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Here Are the Most Expensive Cars You Can Buy in the U.S. in 2016

According to a recent poll, bankers aren’t happy with their pay. But a simple show of hands doesn’t properly encapsulate the benefits and the drawbacks of being rich. Us mortals who were not born with a silver spoon in our mouths can get a glimpse of that world from glossy magazines and Dan Bilzerian’s Instagram profile, but there’s more to being rich than being famous and chilling with ten ladies, sipping bubbly by a pool in Monaco.
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2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe2016 Ferrari F12tdf2016 Ferrari F12tdf2016 Ferrari F12tdf2016 Ferrari F12tdf2016 Ferrari F12tdf2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante2016 Ferrari F12berlinetta2016 Ferrari F12berlinetta2016 Ferrari F12berlinetta2016 Ferrari F12berlinetta2016 Ferrari F12berlinetta2016 Ferrari 488 Spider2016 Ferrari 488 Spider2016 Ferrari 488 Spider2016 Ferrari 488 Spider2016 Ferrari 488 Spider2016 Porsche Panamera Exclusive Series2016 Porsche Panamera Exclusive Series2016 Porsche Panamera Exclusive Series2016 Porsche Panamera Exclusive Series2016 Porsche Panamera Exclusive Series2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder
For car people like you and me, the well-to-do are those people who can buy the car they like this instant. But what if, for a minute, we were in their shoes? What would a rich as a Lannister wish to drive around in? If he were comfortably wealthy, a bumpkin like me wouldn’t be interested in the size of the trunk, the fuel economy or the number of airbags.

Fret not, though, because in real life, there are rich people that are proper petrolheads, not showoffs. Jay Kay of Jamiroquai comes to mind, as does Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Eric Clapton, Clint Eastwood, and the former Top Gear bunch.

Be that as it may, the question persists: which are the most expensive cars you can buy in the United States right now? I’m not referring to the used lot, but cars that are brand spanking new off the showroom floor.

The Bugatti Veyron is out of production, the Chiron hasn’t set foot on American soil just yet, so it doesn’t count. The 918, LaFerrari, P1 hypercar trio is sold out, as is the Pagani Huayra and the Huayra BC. What else is there to choose from? I am much obliged to talk you through some of the most high-priced production cars you can spend your hard cash on right now.

2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster - $530,075

2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750\-4 SV Roadster
Photo: Lamborghini
Surprised? I’m not. After all, Lamborghini is known to churn out special edition vehicles based on the flagship model, then sell them for millions of green dollar bills. The Aventador-based Centenario is an excellent case in point.

But since the Lamborghini Centenario has been sold out a whopping two months ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, you can’t get one. Instead, you can get the next best thing - the lustful Aventador SV Roadster.

Only 500 units will ever be made and God knows how many are left for sale. Happily, however, you can still buy one in the United States provided that you have more than half a million bucks lying around in your pockets.

2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe - $492,000

2016 Rolls\-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Photo: Rolls-Royce
An open-top Rolls-Royce isn’t about going places. It’s about expanding your horizons in a sumptuous land yacht with a free-spirited alter ego. The superlative Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is that. And then some.

The already mind-boggling retail price can balloon out of control if you start ticking boxes from the options list. After all, being bespoke is the very nature of the carmaker represented by the best hood ornament in the world.

Speaking of the Spirit of Ecstasy, the lady also adorns the Phantom Coupe ($449,525), Phantom ($417,825), Dawn ($335,000), Ghost EWB ($329,325), and the Wraith ($304,350). The only sub-$300,000 Rolls you can buy in the United States is the regular Ghost, which retails for $295,850.

2016 Ferrari F12tdf - $490,000

2016 Ferrari F12tdf
Photo: Ferrari
Until Ferrari finally decides to launch the long-awaited LaFerrari Spider, the F12tdf will have to suffice if you’re in the market for the most expensive Prancing Horse in production today. You’d better hurry if you want an F12tdf.

At the time it was launched, the Italian motoring media reported that the hardcore model was sold out. They were wrong. I don’t know the fine details, but I can tell you for certain that some people have canceled their deposits.

Thanks to a production run of 799 units, exclusivity is guaranteed to those who are prepared to experience the V12 fury under the hood. If you ask your Ferrari dealership nicely, you could get to experience it first-hand.

2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed - $335,600

2017 Bentley Mulsanne Speed
Photo: Bentley
For the 2017 model year, Bentley has freshened up its most luxurious model - the Mulsanne. For the most Mulsanne customer that likes to drive, the Mulsanne Speed is the way to go. It looks absolutely splendid, doesn’t it?

Considering that it costs more than an arm and a leg, it should be so. I won’t bore you with the level of attention to detail or the craftsmanship, nor with the fact that customers can choose from a palette of 24 hide colors.

