HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > AUTOS
COMMENTS
 
Bad boys get all the attention. Just ask downhill daredevil Bode Miller.
The same is true for autos. All the randy rides below get terrible gas mileage, are costly to repair and scream wretched excess. But they often are the most coveted.
That’s mainly because of the cars’ high-test engines and sky-high price tags-—-from $100,000 to, gulp, over $1 million.
So for gay and lesbian drivers looking for instant cachet — or to blow a recent inheritance — there’s nothing better than a fantasy mobile.
Aston Martin Vantage
$110,000
Mileage: 12 city/18 highway
Top speed: 175 mph
Top feature: Posh yet Porsche-like
Half the price of most Ferraris and Lamborghinis, this new "economical" Aston Martin is supposed to compete with the popular Porsche 911. From the shark-like nose to the subtle spoiler, the sleek sheet metal is both classy and sexy.
Ditto on the inside, with a starter button and dial-face needles made of glass and a cockpit full of suede trim. No wonder Gabrielle drives an Aston Martin on "Desperate Housewives."
A pure two-seater, the Vantage hatchback is a throwback to vintage Aston Martins of the 1950s. But the throaty 380-hp V8 is all 2006. With a slick six-speed manual that shoots this coupe from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds, it’s enough to make James Bond forgo those BMWs and start driving AMs all over again.
Bentley Continental Flying Spur
$165,000
Mileage: 11 city/18 highway
Top speed: 195 mph
Top feature: Hip, techno styling
Need something bigger? This bling-mobile may weigh 2,000 pounds more than an Aston Martin Vantage, but it posts the same gas-mileage and 0-to-60 stats.
That’s because of a boffo 552-hp, twin-turbo W-12 engine — the same as in VW’s superb but ill-fated Phaeton luxo sedan. Based on Bentley’s popular GT coupe, the four-door Flying Spur has the same swooping snout and retro crosshatch grille.
All-wheel-drive, steering-wheel paddle shifters and 19-inch wheels ensure a firm, controlled ride. Inside, there are plenty of options with 17-way seats and your choice of 16 leathers and 7 woods. Best option: reclining rear bucket seats.
Maybach 57S
$367,000
Mileage: 11 city/16 highway
Top speed: 172 mph
Top feature: Each car is custom built
Viewed from the wrong angle, Maybachs can look like oversized Buicks. Not a good thing. To rev up sales, Mercedes’ uber marque adds the high-performance 57S.
It also has subtle but striking design upgrades, including a new grille, fog lights and hulking 11-spoke wheels. Each engine is hand-built by a single craftsman, whose signature goes on the engine cover. The interior is custom-ordered with more options than an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Two must-have options are gold-plated keys and a solar-powered fan that kicks in when the motor is off. Yet even the standard fare is a hedonist’s delight: heated/ventilated seats with massage control, folding rear-seat tables, two telephones and rear-seat refrigerator with sterling-silver champagne flutes.
Rolls-Royce Extended Wheelbase Phantom
$385,000
Mileage: 12 city/19 highway
Top speed: 150 mph
Top feature: 10 extra inches
Ostentatious and proud of it, Rolls is adding an extended-wheelbase version to its regal Phantom line.
The new model is 10 inches longer, making it even plusher for rear passengers.
Each Phantom has chic suicide doors for easy entry and a flat bulldog-like face that makes it look like a rich relation to the trendy Chrysler 300C.
But the inside is Rolls all the way with rear-seat footrests, push-button controls to shut the rear doors and 15 speakers with two floor-mounted subwoofers.
The cars are hand-built with quirky features, including umbrellas hidden in the doors. Sure, they’re fast with taut steering and NASCAR-like braking.
But Phantoms also are eerily quiet, as if that Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament is pulling the car along by itself.
Bugatti Veyron
$1.25 million
Mileage: 12 (normally)/4 (at full throttle)
Top speed: 254 mph
Top feature: 1,001 hp
If Superman needed a car, this would be it. In the blink of an eye — just 2.5 seconds — the Veyron rockets from 0 to 60 mph. That’s as quick as a Formula One racer, making this the fastest production car ever thanks to four turbochargers and a whopping 16 cylinders.
To control all that testosterone, there’s an electronically activated rear wing that also tips forward to become an air brake. The outside is all brawn, but inside there’s soft leather, high-end carpets and sublime aluminum trim.
Coolest feature: Veyron owners can test their cars at the Bugatti test track in Germany.
| 
