Buying a car is a simple process. You go to the dealership, pick out the one you want, and the let the haggling over the doormats and the undercoating commence.
The cars on this list, though, are a little different. Take the gorgeous new Ferrari LaFerrari. Even if you do happen to have a spare $1.13 million lying around, don’t bother calling your Ferrari dealer. If Ferrari thinks you deserve one of its 499 masterpieces, it will call and offer the privilege of such a masterpiece to you.
That’s what sets these dream cars apart, and makes this list of the world’s top ten great cars a bit special.
Let’s face it; we may never see one of these cars in the flesh — let alone own one — but that’s true of the Mona Lisa, too. And that doesn’t stop people traveling around the world to see her. These cars are more than just insane pieces of engineering capable of transporting you from 0 to 60 faster than lightning striking a cheetah; indeed, they are cultural treasures.
Just a heads up, we’ve excluded classic cars that are being sold at auctions and are widely unavailable. So don’t expect to see Steve McQueen’s Mustang from Bullitt on here.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your checkbooks…
10. McLaren P1 $1.1M
From the same manufacturer as the legendary F1, the P1 might just live up the insane legacy of the first 230 mph production car.
Lurking underneath the carbon fiber is a 3.8 liter twin-turbo V8 which when paired with the onboard electric motor is good for 903 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. The right way to think about this isn’t even as a hybrid, but like a roadgoing Formula 1 car with a Kinetic Energy Recovery System. This will help you get over the fact that you can only get 9 miles on the battery.
Straight ahead speed isn’t quite as lunatic as it was on the F1, with the top speed limited to a measly 217 mph. But it will get you to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds, and make it from 0-182 in 16.5 seconds, twice as fast as Ferrari 458 Italia. It will also grip and brake like the amazing Spiderman on PEDs.
McLaren has gone all out on the quality control, when engineers test the waterproof seals the car is doused in nearly 4,000 gallons of water.
If you want one, act now because they just went into production and most of the 375 are spoken for.
9. Hennessey Venom GT $1.1M
The engineers over at Hennessey may need a little less testosterone and a little more Thorazine. That hasn’t stopped them, though, from achieving something that most physicists consider impossible. This little company has produced the fastest ever production car, capable of 271 mph.
They say everything is bigger in Texas and the Lone Star State-based tuning house is happy to that statement correct.
The Venom GT is filled with enough horsepower to stretch across the Lone Star State itself, packing a mind-blowing 1,500 horsepower mined from a poisonous 7.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. 0-60 is pegged at two seconds. The riotous acceleration doesn’t end there, though, the Venom claims a top speed of 287 mph.
If the CERN particle accelerator keeps having trouble they might just think about driving a Venom GT around it instead. Or maybe NASA could use it for deep space travel.
At just $1.1 million this car is almost a bargain considering it can out strip everything on this list, except maybe: the mighty Koenigsegg One:1.
8. Zenvo ST1 $1.2M
Denmark may only be known for its massive butter consumption and as the setting of Hamlet. But the Zenovo ST1 is definitely ‘to be.’
Well, only three of them will actually ‘be.’ Apparently because they need to be hand carved from adamantium and Thor’s hammer.
The results though are impressive, the ST1 is propelled by a turbo supercharged 7.0-liter V8, which might have been nicked off of a P-38 Lightning. This monster powerplant is good for a top speed of 233 mph and a 0-60 time south of three seconds.
Unfortunately for the mighty Dane, its initial exhibitions have not gone well. It nearly killed Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear by setting him on fire and then didn’t even go that fast.
No wonder it looks so angry. Don’t count the ST1 out yet though, because Zenvo is hard at work.
7. Ferrari La Ferrari $1.3M
Italian for ‘the Ferrari,” the Ferrari the Ferrari’s name might be a bit silly. But the everything else is absolutely spectacular.
In true Italian fashion, at the heart of this stallion is a V12. By itself, this mighty heart pumps out 789 horsepower. But if you hit the defibrillator and electrocute that sucker, with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), you can get up to 950 hp.
Because this thing weighs rather a lot less than your average Ford Focus, the tidal wave of power will drive you to 120 mph in less than seven seconds; faster than most cars can get you to 60 mph.
If Ferrari hasn’t already called to offer you one of the 499 LaFerraris it has built, you are out luck. You are just going to have to look for one secondhand on the Dubai Craigslist.
6. Pagani Huayra $1.3M
Welcome to the best car that no one can pronounce. Named for the Incan “God of Winds,” the Huayra’s (why-rah) offers performance that a deity would be envious of.
Powered by an AMG 6.0-liter V12 with two turbochargers, the Huayra is good for 230 mph. And at 740 lb-ft, more torque than your average pantheon.
Styling is very Pagani. The car boasts gullwing doors, the patented Pagani antenna/side mirrors and some of the best leatherwork you will ever see.
For the low, low price of $1.3 million, this car is such a bargain you might want to buy two.
5. Lamborghini Reventon $1.61M
The Reventon is truly a stealth fighter for the road, even if those looks would attract more attention than Kate Upton wandering into a middle school.
This Lambo’s name and personality both come from a famed Spanish fighting bull that killed an equally legendary bullfighter.
Drivers might be in just as much trouble when they strap into this 650 hp rocket. It has purportedly topped 220 mph in Dubai and will do 0-60 in 3.4 seconds. Oley!
Along with all this performance, you get one of the coolest supercar interiors out there. If it weren’t for the Lamborghini badges, you would be convinced that you are in an F-22 Raptor.
At $1.6 million the Reventon is the second most expensive Lamborghini behind the ultra-rare Veneno, not including the track-only Sesto Elemento ($2.2M) and the concept Aventador J ($2.8M).
