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The cars money can't buy

The cars money can't buy - News image

01 February 2007

Ever wanted a Bugatti Veyron? A Lamborghini Murcielago? If you’ve got the cash, you can have one on your driveway. But there are some cars money can’t buy.

Adrian Hearn looks at ten of the world’s most exclusive cars from 763mph cheetahs to 8mph dogs. 

Thrust SSC
In October 1997, RAF Wing Commander Andy Green broke the world land speed record in the SuperSonic Car, hitting 763mph and making it the first car to break the sound barrier. The 16.3-metre jet-propelled rocket managed an icecap-melting 0.04mpg on its way to the record in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.

Renault Espace F1
Renault broke the mould with their F1-inspired Espace - they and French engineers Matra added Alain Prost’s 1993 championship-winning Renault RS5 F1 engine to the people carrier. The result - a 700bhp MPV capable of 0-200kph in 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 300kph.


 

 

JCB Dieselmax
Speed-freak Andy Green was at it again in 2006, clocking up 350mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, successfully beat the land speed record for a diesel-powered motor. The 5-litre engine chalks up 750bhp and a face-morphing 1105 lb/ft of pulling power.

 

 

Ford Transit Supervan 3
Fitted with a mid-mounted 650bhp Ford-Cosworth F1 engine, the Supervan 3, unveiled at the 1995 Birmingham Motor Show was capable of over 150mph. Listen to the sound as it takes a corner at Knockhill in this short video clip…


 

 

Outspan Orange Car
The Outspan car started out life as a Mini, before being extensively modified to look like an orange. East Sussex-based company Brian Waite Enterprise Ltd built six of the motors between 1972 and 1974 for the juice company. Don’t expect performance though – the Outspan is only capable of 30mph due to its suspect cornering.


Ferrari P4/5
Filthy-rich Ferrari fans can get their hands on an Enzo-based FXX for £1.3 million. But that wasn’t enough for super-rich car-nut James Glickenhaus. He took a £425,000 Enzo, sent it to Ferrari experts Pininfarina, who redesigned the motor giving it a new look and improved street-legal top speed of 225mph. A delighted Glickenhaus – who’d spent over £2 million on the redesign – said: “I feel they gave me more than I was expecting.”


Moon Buggy
NASA employed Boeing to design and manufacture the Lunar Rover in 1971. Four were made – at a total cost of $38 million. Developed in just 17 months, the 3.1-metre vehicle was powered by two 36-volt silver-zinc potassium hydroxide batteries, enabling a top speed of 8mph.

 


Ford F-250 Super Chief Concept

Massive pickup + classic American train = something an 11-year-old with a felt-tip pen would design. And we love it. Ford unveiled the Super Chief Concept at the Detroit Motor Show in January and wowed the crowd with the world’s first tri-flex engine. Able to run on hydrogen, ethanol or petrol means the V10-powered F-250 is clean, economical and can travel 500 miles between fill-ups.

 

Bigfoot
The Monster Truck which started it all. The first Bigfoot was built in 1975 by Bob Chandler, who adapted his Ford F-250 pickup truck into a monster. In 1978 Chandler fitted it with 48-inch tyres - but that was compared to its successor. Bigfoot Two had 66-inch tyres. There are now 20 of the formidable 4x4s, which have broken world records and appeared in commercials like this one.

And finally...

Canyonero F-Series



Top of the line in utility sports,
Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts!
Canyonero!

The Simpsons’ greatest car. Marge Simpson became Springfield’s most aggressive driver in her Hummer-like motor, losing her licence but ending up saving the day by rounding up an angry stampede of Rhinos.

 

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