Elite Auto Rental Blog

Exotic cars are high end sports cars whose performance is superior to that of its contemporaries. They are typically very expensive and powerful cars that designed with a centrally located engine. Exotic cars are always very sleek and catch the eyes of people wherever they are. The prices of these types of cars are almost always in a class of their own and are only attainable by the most elite and wealthy people in the world. Below is a list of the top ten most expensive exotic cars in the world.

1. Mercedes Benz SLR. This luxury car is a German sports car that was jointly developed by Mercedes Benz and McLaren Automotive. It is the fastest automatic transmission car in the world and is priced at nearly $450,000.

2. Porsche Carrera GT. This is a mid engined sports car and was voted the fastest car of the year in 2005. The price tag of this car is $440,000.

3. Saleem S7. If you want to call this car your own you will need to be willing to cough up a cool $430,000.

4. Maybach 62. This is a full size luxury car that was introduced in 2002. The price tag if you want to take this car home is $357,000.

5. Rolls Royce Phantom. This is a British luxury saloon automobile manufactured by Rolls Royce Motor Cars in the United Kingdom. Rolls Royce launched this luxury automobile in 2003 and it is currently priced at $320,000.

6. Maybach 57. This exotic car that was introduced to the public in 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show. This automobile has a price tag of $305,500.

7. Lamborghini Murcielago. This is an Italian sports car that was introduced to the market in 2002. It is a six speed engine two door coupe model. If you want to house this car in your garage you will have to pay a sum of $279,900.

8. Ferrari 612. The Ferrari 612 is an exotic car in the Gran Turismo class. It was introduced to the public in 2004 as a two door coupe with a six speed manual engine. Today, this car is priced at $259,855.

9. Bentley Arnage. This is a luxury car produced in England by Bentley Motors. The production of this vehicle began in 1998 and is still active today. The price of this luxury car is $250,000.

10. Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. This luxury car was first introduced in 2001 and was quickly name the flagship vehicle of Aston Martin. It became extremely popular when it was featured as the official James Bond car in Die Another Day. The price tag of this car was $234,000, but it was discontinued in 2007 to make room for a newer model.

What it is: Audi will launch two variations of the two-seat supercar. First up is a more powerful 5.2-liter V-10, followed by a roadster R8.

Why it’s important: A powerful V-10 moves the R8 into the stratosphere where the other big mid-engined players, the Lamborghini Gallardo and Ferrari F430, reside. As far as the roadster version goes, most of the R8’s competition already offer an open-air option.

Platform: Lightly modified version of the R8’s aluminum architecture to deal with the extra power and lack of a roof.

Noteworthy technology: Audi’s V-10, although similar in every way to the Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V-10, will not be developed by Lamborghini. The R8’s Audi-engineered V-10 will have fewer horses than the Lambo’s 552 but more torque.

Competition: BMW M6, Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz SL-class, Porsche 911 Turbo.

Estimated arrival and cost: Production of the V-10–powered R8 begins in March 2009. The R8 roadster will debut that fall at the Frankfurt auto show and will go on sale in the spring of 2010. The V-10 should command $150,000, and the roadster will come in at $130,000.

To most James Bond movie hounds, Daniel Craig was the star of the most recent James Bond film, Casino Royale. But we speculate that most Car and Driver readers were more interested in seeing his new ride, the Aston Martin DBS, than the hunky new Bond boy. Unfortunately, Bond rendered the slinky supercoupe’s appearance to more of a cameo than a starring role, choosing to roll it several times in a ditch to save his damsel in distress within just minutes of hitting the “engine start” button for the first time (indeed, some of us might have chosen to save the car).

The next public viewing of the DBS is its official reveal at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance, where Aston Martin is the featured marque. Sitting still, in the flesh (as opposed to screaming down the road in shuddering camera frames), the DBS’s slick design details—a vacuous front air dam, fender vents, subtle fender flares, deep sill extensions, hood nostrils, huge 8.5-by-20-inch front and 11-by-20-inch rear wheels mounted with specially developed Pirelli P Zero tires—clearly differentiate it from the DB9 coupe on which it is based.

DBS: Vanquish Replacement

And as promised when we first ran spy shots of the DBS late last year, Aston significantly increased the 5935cc V-12’s power output from 444 to 510 horsepower at 6500 rpm, although torque remains 420 pound-feet at 5750 revs (up from 5000). Thanks to those fat tires, a “performance honed” six-speed manual transmission, and extensive weight-reduction measures (such as using carbon fiber for body panels), Aston claims the 3750-pound fixed-roof coupe will launch from 0 to 62 mph in a rather scant 4.3 seconds. Top speed is 191 mph. Special effects, indeed.

Of course, making a DB9 faster won’t turn it into a flagship, which Aston needs now that the Vanquish is gone. Thus, the DBS gets additional upgrades—specifically, the fitment of adaptive dampers with a track mode; carbon-ceramic brakes; and a swank, hand-finished interior with a new dash design and plenty of exotic-looking touches of metal and leather. We won’t get the DBS’s Euro-market lightweight seats since they don’t accommodate airbags. (Hey, Recaro, would you do something about that already? Don’t make us call M.) Every DBS, however, will get a sapphire-finished “ECU” (Emotion Control Unit) that 006s and below might call a key.

