For any automobile to be considered an Exotic Car, I feel it should at some point have adorned the wall of many a teenage boys bedroom in poster form. My old room had many exceptional machines on it's walls, including a Ferrari 288 GTO and F40, Porsche 959 and 911 Turbo and of course a Lamborghini Countach.
These cars are the stuff of dreams. Not only do you need a serious chunk of change to buy one, their running costs are astronomical. For instance, a timing belt change in a mid-engined Ferrari costs approximately £3000 sterling, as one has to remove the engine to do so (and Ferrari mechanics are not cheap!). Not to mention insurance. Most brokers laugh in your face when you come to them, cap in hand, with your average mildly warm hatchback. Can you imagine what fun they would have quoting a hot blooded young male for a years fully comprehensive policy on a McLaren F1? I doubt most telephone numbers would have as many digits. It would probably be cheaper to start your own insurance company.
The truth is, if you can afford an exotic car in the first place you most likely won't mind about such trivial matters as running costs. These motors are bought by people with some serious wedge, and those who don't mind the world knowing it. Not all of the worlds super rich are fans of flash cars however. Mr.Bill Gates, the worlds richest man, apparently drove a Volvo! Admittedly it's was a nice Volvo (an S80), and he also has a selection of fine cars including a specially imported Porsche 959 (one of only a handful in the USA, as it was never officially certified by Porsche for sale in the US). But he apparently was so impressed with the way Volvo had changed their image from builders of boxy "safety" cars to a luxury-executive prestige brand, he went out and got one for daily use.
For a true blue car enthusiast (one with money that is) look no further than the Sultan of Brunei. Now he may not be the world's richest man anymore, due to falls in the price of oil, the Asian currency crisis and not to mention his family's stupendous spending spree's, (although I think as of 2007 he is on his way back up the net worth ladder!) but he sure does appreciate a fine motor-car. He has literally thousands of Ferrari's, Porsche's, Mercedes-Benz's, Rolls-Royce's and so on, many of which are tailor made for him by the factory. For example, he has Ferrari 456 saloons, estates and convertibles, none of which are found in your average Ferrari dealership (if there is such a thing!).
In a nutshell, an Exotic car is one that is either very fast, expensive, extraordinary looking and exclusive. Generally they are all of the above. For model makers, they provide terrific subject matter. After all, a 1/18th scale Ferrari is better than no Ferrari at all!
The following list contains those models from my collection which I consider to be Exotics.Click on them to find out more.
