By Joe Yogerst
Special Advertising Sections Writer

Maybe money can’t buy you love, but it can certainly purchase incredible speed – vehicles that can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in the flash of an eye and that can reach velocities that are legal only on closed circuits or the German autobahns.

The so-called “super exotic” cars flaunt the sleek good looks and breathtaking drive of the race cars on which many of them are based. These aren’t your average sports cars. Their names – Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Aston Martin – roll off the tongue as testaments to what

the human imagination can accomplish when given a blank check and free reign.

Founded in 1929 by the legendary Enzo Ferrari, the “Italian Stallion” stands at the pinnacle of both auto racing and sports car design.

Behind extraordinary cars and drivers like Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher, Ferrari is the most successful team in Formula One history. It also sells more super exotics each year than any other marque – nearly 5,000 worldwide in 2004, including a record 1,440 vehicles in the U.S.

Ferrari’s current flagship is the F430, a brawny two-seat coupe introduced last year and now a hot seller around the globe thanks to its awesome performance and relatively low sticker price ($161,000).

Like previous models, much of the F430’s design and engineering derives from innovations developed for Ferrari’s F1 racers, including two world firsts for production cars: a steering wheel-mounted manettino (switch) that directly controls the vehicle’s integrated electronic driving systems and a sophisticated electronic differential that optimizes traction by making the most of the V-8 engine’s massive torque. The F430 can race from zero to 60 in four seconds and reach a maximum speed of 196 mph.

Ferrari’s latest offering is the $300,000 Superamerica hardtop convertible, which rolled into U.S. showrooms last month. The powerful V-12 engine and F1-style manual transmission with paddle shifters on the steering wheel are nothing new for Ferrari, but other facets of this new Ferrari are simply phenomenal.

“The most striking aspect of the Superamerica is its ground-breaking revolving roof,” said Maurizio Parlato, president and chief executive officer of Ferrari North America. “This allows our clients, in only 10 seconds, to transform the vehicle from a coupe to an open-air barchetta.” Made from carbon fiber and electrochromic glass, the one-piece roof features five different tint levels and easily rotates into a locked position behind the front seats.

Ferrari took over its long-time rival Maserati in 1997 and pumped $200 million into a long-overdue modernization of Maserati’s production facility. Since then, the Modena-based marque has produced several splendid new models, including the $83,000 Spyder GT convertible and the $95,000 Quattroporte hardtop.

“Ferrari is more of an extreme performance car,” said Parlato, describing the difference between the two stablemates, “while with Maserati we are talking about sporty luxury.”

But that doesn’t mean that Maseratis aren’t fast. The Spyder can do the zero to 60 sprint in a mere five seconds and reach a top speed of 177 mph.

In many respects, the all-wheel-drive Lamborghini Murcielago with its trademark gull-wing doors is the epitome of the super exotic — extremely rare (less than 180 sold in the U.S. last year), incredibly fast (zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds; 213 mph top speed).

“A thrill ride reserved for the few,” wrote Road & Track’s Patrick Hong after a recent test drive.

With a passenger compartment that feels and looks like the cockpit of a jet fighter, this 21st century “bat mobile” (Murcielago means “bat” in Spanish) is packed with cutting-edge technnology — a steel-and-carbon fiber body, drive-by-wire electronic throttle control, six-speed clutchless manual transmission with electrohydraulic sequential shifting, and a rear spoiler that self-adjusts to achieve perfect aerodynamic equilibrium.

Bruce Wayne tools around Gotham City in a Murcielago in the current “Batman” flick, “Batman Begins.” But another literary and cinemaic hero, James Bond, has a preference for Aston Martin.

The $235,000 V-12 Vanquish boasts a number of 007-esque features, including a glass starter button, electronic folding-wing mirrors, a satellite navigation system with audio instructions in 11 different languages, and an integral cell phone system that flashes messages on an LCD screen. The fastest road car in Aston Martin history, the Vanquish does zero to 60 in 4.8 seconds and can top 200 mph.

The Porsche Carrera GT is just as powerful as the other super cars and even more expensive ($440,000). A road-going sports car based on 24 Hours of Le Mans racing technology, this open-top two-seater reaches 60 mph in less than four seconds and accelerates to more than 200 mph.

Although not as well known as the European super cars, several exotics are made in the U.S., too. Low-slung and burly, the $150,000 Ford GT muscle car is a thoroughly modern version of the Fords that dominated Le Mans and other endurance races in the mid-1960s. According to Ford, the GT can race from standstill to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and reach 140 mph in fourth gear. Based near Atlanta, the Panoz Automotive Development Co. is the closest thing in North America to the Italian exotic workshops. Panoz produces five different hand-built aluminum sports cars, ranging from the $92,000 Esperante convertible to the $128,000 limited-production GTLM coupe, which has a top speed of 180 mph.

Others exotics produced on this side of the Atlantic include the Chevrolet Corvette and the Dodge Viper. With a base price of $65,000, the new “Vette” Z06 boasts the most potent small-block V-8 engine that General Motors has ever produced, capable of pushing the vehicle well over 180 mph and from 0-60 in under four seconds. The wicked-looking Viper SRT10 Roadster ($85,000) – with its distinctive grill and convertible clamshell roof – gets similar numbers from its 500-horsepower V-8 engine.

Joe Yogerst is a freelance writer based in San Diego.
Photos: Top Right, Ferrari F430; Left from top, Ford Tungsten GT, Dodge Viper