Bentley, Bugatti and Ferrari. Luxury knows no bounds

Looking at the statistics of some of the most recent and exclusive hypercars from the past year, a leap forward has been achieved to levels never seen before. We're talking about prices so high that the concept of exclusivity has been given new meaning. Sophistication and a price to create envy for decades to come are essential features of cars for the very lucky few, who are usually collectors and generally owners already known and invited personally to purchase. Rare details, precious details, over-the-top details, absurd or wonderful details, it doesn't matter, what does is that the “piece” and, of course, the price, are “unique” or at least special enough to please both eye and ego, even among those who are not particularly interested in cars. At Bentley, for example, all it took was an anniversary to recall important pages of history. Taking the Continental, which has already been restyled many times before, the car manufacturer decided to evoke a glorious past, creating the GT N°9 Edition by Mulliner. By using the name of this very prestigious coachbuilder, Bentley wanted to bring lustre to the history of transport in general: at that time - and we're talking about a century ago - coachbuilders could be counted on the fingers of one hand and Mulliner had been La Voiture Noire di Bugatti, coupé con il comfort di una limousine di lusso e la potenza di un'auto iper sportiva. La Voiture Noire by Bugatti, a coupé with the comfort of a luxury limousine and the power of a hyper sports car.

a leading name since 1700, producing, in particular, high quality carriages. This new model boldly displays the number 9 in tribute to the Blower of the magnate, Tim Birkin, who raced it at Le Mans in 1930. Only 100 hand-crafted examples will be made and the details in wood on the driver's seat and special engine grille are a nod to the vintage vehicle, which was designed for the track. Other elegant details include 18-karat gold-plated vent pull knobs. Ferrari has also produced only a few examples of the Monza SP1 and SP2, which differ from one another by 20 kilos and an extra seat. The SP1 is truly beautiful as it was designed as an uncompromising single-seat road car that offers a truly unique experience. This Ferrari tribute to Italy's national racetrack is based on the incredible 812 Superfast, brought up to 810 bhp: the slightly higher redline for the extra 11 bhp is practically nothing. What counts in this car is the experience of owning one so that it can be enjoyed and flaunted: it is driven “open-air”, a feature not considered for some time in cars of excellence. In spite of the significant “sacrifice” of the driver, everything found on a modern supercar is present. Technology and performance are at maximum levels and its role of “barchetta” is enhanced to the extreme. The SP1 provides a spectacle even when stationary: it features many elements in carbon fibre such as the engine bonnet, which is lifted at the front together with the fenders. But the most obvious touch of class, which was developed by Ferrari in wind tunnels using the latest air flow research techniques, is the very small but efficient wind shield, known as the “virtual wind shield”, which deflects air flow away from the driver and controls. But the absolute star of this review has to be La Voiture Noire from Bugatti, which wants to explain to the world what it means to be Bugatti, in other words, its ability to trace a well-defined boundary between normal cars and the unattainable. Celebrating 110 years from its foundation, Bugatti has chosen to mark this occasion by producing the most expensive new car in the world, a car that wishes to combine sporty appeal with elegance, because, on paper, it promises to be a hypercar, but is relatively spacious and comfortable. It is large, very beautiful and luxurious, with a price tag that'll be difficult to beat in the short term, being more than double the price of the Divo but with the same 16-cylinder, 8-litre quad turbocharged engine that generates 1,500 bhp and 1,600 Nm torque. Statistics that at the time were double those of their predecessors. The price we're talking about is a crazy 11 million euros plus taxes, but it promises to be the first hypercar that combines the comfort of a limousine with the charm of a coupé, even though it only has place for two. It pays tribute to the Type 57SC Atlantic with a “line” that runs along the entire central section. Clearly the rear couldn't be imitated again and it now has a very seductive red light strip that sinuously follows the lines of the rear as well as six enormous and very distinctive exhaust pipes, positioned just to prove that although luxurious and original, it is still a “rocket” adapted for the road.