When times are good, it's not uncommon to see supercars trading hands at well above their retail price, especially for limited-production exotica. But you'd figure that with the economy in shambles such speculation would have been all but completely eliminated. After all, we've already brought you several reports of the owners of special-edition Bugatti Veyrons selling their limited-production hypercars to raise a little liquid capital. But according to the latest reports, one exclusive high-end supercar is being traded as a solid investment.

While the Pagani Zonda's price has risen dramatically over the years, its production numbers haven't. The original C12 launched in 2000 listed for £200k ($300k by today's money, but a lot more back then) and only four were made. The C12S was launched two years later with a £330k ($500k) price tag; coming in fixed-roof and roadster versions, 18 and 13 examples of each were built, respectively. By the time the Zonda F rolled around in 2005, prices had more than doubled over the original C12 to £470k ($700k), and over the past four years Pagani has built 25 coupes and 25 roadsters. The new Zonda R track special commands a huge £1.4m ($2m) price. But as much as the prices for new Zonda have skyrocketed, the trading price for used ones has defied the economy by shooting up, too. An original £200k C12 is now worth 150% more at £300k ($450k), while a £470k Zonda F recently sold for nearly a million pounds sterling (about $1.5 million at today's rates). Buyers reportedly see the Zonda, whose supply is far exceeded by demand, as a sound investment when more conventional choices have proven unreliable. So there you have it, Bernie Madoff has driven up the demand for exotic Italian supercars.




[Source: Croatian Times via Top Gear]