Subtle Italian Luxury
The Maserati Ghibli is an Italian sports car all grown up—it’s got two more doors and some extra length, but at its heart it’s still a sports car. With an eight-speed gearbox and 345 hp at your beck and call, it’ll take you and your chosen passengers on a thrilling back-road jaunt or cruise the highways in effortless style and comfort. For around-town driving, just set the transmission to Auto Normal, and the Ghibli will do the shifting for you in a smooth and refined manner. Switch to Manual Sport Mode, and you take control. The shifts become quicker and sharper, and the engine sings a wonderful Italian opera that you will want to hear over and over. Maserati has enough options and special features for you to create your own rolling masterpiece. $92,845
Miller Motor Cars, Greenwich
(800) 721-8781
www.millermotorcars.com
Old-World Luxury Goes Modern
The most powerful Rolls ever built, the Rolls Royce Wraith offers up 624 hp to move you along in great style from 0-60 in a mere 4.4 seconds, an amazing number for such a large car. It’s also a technologic marvel. The satellite-aided transmission uses GPS data and the navigation system to predict the road ahead. It will then choose the right gear from the eight-speed transmission to deliver the power in a smooth, flawless way—so, no unnecessary gear changes. Spectators will always know what just passed them by as the self-righting wheel-hub centers ensure the interlinked RR logo remains upright at all times. $304,350
Miller Motor Cars, Greenwich
(800) 721-8781
www.millermotorcars.com
No-Substitute Luxury
The Porsche 911 has been around now for 60 years, and it has aged very well. The Targa 4S is a perfect example of this. The new Targa design is a result of functional demands, but it still has the heart of a Porsche. The 4S gets its power from a 3.8-litre normally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine putting out 400 hp. Combine that with Porsche’s Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission, and you’ll find yourself rocketing to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds. You can regard the new Targa as a beautiful design object, but once you get behind the wheel, the performance potential makes it very clear that this is sculpture meant to be in motion. $144,635
Porsche of Larchmont, Larchmont
(914) 397-0100
www.porschelarchmont.com
American Luxury
This is not your daddy’s Cadillac. The Cadillac ATS-V coupe is out to take on Europe’s finest. With a 3.6-litre Twin turbo V6 mated to either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters, Brembo brakes, and Recaro seats, this is a Caddy of a different color. With a near perfect 50/50 weight distribution, the ATS-V is agile, as well as powerful. Take it out on a favorite twisty road, and it will change your attitude toward the brand. The engineers have removed every ounce of weight that wasn’t structurally necessary, using underbody aero shields to direct airflow, incorporating Magnetic ride control that reacts to the road up to 1,000 times a second, and a 5-link independent rear suspension, to keep you firmly planted on the road. The ATS-V may not be everyone’s Cadillac, but for the discerning few, it’s American muscle at its most luxurious. $69,380
Pepe Cadillac, White Plains
(877) 667-9431
www.pepecadillac.com
Multitasking Luxury
When Porsche brought out its first SUV, people didn’t know what to think. Porsche persisted, and today you have the likes of the Cayenne GTS. It may not have two doors and an engine in the back, but it is a real Porsche. The 3.6-litre direct-fuel-injected twin-turbo V6 is pumping out 440 hp, taking it to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, leaving lesser SUVs in the dust. An eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission keeps the Porsche feeling alive, and thanks to the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), you never put a tire out of place. The GTS has many personalities: You can take the kids to school, pick up the groceries, then head off to the riding stable in the afternoon. Later, take it home, give it a rinse, and it will be ready to transport you to a black-tie evening with no excuses. $131,020
Porsche of Larchmont
​(914) 397-0100
www.porschelarchmont.com
Rude Luxury
The Bentley GT3-R is not subtle. It’s big; it’s black; and it makes all kinds of animal noises (in a good way). Inspired by the GT3 racecar, the GT3-R is a wolf in wolf’s clothing. With a 4-litre turbocharged monster putting out 572 hp at 6,000 rpm, with 518 lb. ft. of torque at 1,700 rpm, this is the fastest-accelerating Bentley ever built. For that reason it will also have you purchasing Pirelli 275/35 ZR21 high grips on a regular basis. When the start button is pressed, the exhaust gives you an earth-shattering indication of just what is in store: It’s crazy fast; it’s loud; it’s wild. But you gotta love it—and you’ll look good defying the local speed limits. Good chance you won’t see one coming the other way, as there were only 99 made for the US market. $341,025
