Maybach Exelero
Launched in 2004 and commissioned by Fulda, a German subsidiary of Goodyear, this car was solely produced to test tyres. Yes tyres. A whole car just to test tyres.
Based on a Maybach SW 38 and built on a Maybach 57 platform, the most important design feature was the car should be able to reach speeds in excess of 350 km/h (217 mph) to test the extreme limits of the high performance Carat Exelero tyres. Which it could of course do as the car has a top speed of 351 km/h (218 mph) and a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time of 4.4 seconds and is powered by a 5.9-litre V12 Twin-turbocharged engine which produces 690bhp.
The car is actually more notable for its extracurricular activities. Having appeared in long running German drama ‘Cobra 11’, Japanese anime series Nisekoi, featured on Supercar Blondie’s YouTube channel and in Jay-Z’s music video for “Lost One”. According to Top Gear, the car was purchased by rapper Birdman for $8 million, but in 2012 Motovision showed it’s now in Germany and owned by Mercedes Dealer Mechatronik.
Ferrari P4/5
Shouldering the weight of its legendary namesake, the Pininfarina designed P4/5 was launched in 2006 at Pebble Beach. Initially it was an Enzo but was redesigned by the famous design house for film director James Glickenhaus. It was in fact Pininfarina that approached the director to see if he would be interested in the project. Luckily he was, he bought the last unsold Enzo, sent it to the Pininfarina along with his original P4 replica and this was the result.
Lead designer Ken Okuyama said that “Pininfarina wanted to stay away from retro design and move towards a more forward thinking supercar,” as they were excited by the opportunity to build the car, not just design it. The project cost $4 million and this is the only car. Over 200 components were designed for the car to reach the final idea
Powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine, Glickenhaus decided to race the car in the 2010 Nurburgring 24 Hours under the team name Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. This new race version of the car, named SCG P4/5 Competizione, would go on to actually compete in the 2011 competition and was based on a 430 Scuderia built to FIA GT2 standards. Unfortunately, Ferrari completely distanced themselves from the project that year and refused to sell SCG the parts for engine builds between races. The car finished 39th in the 2011 24 Hours Nürburgring (after bursting into flames) and in 2012 won its class and finished 12th overall.
F1-Powered Renault Espace
The year is 1995 and the crazy French guys at Renault decided what the world needed was a Formula 1 powered people carrier.
Enter the Renault Espace F1.
Made as a show-car, never to go into production, (although they definitely should have) it was created to celebrate 10 years of the Espace and Renault’s involvement in Formula 1. It was a carbon fibre body on a carbon fibre reinforced Espace J63 chassis. It was powered by a 3.5-litre, forty valve Renault RS5 V10 engine, as used in the 1993 Williams-Renault FW15C, giving the car 749 hp.
This allowed for a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) of 2.8 seconds! Just to put that into context, the Lamborghini Urus does that in 3.6 seconds. It also had carbon ceramic brakes which stopped it in under 600 metres from 270km/h (168mph).
Being a prototype, it is priceless, so it’s probably in fact one of the most expensive cars ever made, in that it has no price. I remember seeing the car in the news a child and thinking it was amazing and bonkers. The car gained such popularity that it appeared in Grand Turismo 2 on the Playstation. It now resides in the Matra Museum in France.
Lamborghini Egoista
In 2013 Lamborghini unveiled their latest concept car, the Egoista. Now we at this point we know what to expect from Lamborghini. Even after the take over from Audi and VW they still produced crazy cars. But this was another level.
Powered by a 5.2-litre V10 which produces 600bhp, this cockpit hatch entry “car” was made for Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary. Designed to look like a fighter jet, a design language that runs throughout the range with the distinctive Y design, Walter De Silva used anti-radar material and aerodynamic plates that change positions to increase downforce.
With a name that means “selfish”, you’d have to be pretty selfish to buy it as it has price tag of a whooping $117 million! With only one in existence, you’re more likely to see it at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
Bugatti ‘La Voiture Noire’
This is probably the most famous current one off car. It suddenly appeared at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show on the Bugatti stand and was instantly the star of the show. It then did all the rounds at the various car shows throughout the year and it was everywhere.
Paying homage to the Type 57SC Atlantic, one of the most sort after classics in the world, it is valued at an eye watering $18.7 million. Which makes ‘The Black Car’ the most expensive new car ever sold and it went to one person as it was a special commission.
Producing a stupefying 1479bhp from a 8.0-litre W-16-cylinder engine it is well into Chiron numbers and it is probably the same engine, giving a top speed of 261mph. “Automotive haute couture” said Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti’s design director. “It’s not just a car anymore, it’s really more like a piece of art in line with the highly exclusive fashion and luxury brands in France.”
The Identity of the owner was not made public and was especially selected by Bugatti to be offered the car. Rumoured buyers were, Ferdinand Piech, former chairman of VW, Bugatti’s owners and of course Cristiano Ronaldo.
Whoever the owner is, they’ll have to wait as from it’s debut in 2019 it still needed two and a half years to complete, but with the world like it is right now, who knows how long it will be before they can drive it, or more accurately have it sit in their own personal car museum.
Did we miss any one-offs you love? Let us know.
Keyword: 5 Astonishing one-off cars