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So supercharged
© MiniLike a turbocharger, a supercharger uses a compressor to force compressed air into an engine. However, while a turbo uses the vehicle’s exhaust gases, the supercharger is powered directly by the engine. Although supercharging tends to live in the shadow of turbocharging, we’re here to name 16 of our favourite supercharged retro and classic cars.
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Bentley 4.5-Litre ‘Blower’
© Bentley“To supercharge a Bentley engine was to pervert its design and corrupt its performance.” Not our words, but the words of Bentley founder Walter Owen (W.O.) Bentley, who believed the Wall Street crash and forced induction both contributed to the company’s bankruptcy in July 1931. Overseen by Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, the company built 50 supercharged versions of the Bentley 4.5-Litre, but the car enjoyed limited motorsport success.
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Aston Martin DB7
© Aston MartinSome say the DB7 isn’t a proper Aston Martin. They point to its birth as a stillborn replacement for the Jaguar XJ-S, the fact that it wasn’t built at an Aston Martin factory, and the Jaguar engine as reasons for its lack of pedigree. Blow that, because in 3.2-litre supercharged form, the DB7 is the most affordable way to get on the Aston Martin ladder; prices start from a criminally cheap £15,000. One of the best-looking Astons for the price of a new Kia Picanto? You’ll pay significantly more for a Vantage with a ‘proper’ Aston Martin engine.
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Jaguar XJR X350
© JLRAlternatively, you could save around £10,000 by opting for the cheapest Jaguar XJR X350 on the market. Granted, it won’t be a Portfolio model (pictured) – only 100 were built for the UK market – but you’ll still have access to a silky 4.2-litre supercharged V8 producing 400hp and 397lb ft of torque. That’s enough for a 0-62mph time of five seconds flat and a top speed limited to 155mph. It was also one of the first mass-produced cars to feature an all-aluminium monocoque.
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Volkswagen Corrado G60
© VWThe VW Corrado arrived in 1989 to fill a gaping chasm between the range-topping Scirocco and the most affordable Porsche. History will recall that it never truly delivered on its promise – even if the VR6 version was the best accompaniment for the car’s sublime steering and handling – but it remains one of the prettiest cars to emerge from Karmann’s factory in Osnabrück. The G60 paired a ‘G-lader’ supercharger with a 1.8-litre engine to deliver only adequate performance. Indeed, CAR magazine called the engine ‘its weakest feature’.
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Lancia Beta Coupe VX
© LanciaThe Lancia Beta Coupe VX (later known as the Coupe VX after the Beta name was dragged through the mud) was one of several cars to use the Volumex supercharging system. Others included the Lancia Trevi, Fiat Argenta and Pininfarina SpiderEuropa (formerly the Fiat 124 Spider). Volumex versions of the Beta featured front and rear spoilers, a higher-ratio gearbox and an uprated clutch, along with Recaro sports seats in the Coupe (but not the HPE).
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Mercedes-Benz SLK
© Mercedes-BenzUnveiled as a concept at the 1994 Turin Motor Show, the Mercedes-Benz SLK entered production in 1996. All four-cylinder cars in the UK were supercharged and there was little to separate the 200 or 230 in terms of performance. In fact, the 2.3-litre four-pot cars aren’t significantly slower than an SLK 320 with the creamy V6 engine. Central to the SLK’s appeal (aside from that ‘Kompressor’, of course) is the trick folding roof, known as the ‘Vario’ roof.
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Toyota MR2
© ToyotaLaunched in Japan in 1986, and then in 1988 for the US market, the Toyota MR2 Supercharged featured a 1.6-litre four-pot engine enhanced by a Roots supercharger and a Denso intercooler. Reviewing the car in 1987, Car and Driver said it offered the performance ‘to embarrass many higher-priced sports cars’, adding that it could hit 60mph in 6.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15 seconds at 91mph. ‘That’s enough to hold off a Porsche 944S in the stoplight drags,’ the magazine added.
