autothing.com's
June 2007 News Room Archives (back)
Friday, June
29th 2007
Already
Sold-Out!
We're not sure how the
hell Ferrari does it, but nearly every limited-edition
model they release is already bought before it's even made! Are
there that many millionaires on the Ferrari email list? Well,
this time around the limited run of just sixty cars is dedicated
to the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Sessanta and it definitely
looks handsome. It's pretty low-key actually, but compared to
the Ferrari Enzo, anything they release is much more subtle.
The company presented its
Sessanta (60th) Anniversary 612 Scaglietti equipped with an F1
gearbox. The package is primarily custom -- a two-tone paint
scheme in black and red or black and gray -- special detailing
of the headlamp and bumpers, a glass roof with three levels of
transparency (via an electronically controlled liquid crystal
layer embedded in the glass) and custom two-tone leather
interiors.
Back to that glass roof!
That stuff is awesome -- the glass can actually change tint
levels by selecting a specific setting, which in-turn stimulates
the crystals to allow more or less visibility. We say make ALL
the glass pieces on every car include this nifty feature. You
can tint the windows on-demand and then make them clear for
easier nighttime driving. Heck, homes can skip the whole
"curtain" thing and when you go into the bathroom, you can just
flip a switch to make any windows opaque.
Screw the Apple iPhone,
these windows are the real future!
Friday, June
29th 2007
Weapon Of Mass
Desire
Bentley's Arnage T
is probably the last vehicle most car enthusiasts consider
whenever posed with the cliché question, "What car would you buy
if you had a million dollars?" No worries though -- here's a
quick reminder of how masculine, powerful and amazing this
$275,000 luxury cruiser is. Quite the beast, right?
On a slightly different
tangent, our secret little Bentley fantasy comes courtesy of the
movie Fantastic Four (the first one, not the
Silver Surfer sequel). Victor, the ultra-rich bad guy in the
movie, owns a black Bentley Arnage with the coolest personalized
vanity plate ever: VON DOOM (Victor's evil last
name, lol...)
It's seven digits long,
fits on real-world license plates and is available in most
states. When you win the lottery and buy your Bentley, you now
have the perfect vanity plate!
Friday, June
29th 2007
German Go-Kart
The all-new BMW
1-Series Coupe has debuted and should appear in the United
States sometime late this year or in early 2008. With an
estimated starting price of $26,000 and an appearance very
similar to the new 3-Series, this car is already a great deal.
Consider this: a loaded Mazda6 costs about $24,000. Add $2K more
and you can get The Ultimate Driving Machine. Works for us!
more...
Thursday, June
28th 2007
Looks Like A
Kidnapping Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Here's a thrilling
and exciting picture of Brad Pitt
dropping off Pax, because these never get dull. While we
think Brad
is just delivering one of his recent acquisitions to school,
it's possible the Dodge Sprinter he's riding in has been
positioned to scout for more children he can purchase
adopt. Stay tuned!
Thursday, June
28th 2007
Nice Driving,
Officer...
This police chase is
unreal and we don't recall ever seeing something so ridiculous.
A policeman gives chase to a suspect and after a little bit of
running, they find themselves in the middle of a street when
another police officer hits them BOTH with his police cruiser.
Thank goodness for helicopters, video and the media!
Wednesday, June
27th 2007
Drive A Porsche,
Save The World! Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Hayden Panettiere,
who plays the world-famous cheerleader on NBC's Heroes,
drives one of our favorite SUVs, the Porsche Cayenne S
(we prefer the Turbo version, but this will do just fine). Girl
has good taste in her rides!
Wednesday, June
27th 2007
A Sign From The
Aliens?
Sorry, it's just some
dude on a cocaine-related high, who at some point decided to
lead police on a chase into the corn crops.
more...
Tuesday, June
26th 2007
Free At Last Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars
not Driving?!?"
The Mercedes-Benz SLR
that Paris Hilton was probably leasing has been repossessed so
that a real enthusiast could enjoy it. No, the supercar was
taken back because -- can you believe this -- Paris fell behind
on the payments! If a $50,000 car has lease payments of about
$400-500 per month, then owning this car costs at least $6,500
per month if you include taxes, etc. We still want one!
more...
Monday, June
25th 2007
"F" Is For
Finally
While we still have to
wait until 2008 according to our local Lexus dealership here in
Arlington Heights, Illinois, the arrival of the sweet looking
Lexus IS-F here in the United States has been reaffirmed.
With a 5.0 liter V8
engine, the thing reminds us of past Ford Mustangs, so it's
going to have some great power for a small four-door sedan. We
feel Lexus should introduce this car in a two-door variant as
well, but maybe some potential BMW M3 buyers will find
the easily accessible extra space more useful.
Sunday, June
24th 2007
We Miss The
Lincoln LS
Completely ignored and
highly underrated, the Lincoln LS was discontinued a
couple of years ago while that ugly new Navigator with the
one-foot wide chrome side panels was introduced. Lincoln went
crazy and completely lost their minds, we thought; of course,
the product line just proved our suspicions!
