We’re watching every major auto show for signs that the cars available to consumers will begin to reflect the struggles facing the auto industry, but there’s little noticeable slowdown in the rate with which flashy, super-powered rides are being introduced. The

kicks off the domestic show circuit, and as enthusiasts, we’re particularly pleased to see the following vehicles at the show. If it’s possible to spend our way out of a recession, here are 10 cars and trucks that should help those more fortunate part with a few extra dollars.

As a conveyance that allows even Aston Martin owners to take four people somewhere in a single car, the Rapide could almost be considered a concession to the recession. Almost. Then you consider the price tag well in excess of $200,000, an amount that would alternately buy a nice Hummer H2—there are deals to be had!—for each of those four people. But the Aston makes a far more acceptable statement these days.

Practical concerns be damned. The practical thing to do at this point would be to move to Greece and become a shepherd, because wool and gyros are two things this world is going nowhere without. But if you’re sticking around the U.S., you might as well be seen in a $150,000-plus, 525-hp roadster. Being

impractical is so much more fun, and you could maybe deflect criticism about conspicuous consumption by spinning the cloth top as a poverty-level compromise. Maybe not.

and In the ultimate greenie kiss-off, BMW recently introduced a pair of hybrids that use 400-plus-hp V-8s and accelerate to 60 mph in about five seconds. You wanted hybrids, enviro-nerds, and now you have them. Oh, and the gas-electric X6 costs $89,775. Thinking about buying your way out of the recession with a Prius? The hybrid 7 will contribute almost five times as much to the economy with a sticker price in excess of $100,000.

New global economy or not, the American Way just can’t continue without menacing, stratospheric-hp suicide machines like the Dodge Viper. Little in the Viper or ACR world changes for 2010, but hope for the American future lies in the announcement that the snake will exist for another generation after this one fizzles out in 2010. If all it took were horsepower to pull us out of this recession, the Viper would have done it already.

Recession busting isn’t just for the otherworldly wealthy; it’s for the common upper-middle class, too. The GX460 offers little the cheaper Toyota 4Runner doesn’t, except for a higher price and enhanced social posturing. Consider the premium you’ll pay over the Toyota a charitable contribution to your fellow Americans.

As the housing market continues its dogged hunt for Red October, $350,000 could scoop up an increasing array of impressive homes. In beleaguered Michigan, that sum might buy you the deed to a small town or two. You’d really just want the roads connecting them, though. Cleared of traffic, they’d be the perfect place to exploit the LFA’s 553-hp, 4.8-liter V-10. As a bonus, your personal Department of Public Works would create jobs for your newly acquired peasantry.

The $150,000 or so Maserati GranTurismo cabriolet will no doubt be fast, but not $150,000 fast. The GT cabrio will instead be $150,000 fabulous. It’s a car that says you have no priority above looking good and being seen, a recession-busting statement if ever there were one.

Nothing says “recession busting” quite like the E63 (and its sacred wagon derivative). Why? Because it

could be a totally mundane—and almost attainably priced—family hauler and grocery getter, except for the fact that it has 518 hp. Insisting on that sort of overkill for daily duty is exactly the uncompromising lunacy that is going to end these dark days.

Everybody wins with this one. With pricing of original Gullwings through the roof and the floor dropping out from beneath the feet of our richest citizens—national treasure that they are—the $200,000 or so the SLS AMG will command represents a significant saving over an original while still dispensing a healthy sum to the economy. And we have no doubt the Mercedes dealer will spend that sum locally on bread and sneakers.

At a price of $61,200, this might be the most sensible car of this assemblage. The premium of only $2250 over a similar Boxster S is actually sane—particularly by Porsche special-edition standards—and nets real performance and aesthetic gains. And being a Boxster, it will be nearly mechanically perfect: a flawless mood-improvement machine. Go buy one—or three—now, and end this recession once and for all.

Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/recession_busters_the_10_most_hollywood_cars_of_the_2009_l.a._auto_show-feature