We'd point out these vehicles have to have been insured and driven for a year, so it's not as if these were merely broken shells of these exotic makes. Someone had to destroy a roller for, at most, $4,500 off a new car. Click next to see what cars were destroyed, how much they originally sold for, and how rare they were.

[NHTSA via Detroit Free Press

Vehicle: BMW 850i
Year: 1992
Original MSRP: approximately $100,000
Rareness: Only 30,000 built

Vehicle:Aston Martin DB7 Volante
Year: 1997
Original MSRP $137,000
Rareness: Only 7,000 built; therefore, there are only 6,999 left at most

Vehicle: Roush Stage 3 F-150
Year: 2006
Original MSRP: Approximately $46,000 after upgrade
Rareness: Unknown

Vehicle: GMC Typhoon
Year: 1992
Original MSRP: $29,320
Rareness: Only 4,697 produced

Photo Credit: Obnoxious Motorsports

Vehicle: LaForza SUV
Year: 1990
Original MSRP: $60,000
Rareness: Unknown, but assumed rare since the Ford-powered $60,000 Italian SUV wasn't amazingly popular.

Vehicle: Mercedes C43 AMG
Year: 1999
Original MSRP: $53,000
Rareness: Only 4,200 units built

Vehicle: Bentley Continental R
Year: 1997
Original MSRP: $307,000
Rareness: Only 1,290 built

Vehicle: Excalibur Autos Phaeton
Year: 1987
Original MSRP: Unknown
Rareness: Unknown, but fairly rare

Vehicle: Buick GNX
Year: 1987
Original MSRP: $29,900
Rareness: Only 547 produced

Vehicle: Maserati Quattrporte
Year: 1985
Original MSRP: $80,000
Rareness: If it's a 1985 U.S. model then it is likely the Royale, of which only 55 were built to order for Americans

It's interesting to see this Maserati for sale since, less than one week ago, the same vehicle was towed away from pal Sam Ronson's house. This was apparently because of a parking violation. Perhaps LiLo's getting rid of the car because she no longer feels able to park it? Either way, her loss is your potential bizarre celebrity memorabilia. Here's the details:

We at Classics on Sunset are delighted to bring to market this car driven by actress Lindsay Lohan. This 2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT, has been in the press and photographed by the paparazzi on several occasions, while associated with Lindsay Lohan. This white Sport GT comes from Modena, Italy fully loaded with Brembo brakes, power seats, CD player, rear sunshades, parking sensors, suede headliner, white stitching, GT wheels and tires, sport exhaust, navigation and moon roof. This celebrity car has been in US Weekly and in every gossip celebrity site possible. Call us with your best offer. Drive and enjoy your investment.

Photo Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

[eBay Motors via Celebrity Cars Blog]

There is no way to get used to the size of Ferrari’s 612 Scaglietti. While most Ferraris—indeed, most supercars—tend to be larger in life than imagined, the Scag is a monster. Longer than a Mercedes-Benz E-Class and wider than an S-Class, it is the size and shape of a ballistic missile, especially in dark gray.

The size is a direct consequence of the car’s dual functions of high-speed handling and four-person capacity. Inside are four bucket seats intended to carry in comfort four actual people with eight lower extremities. This is unlike most 2+2’s where the comfortable ratio of humans and legs tends to be an unevenly distributed one to one. And while—unlike the Espada’s very comfortable rear seats—I have never had the opportunity to actually sit in a 612, those who have describe the rear seats as up to the task.

The other factor in the 612’s immense length is the engine, which is mid-mounted. But unlike with the traditional mid-engined layout—where the engine is between the cabin and the rear axle—the Scag’s 5.7-liter V12 sits low behind the front axle, similar to the supercharged V8 in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. And like the SLR, the 612 has a nose—or substitute your favorite metaphor based on human anatomy—any self-respecting Frenchman would be proud of.

Mounting an engine midships is done to reduce weight in a car’s extremities, lowering its moment of inertia. This comes in handy when you take a corner fast, so I called Nino Karotta, the only person I know who has actually driven a 612 Scaglietti (if you’ll remember, Nino was the guy who showed us how to become a Formula One driver in one day).

The 612 he drove was in an environment rather alien to a leviathan GT—the Hungaroring, a racetrack in a dusty valley on the outskirts of Budapest, home to the Hungarian Grand Prix. He described the experience as similar to what happens when you take any very powerful but heavy car to a track. That while it’s very fast, capable of huge powerslides and much better composed than, say, a large V12 Benz, it is ultimately too soft and too heavy for proper track work. Unlike, he said, the Ferrari 599 GTB, which he drove on the same day and described as a sharp, violent track animal.

