About Cars.....

The Bentley Continental GT has been awarded as "Best Way To Blend In With Celebrities" in the "Best Cars 2005" award by Forbes.

The Lamborghini Murciélago has been awarded as "Best Way To Make Celebrities Jealous".

The Bugatti Veyron has been awarded as "Most Outrageous Car Ever".

Here are some words we never thought we'd see in a feature about cars: The French are back. With the recent production startup of its $1.2 million Veyron 16.4 sports car, French automaker Bugatti has restored its country's former mystique in the automotive world.

French cars of the 1930s are among the most beautiful and highly prized collector's items in the world. In 1939, a 57C model brought Bugatti its second and final championship in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race (and tragically, in the same year, a 57C killed Jean Bugatti, who was the car's designer and the son of the company's founder, as he was testing it). The 57, like other French cars of the late 1930s, drew heavily on the Art Deco style. The vehicle would be beloved on looks alone but is a landmark in motor sports as well.

Type 57 Bugattis won Le Mans in 1937 and 1939, as French cars ruled the race for a short time. In both 1937 and 1938, the top four spots at Le Mans were won by the legendary French manufacturers Bugatti, Delahaye, Delage and Talbot.

Before the Veyron, cars like the 57C represented the high point of French motoring--and many people never expected France to rise above the level of pedestrian Renaults and Peugots and return to its former glory. But the Veyron has instantly catapulted the country back to the top of the exotic car market, and we honor it in the following slide show of 2005's best cars.

We have awarded the Veyron the title of "Most Outrageous Car Ever." It receives this honor for several reasons, none more impressive than its combination of price and top speed (over 248 mph).