Forbes' Top 10 List of the Most Expensive Cars in the World

For most people a $50,000 car is well out of reach, while others happily spend double or triple of that amount on a ride. However, even those enthusiasts might not be so keen to whip out their checkbooks when confronted with the price tag of these vehicles featured in a special list compiled by Forbes.

These are the most expensive cars in the world, usually bought by the kind of people who don’t even break a sweat amidst the worst economic crisis. Forbes' list in not without its flaws as the publication added two vehicles (the Enzo's successor and the upcoming Pagani Zonda C9) that have yet to be revealed, let alone be priced. Nevertheless, you can check out the complete list of exclusive toys for the real tycoons after the jump.

10. Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe – Price: $447,000

You can’t go wrong with a Rolls-Royce Phantom, but if you really want something special, than opting for the Drophead Coupe is a no brainer. Powered by the same 453-horsepower V12, the open top version with its optional teak deck made of 30 different pieces of fine-grain wood, is in a league of its own, just like the people who can afford it. Even so, it’s the least expensive car in the list.

9. Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce – Price: $455,400

A very different beast compared to the Drophead Coupe, the Lamborghini LP670-4 SuperVeloce is the swan song of the Murcielago series. Boasting a 6.5-liter V12 engine, capable of 670 hp, the four-wheel drive Italian supercar can reach 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than 3.2 seconds. Owner of this beast not only have to be rich, but capable as well, especially if they're going to specify the car with the six-speed manual transmission.

8. Ferrari SA Aperta – Price: $520,000 (estimated)

Showcased at this year’s Paris Auto Show, the SA Aperta (aperta means “open” in Italian) was Ferrari’s way of celebrating the 80th anniversary of Pininfarina. Based on the 599 GTO, the SA Aperta has a removable soft-top roof and features the same 670 hp V12 engine. With a 0-to-60 time of just 3.5 seconds, the sexiest 599 is quite a performer and a rare car, as only 80 will be built.

7. LeBlanc Mirabeau – Price: $728,000

The LeBlanc Mirabeau is a pureblooded Swiss racecar, which happens to be street-legal at the same time. Wealthy playboys aren’t going to be overwhelmed by luxury with this one, as leather and other comfort features cost extra. This machine is all about speed and handling, relying on a supercharged V8 for power, that delivers 700 hp and 850 Nm of torque.

6. SSC Ultimate Aero – Price: $750,000

Considered by many a Bugatti Veyron-killer, the SSC Aero Ultimate can reach a top speed of 273 mph (439 km/h), thanks to its 1,287 hp V8 engine. Unlike the LeBlanc Mirabeau, this beast comes with quite a long standard equipment list. Many body parts are made from carbon fiber, but the lightweight material has been also used in the cabin.

5. Ferrari F70 – Price: $870,000 [Estimated]

For some reason, the fifth place in Forbes' list is taken by a car that may be anticipated but has yet to be introduced or announced; the successor to the Ferrari Enzo. Forbes names the car F70 and says it is expected in 2012 with an estimated price of $870,000 - we have no idea how they came up with this price. The vehicle shown in the picture is Ferrari's Millechili concept.

4. Pagani Zonda C9 – Price: $1.3 million [Estimated]

The Pagani Zonda C9 may not be out yet, but it has been scooped and even teased by the company. Believed to feature a 700 hp engine from Merc's AMG division that won’t be a derivative of the V12 used for the SL65 Black Series, the upcoming Pagani C9 will have gullwing doors and more rounded body panels. Only 40 units will be built, each featuring a high-tech carbon-titanium chassis, almost 4,000 new parts compared to the outgoing Zonda and specially developed Pirelli tires. Forbes estimates that the car will be priced at around $1.3 million.

3. Maybach Landaulet – Price: $1.405 million

Initially presented at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show, the Maybach Landaulet is based on the 62S and it has a soft top that offers rear passengers an unhindered feeling of space. Powered by a twin turbo V12 engine, the Landaulet is a luxury apartment on wheels, complete with refrigerator, folding tables and two champagne flutes in hand-polished 925 sterling silver.

2. Koenigsegg Agera – Price: $1.5 million (estimated)

With a body made out of carbon fiber and aluminum, the 910 hp Koenigsegg Agera can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 3.1 seconds. It’s a proper supercar and then some, as the Swedes claim it offers the most luggage space in this segment. Not the highest priority when buying a vehicle of this kind, but for one and a half million dollars, it's a welcome plus.

1. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport – Price: $2.6 million

It’s hard to pinpoint the raison d’etre of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, given that the “stock” Veyron is also ridiculously fast reaching a top speed of 407 km/h (253 mph). True, the Super Sport did reach a Guinness World of Records-certified top speed of 431 km/h or 268 mph, however the car shipped to clients are restricted to 415 km/h (258 mph). So, you have to pay a hefty premium over the less capable Veyrons (the Bugatti 16.4 Grand Sport costs $1.86 million and the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 $1.59 million) for a mere 8 km/h (5 mph) increase in top speed . But in the rich man’s world, prestige is very important, and we’re quite sure that billionaires will happily fork out the dough for the 1,200 horsepower supercar.

Is a car worth that much money? It’s a tough question to answer, but you can voice your opinion in the comments section below, as we’re curious to see which one would you choose.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Forbes

Bugatti Sports Cars Veyron Type 35 Grand Prix Edition

In a highlight on this year’s agenda of centennial celebrations, Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. presented four Bugatti Veyron specials at Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza. These one off models are reminders of Bugatti’s glorious motor-racing history which played a central role in popularising and ultimately establishing the myth which the brand continues to enjoy to this day.