We had better find a more suitable environment for the 612 then. And remember: we’re looking for family use here. So let’s head to Regent’s Park, 487 acres of Central London flanked by white stucco houses where rich people live and exercise.

While Central London is perhaps not the perfect location to strecth a 550 HP grand tourer’s legs, nothing beats it when it comes to arriving home. The car is understated, elegant, majestic, no Italian waving of hands apparent in its flowing lines, inspired by a one-off Ferrari 375 MM its namesake Sergio Scaglietti created in 1954 for Italian neorealist film director Roberto Rossellini’s wife Ingrid Bergman.

An elderly couple then arrive in a Citroën C3—this is a very small French car—and maneuver into the space in front of the Ferrari.

They turn out to be the parents of the Ferrari’s owner, a dapper man who has by this time emerged from his house. My mate Máté and I are soon in the midst of a family cavalcade, admiring the lovely Ferrari.

Also in tow is a young girl, Orelia by name, who climbs down from her grandmother’s neck. This is it then: a real, live kid who actually rides in the back of a Ferrari! Our conversation as I remember it:

“Hi Orelia, my name is Peter.”

“Hi Peter.”

“So how is it riding in a Ferrari’s back seats?”

“It’s great. I sit there with my two sisters.”

Roominess? Check!

“And when you go for a ride, do you go real fast?”

Substituting for words, she offers a huge, jubilant nod. We wave our goodbyes. A few steps later, her father reaches down to pick a white strand of thread out of the Pininfarina logo on the left fender.

Gentlemen, a Jalopnik midlife plan is emerging here. Make a quarter million bucks, get a Scaglietti and a fine woman, sire children, then transport them in style and at speed.

And if you have dogs (or elephant guns), go get that Maserati Quattroporte wagon.

Photo Credit: Balázs Fenyő (Ferrari 599 GTB), Máté Petrány and the author (612 Scaglietti)

This Maser packs enough punch to pick-up and joyride ten of your closest gold chain-wearing friends down to the Crazy Horse Two with all the class and romance that an Italian super sedan can muster. Florida-based, Padilla Car Collection built this Maserati Quattroporte stretch limo and it's claimed to be the only one in the world like it; We'll be thanking God every day, until that is, they build another one. [carscoop via padilla car collection]

Yes, I know this will make many of you here hate me, but I must say it — I have never been a fan of the station wagon. Yes, I do see the point — you can fit loads of kids, dogs or elephant guns in the back but then I’ve never thought of the car as a thing to transport kids, dogs or elephant guns. You need a sedan to be grownup cool or a coupé to be rock and roll cool, and that’s about it.

Except that station wagons are now called estates or avants or sportbacks and in recent years, I have come across a few which have rather struck my fancy. The Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon, for instance. The Dodge Magnum. In SRT8 trim, of course.

I know people who love estates like motor oil loves to get under fingernails. In fact, two of my friends are planning on converting a Volkswagen Phaeton into one. Google Translate will help you right along with their project briefing—in Hungarian—a quick auto-translated snippet of which reads:

And when they physically exist, the preparation will be tangible things considered, we are bound to a common central images of creative images, crept kombikészítéshez.

Imagine my shock now when, certainly not a man of creative images, crept kombikészítéshez, we arrived at the Villa d’Este last week and the first thing I saw after a BMW 750i dropped us off was a Maserati Quattroporte. A Quattroporte estate, that is.

Flabbergasted I stood, mostly as a result of the intense craving I felt at its lovely butch lines. Although I still consider the Lamborghini Espada the perfect family car, the youngest of them will be approaching thirty-five by the time I acquire one—and kids to carry in it. And thirty-five-year-old handbuilt Italian cars are not as much vehicles for transportation but more vehicles that make for very stylish and very static object by the side of the road as you stand puzzled over their V12’s spewing oil. I am, of course, not making this up:

So this is it then. The Maserati Quattroporte Bellagio Fastback Touring, to finally call it by its ornate full name, with a beckoning slope to its roof. Built by Carrozzeria Touring—the people who invented superleggera in the 30s—, it was first shown at last year’s edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza, an event to which it has now returned unannounced, parked by a gift shop that sells swooningly expensive silk scarves.

