2007 Los Angeles Auto Show: Exotics

Ferrari's new front engine coupe made an appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This zenith of automotive engineering has a 6-liter 611 horsepower V-12 based on the engine developed for the Enzo. It runs the 599 from 0 to 60mph in 3.7 seconds. The car's exterior design is sleek and understated.

Carbon fiber accents and red leather cover the cabin of this 599, but Ferrari offers buyers a high degree of customization. Paddle shifters for the F1 transmission are visible behind the steering wheel, which shift the gears without the driver needing to push a clutch pedal.

Well known for its 1,001 horsepower, the Bugatti Veyron remains a jaw dropper, even though it's been around for a while. Its 16 cylinders come from two W-8 engines, with four turbochargers backing them up. The Veyron's top speed has been clocked at 252mph, and it hits 62mph in 2.5 seconds.

For people who want a Lamborghini Murcielago but just can't do without the sunshine, the Italian automaker has the answer in the form of the $350,000 Murcielago Roadster LP640. The new droptop Lambo offers new front and rear bumpers, a new rear diffuser, and new brakelights. Unchanged is the Murcielago's 6.5-liter, 12-cylinder engine that can catapult the beast from 0 to 60mph in less than 3.4 seconds.

Lamborghini doesn't leave drivers without the comfort of cabin electronics. The Murcielago Roadster gets a Kenwood stereo with a 6.5-inch touch screen that can read MP3, WMA, and DVD discs. Navigation also is available.

For those who have hundreds of thousands of dollars to burn and want to sit higher than 2 inches off the ground, Dutch exotic carmaker Spyker offers what it terms a Super SUV. The D12 Peking-to-Paris has a Volkswagen 6.0-liter, 500-horsepower W-12 and, of course, four-wheel drive. It gets to 60mph in 5 seconds and tops out at a sedate 183mph.

Seating four in comfortable bucket seats, along with their luggage, the Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris is designed as a more practical exotic. The cabin is surrounded in leather, and the car has much sportier handling than your typical or even high-end SUV.

Lotus makes cars that are light and simple, with excellent handling. The engine in the Exige S is minuscule compared with other exotics. It's a Toyota-built, 1.8-liter four cylinder enhanced with a supercharger to put out 218 horsepower. Yet it propels the car from 0 to 60mph in 4.1 seconds.

Based on a Chevrolet Corvette, Calloway replaces the entire body and supercharges the engine to make a unique car. The C16 is very customizable due to the fact that it's built on a base car. It comes with either a paddle shift automatic or a six-speed manual. The base price is $119,865, which includes the Corvette it's built on.

The Calloway C16 comes with a big Eaton/Magnuson supercharger, giving the 6-liter Corvette engine 560 horsepower. An optional Performance Package pumps it up to 616 horsepower and gives the C16 a 0 to 60mph time of 3.3 seconds.

With a maximum output of 420 horsepower, the all-wheel-drive R8 sprints to 62mph in 4.6 seconds. The car incorporates a number of innovative technological performance features, including magnetorheological fluid-filled suspension dampers--the fluid's viscosity is determined by the presence of an electromagnetic field. It also is the first production car to feature all-purpose LED headlights.