As reported on Wired.
BY DAMON LAVRINC
We’ve driven, ridden and flown some serious kit this year. But only a handful of rides left us weak in the knees and ready to lighten our wallets. This is our Lust List. What we’d mortgage our house, our kids and maybe a few extraneous body parts to park in that decommissioned hangar we’ve had our eye on. Some are obvious, others require that secret handshake for those in the know. But they’re all awesome in their own ways, so check your stock portfolio and have your Amazon Wish List bookmarklet at the ready.
Photo: McLaren
Mclaren MP4-12C Spider
There’s only one supercar topping our Lust List this year, and if we’re honest, it’s not the most inspiring to look at. But what the McLaren MP4-12C lacks in visual drama, it more than makes up for in tire-shredding speed, telepathic handling and — most surprisingly — an incredibly livable ride and interior. It’s proof that supercar ownership isn’t a series of compromises, and it’s also Ferrari’s worst nightmare.
With a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo’d V8 mounted amidships putting out nearly 600 horsepower, the dreadfully clinically named MP4-12C revs to 9,000 rpm and hits 60 mph in under three seconds. This is what seven years, hundreds of millions of development dollars and nearly a half-century of Formula One experience brings to the road. And now it’s available in convertible form, because what’s an extra $26,000 between speed freaks?
Photo: McLaren
Audi S8
In the world of ludicrously high-power limos, you’ve got a few options. The BMW 7 Series Alpina is a nice ride, but it’s just another V8-powered 7 with special badges you’ll have to explain to your neighbors. The Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG looks like your neighbor’s V6-powered sedan and feels more like a luxed-up muscle car with four doors. Then there’s the Audi S8.
It doesn’t matter what you line up to at the traffic light, because unless they’re driving some kind of insane exotic, all they’ll see is your taillights. It does 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. It passes the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds. And it does all that saddled with 4,600 pounds of leather- and alcantara-lined luxury that puts its haute couture siblings at Bentley to shame. Mullet mobiles will fear you and because of its staid exterior, and the fuzz won’t have a clue.
Photo: Audi
Lotus Evora S
Your friend drives a four-year-old 911. Your co-worker bought a used Aston Martin Vantage. You, on the other hand, have taste. And originality. For the same coin as second-hand versions of those clichéd cars, you can drive away in a Lotus Evora S — and the fun-to-dollar ratio is completely unmatched.
Unlike the equally engaging Elise, the Evora actually has carpeting and a modicum of comfort. It’s a livable daily driver, with a sporty leather interior and something resembling back seats. All this while delivering the patented blend of Lotus speed and handling that stays as close to founder Colin Chapman’s philosophy of “add lightness” as you can get in a modern car. And with a supercharged Toyota V6 mounted behind your head, the gremlins of Lotus’ past are all but quashed.
Photo: Lotus
Brammo Empulse R
For the majority of motorcycle owners, bikes are leisure vehicles. Fun for weekends and the occasional road trip, but rarely used as daily transportation. Which makes the Brammo Empulse R the perfect fit for tens of thousands of bikers.
It’s all electric, but that doesn’t mean it’s a two-wheeled golf cart. When we tested it, we hit 105 mph and managed over 100 miles before the battery ran dry. It delivers performance on par with some of the best mid-sized hooligan machines on offer, and does it for an early-adopter price of $19,000. Sure, you could get a BMW S1000RR (which the R’s designer rides), but why not drive the future for an extra $4k.
Photo: Tyler Maddox for Wired
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon
Just hear us out. Yes, a $92,000 wagon might seem about as logical and fiscally responsible as a Russian Amway franchise, but there’s no more potent blend of practicality and hoonability then the E63 Wagon.
Need to transport two kids and a pair of dogs to soccer practice at warp speed? Done. Need a backroad break from the family, but can’t convince your significant other that a Porsche is a reasonable expenditure? This is the 518-hp answer. And as we said before: rear-facing jump seats. You’ll never hear your flesh and blood ask “Are we there yet?” quicker.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Tesla Model S
Yeah, it’s a predictable choice for Wired, but we’re not alone. The Model S has racked up more awards in the past three months than any car in recent memory. And it’s not because it’s electric; it’s because it’s brilliant.
With a 200-mile-plus range, enough acceleration to embarrass the stalwarts of the sports sedan segment and an interior that’s equal parts high style and high function, the Model S is proof that electric cars don’t just have potential; they’ve finally arrived. And when done well, they can completely dominate. Throw in wireless software upgrades that improve everything from throttle response to infotainment functionality and it’s clear that Tesla is delivering what it promised: the future.
Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired
Dallair Aeronautica FR-100 Snap!
A single seat, fighter-type aircraft is at the top of every pilot’s list of dream airplanes. Whether it’s a vintage P-51 Mustang or a (relatively) modern F-16, just about any pilot dreams of commanding the skies from behind a big bubble canopy, rolling, looping and carving across the infinite blue canvas.
Unfortunately a P-51 is going to run you well north of $1 million, and F-16s have yet to show up in the classifieds (and would make the P-51 look like a bargain). Thankfully Dallair Aeronautica has developed the FR-100 Snap! to fulfill the Top Gun dreams for those whose pockets aren’t bottomless.
This single-seater airplane packs a 130-horsepower engine based on the popular Rotax 912, making it economical to operate. The low-wing tail dragger looks like a scaled-down version of the airplanes flown by most air-show performers, and with an airframe capable of +6Gs (and -3), it’s fully capable of all but the most blackout-inducing aerobatics. It’s far from cheap at $150,000, but considering the alternatives, at least a few pilot friends could pool their resources and be fulfilling childhood dreams by summer.
Photo: Dallair
Fiat 500 Abarth
The Fiat 500 is an entertaining ride, but it’s lacking a certain … oomph. Fiat’s in-house tuning division rectifies that with a tiny turbocharger huffing and puffing into a measly 1.4 liters of four-cylinder fury good for 160 hp. But it’s not power that makes the 500 Abarth one of the most fun microcars on the road.
With a wheelbase smaller than your forearm and a suspension that’s been tuned for the alpine roads of Italy, the Abarth is a Mini-killing wunderkind that delivers smiles for miles. Things will get even better when the cabrio model arrives this spring, and with a starting price of $22,000, it’s a crime not to at least take it for a test drive.
Photo: Fiat USA
Aston Martin Vanquish
Would you touch-up the Mona Lisa? Remix Bob Marley’s Legend? Put Mila Kunis under the knife? Then why in the hell would you mess with something as achingly beautiful as an Aston Martin?
That’s why the subtly reshaped lines and angles of the all-new Vanquish are hard to discern from its coupe predecessors. And that’s not a bad thing. It looks more aggressive and organic than the DBS it replaces, but it’s still packing a honking V12 up front putting out 565 hp, massive carbon ceramic brakes and and interior finally lives up to the badge on the boot and the $280,000 hole in your wallet.
Photo: Aston Martin
Porsche Boxster
Buy a Boxster. You only live once, and for this kind of cash, there are few cars on the planet this capable of reaffirming your passion for the open road.
The Boxster — in either standard or S guise — is a drop-top love letter to drivers. A mid-mounted engine provides unimpeachable balance, a slick-shifting six-speed manual ensures the car-to-driver connection remains intact and a pre-owned model will sate your lust for the Porsche crest for the same price as a new Toyota Camry. And the world has enough Camry drivers. Take the leap and you’ll be thanking us every day of 2013.
Photo: Porsche USA