Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

I did a write up on the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish back in 2007 in relation to the James Bond movie "Die Another Day"
But here is the real world Vanquish.

In 1998, a GT concept car, the Project Vantage, debuted at the North American International Auto Show.
The Vanquish was based on that car.
But the Vanquish S is the real barnstormer.
The Vanquish is powered by a a 5.9 liter 48-valve 60� V12 engine, which puts out 514 horsepower and 425 ft�lbs of torque.
That gave the Vanquish a 0 to 60 time of about 4 seconds and a top speed in the 190-204 mph range.
The base price was around $250,000.

And if that's not enough, Top Speed is reporting the new 2010 Vanquish S may be putting out 550 mph.

BMW E60 M5

The BMW E60 M5

The BMW E60 M5 is powered by a 305.1 cu in BMW V10 S85 engine.
The massive V-10 under the hood puts out 500 horsepower and 384 foot pounds of torque.
The V-10 allows the E60 to go from 0 to 60 in about 4.1 seconds.
And it gives it a 0-100 time of 10.1 seconds.
It can run a top speed of 155 mph with the electronic speed limiter on, or 193 with the limiter removed.

And if that's not enough for you, German aftermarket tuner G-Power has produced the "G-Power Hurricane M5".
This twin-supercharged BMW packs 730 horsepower and has a top end of 225 mph.

Ferrari 360 Spider

Launched in 2000, the Ferrari 360 Spider is powered by a mid-mounted 3.6 liter V8 with 400 horsepower, shown off under a glass hood.
This engine allows the Spider to pull a 12.8 second quarter mile at 110.8 miles per hour.
And it gives the Spider a 0 to 60 time of about 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 185 mph.
The Ferrari's fuel economy is 10 mpg city, 16 mpg highway.

I actually found a place where you can rent one online.
How cool is that?

And if renting isn't your style, you can pick one up starting at around $221,720.00.

Ferrari Challenge Stradale

The Ferrari Challenge Stradale is a variation of the Ferrari 360 Modena.
When the car was created, the designers were thinking 20% track use in mind and 80% road use.
And it shows in the performance.
The Challenge Stradale's 90� F131 V8 engine only puts out about 25 more horses (425) than the Modena, but the car is lighter, giving it a superior power to weight ratio.
It has a 0 to 62 mph time of just 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 183 mph.
(Although the 2008 version is said to pull 0-60 in 3.9 seconds)
The Stradale can pull the quarter mile in about 12.5 seconds at 114.1 mph.

The Audi RS6 5.0 TFSI quattro

The Audi RS6 5.0 TFSI quattro is the land rocket of the Audi A6 models.
It is powered by an all-aluminum alloy 5.0 liter V10 twin-turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) engine.
The V-10 is rated at 580 horsepower, and 479 foot pounds of torque.
The official performance figures for the RS6 Avant are:
0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds.
0 to 124 in 13.1 seconds.
It has an electronically governed top speed of 155.3 mph, but you can get a factory option that bumps that figure up to 192.6 mph.
To keep the V-10 cool, the RS6 needs seven radiators, and four electric cooling fans.
Unfortunately, the RS6 Avant will not be available in the U.S., but a sedan was unveiled in August 2008, and will probably be offered in North America.

2003 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG

While not quite as powerful as the CL65 AMG, the 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG was still a force to be reckoned with.
Motor Trend described it as "Arnold Schwarzenegger in an Armani tuxedo".
Powered by a 493 horsepower, supercharged 5.4 liter single overhead cam V-8, the CL55 could turn the quarter mile in 12.38 seconds at 114.45 mph.
The listed top speed of the CL55 was 155 mph, but that's because of the electronic governor that most German manufacturers (except Porsche) place on their cars.

The CL55 was based on the Mercedes-Benz W215 platform and was produced in limited numbers (around 500 in the US) between 2000 and 2002.

The base price of the CL55 was $114,600.
And the fuel economy was 14 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway.

Porsche 996 911 GT2

The Porsche 996 911 GT2 is perhaps the ultimate 911.
It's powered by a 3.6 liter flat-6 engine with twin variable geometry turbochargers.
This gives the Porsche 520 horses and 500 ft pounds of torque.
And that allows the 3,175 lb car to blast through the quarter mile at 120.6 mph in 11.9 seconds.
As far as acceleration, the GT2 can go from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and 0 to 100 in 7.5 seconds, with a top speed of 204 mph.
You can pick one up for around $180,000.
The fuel economy is a really quite good for a car this quick, 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway.