Aston Martin

The world of ultra-high-performance cars is an odd one. Stratospheric prices and tiny production runs mean few will ever see one on the move; fewer still experience one from the driver’s seat. The relentless march of progress pushes their specs further and further to the edge; 400hp might have seemed more than you’d ever need in the 1970s but would now be barely adequate in a sporting sedan. And they often act as harbingers for impending global catastrophe—just look at the timing of the Ferrari Daytona or McLaren F1.