Drivers outside the U.S. are very familiar with the Chevrolet Spark, meanwhile we here in America were only introduced to the Beat alongside the Stingray Concept with the summer blockbuster Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. Fresh for the U.K. market, the bow tie brand is offering a subtle styling kit for compact city car owners consisting of a trio of urban inspired graphics that accent the Spark’s curvaceous doors and bold rear arches that they are calling "Tags," the best part is that they they will only set owners back £199. Not a bad price to pay for some very tasteful styling upgrades.
The new Spark "Tags" package in a few different forms; the first being a set of racing stripes running the length of the vehicle along with the lower door trim, a shimmering star pattern that speckles along the doors and highlights the sculpted rear fenders as well as a tribal style design that goes on the doors right behind the front wheel wells. Adding a unique touch that allows enthusiasts to personalize their Spark straight from the factory.
A lot of us assume that supermodels are only good for cat-walking, lip-pouting and posing in front of flashing cameras. To be fair, it’s an extremely short-sighted stereotype and if you try to give some time into understanding these women – or in some cases, men – you’ll know that they’re more than just gorgeous faces and beautiful bodies.
Take Naomi Campbell for example. Long regarded as one of the most alluring supermodels in the world, Naomi using her stature and influence as a supermodel for a completely humanitarian cause.
Campbell recently tied-up with Lotus on a special project called “Naomi for Haiti”, a project wherein Lotus will auction off eight special-edition 2010 Lotus Evoras with all the proceeds directly going to relief efforts in the devastated country of Haiti.
In Japanese the word Mugen means unlimited, it is also the name of Honda’s in house racing branch that brought us the ultimate Mugen Type RR. Doing what they do best, the factory backed tuners are taking their big winged Civic Type R a bit further to create the special edition Honda Civic Type R Mugen 200 in celebration of their 2010 (BTCC) British Touring Car Championship racing efforts and will compete with vehicles like the Ford Focus RS and the Renault Mégane R26R off the track.
Destined exclusively for the British isles when it goes on sale this April, all 200 examples of the limited edition Civic Type R are covered in a Championship White finish accented with gloss black mirror covers and features exclusive Mugen equipment like bespoke front and rear bumpers with lower hanging side skirts, 19 inch alloy wheels, Mugen badges and Limited Edition number plaque and the all important (LSD) Limited Slip Differential.
Some people will do anything to show their love for a particular car brand and if they set a world record along the way, then hey, even better!
In celebrating the 100th anniversary of Alfa Romeo, an Alfa dealership in the
UK, Allams Alfa Romeo in Epsom Surrey, called out as many Alfa Romeo owners as it could for a little show and parade over the weekend. With the record standing at a little over 200 cars, Allams Alfa Romeo parade shattered the mark after 312 cars heeded the call and showed up for the gathering.
Alfa owners from all over the UK showed up in droves with one owner even driving 862 miles just to be part of the festivities.
The new record is still subject to validation by the Guinness Book of World Records, which will perform an investigation regarding the Alfa parade. Since the organizers went through a great detail to ensure the event’s legitimacy – they had video cameras positioned along the route - we’re fully expecting to see the Guinness Book stamp their approval on this new world record.
While we are all well aware of just how great of an automobile that the Jaguar XFR really is, the luxury car builder has announced details about an upcoming alternatively fueled model of the XF sport sedan for 2011 that brings the same high performance attitude and upscale amenities of the top of the line version into a new diesel burning four door dubbed the XF S.
The XF S is powered by a 275 HP diesel mill that promises not to disappoint drivers thanks to the Jag’s Adaptive Dynamics system, a unit that is currently featured on the XFR and XK that constantly adjusts the suspension to improve handling without giving up an ounce of comfort. The result improves on the XF’s already impressive handling and strikes a clever balance between a luxury ride and sports car agility, which will be an option on the high performance diesel.
The exterior of the new Jaguar XF S can be upgraded with a new aerodynamics package similar to the XFR’s which includes black mesh grill inserts, horizontal blades across the lower air intakes and bolder side skirts. Meanwhile the interior features upscale touches like high gloss Piano Black veneer and a Jet Suedecloth headliner that is available as an option on Premium Luxury and Portfolio Diesel S models; ensuring that you don’t have to give up style and luxury just to be green.
It’s no secret that the new 2011 Bentley Mulsanne is a lot more expensive than most cars being released these days. And by a lot more, we mean a lot more. Regarded as a luxury car unlike any other, the Mulsanne was created by Bentley with an objective of infusing old-school coach-building techniques with state-of-the-art technology and build a one-of-a-kind luxury car that would be the envy of its competitors.
