Unbelievable! Jaw-Dropping Performance SHOCKS Judges & Wins Golden Buzzer | BGT 2025

Will Young recalls standing up to Simon Cowell: ‘I really disliked him’

Will Young has reflected on the moment he stood up to Simon Cowell while competing on Pop Idol.

Appearing on Elizabeth Day’s How To Fail podcast, Young was quizzed about the moment he called out Cowell for the judge’s scathing remarks during a performance on the show in 2002.

Young, then 22, performed a rendition of The Doors’s “Light My Fire” on the first ever series of the singing competition.

Cowell called the performance “distinctly average”, and Young took the opportunity to call out the judge’s track record of giving aspiring singers brutal feedback.

Reflecting on that moment, Young said he knew he wanted to stand up to Cowell.

“I thought if you get a moment then people will remember you,” he said. “And then I also knew that I really disliked that man. And I’d met him before on the This Morning boy band competition.”

“And I remember thinking I really don’t like that man, and I went to a school where I was surrounded by … quite unpleasant men. So, my radar for people who I perceive as unpleasant is quite on. And I just want to be careful.

“I’m not saying that he’s abusive, but my radar is pretty good. So my reaction was on live TV when I came across him.

Young added that he thought Cowell needed to be “put in his place”.

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“Because I had to sit and watch him make people cry for weeks, building up to my live performance in front of him,” he continued. “And I just thought, ‘no one’s telling this man. Why is no one telling him?’ And so I was like, ‘I’m going to tell him.’”

“I think people in the music industry, entertainment industry… play on people’s desire. Your desire is going to make you do anything,” he added.

Young recalled that he had “already had my first bout of depression” by the time of the incident, which affected his handling of the situation.

“I’d lost someone close to me. I knew a bit of life. It wasn’t the be all and end all,” he said. “And so. I didn’t care about letting someone like him get away with it. Whereas I think lots of people in subsequent programs, I think there has been some awful behaviour actually, which is pretty well documented.”

At the time, Cowell watched Young’s performance and told him: “I’ve got a vision of Sunday lunch and after Sunday lunch you say in front of your family ‘I’m now going to sing a song for you’… Distinctly average, I’m afraid.”

Young told Cowell that he often “projected insults” onto contestants.

“All of us have been dying to say things to you – I’ve written about ten things to say to you,” the singer said. “I think it’s nice that you have given opinions on this show. I think in previous shows you haven’t, you’ve just projected insults and it has been terrible to watch. I think, this show, I think you have been better, and I think you have given opinions and you’ve backed up your opinions.”

“It is your opinion. I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it was average. I don’t think you could ever call that average. But it is your opinion and I respect that.”

Cowell backed down and replied: “You are a gentleman, sir.”

How to Fail with Elizabeth Day is available wherever you get your podcasts.

The 8 Most Expensive Supercars Ever Built

Ranking The Most Expensive Supercars

Acquiring the reputation of “the most expensive car in the world” is not a simple task. As you make your way through our list of the most remarkable competitors for the title of most expensive supercars, you’ll notice something: even the most eye-catching designs, bespoke bodies, super-powered engines, and other features aren’t enough to win the top prize.

We have included not only the top three most costly supercars but also a selection of supercars that we believe are more magnificent and beautiful in this road-worthy exclusive list. You will, without a doubt, recognize many of the names that are listed here. We’d like to introduce you to our list of the top 8 most expensive supercars!

What Makes a Car a Luxury Car?

What makes a luxury automobile different from a budget car? Brand recognition and price used to be the answer, but nowadays, automakers are innovating more. With sustainability, new innovations like electric vehicles, and a renewed focus on a smooth, gratifying, and enjoyable driving experience, the latest luxury vehicles are creative pieces of art.

It’s important to remember the years of craftsmanship that went into each new generation of luxury cars. Automakers choose premium materials, hire the world’s best engineers to design the concept, and conduct studies to create a sought-after style. The following are all luxury cars for your enjoyment!

The Most Expensive Supercars

Aston Martin Valkyrie: $3 Million

The Aston Martin Valkyrie is a limited production hybrid sports car built in collaboration by several British automobile manufacturers, including Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing Advanced Technologies, and a few other companies. It is also known by its code names, which include AM-RB 001 and Nebula.

The goal of the project was to develop a track-oriented car that is completely usable and enjoyable as a road car!