A car that has a Ferrari engine up front, acres of leather in the middle, and kids, dogs or elephant rifles in the back. All in a package that’s got the Quattroporte’s irresistable swagger—with a locomotive of a rear end.

Be alert not to carry kids, dogs and elephant guns at the same time though. That would be unwise.

If you are now itching to spend that money which was supposed to finance your kid’s higher education, may I refer you to a PDF at Carrozzeria Touring’s website, which reads in part as follows:

Those interested in buying a Bellagio Fastback Touring must address to Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera or to Rossocorsa, the Milan Maserati dealer. After the delivery of a Maserati Quattroporte saloon (any version) the work starts and is realized together with the client, who’ll be involved in any choice: a unique and fascinating experience, almost impossible to imagine, in the era of mass production also for extreme cars.

There you have it. And one more thing: just as we were about to leave the Villa d’Este, I stumbled into the Bellagio once again, tucked into a corner in an underground parking lot. I tried to take a nice picture of it but this thing in red kept creeping into the frame.

My sincerest apologies.

Photos by the author expect the picture of the broken down Lamborghini Espada, which is by Balázs Fenyő.

According to Gaywheels.com founder Joe LaMurgalia, Gay Men tend to look for stylish brands while Lesbians are more interested in fuel economy. This may explain why the efficient and stylish Rabbit tops the list. The one stand-out vehicle on the list is the Maserati Quattroporte, which is larger and more expensive than anything on the list by a wide margain.

VW Rabbit Protects Its Burrow, Volvo C30 Moves Up to Third Among Gaywheels Most Researched Vehicles

Top 10 Most-Researched Vehicles for 1st Quarter 2009

River Edge, NJ – Gays and lesbians continue to do their homework when it comes to buying cars and the Volkswagen Rabbit and Eos remain at the top of their list when searching on Gaywheels.com, the sole source of information specifically targeted to and about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) car-shoppers. Today, Gaywheels.com announced its list of the Top 10 Most-Researched Vehicles during the first quarter of 2009:

Gaywheels.com Top 10 Most-Researched Vehicles -1st Quarter 2009

"The latest Top 10 Most Researched list supports the results of our recent LGBT Auto Owner's survey," said Gaywheels.com founder Joe LaMuraglia. "Volkswagen and Audi are two brands that are over-represented by Gay Men in the study and those brands represent 40% of the Top 10 list."

Other brand positions further supported the recent survey results; the Saab 9-3 has consistently been on the most-researched list and that brand is the most over-indexed for both Gay Men and Lesbians.

"All the vehicles on the most-researched list are expressive, stylish vehicles and with the sole exception of the Maserati GranTurismo, all are fuel efficient and come from gay-friendly manufacturers," added LaMuraglia. "This is also in line with the purchase reasons from the study. The top purchase reason for Gay Men is styling and for Lesbians is fuel economy."

The Top 10 Most Researched list is based on website statistics gathered from January 1, 2009 – March 31, 2009 from Gaywheels.com's New Car section. Gaywheels.com publishes its Most-Researched list quarterly.

Let this be a warning to you Michael Phelps, do not pick up Miss California in an A3.

The Superstars Championship series is touring car racing at its best, with BMW 5-series of various generations taking on Audis, Chrysler 300Cs, Cadillacs and other strange marques. Molto bene! Thanks to Scroggzilla for the tip!

Swiss Team brings the Maserati Quattroporte to its debut in Superstars Series with Andrea Chiesa

A prestige new entry joins the list of Superstars Series 2009 championship contestants. It is the Swiss Team, ready to bring to its outright debut the Maserati Quattroporte, entrusting it to a very skilful driver, with a noteworthy past in F1 and in Sport and GT categories, whose name is Andrea Chiesa who, except for a few fleeting appearances, for the fist time in his career will be at the wheel of a Touring car.

A challenge entirely original for the team set up at the end of 2008 but with a twenty-year background in car competitions, which aims to line up also a second car already during this season (the other driver will be designed in a short time), fielding men of proven experience. Among them the chief mechanic, Giovanni Albertin, rally cars fitter since the first half of the seventies, thence involved with several key roles in Ferrari Challenge and in GT Series both in Italy and abroad.

That of the Trident is also a new brand in the championship for V8 Touring cars only and for this reason the Swiss Team commitment constitutes for sure, to all intents and purposes, a reason of special interest in the context of a varied and fierce competition.

