Are hypercars overhyped?

The slew of new cars unveiled on a Californian golf course recently was quite extraordinary. A 1817bhp roadster loitering near a bunker, a manual-automatic behind yonder tee box and 11,000rpm looking threateningly at a pristine green.

The McLaren Solus GT did indeed catch me by surprise. Not only does it deviate dramatically from the familiar Woking design language, but a naturally aspirated Judd V10 just seems so totally out of character for a modern McLaren.

But it seems to be very much on trend, joining a longish list of ICE hypercars that are currently being built or developed. At times it looks as though the car industry is partying hard with petrol in a villa for big V-engines, footloose and fancy-free, completely unaware that a legislation SWAT team is outside, tasers at the ready, poised to cut the music.