The 25 One-Off Custom Cars We Could Never Afford

Each creation on this list represents a unique expression in automotive design and engineering. To clarify, we are not talking about “all show, no go” concept cars here. These whips are real and being driven. While some were the result of special orders by billionaire clientele in partnership with luxury auto manufacturers, others were handcrafted by visionaries looking to turn boyhood dreams into reality. (See #19, Paul Moller Skycar.) Either way, the 25 cars we have chosen each occupy hallowed ground as unbelievably cool, one-of-a-kind dream machines. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

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Most dudes get a bottle of Johnny Walker and a case of frozen steaks for putting in 50 years at a company. This wasn't the case for auto design legend, Giorgetto Giugiaro. To commemorate his half-century of work with Ferrari, top brass assigned him a special project. Utilizing the manufacturing capabilities of the Ferrari factory, his task was to create a one-of-a-kind supercar for himself.

The resulting car was the cleverly titled, GG50. Hand-formed using a 612 platform and boasting a 540 HP V12, it's an intoxicating blend of classic Ferrari design cues and futuristic whimsy. After hitting the auto show circuit in 2005, the GG50 was returned to Turin, Italy, where it remains today, in full working order as part of Giugiaro's extensive automotive stable.

Jay Leno has a ton of unique, jaw-dropping dream machines. But nothing attracts more attention than his chromed-out Tank Car. The car, if you can call it that, produces a whopping 1,600 HP out of a twin-turbocharged engine that weighs 200 pounds more than a stock Geo Metro. You would think with all that power the tank would be crazy fast. Think again. It lays down a quarter mile in a paltry 14.3 seconds at 93 mph. Either way, it's cool and happens to be the only one in the world.

This stunner began life as just another 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom. It was not until the owners handed the car to custom coachbuilder Jonckheere in the early ’30s that it was transformed into its current sultry shape. Because of its extensive customization, this aero-bodied coupe has been blackballed from major collector car events around the world, organizers consistently calling its veracity into question. We don’t care. Have you seen this thing? It's an absolute showstopper and easily one of the most striking cars ever built.

How could the world's smallest road legal car not be on the list? And it has flames on the side! Sweet.

How does one upgrade the ridiculously insane Ferrari F50? Well, if you are the Sultan of Brunei, you sink a ton of cash into a stupidly awesome redesign. Next to nothing is known about the ultra-secretive Bolide project. However, based on the very few pictures that exist, it appears that the car was completely transformed. In fact, it seems clear that a completely different body shell was fitted to stock F50 internals. Alas, we'll probably never know. It is forever entombed in the vast warehouses of the Sultan's palace.

If you are looking for elegance or grace, this street-legal, race-inspired Porsche is totally not for you. Built for TAG chief, Mansour Ojjeh, this 935 serves as a reminder of what happens when overly enthusiastic engineers decide to "go crazy" on a project.

Paul Moller is an idiot. But he might be a genius. He has somehow managed to convince investors to sink more than $100 million into his M400 flying car project. While the car itself is totally cool and sort of unbelievable, the project seems too far ahead of its time. The Skycar made the list because it looks frickin' awesome and it's the only one around.

Built in 2006 by the legendary duo known as the “Blastolene Brothers,” this land yacht is nearly 20 feet long and 8 feet wide. It features cool retro styling, has a mammoth V12 under the hood, and can be driven on the street. What could be better than that? It recently sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction to an ambitious bidder who took it home for a mere $425,000.

The Thrust SSC is the fastest car on the planet. It broke the sound barrier in 1997 with a recorded speed of 763.035 mph. It produces 108,999 more horsepower than the Bugatti Veyron. You do the math.

Can you imagine stuffing a priceless piece of automotive history into a barn for 20 years, forgetting about its very existence? Well, that is exactly what happened to this ultra-rare Bertone B.A.T 1. It began life as an aerodynamic exercise (thus the clever acronym B.A.T., which stands for Berlina Aerodinamica Technica) by coachbuilder Bertone. It eventually found a permanent home in the U.S. with Fortune editor, Richard Austin Smith. It was recently restored after changing ownership and is thankfully back to its original glory. It's an undeniably cool ride and the only one known to exist.

When Bugatti teamed up with a prominent porcelain manufacturing company in Berlin, some thought they had plans to produce the world's most expensive toilet. But in reality, they were developing yet another iteration of the already brilliant Veyron. The result of their collective efforts is the L'or Blanc. It features a dizzying, yet strangely seductive incorporation of high-quality porcelain in its interior and exterior paint scheme. At $2.4 million, it's the only car on this list currently for purchase.

The Doane Spencer Highboy is essentially the mother of all hot rods. Born in the early ’40s out of the genius that was Doane Spencer, this classic one-off has won a myriad of prestigious awards and is widely regarded as the most coveted hot rod of all time. It was recently restored to its original glory by legendary collector Bruce Meyer.

