Six-figure Stunners

Even in an uncertain economy, there will always be luxury cars and buyers for them. Though out of reach for most of us, these aspirational vehicles are more than just eye candy. Their innovative features often trickle down to mainstream models.

We looked at some of the spectacular vehicles currently on display at the L.A. Auto Show to find out what makes them so pricey — and so fascinating.

Aston Martin is quintessentially British and forever associated with James Bond. The company is displaying its breathtaking DB9 coupe ($187,615) at this year’s show. Timeless beauty, fastidious build quality and heart-racing performance of zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds have made DB9 owners out of celebrities like Ryan Seacrest and Adam Carolla.

Audi might seem out of place on this list, but the company’s new A8L W12 long-wheelbase sedan ($130,000 estimated) would be right at home in a head of state’s motorcade. At over 17 feet long, it could probably swallow an entire royal family. The 12-cylinder A8L gives even the Rolls-Royces of this world a run for their money with its Valcona leather interior, ambient lighting and heated/ventilated seats with remote-controlled air bladders to massage the lucky passengers.

When the folks at German manufacturer Alpina get their expert hands on a BMW, the transformation goes well beyond mere aesthetics. So while the BMW Alpina B7 Sedan ($122,875) has only restrained exterior enhancements to set it apart from a regular 7 Series, under the hood it’s a different story. The Alpina B7’s bestial V-8, taut steering and exceptional handling lend sports-car-like performance to this full-size sedan.

Range Rovers have become vehicles of choice for celebrities including Charlize Theron, Pete Wentz and Kate Walsh. So the very-limited-run Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography Black ($117,950) should soon be a regular backdrop in paparazzi pics. Marking the Range Rover’s 40th anniversary, the Autobiography comes in a unique Barolo Black finish set off by 20-inch diamond-turned alloy wheels and an array of aluminum, chrome and titanium flourishes.

North Carolina-based automaker Li-ion made headlines in September when its Wave II concept won a $2.5-million X-Prize. But it’s the company’s all-electric Inizio supercar ($139,000) that’s been hogging the limelight at the convention center. This head-turning two-seater has racetrack-ready looks and performance — a 170-mph top speed and a 3.4 second time from zero to 60. It also has earth-friendly lithium-ion power and a 250-mile range.

Hip-hop mogul Diddy gave his son a $360,000 Maybach for his 16th birthday. Madonna, Jay-Z and Samuel L. Jackson have all owned one. The storied German marque, revived by Mercedes-Benz in the early 2000s, has become synonymous with super-wealth and the $463,000 Maybach 62S won’t change that. For the price of a family home, buyers get options like personalized motifs on the chauffer partition screen, sterling silver wheels, a perfume atomizer and a cinema screen.

The latest in a long line of Mercedes-Benz supercars, the SLS AMG ($185,750) — the first-ever car designed and developed from the ground up by the company’s AMG high-performance division — is set apart by its roof-hinged “gullwing” doors. Though aesthetically echoing the company’s classic 300SL of the 1950s and ’60s, the SLS AMG is sublime and sinister, with a throaty 563-horsepower V-8, a spoiler that automatically deploys at high speeds and a cabin that’s rich in leather and aluminum or, for a few grand more, carbon fiber.

The 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster ($204,000), one of a plethora of 911 variants now available, chops the coupe’s windshield by two inches, does away with the miniscule rear seats and adds a distinctive double-bubble tonneau to house the folding top. In a nod to Porsche’s original production model — the 356 — only that number of 911 Speedsters is planned.

No list of luxury cars would be complete without a Rolls-Royce, the British brand beloved of royalty for over a century and, more recently, by rock stars and rappers (The Who’s Keith Moon famously drove one into a pond). The company’s flagship Phantom ($380,000 for a 2010 model) offers outrageous options including 44,000 color choices, a special power reserve dial and a retractable “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament. Each car takes 720 hours to build, including seven hours of hand polishing. Rolls-Royce production topped 300 cars a month for the first time this summer, mostly thanks to the booming Asian marketplace. 

— Paul Rogers, Custom Publishing Writer