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Through 2009 we've seen the relatively-affordable Nissan GT-R, followed by the Lexus LFA at more than $750,000 and the born-again Mercedes SLS Gullwing with a $500,000-ish bottom line.
It all seems crazy at a time when the world is bumping through the global economic crisis, where Australians are downsizing in record numbers into sub-$20,000 compacts and green-power cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are growing in popularity with plug-in electrics just around the corner.
But showrooms are being flooded with high-priced exotics which promise incredible speed, luxury and exclusivity. And it's not going to stop.
Ferrari is about to go into full production with its latest sellout, the 458, and Bentley has the Mulsanne limousine almost ready for the road with the first deliveries expected in the opening months of 2010. Then it's the Aston Martin rapide, promised as a four-door sports saloon, and the Rolls-Royce Ghost at around $750,000.
These are dream machines for most of us, and poster cars for the kids, but what do they give us in 2009 and beyond? It's a question that's impossible to answer, unless you have more than $500,000 to spend on an automotive trinket, with any certainty. Perhaps it's just because some people can, and because they can see the day when these sort of cars will be museum pieces in an era beyond oil.
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