go almost as fast as the god-like Enzo, yet still be as safe and easy to use as a supermarket shopping trolley. This brilliance is not to be understated - even timid drivers could come out of the 599 feeling like Michael Schumacher. Once again, it isn't stunningly pretty, but the engineering focus was remarkable.
Engine type 6.0 Litre V12
Power/Torque 456kW/608Nm
Transmission Six-speed sequential or manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.7sec
Top speed: 330 kmh
Price: $630,000 AUD approx

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (2004): Is it the ugliest Ferrari ever? Is it the most boring Ferrari ever? Sure, the 612 had a brilliant engine, and cornered fantastically, considering it's size (it has 4 seats), but nobody could really feel any compassion for it - as superficial as it seems, it's true. Why would you speed nearly 700 grand on an ugly car, and have to tell your friends: "Don't worry, it drives much better than it looks". You shouldn't have to do that, least of all when it's a Ferrari.
Engine type 5.7 Litre V12
Power/Torque 397kW/588Nm
Transmission Six-speed semi-automatic or manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 4.3sec
Top speed: 315 kmh
Price: $670,000 AUD approx

Ferrari California (2009): No one was really sure why the California had to look awkward. That's the way it is, I guess. And despite the California being a grand tourer, we really didn't expect it to be so much fun. Here, we simply have a case of "there are so many other convertibles I'd rather look at". But although this car has a huge arse, you could almost see yourself owning one. Not only is it quicker than a convertible F430, it has a folding metal roof, a big boot, and four [almost] useable seats. And it'll be the cheapest Ferrari - genius!
Engine type 4.3 Litre V8
Power/Torque 338kW/485Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual/Seven speed double-clutch automated manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 4.0sec
Top speed: 310 kmh
Price: $380,000 AUD estimated (unconfirmed)

Ford GT (2003): The Ford GT probably isn't the sharpest supercar tool in the shed, in hindsight. But that doesn't mean it wasn't fantastic. Just like the GT40 its styling is based on, the Ford GT was out to kick some Ferrari butt. And, in a way, it did. It was super fast, turned pretty well, and looked gobsmackingly good. Sure, the interior was retro and cheap. But you could forgive this car for anything, simply for the way it looks.
Engine type 5.4 Litre V8
Power/Torque 410kW/680Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.8sec
Top speed: 341 kmh
Price: $200,000 AUD approx

Gumpert Apollo (2005): The ugliest supercar ever? Possibly. Least glamourous sounding name ever? Possibly. Mind-bendingly fast? Definitely. So the Apollo doesn't have a cool badge, or exclusivity. But if you're looking for a wild track weapon, this Gumpert has it covered. No other production car can give you this much quickness on straights and around corners. It surpasses the Bugatti Veyron, and is in a class all of its own. And guess what? It's about to get a whole lot faster, with a 600kW version in the works.
Engine type 4.2 Litre V8
Power/Torque 478kW/850Nm
Transmission Six-speed sequential manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.0sec
Top speed: 360 kmh
Price: $400,000 AUD approx

Koenigsegg CCXR (2008): Fast and furious - this car is dangerous, and not for the faint hearted. The kind of car that instils the fear of god into you. Not many cars can do that, and for this reason, the Koenigsegg was a hit. For people everywhere in the quest for speed, (or just daredevils) the CCX was the ultimate, something you can't go past. But the CCXR did the impossible - not only did it get faster than the CCX, it was greener than the CCX. I still don't understand how - the CCXR can run on E85 ethanol blend fuel, and because of that, somehow, we get the titanic kilowatt figure.
Engine type 4.8 Litre V8
Power/Torque 759kW/1080Nm
Transmission Six-speed paddleshift manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 2.9sec
Top speed: 414 kmh
Price: $3,150,000 AUD approx (seriously)

Lamborghini Reventon (2008): Only 21 were produced, but everyone who is anyone knows that the Reventon is the most aggro looking supercar the world has ever seen. Mess with this car, and its looks will kill. Although I have never seen a Reventon in any colour but that boring grey - wish it was yellow. The mechanicals of the car are basically lifted from a Murcielago, but who cares - you can drive down the street and scare small children.
Engine type 6.5 Litre V12
Power/Torque 480kW/680Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.4sec
Top speed: 356 kmh
Price: $1,800,000 AUD approx

Lamborghini Murcielago LP460 (2006): When the original Murcielago was released in 2002, the motoring world was in awe of it. It was quite simply the wildest car the world had ever seen, but yet it was inexplicably beautiful. Not only that, it was fast. The LP460 was simply faster, and even more jaw-droppingly striking. Need I say more?
Engine type 6.5 Litre V12
Power/Torque 471kW/660Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual/sequential manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.4sec
Top speed: 356 kmh
Price: $750,000 AUD approx

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 (2008): Once again, the original Gallardo was not slouchy, nor bad looking, but the LP560-4 is simply a triumph of design and engineering. The Gallardo will go down in history as one of the truly great looking supercars, as it deserves to. Edgy lines are somehow rendered dramatic and emotive, not to mention the fact that this car is a Ferrari F430 killer.
Engine type 5.2 Litre V10
Power/Torque 412kW/540Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual/sequential manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.7sec
Top speed: 325 kmh
Price: From $475,000 AUD approx

Maserati MC12 (2004): It didn't take a genius to work out the the MC12 was simply an Enzo Ferrari with a Maserati badge stuck on the bonnet. They shared the same engine, gearbox, suspension... blah, blah, blah... but because the body work of the MC12 is bigger than the Enzo (and bizarrely uglier), it was also slower than the Enzo. So what was the point of Maserati making this car? They wanted to create a racing variant of it to enter in the FIA GT Championship, so they had to have a production car to work from. The world largely ignored it.

