FHM’s Supercar Buying Guide

Contains everything you need to drop 20 crores on a new motor. Except 20 crores

What do you get?

20 crores. That’s a lot of money for something with four wheels, two seats, an engine and a gearbox. But a car is so much more than the sum of its parts; there’s no finer way to blow a wedge of cash than on a supercar and at that money there are more available than you might think.

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Luxury and exclusivity

If you want the best and most expensive wheels in the world then Bugatti still has a few Veyrons available and Aston Martin will be launching its new One-77 supercar this year too. Neither will give you any change from Rs 9 million.

Aston Martin’s DBS Volante is one of the finest-looking cars in creation, but for even rarer, more exotic thrills you’ll be spending your hard-earned on an Italian. The Pagani Zonda is an exquisitely built supercar and have you ever seen one on the road? Precisely.

The Zonda might look like it’s from another world, but its wheels are firmly on planet Earth: the V12 Mercedes motor used in the Zonda is known as one of the world’s most dependable engines. The bodywork can be supplied unpainted, with just a lacquer showing off the weave of the carbon fibre, and the interior is an ostrich-leather trimmed work of art. Prices start at 2.9 crore.

While the Zonda is certainly exclusive, Ferrari’s current V12 supercar, the 599 GTB, is a snip at half the price 1.5 crore. However, accessibility has made it a favourite with Premiership footballers and other ghastlies.

Speed and machismo

Lamborghini’s stunning Murciélago starts at 1.7 crore, but its new SV will leave you with a 1.9 crore-shaped hole in your pocket – worth every penny, though, for the looks alone.

If you want the ultimate Oriental then the new Lexus LFA easily grabs that title, but could you ever justify blowing 2.5 crore on what’s essentially a very fast Toyota?

For a sheer adrenaline rush, the Brits have everyone else licked. The Caparo T1 is basically an F1 car with two seats that you can legally drive to Tesco if you want. 1.6 crore for the fastest accelerating road car on Earth? Bargain. Or you could wait for Noble’s M600 which’ll come in around the 20 crore mark. It’s brutal, unrefined and very British.

Danger

It takes a highly skilled driver to get optimum performance out of a supercar without needing to make use of that organ donor card.

The Lamborghini SV is notably psychotic – one injudicious stab of the throttle and it will tear off your head in a freak ‘accident’ before tracking down your family and having them executed. There’s nothing quite like it.

The Noble, too, is as hairy-chested as cars get, with no driver aids whatsoever and 600bhp going through the rear wheels from its highly tuned Volvo engine. The Veyron, however, is as easy to drive as a Golf GTI, albeit one that almost breaks the sound barrier.

Running costs

None of these cars can be run on a budget: the first service for a Veyron costs 9.8 lacs. The tyres have to be replaced every 2,500 miles (18.2 lacs) and the wheels every 7,500 miles (21.8 lacs). Insurance will cost at least 73 thousand a month…

Depreciation

A Veyron will also lose 2 crore in value over four years of ownership – making for a cost-per-mile of 3 thousand bucks. Even a Ferrari can be worth 36.2 lacs less than its new price after a couple of years. So the days of justifying a supercar to the missus as ‘an investment’ are long gone.

Ferrari 599 GTB

3.6 crore

Cristiano Ronaldo found his 599 was more than a match for him when he smashed it up in a tunnel just two days after he bought it. “It slipped on oil,” was his pitiful excuse.

The stats: 0-62mph in 3.7 secs; 205mph

Aston Martin One-77

17 crore

Called One-77 because just 77 of these hyper-cars will be built. The curvaceous body panels are aluminium, shaped by humans with hammers.

The stats: 0-62mph in 3.5 secs; “at least” 220mph.

Will you get it in India? Yes.

Noble M600

20 crore

The M600’s engine might be a 4.4-litre V8, but it’s normally fitted in, er, the Volvo XC90. Its enormous power comes from two whacking great turbos. We love turbos.

The stats: 0-62mph in 3.0 secs; 225mph

Lexus LFA Roadster

5 crore

The LFA’s cabin was designed so its occupants get the best of the engine’s ‘F1 car at full revs’ soundtrack.

The stats: 0-62mph in 3.5 secs; 202mph

Aston Martin DBS

2.95 crore

The DBS starter instrument is referred to as the ‘Emotion Control Unit’. We call it ‘the key’. There’s also a bespoke wristwatch that starts the engine.

The stats: 0-62mph in 4.3 secs; 191mph

Lamborghini Murciélago SV

3 crore

The last of the Murcis is a humdinger.

The stats: 0-62mph in 3.2 secs; 213mph. Will you get it in India? Yes

Pagani Zonda

2.4-5-4 crore

Named the Zonda after a desert wind in the Andes, each one is hand-built. Many are specified by customers to be left unpainted, such is the quality of the craftsmanship.

The stats: 0-62mph in 3.2 secs; 220mph.

Will you get it in India? Yes but after a long wait.

Caparo T1

23 crore

0-100mph takes five seconds, which is faster than a freefalling BASE-jumper and it corners and brakes at 3.5Gs.

The stats: 0-62mph in 2.5 secs; 200mph

Affordable supercars

1 Aston Martin DB7

It’s beautiful, but not all that good. And the Ford Mondeo switchgear still rankles after all these years. But it’s an Aston and can be had for less than 14.5 lacs – just make sure the electrics are in fine fettle and always buy with a bomb-proof warranty from a dealer. autotrader.co.uk

2 Ferrari Testarossa

Dated like Don Johnson’s pastel-coloured suits – ie in a good way – this is an ’80s superstar. 21.7 lacs isn’t much either for a V12 Ferrari and it still has enormous road presence, despite the penis-substitute image. Check the electric toys work and the gearbox selects its ratios without too much effort. verdi-ferrari.com

3 Porsche 911 Turbo

The supercar you really can use every day. Four-wheel drive, 200mph and plenty of room make it perfect for us mere mortals. And there’s no better car for less than 22 lacs. They’re reliable, but make sure the engine’s oil seals aren’t leaking like a disgruntled government advisor. specialistcarsltd.co.uk

4 TVR Cerbera

Possibly the only luxury item to come from Blackpool, TVRs are legendary among petrolheads. And the Cerbera is the most beautiful TVR there ever was – yours for 11 lacs. Just be prepared for a wild ride and plenty of trips back to the dealer for warranty work on the electrics and seemingly everything else.

davidgeraldtvr.com

* Prices may vary in India, blame the import duty

From the August 2010 issue of FHM India.