$105K, 438 hp guilt trip

0 Comments | USA TODAY, May, 2007

Remember when gas-electric hybrids were a kind of virtue car? A fuel-efficient Toyota Prius, for example, pretty much makes the "save the planet" bumper sticker redundant.

But in a world of affluence and multiple temptations, the hybrid car was bound to morph into something else, as the technology got harnessed to generate more power rather than burn less gas.

Now Toyota's luxury division has taken this development to its illogical conclusion in the form of the Lexus LS 600h L, the world's first luxury hybrid muscle car. It's the ultimate driving machine for those with ample amounts of both cash and liberal guilt. It can be yours for prices starting at $104,715.

Between its gasoline and electric engines, it packs a tire-screeching 438 horsepower...