Special edition cars are very cool. Even if they are based on models of cars that are more readily available in a standard form, everyone loves a special edition. The chance to own a bit of exclusivity will certainly give you a few bragging rights over your friends and allow you to stand out from the crowd. The fact they will be available in just limited numbers certainly makes them all the more enticing. There have been some amazing special editions over the years, ranging from sports cars to supercars.
Even though we're barely six months into 2021, there have already been some pretty spectacular special editions from several car companies. Not all of them have been crazy high-performance supercars or hypercars from the likes of Pagani or Ferrari, but they all stand out from the crowd and are worthy of a place on this list of the coolest special edition cars of 2021. At least, so far they are. Who knows what will come later in the year as we head into the summer months.
10 McLaren 720S Gulf Livery
McLaren recently presented this stunning-looking 720S in the iconic Gulf Livery, which was hand-painted and took 20 days to complete. It was done by McLaren Special Operations and was done not long after the Formula 1 team unveiled its stunning-looking Gulf Racing livery for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Only a limited number of customers will have the opportunity to see their 720S hand-painted into Gulf colors.
9 Alpine A110S Felipe Pantone
Alpine unveiled this rather dazzling A110S ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. The A110 was the first car built by Alpine in some years when it launched in 2017, and this A110S was created in conjunction with artist Felipe Pantone.
It was a hand-painted finish that took several weeks of work, and Pantone said that he wanted to create a sense of “ultradynamism” with the paintwork.
8 Abarth 1000 SP
This stunning Abarth 1000 SP was created as something of a tribute to the original Alfa Romeo 1000 SP of the 1960s. Developed by Alfa Romeo, it features a hybrid frame with a carbon fiber central cell and an aluminum front end.
Power is provided by a 1.7-liter four-cylinder turbo engine that produces 237 hp, a very similar level of output compared to the original 1000 SP.
7 Aston Martin V12 Speedster DBR1 Spec
Aston Martin’s V12 Speedster has certainly turned heads with its windshield-less approach. Earlier in 2021 though they revealed this stunning edition with a DBR1 optional specification, with meticulously crafted details paying homage to Aston Martin’s 1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1, the most successful racing car in Aston Martin’s history.
The Speedster DBR1 is finished in Aston Martin racing green and comes with other custom features such as the Clubsport White pinstripe and roundels plus the Conker saddle leather.
6 Polestar 1 Special Edition
Polestar is the EV and hybrid side of the Volvo operation, and earlier in 2021, they revealed this particularly stunning-looking gold edition of the Polestar 1.
The Polestar 1’s power output is 609 hp, and this gold finish is to be available in a limited run of just 25 units. It has been done to celebrate the end of the production life of the Polestar 1, which is coming later in 2021.
5 Lotus Exige And Elise Final Editions
This year is an emotional one for the Lotus company. Not only are they creating their last gasoline-powered car, but they have bid farewell to the Elise and the Exige after 25 and 21 years respectively.
Lotus launched five Final Edition cars to mark the end of an era, which are possibly the ultimate iterations of the classic British sports cars that became renowned for their handling.
4 Bugatti Divo Lady Bug
Bugatti is certainly not afraid to create an amazing, bespoke design. This Lady Bug Divo unveiled earlier in 2021 was no exception. The car was commissioned by an American collector and features a diamond pattern that runs precisely from the front, over the sides, and to the rear of the Divo.
This was one of the company's most challenging creations, one that took many hours and around 1,600 diamonds to create.
3 Ferrari 812 Competizione
Ferrari wanted to create the perfect showcase of their nnaturally-aspiratedV12 engine, so thus they created the rather stunning 812 Competizione. The engine is developed from the 812 Superfast, with a Targa Top version dubbed the Competizione A also to be on offer to customers.
The car is all about putting the focus of the car back on the driver and making them feel at one with the 819 hp V12 engine and the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
2 Pagani Huayra R
Pagani is no stranger whatsoever to creating extreme, track-only special editions of its car. The Huayra R is certainly one of those.
Its naturally aspirated V12 engine produces a whopping 850 hp in a car that the company says incorporates the technology of future Pagani models. They are to cost 2.6 million euros each and only 30 examples of the car will ever be made.
1 Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition
Whilst not the most outlandish special edition here, the GT-R Nismo Special edition still deserves a mention. An exposed carbon fiber hood has to be the stand-out feature on the car, plus it is finished in quite a striking Stealth Grey livery.
Exclusive 20-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels with a red accent are also part of this exclusive Nismo Special Edition. It has the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine as the GT-R Nismo, producing 592 hp. Sources: Nissan, Pagani, Polestar, Ferrari, Bugatti