Bugatti Veyron 16.4

The Bugatti Veyron is currently the most expensive and fastest sports car in the world. Hailed by many as the greatest automobile ever made, it features all the most recent automotive advancements in one package.

The 2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is powered by by a mid-mounted and quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine. Its 1,001 hp and 922 lb-ft of torque are delivered to all four wheels via a beefed-up seven-speed version of VW/Audi's excellent dual-clutch sequential gearbox (DSG). The transmission has two automatic modes , normal and Sport and may also be shifted manually via paddles on the steering wheel.

Published reports consistently have the Veyron hitting 60 mph from rest in under 3 seconds, and the car will attain extralegal velocities at a similarly dizzying rate. That 253-mph top speed must be enabled via a separate key, however; otherwise, the Veyron is limited to a mere 233 mph.

The 2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is so fast that it needs an eponymous adjective. In a straight line, no other four wheeled conveyance can touch it. What's more, the Veyron's handling is nearly as impressive, no mean feat given its considerable heft. The only thing lacking and this is more of an esoteric issue is a lack of emotional involvement. Designed to perfection, the Veyron doesn't quite generate the visceral appeal that otherwise might come about in cars like the Ferrari F430 or Porsche 911 GT3 RS that take a more raw and hard-edged approach to performance.

As one might expect in a $1.5 million car, the Veyron's cabin is pretty fancy. The leather upholstery is opulent and omnipresent, and extensive aluminum trim adorns the center stack, steering wheel and other controls. The gauge cluster features a somewhat gimmicky "power gauge" that supposedly displays real-time horsepower production. The Veyron's bathtub like high beltline, obtrusively thick A-pillars and low seating position don't bolster its credentials as a driver's car, but there's a lot of room in there, even for taller folks.