Top 10: 2008 Dream Cars

Number 10 BMW 1-Series Coupe

The new BMW 1-series coupe is the No. 10 entry on this countdown. It's ranking is not based solely on performance (oh yeah, it has that too), but also on the merit of merging world-class German engineering with affordability. Implemented to stuff the price margin between the MINI Cooper and the 3-Series, both the 128i and 135i receive a cache of M-derived components with aero kits and sport bucket seats. Both variants are outfitted with a featherweight aluminum front suspension and five-link rear axle, frame-less doors to shave curb weight, L-shaped tail lamps with LED accents and corona daytime running lights. The 128i will feature a valvetronic, 3.0-liter engine complete with 230 horses and 200 lb-ft of torque, as its 135i sibling packs a bigger punch with the same block adorned with a twin-turbo, good for an even 300 horsepower and an equivalent amount of torque -- all for an estimated $30,000 price tag.

Number 9 Mercedes GL550

The luxury sport utility class has always been one that's difficult to navigate with the abundance of choice options, but we think Mercedes has an ace up its sleeve with the GL550 in 2008. Its predecessor, the multi-award winning GL450, was an exceptional light truck and served as the platform for the newer model. The German manufacturer has made aesthetic improvements over lesser-powered offerings -- primarily because there is no AMG trim to date -- that include a deeper grille, flared fenders, blue tinted windows, height-adjustable air suspension, and an enlarged three-pointed star badge borrowed from the Vision GL420 concept car seen at the Detroit Auto Show. The under-hood kinetics are also generously upgraded, tacking on 47 extra ponies that take the GL550 from a 335 horsepower, 4.7-liter V8 to the 382 horsepower, 5.5-liter V8. All of this and three-row seating for $65,000 -- it's no wonder this is a 2008 dream car.

Number 8 Lamborghini Reventon

We almost feel it's unnecessary to have to elaborate on this amazing feat in automotive engineering. If you haven't seen or heard about the Reventon, it's time to crawl out from under your rock and embrace the latest and greatest in vehicular epiphanies. Shaped like an fighter jet, the Lambo Reventon cuts through the asphalt like a laser with a 0-60 mph time of a jaw-dropping 3.4 seconds. Which is not surprising, seeing as a brutish 6.5-liter, V12 engine pushes out 641 horsepower to make the Reventon both beautiful and deadly. With a price tag upward of $1 million, it's no wonder this raging bull made it on our list of 2008 dream cars, but even if it wasn't reserved for the very rich and famous, we'd still be dreaming about it...

Number 7 Lotus Exige S 240

The allure of the short-sport scene has always been the ideal power-to-weight ratio, and no one understands this better than the small UK manufacturer, Lotus. They have built on this formula by unveiling the bantam 8.8 pound-per-horsepower Exige S 240. Fundamentally, it's a two-seat coupe alternative to the Elise roadster with a little more kick and an enlarged scoop that was repositioned from the mid-roof all the way up to the top of the windshield. The Toyota-supplied, 1.8-liter, 16-valve, DOHC, supercharged, 4-cylinder mill that introduced the previous generation remains a welcomed constant. However, for ’08 standards, there’s a beefed up clutch and a bonus 20 ponies, raising the total to 240 horsepower. What’s so special about 240 marginally average horsepower? Nothing, save for when it’s the force behind an airy 2,000-pound machine. The newest pocket-rocket Exige will still maneuver just inches above the ground and with a variable-traction and a variable-launch control function, it can hit the 60 mph mark in 4.0 seconds flat and do 100 mph in a tick shy of 10 seconds.

Number 6 Jaguar XF

Jaguar and its parent company Ford, have nixed the mid-size luxury sports sedan S Type from its roster in favor of the 2008 Jaguar XF. Mounted atop a widened chassis of its predecessor and virtually a carbon copy of the C-XF concept saloon car, it varies most tangibly around the front head lamps and nose, with an oval, mesh grille circa the 1968 XJ. Although flashback influenced production has long been key in the designer’s blueprints, the inner workings have progressively advanced. The engine designations are a derivative of the S Type, but the suspension package and bearings, as well as the 4.2-liter, supercharged V8, are adopted from the 420 horsepower XK. A push-start feature, tuned exhaust system and a sophisticated, paddle-shifted, six-speed automatic transmission that switches cogs 10% faster than the outgoing model also seem to fit the bill. Orders will be taken as of March 2008, with a base price of $49,975.