McLaren Speedtail: $3 Million

McLaren Speedtail – Hybrid Hyper-GT on the background of a modern combat aircraft

The Speedtail is an ultra-exclusive hybrid built to memorialize the classic McLaren F1 supercar from the 1990s, and it’s undoubtedly one of the most attractive cars on this list. The hybrid powertrain of the Speedtail has two electric motors, producing 1,036 horsepower.

There is no need for a sun visor on the Speedtail because it has electrochromic glass that darkens at the touch of a button. When in “Velocity mode,” HD cameras installed on the front guards retract from view and pop out when the ignition is turned on, thus, removing the need for door mirrors in the Speedtail and enhancing overall performance.

Lamborghini Veneno: $4.5 Million

Italian automaker Lamborghini created the Veneno, a high-performance sports car with a small production run. The Veneno was created to commemorate Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary, based on the Lamborghini Aventador. It was first displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013. It was one of the most expensive production cars in the world when it was first released, costing $4,000,000. To date, it’s the most expensive new Lamborghini ever.

Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta: $17.5 Million

In the realm of supercars, the Pagani Zonda stands alone as a vehicle that is both epic and historic. Legendary because of its unique design, powerful Mercedes-Benz 7.3L V-12, and exceptional performance. An automobile like the HP Barchetta is the ideal vehicle to represent it. Besides the carbon fiber panels covering the rear wheels and the roofless (nearly windshield-less) body design, the HP Barchetta is one of the most costly automobiles ever made, making it a worthy contender for the title of the most expensive car in history!

Mercedes-Maybach Exelero: $8 Million

When Daimler Chrysler and Stola collaborated to create the Maybach Exelero, the result was a unique, one-of-a-kind sports automobile.

The Mercedes-Maybach Exelero has a sticker price of $8.0 million dollars. Mercedes Benz has since taken over Maybach as an independent firm. The driver may reach a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour thanks to the dual turbo V12 engine. After 15 years, it remains a stunning sight to witness despite its age.

Rolls-Royce Sweptail: $12.8 Million

The Rolls-Royce Sweptail is one of the most expensive cars and is what can only be described as one stunning piece of handcrafted magic. A powerhouse of automotive design and engineering, the Rolls-Royce Sweptail is a one-off luxury piece made in the United Kingdom by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The Sweptail is a four-year labor of love based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé. An ode to early 20th and early 30th-century coachbuilding. A super-yacht and aircraft specialist commissioned the car in 2013 as a one-of-a-kind vehicle with a specific vision in mind.

Bugatti La Voiture Noire: $18.7 Million

The Bugatti La Voiture Noire is currently the priciest current-generation automobile. A one-of-a-kind supercar, the La Voiture Noire is the only one ever built. With the same 8.0 Liter W16 engine from the Chiron, the La Voiture Noire produces 1500 horsepower and 16000 Newton-meters of torque. The Bugatti light-up logo on the back of the La Voiture Noire makes it stand out from the crowd.

La Voiture Noire was created to commemorate Bugatti’s 110th anniversary and as a tribute to the first of the four Type 57SCs, the original “la Voiture Noire,”—often known as “the black car,”—which was driven by Jean Bugatti and a few of his racing pals.

Rolls-Royce Boat Tail: $28 Million

The Rolls Royce, which costs $28,000,000, aspires to be among the best specimens of contemporary coachbuilding. The Boattail is the most costly new car in the world, drawing comparisons to the finest yachts.

Only the second coach-built one-off in the automaker’s current lineup, the Boat Tail builds on the Sweptail’s success while dialing everything up a notch. The Boat Tail was commissioned by three unnamed millionaires who probably wanted to bring their passion for J Class Yachts to the streets. Its technical structure is taken from a Rolls Royce Dawn, including its buttery smooth 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-12 engine.

A List of the Most Expensive Cars

The following is a list of the most expensive cars in ascending order by price:

How We Chose These Expensive Supercars

To bring you this selection, our team of Ilusso Exotic Cars began their quest for the world’s most costly cars by sifting through the year’s automotive sales data (and around the globe). We went so far as to check previous prices and make the necessary adjustments for inflation, and what was the result? A comprehensive list of supercars with a long history of excellence. Before deciding on our top 8 most expensive supercars, we spent a lot of time analyzing each one, so we hope you’ve enjoyed this content.

Do you have any other recommendations? Let us know all about your favorite expensive supercars! At Ilusso Exotic Cars, the passion for automobiles never ends!