Ten luxury cars you should own before you die

by Tito Hermoso

Luxury? When one's desires meet instant gratification? Or, to one belongs the wherewithal to boast of having the most of anything desirable? Or, exclusivity for anything from bragging rights to uniquely individual possession of what the knowledgeable few, or even many, covet.

Common dinner conversation among car cognoscenti eventually focuses on the most expensive, the fastest, the most exclusive, the most luxurious, etc., etc. Modern society, perhaps influenced by David Letterman or USA Today, simplify headlines by rating the Top Ten in anything. For us entering mid-life, crisis or no crisis, one's mortality is visible over the horizon which engenders one's desire to pamper the body. We've had half a century to decide on what we really want for the rest of our natural lives and we sincerely believe that we indeed deserve. Hence: the top ten luxury cars to own before one dies.

WHAT PARAMETERS?

If the question were posed to someone far younger, luxury would mean the fastest or the most exclusive. Certainly one-off special execution models, to be ordered and made over a considerable span of years, can be indulged in. They have the time. But not those who are in mid-life. Whether young or mid-life, concerns about collectibility and longevity need not be paramount. After all luxuries need no utilitarian justification. A cliffside residence in Cap d' Antibes, staffed all year round, may only be used once, on a whim. But then that's what luxury is all about: the possession is ready and able for its master's pleasure and immediate gratification. Depreciation and utility/per year is not a concern. The rich need not account for their foibles. Nor to anyone. Not even to high-minded ideas not of their liking.

The ten most luxurious cars to own before you die? Macabre? With time, another luxury, fiftysomethings have had prolonged exposure to luxury, making fifty a ripe age to appreciate ultimate luxury. So they are not willing to wait ages for the latest watch complication to be made by the apprenticing watchmaker in the remote meadows of Switzerland. Thus, cars that will take more than five years to order, build and deliver won't be in the short list. The principles of collecting are not rocket science, but one has to prioritize what one wants in a car. But since we have a garage of ten to fill, it will not be easy. We will dispense with the specifications and the data as any short list with price no object will have the best of everything and can do the most of everything.

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