Automotive Exclusivity

Tired of seeing near-duplicates of your automobile cruising down the road at every turn? There's a solution to that dilemma—provided you're willing to pay for the privilege. More than a dozen automakers turn out vehicles in such small numbers that the chance of your encountering another one on a given trip is about as likely as winning the lottery.


In addition to familiar names like Ferrari, Maserati and Bentley, two lesser-known models were promoted at the 2004 New York Auto Show: the Morgan Aero 8 and the new Spyker C8. Both are limited-production sports cars.

Morgan
Morgan has a long and valued history among sports-car devotees, even though official export from Britain to the U.S. halted decades ago. "We've always produced extreme sports cars," said sales/managing director Matthew Parkin. Bill Fink, an innovative California entrepreneur, has kept Morgans alive in North America by taking steps to make them meet legal requirements.


Until recently, modern Morgans looked remarkably like the two-seaters that were issued in the 1950s. A considerably curvier Aero 8 is slated to go on sale in mid-2004, priced near $105,000.

Spyker
Like the Aero 8, the Dutch-built Spyker C8 is scheduled to reach the U.S. in mid-'04 as well, following its debut in Europe. Beneath its handmade aluminum two-passenger body sits an Audi V-8 that generates 400 horsepower. Spyker expects to export about three dozen to the U.S. this year, with price tags around $250,000.