World's Most Expensive Cars 2005

1. Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
Country of Origin: United States
Price: €535,000* in Europe ($670,384)
Price in U.S.: $555,000

Budweiser says it's the "King of Beers." The Saleen S7 has earned the right to call itself the "King of Cars." It is the world's fastest and most expensive automobile. The S7, which Saleen recently overhauled, comes from California. It uses a 750-hp V-8 engine.

2. Pagani Zonda C12S 7.3 convertible
Country of Origin: Italy Price: $598,025 (global) Italy's Pagani makes a supercar called the Zonda, which looks wild and has world-beating performance chops. The model in question, the Zonda C12S 7.3 convertible, has 555 hp. All Zonda models have top speeds of around 200 mph.

3. Koenigsegg CCR
Country of Origin: SwedenPrice: $562,659 (global)Koenigsegg is a Swedish supercar builder whose vehicles are street-legal in some countries and not in others. Its cars are not street-legal in the United States, but it plans to start selling them in America in 2006.

4. Koenigsegg CC8S
Country of Origin: Sweden Price: $522,120 (global) The CC8S is a slightly less powerful but equally exotic--and desirable--supercar.

5. Porsche Carrera GT
Country of Origin: Germany Price: €390,000 in Europe ($484,151) Price in U.S.: $440,000 Porsche is one of the world's most successful motor-sports companies, and the Carrera GT is a demonstration of everything the company has learned in competition. As if that weren't enough, you can even drop the Carrera GT's top; it's a convertible. The Carrera GT uses a 5.7-liter, 605-hp V-10 engine.


6. Maybach 62
Country of Origin: Germany Price: €376,200 in Europe ($457,991) Price in U.S.: $375,000 Maybach is owned by DaimlerChrysler and makes the world's most expensive sedans. The 62 is the longer model, and the one that features the business-class rear seats--and three feet of rear-seat legroom. The names of Maybach's vehicles, the 57 and 62, are an homage to yachts. A yacht's name often tells its length in meters, just as the names of the 57 (5.73 meters) and 62 (6.17 meters) do.

7. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Country of Origin: Germany Price: €375,000 in Europe ($456,526) Price in U.S.: $450,000 This is the flagship Mercedes-Benz, a vehicle developed in collaboration with legendary British racecar builder McLaren. The SLR McLaren uses a supercharged, 617-hp V-8.

8. Maybach 57
Country of Origin: Germany Price: €319,700 in Europe ($389,226) Price in U.S.: $324,500

9. Rolls-Royce Phantom
Country of Origin: Great Britain Price: $328,750 (global) The only non-Maybach sedan on the list is Rolls-Royce's Phantom, a new generation of Rolls-Royce vehicle that matches the Maybachs in terms of luxury and performance.

10. Spyker C8 Double 12 S
Country of Origin: The Netherlands Price: $325,560 (global) Spyker is a Dutch automaker whose name will be familiar to fans of endurance racing. Its C8 model line, of which the C8 Double 12 S is the flagship, sports perhaps the most bizarre exterior design of all of the cars on this list. The C8 Double 12 S uses a 400-hp, 4.2-liter Audi V-8. The car is currently available in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. In a recent e-mail message, a Spyker spokeswoman wrote, "We hope that the C8 Double 12 S will be certified soon for the U.S. and are in the process of this certification with the involved authorities."