Cars you can't afford.

Sometimes the price increases seem like highway robbery. Saleen's S7, this year's most expensive car, costs $120,000 more than it did last year. According to Manhattan Motorcars, Saleen's New York dealer, the price hike is due to modifications to the S7's V-8 engine, whose horsepower is now up to 575 from 550. Assume for argument's sake that's the only reason for the extra $120K on the sticker, and we're talking about a cost of about $5,000 for each additional unit of horsepower. If Honda Motor charged $5,000 per horse, a high-end Civic would cost about $800,000.

Of course, follow the link below and you will realize how each car on the list is aimed at buyers for whom money is as disposable as garbage. That's perhaps why the most expensive cars are sports cars: if you're going to throw away a ton of money, it had better be on something extremely fun.

• Saleen S7


• Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren


• Porsche Carrera GT


• Maybach 62


• Rolls-Royce Phantom


• Maybach 57


• Lamborghini Murciélago


• Aston Martin V-12 Vanquish


• Ferrari 612 Scaglietti


• Ferrari 575M Maranello