In this video detailing the construction of the Mulsanne’s body at the company’s production facility in Crewe, England, Bentley’s project director, Ashley Wickman explains the fundamental design for the Mulsanne project from the car’s fundamental designs based on their concepts all the way to the production of each individual panel that will eventually comprise the Mulsanne’s body. According to Wickman, the whole process of building the body of the Mulsanne takes about 170 man-hours of painstaking labor.
It goes without saying that when building a car with the stature of the Mulsanne, even the minutest of details matter, which is precisely why the Bentley Mulsanne is what it is: a super-duper luxury car that a lot of us can only dream of riding – let alone, owning.
Paying homage to the Kris Meeke’s 2009 International Rally Championship drivers’ title, the French automaker Peugeot has unveiled a special edition of the tiny 207 S16 specifically for the U.K. market, with only 250 units scheduled for production priced at £14,695 each, the kitted Bianca White rally inspired hot hatch is sure to become an instant collector’s item.
Aside from the fancy paintwork, the 207 wears a pair of front and rear spoilers, lower hanging side skirts and a pseudo rear diffuser while residing on a set of slick 17 inch Hockenheim Alloy Wheels. Setting this particular Peugeot 207 further apart from the rest of the lineup is an SP Sports mesh grill insert, dark tinted rear windows from the 207 GTi model, bespoke interior badges signed by the champion, Kris Meeke, as well as optional vinyl rally graphics inspired by the successful rally machine free of charge so that your mates will think that you are driving the IRC winning 207 S2000 rally car.
The all electric American automaker Tesla has just unveiled a right-hand-drive version of its successful open air zero emissions EV Roadster in London and is priced at £86,950. "The right-hand-drive model is our response to growing demand from high-performance car buyers in the UK who are also interested in their impact on the environment," said Cristiano Carlutti, Tesla’s Vice President for European Sales and Operations. "Tesla is dramatically expanding its retail footprint in Europe, we look forward to building our community of owners and fans throughout the continent."
The 2010 Roadster for those who drive on the opposite side of the road includes a host of unique noise reduction materials, an upgraded sound system as well as a few other enhancements that make it ideal for daily commuting or weekend drives. After all, who wouldn’t want to own a vehicle that is as powerful as a Porsche and twice as efficient as a Prius, especially with one particular owner setting a 313 mile distance record from only a single charge with his own personal Roadster, offering up the best of both worlds for Tesla owners.
In an effort to cultivate the minds of young artists in London, Bentley recently partnered with the Royal College of Art in London for a design competition for 18 students to design futuristic concept proposals.
Over the past few months, the 18 Vehicle Design Course Masters students participating in the “Bentleys of the Future” went balls-out with their creations. Eventually, the field of 18 was whittled down to four students: Bora Kim from South Korea, Germany’s David Seesing, Mika Heikkinen – not, not the ex F1 World Champion – and Marten Wallgren from Sweden.
Over the next few days, the four designers will try to improve on their designs and, with the help of their course tutors and EXA’s analysts, these four hope to impress the review panel led by Bentley design chief Dirk van Braeckel and Raul Pires, Bentley’s Head of Exterior Design.
As for what’s up for grabs, all four are vying for an opportunity to be invited to Bentley’s design studio where the winner and the runner-up will be given a once-in-a-lifetime internship at Bentley’s office in Crewe, England.
Christine Gaskell, Member of the Board for Personnel at Bentley Motors, has been following the competition closely and was not afraid to voice her excitement over the prospect of yet another brilliant young designer
joining the fold at Bentley.
“Bentley Motors has long-established apprentice and graduate schemes and we are always seeking to find new ways to encourage and support people who want to work in the motor industry,” she said. “We look forward to welcoming some of the Royal College’s brightest and best to our design team later this year.”
For a lot of us, an Aston Martin DB6 Volante is a car that should be treated with utmost care. But if you’re a member of the Royal Family of Britain, well, cars like that are pretty much expendable.
That wasn’t any more evident when the Prince of Wales decided to melt the aluminum pistons of his DB6 Volante and turn them into - of all things - cufflinks.
In fairness to the Prince of Wales, he didn’t completely lose his mind when he decided to use the DB6 Volante’s pistons because they became disposable after he converted the car’s engine to run on biofuel. So with nothing to do with the aluminum pistons, he asked TMB ArtMetal to turn them into special-edition cufflinks.
In total, 200 cufflinks were created with each having the same DB6-themed design, with matching spinners to boot. TMB ArtMetal also accented each set of cufflinks with 18ct gold, making them extremely pricy at £995 ($1,600) for one set.
For those interested in these cufflinks, it’s worth noting that all proceeds generated by these cufflinks will not go to the Prince of Wales’ pocket, but to his own youth charity, the Prince’s Trust.
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