Ferrari 458 Italia in the context of Mid-engine design

A supercar, also known as an exotic car, is a street-legal sports car with race track-like power, speed, and handling, plus a certain subjective cachet linked to pedigree and/or exclusivity. The term 'supercar' is frequently used for the extreme fringe of powerful, low-bodied mid-engine luxury sportscars. A low-profile car may have limited ground clearance, but a handling-favorable center of gravity and a smaller frontal area than a front engined car. These characteristics can reduce supercars' aerodynamic drag, enabling higher top speeds. Since the 2000s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest-performance supercars.

Supercars often serve as the flagship model within a vehicle manufacturer's sports car range and typically feature various performance-related technology derived from motorsports. Some examples include the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Aventador, and McLaren 720S.