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The Swarovski-Encrusted Lexus SC430

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Talk about a great way to ruin a beautiful car -- paste pink Swarovski crystals on every visible surface. More than 300,000 crystals cover the car's hood, trunk, license plate, and even wheel rims, forming roses, hearts, ribbons, and lots of general over-the-top girliness to symbolize the beauty of marriage. Even the interior features crystals next to the shift knob and on front and backseat throw pillows (what?).

Designed by Zheng Zhiren the car is currently on display in Taiwan and is apparently a big hit. It's valued at approximately $306,000.

Gallery: Swarovski-Encrusted Lexus SC430

Tags: auto, autos, car, cars, japan, lexus, swarovski, wheels

Will Rolls-Royce Make An Electric Phantom?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

It looks very likely that in the near future Rolls fans will have the option of owning an all-electric version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Tom Purves, the Rolls-Royce CEO, has revealed that he'd not only like to build an electric Phantom but thinks it would fit in perfectly with what a lot of Rolls customers are looking for. Thanks to the technology used in the new BMW Mini-E the hard part of developing an electric engine that measures up is already done -- it's really just about refinement and tweaking a few technology details.

No word yet on when an electric Phantom can be expected but it sounds like it could be as soon as the next few years.

Tags: auto, autos, bmw, car, cars, eco-friendly, electric, electric car, ElectricCar, green, mini cooper, mini e, MiniCooper, MiniE, phantom, rolls royce, rolls royce phantom, rolls-royce, RollsRoyce, RollsRoycePhantom, wheels

Italian Police Get New Lamborghini

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

I've seen the occasional Mustang or Camaro police car before and thought that the cop driving it must feel pretty special, but that's nothing compared to how awesome the Italian police must feel: they just got a brand new Lamborghini Gallardo.

The Gallardo LP560-4 is all decked out with the usual police decals and lights, plus they managed to squeeze in all the high tech police equipment like radio and video equipment, gun racks, and even a cooler (for body parts?!).

It's not Italy's first law enforcement Lamborghini (Rome has had one for awhile) but still! Pretty awesome.

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Polizia

Tags: auto, automobiles, autos, car, cars, gallardo, lamborghini, lamborghini gallardo, LamborghiniGallardo, wheels

Lux Tip: Drive a Luxury Car for Less

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Lux Tips

Want to drive a luxury brand automobile but can't afford it? You might be surprised to find that many luxury brands (like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Lincoln) offer vehicles that start in the low 30s. Just by foregoing a few extras like a bigger engine and built-in GPS you could be driving a new luxury car for about the same as you'd expect to pay for a nice Toyota or Honda. It really comes down to deciding if the term "fully loaded" is really that important to you -- do you have to have that gas-guzzling V8? If the answer is 'no' then you suddenly have a lot more options.

Tags: audi, auto, automobile, automobiles, autos, bmw, car, cars, lincoln, lux tip, lux tips, LuxTip, LuxTips, mercedes, mercedes-benz, tip, tips, wheels

The �1 Million Bespoke Aston Martin One-77

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The next Aston Martin flagship automobile is due for release later this year (possibly in Paris) and recently a few of the much anticipated details were released. What we know about the new One-77 model is that it will feature a hand-built 7.0-liter V12 engine, an aluminum and carbon fiber chassis, a top speed of 200+ mph, and a 0-60mph time of about 3.5 secs.

Only 77 One-77's will be made, each able to be customized to the individual owner's tastes and each carrying a price tag of about £1 million.

Gallery: The Aston Marton One-77

Tags: aston martin, AstonMartin, auto, autos, car, cars, wheels

Hard Times For Hummer

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

For years, the Hummer from General Motors has been a symbol of American exuberance. The beefy road-dominating car was a freeway favorite for its spacious interior even spawning a whole fleet of Hummer limos. But with gas and oil prices at all time highs, the brand is in big trouble. In an article in the Baltimore Sun, new figures from Autodata show that sales of the SUV are down 40 percent through June. The Hummer has the dubious honor of being the worst selling car brand in America right now. Hummer owners are also facing increasing scrutiny from the more environmentally-minded drivers who see the car as a vehicular affront to green values.

Still, there will always be Hummer fans. Those who are very tall and those who have money to spend on big cars with low gas mileage such as professional athletes will always have room in their garage for this car. The Hummer's brash masculine style still drives people to showrooms but the recent economic woes have weeded out those who are not hard-core enthusiasts.

Tags: autos, cars, general motors, GeneralMotors, hummer

The Scorpion Hybrid Supercar

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

It's red, it's sleek, it's the Scorpion from the newly formed Ronn Motor Company. It's main features include the fact that it goes from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and gets 40 mpg. So what's so special about that? How about the fact that it's also a hydrogen burning hybrid?

I'm no mechanic (couldn't be farther from it, actually) but the description on AutoblogGreen of how the engine works is really interesting. This car sounds like a really satisfying way to satisfy both a need for speed and an interest in preserving the planet (too bad it looks like a refurbished Viper).

The Scorpion will be manufactured in Texas and should be available to consumers this fall.

Tags: auto, autos, environmentally friendly, EnvironmentallyFriendly, green, hybrid, ronn motor, ronn motor company, RonnMotor, RonnMotorCompany, scorpion, the scorpion, TheScorpion, wheels

Liberty Electric Cars to Convert Thousands of Luxury Autos

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Over in the UK there's a new company in town called Liberty Electric Cars, and it's looking to turn the electric car industry on its head. Liberty Electric Cars has plans to take £30 million and use it to convert "tens of thousands" of luxury vehicles over to electric power. The world's first zero emission electrically powered Range Rover will be among their offerings, and depending on the model the Rovers will be priced at £95,000 - £125,000 (or about $187,000 - $246,000). Apparently the electric power technology they plan to use is cutting edge and will result in cars with more power and longer time between charges. Sounds cool but too good to be true? Guess we'll find out!