U.S. deliveries of the DBS will commence in spring of 2008 at a price around $265,000, which is some $95,000 higher than the cost of a DB9 coupe. As for a DBS Volante? Unlikely, at least not before the next Bond film comes out.

Porsche is giving its purist followers another reason to scream: a compact SUV.

BY STEVE SILER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDA PRIDDY & COMPANY AND THE MANUFACTURER
May 2008

For 2009, all four models of the legendary 911 receive a major facelift, including the Carrera and Carrera S in both coupe and cabriolet configurations. Once again, they will be powered by horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engines.

The 3.6L unit will use direct injection — a first for Porsche — to generate 345 horsepower, or 20 percent more than last year. Meanwhile, the 3.8L mill powering S models will produce up to 385 horsepower — again with direct injection.

The highlight of the new 911 will be the gearbox. Like many competitors, the 2009 Porsche 911 will now feature a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission called Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK).

According to the automaker, fuel economy will be improved by 13 percent as a result (compared to the old Tiptronic S autobox). Ratings for the 911 Cabriolet are reportedly 9.8 L/100 km on the highway. Also, from 0 to 60 mph (96 kph), the new PDK-equipped Carrera S will be 0.2 second faster than its manual-equipped counterpart.

As for styling, the front bumper has been redesigned to include larger air intakes. The outside mirrors have also been enlarged to improve visibility. Elsewhere, bi-xenon headlights will now be standard and LEDs will be used both up front and in the back.

The new 2009 Porsche 911 will arrive in North American showrooms next September.

While its SUV sibling, the Porsche Cayenne, has offered satellite radio since 2005, the Porsche 911 has gone without. So in addition to direct-injection and a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the 2009 Porsche 911 will also get the availability of XM Satellite Radio straight from the factory. In addition to 170 channels of music, sports, news, talk and entertainment, the satellite radio service will include XM NavTraffic, as well. The digital traffic service offers drivers up-to-date traffic and incident information. All customers who take delivery of a 2009 Porsche equipped with XM Radio and XM NavTraffic will enjoy a three-month complimentary subscription, but they’ll probably enjoy the fact that they’re driving a Porsche 911 even more.

With its sleek profile and unusual design, the Aptera Typ-1 looks like something from an episode of The Jetsons, and the start-up company behind the car hopes it can be a big part of lowering energy costs for drivers and moving the country toward energy independence.

Many drivers want the people making the Aptera Typ-1 to succeed. I, for one, would love to make the trip to the gas pump much less frequently.

The 1500-pound two-passenger vehicle reportedly gets 300 miles per gallon. You read that right.

The vehicle is technically a 2+1, but the website claims that the third is for a center infant seat, so three passengers only works for baby-on-boarders.

“I am thrilled to see American entrepreneurs finding ways to develop highly efficient ways for people to commute,” says Ron Sturgeon, a Dallas car collector and owner of an exotic car rental company in Dallas.

The Aptera Typ-1 is capable of about 95 miles per hour, and can travel 120 miles on a charge, double the range of many plug-in vehicles.

Technically, the Aptera Typ-1 isn’t a car at all. It’s classified as a motorcycle, but it exceeds many of the safety requirements of passenger cars, including rollover strength and door strength.

The interior of the Aptera Typ-1 features too roomy bucket seats and a wrap-around windshield that provides excellent visibility. The car does not have side mirrors. Instead, it has a central video monitor that assists drivers in avoiding accidents when backing the vehicle.

The Aptera Typ-1 features solar panels on the roof, which gather the sun’s energy to run the vehicle’s air conditioning system. Way Cool!

The fully electric Aptera Typ-1 will reportedly retail for around $27,000. The company is planning to release a hybrid model soon, which will retail for just under $30,000.

The Aptera site has excellent photos of the vehicle and gives those interested an opportunity to sign up for a newsletter about the Aptera. The company also is taking $500 deposits to reserve Apteras from California residents.

The company that will make the Aptera Type-1 is privately held. Initially, the vehicles will be available only in California because the Carlsbad-based company has the capacity to service buyers in that state.

“What is happening in the automotive industry right now is as exciting as any time in the thirty years that I have been involved in aspects of it,” says small business consultant and public speaker Ron Sturgeon.

“For those of us who believe passionately in capitalism and in the ability of entrepreneurs to solve America’s most pressing problems, the Aptera Typ-1 is exciting news,” said the Dallas luxury car rental agency owner.

The company website (http://www.aptera.com) has excellent videos of prototypes and of the celebration of the entry of the vehicle into the manufacturing phase.

Kate Miller-Wilson is a freelance writer living in the Twin Cities. Visit her website or email her for information about her freelance writing services.

When the Spanish arrived in the New World some 500 years ago in their enormous wooden sailing ships, it is said the indigenous people standing on the shore literally did not see the great vessels on the horizon because they simply weren’t a part of their world—their visual reality. It took a few days for the wondrous ships to register, to become part of the natives’ visible existence. The story reminds us that reality is limited to what the human senses can perceive and what our neurons can process.

