2009 Chevrolet Corvette (© Morgan Segal)Click to enlarge picture

2010 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, 2009 Dodge Viper SRT10, 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and 2009 Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 (clockwise from above left)

It’s easy to diss old-fashioned people as dinosaurs, with their plodding resistance to change, but think about this: Those lumbering, small-brained behemoths ruled the earth for 165 million years, which is a lot longer than Homo sapiens have been in charge of messing up the planet.

Although Diplodocus had similar brain power to bankers who thought asset-backed securities were a sure thing, you've got to be impressed with this 90-foot-long, 20-ton beast that perambulated the third planet from the sun all those years ago.

Like dinosaurs, the 600-horsepower beasts gathered here could soon become extinct, but they are also highly impressive. Machines that weigh as much as two tons and sport massive 12-cylinder engines aren’t exactly in tune with the zeitgeist, which is increasingly angst-ridden over global warming, dependence on foreign oil, and the greening of energy. Performance cars may soon become more fuel efficient — lighter and more compact, with smaller engines. No doubt they’ll be great to drive, but they won’t be as dramatic as a Dodge Viper or a Lamborghini Murciélago in full flight.

The Viper is pretty familiar now. The current-generation roadster went on sale in 2003, with the coupe following as a 2006 model. In 2008, it got a 600-hp, 8.4-liter V-10 with trick variable valve timing to replace the 510-hp, 8.3-liter unit. Dodge also revised the suspension and fitted a GKN torque-sensing differential, which made the car more stable and forgiving.

The Murciélago has been around for a while, too, debuting in 2001. Tracing its lineage back to the Countach of 1974, the car was revised in 2007 as the LP640, featuring a 6.5-liter V-12 making 632 horsepower, an increase of 60 over the previous 6.2-liter engine’s output. Lamborghini also added carbon-ceramic brakes, tidied up the interior, and tweaked the suspension.

The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 went on sale at the end of 2008 as a 2009 model. It is the fastest and most expensive Corvette ever, makes extensive use of carbon-fiber components, has carbon-ceramic brakes, and is motivated by the most powerful small-block Chevy ever — a supercharged 6.2-liter, LS9 V-8 engine that produces 638 horsepower.

The ZR1 isn’t the most powerful car of this pack, though. That distinction goes to the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series. This is a massively reworked SL65 with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic bodywork for the front fenders, the hood, the trunk, and the fixed coupe roof (which replaces the SL’s usual folding hardtop). The 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V-12 is the same as the SL65’s except that larger turbochargers, a modified intake, and redesigned mufflers boost power from 604 horses to a bodacious 661. Drivetrain components have been beefed up, along with the braking system, which sports 15.4-inch front rotors and 14.2-inch discs at the back. An adjustable coil-over suspension replaces the coil springs and the automatic, hydraulic self-leveling springs on the other SL variants. Beautiful, forged aluminum wheels carry 265/35R-19 Dunlop tires up front, with 325/30R-20s in back.

At the end of our time with the four cars, when we were filling their tanks with premium — ironic, so-called dinosaurs being fueled by the remains of the real thing — a youngish guy came bounding over, eyes bulging in disbelief. He exclaimed in a whispery voice: “I feel like I’m surrounded by women — they’re all so beautiful.” Indeed. Enthusiasts will look back at the first decade of the 21st century as a golden age. We may never see cars like this again.