The World's Most Expensive Cars

What began as a custom order that took five years to build is now the most expensive luxury car currently on the planet. The 2018 model, like the 2017, is of course entirely hand-built, reflecting the kind of craftsmanship that has made this British automobile company the top choice for those who simply must motor in luxury and style. The Sweptail also bears little resemblance to the current crop of Rolls Royce Phantom Coupes. Its front end is decidedly more muscular, thanks to an oversized grille and squared off corners, while the back end bears the kind of slick streamlining usually reserved for sports cars—hence the model's name. Indeed, drivers can reach a top speed of 150 mph, thanks to a 6.25-liter V12 engine that generates no less than 450 horsepower and a zero-to-sixty time of 5.6 seconds.

The Koenigsegg CCXR proves that the Swedes can, in fact, design a car that doesn't look like a rolling breadbox (sorry, Volvo). The name, which roughly translates to "three whites," refers to a unique coated fiber solution that transforms traditional black carbon fibers used in automobile manufacturing to a silvery white, which sparkles when the sunlight hits the body. But it's not just a pretty car. The Trevita goes from 0 to 60 in a hair-raising 2.9 seconds and is powered by an aluminum 4.8-liter V8 engine with four valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts.

This open-air hypercar is for all intents and purposes a barely street-legal racer. The Veneno encases its occupants in an ultra-angular aerodynamic shell that’s drop-dead gorgeous. A 6.5-liter V12 engine eschews turbo- or supercharging but nonetheless generates a whopping 740 horsepower. No wonder it's named for a famed fighting bull. 

Manufactured by the Dubai-based W Motors, the Lykan is the first luxury automobile built entirely in the Middle East, and it is aimed exclusively at what the company's website calls "ultra high net worth individuals." W Motors seems to have taken the diamond as its model for the car's design. Not only is its futuristic exterior characterized by a series of multi-faceted angles, no less than 220 diamonds and other precious stones ring its headlights. It also boasts a beast of an engine that easily achieves 0 to 60 in 2.7 seconds.

Although it bears the Aston Martin name, this hypercar bears little resemblance to the traditional James Bond-style chassis. Developed in conjunction with Red Bull Racing, the Valkyrie is intended to blur the lines between a street vehicle and a road racer. Not only is it built of a race-car-like lightweight carbon fiber and is propelled by a mid-mounted V12 engine, the driver and passenger sit in a reclined position that mimics that of Formula One drivers. 

While we find it nearly impossible to wrap our heads around what 1,500 horsepower must feel like on the street, we'll take Bugatti's word for it that the Chiron delivers it—and more. A 16-cylinder turbocharged engine is responsible for all that power, although the driver is easily able to rein it in, thanks to customized carbon ceramic brake discs and calipers. And unlike some hypercars, the Chiron's exterior design is a model of restrained elegance rather than no-holds-barred flamboyance. 

For many sports car aficionados, nothing less than a Ferrari will do. And in many cases, it's difficult to beat the combo of design and performance at which the Italian automaker has excelled since 1939. The Laferrari FXX K certainly is a stunner, with its 6.3-liter V12 engine and 1,000 horsepower. As for the all-important 0 to 60 measurement, this little Italian job has the other hypercars on our list beat, coming in at 2.4 seconds on the track.