Auto Countdown: Top Ten Cars I Saw in 2012
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Starting of this list is the 1958 Plymouth Belvedere Fury, the car used
as the titular car in the 1983 Christine. This car was involved in one
of the most iconic murder scenes in cinema, where Christine ran over a
guy while on fire. I first saw Christine at March 2012 and May 2012
editions of Houston Cars and Coffee, the 2012 Houston Construction
Industry Auto Show, and the 2012 Houston Classy Chassis. I love the
styling, especially the two rear taillight wings. The owner of this
Christine has the movie, movie poster, and book on display while showing
off his car at the various events.
9. Aston Martin Virage
Like all current Aston Martins, the Virage has power, beauty,and soul.
This car is beautiful. I first was the Virage at the June 2012 edition
of Houston Cars and Coffee and then one week later that the 2012 Houston
Classy Chassis. The Virage is powered by a 6.0L V12 engine that
produces 490 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Aston Martin designed the
Virage to fill in the gap between the DB9 and DBS. Aston Martin designed
the the Virage to outperform the Aston Martin DB9, but not outperform
the Aston Martin DBS. This bothers me because if a car company is going
to design a new car, then that company needs to make the car as good as
it can be. Also, just after 18 months of production, Aston Martin ceased
production of the Virage to favor a new DB9. Aston Martin produced just
over 1,000 Virages before discontinuing the car.
8. Fisker Karma
The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid that looks like a normal car. The car was designed by Henrick Fisker, who also designed the BMW Z8 and the Aston Martin Vantage. The Karma is beautiful. The Karma also has good performance. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds and has a top speed of 125 mph. The Karma has a 20.1 kWh lithium ion battery, two electric motors that have a combined output of 402 hp and 959 lb-ft of torque, and a turbocharged 2.0L I4 engine that produces 260 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. The Karma is one of the best performing hybrids out there, but it is not with out controversy. The first 239 Karmas were recalled due to a potential battery fire caused by coolant leak. The Karma broke down during the Consumer Reports test drive. In Fort Bend County, Texas, the Karma was involved in a house fire that burned two other cars. For those reasons, I cannot put the Karma any higher than the 8 spot.
7. Spyker C8 Spyder
Skyker is a Dutch motor company that has been around since 1999 and
started production on the Skyper C8 Spyder in 2000. The original C8 has a
4.2L V8 engine that produces 400 hp has a top speed of 186 mph. The C8
Spyder T has the same 4.2L V8 found in the C8 Spyder, but the engine
gained two turbochargers, increasing power output to 525 hp and
increasing the top speed. The C8 Spyder looks like nothing else on the
road. It is very easy on the eyes. I saw this car at the January 2012
edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. For such a unique car, there was
only a few people noticing the C8 and that is a shame. I hope to see
more cars from Spyker in the future.
6. Noble M400
In 2000, Noble came out with the Noble M12. The ultimate version of the
M12 was the M400. Noble produced the M400 from 2004 to 2007. The M400
was noted by the automotive press for its handling and power. Powering
the M400 is a twin turbocharged 3.0L V6 that produced 425 hp and 390
lb-ft of torque. The M400 also weighs 2,337 lbs, giving the car a 400
hp/ton power to weight ration. The M400 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2
seconds and has a top speed of 187 mph. The M400 is not the best looking
car on the list, but it makes of up for it in performance and price,
which was around $100,000 when it was new. 1G Racing bought the rights
to the M400 from Noble and produced the Rossion Q1.
5. Jaguar XK 120
From 1949 to 1954, Jaguar produced the XK120. I was one at the 2012
Houston Classy Chassis event. This car has the beauty expected from a
classic Jaguar. The XK120 was the fastest production car when it came
out. During one test run, the XK120 reach a top speed of 136.595 mph
when the hood, sidescreens, and windscreen were removed. With everything
attached, the XK120 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 10.0 seconds while
reaching a top speed of 124.6 mph. The Xk120 had some racing success,
including back to back victories in the Alpine Rally and winning the
1954 Mount Druitt 24 Hour Road Race. XK120 will make a great addition to
any car collection.
4. Bentley Mulsanne
Let me first start by saying I am not a big fan of the Bentley
Continental GT. I see several on the Houston roads. When I saw that
Paris Hilton has a pink Continental GT, that ruined the car for me.
However, the four-door luxury sedan Bentley Mulsanne is another story. I
like this car. It is one of the best looking four-door sedans out
there. It also has performance. The Mulsanne is powered by a 6.75L
twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 505 hp and 752 lb-ft of
torque. The Mulsanne also comes with an eight-speed automatic
transmission. The Mulsanne goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and top
speed of 187 mph. The Mulsanne has beauty, luxury, comfort, power, and
performance.
3. Maserati MC12 GT1
The Maserati MC12 is a very rare supercar. Only 50 MC12s were produced
in 2004 and 2005 combined. The MC12 is based of the Ferrari Enzo, but
the MC12 is wider, taller, and longer than the Enzo. The MC12 also uses
the same 6.0L V12 that produces 620 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque. The MC12
goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 205
mph. In 2024, Maserati built three race versions of the Maserati MC12
GT1. Maserati of Houston brought a Maserati MC12 GT1. The MC12 GT1 won
six team championships, the 2007 FIA GT Constructors Championship, and
six driver championships.
2. Ferrari FXX
The Ferrari FXX is so good, it is not street legal. Only 29 FXXs were
produced from 2005 to 2007. The FXX is a high performance racing car
prototype that is based on the Ferrari Enzo. The FXX is powered by a
6.3L V12 engine that produces 790 hp and 506 lb-ft of torque. The FXX
has a top speed of 243 miles per hour. I saw the FXX as the June 2012
Houston Cars and Coffee event and at the 2012 Houston Ferrari Festival.
This is one incredible machine. At both events, it attracted large
crowds. The FXX is such an amazing car that I chose to cover it for my
100th First Impression Review.
1. McLaren F1
