autothing.com's
December 2007 News Room Archives (back)
Thursday,
December 20th 2007
'Sex & The City'
Offers New Debut Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Those Hollywood folks are smart! Make a
movie, stick a car in it, get paid. Damn, why didn't we think of
that? Mercedes, send us some cash right now for even
posting this picture. There, that's all there is to that and we
expect payment by January 1st.
So here's the new 2009 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class SUV and it
can be seen in the new 'Sex & The City' movie. We're
totally digging it even though the design harkens back to the
Mitsubishi Montero, but that was a cool looking SUV too. The
GLK appears to have an AMG package, but it could even be
the actual AMG model since Mercedes-Benz makes a
high-performance version of EVERYthing.
It's
like really slick and rugged, right? We love the sharp, rising
body line and even small details like the slanted door handles
have us excited (it takes so little sometimes, lol...) The
chrome trim is interesting because they put the stripe really
low around the body whereas many SUVs have it placed higher up;
it makes the GLK look like a cross-over SUV and the low
cargo-area floor implies the same. We'll definitely have to see
it at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show to enjoy it more
thoroughly.
Thursday,
December 20th 2007
It's
Discrimination, Y'All! Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Brit Brit
tried to get into the Four Seasons parking lot with her
MINI Cooper, but our favorite hillbilly was DENIED.
TMZ has the video of Britney pulling up to the parking
garage and being told through the intercom, "I'm
sorry, you're not authorized to come in." Of course she
responds with, "Wha?!"
Brit's only friends, the paparazzi, shout
into the intercom, "She's
Britney Spears! She can come in. Let her in." Those
fools! That's the reason she was denied.
Britney then gives up and starts heading to
the front of the hotel, but before departing tells the paps, "Party
at my house tonight!"
Thursday,
December 20th 2007
The Newest
Corvette Sibling: ZR1
Chevy did a great job with their new
limited-edition Corvette ZR1. It's a racy looking umm...
race car?... that has 620hp and some wildly designed
accoutrements that let it stand out from the rest of traffic.
For $100K, this seems worth every penny.
We also have to give kudos to Chevy for improving the Corvette
so much in one single generation; most manufacturers wait, but
Chevy knows Corvette lovers are loyal and will stick around so
long as the model is consistently improved.
Thursday,
December 20th 2007
Not On Our Top
10 List!
We love BMW, but don't let the all-new
BMW X6 make a foolio out of you! It looks safe and sporty
from the front, but then turn it around a bit and...
It turns into the bastard child every parent is afraid of. We
don't know what that meant, but the X6 is BMW's attempt to offer
one ugly looking model that balances out all the great ones.
It's like a German version of the Pontiac Aztek and we
don't need two.
Wednesday,
December 19th 2007
Ran Over Another
One, Y'All! Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
You'd think we should be embarrassed that
we post all these B.S. photos (this is an acronym for two
different things and each works nicely here!) and you would be
completely wrong. How can your life not become better when you
see the legendary Miss Britney Spears driving around in
public like this? Sure, her car is a $200,000 Mercedes-Benz
SL65 AMG and she drinks Starbucks' Frappuccinos all
day long, but she may soon lose her kids and/or California
driver's license if the courts see her driving habits (which
include running red lights and over the paparazzi).
February 2008 is a long time away and a lot can happen. She'll
probably get married, get knocked up and have a new family by
then. She'll be over the old one. Either that or she'll finally
explode leaving the city of Malibu covered in mocha-flavored goo.
Wednesday,
December 19th 2007
The Porsche
Lifestyle Costs A Lot
Autothing.com sells really nice, REALLY
expensive
Porsche Key Chains, but this accessory is a little more
pricey than your typical key ring. For the small sum of $1,600
plus tax, you too can own the Porsche Cell Phone. It's no
iPhone, but let's be real honest here -- nobody with a
professional career (aka. Porsche owners) selects a phone to
watch movies and listen to music on. They have better things to
do!
A closer look at the
Porsche Design P'9521 reveals that the handset's casing
is milled out of a solid aluminum block -- something different
when it comes to producing cell phones. An interesting feature
consists of the double hinge that allows you to rotate the
screen through 180-degrees, enabling the handset to be used as a
digital camera. Other features include a biometric fingerprint
reader and scratch-resistant quartz crystal glass. Just don't
talk and drive with it -- jerks do that!
Tuesday,
December 18th 2007
Sexy Sexy Sexy.
Oh Yeah, SEXY!
Aston Martin is releasing multiple
editions of their Vantage, but we don't mind when the
results are progressively gorgeous models like this silvery-blue
beauty. Our staff has seen an Aston Martin DB9 twice here
in the suburbs of Chicago, but we've honestly seen like ten
different Lamborghini Murcielagos, which just goes to
show you how rare Astons really are... It's like spotting Big
Foot when you see one!