Miller Motor Cars, Greenwich
(800) 721-8781
www.millermotorcars.com
Teutonic Luxury
Mercedes-AMG GmbH (commonly known as AMG) has created another piece of rolling art with the GT S. They’ve taken the same path as the earlier SLS and had a single craftsman build each engine. (Those in the know search out cars with engines built by specific individuals.) But the direction changes with the GT S: It gets 503 hp from a lighter, direct-injected Biturbo V8 power plant. It doesn’t have the signature gull-wing doors of its predecessor, but it’s still a looker. The lines are smooth and racy, even standing still. Introduce your right foot to the loud pedal, and warp speed is achieved with no histrionics. With a 47/53 front/rear weight distribution, the GT S feels glued to the road; nothing will shift it from your chosen direction. It’s a symbiotic relationship, where machine and human work together perfectly. $143,930
Estate Motors, Goldens Bridge
(855) 474-2894
www.estatemotors.com
Fit For A Lion Luxury
The GL 63 AMG is another fire-breather from the Mercedes tuners at AMG. They take lambs and turn them into lions—albeit very luxurious lions. The GL 63 AMG gets its roar from a handcrafted 5.5 litre twin-turbo direct-injected V8 putting out 557 hp. All this is put to the ground via a 7-speed AMG Speedshift Plus transmission with paddle shifters, kept in check by AMG Performance 4matic all-wheel drive. This machine has every possible luxury and convenience, including collision prevention and attention assist), all packed into a very purposeful shape. The GL 63 AMG could take you off road if necessary, but its more likely that Mercedes’ key demographic will be burning up the back roads between Armonk and Pound Ridge instead. $111,670
Mercedes-Benz of White Plains, White Plains
(855) 284-0039
www.mbwhiteplains.com
Luxury With Alacrity
The 570S McLaren pushes boundaries. It’s like a Formula 1 car with a roof and two doors. Based around an F1-inspired carbon-fiber chassis, the 570S puts out 562 hp at 7,500 rpm from its mid-mounted turbocharged V8 engine, rocketing the car to a top speed north of 200 mph. With all that go, you have to have some whoa, and it’s no problem here. The 570S boasts carbon ceramic brakes and track-biased Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires that will do the job no matter what you throw at them. Form and function join together to create not only an aesthetic design but one that delivers a highly efficient, aerodynamic package as well. Does this mean you are sitting in a stark empty cabin? Not a chance: Choose from 10 interior designs to craft an environment that is both modern and sumptuous at the same time. $184,900
Miller Motor Cars, Greenwich
(800) 721-8781
www.millermotorcars.com
The $1,000 Car Wash
When your car costs six figures, you can’t just take it to any common carwash. Instead, those with high-class rides head to High Marques Auto Salon at The Westchester in White Plains. According to owner Stephen Field, High Marques’ goal is to keep every vehicle, especially collector cars, in mint condition. “From leather work to restoring headlights, we do anything that restores cars to practically new,” Field says. The ultimate luxury in car washing is the diamond package, for $1,000—a 15-step procedure that includes 100-percent hand washing plus tire “dressing,” bug and tar removal, and complete engine cleaning and detailing. Eschewing average car-care products, High Marques uses the high-end Swissvax line, which costs a few hundred dollars per jar, for its diamond-level package. Other services include express detailing (starts at $179), a $250 wash using Mothers Car Care products, and a wash that exclusively uses Zymol products for $450. —Jocelyne Alvarenga
High Marques Auto Salon, White Plains
(914) 949-1507
Year-Round Driving Pleasure
Westchester’s harsh winters can be unkind to ultra-luxury car owners who are often forced to leave their prized possessions parked in their garages to wait out the frost. (When your tires cost more than an average monthly mortgage, you can’t help wanting to preserve them.) But Miller Motorcars in Greenwich has a solution—albeit a pricey one—that allows enthusiasts to enjoy their McLarens, Rolls Royces, Aston Martins, Bentleys, and Maseratis all year long. The venerated auto dealer offers various cold weather tire and tire and wheel packages for purchase, which include labor, mounting, and balancing; pricing varies based on the package and the make and model, but ranges from $1,499 to $13,000. Then, once the sun starts shining again, Miller will store those cold-weather Pirellis for you in their climate-controlled facility, for $250 per year.
Miller Motorcars, Greenwich
(203) 629-3890
www.millermotorcars.com