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Studebaker Avanti
© RM Sotheby’sHaving set 29 speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Studebaker Avanti was advertised as ‘The World’s Fastest Production Car.’ That’s some claim, but the records included the flying mile at 168.15mph, 10 miles at 163.9mph and a maximum 178.5mph on the return leg of the 20-mile run. In standard form, the Avanti featured a V8 engine developing 240hp, but the optional Paxton supercharger boosted this to 289hp. Impressive for a four-seat family car.
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Volkswagen Polo G40
© VWThe original Polo G40 was available only in Germany, where the cars were sold for the equivalent of £6,500 (£18,000 today). A further 1,500 cars were built, all in left-hand drive, with VW blaming the position of the vacuum brake servo for the lack of RHD. This wrong was put right with the launch of the second-generation G40, which coincided with the arrival of the Series 2 Polo. Autocar magazine said the supercharger helped the Polo ‘to step out of the junior GT class and into the tough GTI arena,’ adding it was ‘tantalisingly close to being an excellent car’.
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Mini Cooper S
© MiniThe Mini Cooper S (R53), seen here in the middle, added a supercharger to the Cooper’s 1.6-litre engine to increase power from 116hp to 163hp (170hp from the 2004 facelift onwards). On paper, a 0-62mph time of around seven seconds didn’t look that great, but few cars felt as sharp and precise as a Cooper S, even if its ride was unacceptably firm, especially on 17-inch alloys. John Cooper Works versions shaved around a second off the 0-62mph time, while the 218hp JCW GP went even quicker.
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Mazda Xedos 9 Miller
© MazdaThe Xedos 9 arrived in 1994 as Mazda’s upmarket rival for the BMW 5 Series. Power was initially supplied by a 170hp 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine mated to an automatic gearbox, but the twin-screw supercharged 2.3-litre Miller cycle V6 arrived in 1998 to give the Xedos 9 a unique identity in the crowded large executive market. Not convinced? The KJ-ZEM unit was on the Ward’s 10 Best Engines list for 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
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Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe
© FordThe Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe (or SC for short) was powered by an Eaton supercharged 3.8-litre V6 engine, mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Launched in 1989, it featured advanced electronics and – rare in a rear-wheel drive American car – independent rear suspension. Like an American muscle car with a European flavour, then. Sure, the V8 version packed 265lb ft of torque at 3,200rpm, but the SC had 330lb ft at just 2,500rpm. Brawny.
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Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550 and V600
© Aston MartinAston Martin nomenclature can get a little confusing. The V8 Vantage based on the Virage shouldn’t be confused with the original V8 Vantage built between 1977 and 1989, or the later V8 Vantage on sale between 2005 and 2008. Thanks to a pair of Eaton superchargers mated to a 5.3-litre V8, the V550 was, at the time, the most powerful production engine in the world. Officially, it could hit 186mph, making it Aston Martin’s fastest car. The V600 went even faster, exceeding 200mph.
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Volkswagen Golf Rallye
© VWThe Golf Rallye wasn’t a successful rally car, but VW had to build 5,000 road cars to satisfy Group A homologation requirements. Although based on a three-door Golf, it was separated from the rest of the range thanks to box-flared wheelarches, big bumpers and headlights sourced from the Jetta, while under the skin it featured a 1.8-litre engine, G-lader supercharger and permanent four-wheel drive.
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Jaguar XKR
© JLRThe XK8 arrived in 1996 as a replacement for the Jaguar XJS, which could trace its roots back to 1975. It felt like a massive upgrade from the XJS, and sales reflected this, but better was to come with the launch of the supercharged XKR. Thanks to 375hp from its supercharged 4.2-litre V8, this car felt like a spiritual successor to the Jaguar E-Type.
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Cord 812S
© BonhamsProof that supercharging has been around for many years, this is a 1937 Cord 812S, which features the optional Schwitzer-Cummins supercharger. This increased the car’s top speed to 110mph, a truly remarkable figure for the 1930s. It was just one of the features that made the Cord 810 and 812 two of the most technologically advanced cars on the planet.