Engine type 6.0 Litre V12
Power/Torque 465kW/652Nm
Transmission Six-speed semi-automatic
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.8sec
Top speed: 330 kmh
Price: $1,250,000 AUD approx

Maybach Exelero (2005): Pointless from the very start, you probably wouldn't have minded if the Exelero was a car of superlatives. It's not. It's not the fastest car ever made, although it's almost the longest (5.9 Metres), it's not the prettiest, not the most luxurious (but it should have been! It's a Maybach for god's sake!), but... it did have a most riduculous price tag. I've got to be fair though - how much would you really pay for a car like this? A million dollars? Two Million? No, try upwards of $12 Million. Makes the Bugatti Veyron seem like a bargain.
Engine type 5.9 Litre V12
Power/Torque 522kW/1020Nm
Transmission Seven-speed auto
Performance 0-100 kmh: 4.4sec
Top speed: 351 kmh
Price: From $12,000,000 AUD approx

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2004): We were honestly getting ready for a monster of a car, when Mercedes showed us pictures of their new McLaren supercar. After all, the last McLaren effort was the legendary F1, a car that was, for a long time (until the Bugatti Veyron) easily the fastest production car the world had ever seen. The SLR however, was comparitively soft-core. It had a rather slushy automatic gearbox, and wasn't quick enough (there was enough power, though!) to really make it feel like a supercar on the road. It did look very spectacular, even if it wasn't to everyone's taste. I think the convertible version is the better option - that way, you can enjoy the SLR as a seriously fast cruiser, and soak up some sunshine as you expend very little effort going very fast.
Engine type 5.4 Litre V8
Power/Torque 467kW/780Nm
Transmission Five-speed automatic
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.7sec
Top speed: 334 kmh
Price: $650,000 AUD approx

Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss (2009): "Thought the SLR McLaren was too soft, did you? DID YOU?!?!" Mercedes-Benz finally responded, with the properly hard-core version the SLR always should have been. The Stirling Moss is wild, with a bonnet longer than an airport runway, no windscreen, no roof - so you can imagine that it's ultra-light and fast. It had the kind of "no compromise" attitude we always wanted to see from the SLR. At least this tribute to Sir Stirling Moss lives up to the legend of the great man himself.
Engine type 5.4 Litre V8
Power/Torque 478kW/780Nm
Transmission Six-speed Manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.5sec
Top speed: 350 kmh
Price: $1,550,000 AUD approx

Morgan Aeromax (2005): Everyone laughed at the cross-eyed Aero 8, but when the Aeromax was released, everyone sat up and took notice. This was a very twenty-first century car, in a fusion with techniques and fashions of old. But nevertheless, it had the character and talent to hold it's own in the thoroughly over-the-top noughties. It was fast, eccentric, and very different. Loveable, one could say. It still wasn't a pin-up, but it now has cult status.

Engine type 4.8 Litre V8
Power/Torque 276kW/489Nm
Transmission Six-speed Manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 4.2sec
Top speed: 274 kmh
Price: $230,000 AUD approx

Nissan GT-R (2008): Everyone wants one. The car they nicknamed "Godzilla" (as with other GT-Rs) truly is the most accessible rendition yet of "the people's supercar". It is [almost] within the reach of the masses, and has almost Ferrari Enzo rivalling speed. It doesn't look that great, it's a bit characterless, but who cares? You can have a ridiculously fast supercar for the price of something far more mundane.
Engine type 3.8 Litre V6
Power/Torque 360kW/580Nm
Transmission Six-speed dual-clutch automated manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.2sec
Top speed: 311 kmh
Price: $170,000 AUD approx

Pagani Zonda F (2005): How can one leave out the Pagani Zonda? In 2005, when the better-than-ever-before Zonda F was released, the world once again fell in love with this spaceship of a car. There simply isn't anything remotely like the Zonda, and there probably never will be. There's a sense of theatre in it you just can't go past.
Engine type 7.3 Litre V12
Power/Torque 478kW/760Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.5sec
Top speed: 346 kmh
Price: $900,000 AUD approx
Porsche Carrera GT (2004): A great car, but totally overshadowed by the Ferrari Enzo, which it was so often compared against. In fact, it was as though Porsche really could have done better, but didn't try hard enough - perhaps they're waiting to shock us all with a successor (there is a rumour it'll be called Porsche GT1). Still, it was cheaper than the Ferrari, and Porsche lovers, well... loved it.

Engine type 5.7 Litre V10
Power/Torque 416kW/589Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.9sec
Top speed: 330 kmh
Price: $700,000 AUD approx

Saleen S7 Twin Turbo (2005): The American S7 is truly a stunning testament to supercar engineering. The Saleen has huge presence, in a sort of NASCAR racing kind of way, and shows that ultrafast cars will never die. This is the quintessential American supercar (forget the Corvette, this will eat it for breakfast), and don't you forget it. Posters of this car are all over the bedroom walls of millions of young North American boys. And for good reason.

Engine type 7.0 Litre V8
Power/Torque 559kW/949Nm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Performance 0-100 kmh: 3.2sec
Top speed: 399 kmh (ouch! That's so close to 400)
Price: $850,000 AUD approx

The Noughties (00's) In Cars - - The Decade of the Supercar