Best Exotic Cars for Racing in 2024 - Henderson Edition

Lamborghini Huracán STO

The Lamborghini Huracán STO is a track-oriented version of the Huracán. It is powered by a naturally aspirated V10 engine producing 640hp. Lamborghini produced the Huracán STO with a strong focus on the racing heritage of the company. This racer was very light, modified with soft suspension and highly focused on top speed and aerodynamics. Aerodynamics were key as well. You can clearly see it if you look at this car. Huracán STO has a very aggressive design, filled with sharp edges, dual tanks in the wing, and exhaust outlets on both sides and arched wheelhouses. There was a huge amount of carbon fiber used for this car as well – it was a mandatory lightweight material for enjoying the power of the engine without additional weight. As a result, Lamborghini created a real race car able to be used in daily life. This is a perfect example of how modern technologies eliminated the difference between supercars and race cars, allowing you to enjoy power and speed even on a daily basis.

McLaren 765LT

Engineering is pushing the edge of what a supercar can do. it’s razor-sharp, all about exploring the top end of speed The only example of McLaren’s latest creation being available for a week–long comparison test – McLaren’s 765LT – epitomizes what this form of engineering is about: losing weight wherever possible to reduce mass and make the car even sharper, so it’s razor-sharp, all about exploring the top end of speed. McLaren modelers have cut away material not needed, from the engine to the bodywork, and gone further, stripping out the stereo and rear seats and incorporating carbon-fiber or lightweight aluminum in place of the standard specification’s heavier elements. The 765LT’s engine is a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 pushing out 755 tire-shredding horsepower, and it takes just 2.7 seconds to reach 60 mph. It is all about the experience of driving fast while seated just inches from the ground, on the edge.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a drivers’ car – small, balanced and precise. One of its great strengths is its naturally aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six engine capable of turning up to 9,000 RPM and developing 502 horsepower. Coupled to a race set-up, as with the RS version – which generates downforce at speed using aerodynamic trickery – it’s one of the most perfect cars to drive around any circuit you can throw at it. Lightweight construction, precise control of the chassis (thanks to its race-tuned suspension), plus particularly sharp steering and braking all add to the charm. Here is attention to detail at its finest.

Aston Martin Valkyrie

The thrilling Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar takes Formula 1 tech to the streets, where the potent hybrid powertrain – developed in partnership with Red Bull Racing – provides well over 1,100 hp. This extreme performance supercar matches gingery looks with poke, whose sleek form is as much science (downforce) as style. This is one for racing fan-boys through and through.

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport

One of Bugatti’s premium offerings with the Chiron Pur Sport, this quad-turbocharged W16 with 1,479 horsepower is the pinnacle of speed and comfort. With an extensive redesign of the whole chassis and suspension, as well as increased aerodynamics downforce, the Chiron Pur Sport diminishes much of what Bugatti considers a horse and carriage by sacrificing excess speed and exclusiveness for ultimate cornering. With a claimed pinpoint handling, this roadster is built for the track with a greatly reduced suspension scuttle and a front and rear aero balancing the wheel arches and creating the famous iconic Bugatti silhouette.

Koenigsegg Jesko

The Koenigsegg Jesko is another Swedish engineering marvel, and is named for Christian von Koenigsegg’s father. Designed for speed and precision, the Jesko will have a top speed of over 300 mph when running on E85 biofuel in its 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine and generate up to 1,600 horsepower. Boasting aerodynamics and a suspension system not yet seen on any production car in the world, the Jesko will break records in speed and maneuverability.

Pagani Huayra R

Pagani builds bespoke, some would say bespoiled, supercars, and the Huayra R is a track-only car, purpose-built for racing with a naturally aspirated handbuilt 6 liter V12 engine, 838hp – an absolutely herbal (read: no turbochargers) engine designed to power a tarmac missile, a shredder of rubber and space. With its mandatory splitter, whale’s tale, and interestingly lumpy back end to aid airflow and create downforce, the Huayra R is a magnificently ugly piece of work, weighing just shy of a tonne and hand-crafted from carbon titanium, in order to maximize the weaponry inside. I love it.

Rimac Nevera

While all electric cars are speeding toward 1.0, the Rimac Nevera is years ahead of the curve. Its four electric motors deliver a combined 1,914 horsepower, propelling Nevera from 0 to 60 mph in 1.85 seconds, through a dual-clutch gearbox. Nevera’s motors talk to its battery through a torque vectoring system which seamlessly transfers power where it’s needed most and continuously calculates performance variables. Forever changing the directional energetics of transport, Rimac’s Nevera heralds a greener era.

Mercedes-AMG One

In the Mercedes-AMG One, the fruits of an F1 season are now available to the lucky customer driving the road. The car’s hybridisation is a Formula 1 ‘power unit’ – a 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged petrol engine with four electric motors producing more than 1,000 horsepower. It’s Mercedes’ F1 team’s technology platform directly to consumers. The design and engineering of every component of the AMG One, from the suspension arms to the braking and steering systems and its flow-aided aerodynamics, is derived from Mercedes’ F1 car. It is the most F1-derived car ever built for the road. It doesn’t just transport the aesthetic of its F1 benefactor; it transports, to the full extent possible, the driving experience. From advanced suspension, braking and aerodynamics design to the steering feel and feedback of the tires and road surface, the AMG One offers a driving experience matching the one of the race car.