Tags: auto, autos, electric cars, ElectricCars, environment, green, liberty, liberty electric cars, LibertyElectricCars

Drop in Demand for Luxury Cars Continues

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Do luxury markets really hold up better than others during an economic crunch? Many experts say no, and it would seem the steady decline in luxury auto sales is backing them up. Estimates say that automobile sales fell in March, which would mark the 5th straight month of decline and could result in the lowest numbers since 2005. Analysts speculate the drop in auto buyers has to do with several factors, including higher-end buyers holding onto their vehicles longer (waiting for the market to improve) and fewer entry-level lux auto owners being able to afford to buy right now due to increasing costs in other areas of their budget.

Tags: auto, automobile, automobiles, autos, economy, luxury, luxury market, LuxuryMarket, money, shopping, spending, wheels

The Iconic GTR: Redefining Luxury Cars?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Iconic Motors is a company that's looking to redefine the luxury sports car market, and the car they're planning to start with is the Iconic GTR. Besides having all the usual supercar mechanics under the hood, the Iconic GTR boasts an interior loaded with jewelry-grade stainless steel accents along with synthetic sapphire actuators and gauge faces. It also has patents pending on its gas cap control system, door hinges, and shifter. No idea how much the Iconic GTR costs yet, but considering it looks like a modernized Batmobile I'm sure it won't be cheap!

Gallery: Iconic GTR

Tags: auto, autos, car, cars, iconic, iconic gtr, iconic motors, IconicGtr, IconicMotors, wheels

Luxury Car Sales Fall

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

So the economy has been taking a hit lately, but as a general rule the highest of high end products haven't really been affected -- apparently those with money up to their ears haven't been feeling the pinch, until now.

Numbers are streaming in from luxury car brands reporting serious sales drops this year from 2007 -- Jaguar sales fell by 52% (whoa!), BMW by 27%, Porsche by 13%, and Land Rover by 17%. Even Ferrari (surprisingly) reported a decline for this past January, although they claim the drop from last year was both planned and expected.

It will be interesting to see what the rest of 2008 brings for the luxury car market.

Tags: auto, autos, BMW, economy, Ferrari, Jaguar, LandRover, luxury cars, LuxuryCars, Porsche, wheels

Tina Turner's Mercedes-Powered LM002 For Sale

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

Tina Turner wasn't messing around when she went shopping for a vehicle. In true rock-and-roller style, she opted for a Lamborghini (a LM002 to be exact) and had it retro-fitted and personalized with a Mercedes E500 V8 automatic transmission, a 1500-Watt Blaupunkt stereo, and lots of other aesthetic touches. The big news here is not that Tina Turners owns this vehicle, but that she's selling it. It's currently on the market for ?179,000, and although I'm hardly an expert at appraising vehicles that seems like a pretty good deal.

Gallery: Tina Turner's Mercedes-Powered LM002

Tags: auto, autos, car, celebrity, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Tina Turner, TinaTurner, wheels

Luxury Vehicles: Which Give You the Best Bang for Your Buck?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Although the first thought that comes to mind when thinking "luxury vehicle" is probably not "bargain shopping," that doesn't mean that people with taste and money aren't also looking for a good deal. So besides the obvious value to be found in features like premium leather, a fast engine, a smooth ride, and fancy electronic gadgets, what makes a luxury car a good deal? Forbes recently compiled a list, taking into consideration things like initial cost, dealership service, the complete ownership experience over several years, and depreciate/maintenance costs over the life of the vehicle.

The winner? With its company's legendary service coupled with features that aren't always offered on entry-level luxury vehicles, the Lexus IS250 came out as the #1 best value. See the runners up below:

Gallery: The Best Luxury Cars For Your Buck

#1 The Lexus IS250

#2 The Volvo V70

#3 The Acura TL

#4 The Buick Enclave

#5 The BMW 3-Series

Tags: auto, autos, car, cars, Lexus, wheels

World's Oldest Rolls-Royce Sells For Record Price

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

The oldest surviving Rolls Royce went up for auction this past Monday and sold for a record-breaking $7,275,000. Over 100 years old (built in 1904), the 10hp two-seater Rolls went to a private British collector who was obviously willing to pay more than twice the initial estimate for the vehicle -- after two phone bidders drove the price sky high. And it didn't only break the record for highest price paid for a Rolls Royce, but it also broke the record for highest price paid for any veteran (pre-1905) vehicle.

Tags: auction, auto, autos, Rolls Royce, RollsRoyce, vehicle, vehicles

Koenigsegg Limited Edition CCX and CCXR

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Koenigsegg has, due to popular demand, created limited edition versions of its CCX and CCXR cars. And they mean it when they say "limited," as there will be only 14 of the Koenigsegg Edition CCX and 6 of the Koenigsegg Edition CCXR built. Each Edition model gets a boost in performance over their standard counterparts (from 806hp to 888hp for the CCX) and both cars can go from 0-60mph in just 2.9 seconds. If you're seriously interested you better get moving since 2 of each limited edition model has already been sold, and get ready to shell out somewhere between 1,330,000 and 1,500,000 Euros.

Want more photos? Click here.

Tags: auto, autos, car, cars, CCX, CCXR, Koenigsegg, wheels

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