The Ultimate Automobiles Of The Super Rich

Glamorous, symbol of success, expensive, majestic, these are just few of the superlatives that describe the automobiles of the super rich. They can be classified into three groups: the smaller, functional imports like Mercedez-Benz and BMW cars; the roomy, traditional domestic cars like the Cadillac, deVille and Lincoln Town Car; and, the slightly smaller, more ornate, domestic high style cars like the Cadillac Seville and Lincoln Continental. Motoring journalist Martin Buckley, named some of the ultimate automobiles of the super rich in his book "Cars of the Super Rich." Want to know what are they?

Read on:

1. Bugatti Royale - This French car was intended for the crowned heads of Europe but none among the royalty owned them. Priced twice the most expensive Rolls-Royce chassis, only six were built of this car and some considers it a magnificent failure. Craig Cheetham, author of the book Vintage Cars wrote: "The Royale's chassis is very simple but there are some clever features to it. The engine is used as a stressed member that acts as part of the chassis, while the transmission is mounted at the back to offset the weight of the huge engine." Royale was the biggest and largest engine ever produced - a design probably made to attract royalty. Many consider the Bugatti Royale as the ultimate automobile for car collectors, yet, it's almost not saleable when new.

2. Chaika-Gaz 13 - A Russian car built for Soviet government officials, this was launched in 1958. The word "chaika" is a Russian for seagull. Chaika's built is a copycat of the Packard Caribbean. The car is powered by 5.5-litre, 195 bhp V8 engine with alloy cylinder heads, and hitched to a push-button three speed automatic transmission. Some models were still produced in 1970s.

3. Maserati V6-powered Citroen SM - The French luxury super car, this is used for many years by French political leaders. The car was delivered to the office of the Presidence de la Republique in 1972; the last time they were reportedly used was in mid 1990's for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. The car was rebuilt especially for the occasion, modified by the coachbuilder Chapron.

4. Mercedez CLK GTR - Dubbed as the most expensive road car ever put in the market, this car was built by AMG. There are 25 cars built of this model in accordance with the homologation safety rules. The CLK GTR is one fabulous piece for serious car collector.

Other Mercedez Benz that is collected by the super rich is the 190-series or "baby Benz." A functional compact-size car, it's the ultimate automobile for aficionados of the Mercedez Benz. Its 2.3-liter, 113 horsepower gasoline engine is smooth, quiet, vibration-free, and rated at 23 mpg in city driving. Inside the car are vinyl-clad seats provided for comfort and ease.

5. McLaren F1 cars - There are 100 cars built of this model. The F1 is priced $950,000, such a labor intensive car ever produced featuring a number of space-age materials in construction. The makers of F1 had a long ambition of building a road car. The result was the fastest yet docile car to drive in town. The car was designed with all-new 627bhp, 6064cc four-cam V12 engine, 231mph projectile capable of 0-60mph in 3.2 sec., 0-100mph in 6.3 sec. For those who consider themselves as high-class drivers, the F1 is the ultimate automobile to hit the road. Glamorous, ultra quick, expensive, and the superlatives goes on...