How to Buy an Awesome Car Right Now

It’s Okay to Buy Boutique

Ever since Pagani came along and proved boutique automakers can build supercars to compete with the likes of Ferrari, niche companies have been held to a higher standard: no more backyard build-quality and massively inflated performance figures.



The recent products from these companies only back up our claim. We guarantee your neighbours won’t have one of these:



RUF RtR – Germany



RUF has a long history of making the cars Porsche won’t. Care for a turbocharged Targa? They’ll do that. Or how about a 911 with a rear-mounted V8? Yes, that too. Their latest flagship is the twin-turbo RtR. Its Mezger engine puts out 800 horsepower though just the rear wheels, and it’s only available with a six-speed manual. But most of all we like how the styling harks back to the race-bred Porsche RSRs of old.

Boutique Italy

Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera Berlinetta Lusso – Italy



This is probably the most beautiful GT car in the world. Underneath its hand-formed aluminium bodywork, the Berlinetta Lusso is a Ferrari F12. Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is a tailor for cars: since 1928 the firm has been creating custom bodywork for any vehicle you send to their workshop.

Boutique Sweden

Koenigsegg Regera – Sweden



They’re calling the Regera a “megacar” but we suspect that’s just a bad translation. Or, perhaps it’s the only appropriate title for a 1,500 horsepower hybrid. Koenigsegg has been around since the ‘90s, always pushing the limits of power and sanity. We hear they’re working on setting up a dealership in Canada.

BoutiqueUSA

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG003S – USA



Jim Glickenhaus wasn’t satisfied with his custom Ferrari Enzo-based P4/5 supercar. So now he’s building cars from scratch, starting with this one. The body of the SCG003 is entirely carbon, the suspension is race-spec, and the engine is a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6. He’ll sell you one for around $3 million.

Go Electric

The all-new, second generation of Audi’s R8 sports car is sure to be brilliant. It looks beautiful and features a 610 horsepower V-10 engine ripped from a Lamborghini. But you shouldn’t get one.



You should get the other all-new R8. It’s utterly silent. It accelerates without interruption from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. It never needs to stop for gas. It’s called the R8 e-tron and it’s the future.



If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines of the electric car revolution, we don’t blame you. So have we. But it’s time to embrace the new. Electric vehicles are now ready for the mass market and0 Audi will be the first mainstream automaker to put an all-electric sports car in their regular lineup.



Development of the Audi’s lithium-ion battery has reached a critical energy density, meaning you get performance on par with the V-8 powered R8 and a range of 450 kilometres on a single charge. That’s close enough to what you’d get out of a tank of gas. To recharge the battery, Audi says will take less than two hours.



The interior lives up to Audi’s famously high standards. A large, central “virtual cockpit” in front of the driver makes you feel like you’re piloting something from a future Blade Runner remake.



Most of all though, we can’t wait to see the look on other drivers’ faces when an e-tron silently smokes their old gasoline-powered behemoth off the line.

ElectricDelorean

Flux Capacitor DeLorean

ElectricMercedes

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive

Other Electric Sports Cars

Tesla Roadster

LandRover

Own an Icon: Land Rover Defender

Legend has it that the original design for what would become the Land Rover Defender was scribbled in sand, on the beach at Red Wharf Bay in Wales.



That was 68 years ago. Since then much has changed. But not the Defender. Sure, you can get it with air conditioning now, but it’s still the rugged, cramped, utilitarian, shed-on-wheels it always was.



Its utter simplicity became the canvas onto which so many adventurers projected their dreams. Defenders have made it to every corner of the earth. In the process, it has become one of the few true automotive icons.



This year, Land Rover is ending production of the Defender to make way for an all-new model arriving in a couple years. So there’s no better time to find an original Defender of your own. In Canada you’ll have to buy used (’97 was the last year they were sold here) or look at importing from Europe. When you do find one, we suggest you drive it somewhere you wouldn’t otherwise go — maybe to a beach far away.

Supercars Solved

The problem with supercars is that the fantasy is better than the reality.



We’re not even talking about insurance costs, or regular maintenance bills that would make a home reno seem cheap. No, the real problem is roads. If you live in a city (and chances are you do) it’s what, an hour’s drive over potholes to get to a half-empty country road. And then what? Whistle past tractors at 200 km/h? Not a good idea.



Purveyors of fine supercars are finally beginning to acknowledge reality. Their solution? Bypassing the problem of roads altogether. This new breed of supercar isn’t road legal. They’re not bound by the things that make road-going cars boring: trunk space, navigation, infotainment sub-menus. And especially not emissions regulations.



You buy the car. You own it. You can keep it in your garage or, if you prefer, some companies will look after it for you.



You want to drive your toy? Take your pick of the greatest racing circuits in the world. The company will send the car with a crew, spare tires and driving instructors to help you get the most out of it. It is the ultimate way for speed-demons with extra money to burn to get their adrenaline fix.



Ferrari started the trend, selling off old Formula 1 cars to their best clients and holding track days for them at venues around the world.



Most recently, Aston Martin and McLaren unveiled track-only toys of their own.



Take your pick:



Aston Martin Vulcan



Price: $2.8 million



Credentials: Built in Canada by the carbon-fibre specialists who built Aston’s One-77 Supercar.



The car: All about the engine. A 7.0-litre V-12, naturally aspirated, making 800 horsepower.



Extras: High-speed driving lessons from Aston’s factory race drivers.

Supercar McLaren

McLaren P1 GTR



Price: $3.8 million



Credentials: The company runs arguably the most successful Formula 1 racing team.



The car: 1,000 horsepower hybrid. Fighter-pilot levels of fitness required to drive.



Extras: Six track days at six F1 circuits around the world.