This is their new
V12 Vantage RS Concept, which no doubt will be a limited-run
production model by next Monday. Aston loves those special
editions, so trust us.
It's got 600hp and whatever else we typically expect on a
supercar like this. The design is what really matters and the
design on this baby is sharp'n'sexy. Don't even get us started
on those hot, diamond-style taillights. We love them too.
Tuesday,
December 11th 2007
2009 Dodge Ram
Picture Leaked...
But who cares! Most 2009 models will probably
be released three minutes after the stroke of midnight on New
Year's Eve 2008 anyways, so Dodge can relax after the
Mopar accessories website accidentally uploaded one of their
hidden pages for public viewing.
As for the 2009 Dodge Ram, it looks
good with the new power-bulge hood, tapered body lines and
slicked-back headlight clusters. We still like the large,
manly-lookin' Ford F-250 Series trucks more than anything
else on the market, but Dodge Rams are next on our list. They're
rugged looking, yet they successfully incorporate round edges
and subtle curves which make them look a bit sporty. Just a bit,
we said!
Tuesday,
December 11th 2007
Maybe KFed Is
Smarter Than All Of Us? Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Seriously! Somebody explain to us how KFed
went from being a nobody, to the legendary Miss Britney
Spears' husband, back to a nobody, and still somehow ends-up
riding shotgun in a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster.
Tuesday,
December 11th 2007
Better Luck The
Second Time Around
After killing the electric car the first time
around and letting Toyota take over the hybrid car
business, GM is basically going to impress the world if
their upcoming electric automobile, the Chevrolet Volt,
actually works and sells many units.
While the production model will NOT resemble
the great looking concept, Chevy has released a teaser of the
final design. Kind of looks like a Chevy Cobalt to us!
They claim the Volt concept car was not very aerodynamic and
that redesigning it would lower the drag coefficient (that's the
friction caused by air moving over the car body and you want
very little of it to increase mileage, etc.) Whatever GM, just
make the damn thing look better than a Prius and let it
remain a two-door!
We hope people really consider this car since
90% of folks have a commute less than 60 miles one-way; this car
can accomplish that trip without a single drop of gasoline.
What's NOT to love?
Tuesday,
December 11th 2007
Swear Words,
Starbucks and B.S. Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
The legendary Miss Britney Spears
turned on her best friends in the world, the paparazzi, while
getting one of her daily meals at Starbucks. She once
again created a shit frenzy as she ordered her usual sugar slop.
The poor manager dude at Starbucks tries to get the
photographers out, but they are straight up ignoring him; we
still admire how they try to protect their number one customer
from the cameras.
Next, while
heading to her car, one of the paps bumps into that beautiful
white
Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG of hers and she snaps at him, "Don't
touch my fucking car. I swear to God...." What is she
gonna' do? Attack him with an umbrella or maybe her mocha frapp?
Yeah right! She wouldn't waste that delicious nectar.
Oh and only Brit herself can put dings in her
car. She should've told them,
"Hey y'all,
I run into you! You don't run into my car!"
Tuesday,
December 11th 2007
Guess Which
Olsen Twin! Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
If you guessed Ashley Olsen, you
obviously know way too much and should sign-up to appear on
Jeopardy! If you didn't guess, you may have less spare time
than our celebrity-obsessed staff here at autothing. That's
probably a good thing!
ANYways, here's one of our favorite Full
House stars with her big, black and beautiful
Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG SUV.
Monday,
December 10th 2007
Case Of The
Iconic Taillights
Leave it to Ford to risk ruining a
good thing! The 2009 Ford Mustang test mule has been
making occasional appearances and as you can see, the designers
are toying with the idea (yet again) of changing the solid red tri-bar taillight design.
This time around, two clear bars (for reverse
functionality) may be slotted in-between the usual three red
bars. We don't car how much better it looks, how about they just
focus on making the Mustang a nicer ride with more power and
leave the taillights for last on the list of needed
improvements.
Monday,
December 10th 2007
Coming Soon!
The 2008 Dodge Challenger had 4,300
deposits placed for the right to purchase it before anybody even
saw a picture. Well, smart move and dumb move. Turns out that
dealerships on eBay are already auctioning their
allotments (probably three to four units per dealer) with bids
up to $15,000 for each "right to purchase". Mind you, that
amount is in addition to whatever the sticker price will be.
Unofficially, those original pre-buyers will either lose their
purchase slots or be forced to spend way more money than
originally planned. Of course, money is no fun if you can't
spend it, so hooray for greedy dealers who want
us all to have fun!
Above is an actual photo of the 2008
production-run; only three colors will be available (silver,
black and orange) and they will be offered in the limited
SRT8 trim, which will deliver about 425hp. The full design
of the new Challenger will be revealed at the 2008 Chicago
Auto Show in February.
