We’re already more than halfway through 2023, and the year has been littered with incredible reveals. We’ve already covered the coolest sports cars we’ve seen so far, but for those with a hankering for more power, supercars are the order of the day. Thankfully, those have not been in short supply either.

Ferrari and Lamborghini feature prominently, and we also have some Pagani, Aston Martin, and Hennessey goodness to indulge in. Without any further ado, let’s see what got our blood pumping the hardest in 2023’s first half.

Gordon Murray’s T.33 was already remarkable, but then he revealed a roofless version with the same 11,100-rpm V12. The 3.9-liter naturally aspirated engine is the lightest roadgoing V12 in the world at just 392 lbs. Yet it produces 608 hp.

Best of all, because GMA customers are a fine bunch who value driver engagement, there was no need to develop an automatic option. That means they get to mix the finest elements of the motor car in one place: rear-wheel drive, a manual gearbox, and a sonorous V12 free from forced induction. The styling calls to mind a bygone era, and the mechanical recipe is just as classical. Fast, cool cars don’t get much better than the T.33 Spider.

Back in March, Pagani revealed a one-off called the Huayra Dinamica Evo, created by its Grandi Complicazioni department of bespokery. Based on the Pagani Huayra, it was always destined for intricate beauty and a raucous engine, but this one takes things further by making brown paint sexy.

As usual, there’s plenty of carbon fiber and titanium, but there’s also a large rear wing, a freestanding engine snorkel, and tricolore front canards. Peering into the cabin is just as mesmerizing. Cars with cool interiors don’t come much better than they do when Pagani has crafted them, and although some might say this is “just another Huayra,” the precision of the craftsmanship at Pagani just goes to a whole new level when a one-off is involved.

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Spider were already near-1,000-horsepower supercars, but then Maranello decided to infuse some racing DNA. We do not have kind words for the way in which Ferrari chose to represent this (we feel the XX name should be reserved for track-restricted specials), but we like the way the cars themselves turned out.

The SF90 XX Stradale and Spider look absolutely fantastic, and yet they reference Ferrari’s history neatly too. Each produces 1,016 hp, each has a fixed rear wing on an extended tail, and each is sold out. The fact that these cars are unobtainable by mere mortals only makes these limited-edition models all the more cool.

While we’re on the subject of cool cars from Maranello, we should talk about the one-off KC23, a 592-hp special with butterfly doors inspired by those on the LaFerrari hypercar, active aero that comes to life on ignition, and the underpinnings of the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 racecar. That active aero gives the car multiple visual personalities, and the owner can also remove the fixed rear wing.

A one-off based on a racecar would be cool in and of itself, but this one has a unique rear light bar, a stunning glasshouse, and two different sets of wheels. Even the paint is special. The Gold Mercury finish was specially developed for the car and comprises four layers of aluminum paint with liquid metal flakes. There’s no word on what something like this would have cost, but style and performance are more important than money.

The world’s first-ever V12 plug-in hybrid supercar arrived in March as the successor to the venerable Lamborghini Aventador. Lamborghini does not yet believe that cool electric cars are a thing, so it has done all it can to hang onto the V12, even if that means some electrification. In the process, it created a car with an engine that revs to 9,500 rpm, producing 769 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque on its own.

Along with three electric motors, the Lamborghini Revuelto produces 1,001 hp and can do 62 mph in 2.8 seconds. Top speed arrives somewhere after the needle sweeps past 220 mph. Why is the Revuelto cool? Well, how could it not be? It retains a V12, it looks amazing, and it’s better than its predecessor in every way.

We’re not entirely sure we should mention this under supercars; the limited-production Aston Martin Valour produces 705 hp, and that’s not all that shocking these days. Thankfully, there’s more to it than just its output. For one thing, that power comes from the brand’s now-discontinued 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12. For another, that power is managed via a six-speed manual transmission that operates the rear wheels through a proper mechanical limited-slip differential.

Then there are the looks, which call to mind the V8 Vantage of the 1970s and 1980s, the styling of those cool old cars itself inspired by the success of the Ford Mustang pony car. The Valour sports coupe has been stiffened, its body is made of carbon fiber, and the steering system is new. This means that Aston focused on the driving experience, and any car that puts the driver as its priority is automatically cool in our mind.

It’s unlikely to handle like a Lotus Esprit, but it tries to be engaging, and among cars you can buy today, that is somewhat rare.

We’re combining two cars under one roof here because they’re essentially the same car, except that one has no roof of its own. The one-off coupe is called the Invencible, while the one-off roadster is the Autentica.

Both are based on the Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae and produce 769 hp. All-wheel drive and an automated manual single-clutch transmission carry over, but beyond that, it would be tough to find much else borrowed from the Aventador.

Fundamentally, these are very expensive Aventadors with new styling, but their looks are excitingly impactful, and they mark the last time a gas-only V12 rolls out of the Sant’Agata factory. As the bookend for an iconic era, these are cool cars, the likes of which we will never see again.

Hennessey is known for many things, but track specials are not among them. The Texas-based tuner is changing that, however, with its bewinged Venom F5 Revolution. As the name suggests, this is an evolution of the existing Venom F5, so it retains the 6.6-liter ‘Fury’ twin-turbo V8 with 1,817 hp. But where it differs is everywhere else.

The Revolution is lighter (reportedly under 3,000 lbs), produces more downforce (1,400 lbs at 249 mph), and handles better (thanks to more aggressive alignment and adjustable dampers). We’re summarizing, but the Revolution appears to be just that for the F5, transforming it from a Falcon 9 rocket to an AIM-9 Sidewinder. Vying for top speed honors is cool, but if the F5 can snatch some prominent lap records, too, Hennessey will make the whole world sit up and take notice.

The YangWang U9 is an electric supercar from China, and although the brand may not have an immediate future in the US, the car is worth taking a look at. It has all the usual super EV headline-grabbers – 1,100 hp, 0-60 in two seconds – but what makes it special in our eyes is that it’s one of very few cool affordable cars with a base price of around $145,000. It’s not for every budget, but for that kind of power and performance, it’s damn cheap.

Moreover, it has a highly innovative body control system that increases stiffness by 200% instantly and can even make the car hop up and down. Put aside your biases for a second and just appreciate that China can make a decent car that is capable of rivaling the best America and the rest of the world has to offer. Like it or not, this is one of the coolest cars out there.

The Koenigsegg Gemera was already revealed at the ill-fated 2020 Geneva Motor Show, but what we were shown before was a pre-production version. During its development processes, Koenigsegg decided to have some fun and tried fitting a hot-vee twin-turbo V8 where the Tiny Friendly Giant three-cylinder would typically reside.

It worked, and now the four-door megacar offers up to 2,269 hp, a world record. In addition, the car can be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or AWD. Koenigsegg always makes the coolest cars, but this is on another level. You may have to spend an additional $400,000 to unlock the V8 option, but the range of abilities the Gemera takes on only expands with the bigger engine.

Other impressive supercars unveiled this year include the 1,877-hp Pininfarina Battista Edizione Nino Farina, a special edition celebrating the founder’s nephew, and the McLaren 750S, a supercar that trades whopping power for sharper handling. Aston Martin also celebrated the end of the DBS with the 770 Ultimate, offered in both Coupe and Volante forms.

While not technically a supercar, the Kimera EVO37 Martini deserves a round of applause for blending the nostalgia of Lancia’s rallying exploits with modern composite construction and 550 hp. The lightweight special looks and sounds as amazing as a supercar, but if you want something more traditional, 2023 has also brought us the Ferrari Roma Spider. Too sedate? Singer’s DLS-Turbo 911s go in completely the opposite direction.