"Ours is a triennial program, mainly supported by E-Light sponsor – explained Giovanni Albertin. The choice to take part in Superstars Series championship originates also from the fact that in this category the public is directly involved, because it is induced to identify its own every day car with those on track. The idea, after first races, is to line up a second car too. We favoured the Quattroporte pushed by Maserati blazon, also if we will have to work at once on weight distribution and reduction. Sadev is developing expressly for us a sequential gearbox and we expect to carry out first tests at the beginning of April."

Andrea Chiesa, born in 1964, competed in three F.1 Grand Prix with Fondmetal-Ford in 1992, but claims also a glorious past in F.3 (in which he distinguished himself in 1987 becoming Italian vice-champion) and in F. 3000 in which raced for three years winning the Mediterranean Grand Prix on Pergusa track in 1989. After leaving single-seater, more recently he was crowned N-GT Italian champion in 2004-2005 biennium and took also part in several editions of Le Mans 24 Hours. Superstars has grown year by year thus becoming, in my view, a valid alternative to GT – stated the experienced driver – both for a factor related to more affordable costs and for the appeal resulting from the presence of many models in addition to an attractive international openness and media coverage. For 2009 I can only say that, with the exception of the circuits, we will have to discover time by time almost everything. I haven't seen the car yet and both I and the team will be able to have an idea of the available car potential only when we will bring it on track. The objective is to reach a good level of competitiveness and reliability which for sure are not missing to the others, being present in the championship since long time. The occurrence of driving again a rear drive car encourages myself because I'm convinced that the kind of driving won't be so different from that of GTs I had in my hands in the last years, besides of course the dimensions, the weight and the aerodynamic load. Further on, speaking about the team, I already knew the people working on this project and their soundness. All this will allow me to face my coming commitment with more tranquillity.

The Maserati Quattroporte in a rear drive car with a front V8, 4.200 cc engine able to develop about 450 HP in its racing version. The weight, without the handicap due the use of a sequential gearbox (a Sadev placed in the car rear) is 1.430 kg. Tyres are Pirelli, according to regulations, while the bodywork, for an explicit choice, mirrors almost totally that of the road version with a few small aerodynamic changes. At Swiss Team home are already working at full tilt on first Maserati Quattroporte assembly. The rendezvous is in a little more than one month, when the team will carry out the first test sessions in view of Imola first round on April 19.

Maserati owners have always been among the classiest of car consumers, so its no surprise they received the Maserati Quattroporte For Centurion special series with applause when it was unveiled to them at a black card-sponsored event in London's snobby Belgravia neighborhood.

Based on either the 4.2 or 4.7-liter 2009 Maserati Quattroporte, the Centurion adds black paint, a white interior and seriously questionable embossed American Express logos on the headrests and a custom American Express credit card replica plaque on the dashboard.

Exclusively available in England, where they're apparently still of the "let them eat cake" mentality, the price ranges from $123,900 to $132,100 for the faster version. We bet American Express can't wait to collect interest payments on these.

The Press Release follows:

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE FOR CENTURION SPECIAL SERIES

Maserati GB and American Express Centurion are delighted to announce the arrival of the new Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion special series. Officially unveiled at Forbes House, in London's Belgravia in front of an exclusive audience of American Express black card holders, the Pininfarina designed luxury saloon was received with great enthusiasm.

The Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion special series is exclusively built to order: finished in stunning metallic Nero Carbonio (carbon black), it features a sumptuous Bianco Polare (polar white) Poltrona Frau® leather interior with embossed Centurion logo on the headrests, a bespoke numbered plaque, titanium coloured trim and 20" ball polished rims.

The Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion special series is based on the latest evolution of Maserati's iconic flagship saloon, combining distinctive Italian styling with prodigious performance and peerless driving dynamics. The styling is characterised by the radiator grille, a ‘modern' classic of Maserati design, accompanied by a range of enhanced technological features, with their most eye-catching expression in the LED rear-light clusters.

The Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion 4.2 is powered by an impressive 400 hp 4.2 litre V8 engine, powering the car to a top speed of 167 mph and allowing it to sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 5.6 seconds. The fully automatic ZF gearbox ensures a smooth and responsive ride in all conditions.

The Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion 4.7 represents the ultimate fusion of the luxury saloon with Maserati's renowned sporting prowess. With a 4.7 litre, 430 hp engine under the bonnet, the Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion 4.7 is propelled to an eye watering top speed of 174 mph with a blistering 0 to 62 mph time of just 5.4 seconds. The dual-cast brake discs, combined with the car's near perfect weight distribution ensure that the Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion 4.7 offers an unparalleled driving experience.

Prices will start from £88,315 for the Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion 4.2 and £94,185 for the Maserati Quattroporte for Centurion 4.7.

[source: Maserati]

Full Disclosure: Maserati wanted me to drive the new Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S so badly they flew me out and put me up in a nice hotel to make sure I wrote about it. Also, they fed me pasta. But not very much of it.

"Maserati! Maserati!" There's always going to be something about a bright red Italian supercar that excites nearly everyone's internal teenager. Unfortunately today, we only seem to be exciting Italian teenagers.

Some things about Italy will never change. The maze-like medieval towns will always be unnavigable, teenagers will always love cars and something on those cars, in this case the Sat/Nav, will never work as expected. But some things will change.

Maserati's of old, including previous incarnations of the Quattroporte have, as if honoring a point of national pride, been deeply flawed vehicles. Build quality has been a bugbear ever since Citroen bought it in 1968. In my lifetime they've never driven particularly well. The fifth generation of the Quattroporte addressed the former, but always delivered a confused mix of performance and luxury. Neither big enough to make a reasonable case against a far cheaper S-Class or 7-series, nor fast enough to compete with still cheaper cars like the XJR, S8 or S63 AMG. The Sport GT S changes that.

These improvements don't necessarily change the opinions of the residents of the towns on the route chosen by Maserati or their local law enforcement officials who, besieged by three previous waves of international journalists, are noticeably aggrieved by our presence (we hear the Chinese are mostly to blame). The most immediately obvious advantage the 2009 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S has over the regular S isn't the single-rate Bilstein dampers, the blacked-out grill and headlights or even the 20" wheels, but the volume of the exhaust through the new dual-oval exits. In Sport mode this is a seriously loud car, belying the luxury of its Alcantara-clad interior and the class of its updated exterior. If the color red could be embodied by a sound, this would be it. Angry looks match the angry noise.

That sound isn't the only reason I'm in Sport mode - pushing the button opens two valves in the exhaust, essentially creating straight through pipes - it also delivers improved throttle response, much quicker shifts from the auto box, increased propensity for kick down, rev-matched downshifts and permanent control of the gear position through the bigger wheel-mounted paddles. The Quattroporte drives and sounds so good in Sport that it's nearly unconscionable to try it otherwise.

Driving again and again through the narrow alleys and back streets of Ravenna, the bright red Maserati and I are starting to draw the wrong sort of attention. The unmuted growl of the 4.7-liter Ferrari-sourced V8 reverberates off the ancient walls. Children are grabbed by stern-faced mothers blocks away as I accelerate harder and harder. Cyclists pull over and dismount at the sound of my approach. Traffic stops. Everyone's pissed off, including me. The reason I'm driving like a dick is because the SatNav system is completely and hopelessly lost, unable to find a restaurant just 80 miles from the place where it was installed. That and I really have to pee. The only people that appear to benefit from all this are the gathering crowds of pubescent males, as indicated by their excited repetition of the brand in question and the puzzled looks on their faces as they realize the unholy racket is coming from a four-door luxury car.

The first thing you have to do with this Maserati is throw away any number comparisons. With 433 HP, 391 lb-ft, a 0-to-60 time of 5.1 seconds and a 178 MPH top speed, the $133,700 Sport GT S isn't notable next to the $126,000 S63 AMG's 518 HP, 465 lb-ft and 4.5 seconds. Nor is it much next to the regular $125,750 Quattroporte S, it only makes about 8 HP more at the very top of the 7,500 RPM rev range.

But this Maserati isn't about numbers, it's about experience. Look at the dyno chart below. It's peaky in ways that don't look promising on a 4,387 lb car purporting to offer luxury accommodation for five. But, equipped with the new faster throttle response, louder exhaust and improved gearbox you end up reveling in each one of those revs, not wanting for low-end torque or more power, but more road on which to use what's available.

Also changed is the suspension. Gone is Maserati's flawed Skyhook adaptive suspension- which never really handled nor rode well - replaced instead with stiffer, single-rate dampers and lowered ride height. It doesn't sound like much and you might think the ride would be even worse, but that's not borne out on the road.