4. Koenigsegg One:1. $2.0M
When it comes to the car world, Koenigsegg has been the crazy uncle off in the corner doing its own thing. Well that business model has really paid off because it has just achieved a very impressive automotive first, a one-to-one power-to-weight ratio in a road car.
This insane machine weighs just 1,340 kilograms and puts out 1,340 horsepower. And that weight includes a full complement of fluids and an average driver. This should make the One:1 the fastest accelerating car – and possibly plane – that money can buy. What do I mean? I mean 0 to 250 mph in under twenty seconds and a claimed potential top speed of 273 mph or more.
In short, there might be more luxurious cars on this list, but there is none that can hold a candle in raw performance.
3. Mansory Vivre: Bugatti Veyron. $3.4M
The Bugatti Veyron is getting to that point in its life where it can wax reflective and nostalgic. That’s where the Legend Meo Constantini comes in. Built to commemorate friend of Bugatti founder, and two-time winner of the Targa Folorio, in a Bugatti 35.
Constantini was just the sort of aristocratic whack-job that made early motor racing great, so its appropriate that Bugatti honored him with such a mental car.
Underneath the Legend is a Grand Sport Vitesse Roadster. It draws a hyper-godly 1,200 hp from its W16. This is good for a top speed of 254 mph. It might be a bit slower than the Veyron Super Sport, but it’s much prettier. The carbon fiber is painted French Racing Blue, and the aluminum is left to its own burnished glory. Maps of the Targa Florio and other racing scenes are laser etched in both the exterior and interior. This isn’t just a face melting speed machine, its also a work of art.
2. W Motors Lykan Hypersport $3.4M
Didn’t know that Lebanon had a car industry? Then you are missing out, because the W Motors’ Lykan Hypersport is one of the most impressive things on four wheels.
Not many details are out about this car yet, but it is purportedly good for 245 mph, and a 0-60 time of 2.7 seconds. Amazingly, this acceleration comes courtesy of a turbocharged V6, which, compared to some of the mammoth V12s sported by cars on this list, seems positively demure.
If those performance figures don’t jump off the page, don’t worry the Lykan Hypersport has an ace up its sleeve. W Motors didn’t just focus on performance, they have the tech madness and sheer excess side of hypercars covered. Those handsomely aggressive LED lights are covered in diamonds, and the information about how far over the speed limit you are going is conveyed by a holographic display.
All I can say is, “Help me Lykan Hypersport, you are my only hope.”
1. Lamborghini Veneno $4M
We should have expected something this mad for Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary, but somehow we were still surprised. The Veneno is simply jaw-dropping.
It may not be the most beautiful supercar, but it is still one of the coolest. I still have to remind myself that I am actually looking at photos of it rather than a concept drawing or a computer generation.
But the Veneno isn’t all looks and no go. The name is Spanish for “poison” and boy is that appropriate. The naturally aspirated V12 – because turbos are for sissies – hammers out 750 horsepower. This Italian thunderclap will bring to 60 in 2.8 seconds, probably faster than sound can leave your body during a terrified scream.
The big wing on the back is encouraging. Either it will help keep the car on the road or it means that the Veneno is in accordance with FAA regulations, which is good until you realize that means it was designed to fly. Gulp.
It gets better too, because Lambo has recently gone ahead with a convertible version. The “poison” Spyder is just as fast, and even more mental. With speeds approaching 220 mph in an open top car, lets just say you are going to need goggles.
Even the batmobile looks tame in comparison to the Veneno and it probably costs less too.
Want one? That’s a silly question. Of course you do. Unfortunately, the three hard tops are already spoken for, but there will be nine roadsters. They may cost an extra half million dollars, but for something like this thats almost a bargain.
And hey we can all dream. After all, that’s the point of this list.
Honorable Mentions:
McLaren P1 GTR $3.3M
Like the McLaren P1, but think that 900 horsepower just isn’t enough to suit your needs? Well, you are a lunatic, but apparently McLaren’s sort of lunatic, because McLaren is putting out a track version of the P1 with 986 hp.
The P1 GTR will be an even more hardcore and stripped down version of the P1. At this point knowledge of P1 GTR is still scarce, but it will be designed to compete with other track-only hypercars like the upcoming LaFerrari XX and the Pagani Zonda R.
What is more, not only will be available for private customers to take on a race track, it may also enter into GT racing series just like its predecessor the F1 GTR. That car raced at Le Mans three years running and won once, so it will be exciting to see what a P1 GTR can manage.
Civilian drivers will have to spend time in McLaren’s simulator before they can step into the car, so I am guessing it is going to be a bit… sprightly.
Regardless it remains an honorable mention, because unlike the other cars on the list, you can’t legally drive it on the road.
Lamborghini Sesto Elemento $2.2M
Italian for “sixth element” the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento isn’t even out yet and of the 20 being made, all are already spoken for. Sorry.
The other bad news: it’s not street legal in the U.S., meaning those folks in ‘Merica who were fortunate enough to front the $2.2M bill can only enjoy them on the track. Oh, too bad!
1963 Ferrari 250 GTO $52M
With its recent sale price of $52 million, it seems like the 1963 Ferarri 250 GTO ought to top out on this list. But it winds up as an honorable mention because you can’t actually buy one; it’s not just that you can’t afford it; there are none for sale.
So how does this 50-year-old Italian stallion come to cost more than some countries? Well, for starters there are only 39 of them. So they are quite rare.
Also each one is a bit different. They are handcrafted – and not in the modern sense in that some technician carefully screwed together some 3D-printed componentslBut rather in the sense of an actual florid Italian hand hammering the gorgeous aluminum bodywork.
They say that the Ferrari godfather, Enzo, had these built in response to the sublime Jaguar E-type. And while he may not have beat jag on production, $52 million might just be enough to buy all the Jaguar E-types left in the world.
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