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.

Remember when getting a CD player in your car meant an upgrade package? These days it's almost impossible to find a car that doesn't come with one standard. And extras that used to only be available on luxury cars, like heated leather seats and GPS, are now available for reasonable prices on much more economical car brands. So this leaves the luxury car companies hustling to come up with the latest and baddest technology to set their cars apart from the masses. So what are they coming up with? Some good stuff:

• Night vision A small dashboard screen shows the driver thermal imaging of people, animals, and other heated objects in the area.
• Broadcast TV, because regular 'ol DVDs just aren't good enough.
• Brand name sound systems including names like Mark Levinson, Bang & Olufsen, and Bose.
• Spa seating, which means cooled seats in the summer (and of course heated in the winter), seats that recline with pop-up footrests, and built-in shiatsu massagers.
• HD Radio Suddenly your local radio stations can sound as crisp and clear as your CDs or your satellite radio favorites.
• Smart warning systems, which include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, blind spot warnings, and collision warnings.

The term "luxury car" can apply to autos priced from fairly economical $20,000 options all the way up to the indulgent $400,000 range and higher. It's a large class of vehicles. And although everyone may not agree (with that many cars in the mix there's bound to be varying opinions!) this list is a fun one: Forbes has narrowed the new 2008 luxury releases into their own top 10 most anticipated. Here's their list, but as in anything with cars to really get the effect you should see it in pictures.

• Audi R8
• BMW M3
• Cadillac CTS
• Infinity G37
• Lexus LS 600h L
• Maserati Grand Turismo
• Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
• Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
• Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe
• Volvo C30

I can't help it, I love them all!

Behold the supercar that very well may grace the silver screen in the 22nd installment in the Bond series: the Jaguar XF. Although a lot of this intelligence is speculation, it is relatively well educated speculation. Given the fact that Ford still has exclusive product placement rights for this next Bond film, one might presuppose that Aston Martin may want to continue their reign after the beautiful DBS aired in Casino Royale...However! It turns out Ford has placed the Aston Martin badge on the auction block, and it isn't expected to stay there long. So unless Ford wants to give up a 500GT (and really, I don't see Bond behind the wheel of a muscle car), I think we can assume Bond will be riding the cat in the next one. And what great timing too, as they've just recently released a ton of beautiful photographs, CG and sketches of the XF over at AutoBlog. I, for one, am rooting for her; and come on, who doesn't love to hear those crazy Brits say "Jag-u-ar"?