Luxury: Mercedes-Benz CL Class
Luxury: Jaguar XK
Luxury: Mercedes-Benz G Class
Luxury: Audi A8
The name is a mouthful, signifying a six-speed automatic transmission, and Executive GT extras like heated and cooled massage seats, more chrome, more and nicer leather, and special badging. Far from cheap, this version of the V8, 400-hp Quattroporte is the least-expensive car on the Expensive List.
Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet$136,500 (2008 model)
Keeping up with the Joneses gets tougher in September, when the 480-hp 911 TurboCabriolet goes on sale. The seats are covered with hand-stitched leather, and high-tech features borrowed from racing include a rear spoiler that automatically extends at speeds over 75 mph. The Cabriolet has the same 3.6-liter, six-cylinder, twin-turbocharged boxer engine found in the 911 Turbo Coupe. The manual transmission version goes from 0 to 60 mph in a blistering 3.8 seconds; top speed is 193 mph.
Aston Martin DB9 Volante convertible$175,550
The term, "Volante," is Aston Martin’s term for a convertible. It sounds like something that would fly, and the DB9 Volante does, thanks to a 450-hp V12. The wood and leather in the cabin are handcrafted and include walnut, "piano black," mahogany and bamboo. The last two are highly unusual. Wood panels are also solid wood, not veneers. In addition, Aston Martin offers oiled finishes like fine furniture, as an alternative to a shiny, high-gloss finish.
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1
$280,295
The 599 GTB Fiorano F1 is named for Ferrari’s Fiorano test track. In Italy, the high-pitched buzz of Ferrari’s Formula One (F1) race team on the track stops traffic. People abandon their cars and run to watch. This car, with 611 hp from a V12 engine, could get a similar reaction.
Bentley Azure$337,085
The Bentley Azure is the costliest Bentley, keeping other Bentleys off our list. For the money, the 500-hp Azure better be exclusive. It is. Only 133 were sold in the U.S. in six months, following its debut in December 2006. Before that, the Azure was out of production for about three years.
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster$362,400
Like other Lamborghinis, the Murcielago is named for a breed of fighting bull. This convertible is definitely a hard charger, which gets its second name from its 640 hp, V12 engine. It has full-time, all-wheel drive, which helps keep it pointed the right way when you step on the gas.
Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe$412,000
Nothing else makes an entrance like the Drophead Coupe, powered by a nearly silent, 6.75-liter V12. Its fabric top even includes a layer of cashmere, allegedly because of the material’s sound-deadening properties. As in the Phantom sedan, push a button in the glovebox, and The Spirit of Ecstasy roof ornament disappears down a trapdoor, to discourage thieves and vandals.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition$482,750
Mercedes-Benz named the 722 Edition of its already exorbitant SLR McLaren after its winning entry in the 1,000-mile Mille Miglia race in Italy, in 1955. Also memorable is the new model’s scorching 650 hp. Owning an SLR includes membership in the "SLR Club" at the Circuit Paul Ricard high-tech test track in Le Castellet, in the south of France. The club hosts an SLR Safety & Speed Academy, which offers special driver training courses and seminars.
Maybach 62S$428,750
The Maybach brand from Mercedes-Benz broke the $300,000 barrier four years ago. To own a 62S today means parting with $400,000. The 62S gets a bigger urbocharged V12 than the "ordinary" 62 model, and about 50 extra horses, at 604 hp. It also gets upgraded upholstery that Maybach calls "Grand Nappa" leather, with color- contrasting piping, carbon fiber trim, different woods and exclusive paints.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4$1.4 million
The Veyron 16.4 is reported to be the only production car with more than 1,000 horsepower, at 1001 hp. Unless someone is building one in a secret lab somewhere, it’s also the only one that costs more than $1 million. It has a 16-cylinder engine that forms a "W" out of two Vs .
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