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exotic

Less Weight, More Power: Audi Announces Limited-Edition R8 GT

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

audi r8 gt

Making a car – especially an exotic supercar – go even faster may be a complicated business, but the idea is simplicity itself: decrease the weight, and increase the power. It's the same notion that has made such supercars as the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera better performers than their progenitors. And now Audi's applied the same formula to its R8.

To make the R8 GT, Audi has fitted thinner glass (replacing that giant rear window over the engine bay with a plastic one) and replaced many of the aluminum body panels with carbon fiber, shedding 220 lbs off the curb weight. Meanwhile, the German automaker has increased output from the 5.2-liter V10 from 525 horsepower to 560. Mated to the R-Tronic semi-automatic transmission, the R8 GT runs from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds and tops out just shy of 200 miles per hour.

Audi will only make 333 examples of the R8 GT, selling for €193,000 ($256,000) apiece.

Tags: audi, audi r8, audi r8 gt, exotic, r8, r8 gt, supercar

Carlos Falchi Python Shoulder Bag

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Trendy bags can be so much fun to wear, especially when you find them at a great price. But then the trend fades away, the bag just doesn't make that same powerful statement as it once did and ends up in your closet collecting dust. Thankfully, there are some designers that have the ability to incorporate trends and timeless styles into a balanced creation. Take for example the Python Shoulder Bag by Carols Falchi. It takes the trendiness of colorful exotic leather against the back drop of a classic silhouette resulting in a statement bag to last the ages. It features a gathered body that compliments the python's texture and color and would be a perfect addition to your wardrobe. Price: $2210

Tags: carlos falchi, CarlosFalchi, exotic, Python, shoulder bag, ShoulderBag

$375,000 Lexus LFA Supercar Debuts at Tokyo Motor Show

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

If you're in the market for a top-of-the-line exotic sportscar, it used to be that the European automakers (like Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin) were the only place to go. The Acura NSX held down the fort for the Japanese automakers for a long while, but since its departure it's been back to business as usual.

Japan's carmakers, however, are in the midst of a renaissance in the supercar arena. The Nissan GT-R, once kept exclusively in the Japanese Domestic Market, has been taking on all challengers, and now Lexus has stepped up with the highly-anticipated new LFA. With a 550-horsepower V10 engine, a 3.7-second sprint to 60, a top speed in excess of 200 miles per hour and a $375,000 price tag, the Lexus LFA is capable of dicing it with the best Europe has to offer and holding its own.

Despite the extraordinary price tag, sources suggest that parent company Toyota will actually take a loss on each one sold. Which could help explain why they'll only be making 500 examples, making this one very attractive and – for everyone involved – very expensive piece of window dressing.

Gallery: Lexus LFA

Tags: exotic, lexus, lexus lfa, lexus sports car, LexusLfa, LexusSportsCar, lfa, sports car, sports cars, SportsCar, SportsCars

McLaren Unveils All-New, All-Conquering MP4-12C Supercar

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Most automakers involved in Formula One racing produce cars first, and race second. Only a handful are racing teams first, and produce road cars second. And they tend to be the most successful, and the most desirable. Only one example comes to mind, and that's Ferrari. But the Italian "scuderia" has now got some company from its toughest on-track competition.

After producing the legendary McLaren F1, the championship-winning racing team partnered up with Mercedes-Benz on the SLR supercar. But now they've back on their own with the newly unveiled MP4-12C. Built entirely in-house, the new McLaren boasts a twin-turbo V8 with approximately 600 horsepower and 433 lb-ft of torque, boasting the highest power-to-emissions ratio of any engine on the market. The custom-crafted powerplant resides in a carbon fiber body designed by former Ferrari stylist Frank Stephenson and encompasses the very latest in race-derived technology. Only 1000 examples will be built in the first year before McLaren ramps up production to meet anticipated growing demand, with a price tag in the neighborhood of $265,000. Have a look in the high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: McLaren MP4-12C

mp4_12c_001_2

mp4_12c_002_2

mp4_12c_003_2

mp4_12c_004_2

mp4_12c_005_2

Tags: exotic, mclaren, mclaren automotive, mclaren mp4 12c, mclaren mp4-12c, MclarenAutomotive, MclarenMp4-12c, MclarenMp412c, mp4 12c, mp4-12c, Mp412c, supercar

