If you're the type who wears threads from the likes of Von Dutch and Ed Hardy, you may recognize the name Christian Audigier. He's the French fashion designer behind these and other labels popular among Hollywood celebrities, stenciling tattoo-style designs on t-shirts and trucker hats for the Ashton Kutcher crowd. Unfortunately he's also penned his designs on the occasional motor vehicle, teaming up with Edo Competition for a special-edition Lamborghini Murcielago, which in turn bred an imitator in the Novitec/Unique Sportscars Ferrari F430 Calavera.

Apparently Audigier isn't quite done messing up otherwise beautiful Italian exotica, and has this time turned his attention to the Ducati Monster. Created in conjunction with motorbike customizers Rever Corsa, the Christian Audigier edition Ducati Monster 1100 comes decked out in airbrushed and vinyl-decal half-dragon tiger laid over a particularly garish red and gold paintjob. The whole thing screams wretched excess, but at $55,000, whoever buys one of these is probably looking for exactly that effect.

Lamborghinis are about as hard-core as sportscars can get, but hard as it may be to believe, even this exotic Italian automaker has been making concessions towards drivability and ease-of-use. All in the interest of faster lap times, of course, but some desire a more direct, bare-bones approach. And now Lamborghini has delivered just that with the limited-edition Valentino Balboni edition Gallardo.

Named after the company's legendary test driver, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni does away with the all-wheel-drive system and e-gear clutchless transmission and replaces them with a classic rear-drive set-up and open-gate six-speed shifter. The removal of the heavy drivetrain saves significant weight off the car, delivering a more hard-core driving experience for the skilled enthusiast. The Balboni edition is visually distinguished by the white-and-gold stripe running up the hood, echoed inside with the white-trimmed interior, and the multi-spoke Scorpious wheels. Only 250 examples will be made, each individually signed and numbered, available in eight different colors and with a host of optional equipment. With prices starting below $220,000, it's actually less expensive than the $280k all-wheel-drive LP560-4, though we doubt that'll be the defining element for prospective buyers.

Looking for the ultimate Jaguar GT? The new XKR is one heck of a ride, but if you're still fixated on the previous-generation model and want something a little more exclusive, Arden may have something in store for a select few. The Jaguar tuning house released the AJ18 at the 1999 Frankfurt auto show nearly a full decade ago, and announced it would built only 13 examples. In a strange twist, however, ten years and a whole new model since, the company has announced it will built another five for a few lucky customers.

The AJ18 gives the previous-generation Jaguar XK a distinctly racing appearance but is fully legal for road use. Although the engine remains untouched, Arden has upgraded the brakes and suspension for a more aggressive package, complimented by a carbon-composite aerodynamics package and upgraded 20" competition wheels. It'll probably get its clock cleaned by the latest version straight out of the Jaguar factory, but you can't put a price on exclusivity.

Customers of extreme wealth have come to expect more from their purchases. Three-floor bedroom suite? Mobile home gym and spa? Helicopter pad and hangar? Submarine garage? Big as they are, there's only so much you can fit in a Rolls-Royce. So the revered British marque has teamed up with renowned shipyard Palmer Johnson on what could be the ultimate globe-trotting mega yacht the world has seen yet.

With 82 meters (267 ft) fore to aft and six decks of living space, the PJ World Yacht packs all the features we listed above and then some. It's even got an anti-piracy system – we're talking about real pirates, not copying DVDs here – and an environmentally-friendly diesel-electric propulsion system. At the moment, this Ice Class cruiser – enabled by Palmer Johnson's acquisition of Noway's Flekkefjord & Slipp shipyard – is just a concept, but at this level, all it takes is one wealthy customer to turn the idea into reality. And something tells us that customer already has a Rolls-Royce or two in the garage.

What may have been unfathomable less than a decade ago can quickly become reality in the present. So while the notion of Volkswagen producing a luxury sedan, much less one as streamlined and graceful as the CC (known overseas as the Passat CC), would have seemed entirely foreign before, some of the German automaker's latest products have emerged as award-winning designs. The svelte four-door coupe, introduced only recently, has already won the prestigious iF Product Design Award as well as the Australian International Design Award. Now Volkswagen can add the Red Dot Design Award to the list.