Like those indigenous Americans trying to grasp the new, it took us a several days to get a handle on the 2009 Nissan GT-R, to see it for what it is. We’re still in wonderment over the reality of a 3900-pound coupe that seems to break Newton’s laws. Can this be real—Ferrari performance for $70,000? Is the GT-R a good thing, or is it evil, some kind of postmodern god?

We first came in contact with a Nissan Skyline GTR in 1991. At the time, the quickest car on the road was a Ferrari F40—0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The car, a gray-market Japanese-spec Skyline GTR tuned to deliver 350 horsepower (up from the standard 276 horsepower), would quickly rearrange the furniture in our heads. Powered by a 2.6-liter, twin-turbo inline-six, it matched the F40’s 0-to-60 time.

We’d have to wait 17 years before another GT-R arrived here. It ripped from 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds [May 2008]. That equaled the time of the F40’s heir, the ferocious Ferrari Enzo. As to Ferraris currently being built, the GT-R is as quick to 60 mph as the 611-hp 599GTB Fiorano [June 2007] that sells for $280,295.

In ’91 we struggled with how the Skyline GTR would fit into our automotive landscape. But since it was not sold in this country, we spotted something shiny and our interest drifted off. Now it is officially here, and we’re struggling to determine where it fits in, what it competes with, and why the name “Skyline” was dropped but GTR given a hyphen.

When gathering opponents for this comparison, we fell back on a lesson we learned a few years ago: When your automotive bearings are shaken (as the GT-R has the power to do), invite a Porsche 911 to recalibrate. On paper, the closest 911 model to the GT-R, in terms of philosophy, is the 480-hp, all-wheel-drive Turbo, which is why it’s here. Yes, a Porsche Turbo costs nearly twice the asking price of a GT-R, it’s not the staff’s favorite 911 (we’re partial to the naturally aspirated models), and it didn’t win its last comparison-test outing. But the 911 Turbo is indeed the car Nissan put on its performance pedestal, the car to get. So if any car can help us make sense of the GT-R’s place in the world, it’s the 911 Turbo.

To bookend the GT-R, we decided to add a BMW M3 coupe to the mix. Unlike the GT-R and the Turbo, the naturally aspirated M3 lacks turbochargers, and should a Chubby Checker twist competition break out, it would find itself seriously outgunned. Compared with the 505 pound-feet of torque spooled into the 911 Turbo and the 430 pound-feet found in the GT-R, the M3 has a seemingly minuscule 295 pound-feet. The M3 is out of its league in horsepower, too, but it makes up some of this handicap by weighing several hundred pounds less than its brethren. The M3 also has a price advantage: Our test car rang up at $63,600, the Nissan commanded $70,475, and the 911 Turbo dwarfed them both with a $127,060 base price. Throw in the M3’s two comparison-test wins against impressive opponents—Audi RS 4, Lexus IS F, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG—and a solid case can be made for this middleweight’s claim to a shot against the two heavyweights.

At this point you’re expecting the obligatory paragraph introducing the ubiquitous comparo star, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, especially if your name is Larry Webster. But, alas, the Z06 lacks back seats, and it was beaten by the 911 Turbo [“The Sports Car World Cup,” September 2006]. Yes, we might have included it anyway, but this time around, we’re keeping the competition to performance cars with four seats and a modicum of civility and ­practicality.

And consider this, Corvette dudes: Maybe there is a Z06 in the test—it’s just too awesome to see. That paragraph introducing it could be hiding here somewhere, maybe there’s really a Z06 in every photograph. You just can’t see it now. It might appear. Wait a few days.

 03.06.08 03:12

Back on June 8th 1948 Porsche presented the model 356 “no 1”, the very first Porsche prototype to receive official approval for road service. The two-seater open roadster was powered by a 40 horsepower mid-mounted air-cooled flat-4 engine with a displacement of 1.131cc. Much of the underpinnings of this model were derived from the Ferdinand Porsche Snr designed Volkswagen Beetle and would eventually evolve into the full production rear-engined 356, the WCF reported.

The 356 saw a production run of around 76,00 vehicles, of which it is thought about half of them still exist today giving us a small insight into how important this model was in the history of the automotive industry. In 1963 Porsche presented the new 911 (which would have been called the 901 had Peugeot not already owned the rights) to replace the 356 and as we all know it continues to thrive following more than three decades of success. More recently we have the Porsche brand venture outside the conventional sportcar with the Cayenne SUV and next year we will see the new Panamera four-door coupe.

Porsche has grown into one of the most profitable automakers in the world evident by their intentions to take over the massive VW empire, but despite the enviable position Porsche has at the moment, it hasn’t always been so rosy. The sportscar brand has gone through some tough times, the early nineties in particular may still be etched in the back of many minds. The dark period in their history which threatened the independence of company was soon turned around beginning with the appointment of Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking as CEO in 1992 who introduced the generic terms ‘lean management’ and ‘lean production’, seeing the sportcar manufacturer back in the black by 1995.

The rest as they say is history, read the press release below for a more in depth insight.