Number 5 Lexus IS-F

In previous years, Toyota’s upper-crust affiliate Lexus has been scrutinized for its lack of performance branding. In the fore coming year, the luxury line attempts to break this stigma with the IS-F. Lexus disclosed at the 2007 North American Auto show that the “F” designation was the codename for its very first sketch some 20 years ago. But we assure you this four-door should be a staple for future generations. Crafted on a highly modified skeleton of the IS 250 and 350 sedans, it utilizes an aluminum-block, 32-valve, DOHC, 5.0-liter V8, with an intelligent variable-valve timing configuration and direct-to-cylinder injection with secondary port injectors, amassing 416 horsepower and more than 370 lb-ft of torque. Above all else, the greatest ingenuity was applied to the world’s first paddle-shifted eight-speed automatic transmission. Finessed correctly via the well-proportioned gear ratios and the pilot should reach 0-60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. The IS-F doesn’t skimp on aesthetics either, being treated with a bulging hood, sleek front fenders and vents, rear deck spoiler and quad-tail afterburners.

Number 4 Aston Martin DBS

If secret agent James Bond drove the wheels off it, it’s a safe bet that it must be a dream car. The modern Aston Martin DBS, not to be confused with the former DBS of the same moniker produced on the Grand Tourer coupe from 1967-'72, is the highest trim offered from the British factory and replaces the equally dreamy Vanquish S as the flagship on the roster. It is solely presented in a two-seat coupe format as opposed to the 2+2 setup in its DB9 origin. The DBS was welded with a bonded chassis comprised of aluminum, lightweight magnesium alloy and carbon-fiber composite. This marks the first commercially produced vehicle to incorporate such a considerable use of carbon fiber body panels for the marque. Escaping arch villains became easy for 007 with a hand-altered 6.0-liter, V12 motor transplanted from the DBR9 race car, tuned to dispel 510 horsepower at his disposal. The DBS, with its six-speed manual transmission and $265,000 sticker, hits showroom floors presumably this coming spring.

Number 3 Bentley Brooklands

When a manufacturer sends word that they are to resurrect a previous triumph, it's usually with good reason. The 2008 Bentley Brooklands is an example of one such second coming. Inaugurated initially in 1992, the Brooklands enjoyed success in the full-size luxury saloon bracket as the marque’s top-seller when the Bentley Eight and Mulsanne were retired, but was put out of commission in ’98 for the Arnage. 2008 will see the nameplate’s return in the form of a two-door, four-seat coupe. As tradition has it, the three-door GT will be manually assembled and adhere to a strict lifetime production cap of 550 units. The handsome heavyweight’s output is managed by a six-speed auto-stick as the powerplant is a dual turbocharged, 6.75-liter, 8-cylinder, which tallies 530 horsepower and 774 lb-ft of torque -- making it the most powerful engine ever composed by Volkswagen’s British arm, Bentley.

Number 2 Audi R8

Audi has a knack for leaking just enough spy photos and engine specifications to keep the consumer clamoring about their freshest inductee -- even years before it’s slated for release. We first caught a glimpse of the Audi R8 back in 2006, since then its exceptional performance and visual prowess has generated quite the worldwide buzz. Many have speculated it to be just another luxury sports car, but the German-based camp insists otherwise of the Quattro AWD, mid-engine supercar based on the Le Mans Quattro concept ride. The naturally aspirated, 420 horsepower, 4.2-liter, FSI V8 has already bested the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, Aston Martin Vantage and the BMW M6, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds, a quarter mile run of 12.5 seconds at 113.2 mph, and a max speed of 187 mph. There are similarities between the R8, the Ferrari F430 and externally the Lamborghini Gallardo -- and these aren’t a bad pair to be compared to if you ask us.

Number 1 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead

There is something to be said for the credit of any marquee that has been in production long enough to celebrate their centennial in 2004. BMW fostered Rolls-Royce and threw their party at the Geneva Motor Show, unveiling the 100 EX concept car. This fluid sketch in 2004, heavily influenced the all-new 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The cloth top is a new addition for the world’s longest convertible, as the two suicide doors are a traditional remainder of the world’s best-selling and most-prestigious luxury saloon. Although every panel has been reworked, the hand-molded aluminum space frame cage is in accord with the base Phantom. It varies in that it has broader sills, a 10-inch shorter wheelbase and a slightly better tuned direct-injection, 6.7-liter, V12, provoking 453 horsepower, mated to a six-speed ZF gearbox. This limited production is the king of the countdown at a stout $412,000.


Resources:
www.bmwusa.com
www.mbusa.com
www.lamborghini.com
www.lotuscars.com
www.jaguar.com
www.lexus.com
www.astonmartin.com
www.bentleymotors.com
www.audiusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

By Kristian Alexis - http://www.askmen.com

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