Hot wheels, when price is no object
— -- If you have a need for speed and some extra cash — and by extra we mean a few hundred thousand or a few million — there's a growing list of supercar choices.
The list is dominated by Europeans, both major brands and boutique firms. And, increasingly, makers are using supercars to test advanced hybrid or electric technology that's fast, clean and efficient.
Here are just a few of the top supercars here or coming, with prices before destination charges or gas-guzzler taxes are added:
Lexus LFA
Base price: $375,000
Engine: 552-horsepower 4.8-liter V-10
Top speed: 202 mph
Available now, it's the first supercar from Toyota's luxury division. Production will be limited to 500. NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was ticketed driving an LFA at speeds of more than 100 mph around residential areas in North Carolina.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
Base price: $189,600
Engine: 563-horsepower 6.3-liter V-8
Top speed: 197 mph
Mercedes' supercar is a throwback to the so-called gullwing coupe of the 1950s, complete with upward-opening doors. Deliveries started in July. A yet-unpriced roadster version has been shown and is on the way.
McLaren MP4-12C
Base price: $229,000
Engine: 592-horsepower 3.8-liter V-8
Top speed: 205 mph
Arriving now, the MP4 is a mid-engined beast that stands out with touches such as scissors-opening doors that tilt up and forward. It's the first production road car from race-oriented McLaren since its partnership with Mercedes-Benz for the Mercedes SLR, which ended in 2008.
Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
Base price: $387,000
Engine: 700-horsepower 6.5-liter V-12
Top speed: 217
Deliveries are starting now for a car that makes some of the most extensive use of superlight carbon fiber in the body.
Ferrari 458 Italia
Base price: $260,000
Engine: 562-horsepower 4.5-liter V-8
Top speed: 202 mph
The mid-engine car, out for about a year now, boasts an impressive power-to-weight ratio. It was just named Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car of 2011.
Bugatti Grand Sport
Base price: $2.1 million
Engine: 1,001-horsepower 8-liter W-16
Top speed: 253 mph with the top on; 217 with it off
It's the convertible version of the Veyron, the supercar so mighty in price and performance that it almost has become the standard by which others are judged. The company is selling 110 more.
Porsche 918 Spyder
Base price: $845,000
Engine: 500-horsepower 4-liter V-8 plus 218 horsepower from two electric motors
Top speed: 199 mph
Porsche's goal was to combine the green performance of a plug-in electric with the outright performance of a supercar. The result? A car that can be driven about 16 miles on the two electric motors (one on each axle) alone, yet goes 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds.
Jaguar C-X75
Base price: $1.1 million
Engine: Undisclosed, but will have a turbocharged engine and electric motors
Top speed: More than 200 mph
Jaguar just confirmed that it will produce this hybrid supercar, which made the rounds as a concept last year. It's likely to show up as a 2015 model.
Audi R8 GT
Base price: $196,800
Engine: 560-horsepower 5.2-liter V-10
Top speed: 199 horsepower
As if the R8 needed more power, Audi created a super GT version.
SSC Tuatara
Base price: $1.1 million
Engine: 1,350-horsepower 7-liter V-8
Top speed: 275 mph
Expected in 2013, the Tuatara (twu-tar-ah, a New Zealand lizard) succeeds the Ultimate Aero, which held the production-car speed record until it was retaken by Bugatti.
Pagani Huayra
Base price: $1.3 million
Engine: 725-horsepower AMG 6-liter V-12
Top speed: 230 mph
Due by 2013, it features intricately handcrafted controls and components.