Citroen Considers Building Million-Euro Supercar

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

If you've got a seven figures to spend on an exotic supercar, there are plenty of companies that will be glad to help out. Between the Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Reventon, Aston Martin One-77, and Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss, supercars keep getting more and more expensive. But even in these difficult financial times, there appears to be a wealth of wealthy individuals looking for new ways to spend their money. And the latest to (potentially) join the fold is probably one of the last automakers you'd expect: Citroen.

Although the French automaker is working on entering the premium market with its new DS line, what you see here is another beast entirely. Called the GTbyCitroen, the concept car was a joint effort between the carmaker and the creators of the popular Gran Turismo video game series on Sony Playstation. The car was unveiled at the 2008 Paris Auto Salon, but aside from making it into the latest version of the game, that's about as far as it was ever meant to go. However Citroen reports that there have been sufficient inquiries from interested parties to consider actually building it in limited quantities: 15 to be exact, at a price of one million euros apiece. Citroen says it will have made its decision within the next four weeks, so stay tuned.

Tags: citroen, citroen gt, CitroenGt, exotic, exotic sportscar, exotic supercar, ExoticSportscar, ExoticSupercar, gran turismo, GranTurismo, gt, gt by citroen, gtbycitroen, supercar

New Zealand's 600hp Hulme Supercar Speeds Towards the Market

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

hulme supercar

Even in this depressed economy, everyone and their cousin seems to be keen to produce their own supercar. So in addition to flagship sportscars from established automakers, independent garages pop up in every nook and cranny looking to carve out their niche at the top of the automotive ladder and vie for the cash of the well-endowed. The latest is a New Zealand-based venture name after famous Kiwi racing driver Denny Hulme.

The Hulme supercar recently made its public track debut in neighboring Australia, where an open-top version called the CanAm (named after the famous racing series which Denny Hulme dominatedin the 70's) was seen for the first time, motivated by a 600hp 7-liter V8 engine from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, replacing the BMW engine used until now. Both closed and open versions will be offered when the Hulme supercar finally reaches the market next year with a $700,000 price tag, with an even more powerful supercharged version to follow.

Gallery: Hulme supercar

Tags: exotic, hulme, hulme can am, hulme supercar, hulme supercars, HulmeCanAm, HulmeSupercar, HulmeSupercars, new zealand, NewZealand, supercar

Ferrari Monza, Too Fast For Human Hands

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Perhaps spurred on by too many crashes, Ferrari has created a new car that takes human error out of the equation. The Ferrari Monza concept was designed by Iman Maghsoudi. It can hit traveling speeds of 125 mph and is designed to be operated by a computer because the human brain is not fast enough to keep up with it. When it is traveling more slowly the driver can pilot it but once it shifts into high speed the computer changes the look of the car, angling those wing-like pieces known as canards over the front wheels to make sure the car doesn't take flight. It's still just an idea at this point but one that makes speed demons a little light-headed just thinking about it.

Tags: cars, exotic, ferrari, monza

Pagani Zonda Cinque

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

As its name suggests, there are just five Pagani Zonda Cinques, making it one of the most craveworthy exotics in the world. The ultimate Zonda costs a cool one million Euros. The car is even faster than the already zippy Pagani Zonda F coupé, on which it is based.It has a 7.3 liter V12 Mercedes-Benz motor and has paddle-shift sequential gears that let you shift in less than 100 milliseconds. The Zonda Cinque hops from 0-62mph in just 3.4 seconds. As The Times reports there is no top speed reported but it is expected to zoom to around 220mph. No wonder there are racing seats with four-point racing harnesses and a roll cage inside. The Zonda Cinque also uses a special titanium and carbon fiber material that makes it 40 pounds lighter than the Zonda F. Autoblog covered this a while back, click on over to their gallery for a serious dose of car envy.

Tags: cars, exotic, pagani, zonda, zonda cinque

The Amazing Tattooed Lamborghini

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Art

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.

