Million Dollar Cars

Million Dollar Cars

Are there really million dollar cars?

There are not only million dollar cars; there are multi-million dollar cars. The more relevant question today is which of the (multi-)million dollar cars are truly worth their (multi-)million dollar price tags and which are not.

Let's start at the top of the totem pole. Weighing in at 8 million dollars and literally weighing in at 2.7 tons is the carbon fiber and neoprene Maybach Exelero (right) whose enormous price tag is inflated since most of it is the research cost to build a one-off custom made car.

Among the cars that you can actually buy, Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, which means 'Sixth Element' in Italian, tops the list at $3 million. Why is this car named the 'Sixth Element'? It's because Sesto Elemento's chassis is made of carbon, the sixth element in the periodic table. And why does it cost 3 million dollars?

Sesto Elemento's stratospheric price tag more to do with its exclusivity (Lamborghini will make only 20 of these cars) than performance; it does not even meet American safety standards and therefore can be neither bought nor driven in the United States.

Just below the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento (left) is the Bugatti Veyron (below) whose $2,000,000 price tag has more to do with performance than hype.

The 1,000 horse-powered Bugatti Veyron can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds. Its top speed of 410 km per hour (255 miles per hour) is closer to those of airplanes than normal cars, and would be unsafe even on Germany's autobahn, which has no speed limit.

Slightly less powerful but sexier are a couple of $1,000,000 cars: Ferrari Enzo and the ultra-sleek Saleen.

Thereafter, we drop down to cars that cost mere six figures. Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren and Porsche Carrera GT are two of the cars that weigh in at $500,000.

In between $500,000 and $250,000 are the likes of Lamborghini Murcielago, Aston Martin Vanquish and the Ferrari F430.

Also in this range are the less sporty, classic sedans Rolls Royce Phantom, Maybach 62 and 57, Bentley Arnage and Brooklands.

Under $250,000 lie the mass market BMWs, the other Mercedes Benz, Porsches, etc.

So back to our question: which car is worth the investment? Or more precisely, which one should you buy?

That depends on your perspectives on your wealth and the source of your wealth. Please click here if you believe that your wealth is the result solely of your endeavors and genius, and click on car bible if you believe that your wealth is a blessing from God.