There’s a time in every automotive enthusiast’s life when the words “best track cars” unavoidably enter the Google search bar and it’s okay! We all have an itch to flee from the mundane that can only be scratched by a large number of cylinders, hot rubber, and noises that would make deities shed a tear of joy. We’re here to go over some of the world’s most exotic race cars and most likely start arguments about which car is best for the track. You’re welcome.
When Lamborghini made the Essenza SCV12, they made sure to tick all of the boxes that make sure their track day car would stand out from every other one. Exclusive? Only 40 units were ever made with every owner immediately becoming part of a program that will allow them to experience their Essenza “on all the most prestigious circuits in the world’. Expensive? We hope you have $2.5 million lying around. And lastly, is it extreme? Between the 800+ HP produced by the 6.5L V12, the spoiler that could double as two park benches, and Lamborghini’s “aerodynamic supercharging”, this car is the equivalent of every X Games event put together.
McLaren, on the other hand, went the production car-based route and birthed 75 examples of the McLaren Senna GTR. The 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 from the already insane McLaren Senna received a healthy dose of “oomph”, taking the HP figure up to 814 from the Senna’s 789. This is the fastest non-Formula One car that McLaren has ever produced, a fact that has been recognized by the FIA which cited the Senna GTR as one of the cars that embody their vision for the replacement of the World Endurance Championship’s Le Mans Prototype class. It’s one thing to be powerful, but influencing an entirely new class of FIA racing takes a special kind of engineering prowess that the Senna GTR is more than happy to flaunt.
Take a trip across the ocean to Italy’s San Cesario Sul Panaro comune and you’ll meet one of the most ingenious modern car designers. Horacio Pagani is known for his almost otherworldly or insect-like designs that first debuted with the legendary Zonda, which was already pretty much a street-legal race car. “Pretty much” was apparently not good enough for Horacio though and so he gave us the race-focused Pagani Zonda R, an entirely different beast with only 15 of them in existence. More downforce, more speed, and more radical technology are all key aspects of the Zonda R and together led to it claiming a new 6:47 Nürburgring record for Pagani, beating out the Ferrari 599XX. It’s a limitless beast and with the prices of all Pagani models climbing to seemingly never-ending heights, these uber limited-edition track toys are bound to surpass them.
Now yes, I could have very well replaced this entry with the more powerful FXX-K but the Ferrari 599XX is just more than a track toy. The other track cars before it in this list all featured the sharp lines, crazy diffusers, and bridge-sized rear spoilers that are characteristic of cars in this market but the 599 is more refined. Based on the beautifully curvaceous 599 GTB Fiorano, the XX version turns the power up past 11 but keeps the same Louvre-worthy styling. Before the Zonda R had its time in the sun, the 599XX set a 6:58 Nürburgring record for Ferrari, which was the fastest time ever recorded for a production-derived sports car. Mark my words, when the 599 GTB finally gets the appreciation it deserves, the speed freaks will be looking at the 599XX for that perfect combination of speed and suavity that is best showcased in a Ferrari track car.
Not only is the Porsche 911 GT3 RS a track-ready machine, but it can also be used to make little Jimmy’s friends envious when you pick him up from elementary school. It’s as close as you can get to a road-legal race car. It’s a perfect balance between ludicrously fast and legally safe, a balance that drives people to worship these cars and the brand that spawned them. Other manufacturers do their darndest to make their own carbon-copy Porsche track car but seldom succeed. Its computers exist to serve only the necessary aspects of the car and do little to take away from the driver’s experience. Purity starts with the letter “p”, and as it turns out, so does Porsche.
If you’re like us and you walk away from this article desperately needing your own track car, you’re one of us. Lucky for you, we may have some street legal track cars (or strictly track only, we don’t judge) for sale right as you’re reading this! Your dream could be one search away, don’t let it escape.