Monday,
December 10th 2007
The Next Super
Mercedes
While it looks like a Dodge Viper and
moves like a Dodge Viper, it's actually the test mule for an
all-new super car: the Mercedes-Benz SLC. Built as a
direct replacement for the aging Mercedes-Benz SLR, this
new model will be exclusively derived from the company's
in-house staff at AMG and not McLaren. Expect a
floor model in late 2008 with production slated to begin in
2009. Yeah, it'll be awhile.
Monday,
December 10th 2007
We May Never
Love It...
We really want to love the Nissan GT-R.
They claim it can best a Porsche 911 while costing less
than a fully-equipped Chevrolet Corvette Z06 with a price
of just $70,000 plus any dealership mark-ups (and there will be
many Nissan car lots who pull that number on would-be buyers).
The problem with this car is it looks like a
design from about ten years ago! We couldn't previously put into
words what exactly we didn't like about the GT-R, but it became
abundantly clear that the car has the most dated design we've
seen in the past few years, especially for a sports car. While a
$35,000 Subaru WRX can look really stylish in that subtle
way, this car costs twice as much and doesn't evoke the word
"sexy" from anybody who's seen it. To be honest, most car
magazines don't even mention the looks at first; they
kind-of-sort-of go straight into how much power the GT-R's
engine is capable of. That tells you something.
To be fair, lots of time probably when into
this thing, so here's a cute video from Nissan showing how valid
and realistic the $42,000 $70,000 price really
is.
Sunday,
December 9th 2007
His Eyes Are
ALWAYS Like That! Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Celebitchy has a scan from this week's InTouch of
Angelina Jolie's brother,
James Haven's vanity plate. His Toyota Highlander
SUV has a "Shhiloh" custom license plate on it.
Maddox is probably thanking
the stars that weirdo didn't use his name.
Wait... maybe James is the baby daddy? Get Maury Povich! We
remember James saying his parents originally named him Shiloh
and that's why Angie chose that name. Probably a B.S. story to
cover this up. Anyways, do you think he realizes he spelled her
name wrong? Probably not, his freaky eyes probably only see one
H.
Sunday,
December 9th 2007
It's A German
Go-Kart
Brabus, the Mercedes-Benz tuner, has now set their
sight on the Smart ForTwo car, variations of which have
been slowly trickling into the United States during the past
year or so. For a small car, you have to admit it's not too
shabby and looks like a high-end go-kart that can actually get
you from the suburbs to the big city.
The Brabus Ultimate 112 is limited to just 112 units and
we love it even though the price will be well over $25,000
considering the base editions of this car are still over-priced
due to their rarity. We also like how Brabus managed to bring
their goofy LED rocker panel flood lights along for this ride.
Yeah, little funky lights impress us!
Sunday,
December 9th 2007
Most Satisfying?
NOT POSSIBLE!
That B.S. Consumer Reports Annual Car Owner Satisfaction
Survey has named the Toyota Prius as the most
satisfying of anyvehicle. Can you believe that 92
percent of Prius owners say they would “definitely buy one
again" compared to ANY other car owner out there? We don't and
think most of them lied.
Let's be real about this junk survey... The Toyota Prius can be
beat in the looks department by nearly any car on the market.
Next, the car is not bought for performance (the good kind...
the FAST kind). Third, the car is not bought because it's a
great deal; it costs more than an affordable Honda or
Saturn and offers less.
So why is it the most satisfying? It's because the owners are
crazy! Ok, we don't seriously mean all of them, just most. This
car is bought by ideological people who want to "save the world"
and that specifically is a good thing. The bad part is
that these types of buyers are not going to rate the Prius as a
vehicle with four wheels, but rather the IDEA of the Prius: a
fuel-efficient mode of transportation. Come to think of it,
maybe something IS wrong with that remaining 8% of unsatisfied
Prius owners. It's alright though -- Toyota will make them
"disappear" before the next survey.
Saturday,
December 8th 2007
Personal
Umbrella Holder = Awesome Yes, it's another edition of
"What Are Hollywood Stars Driving?!?"
Here's Beyonce and her P.U.H.in Paris for Jay-Z's birthday. They arrived in
what appears to be a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan.
Beyonce and other celebrities have the right idea. Holding your
own umbrella is so cumbersome. Think of all the things you can
do if you had someone holding your umbrella... You could keep
your hands in your pockets, you could keep them at your side,
you could slap someone and pull their hair, you could send text
messages, you could hold a cup of coffee and talk on the phone at the same time. It opens up a whole new world!
On the flip side, you'd really have to trust the person
holding your umbrella. They could easily play a joke on you and
leave you all wet. That would be funny.
