From time to time it's great to have the opportunity to get hold of a special edition model, with some holding their value much longer than standard models they are particularly desirable to collectors and those that value exclusivity. These models come in a variety of different styles, some have increased performance while others feature dramatic styling changes. In this blog, we look at some of the most stand-out limited edition cars produced over the years.
Ford Mustang BULLITT
50 years after the release of Bullitt featuring the legendary Steve McQueen and his iconic 1968 Ford Mustang GT, Ford have paid homage to the cult classic by releasing an anniversary edition Mustang with an upgraded 5.0-litre V8 engine delivering 475 BHP and Dark Highland Green paint, amongst other styling changes such as a unique Bullitt badge on the steering wheel and the rear of the car, a white 'cue ball' shift knob and black Recaro sports seats with green stitching. Interestingly, despite the modern-day popularity of automatic transmission models, the BULLITT Mustang is only available in manual. Ford has not yet announced how many models will be made however the very first model has sold for a whopping $300,000 (£215,000) at auction.
Toyota Yaris GRMN
Perhaps one of the quirkiest acronyms given to a car, the Toyota Yaris GRMN (Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring) is a performance variant of the popular marque most known for being one of the cheapest hybrid cars money can buy. It came as a surprise that Toyota would provide the Yaris GRMN with an engine with more power than their flagship sports car, the GT86, however as only 400 models will be built for the European market, it's not something that will ever supersede the '86. As for paper stats, the model has a 1.8-litre supercharged four-cylinder engine producing 209 BHP and a Torsen limited-slip differential, it's by no means an ordinary hatchback and is Toyota's latest attempt at a hot hatch.
Aston Martin Vanquish S Red Arrows Edition
Following on from their previous success with their V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80 Edition and Inspired by the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's aerobatic unit, Q by Aston Martin created 10 limited edition models styled after the BAE Systems 'Hawk' plane sported by the unit during displays. Aston Martin actually donated the tenth model produced to the RAF to raffle off to one lucky winner in support of the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund charity. The car its-self features a very extrovert 'Eclat Red' named after the Red Arrows' motto and is powered by the same 5.9 litres 592 BHP naturally aspirated V12 as the standard Vanquish S. Extra styling includes a unique 'charge' pattern inlaid into the carbon roof, Union Jack enamel wing badges and a white/blue carbon side skirt livery to mimic the smoke trail of the red arrows.
Dodge Challenger Demon
The 'Demon' is essentially an even more obscene Challenger Hellcat, it's a drag-strip bred monster producing 840 BHP from its massive supercharged 6.2L V8 with 25 major component upgrades. It's already broken 5 production car world records including -
- Highest horsepower of any production car
- Highest G-force by a production car
- First wheelie by a production car
- World's fastest 0-60 of any production car
- World's fastest quarter-mile of any production car
*excluding non-mass production vehicles and hybrids.
As for styling changes, you'll see placements of the new Demon logo around the cabin and front quarter panel as well as Dodge's new Air-Grabber hood scoop, the worlds largest functional hood scoop opening on any production car. In total, only 3300 were made.
Other Honourable Mentions
Mercedes-Benz A-Class Motorsport Edition
Styled after Mercedes-AMG's Petronas Formula 1 team, Motorsport Edition models came with placements of petrol green around the alloy wheels, rear spoiler and front bumper and were exclusive to the A-Class model. The same design follows through to the interior, with the green trim tastefully applied around the air vents and on the sporty seats. There were no performance enhancements for this particular variant, it was simply the styling change. It's unclear as to just how many models were made in total however production ran from early January to May 2016.
Volkswagen Polo Harlequin
You'll have likely spotted one of these eye-catching MK3 Polo's and wondered why someone would do such a thing to a car, so this may come as a surprise to you that it was Volkswagen themselves were the ones that brought the multi-coloured monstrosity to life. Released in 1995, the Polo Harlequin originally had a limited production run of 1,000 units however roughly 4,000 units were produced, 2,500 of which were made in the UK. There was no difference in performance capabilities over the standard Polo, it was just the mismatched colouring.
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