The Expensive Cars

People who don't have billions of dollars tend to think lavishly about what they would do with that kind of money. Car writers especially get this question: "Why doesn't Bill Gates just spend $1 billion to have his very own car made for him?"

Well, we usually answer such questions very politely--or scurry off to the other end of the cocktail party as rapidly as possible--but the truth is, we think billionaires get to be that way by not squandering their dough.

Which is not to say that the super-rich can't blow $1 million on a rare collectible car or have their choice of the world's fastest, most lavish production automobiles. Many of them do. All such vehicles are easily within their means--the same way a 3 Series BMW is easily within reach of perhaps a million Americans. But just as you wouldn't go spending new-vacation-home money on a car--lest you want to find yourself divorced faster than your new speedster can hit 100 mph--Bill Gates has better, smarter things to do with his billions than developing his very own car.



Driven by Ultima Director, Richard Marlow, the British built and designed Ultima GTR road car set a new world record time of a staggering 9.4 secs for the 0-100mph-0 sprint. The GTR scorched from 0-60mph in 2.6 secs, 0-100mph in 5.3 secs and braked to zero from 100mph in a mind blowing 3.6 secs, which are all in themselves road car world record times.

The Ultima GTR used for the successful record attempt was the factory's standard production specification Ultima GTR640 demonstrator, which has recently been upgraded with a 720bhp Chevrolet V8 engine, and hence now known as the Ultima GTR720. The GTR720 was fully road legal, road tyred and equipped with a standard 5 speed G50 transmission and a standard production engine option from Ultima's official OE engine suppliers American Speed. No traction control devices or ABS braking aids were used.

SEE ALSO: Complete 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show News

FRANKFURT, GERMANY- September 16, 2009: MARUSSIA sports car was engineered on the basis of a new special chassis, created by Russian engineers. It is a fast sports car with wonderful aerodynamic characteristics, which will be certified for city driving.

The main requirement for the production is the use of the high-tech materials and components. Ideologists of the project Nikolay Fomenko and Yefim Ostrovsky believe that innovations and reliability are the key factors of the production under MARUSSIA trademark. Among the main car characteristics one can see a unique design of the vehicle exterior, which can be chosen in person; high operating performance; comfortable city driving.

Uniqueness of the concept is that of several completely different in design and color vehicle bodies can fit sole chassis. Together with the outside appearance, the interior design may be changed also to match colour and shape of the body. Finally, in spite of all changes the character and driving facilities of the car will remain unchanged. So, off-the-shelf product becomes an exclusive car, which has no analogues in the world. The competition between young Russian designers took place to find out the best version of an outside appearance of the first sport car. Functionality and multimedia options of the car boggle the imagination even of the most exacting users. The up-to-date technologies such as audio, video, Bluetooth, 4G Yota Internet access and VoIP are provided for the driver and the passengers of MARUSSIA.