15 Super Coupes ( TheMrBeng motorshow 2006 )

Bloody motoshow2006 entrance fee $10 so ex. i'll have my own mini motorshow.

so people, heres it is:
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In the 105 years since cars went into mass production, coupes have been the sonnets of the auto industry--the medium in which the great designers and engineers use their best stuff, their most artful and heartfelt ideas. When you hear the words "beautiful car," chances are the image that pops into your head is not that of a minivan or pickup truck, but rather that of the classic car form, a coupe.

Lamborghini

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Best Coupe For under US$50,000

Porsche Cayman

Base Price: US$49,400

Engine: 2.7-liter, 245-horsepower 6-cylinder

Top speed: 160 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 5.8s

Beautiful and not in a love-it-or-hate-it way like BMW's Z4 M Coupe. We settled this category by erring on the racy, sporty side, not the side of luxury family cars--hence Cayman over BMW 3 Series or Infiniti G35.

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Best Psychotically Fast Coupe

SSC Ultimate Aero

Base Price: US$655,000

Engine: Turbocharged, 6.3-liter, 1,180-hp V-8

Top speed: 273 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 2.8 seconds

What's more fun than 1,180 horsepower? Stuffing 1,180 horsepower into a car that weighs as much as a Dodge Neon. The Aero's brakes had better be forged in Mordor.

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Best American Supercar (tie)

Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Base Price: US$70,000

Engine: 7.0-liter, 505-hp V-8

Top speed: 198 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: n/a

The champion of the hottest-performance-for-the-bucks category. Permanent winner. Category retired.

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Best American Supercar (tie)

Dodge Viper SRT-10

Base Price: US$86,995

Engine: 8.3-liter, 510-hp V-10

Top speed: 190 miles per hour (estimated)

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: Under four seconds

Dodge recently started selling a Viper coupe too, apparently because the convertible wasn't hardcore enough.

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Coupe That Goes Beyond Beyond

Bugatti Veyron 16.4

Base Price: US$1.2 million

Engine: 8.0-liter, 1,001-hp 16-cylinder
Top speed: 253 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: Under 2.5 seconds

No car has ever been so famously over the top.

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Best German Supercar

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

Base Price: US$452,750

Engine: Supercharged, 5.4-liter, 671-hp V-8

Top speed: 207 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 3.8 seconds

So civilized--literally the Mercedes-Benz of race cars.
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Best British Supercar (tie)

Aston Martin DB9

Base Price: US$165,000

Engine: 5.9-liter, 450-hp V-12

Top speed: 186 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 4.7 seconds

Monstrous torque, the world's most authoritative exhaust note, gorgeous interior leather and wood, world-beating handling and as high-class a brand name as there is. What more do you want from a car?

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Best British Supercar (tie)

Bentley Continental GT

Base Price: US$165,000

Engine: Turbocharged, 6.0-liter 12-cylinder

Top speed: 198 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 4.7 seconds

As potent as a freight train, as stately as a wood-paneled club room and as fast as a race car. Has already become an icon for success, taste and happiness.

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Best Italian Supercar (tie)

Ferrari F430

Base Price: $168,000

Engine: 4.3-liter, 483-hp V-8

Top speed: Over 195 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 3.9 seconds

Unbelievable acceleration. High-revving engine emits banshee wail. World's most engaging steering? World's most engaging car? Spend more for Ferrari's 599 or 612 if you like; a car can't make you happier than an F430 can.

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Best Italian Supercar (tie)

Lamborghini Murciélago LP640

Base Price: US$320,000

Engine: 6.5-liter, 632-hp V-12

Top speed: 211 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: Under 3.4 seconds

All you have to do is look at the Murciélago to know what it's capable of.

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Best New Arrival (tie)

Aston Martin V-8 Vantage

Base Price: US$110,000

Engine: 4.3-liter, 380-hp V-8

Top speed: 175 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 4.9 seconds

A sexy, fast and relatively affordable Aston. Not many cars scare Porsche. This one should.

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Best New Arrival (tie)

BMW M6

Base Price: US$98,600

Engine: 5.0-liter, 500-hp V-10

Top speed: 155 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 4.5 seconds

Just awesome. A ten-cylinder, racing-style engine in a gorgeous coupe. For the moment, this is the ultimate BMW--and that's not a minor distinction.

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Best New Arrival (tie)

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Base Price: n/a

Engine: 6.0-liter, 620-hp V-12

Top speed: Over 205 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: Under 3.7 seconds

Missed out on the US$650,000 Enzo Ferrari supercar? The newest Ferrari has an Enzo-based engine. The 599 is made from Formula 1 technology, like all other Ferraris.

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Best New Arrival (tie)

Porsche 911 Turbo

Base Price: US$122,900

Engine: Turbocharged, 3.6-liter, 480-hp six-cylinder

Top speed: 193 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 3.7 seconds

With a revolutionary, turbocharged engine, the 911 Turbo has blistering acceleration but can also be a steady family car for an hour or two if that's what you need.

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Best New Luxury Coupe

Mercedes-Benz CL600

Base Price: n/a

Engine: 5.5-liter, 510-hp V-12

Top speed: 130 miles per hour

Zero-to-60 mph acceleration: 4.5 seconds (preliminary figure)

Mercedes' great, low-volume flagship coupe is back for a new generation. Among coupes, perhaps only Bentley's Continental GT rivals the CL for opulence.