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 evaluate build quality, finish and real-world usability. Positive points then recognise design and the wider qualities that make a contemporary automobile important.
50
Starting base
A quality-control foundation from which confirmed issues are deducted.
+
Design points
Positive recognition for form, innovation and technological impact.
- 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.
01
Traceability
Replacement components should be correct in specification and documented wherever possible.
02
Composite condition
Composites do not rust like steel, but judges must consider impact damage, cracking, delamination, resin ageing, heat and ultraviolet exposure.
03
Modern reconstruction
Digital scanning, contemporary tooling and specialist manufacturing can recreate unavailable components while preserving original form and function.
04
System integrity
Electronics, software, bonded assemblies and integrated modules may be as important to authenticity as visible components.
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.
Ergonomic example
Complexity can become a deduction.
If the essential controls of a Pagani Zonda cannot be understood without consulting the owner’s manual, the judging team may identify an ergonomic weakness. The object may be extraordinary while its operation is unnecessarily obscure.
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.
The M100 Supercar & Hypercar judging forms were developed 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.
One-off example
Bugatti F.K.P. Hommage
The F.K.P. Hommage is a one-off Bugatti Programme Solitaire creation honouring Ferdinand Karl Piëch and the vision behind the Veyron. Its significance cannot be understood through production-model criteria alone. Its unique commission, design intent, documented history and position within Bugatti’s W16 story form part of the identity of the individual automobile.
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.
Automotive expert
Evaluates the car’s engineering, specification, quality and place within the collector-car world.
Designer
Assesses the language of form, proportion, coherence and the execution of the design intent.
Guest or cultural judge
Adds a broader perspective and helps create engagement across modern and historic collecting communities.
This composition encourages cross-interest between modern and classic owners and invites the next generation of collectors to engage with automotive heritage.