One of the most coveted design awards, the Red Dot prize has been bestowed annually since 1955 by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen on the best designs in the world, and was accepted this year by Volkswagen designer Martin Kropp on behalf of his entire team.

Looking for another way to spend seven figures on a new exotic sportscar? Sadly, we're not either, but if we were, we'd be excited by the prospect of getting our hands on the GTbyCitroen. Oddly named, quirky styled, but unrivaled presence are what characterize the concept car that epitomizes art imitating life. Initially designed as a fantasy for the Gran Turismo video game series, Citroen put one real-life example on display at last year's Paris Auto Salon, where it garnered so much interest that the French automaker has reportedly decided to put it into production.

We initially reported on the prospect earlier this month, but rumor has it that Citroen has finally given it the green light. Only six examples are said to be in the pipeline at a very exclusive price of £1.1 million (or about $1.83 million in American terms). Interested parties will be able to see the solitary existing prototype drive up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed under the auspices of the Earl of March in a couple of weeks, with a production version tipped to bow at the Frankfurt auto show this coming September.

All Zondas are equal, but some are more equal than others. That is to say, each supercar from exclusive automaker Pagani is an absolute jewel of exotic machinery, but even amidst this rarefied field, there are certain examples that stand out above the others. Like the one you see here, the Zonda PS.

Created as a one-of-a-kind example for discerning British client Peter Saywell, the Zonda PS is based on the penultimate Zonda F after the exclusive Zonda Cinque was all sold out and the Zonda R can only be driven on a race track. The Zonda PS is identifiable by its unique paint scheme and four-abreast tail pipes, and is said to be powered by a 650-horsepower version of the Zonda's Mercedes-AMG V12 engine driving through the sequential transmission developed for the Zonda's imminent successor.

Life is hard at the top, whether that precipice happens to be at the top of the overall sales chart or of a specific market niche, such as Lexus' position as the best-selling luxury automaker in the United States. Toyota's Japanese brand has held the top spot since the year 2000, with BMW perpetually trailing in second place. Could 2009 finally be the year that BMW breaks through to number one?

So far this year, BMW's 76,819 total sales in the States puts the German brand slightly ahead of Lexus, which has moved a total of 73,186 units so far in '09. Both brands are down somewhat from 2008, though BMW's 30.5-percent decline is not quite as severe as Lexus' 37.2-percent fall. Neither automaker is interested in boasting of its successes in this market, though BMW will gladly accept the extra market share. Speaking to Automotive News, Jan Ehlen, a spokesman for BMW of North America, said:

This year's emphasis is on maintaining our market share and even growing our share a bit. If this results in remaining in the top spot of the premium market, that would be a nice bonus.

[Source: Automotive News]

There is no arguing with the fact that Aston Martins are absolutely gorgeous machines. They are also absurdly fast. But if you live in a crowded city like Manhattan, London or Tokyo they are utterly impractical. Like most exotics they can be hard to see out of and who wants to risk getting entangled with a bus or delivery truck? The crew at Aston Martin are now working on the solution.

The Cygnet by Aston Martin is a urban car concept that would give Aston owners a more practical alternative for when they need to head into the city center. The Cygnet is based on Toyota's recently launched iQ micro-car. While Aston doesn't have any confirmed production plans for the Cygnet yet, it could be offered in the future as an accompaniment to "standard" Astons, much like a dinghy for a yacht.

If only we could afford a "standard" Aston Martin on a blogger budget.

[Source: Aston Martin]

February in Chicago would hardly seem like the appropriate backdrop for the debuting a new convertible but that's exactly where Lexus unveiled the new IS. Fortunately the conditions for the IS-C's on-sale date and first drives are somewhat more amenable to top down motoring. We recently had a chance to spend some time with the new IS convertible in both IS250 and IS350 forms.

