Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
Yeah, we know all about the Veyron, so this is a good opportunity to feature the open-top version, to be known henceforth as the Grand Sport. It will be out in the spring of 2009 and will of course feature the same turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine, churning out 1,001 hp. Although the coupe version has a top speed of 253 mph, chances are that this model's maximum will be pegged at something like 217 mph. And it will cost about $250,000 more than the $2 million hard top. But it'll be the ultimate pose machine. Oh, and there are rumors of a 1,250hp, 274mph Veyron.
Brabus Rocket
Four doors, front-mounted engine, nice stereo, plenty of room in the trunk for a couple of sets of golf clubs. Yawn? No way, this is a Brabus (based on a Mercedes-Benz CLS). The engine displaces 6.3 liters and squeezes in a couple of turbochargers between the banks of its V12 configuration. A four-second sprint to 62 mph isn't so wild in this company, but 730 hp and a top speed of 227 mph is reason enough to call the car a Rocket.
Gumpert Apollo
We've already featured Roland Gumpert's carbon-fiber monster (european car, June 2008) that accelerates to 62 mph in the time it takes to beg for mercy from whatever deity is applicable. Which should be three seconds flat. A 4.2-liter Audi V8 augmented by a pair of turbos cooks up 650 hp and sends the Apollo through the speed traps at 224 mph. Gumpert used to work for Audi and oversaw the company's success in rallying. An 850-hp version is also on the drawing board.
Pagani Zonda F CS
It's not just VW that names cars after winds. The creation of Horacio Pagani (an Argentinian building his cars in northern Italy) is named after an airstream that blows over his native land. The F in the nomenclature refers to Juan Manuel Fangio. The Zonda straddles the divide between old-school supercars and hi-tech modern machines. It looks like an exotic should, and the cabin is particularly sumptious. But beneath the carbon-fiber skin is a 650-hp engine, sourced from AMG, that propels the Zonda to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and a maximum velocity of 215 mph. It could go faster, but this is with an optimum aerodynamic setup.