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Posts with tag Car

BMW's GINA Concept: A Whole New Kind of "Convertible"


The new GINA Light Visionary Model concept by BMW is a whole new kind of convertible that's a shape-shifter of sorts. The body of the car is made up of a flexible fabric that's stretched over a movable metal frame, so the car actually changes it's shape based on what features you activate. For example if you turn the headlights on the front end rearranges itself to expose the them and allow the light to reach the road, but when you're not using the headlights they remain hidden. Same with the doors, you can't see them unless you're using them.

No word on when (or if) this car will go into production, and when (or if) it does what kind of price point we're looking at. But if it does ever come into existence will you be interested in owning one? I kinda would be, as long as all that fabric doesn't start to flap around and make noise when driving at interstate speeds.

Gallery: BMW's GINA Light Visionary Model

Bentley Goes Electric with Greenpower


Cute, streamlined, and boasting zero emissions, the new electric Bentley Greenpower tops out at 40mph while running on two 12-volt batteries that power its lightweight motor. Built by a group of Bentley factory apprentices (who are now referred to as Team Bentley) the one-wheel-drive car is comprised mostly of carbon fibre and features a bright chromed grill, Bentley leather interior and a custom Bentley-branded steering wheel. The car will participate in several races throughout the summer with the final one happening at Goodwood in October.

Via Edmunds

Gallery: Bentley's Greenpower

Renting a Car the High-Class Way


I think having an excuse to rent a car is fun, and what makes it even funner (yeah, I know that's not really a word!) is to get a really nice car that's comfortable and fun to drive. Now for some people a Mustang convertible might be the height of car-renting luxury, but for others names like Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley are what really sound good. Car clubs and car rental agencies that specialize in high-end luxury automobiles have seen major growth over recent years, resulting in more opportunities for those car lovers who, for whatever reason, just aren't looking to commit to a purchase.

And who doesn't want to be that person spotted in a new luxe car?

The Iconic GTR: Redefining Luxury Cars?


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

The Splinter, A Wooden Supercar that's Faster than a Porsche


Think "wooden car" and images of an old-fashioned toy or model car are more likely to pop into your head than a real-life sleek fast supercar. The Splinter, however, is changing that by not only being a sportscar made of wood that's stylish and sleek but also by being fast -- faster than a Porsche or a Lamborghini.

It's fast partly because of the goodies under the hood and partly because it's just so much lighter than its steel and metal counterparts. Built of a combination of maple, plywood, and MDF it can turn out 700bhp and has a top speed of 240mph. Not too shabby.

There's no price set for this wooden beauty just yet, or color options (I say if you're going to buy a wooden car then don't hide it with a paint job at all), but look for more info as the car is scheduled for release later this year.

Gallery: The Splinter

A Fiat 500 Pepita Painted with 24k Gold and Swarovski Crystals


Luxury cars are usually about a fast engine, a smooth ride, and extra features for comfort and convenience, but this luxury vehicle is all about the bling. It's a Fiat 500 Pepita and it's all decked out with a 24k gold paint job, Swarovski crystal studded gear shift, hand brake, and foot pedals, cashmere floor mats (cashmere on the floor?!), and gold painted alloy wheels. Plus you get a choice of seats made of crocodile, snake, shark, skate or lizard leather and an assortment of precious gems to add to the interior. €60,000

Gallery: 24k Gold Fiat 500 Pepita




Via BornRich

Tina Turner's Mercedes-Powered LM002 For Sale


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 Є179,000, and although I'm hardly an expert at appraising vehicles that seems like a pretty good deal.

Gallery: Tina Turner's Mercedes-Powered LM002

The Ferrari F430 Spider Bio Fuel


Fast high-end sports cars are generally not considered to be eco-friendly, with their gas guzzling turbo engines and energy-sucking luxury features. But that's not to say they aren't trying -- Ferrari for example, revealed their F430 Spider Bio Fuel model earlier this week in Detroit. It burns a mix of 85% natural ethanol and 15% gasoline, which results in +10hp (meaning its got a solid 500hp to work with) and a 5% increase in gas mileage over its gas-only counterpart. As for now the F430 Spider Bio Fuel is only a concept, but Ferrari says they'd like to put it into production as part of their efforts to cut emissions by 40% by the year 2012. Like the looks of it? See more photos here.

Fisker Karma


Our friends at Autoblog are at the Detroit Auto Show this week and one of the cars there that is drawing a lot of attention is the Fisker Karma. The Karma, designed by Henrik Fisher, is a premium hybrid sedan. Autoblog reports it is powered by the Q-DRIVE, a system from Quantum Technologies in which a four-cylinder engine powers a generator to move the car. It can do the zero to 60 hop in 5.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 125 mph. It can run on just electricity or in sports mode which uses the four-cylinder engine. Luxury features of the four-door sedan include a navigation system and DVD player with headrest-mounted displays. The first 99 will be signed by the designer. The cars won't be available until 2009 and sell for $80,000.

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


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

Koenigsegg Limited Edition CCX and CCXR


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.

The Tweety Bug


We've seen Hello Kitty fine jewelry, another purveyor of kiddie character jewelry gone high end is Tweety Fine Jewelry. The the brand with the slogan "fine jewelry for hot chicks" provides jewelry based Looney Tunes cartoon character done in gold, enamel, diamonds and yellow sapphires. The company is also auctioning off a one-of-a-kind VW Bug, in yellow of course, with a blue and white interior and cute little Tweety headlights. The car is valued at more than $60,000 and proceeds support Jewelers for Children, which gives to children in need. The auction doesn't end until next February.

[via JCK]

Tweety is not the only beloved children's character to get the glam touch. Check out the gallery below for looks at how childhood's beloved figures are being marketed to adults.

Gallery: Cartoons Go Glam

Barbie RocksHello KittySuperman RingSpeedy Gonzales JewelryVacation Like the Flinstones

Simon Cowell Picks Up A Bugatti Veyron


Simon Cowell blew some serious cash on some serious wheels recently when he had some spare time on his hands (and apparently some spare cash) due to a week off work for the Rugby World Cup. He dropped over £1,000,000 in LA on two new cars: a £750,000 Bugatti Veyron and a £400,000 Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Somehow this doesn't surprise me. Simon Cowell hardly seems to shy away from flash and attention, and although fast cars don't necessarily mean an ego problem (I would love to have a Veyron myself!) I think in his case they might!

Luxury Car Condos and Extreme Garages


The thing about collecting cars is that storage easily becomes an issue -- you can't leave a 1956 Mercedes-Benz sitting out on the street. But if you're regular garage is already full of other vehicles, what's to be done? Usually cars end up in storage garages or in public parking facilities, but obviously sitting an investment like that in a corner somewhere under a tarp collecting dust is hardly ideal.

Enter the Taj Garage (I can't help but smile at the name), and other companies like it springing up across the country. They will work with you to create a customized car-storage experience -- basically a beautiful, clean condo for your vehicle(s) to live in complete with bathroom, wet bar, 24 hour security, and maybe even a private rooftop club for socializing with your car-minded condo neighbors. Now it can't get much better than that.


Via Trendir

The Amazing Tattooed Lamborghini

Now that's a paint job. If a Lamborghini itself isn't enough a work of art for you, there's always tattooing it beyond almost all recognition. The Gallardo you see before you is an intricate work of art, with drawings of everything from the planets and stars to attack birds and angular patterns.

Of course, at a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds thanks to the massive V10 under the hood, the only time one can truly admire it is while parked.

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