Top 10 car brands and their most expensive cars

For most of us, a million dollars would represent a fully paid for home, a premium health insurance plan, and a comfortable retirement fund. However, there are people in the world for whom a million dollars wouldn't even buy a decent car! For these rich and the opulent car aficionados, an expensive car is not just a status symbol but a necessity of life, and for these hard to please clients, the world’s leading automakers create the most fascinating and the priciest pieces of machinery. Here’s our list of the most sought after car brands in the world and the most expensive cars they ever built:

Bugatti Veyron SS

1. 2011 Lamborghini sesto elemento

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

Car brand: Lamborghini (VW)

Price: $3.44 million

Unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the 2011 Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is the most expensive car known to man, and no it doesn’t come covered in gold or studded with diamonds and rubies. What the Lambo does offer is a chance to stick it to the Joneses next door once and for all and hog all the bragging rights at the country club! Powered by a 570hp naturally aspirated 5.2 liter V10 engine sourced from the Gallardo Superleggera, the Lambo goes from 0-100km/h in just 2.5 seconds with a top speed exceeding the 300km/h mark. Only 7 to 10 instances of the model will be produced and each of them will cost $3.44 million

2. Bugatti veyron ss

Bugatti Veyron SS

Car brand: Bugatti (VW)

Price: $2,426,904

Designed around an engine, the Veyron SS is as close to being a road legal Formula One race car as possible, with a maximum output of 1200 HP, this beast is powered by a 16 cylinder turbocharged engine that outputs a max torque of 1106 lb ft at 3000-5000. With a top speed of 268 mph, the Veyron SS can go from 0-62 mph in just 2.4 seconds though it can only sustain that top speed for 12 minutes since it does not come with a fuel tank big enough to juice that kind of performance for long.

3. Maybach exelero

Maybach Exelero

Car brand: Maybach

Price: $800,000

Styled more to the taste of nerds with millions of dollars to spare, the Maybach Exelero is one of the lesser known names in the industry. The impressive vehicle measures 232 inches in all which has rightly earned it the moniker of a land yacht. More an outlandish show car than your regular city commuter, this beats of a car comes powered by a twin turbocharged 5.9-liter V 12 that outputs 752 lb-ft of very low end torque and summons a max power of 691 hp. With a top speed of 218 mph, the Maybach Exelero is definitely not for the faint hearted.

4. Ferrari enzo

Ferrari Enzo

Car brand: Ferrari

Price: $670,000

One of the most coveted vehicles of all time, the Ferrari Enzo is easily one of the most famous models on the planet at the moment. The model that single handed established the Italian automakers as a premium auto brand, the Enzo is also a bargain retailing at almost $700,000. Built using the same tech Ferrari puts in their Formula One cars, the 12 cylinder mid engine berlinetta was created as tribute to the founder of the company.

5. Mercedes Benz SLR Mclaren roadster

Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Roadster

Car brand: Mercedes Benz

Price: 495,000

With a capacity of 5439 cc the Supercharged V8 engine on the Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Roadster delivers an output of 575 lb ft torque at 3250 rpm and displaces 617 bhp at 6500 rpm. The Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Roadster's top speed is about 206 mph and goes from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds thanks to a zippy 5 speed Automatic transmission. No wonder it costs half a million to own one of these.

6. Porsche carrera gt

Porsche Carrera GT

Car brand: Porsche

Price: $484,000

Introduced as a 2004 model, the low, sleek, lightweight Porsche Carrera GT comes with a 5.7-liter, 605-horsepower V10 engine. The vehicle reaches 100 mph (160 km/h) in less than seven seconds and travels at a top speed of up to 205 mph (330 km/h). Fitted with some of the most artistic and athletic equipment known to the automotive world, the Carrera GT features extensive lightweight materials and offers an ultra smooth handling experience to drivers.

7. Honda nsx

Honda NSX

Car brand: Honda

Price: $ 160,000

Produced between 1990 and 2005, the Honda NSX was also known as the Acura NSX, and was one of the best known models from the Japanese automaker. Powered by an all aluminum V6 gasoline (petrol) engine, the mid engined RWD revolutionized the two door coupé segment and made the sportscar coming out the region a force to be reckoned with.

8. BMW Z8

BMW Z8

Car brand: BMW

Price: $ 130,000

German automaker BMW produced the BMW Z8 roadster from 1999-2003 and the model was a production variant of the company’s Z07 concept car that received rave reviews at the 1997 Tokyo Auto Show. A 2-door 2-seat convertible, the model came with a 4.9 L V8 (S62) engine.

9. Hyundai equus

Hyundai Equus

Car brand: Hyundai

Price: $ 110,000

An upscale, full size luxury car, the Hyundai Equus was the worldwide flagship model for the company. Aiming to compete with the Lexus LS, Audi A8, Mercedes S Class, and BMW 7 Series, the Equus is by far the most expensive and the largest vehicle in the automaker’s repertoire.

10. Chevrolet corvette zr1

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Car brand: Chevrolet (GM)

Price: $ 106,000.

The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 "supercar” took the legend of the Chevy and reinvented it for a whole new generation of American drivers. The most powerful and most expensive Corvette model ever, the ZR1 delivers 100 horsepower per liter and outputs 595 pound feet of torque at 4000 rpm and produces 620 horsepower at 6500 rpm thanks to a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 which offers it a 3.4 second zero-to-60 time.