A personal luxury car is a highly styled, luxury vehicle with an emphasis on image over practicality. Accenting the comfort and satisfaction of its owner and driver above all else, the personal luxury car sometimes sacrifices passenger capacity, cargo room, and fuel economy in favor of style and perceived cachet, as well as offering a high level of features and trim. Typically mass produced by employing a two-door platform with common mechanical components beneath their distinctive exteriors, these vehicles were a lucrative segment of the post-World War II automotive marketplace.

The Bentley brand stakes a time-honored claim in the ultra-luxury class. The sleek Continental GT is one of the fastest 4-seat coupes available in the world, boasting a 552 horsepower twin-turbo W12 engine that powers all four wheels. Not only is it the first all-wheel-drive Bentley, the Continental GT also is the least expensive, with a starting price at a mere $159,900. Joining the Continental GT coupe last year was the 4-door Flying Spur.

Aston Martin rides high with the all-new DB9. The two-plus-two sports car offered in both Coupe and Volante (convertible) versions replaced the DB7 for the 2004 model year. The hand-built DB9's 450-horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine is available with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. Aston Martin is also considering a sleek 4-door sedan based on the DB9. A concept 4-door called the Rapide was shown at January's North American International Auto Show.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, CL-Class coupe and SL-Class roadster are all lavishly equipped, but it's their powerplants that distinguish them from their lesser-priced siblings. The S55, CL55 and SL55 all sport supercharged V8 engines producing an impressive 493 horsepower. The S600, CL600 and SL600 get the same power output from a twin-turbo V12 under the hood. Look for details of an all-new S-Class coming soon.

BMW recently joined this elite group with its 760 luxury sedan. The top-end of the 7-series lineup, the 760 (and long-wheelbase 760Li) offers an expansive rear seating area, impressive handling and excellent performance from its 438-horsepower V12 engine.

Audi now brings an entry to this list with the A8 L W12. This extended-wheelbase version of the A8 sports a 450-horsepower W12 engine teamed with the automaker's legendary quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Jaguar has also moved up into the $100,000-plus arena with the all-new Super V8 Portfolio sedan. This limited-edition XJ Sedan features a sporting style, with sculpted aluminum power vents in the front wings, a distinctive mesh grille and polished 20-inch alloy wheels. Inside are such amenities as a DVD system with twin rear display-screens, four-zone air conditioning and an Alpine Dolby Prologic II surround-sound audio. Under the hood is the latest version of Jaguar's supercharged 4.2-liter V8 putting out 400 horsepower.

Maserati also steps up to this elite group with the introduction of the new Quattroporte. Priced just below $100,000, the Quattroporte features a shape and styling cues, as well as the famous trident badge, that identifiy it as a Maserati. Rosewood, briarwood and mahogany are standard interior treatments; however, buyers can personalize the cabin, even specifying a titanium finish if they wish. The new Maserati sedan boasts a compact 4.2-liter V8 engine producing 400 horsepower. It gives this luxury sedan the performance expected of a Maserati: 0-62 mph comes up in just 5.3 seconds.

There are a number of other vehicles well above the $100,000 mark but wouldn't necessarily be categorized as luxury automobiles. Many of these are ultra-high performance cars from brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.