While you may not be able to afford their hefty showroom price tags and certainly won’t want to cough up fistfuls of money each month to insure them, all five of the vehicles on this list are technically street-legal and available for delivery in the United States. Marvels of modern engineering, these cars have all been track-tested at speeds that strain credulity. Save this list in case you win the lottery or find yourself mentioned in the will of your fabulously wealthy great uncle.
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Clocked at 267 miles per hour in controlled tests, this supercar boasts an 8-liter, 16-cylinder engine capable of producing 1200 horsepower. As if these figures weren’t staggering enough, its price tag is positively jaw-dropping: A fully loaded Veyron runs somewhere north of $2.4 million. Although it’s regarded as safe compared to other high-performance vehicles, car insurance payments on this car are nevertheless the stuff of legend.
SSC Ultimate Aero
In 2007, the unthinkable happened: An American design house beat out dozens of its supposedly-superior European competitors and gave birth to the world’s fastest production automobile. Although the Veyron is back at the top of the supercar rankings, the lightweight Shelby Super Car Ultimate Aero’s 1183-horsepower V8 makes it a formidable driving machine and keeps its price tag lower than that that of any comparable foreign supercar. If you’re willing to settle for a 257 miles-per-hour top speed, the Aero will save you $1.5 million over its slightly faster rival.
Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
The S7 Twin Turbo’s ultra-light, aerodynamic frame allows a 750-horsepower engine that’s relatively modest by supercar standards to achieve true greatness in the form of a 248-mph top speed and a sub-three-second zero-to-60 rating. Another American-made gem, the S7 is also comparatively inexpensive, starting at just north of $500,000.
Gumpert Apollo
When you can snag a 750-horsepower Saleen capable of approaching 250 miles per hour for just about $500,000, the marginal utility of a 650-horsepower, $450,000 supercar that’s had trouble exceeding 225 miles per hour in road tests seems questionable. Of course, the S7 Twin Turbo hasn’t been proven capable of sustaining upside-down locomotion at speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour on a tunnel roof. The Apollo hasn’t either, but logic dictates that its creators wouldn’t make such a fantastical claim without some pretty solid math to back it up. Don’t feel bad if you’re not willing to be the first to test it out.
Noble M600
Also topping out at 225 miles per hour, the Noble M600 is the cheapest and most utilitarian car on this list. While it resembles a middle-of-the-road Ferrari, its excellent cornering abilities and 3.7-second zero-to-60 rating give it a leg up over all but the most expensive of its Italian competitors. Starting at just $330,000, you might not even have to win the lottery to afford this car.
With an ever-growing pool of willing buyers, the market for supercars has exploded in the past decade. You may not be able to secure a car loan or afford insurance premiums right now on a vehicle that costs upwards of a million dollars, but you can certainly read up on the subject and prepare for the day that you become independently wealthy.
Author Bio
Kiley Walker lives and writes in London. She writes for www.carinsurance.org.uk where you can find more information on car insurance, trips, and tips for saving money when you drive.
