Quality control meets design.

A dedicated modern-car process

Begin with quality. Build toward significance.

A modern hypercar cannot be judged by searching for the same kinds of originality deviations found on a pre-war automobile.

supercar and hypercar judging begins at 50 points. Deductions address confirmed issues in build quality, finish and real-world usability across ten sections, limited to a maximum of two points per section.

Up to 50 Award Points are then added across ten criteria, each scored from zero to five points:

• Design & Execution: colour selection, exterior materials and finishes, form vocabulary, interior materials and finishes, proportions, stance, and the combination of wheels and tyres.
• Development, Technological Impact & Provenance: the significance and technological impact of the model, and the history of the model and the individual car’s ownership.
• Sound: from the closing of the doors to engine idle, take-off and drive-by.

A car that is flawlessly built and exceptional in every respect can therefore reach the full 100 points — never more.

Where appropriate, Judging in Motion — so far applied at the Concurso de Elegancia Costa del Sol in Marbella — can also be incorporated as a dynamic aspect of the supercar and hypercar evaluation, adding structured observations of movement, chassis behaviour and sound to the overall assessment.

Deductions in the base section consider, among other aspects:

• Panel gaps and assembly quality
• Paint quality, finish and paint-protection film
• Functionality and ease of operation
• Ergonomics and the clarity of controls

A different preservation methodology

Modern classics are not restored like pre-war automobiles.

As supercars become historic, originality and condition still matter — but the methods used to preserve them are fundamentally different.

A Lamborghini Miura can still call for traditional metalwork, mechanical rebuilding and specialist coachbuilding skills. A BMW M1 introduces a glass-fibre body over its chassis, while the McLaren F1 and later hypercars rely heavily on carbon composites, bonded structures, electronics and highly specialised assemblies.

For these vehicles, a conventional “nut-and-bolt” restoration may be inappropriate, technically impossible or destructive of original material. Preservation may instead involve exchanging complete modules, sourcing correct replacement components, repairing composite structures or reconstructing unavailable parts with modern scanning, tooling and manufacturing technology.

The judging methodology must therefore distinguish sympathetic preservation and technically correct replacement from indiscriminate renewal. The objective is to retain the car’s identity, specification and historical integrity using methods appropriate to its construction.

Intuitive operation

A remarkable car should communicate with its driver.

Usability is part of quality. Judges consider whether essential controls can be understood and operated intuitively, not merely whether they function.

The language of form

Understand not only how it was built, but why it matters.

Design points consider the coherence and originality of the automobile’s visual language, its proportions and surfaces, the relationship between exterior and interior, and the way engineering is expressed through form.

Design cannot be judged by taste alone. Every Supercar & Hypercar judging team must therefore include a professionally trained designer, ensuring that form, proportion and design intent are assessed with genuine expertise.

The M100 Supercar & Hypercar judging forms were developed specifically for modern collector cars — with no established precedent to build on — with the support and input of Ed Welburn, former Vice President of Global Design at General Motors, bringing professional design judgement directly into the framework.

Build quality measures execution. Design reveals intent.

Ownership & individual provenance

Model significance is only part of the story.

The history of the individual automobile matters — particularly when the car is uniquely commissioned, culturally important or entirely one of a kind.

M100 therefore considers documented ownership history, the original commission, individual specification, continuity of identity and the vehicle’s place within the history of its marque. These qualities can distinguish one example from another even when their technical foundations are closely related.

Provenance is one aspect of the evaluation, not its centre. For modern collector cars, design and execution carry the greatest weight; individual history can distinguish an example where it is verified and relevant.

One-off status or prominent ownership does not create an automatic advantage. Provenance must be verified, relevant and considered alongside quality, correctness, design and condition. Where those elements come together, however, individual history may be essential to understanding why a particular supercar or hypercar matters.

Multiple perspectives

A judging team built for modern collector cars.

The proposed team combines three distinct perspectives so that technical knowledge, professional design understanding and broader cultural response can inform the final result.

This composition encourages cross-interest between modern and classic owners and invites the next generation of collectors to engage with automotive heritage.