By their very nature, all cars have four wheels, an engine, a braking system and some seats. Buying a car with this basic set-up might cost you £7,000, or it may cost £700,000. In this article we'll be looking at the more costly end of the spectrum - much more costly.
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This concept car was designed in 2013 as an homage to a deceased son of the founder of Pininfarina, the much-praised Italian design house. Only six of these were ever built, partly explaining the high price tag. Based on the 458 Spider, this is one of the most expensive Ferraris ever. For three mil’ you don’t get a roof, side windows or a windscreen - added to which it's not that easy to tell which end is the front.
By Norbert Aepli, Switzerland, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67116263
Aston have never built cheap cars, but under the auspices of Andy Palmer, the brand seems to be producing ever more costly wares - most of which are limited runs or one-offs. The Valkyrie is one of the more ostentatious, based on the old Aston Martin Red Bull AM RB 001.
The Valkyrie, of which only 150 were ever built, features a 6.5 litre aspirated V12 engine. Dreamt up by Palmer and Red Bull over a drink (there must have been a lot of Red Bull involved), this is the kind of machine that has brought Aston back into the black.
By M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18977524
You're never going to find a bargain-basement Veyron, but this limited edition version by Mansory Vivere has taken ‘expensive’ to a whole new level. Modelled on the Grand Sports Vitesse Roadster, this version's 8.0-litre engine produces an awe-inspiring 1,200 horsepower.
By W Motors - W Motors Press Kit, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43182760
The Lykan Hypersport was never going to be a cheap car, but when they decided to make the headlamps out of diamonds (240 x 15 carat), the price tag understandably went into the stratosphere. It was built by Lebanon-based W Motors and is the first-ever Arab supercar.
By Edvvc from London, UK - 2015 Aston Martin Vulcan, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43762449
This suitably-named super car does indeed possess a science fictional quality - straight out of the Delta Quadrant. Featuring Aston's most powerful engine, the naturally aspirated 7.0-liter V12, it rides on an aluminium chassis and produces a highly respectable 800 horsepower. The Vulcan's body is completely carbon fibre.
By Axion23 (original)Tony Patt (cropped) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Black_McLaren_P1_on_17_Mile_Drive_(20744898595).jpg, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50059281
British firm Lanzante bought an original P1 and then converted it for sale to US, UK, Japanese and UAE buyers. What's more, it's street legal and shattered the Nurburgring record with a 6:43.2 lap. Only five examples of this 1,000 horsepower car have ever been built.
By Clément Bucco-Lechat - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25013558
Boring? No. Ridiculous? Yes. The Veneno - named after the Spanish word for poison - is something you'd expect to be driven by one of the nasties in the Alien franchise. Lamborghini built this eye-opener to mark its fiftieth birthday. Really, they shouldn’t have.
By Fpm - selbst fotografiert am Genfer Autosalon, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3728230
The carbon fibre body of the CCXR Trevita has been made using Koenigsegg's Proprietary Diamond Weave. We don’t know what that is, but it sounds expensive. The boffins at Koenigsegg got a bit carried away and told everyone they would be making three of these machines, but it turned out diamond weave bodies take ages - so they only built two.
By Simon Davison from Los Gatos, United States - IMG_4071, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2031432
Who would buy a car like this? Batman? Superman? Birdman? Actually it was the latter - he's a rapper apparently. There is nothing subtle or understated about his car's design - a futuristic take on the 1930s luxury sports car. There is also nothing subtle or understated about this car's price tag - and no, that's not a typing error.
This one-off car was built in the UK by hand and was inspired by the coach-building of the 1920s and 30s - and by luxury super yachts. Indeed, the anonymous buyer of the Sweptail is thought to have been quite a keen luxury super yacht owner.
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