car

Hublot Aero Bang Morgan Watch For Limited Run AeroMax Car

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos

I like it when a limited edition watch partners with a limited edition car. In this case Hublot piggybacks on the lovely new limited run of 100 Morgan AeroMax cars. Most of the time, watches branded to cars have nothing in common with the car. That seems to be the case again in this instance, but at least you have the Morgan logo attached to a grill-like surface on the Aero Bang Morgan's dial. Again, on the rear of the watch, an decoration made specially for the Aero Bang Morgan celebrates the motorcar brand and limited edition vehicle.

Morgan is a British maker of retro-styled sports cars. While limited in production and not cheap, their prices are often much more reasonable than today's multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars exotic fare. Their newest AeroMax is a perfect edition to the line up, and utterly British. Last I heard, Morgan was using BMW engines, while the Hublot watch has a HUB44 SQ calibre automatic movement inside. Materials making up the watch are plentiful and sometimes as exotic as the AeroMax car. Nothing less than titanium, tungsten, ceramic, Kevlar, steel, and sapphire crystal make up the complex construction of the watch. At 44.5mm wide, it is a handsome statement worn in conjunction with the car, or otherwise. Interestingly enough, the limited edition watch will have 500 pieces, 400 more than the Morgan AeroMax car itself.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Morgan AeroMax Car

Tags: Aero Bang, AeroBang, AeroMax, Big, car, Hublot, Morgan, timepiece, watch

Ridiculously Sparkly Mercedes-Benz at the Tokyo Auto Salon

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

This is ridiculous.

Remember the $350,000 Swarovski-studded Mercedes-Benz at the 2007 Moscow Millionaire Fair? Well, they've done it again.

The above photo is from the Tokyo Auto Salon 2009, and it features a customized Mercedes-Benz SL600 (aka the Luxury Crystal Benz) covered in 300,000 Swarovski crystals. We don't know how much it costs, but frankly, we weren't about to purchase it.

Even Barbie wouldn't get in that gaudy thing.

[via Luxury Launches]

Tags: 2009, auto show, automobiles, AutoShow, benz, car, cars, mercedes, mercedes-benz, swarovski, tokyo, tokyo auto salon, TokyoAutoSalon

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

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

The Case Of The Random Bentley

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Imagine finding a Bentley parked in your driveway one day. That's what happened to a woman in Modesto, California. Rosa Warren was shocked to see the new luxury car outside her house. She wondered if it was a gift but there was no bow, no card and no one seemed to know anything about it. Warren called the police and found out that the car had been stolen from the owner's garage a few miles away. No one is sure why the thief parked it in her driveway. Hopefully she at least gets a finder's fee for her trouble.

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Tags: bentley, car

Lamborghini Plans One-Make Race Series

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

Lamborghini is planning a single-make race series and the star of the show will be a competition-spec Gallardo LP560-4 called the Super Trofeo. It's all decked out with race-specific goodies like special adjustments to the chassis, ABS brakes, and wheels plus a more powerful 570hp engine (weee!). The series starts in May and each race will include 30 cars owned privately and by dealer teams, plus one celebrity-driven vehicle that will change at each event. €200,000 will get you in with a car and parts package, plus trackside support and admission to the luxury Lamborghini Village at each location.

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Tags: car, cars, lamborghini, lamborghini gallardo, LamborghiniGallardo, race series, RaceSeries, super trofeo, SuperTrofeo, 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.

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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

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

The Carlsson CK63 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Carlsson of Germany is premiering the CK63 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG this month. The list of exterior features includes a front grille insert, rear spoiler, and Carlsson stainless steel exhaust system while the interior boasts a Carlsson sport steering wheel, enhanced multi-media, and fully customizable trim options. That's all well and good (it does look awesome!) but the best part is how they've improved the vehicle's performance, giving it 565hp and the ability to go from 0-60mph in just 3.8 secs. The engine is capable of moving the car much faster but (to protect us all from the crazies out there) it's electronically limited to a mere 186 mph. Even so the whole deal sounds (and looks) pretty sweet.

Gallery: The Carlsson CK63 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

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Tags: auto, automobile, car, mercedes, mercedes benz, mercedes-benz, MercedesBenz

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.

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

Diamond Europa Celebrates 60 Years of Lotus

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Our sister site (brother site?), autoblog, a few days ago posted the news that British sports car manufacturer Lotus celebrated its 60th birthday on September 14 at its Hethel headquarters in England with a special edition of the Europa. Specially configured for the diamond anniversary to appeal to the socialite-type set, the special custom gear shift lever and other switches are in-set with diamonds in black metal. The high-gloss black paint has tiny bits of glass in it, boasting more sparkle than an average metallic finish. The Europa also gets some unspecified performance upgrades that give it a sub-five-second 0-60 dash and 146 mph at the top end. We don't know, though, if this £150,000 Europa is a one-of-a-kind or if Lotus is planning to build more. Autoblog has the full press release.

Tags: car, cars, Europa, Lotus, Lotus 60th birthday, Lotus60thBirthday

The Rolls Clutch, Handbag of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Here's a classy looking clutch that has absolutely nothing in the way of ruffles, gems, or other frills. It's even a fairly rugged shade of pewter gray. The perfect nice-but-just-a-little-casual clutch to go with a favorite sweater dress or maybe nice jeans and a cute top. The Rolls Clutch by Marc Jacobs features an old-time Rolls-Royce on its foldover front with silver-studded wheels, press stud closure, zipped compartments on both the back and on the inside, and an interior fully lined in smooth brown leather. Bring a small bit of unexpected fashion statement to your next get-together. $1,095

Gallery: Marc Jacobs Rolls Clutch

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Tags: auto, automobile, bag, bags, car, clutch, handbag, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, handbags, marc jacobs, MarcJacobs, rolls, rolls royce, RollsRoyce

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

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

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

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

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

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Tags: bmw, car, cars, concept, concept car, ConceptCar, concepts, convertible, convertibles, GINA light visionary model, GinaLightVisionaryModel, wheels

Bentley Goes Electric with Greenpower

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

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

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Tags: auto, automobile, bentley, car, greenpower, race, racing, wheels

Renting a Car the High-Class Way

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services, Luxury Cars & Autos

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?

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Tags: automobiles, car, car club, car clubs, CarClub, CarClubs, cars, rent, rental, rentals, renting, wheels