Koenigsegg CCX

Rank: 10
Introduced: 2006

2007 Koenigsegg CCX + click to enlarge | view slideshow >

The 806-hp CCX, or Competition Coupe X, is capable of going more than 240 mph and claims to be the fastest production vehicle in the world. It’s the latest of several supercar iterations to come from the small Swedish specialty automaker Koenigsegg and the first of their models to be U.S. certified (it will soon sell for about $600,000).

With a body made of Kevlar, carbon fiber and aluminum, the CCX weighs about 2,600 pounds, yet for a supercar it makes unprecedented moves toward functionality in its design. The interior is designed to accommodate taller drivers, and a removable hardtop stows easily under the hood for open-air driving. The company claims that, in terms of safety, the Koenigsegg is a truly Swedish car.

To O’Kane, of the Transportation Design Track at the University of Cincinnati, the Koenigsegg is one of the best-designed vehicles because it takes a different approach in a category where everything has nearly the same shape. While Lamborghinis and other supercars are typically shaped like a wedge, the CCX manages to take a form that’s more beautiful and organic and still have the wind-cheating shape necessary to stay on the ground at 240+ mph.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the design,” she said.