With my right foot buried in the carpet at over 160 MPH over some of rural Italy's roughest, most uneven roads the Sport GT S is utterly composed, delivering Porsche-like confidence and Ferrari-like sound. Braking hard into the 90 degree left at the end of the straight, the newly feel-full steering tells me exactly how fast I can push the front through the corner, the rear snapping wide as soon as I get back on the power.

As you're probably guessing, it was driving like this that drew the attention of the Carabinieri. Well, not specifically my driving, but the cumulative misbehavior of several nation's car journalists combined with the particularly disrespectful brand of hoonage demonstrated by American hacks abroad. Exiting a 50 Km/h limit just outside a small village, I tear past a blue and white Alfa and its comically dressed counterparts. Luckily they're outside the car drinking a coffee from a roadside stand. Staying on the power over a hill and round a corner, I don't see them again. The next journalist along, a dapper Peruvian gentleman, wasn't so lucky.

Initially threatened with jail time, the overweight female officer soon softened on him. Why? He flirted with her shamelessly.

Italy's not the same as it used to be. The cops'll pull you over while driving a fast Italian car. But, if it's the Quattroporte Sport GT S, that car will be a lot better than cars from that country used to be. Gone is the grand illusion and poor reality of past vehicles, present is a reality that although high-priced, at least finally lives up to the promise of glamorous looks, a storied history and an exotic name.

Obviously, a sedan is a four-door automobile with a trunk in the back; we'd say it's fair to expect any good sedan should also drive confidently, be reasonably comfortable, and tastefully styled. So, along those lines, a very good sedan would be something like an Audi A6 — very good to drive, very comfortable, and very nice to look at. You might be thinking then, a super sedan is something like the fire-breathing Audi RS6, a machine that takes all the premium facets and simply adds more. That's part of it, but a true super sedan also needs exclusivity and that most intangible quality: character. With that in mind, here's our list of the top ten coolest super sedans ever.

10.) Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas (Series 1)
It may look like a Jag, but that's because it essentially is an upmarket version of the Series 1 Jaguar XJ. So why not just get the Jag? Remember, these were cars produced by British-Leyland in the '70s, so basically you were paying the Daimler premium not just for the badge, but for someone to actually pay attention when they were bolting the thing together. With that you got better wood, leather, and exclusivity as well. 885 Double Six models equipped with the monstrous Jaguar 5.3-liter V12 were made, with just 351 of those being the long-wheelbase top-of-the-line Vanden Plas models. Grace, pace, space, and then some. [source, image]

9.) Maserati Quattroporte IV Evoluzione
Since its first incarnation in the '60s, the Maserati Quattroporte has been the definitive super sedan. We think these fourth generation models were the coolest. Made during an era when Maserati was content purely as niche brand, it was arguably the most exotic Quattroporte, with styling by the same guy that penned the Lamborghini Countach. The last run of cars, known as the Evoluzione, benefited from a long list of minor improvements brought on by the brand's new owners: Ferrari. The twin-turbo 3.2-liter V8 was good for 336 HP. Perhaps not as beautiful as the first or most recent generations, the Quattroporte IV was crisp, clean, and handsome. [source]

8.) BMW 745i (E23)
The first thing to know about the E23 BMW 745i is which 745i is being talked about. The 745i that most of the world knows is powered by a turbocharged version of the commonplace M30 inline-six mated to a slushbox. Early models had 3.2-liter engines fed by 10 PSI of boost, later models with 3.4-liter mills but just 6 PSI from the turbo. That's all well and good, but down in booming '80s South Africa, the turbo setup simply wouldn't fit under the hood of right-hand-drive models. So, some touring car racers decided to just take a 7-Series and drop in the M88 inline-six from the BMW M1 supercar, good for 286 HP. Now referred to by some as the M745i, these cars were the closest the world has ever come to having a true BMW M7. The idea caught on, but of about 209 examples built, only a precious 17 or so came with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Tick the right boxes and you could even have power reclining rear seats covered in water buffalo hide. [source]

7.) DeTomaso Deauville
Italian style with American grunt was what defined DeTomaso, but not everyone knows the supercar builder also had a super sedan. Using the same 5.7-liter Ford V8 found in the Pantera, the Deauville is said to have had as much as 330 HP on tap. Sure it was equipped with a humble 3-speed slushbox, but don't think that meant it wasn't fast. For instance, Alejandro De Tomaso arrived in a Deauville at the car's press release at the DeTomaso factory stating that he had left Rome just two hours before, meaning he had averaged about 155 MPH...though that may have been a bit of hyperbole considering the standard car topped out at about 143 MPH. Either way, with just 244 examples built, the Deauville was seriously exclusive, and unmistakably cool. [source]

