Supercars all sold out for 2011

The Huayra is powered by a 552kW version of Mercedes-Benz’s twin-turbo, six-litre V12 built on commission for Pagani by AMG technicians in the German company’s Affalterbach facility. It remains one of the very few contemporary supercars to retain rear-wheel drive.

Pagani has moved to a larger factory in anticipation of increased demand yet, with total production tooled for only 25 units a year, demand has radically outstripped supply.

The Lamborghini Aventador has the three-section chassis, cabin structure, V12 engine, transmission, suspension bits, all-wheel-drive module. The Aventador's one-piece passenger cell is made entirely of a new-generation reinforced carbon fiber formulated with help from Boeing Aerospace, and it weighs in at just 324 pounds, while the whole naked chassis including aluminum front and rear crash structures weighs just 505 lbs. Every carbon fiber cell is created in a just-completed facility at Lambo HQ in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and between 700 and 800 units per year is the ultimate goal once the full-rhythm build starts after the August summer holidays when Italy traditionally shuts down.

The new 691-hp (SAE), 6.5-litre V12 engine out back – called "L539" in Lambo-speak – is a massive 40 lbs. lighter than the Murcièlago engine, sits 2.8 inches lower in the chassis, is nine percent more powerful, and produces upwards of 20 percent better fuel efficiency in the hands of the right driver (for a whopping 13.7 mpg average). Dry weight of an Aventador is now just 3,472 lbs. compared to the Murcièlago's 3,671 lbs., a healthy five percent reduction in a class segment where weight loss is a crucial and constant challenge. Weight distribution is a predictable 43 percent front and 57 rear.

So, the Aventador's all-important pound-per-horsepower reading is just 5.02 lbs. versus the Murcièlago at 5.81 lbs. To beat these super-exotic numbers in the big rear-engine club, you'd have to shell out at least $1.3 million for either a Bugatti Veyron or Pagani C9 Huayra. As it stands, the Aventador LP700-4 is estimated to come in at around $370,000.