Every little boy has at one time or another, had a poster of his favourite supercar donning his wall. This month we take a look at some of the hottest, fastest and most desirable of these dream vehicles, that very few of us will actually get to own.

2012 Aston Martin Vantage

Aston Martin's updated V8 Vantage will be powered by a 32-Valve 4735 cc V8, capable of accelerating this rear-wheel-drive aristocrat from 0-100 km/h in under five seconds. From there this blue blood can groove to a top speed of 290 km/h. The Vantage's exquisite styling is matched only by the deep growl of its British heart, which revs to 7300 in order to push out 313 kW of power and 470 Nm of torque at 5000 RPM. Local release info isn't available yet, but in the UK the Coupe and Roadster versions pricing starts at $85 000 (about R1 073 000), making it the least expensive car in this "I've won the lotto" wish list.

Porsche 911 Turbo S

Posh as the Aston may be, it won't beat its archrival, the Porsche 911 Turbo S on the racetrack. This is because the Turbo S sports a 3800 cc V6 beating out 390 kW between 6250 and 6750 RPM. This rear-mounted power-plant pushes out enough torque (700 Nm, between 2100 - 4250 min) to turn Mount Kilimanjaro into a molehill, and helps propel the Turbo S to 100 km/h in a just 3.3 seconds on to a top speed of 315 km/h. The multi-clutch Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) system sends power to all four wheels, helping to keep the car grounded. A mere R2 233 000 will see this German madchen parked in your garage.

Lamborghini Aventador

Lamborghini's new flagship model churns out an astonishing 515 kW at 8250 RPM and 690 Nm of torque at 5500 RPM courtesy of its 6.5 liter V12. All that power underneath your right foot, means you can rocket from 0-100 km/h in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 2.9 seconds onto a terminal velocity of 350 km/h. Unfortunately this staggering performance makes the Italian beast quite thirsty, with a claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 17.2 l/100 km. Its price-tag is as epic as the performance though, since R5.7 million needs to disappear from your savings to sniff the Aventador's leather interior on a daily basis. O yes, you also need to wait 18 months for an order.

Ferrari 458 Italia

This not so reasonably priced (R3 400 000) baby Ferrari, is the entry-level car in the Italian car maker's thoroughbred stable (if it was a BMW it would be a 1 series). Even though the first models started rolling out the factory in 2010, this is still the best looking supercar out there in our opinion. Once you stop admiring the look and head onto the road, the 458's dual-clutch, seven speed F1 gearbox will assist you in sending the power to the rear wheels. This car produces 419 kW at a heavenly 9000 RPM and maximum torque of 540 Nm at 6000 RPM, helping the Italian stallion gallop from 0-100 km/h in under 3.4 seconds on to a maximum speed of 325 km/h.

McLaren MP4-12C

Just like Porsche's 911 Turbo S, McLaren Automotive's MP4-12C accelerates from rest to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, on to rocket to the higher top end of 330 km/h. Aston Martin's less posh, track-focused British neighbour has delivered a car whose mid-mounted 3.8 litre V8 twin-turbo engine delivers 441 kW at 7000 RPM and 600 Nm of torque between 3000 and 7000 RPM. All this, whilst ensuring that you don't get to first name basis with your petrol pump attendant too soon, since the combined fuel consumption figure is a claimed 11.7l / 100km. With a carbon fibre composite body, 7-speed Seamless Shift gearbox and a vast amount of head-turning power, the McLaren MP4 will demand the R3.2 million lying around in your bank account.

Article first appeared in TechSmart 104, May 2012.