Shelby SuperCars (SSC) released an uneventful video of a 0–200-mph run in an Ultimate Aero. The truth is that the Ultimate Aero in the video is serving as a test bed for the Tuatara’s new components, and the high-speed runs are specifically testing the gear ratios on its new seven-speed transmission. SSC says the next-generation 1,200-hp supercar will reach 200 mph in less than 16 seconds, on a par with the Bugatti Veyron SS and the Hennessey Venom GT.

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Okay. The money on these supercars would be better spent on feeding the needy or some other charity cause. But these aren’t just toys of the rich. They are more than just money spent on the owner’s own happiness. They are an investment. Despite millionaires everywhere taking a hit when the global economy took a slight turn for the worse, supercars have continued to make leaps and bounds in price. Why? Where normal investments have failed, investors that want their money to make money for them are now turning to things they can enjoy and get a slight return on in the long run. There is a risk, like any investment, of losing money but selective buyers of wine, art, guns, watches, and automobiles can enjoy as good or better returns than the stock market while at the same time gaining the enjoyment of owning such items.

As Tom duPont, publisher of duPont REGISTRY, recently told the Orlando Sentinel: "It's like playing the stock market.” If your collector car increases in value, great. But if it doesn't, "You'll have something you enjoy driving, or at least admiring."

Below is a list of the most expensive cars offered for 2011, with a limit of one per manufacturer:

[via Telegraph.co.uk, Forbes, and the Orlando Sentinel]

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Base MSRP: $2,600,000
dR Used Price: A used non-Super Sport Bugatti Veyron can run anywhere from $1,175,000 to $1,400,000 with a slew of special edition cars being worth much more.



Aston Martin One-77
MSRP: $1,870,000
dR used price: n/a

Koenigsegg Agera
Base MSRP: $1,500,000 (estimated)
dR Used Price: A used CCX will cost you between $1,000,000 to $1,250,000.



Pagani C9
Base MSRP: $1,300,000
dR used price: The Pagani Zonda has never passed requirements to be sold here in the U.S. Some have made it over, but don’t expect those to go on sale anytime soon. Word is that the Pagani C9 will meet all the requirements to be sold here.

Mayback Landaulet
Base MSRP: $1,405,000
dR used price: With only 20 cars ever being produced, the Landaulet hasn’t lost its value at all and will cost you at or even over MSRP.

Hennessey Venom GT
MSRP: $725,000
dR used price: n/a



SSC Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo
Base MSRP: $750,000
dR used price: n/a

Gumpert Apollo
MSRP: $550,000
dR used price: n/a

Ferrari 599 SA Aperta
Base MSRP: $520,000
dR used price: Trying to get your hands on the SA Aperta or even the GTO will be difficult. However, you can find a used Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano from $200,000 to $350,000 depending on mileage, year, and options.



LeBlanc Mirabeau
Base MSRP: $728,000
dR used price: n/a

2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce
Base MSRP: $455,400
dR used price: $420,000 to $500,000



Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Base MSRP: $447,000
dR used price:$320,000 to $500,000 depending on mileage, year, and options.

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John Hennessey did a spot on Jay Leno’s Garage recently with a 1,200-hp version of its Venom GT supercar. Like a Lotus Exige stuffed with a big motor, the Venom GT is designed from the ground up for a maximum power-to-weight ratio and bragging-rights performance.

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By combining the same performance-tuning measures found in its Velicoraptor truck with ballistic protection, Hennessey hopes the 2012 Hennessey VelociRaptor Armored Performance Vehicle (APV) has both the right amount of fortitude and the ride amount of speed to get its clients out of even the worst of situations. It believes that having a vehicle that can safely and quickly get you out of harm’s way is just as important as having armored protection.

Based off the new off-road-ready Raptor Super Crew with the more-powerful 6.2-liter V-8 engine, the VelicoRaptor turns things up a notch with the addition of a supercharger. Output is up from 411 hp to a stout 575 ponies and 542 lb-ft of torque. In addition to the armor and extra power, Hennessey will be willing to meld the normal Raptor truck bed with a hardtop to create an isolated passenger cabin that can seat six, seven, or eight people. Satellite TV, high-speed internet, entertainment systems, and mobile office systems are some of the optional luxury accommodations inside.

Pricing begins at $150,000 for a non-armored version and goes up another $100,000 to $200,000 depending on how much protection the client needs.

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We already showed you the Hennessey VelicoRaptor 500, a 500-hp monster powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged V-8. Not ready to just sit back and marvel at its work, Hennessey has released details on a more-powerful packages for Ford’s off-road demon.

The Velicoraptor 600 is powered by the optional 411-hp 6.2-liter V-8 in the Ford SVT Raptor; twin turbocharged to 600 hp and 622 lbs.-ft. of torque. The package consists of just engine upgrades and does not include any exterior modifications or suspension or brake tuning. The package can be shipped to your doorstep for $22,950 or professionally installed for an additional $7,000. If you have it professionally installed it comes with a one-year-or-12,000-mile warranty.

[via Hennessey]

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Hennessey has released a video of its 1,200-hp twin-turbocharged LS9-equipped Venom GT on the dynamometer. The results: 933 rear-wheel hp and 874 rear-wheel torque using 93-octane fuel.

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duPont REGISTRY's 2010 Exotic Car Buyers Guide is your ultimate source on the newest exotic and luxury cars and accessories. This issue offers modified exotics, a wheel guide, and more than 110 reviews of the top exotic and luxury cars from all the premium manufacturers.

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Maybe as a rebuttal to the video we showed you earlier this week taken at the test track, Hennessey has released a video of its Venom GT undergoing some testing in England. The video is of decent production although the fading in and out becomes extremely annoying. The sound the Venom GT makes is more that of a brutish muscle car then an Italian screamer. That, of course, is because the car is equipped with some American muscle: a 725-hp version of the Corvette's LS9 V-8. We can’t help but wonder what bellow will come from the twin-turbocharged 1,200-hp version.

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Video of the Hennessey Venom GT making its way around a track. No word if this is the 725-hp, 1,000-hp, or 1,200-hp version, but either way the car seems extremely quiet.

Hennessey, best known for slapping on massive turbochargers to Dodge Vipers, has released a teaser video of its upcoming Venom GT supercar. The Venom GT will use a mid-mounted V-8 to create more than 1,000 hp. The car will be based off the Lotus Elise but will be stretched nearly one foot in width and nearly two feet in length. The car will make use of the LS9 Corvette engine, twin turbocharged to develop as much as 1,200 hp; that power will be transferred to the rear wheels.

Initial performance estimates are nothing short of extraordinary, even to the point of seeming unreasonable. Zero-to-60 mph in 2.4 seconds, add another 2.9 seconds to get to 100 mph, and a top speed, which will exceed that of the current record holder, the SSC Ultimate Aero, of 272 mph. The brakes even offer performance normally retained for fantasies. Hennessey says the carbon-ceramic units are capable of bringing the car to a halt from 200 mph in just 7 seconds flat.

The car is set to be officially launched on the 30^th of this month and sticker for approximately $600,000.