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Tokyo 2009: Alpina B7 Bi-Turbo Long Wheelbase

Filed under: Wheels


The Alpina B7 Bi-Turbo Long Wheelbase is for when merely long isn't long enough. There is already an Alpina B7 based on the normal wheelbase BMW 750i, and that car is 16.7 feet long -- but come now, what are you supposed to do with that? Curl up into the fetal position when you want to go somewhere? Take classes at Cirque du Soleil so you can contort yourself into a rear cabin that offers a meager 38.4 inches of rear legroom?

No. What you do is buy the long wheelbase version built on the 750Li. It adds six more inches in back so you can stretch out -- you know, live like a real person, not some frightened armadillo. Your discernment will be rewarded with Alpina's fettled version of BMW's 4.4-liter V8, adding a couple of turbos for 507 horsepower and 516 lb-ft. of torque. That gets you and your white whale sixty in 4.8 seconds, just 0.1 second longer than the guy in a regular wheelbase B7.

But it's not like either of you will notice: you'll be too busy trying to finalize your hostile takeover of Samoa, he'll be too busy trying to figure out how to extricate himself from his Lilliputian conveyance. Alpina hasn't announced pricing, but if you want one, here's our advice: bring a lot of money.


Tokyo 2009: Lotus Exige Stealth is Black You Can Feel

Filed under: Wheels


This year's Tokyo didn't have much in the way of luxurious items, but the three it did have -- the Lexus LF-A, Alpina B7 Bi-Turbo Long Wheelbase, and this, the Lotus Exige Stealth (Exige Scura in Europe) -- were all worthy of our attention. The limited-edition Lotus, of which just 35 will be made, even added to its luxe quotient with a feel-good factor: its paint isn't just matte black, it's got texture.

Matte cars are fabulous to behold until they leave the showroom, then it takes nothing more than an errant piece of lint to scratch the bejeezus out of them. To combat that, Lotus painted the Stealth in the shiny black stuff that comprises the stripes, then blocked those off and painted the car again in a proprietary, rubberized matte paint that spoils your fingers with a soft, fuzzy feel.

Lotus claims it is up to five times more resistant to marking and peeling than other finishes. But wait, there's more: Lotus is only making 35 Stealths, so if you've been looking for a kinder, gentler black on the outside to go with carbon fiber and 260 horsepower inside, then you'll want to place a call to Bruce Chapman's company.


Luxist Drives the Aston Martin DBS Volante, and it Gives Convertibles a Very, Very Good Name

aston martin dbs volante

When you love the performance of a particular coupe, it's not often that you get to hop in the convertible version and say to yourself, "So... you mean I can have the same thing with the top down?" But in between the tight and relentless esses of Monterey's Carmel Valley Road, that's what we found ourselves debating. What we settled on was this: While the handling envelope of the DBS coupe is excellent, the envelope of the DBS Volante is, well, excellent.


Luxist Drives the 2009 Mercedes-Benz G550, and it Makes Us Glücklich

Filed under: Wheels



The Mercedes G550 is an unlikely niche vehicle. As with perhaps every other military-derived civilian 4x4, it's a box on wheels, all straight lines and fender flares. Yet unlike most other military-derived civilian off-roaders, it comes standard with solid axles front and rear, three electronically locking differentials front, center, and rear, and, get this, heated rear seats. Celebs, trendsters, and the generally rich keep it in the public consciousness. When Mercedes decided to kill it, a general uproar caused them to belay the order. It costs $100,250, and has no options. Before we drove it, we didn't know why people dug it. After driving it, now we do: it is colossally fun.



The Aston Martin One-77 has Overdosed on Low and Mean

Filed under: Wheels

aston martin one-77

While traipsing around Carmel during Pebble Beach weekend, we found the Aston Martin One-77 tucked between hospitality tables like a manta ray brooding within a coral reef -- as if it were grudgingly consenting to being looked at. With a roofline that sits about four inches lower than a DBS, the minimal height, exceptional girth, and slew of edged features combine to create one angry car.

Yet it does possess its moments of soft beauty: the engine bay is a case of stupendous craftsmanship; we'd use the mirror-finish twin-spoke wheels to do our shaving every morning; the carbon fiber rear suspension weaving its way through leather-trimmed panels is nothing short of delicious. Inside, the car is minutely detailed, with black leather and white cross-stitching slathering nearly every deeply arced surface -- at least, all those that aren't carbon fiber and aluminum. Everything other than the white-backed center console gauges elicits a slightly intoxicated "Yes" from our hearts. That's the velvet glove side of the One-77.

Its iron fist is much bigger, and it wears brass knuckles in the form of a 7.3-liter V12. Best of all, Even better: there's still time to get one. You can place a call to Aston Martin for an order, after which they'll ask you to wire $1.8 million. Or you can simply enjoy the beast in the gallery below.


The Bentley Continental Supersports Makes Algae Go Really, Really Fast

Filed under: Wheels, Green

bentley continental supersports

The Bentley Continental Supersports is otherwise a Continental GT that has gotten some face work done, gone on a diet, and gotten a new diet. We took a trip around the car in Beverly Hills with the company's Dealer Events Specialist, Jon DiVaio, who assured us this is just the beginning in a proper green strategy for the brand from Crewe. Our take on it after one go 'round was "Love the car, but the manual trunk, not so much..." Oh, and "Yes, we'll take it."


Luxury Car Club Membership, aka "I'll Take the Lamborghini Today"

Filed under: Services, Wheels

Luxury Car Club Membership, aka
Ownership is a double-edged sword -- it's yours, and you loved it enough to buy it. But if you're bored, or something goes wrong, or you just want a change, you may sometimes wish you could give it back and try something else. If you're in the NYC - NJ - LI metro area, you can do this with luxury cars by joining Vulcan Motor Club. Founded in 2007, the club focuses on "placing a select fleet of the world's most prestigious high-performance and luxury vehicles at your disposal." Membership tiers vary from a $1,240/one-time 5-hour drive to a $28,800/year plan that allows 40 days of annual use and 40,000 annual miles with access to the full fleet of 12 cars, with several membership levels in between. You can get in touch for more info, and also check out Vulcan's blog.

The Swarovski-Encrusted Lexus SC430

Filed under: Wheels


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.

Lamborghini Plans One-Make Race Series

Filed under: Wheels, 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.

Will Rolls-Royce Make An Electric Phantom?

Filed under: Wheels, 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.

Italian Police Get New Lamborghini

Filed under: Wheels


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.

Lux Tip: Drive a Luxury Car for Less

Filed under: Wheels, 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.

Limited Edition James Perse Beach Cruiser

Filed under: Wheels


Get fit, be green, and travel in style on one of the new James Perse Cruisers. Available in 4 colors, the vintage 50s and 60s-style Beach Cruisers (meaning they have wide tires for handling the sand, low wide-set handlebars, and coaster brakes) are custom built and in limited edition. Features include a Hydroform steel frame, hand-aged leather seat and handle grips, wide 2" rims and tires, and a limited edition serial number and serial number tag. Only available at James Perse boutiques for approx $2200.

Via Acquire

The 1 Million Bespoke Aston Martin One-77

Filed under: Wheels


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.

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

Filed under: Wheels


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.


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