Like the existing Lexus SC460, chief rival the Infiniti G37, and of course the BMW 3-series, the new IS C has a retractable hard-top that folds into the trunk. The IS is the second best selling model in the Lexus lineup and in the segment it competes in having a convertible seems a natural fit. Come along for the ride and find out if the IS convertible is for you.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Last week we reported that a third Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang, one of only five made and the world's most expensive production car, had been listed for sale via global online luxury marketplace JamesList. Now a fourth Pur Sang has surfaced for sale at Florida's exotic auto dealer Forza Collezione. The car on offer is said to be the first of the five Pur Sang's built and we're told the pricetag is $3.8 million. This means only one of the five Pur Sang's remains in private hands. The first was offered up in Abu Dhabi, and the next one surfaced a couple of weeks later in Frankfurt, Germany, where the car was originally unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The special edition supercar with exposed carbon fiber and aluminum bodywork sold out within 24 hours of its original announcement.

A few years back we went on one of the best road trips ever at the wheel of a Jaguar XK convertible. So we literally leapt at the chance to take the brand new one for a spin. Jaguar roadsters have always held a place of honor in the pantheon of stylish sports cars, dating back to the legendary XK120, forerunner of the current model - although stylistically the new XK owes more to the XK-E (E-Type) with its oval mouth. The XK120 referred to the car's top speed; when introduced in 1948 it was the world's fastest standard production car, with killer looks to match. It acquired an instant aura of glamor and cemented Jaguar's reputation forever when Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart cruised Hollywood in their XK120s like stylish gods. (We'll develop on this theme further in a later installment).

The XK120 evolved into the famous race-winning XK120-C, or C-Type, that in turn led to the wicked D-Type, made famous by Steve McQueen, and eventually the iconic E-Type, which as noted the current model most closely resembles. First unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961, the E-Type's legendary power to attract the opposite sex was phrased best by American motoring writer Henry Manney III, who dubbed it "The greatest crumpet-catcher known to man." Not a bad precedent for its more recent relation. While we didn't actually catch any crumpets with the new XK, it wasn't the car's fault as we were more interested in zooming down the road than cozying up to the local flora and fauna. Also there are a lot more outlandish-looking autos on the road these days; compared to these the XK exudes an elegant aura of restrained power that behooves its feline namesake; very British in a sense.

For 2010 the aluminum-bodied XK available as of this August is kitted out with an AJ-V8 Gen III 5.0-liter engine capable of delivering 385 hp and 515 Nm of torque (a supercharged version produces 510 hp and 625 Nm of torque). With these numbers the naturally aspirated version hits 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, while top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Some subtle, sporty updates over previous models have been made to the exterior without detracting from the car's stylistic heritage, including a new front end, new rear lights fitted with LED technology, a new rear body valance, body-colored side power vents, chrome-detailed inserts, and sleek alloy wheels.

Seeing the item you're bidding on is all well and nice, but more and more auctions have been taking place online. Classic and exotic automobile auctions are no exception, and now venerable Canadian house RM Auctions is launching their first event that will take place exclusively online. The docket is stacked mostly with classic American motors – including a pair of '53 Cadillac Series 62s, a smattering of classic Corvettes and a handful of Ford T-Birds – but also includes a few European sportscars as well. Registration begins on July 10 for the auction taking place on August 9, but you can check out the lots on RM's website right now.

Getting our hands on the out-of-production Ford GT is cause enough. We wouldn't need any more justification. We'd need the cash, but not the justification. But just in case, the Ford Motor Company and RM Auctions are offering up a pair of early production Ford GTs to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The pair – including the sixth example produced, in red with white stripes, and the seventh, in white with blue – will be offered at the Meadow Brook and Monterey auctions respectively, which are both coming up in August. Each example is expected to fetch somewhere in the $150,000-$200,000 range, so if you've got the cash on hand and were looking for another excuse, here it is.

Occasionally whiz-kid designers beat the pros at their own game when it comes to concept cars. At the very least they open up a world of possibilities that the car companies themselves may be too timid to explore. (See our earlier reports on the Audi Shark and the Chanel-mobile, for example). The latest entry comes to us from Iran, where despite all the unrest creativity still flourishes. The razor sharp new Lamborghini concept by Iranian designer Emil Baddal is an angular evolution of the Gallardo. It's bound to please some purists and offend others with sharper angles and lines and an edgier ethos all around, as these things go, but we think the Lambo by Baddal is badass.