Tags: car, exotic, lamborghini

The $150,000 Bentley Knob

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Luxury Cars & Autos

What could make your Bentley fancier than it already is? How about a diamond and white gold gear shift? A gear company called IcedOutEmz created the amazing jeweled shift, which at $150,000, is nearly as expensive as the Bentley Continental GT which sells for around $165,000. The shift has 30 carats of diamonds and took 100 hours of labor to complete. The gear shift is on display at the company's headquarters in Las Vegas.

[via NY Times]

Tags: bentley, cars, diamonds, exotic, gear shift, knob

Drive Your Dream For The Holidays

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

aston

I've mentioned the DFW Car Club before as part of my obsession with car clubs but they now are offering a new service which might be a fun gift for the holidays. Their Drive Your Dream Package include several different pre-planned automotive tour packages which let you drive multiple exotic and luxury cars during the course of a single day. For $989 You can drive five cars including an Aston Martin V8 Vantage and a Ferrari F430. A good gift for two for the holidays might be the Couples Tour which includes 30 minute drives in a Rolls Royce Phantom and the Mercedes S 550 as well as dinner at a five-star restaurant for $849. Weekly guided tours in the Dallas area begin in December, expanding to Houston, San Antonio and Austin in January 2007.

Tags: aston martin, AstonMartin, cars, dallas, exotic, ferrari, luxury, roll royce, RollRoyce

Exotic Extravagance, a la Crusoe (sort of)

by Anton Friant (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

rinconcareyes

Thinking about pulling "A Good Year" of your own? Check out these luxury villas from Rincon Careyes on Mexico's pacific coast – it's like Robinson Crusoe meets Donald Trump in a secluded, tropical fantasy land that prides itself on maintaining the highest standards of extravagance while still giving their residents a sense of intimacy with their exotic surroundings. Their empty lots start at $475k, but be sure to check out the 3-acre private lot "La Playa"; with multiple, interconnected dwelling units (many open-air), this $6m property certainly threatens to rip you out of your 80 hr/week Wall Street gig. It's more fun to climb palm trees than corporate ladders anyway, right?

Tags: exotic, journey, rincon careyes, RinconCareyes, travel, villa

Edo Competition Maserati MC12

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Inside Line shows us another tease car, a one-off that has already found a home. This is a souped-up version of the Maserati MC 12. Edo Competition, a tuning company which specializes in exotics, created it for a "wealthy Russian enthusiast." The car has 700 horsepower and can hit speeds over 230 mph. It also has bigger ceramic brakes, an adjustable suspension, Bridgestone tires instead of Pirellis and a spiffy new paint scheme.

Tags: edo competition, exotic, maserati, mc12, race car, sports car

The Antas Project

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Autoblog has pictures of the Antas project, another swoop-shouldered car destined to make me swoon. The Antas project is as much art as auto, it was designed on paper not in a computer. The Antas gets its name from the Etruscan word for eagle and gets its power from a Maserati engine. It may look a bit overwrought but I love it right down to that weird fin on the back. Autoblog has lots of pictures of this amazing vehicle.

Tags: antas, car, exotic, maserati, race car, sports car

Modern Spirits Sipping Vodkas

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

To help answer Deidre's question about not-yet-tried vodka flavors, Modern Spirits makes flavored "sipping vodkas" that are designed to win over even those who are not fans of straight spirits. Their products come in eight flavors, which include Black Truffle, Candied Ginger, Celery Peppercorn, Chocolate Orange and Tea. Celery Peppercorn is described as "the ultimate power drink," while the Black Truffle has scents of port, rich soil, pineapple and chocolate.

The vodkas are available online, as well as in select bars and restaurants in Southern California and Las Vegas. Available in both 375mL and 750mL, most bottles are priced at $24.99 for the smaller bottles and $37.99 for the larger, though the Black Truffle vodka retails at $29.99 and $49.99.

Tags: black truffle, bottles, california, candied ginger, celery peppercorn, chocolate orange, exotic, flavored vodka, las vegas, modern spirits, sipping vodka, southern california, specialty drinks, spirits, tea, vodka

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