2009 Bugatti Sports Cars Veyron Type 35 Grand Prix Edition

The Bugatti brand is almost inextricably linked to the Type 35. The Type 35 Grand Prix was by far the most successful racing model. The unmistakable radiator grille and eight-spoke aluminum wheels of the Type 35 have become defining features of the Bugatti automobile. In its day, the Grand Prix was also well ahead of its time in terms of engineering ingenuity.

The front axle design of this vehicle, which, for reasons of weight minimization, is hollow, is a true masterpiece of workmanship and was deemed nothing less than revolutionary. Its springs were passed through the axle to produce a high level of stability. The Grand Prix’s brake drums were integrally fitted into its lightweight aluminum wheels. Unfastening the central wheel nut allowed the wheel to be easily removed within a matter of seconds and the brake to be exposed. This was a crucial advantage at the pit stop.

The blue racers made their first appearance on the race track at the Grand Prix held by Automobil Club de France in Lyon in 1924. In the decade that followed, they remained practically unchallenged thanks to sophisticated manufacturing efforts, their lightweight design and easy handling. During that ten-year era, they won almost 2000 races – more than any other model ever has.

Grand Prix races were highly fashionable events in those days, and Bugatti was not the only brand with considerable interest in substantiating the reputation of its products by winning races. In fact, in the 1920s, Europe was regularly host to a number of different races in different countries on a single weekend. The teams set up by different automobile manufacturers competed at popular race circuits such as Targa Florio, Le Mans, Monza and Spa as well as in Rome, Nice, Antibes and even a village in Alsace.

The main reason Bugatti won such an enormous number of races – on the back of which successes the brand was also able to forge its image – was the fact that Bugatti sold not only its normal sports and touring cars to private buyers, but its racing cars too. Thus it was that its automobiles took part in such a large number of Grand Prix events.

Tradition being what it is, the Bugatti Veyron Specials built to mark the 100th anniversary of the brand feature the racing colors of the respective countries: blue for France, red for Italy, green for England and white for Germany. Each of the four new Veyrons has a specific “predecessor” in the form of an original Grand Prix Bugatti on which it was modelled.

These four historic race cars represent the generation of legendary Bugatti Grand Prix racers which were piloted by world-famous race-car drivers and which scored countless racing victories in the 1920s and ‘30s. Each of the four Veyron Specials is named after a Bugatti race-car driver of the 1920s and 30s. Jean-Pierre Wimille has given the blue Veyron its name, Achille Varzi the red one, Malcolm Campbell the green one and Hermann zu Leiningen the white Veyron.

“We have put a lot of effort into translating colour and material, the defining characteristics of our historic role models, into the designs of the modern-day Veyrons,” explains Alasdair Stewart, Director Sales & Marketing at Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “We have taken extreme care to match the original colours of the original race cars, exterior and interior”

On Sunday, the four historic racing Type 35s and the four modern-day Centenaire Edition Veyrons will be exhibited alongside each other in the park of Villa Erba for the first and only time.

Ahead of that presentation, Bugatti will on Saturday be prominently represented in the park of Villa d’Este by a special-display-class exhibition of models, which will serve to portray the 100-year history of the brand. Bugatti’s participation in the classic Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como will be the second highlight event to mark the carmaker’s centennial celebrations after it took part in the International Geneva Motor Show in early March.

This latest event will be followed by the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California in mid-August and the main celebratory event on 12 September in Molsheim (Alsace), which has been the home of this unparalleled automobile brand for 100 years.

Video Preview of Porsche Boxster-Based Bugatti Veyron Replica in the Making

While we certainly won't go as far as calling the Boxster the Fiero of the 2010s, thanks to its mid-engine layout and a significant drop in pricing of the first generation models, Porsche's roadster model is becoming increasingly popular as a donor car among replica makers. Recently we showed you a Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster clone based on a Boxster S, but now there's a new project car making the internet rounds.

This time the Porsche model will lend its hardware to a Bugatti Veyron replica that is being built as we speak by a man who goes by the name Orlando M. The replica maker explains that the car will not be put up for sale upon completion but will be used as a personal vehicle. The project is still under development but you can take a sneak peek of the process in the videos after the jump.

Via: Topspeed

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Your Neighbor's Kid and his Power Wheels Never had a Chance: Motorized Toy Classics

Is your child a fan of driving 1950's Jags while wearing a Herringbone blazer and smoking a bubble pipe? Perhaps with a nice set of driving gloves and goggles? If so, or if you simply deem Power Wheels too plebeian for your progeny, then the Harrington Group and Pocket Classics have something for you (and the kid, should he be home from boarding school in Switzerland).

Both shops have a similar selection of classics such as a Porsche 356, Jaguar E-Type, 300 SL, Willys Jeep, and Bugatti T35 in which your child can stylishly cruise around the country club.

No word on price from the Harrington Group, but keep reading and you'll see how it could probably end up pretty steep. Each car features a composite chassis and body, "can be driven by anyone 6 and up" (hell yes!), is offered with automatic or manual transmissions, and is powered by various engines (from 50-cc up to racing kart engines). Also, the power unit can be upgraded over time.

The rest of the features make these little spoiled bastard-mobiles better than my daily driver (really...REALLY). Said features include: disc brakes, electric start, reverse gear, working lights / horn, rack and pinion steering, an optional leather interior, 6-month warranty, and a damn fitted car cover.

The Jag and Bugatti get some special options, too, other than available racing numbers; personalized plates, national flags, and carpet are on available on the Jaguar, while the Bugatti can get brass knockoffs and a brass brake handle (the basic one is poor-man's turned aluminum), a wood-rim steering wheel, racing exhaust, and white wall tires.

They even make push scooters, but for that info you'll have to click the link. This is a car site, Richy Rich.

By Phil Alex

Links: Harrington Group & Pocket Classics

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