6.) Iso Rivolta Fidia
Say you wanted the Italian-American character of a DeTomaso, but with Chevy power and a bit more flair? Look no further than the Iso Rivolta Fidia. Designed by one Giorgetto Giugiaro while he was still working for Ghia, the Fidia perforates its sharp, slab-sided body with elegant vents along the C-pillar and behind the front fenders. It's the sort of sedan that would look perfect parked in a two-car garage next to a Ferrari Daytona. Equipped with a 350 HP 5.3-liter V8 sending power through a 4-speed manual gearbox, it might even be able to keep up with the prancing horse. But was it cool? Well, John Lennon thought enough of the Iso to buy one. [source, image]

5.) Bentley Turbo RT
Inevitably, any list of super sedans will include a Bentley, but why this one? While it's hard to distinguish one of Crewe's cruisers from another, the RT is set apart from the standard Bentley Turbo R by details like the sport wheels and radiator mesh grille. But if that isn't enough to make you take notice, the 400 HP erupting from the 6.75-liter turbocharged V8 should be. Still not impressed? How about 590 lb-ft of torque available at just 2000 RPM. Admittedly, there have been more powerful Bentleys since the Turbo RT, but this was the last super sedan sold before Volkswagen took ownership of Bentley in 1998. Just 50 were made. [source]

4.) Lagonda Rapide
No, not that Lagonda; not that Rapide either. This here is the original. Based on the Aston Martin DB4, the Lagonda Rapide pioneered the 4.0-liter inline-six engine that would later be used in the DB5, as well as a rear-axle design that didn't again see production until the DBS of the late '60s. The 236 HP may not seem like much today, but with a top speed of 130 MPH, it was plenty. From 1961 to '64 only 55 Rapides were made. [source, image]

3.) Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
We've already gone on at length as to why we love the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, back when we parked it in the Jalopnik Fantasy Garage. But how can't you be in awe of the mighty 6.9? It wasn't a simple muscle car with 286 HP and 405 lb-ft of torque from the big V8, it was a sophisticated showcase and perhaps the best all-around car of its time, with a Rolls-Royce price tag to match. [image]

2.) Monteverdi 375/4
A Swiss super sedan with Mopar power, the Monteverdi is pure coolness. The standard 7.2-liter V8 engine was no slouch, but the High Speed was what you really wanted. Indeed, this thing had a HEMI, 426 cubes worth, and the 7.0-liter V8 was good for essentially as much power as you wanted to tune it to make — production 375/4s were in the neighborhood of 450 HP. Combine that with a tube-frame chassis, a TV in the back seat and devastatingly sinister styling, and it's hard to imagine anything we'd rather own. [source, image]

1.) Ferrari 456 Venice
Of course, the top spot goes to none other than a creation commissioned for the Sultan of Brunei's massive collection. Pininfarina made many cars for the Sultan over the years, but the handful of Ferrari 456 sedans were perhaps the most elegant. Powered by the same 5.5-liter V12 as the standard coupes, they had 436 HP. If a super sedan is the perfect blend of sedan and supercar, the 456 Venice was the definitive example.

In 1987 all five cars built were sold to an Austrian collector, with the one here being the best of the five examples due mostly to it last being used in 1989. Since then it's been in dry storage. If you feel like paying the shipping charges, or you just happen to be in Austria yourself, they say he's looking to sell. (Hat Tip to Maxichamp!) [maserati-alfieri]

[WorldCarFans]

For Ray Wert, too much is never enough.
[via CarDomain]

Personally, I've never been a huge fan of the standard Quattroporte's styling. Yes, the car has a cool demeanor. My problem was I always saw the portholes as gaudy, the C-pillars as awkwardly chunky, and the entire front end as particularly unflattering in anything but dark colors. So for me, the Bellagio doesn't just have the inherent awesome-ness of being a wagon, it also addresses all my quibbles. The portholes have been replaced by a singe vent on each side, the C-pillars have been swept into graceful shapes, and the whole thing is covered in slick deep charcoal paint. Do want.
[Car Body Design, autoblog.nl]

The work was done by StudioM, which no doubt charged more for this conversation than most of us will make in five years. [AutoExpress, AutoBlog]