Johannesburg - Wonder what you’d ever do with those lottery winnings? Any petrolhead will naturally lay down the money on a dream car, but would it be a luxury limo or a tar-rippling supercar? To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of the top ten most expensive cars you can buy in South Africa right now.
1. Lamborghini Aventador LP740-4 S coupe - R7 488 888
The honour of the most expensive car in our price list goes to this Italian supercar, which evokes the spirit of the Miura, Countach, Diablo and Murcielago with its outrageous styling and ballistic performance. Capable of 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds and topping out at 352km/h, the normally-aspirated V12 revs to 8500rpm and sounds like war being waged.
ENGINE: mid mounted 6.5-litre V12 - 544kW and 690Nm
2. Bentley Mulsanne EWB (extended wheelbase) - R7 384 000
The Mulsanne is the flagship of the Bentley range and represents everything the British brand knows about building some of the world’s most powerful, most luxurious cars. But just in case a standard R6.15-million Mulsanne isn’t good enough, this stretched version adds an additional 250mm of rear legroom, airline-style extending legrests and a rear compartment sunroof. The Mulsanne is also available in a R6.8-million Speed derivative with power bumped up to 395kW and 1100Nm.
ENGINE: front mounted 6.8-litre V8 turbo, 377kW and 1020Nm
3. Rolls-Royce Dawn - R7 000 000
With the luxury carmaker calling this the sexiest Rolls-Royce ever built, the four-seater super-luxury convertible is the topless cousin of the Wraith coupé. This boulevard cruiser has a soft top that electrically folds up or down in just over 20 seconds at driving speeds up to 50km/h, and with the top up the Dawn is the quietest convertible car on the road.
ENGINE: front mounted 6.6-litre V12 turbo, 420kW and 820Nm
4. Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB
- R6 800 000
The garden-variety version of the Ghost luxury saloon will do most millionaires nicely at a price of R5.5-million, but if you want legroom like the First Class section on a plane, you’ll have to shell out an extra R1.3-million for this lengthened derivative. With 170mm of extra interior space it gives you “room to think, room to entertain and relax, and room to succeed,” says Rolls-Royce.
ENGINE: front mounted 6.6-litre V12 turbo, 420kW and 780Nm
5. Rolls-Royce Wraith
- R6 400 000
This two-door coupé is the most powerful Rolls-Royce yet built. Opt for the newly-introduced Black Badge package with dark-accented trim, sportier air suspension and an extra 70Nm of torque, and the price of this sunptuous grand tourer gets bumped up to around R7-million.
ENGINE: front mounted 6.6-litre V12 turbo, 465kW and 800Nm
6. Ferrari GTC4 Lusso
- R6 218 000
This four-seat ‘family Ferrari’ succeeds the FF as a grand tourer with a shooting-brake body (you can call it a station-wagon if you really want to) and all-wheel drive for varying road conditions. The V12 ensures four passengers and their luggage are whisked along effortlessly.
ENGINE: front mid-mounted 6.3-litre V12 - 507kW and 697Nm
7. Ferrari 488 Spider
- R5 692 000
Replacing the normally-aspirated 458 Italia, the 488 uses a turbo engine devoid of any dreaded lag; the revs shoot up as quickly as Sebastian Vettel’s victory finger. And the drop-top spider version, apart from being a joy to behold, lets you hear it all better.
ENGINE: mid mounted 3.9-litre V8 turbo - 492kW and 760Nm
8. McLaren 720S - R5 500 000
The just-launched successor to the 650S gets a power boost courtesy of a turbocharged V8 engine increased in size by 200cc, allowing the British bomber to scorch to 100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and onto a 341km/h top speed. Launched at last month’s Geneva Motor Show, the 720S is built on a modified carbon chassis that’s lighter and stiffer than its predecessor.
ENGINE: mid mounted 4-litre V8 turbo - 530kW and 770Nm
9. Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 Spyder - R5 490 000
It’s hard to believe that something this knee-weakeningly beautiful can be Lamborghini’s entry-level sportscar. Successor to the Gallardo, the Huracan shares underpinnings with the Audi R8 but has its own distinctive flavour with fighter plane-style toggle switches including a flip-up cover for the start-stop button. The high-revving V10 is an aural treat.
ENGINE: mid mounted 5.2-litre V10 - 449kW and 560Nm
10. Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante - R5 150 000
The ‘S’ stands for the most powerful version of this carbon fibre bodied beauty, while Volante is the drop-top version. Apart from its posing potential in Monaco or Camps Bay, the real appeal of this car is that with its soft roof peeled off you can better hear the glorious roar of that normally-aspirated V12.
ENGINE: front mounted 5.9-litre V12 - 433kW and 630Nm
* Incidentally, all these prices pale into comparison against the R58.5-million pricetag for a machine that’s not available in South Africa: the Lamborghini Veneno, the world’s most expensive car.
The ultra-exclusive hypercar, of which only 14 were made, is a street-legal racer based on the Aventador and was built to help mark the manufacturer’s 50th anniversary. It has outrageous styling straight out of a sci-fi comic and a top speed of 355km/h.
ENGINE: mid mounted 6.5-litre V12 - 552kW and 690Nm.