This striking Delage is far and away the best-looking car on the list. Its lines are fantastic, and the stunning, muted silver exterior exudes the essence of a WWII fighter plane. In 2005, it won “Best in Show” at the world's most prestigious collector car event, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

This car recently made news when Birdman, co-founder of Cash Money Records and certified badass, snatched it up for an eye-popping $8 million. It rocks a 5.9L Twin Turbo V12 that pumps out 700 screaming horses at a top speed of 219 mph. Nonetheless, it makes this list not for extreme price or performance, but for achieving the ultimate "holy crap" factor. Go ahead, stare a while.

The Cadzilla is one of those hot rods you don't forget. Its super low-slung stance and stealthy black paint impart a sexy yet foreboding demeanor. Created by late hot rod designer extraordinaire, Boyd Coddington, this beastly machine remains today a pinnacle of American design and hand-built craftsmanship. Want it? You'll have to wait a while. ZZ Top front man, Billy Gibbons, is the current owner and he'll probably be taking it to the grave.

Commissioned by real estate billionaire and esteemed Ferrari aficionado Peter Kalikow, the SuperAmerica 45 is essentially a stock 599 with an added retractable carbon fiber roof. It also happens to be drop-dead gorgeous. It currently resides in Kalikow's ultra-secret garage, hundreds of feet below the buzzing streets of midtown Manhattan.

In classic Lamborghini fashion, this strikingly beautiful Miura Roadster was destined for immortality when executives cancelled the roadster project in 1969. Only one working show car was built before designs were scrapped to make room for more ambitious pursuits. This one-of-a-kind roadster was recently restored to its original glory and sold at auction to prominent real estate developer, Adam Gordon. It remains one of the rarest Lamborghinis in existence.

This custom Phantom Coupe is the ultimate embodiment of ridiculousness. Crafted by DC Designs, it has the rounded butt of a Nissan Z and the hulking front-end of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Even more outlandish are the ghetto-fabulous scissor doors and bright red interior. It's weird, ostentatious, and totally in your face. We love it.

This XJ13 takes the cake as the most striking (and valuable) racecar on this list. It was designed to be a Ferrari killer but never made it to the track due to ever- changing race regulations. It is sleek, brilliantly engineered, and the rarest Jaguar in existence. It is so rare that the current owners recently turned down an $11 million bid to purchase the car.

Don't be fooled by this Duesenberg's faded yellow exterior. This thing is an absolute animal. In fact, many enthusiasts consider this racer to be the ultimate Duesenberg. Built to break land speed records, it eventually proved to be one of the fastest cars in the world. It was recently sold at auction for a whopping $4,455,000. The car subsequently captured “Best in Show” at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Though standard BMW M1s are pretty rare, this particular one happens to be priceless. It was hand-painted by Pop Art legend Andy Warhol as part of the “Art Car Project” initiated by BMW in the mid 1970s. With Warhol's passing in 1987, this car will forever retain its status as the one and only Warhol Art Car.

Most cars that run on a turbine jet engine look a little weird. Not the EcoJet Bio. This one-off supercar is dripping with futuristic panache. Built in partnership between GM and Jay Leno, it has a Honeywell LT101 jet engine crammed into its trunk, runs on a combination of bio-diesel and jet fuel, and produces about 700 horsepower. Jay reportedly drives the car frequently and recently raced it against a plane at a local airport. The car won.

If 50 Cent had been around in the 1930s, this beast would have been his chosen pimp mobile. At nearly 13 feet long, this flamboyant custom features massive rear suicide doors and a garish elephant-head mascot perched proudly atop its enormous radiator. After being out of the spotlight for more than half a century, the Daimler recently made a triumphant return to the public eye by winning “Best in Show” at The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

A stock '71 HemiCuda was a pretty sharp car in its day. But this custom Cuda is just plain sexy. To craft this custom resto-rod, Alan Johnson of Johnson's Hot Rod Shop, embarked on an epic, 15,000-hour build. Upon completion of the two-year project, the 870 horsepower Cuda was tested at speeds in excess of 200 mph. It was recently sold to a private collector for a respectable $555,000.

This is it. The Big Kahuna. The best of the best. Built by Pininfarina over a 2003 Ferrari Enzo, the P4/5 is a meteoric achievement in modern automotive design. It was commissioned by hedge fund manager and collector extraordinaire, Jim Glickenhaus, as part of a project to build a one-off car that would pay homage to his classic 1967 Ferrari 330 P 3/4. The completed car, which debuted at Pebble Beach in 2006, was met with great fanfare from the Ferrari community and remains one of the most eye-catching cars of all time. Oh, what did it cost, you ask? About $4 million.