The Mulsanne Speed matters because it has acres of rear legroom and because it has a silky smooth yet ferocious 6.75-liter V8 engine motivating the rear wheels with 811 lb-ft (1,100 Nm). How opulent can performance get?

2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Carbon Edition - $320,695

2016 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
Photo: Aston Martin
Just from pronouncing Aston Martin I get shivers down my spine. This automaker has always been cool, more so after the Q Branch pushed the brand onto the most famous British Secret Service agent there’s ever been.

Double O Seven would look fab in a Vanquish Volante Carbon Edition, albeit too much carbon fiber is a bit of a no-no for a man such as Bond. If it were my money, I wouldn’t pay the $15,045 premium for the Carbon Edition.

The regular Aston Martin Vanquish Volante fits the bill, especially in the China Grey color pictured above. Or Ocellus Teal. Or Yellow Tang. God! This always happens to me when I’m playing with the Aston Martin configurator.

2016 Ferrari F12berlinetta - $319,995

2016 Ferrari F12berlinetta
Photo: Ferrari
To those who have received a negative answer from the Ferrari dealer regarding the availability of the track-focused and tail-happy F12tdf, fret not. The Ferrari F12berlinetta grand tourer serves as the next best thing in line.

It is more restrained in styling, it is easier to drive, it is cheaper to insure, but who am I kidding? Rich people aren’t interested in these sort of things. In any case, the Ferrari F12berlinetta is one of Maranello’s finest masterpieces.

Its screaming 6.3-liter V12 is a testament to that, having won the much-coveted International Engine of the Year Awards in the Best Performance and Best Engine Above 4.0 Liters categories. Times have changed, though.

2016 Ferrari 488 Spider - $275,000

2016 Ferrari 488 Spider
Photo: Ferrari
Times have changed since the F12berlinetta came out and Ferrari changed too. Not now but soon enough, forced induction will kill off the magnificent sound of the naturally aspirated V12 that is traditional to Ferrari.

I won’t be too sad, albeit I’ll surely miss natural aspiration. The 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 of the 488 Spider is loud enough, it’s responsive enough, and it’s powerful enough to be a handful for most drivers who can afford this car.

Don’t forget that turbocharging isn’t something new for the Prancing Horse. The first road-going model to benefit from forced induction is the Ferrari 208 GTB Turbo from 1982. After that came the 288 GTO and the F40. The ultimate argument for turbocharging is that the 488 Spider sprints to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3 seconds flat, quicker than the F12berlinetta and F40.

2016 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Executive Exclusive Series - $263,900

2016 Porsche Panamera Exclusive Series
Photo: Porsche
An entry-level Panamera will set you back $78,100. A Panamera Turbo S Executive is more than double that at $200,500. But Porsche can do better than that. Cue the Porsche Panamera Turbo S Executive Exclusive Series, the most luxurious and the most exclusive member of the Panamera family.

The production run is limited to 100 units, all of them manufactured with great attention to detail by Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur. Put plainly, this is a car fit for a king, a car that embodies Porsche at its finest and most delightful.

It’s an insanely lavish sedan with a 5.9-inch (150 mm) longer wheelbase than that of the regular Panamera and a 570 horsepower V8 under the hood. What more do you want? A Poltona Frau leather-wrapped five-piece luggage set? If your account balance is generous enough, it comes with that as well.

2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible - $263,400

2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible
Photo: Bentley
The Speed designation next to Continental GT serves as a hint that this four-seater convertible is motivated by a 6-liter W12 with two turbochargers and 626 horsepower on tap. Oh, and a whopping 607 lb-ft (822 Nm) of oomph.

Don’t, however, expect the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible to be a crisp handler. Consider it a grand tourer in the finest sense of the word, one grand tourer that will happily oblige whenever you tickle the throttle pedal.

With 86 million miles of blue sky above your head, lots of buttery leather and wood veneer around you, and a Flying B right in front of you, could your day get any better than when you’re sitting behind the wheel? Mine wouldn’t.

2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder - $262,350

2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610\-4 Spyder
Photo: Lamborghini
Whereas the Aventador SV Roadster is the most expensive car that made the list, the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder is the second cheapest. The thing is, cheap can be a rather deceptive word in this particular context.

Two hundred and sixty big ones will make you the owner of this V10-powered brawler with the looks to kill or the owner of a nice house in Los Angeles. However, a brand-new house doesn’t soothe my fevered brow.

Compared to real estate, a Huracan Spyder offers more thrills and I can’t refuse such a bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful proposition. 201 miles per hour (324 km/h) with the top down isn’t too tempting, though, partly because I would go deaf after 5 miles and partly because my hair would look similar to what Johnny Depp sports in Edward Scissorhands.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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