Now, the spy shot of the
2009 Lincoln MKS has appeared and we can only pray it
looks as sporty and luxurious and the recent LS, which borrowed
some of the rough-edged hues from the 1990s generation of the
BMW 7-Series.
more...
Saturday, June
23rd 2007
"Only Two
Segways In Town Collide"
This is something funny
we found at The Onion and laughed at.
more...
Saturday, June
23rd 2007
What Do YOU
Think?
During the edit process,
we REALLY wanted to block the BMW roundel logo on the
steering wheel and ask you -- our magnificent site visitor
and/or customer -- what model this interior can be found on.
Well, the logo is so small that you can place your finger on the
monitor and hide it while viewing the rest of the photo.
So what do you think? Is
this worth the price of $70,000-$90,000? Hmm...
The gently redesigned
2008 BMW 6-Series features an essentially carried-over
interior while the exterior receives most updates. Deeper
side-sills, a smoother front bumper, further outward placement
of the fog lights and really cool "checkerboard" LED
turn-signals mounted in the front headlamp clusters. While the
interior of a Ford Explorer Limited is more luxurious, BMW
really loves introducing new headlight technology concepts,
which shows their keen eye for details.
more...
Saturday, June
23rd 2007
We Wonder Who
Drove Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Run Apple run! Mommy
can't catch you and you can legally change your name to
something normal! Gwyneth Paltrow is spotted hopping
around somewhere in Los Angeles after exiting her conservatively
stylish Audi Q7.
When people use crutches,
they don't normally dress like this. One of her assistants
should notify her of this using a Post-It, preferably the yellow
kind.
Friday, June
22nd 2007
Got Cash? Here's
A Secret...
Do you have $90,000 to
spend on an automobile? Are you considering models from BMW's
M-Series or Mercedes-Benz' AMG-Class? Do you want a
vehicle that stands out of the crowd without "standing out"?
If the answer is yes, buy
a 2008 Jaguar XKR Coupe Portfolio Edition! We swear, this
car is so gorgeous that both men and women alike will swoon with
delight at seeing one in person. This Jag' offers everything
other luxury brands provide and lacks only one thing they don't:
commonality. While everyone can get a BMW or Mercedes
(thanks to their cheap lease offers), Jaguars are a rare breed.
You get a car which offers the most exclusivity for the price
and even here in Chicago land, we've seen more Ferraris and
Lamborghinis than of Jaguar's XKR models.
For those without the
$90,000+ golden ticket, just visit your local Jaguar dealership
to see this car up close and personal. You will thank us!
more...
Friday, June
22nd 2007
Friday Tunes
Here is Rihanna's
new "Shut Up and Drive" music video. The song is a catchy
Summer tune and there's a nice classic Ford Mustang here.
Friday, June
22nd 2007
We're Sure
His Coffee Spilled
This accident occurred
right outside of Fox Lake, Illinois, and one of our friends here
at autothing took the photo on his way in to work. The Ford
Econoline took a wrong turn and found itself up a steel
tension wire supporting a telephone pole. Who knew those wires
were strong enough to hold an automobile up in the air!
Friday, June
22nd 2007
Batman's New
Ride! Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Batman is
always ahead of the curve and here are the first photos of the "Batpod,"
assuming that is the official name. It's basically a motorcycle
with huuuuuge wheels. This new toy will appear in Batman: The
Dark Knight. This is the sequel to the last film, Batman
Begins.
Check this out: it's a
Gotham City license plate on a Lincoln Town Car! The Dark
Knight is being filmed right here in autothing's hometown of
Chicago, so there's tons of Batman related things going on,
especially at nighttime when they close some streets for
filming.
Thursday, June
21st 2007
Evolving Nicely
The Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution (aka. "EVO") has come along pretty well after all
these years. It's the direct competitor to the popular Subaru
WRX, though it offers more flash than the latter model in terms
of actual design work. We felt the new Lancer was a bit plain at
first, but it's grown on us and we look forward to checking out
the EVO edition once it hits the streets.
more...
Wednesday, June
20th 2007
Better Be Worth
It!
You know, that Lexus
LF-A supercar is taking what seems like forever! While we
won't have the cold hard cash to pick one up, we -- like any
automotive enthusiast -- want to see the finished product sooner
than later. At this rate, the Lexus buying demographic will have
aged another twenty years and moved on to Buicks!
more...
Tuesday, June
19th 2007
Our Kind Of Girl Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Britney Spears
sure knows how to relax... Here she is spending some time at a
go-cart track. We'll bet that somebody placed an Iced
Frappuccino from Starbucks at the finish line. That's how
Britney rolls when it comes to motivation!
Britney's son, Sean
Preston Federline, was out in the parking lot driving his
ultra-hot Cadillac Escalade. The kid has class, right?
Monday, June
18th 2007
Spy Shot: Chevy
HHR SS
Check out Chevy's
new PT Cruiser HHR SS, which is a
turbo-charged version of the base HHR. With 260 horsepower, the
car will actually have some decent kick and hopefully will
include some sporty exterior upgrades.
more...
