Top 10 2015 Exotic Cars

Prior to the onset of puberty, and for some, even after puberty ignites a raging in a different set of hormones, these cars adorn the walls of many an automotive crazed adolescent. In other words, the top 10 2015 exotic cars are the stuff of which dreams are made. While for many they exist in imagination, if you find yourself face to face with one, disappointment is somewhere way on the other side of the room. And, if you ever get to drive one? Well, let’s just say life is better with something this wonderful to look forward to.

The Fine Print

To make this list, each car must be the top performance model manufactured by a series production builder and certified for operation on the roads of the United States. In other words, these are all “mainstream mass market” goods. Well, as mainstream mass market as you can get for these limited production automobiles. Further, each must be a 2015 model boasting accomplishment far beyond that of the average high performance car. Inevitably there must be omissions—hey, 10 is 10—so if one or more of your favorites was omitted, please extol its virtues in the comments section below.

Audi R8 V10 Plus - $173,500

In the world of exotic cars, we expect particular demands be placed upon us in exchange for the experience. When Audi brought the all-wheel drive R8 along, all of those myths were dispelled. Driving it feels like driving any other car. In fact, Audi’s R8 is remarkable in just how unremarkable it feels—until you find someplace to turn it loose and let it fly. Even then, the accurate steering and amazing grip of the all-wheel drive mid-engine exotic car turn what would be extraordinary feats in most cars into routine. Power comes from a 550-horsepower, 5.2-liter V10 engine.

BMW i8 - $135,700

Hybrid powertrains have invaded the exotic space in wholesale fashion. Some of the biggest names in the automotive universe have turned to petro-electric power to motivate their ultra high performance offerings. Thus, BMW’s i8, while not exactly an exotic sports car, deserves a mention here. Power for the all-wheel drive BMW comes from a 1.5-liter inline three-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. Total system output is 357 horsepower and 420 ft-lbs of torque, Get this though, the battery pack can be completely recharged in three hours from a standard 120v AC outlet.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport - $4,000,000

Bugatti employs a business model backed basically by only one car. Granted, it’s one helluva car; but currently, Bugatti is all about Veyron and nothing else really. Of course, Veyron Super Sport is one of the fastest production automobiles in the world, with a top speed limited to 257 miles per hour to protect its tires. In other words, the people at Bugatti (their lawyers) feel tire technology has not progressed to the point to which they feel they can uh, safely, determine exactly how insanely fast this 1,200 horsepower, 8.0-liter, 16-cylinder quad-turbocharged all-wheel drive exotic will really go.

Bentley Continental GT Speed - $227,600

If you’ve got the gall to put Speed in the name of your vehicle, it has to be exceptionally fast—right? Yes, the Bentley Continental GT Speed is just exactly one very fast automobile. However, unlike the other cars on this list, the Bentley will seat four comfortably in palatial luxury, while screaming down the highway at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour. This is the car for when you have three guests, but want to savor the drive. The 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder fitted to the all-wheel drive Bentley is good for 626 horsepower and 607 ft-lbs of torque.

Dodge Viper - $84,000

Some will be surprised to see Viper on this list, while others will be elated. Here are the facts: limited production, flamboyant appearance, 0-60 in the low 3s, 11-second quarters, and 206 mph top speed, all thanks to a massively huge (if not exactly sophisticated) 8.4-liter V10 engine producing 640 horsepower and 600 ft-lbs of torque. Granted, Viper is the least expensive car on this list, starting at $84,000, but from a performance standpoint it can also hold its own with pretty much everything else here. Yeah, Dodge Viper is old school—and we just happen to like that.

Ferrari LaFerrari - $1,350,000

There’s nothing old school about the top Ferrari model though. With production limited to 499 examples, LaFerrari combines the most powerful naturally aspirated engine Ferrari has ever put in a road car (788-horsepower, 6.2-liter V12), with an electric motor (producing 147 horsepower) for a total system output of 949 horsepower. The most extreme roadgoing Ferrari offered to date. LaFerrari foreshadows the future of the legendary automaker. Representing the first of many more groundbreaking solutions to come, all intended to keep the prancing horse out in front even as the automotive paradigm shifts, LaFerrari is the ultimate Ferrari—so far.

Koenigsegg Agera R – $1,500,000

Straight outta Sweden comes one of the most formidable exotic cars the world has ever known. At the New York Auto Show in March of 2014, Koenigsegg showed its 1140-horsepower Agera R. With a 0 to 60 of just over 2 seconds, the Koenigsegg is said to be capable of a top speed of 273 miles per hour, making it the fastest road car in the world. (Makes you wonder how they got around the Bugatti’s tire issues.) The Agera R’s twin-turbocharged engine displaces 5.0-liters and produces 885 ft-lbs of torque. The 2900-pound Koenigsegg also features a removable hardtop.

Lamborghini Veneno - $4,000,000

An extremely limited production car, in a group of already limited production cars, Lamborghini’s outrageous Veneno (of which only four will be built for 2015), is a 750-horsepower, 6.5-liter V12-powered, carbon fiber masterpiece. Easily representing the ragged edge of exotic car development—and by ragged edge, we don’t mean it’s crappy by any means—in this compilation of exotic cars, Veneno is simply the most exotic car here. Lamborghini hand selects the customers; the chosen get a letter from the company with a sales contract and a request for a $4,000,000 payment; by check or wire transfer, PayPal, whatever…

McLaren 650S - $265,000

McLaren made its bones racing, and indeed its Formula 1 team is one of the most formidable in the sport. McLaren actually offers three exotic sports cars; the 903-horsepower P1 Hybrid, the world’s first hybrid mid-engine sports car, all 375 of which are already sold; the 616-horsepower, 3.8-liter twin turbocharged 12C with 443 ft-lbs of torque, and the 641-horsepower 650S with 500 ft-lbs of torque, also generated from the company’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8. Thinly-disguised racing cars for the street, McLaren automobiles are very rarely seen due to their low production numbers and high pricing, which starts north of $200,000.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition - $221,580

It’s been a really good run, but it’s time to say auf wiedersehen to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The spiritual successor to the legendary 300SL sports cars is going out with a considerable flourish. For its final year of production (as if the name didn’t tip you off) the 2015 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition is quite possibly the most exciting Mercedes-Benz exotic car of the modern age. Garnering 583 horsepower and 479 ft-lbs of torque from a naturally aspirated, hand-built 6.3-liter V8, the SLS AMG GT Final Edition vividly demonstrates the capabilities of the people at Mercedes-Benz.

Porsche 918 Spyder - $845,000

While it isn’t the first mid-engine hybrid exotic, the Porsche 918 Spyder is the first V8-powered mid-engine Porsche hybrid exotic. The 918 Spyder’s 608-horsepower V8 displaces 4.6-liters and operates in conjunction with a pair of electric motors to generate a total system output of 887 horsepower and 944 ft-lbs of torque. The gasoline engine feeds the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, while one of the electric motors energizes the rear wheels and the other feeds the front—making the 918 Spyder also the first all-wheel drive mid-engine Porsche sports car. Yes, Porsche can do exotic.