The Ferrari 575M Maranello, the Porsche Carrera GT and the Bentley Continental GT all went on sale in the same decade. So did the seven other cars below, and every one of them first reached buyers between 2001 and 2008.
Some came from racing programs, while others arrived after new owners took over old brands. Each entry gives the engine, the output and at least one figure from launch-era road tests, maker records or specialist references.
1. 2004–2006 Porsche Carrera GT
At first, the Carrera GT was meant to be a race car. Porsche’s motorsport division began work in 1999 on an endurance racer to follow the 911 GT1 that won Le Mans in 1998. Then changes in FIA rules stopped the plan, so Porsche turned the project into a road car.
Production ran at Leipzig from 2004 until May 2006, and Porsche built roughly 1,270, Stuttcars reports. A mid-mounted 5.7-liter V10 rated at 605 hp drove a six-speed manual. Stuttcars lists 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph.
2. 2004 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Mercedes-Benz, AMG and McLaren developed the SLR together, after the Vision SLR concept appeared in 1999. Orders for the 2004 model year then opened in early 2003. AMG developed and assembled its supercharged V8, rated at 626 hp, along with the five-speed automatic.
The car also used carbon-ceramic brakes and an automatic air brake, Classic Driver notes. Later, an open version followed, and only 670 SLR Roadsters left the line between August 2007 and May 2009. For example, one US-market Roadster carried an original sticker price of $514,000.
3. 2001 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
Aston Martin hand-assembled about 2,578 Vanquish coupes at Newport Pagnell from 2001 through 2007, Supercars.net reports. Its structure used carbon fiber and aluminum, developed with help from Lotus.
Up front sat a naturally aspirated 5.9-liter V12 making 460 hp at 6,500 rpm. Drivers also shifted its six-speed semi-automatic gearbox with paddles. In addition, the car played James Bond’s ride in Die Another Day in 2002, complete with on-screen adaptive camouflage.
4. 2001–2010 Lamborghini Murcielago
The Murcielago was the first Lamborghini built under Audi, which had bought the company in 1998. Its name, however, is Spanish for bat. Meanwhile, its scissor doors became a signature feature.
At launch, a 6.2-liter V12 stroked from the Diablo’s engine made upwards of 580 hp, Supercars.net notes. Later cars moved to 6.5 liters, and the final LP670-4 SuperVeloce made 670 hp at 8,000 rpm. In all, Lamborghini built 4,099 from 2001 to 2010.
5. 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Aston Martin showed the V8 Vantage at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show as its new entry model. It replaced the 1989–2000 Virage, and at launch it cost $120,850, according to Hagerty.
Its 4.3-liter V8 gained a dry sump for hard cornering and developed 380 bhp at 7,000 rpm. Then, in 2009, a 4.7-liter version raised output to 420 bhp at 7,300 rpm.
6. 2004 Bentley Continental GT
Volkswagen bought Bentley in 1998 and spent heavily on the Crewe plant. Soon after, the Continental GT arrived. Its 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 came from the same family as the engine in the Volkswagen Phaeton.
MotorWeek listed 552 hp and 479 lb-ft, sent to all four wheels through a torque-sensing center differential. Despite a weight of 5,258 pounds, it ran 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds and had a 200-mph top speed. The base price was $149,990.
7. 2002–2006 Ferrari 575M Maranello
Ferrari built 2,056 of the 575M Maranello from 2002 to 2006, according to production figures from Conceptcarz. Of those, only 246 had a manual transmission, so a three-pedal car is the exception.
The Ferrari 575M’s V12 displaced 5,748 cc and made 515 bhp at 7,250 rpm. Later, MotorWeek measured the 599 GTB Fiorano, next on this list, against the 575 and found 96 hp more.
8. 2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
The 599 GTB Fiorano carried an all-aluminum, Enzo-derived 6.0-liter V12 under a Pininfarina-styled alloy body. It made 611 hp and 448 lb-ft, 96 hp more than the 575 Maranello, MotorWeek reported.
Its rear-mounted F1-SuperFast six-speed gearbox also came from Ferrari’s Formula One work. In MotorWeek’s numbers, the car ran 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Its base price was $280,295, which included $4,500 in gas-guzzler tax.
9. 2008 Audi R8
The R8 was Audi’s production version of its Le Mans Quattro concept. It came from the same factory as the Lamborghini Gallardo and sat on an aluminum and magnesium space frame.
Power came from a dry-sump version of Audi’s 4.2-liter direct-injection V8, with 420 hp and 317 lb-ft. MotorWeek priced the manual from $110,000 and the R tronic sequential gearbox at $119,000. In MotorWeek’s test, the car then reached 60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
10. 2009 Nissan GT-R
Nissan showed the GT-R at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. It then went on sale in North America in June 2008, and first deliveries began on July 7, 2008, according to Conceptcarz.
Its 3.8-liter twin-turbo VR38DETT V6 made 480 hp at 6,400 rpm. Each engine was hand-built in a clean room at Nissan’s Yokohama plant. Meanwhile, interim pricing started at $76,840. Finally, the GT-R lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:38.
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