2003 | Mercedes-Benz SL55AMG
SPECS: 493 hp | 155 mph top speed | 14 mpg
PRICE WHEN NEW: $113,915
VALUE TODAY: ▼ $26,200 to $38,600¹
WHAT WE SAID THEN: “The excitement and the feel of that exhaust system tuned with that motor-it was a cross between Mozart and Frank Zappa.”
WHAT WE SAY NOW: Today, our 2003 champion is just an old used car, while the Ferrari 575M, which lost out to the Merc, is an appreciating classic.
2004 | Bentley Continental GT
SPECS: 552 hp | 198 mph top speed | 12 mpg
PRICE WHEN NEW: $149,000
VALUE TODAY: ▼ $26,500 to $38,000¹
WHAT WE SAID THEN: “In accordance with W.O. Bentley's decree, this GT is most certainly an adventure in exhilarating power, elegance, grace and distinction.”
WHAT WE SAY NOW: A pivotal design that ensured the future of Bentley. Ferocious then, and a model that's still garnering COTY honors 19 years later.
2005 Aston Martin DB9
SPECS: 450 hp | 186 mph top speed | 13 mpg
PRICE WHEN NEW: $155,000
VALUE TODAY: ▼ $42,600 to $50,700¹
WHAT WE SAID THEN: “In the gran turismo tradition, it has the distinction of being the shapeliest Aston since the DB5. The DB9 is truly a future classic.”
WHAT WE SAY NOW: We weren't wrong. Henrik Fisker's design remains arguably the most alluring Aston Martin of this century.
2006 Ferrari F430 Spider
SPECS: 483 hp | 193 mph top speed | 13 mpg
PRICE WHEN NEW: $199,000
VALUE TODAY: ▼ $160,000 to $179,000¹
WHAT WE SAID THEN: “Never has Ferrari created so accessible a car, one that is as easy to drive as it is to drool over.”
Today, the
