Manufacturers have always tried to set their cars apart from the crowd, often celebrating iconic events or milestones. Inevitably motorsport features heavily, celebrating a marque’s triumphs on the track. Contemporary limited and special editions, however, tend to lean towards luxury and rarity for their added value. As any collector will confirm, trying to find a Lamborghini Sián or an Audi R8 Green Hell is an arduous and expensive exercise. For the canny investor or enthusiast, the trick is to identify the special editions that will capture the zeitgeist rather than disappear into motoring obscurity (remember the Range Rover Evoque Convertible?). Here, then, are a crew of likely candidates for future collector status.
Power of the silent assassin: Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge
Rolls-Royce’s decision to go electric in 2023 with the Spectre made total sense. The marque is, after all, synonymous with silent, graceful progress. The public agreed; the leviathan twodoor coupé ranks second only to the SUV Cullinan in sales and has been well received by press and owners alike. On the back of this success comes Black Badge, Rolls-Royce’s special edition, aimed at a wholly younger, more style-conscious market. Black Badge owners tend to be drivers rather than passengers and cars are more powerful than standard models, offering better roadholding. They also reflect the owner’s individual tastes; Black Badge is almost infinitely customisable, from wheels to interiors to colours and detailing. And so it is with Black Badge Spectre
Power has been raised to 485kW with a mighty 1 075Nm of torque on tap. It is torque that creates the effortless shove-inthe-small-of-the-back feel so beloved of the enthusiast. Those figures make it the most powerful factory-built Rolls-Royce in history. Of equal importance to the Gen X done-wells is the look. In a moment of genius, Rolls-Royce speaks directly to them with a new colour, Vapour Violet, inspired by the neon lights of the 1980’s and 1990’s club culture, the highpoint of many of their salad days. Equally canny is the Infinity Mode, Rolls-Royce’s version of a sport button, which unleashes a burst of extra power. It’s activated by pushing a button on the steering wheel and references the same concept on Spitfire fighter planes during World War II. Pilots could flip a switch and the (Rolls-Royce-made) Merlin engine would deliver extra power to get them out of tricky situations or back into a commanding position in a dog fight. It’s this smart linkage of heritage, power and authority that has seen the Rolls-Royce brand take off, so to speak, and find new markets among the under-60s.
Rare air: Mercedes-Maybach SL680 Monogram series
If Rolls-Royce (and Bentley) have chosen to accent their dynamism in recent special editions, Mercedes-Benz’s luxury sub-brand Maybach chooses to emphasise outright luxury. Maybach’s emphasis has for most of its existence been on limousines, but for 2025 they have dropped a special version of Stuttgart’s iconic SL two-door cabriolet, itself something of a superstar in Mercedes-Benz lore. The SL680 Monogram Series Maybach (now wholly owned by Mercedes-Benz) has accented the luxury aspect of open-top touring by adding substantial insulation (acoustic fleeces, aluminium butyl surfaces and acoustic foams) and reworking the exhaust system to be as silent and vibration-free as possible. The suspension is equally cossetting, a hydraulic setup with softer springs and energy-absorbing tyres, putting the emphasis squarely on comfort. Visually, the characteristic two-tone Maybach black-and-a-colour continues, with the addition of a new shade of red in garnet-red metallic. There are two specially curated models, Red Ambience and White Ambience. Both make extensive use of white – the ultimate luxury hue – as an interior colour. Under the long bonnet is the 4-litre bi-turbo V8 engine that sees service in other Mercedes-Benz top-tier models. It’s adaption is superbly done here, electronically mapped to emphasise the torque aspect of the unit for effortless, elegant acceleration and fast, fuss-free touring.
Bespoke bushveld: Lexus GX 550 Overtrail
The 4×4 launch of 2023 was undoubtedly Toyota’s Prado, a boxy design triumph with all the off-road ability expected of the world’s largest manufacturer. Its ‘everyman’ element gave the company pause though, and out of the deliberations came the Lexus GX, an upmarket, luxurious 4×4 behemoth. Lexus then went one better, developing the Overtrail Special Edition, a GX aimed at the elegant overlander market that wanted a bespoke 4×4 with a high degree of comfort paired with peerless off-road ability. Job done! The 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tyres and a 20mm wider tread will appeal to the Karoo lovers, as will the reinforced undercarriage protector and its bouquet of off-road driver aids including an adaptable electronic suspension system. Power is provided by Lexus’s V6 twin-turbocharged, 6-cylinder unit, lauded for its smoothness and seamless delivery. Inside, of course, it’s all Lexus, a digital masterclass wrapped in carefully crafted detailing. Mark Levinson sees to the symphony, and there’s a fridge consol box and moonroof in the mix.
by Peter Frost
