Merry Christmas

What do you buy for that special person in your life who already has everything? Probably some nice wine and cheese I imagine. On the other hand though, you could opt for this.

Behold US-based Neiman Marcus's 2012 Ferrari FF, a four-wheel drive, 651 horsepower, V12, limited edition 1/10 prancing horses, listed here.



Some might baulk at gift-wrapping US$335,000/ £226,000 in these uncertain economic times but with matching caramel leather luggage and Ferrari's 7-year complimentary servicing, you'd be mad not to.

And on that note...Merry Christmas from Exhaust Pipe Dreams. Keep the pics and emails coming in over the holidays to exhaustpipedreams@gmail.com

Happy motoring!

I spy with my little eye PT2

I was walking to a client's office on Saturday and look what was outside St Paul's Cathedral. This Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II was tucked into a quiet side street waiting for the big moment and the bells.

So this made me curious. How much is it for a wedding car like this? The answer is...about £500 for four hours for this silver RR Silver Cloud II.

And for further entertainment, I found this episode of Automobiles Deluxe on the Silver Cloud MI really interesting. 

I spy with my little eye PT1

I was walking through Soho in London's West End recently and saw a very rare sight. This is an HSV (General Motors Holden Special Vehicles) Clubsport and is a petrol-head's favourite from Down Under. It is the Aussie answer to an M5 or E55. These cars are badged as a Vauxhall VXR8 here in the UK and retail for just under £50,000. In Australia they retail for just under AUD$70,000 which when converted is almost price matched like for like.

Check out this from Australian Top Gear where you get a sense of these big engined muscle cars.






Wiki says: 350 VXR8s per year were scheduled for official importation into the UK, at a price of £35,105. The LS3 V8 is particularly popular among tuners in the USA, so performance parts are widely available. The most dramatic warranted upgrade is the £7,000 supercharger kit, which ups power to 395 kW (537 PS; 530 hp). Imports to the US were previously sold as Pontiac G8, with V6, L76 V8, or an LS3 V8 engine in the GXP trim. The supercharged edition Bathurst VXR8 was reviewed on Top Gear, and its power-lap time was 1 min 26.3 seconds, a similar time to the current BMW M5.

In July 2010, Autocar reported that, "VXR8 was quietly dropped from the pricelists several months ago" after stocks ran out. However, a face-lifted version based on the new HSV E3 GTS was released to the UK market in April 2011 at a price of around £49,500, almost £15,000 more than the previous VXR8, but significantly cheaper than most of its rivals, like the Mercedes E63 AMG and BMW M5. Vauxhall is currently offering the 2011 Clubsport to UK customers as a special order model.

How to blow your engine.

Am I alone in suggesting this guy deserves it?

Bentley's new V8 note.

Oh. My. God.

This is going to really upset some viewers. Check out this Super Car Sunday-drive smash from Japan over the weekend which included 8 Ferraris, 3 Mercs and a Lambo. Click here to read the story.

Bentley with a 27L spitfire engine.

Read all about it here, courtesy of The Telegraph.

Christmas Garage Door Stickers

See these and a huge range more at Style Your Garage Door.

New Sweeney Wheels

Yesterday I posted about the star-car of the original British TV Series, The Sweeney. So what do you think would be the modern equivalent of a 70s Ford Granada? Well the producers have stayed loyal to Ford and think it's a hotted up Ford Focus. Read on here.

Maybach Accelero

Imagine one of these coming up behind you. You'd think it was Bruce Wayne!

World's most amazing Police Cars.

Each to their own, I guess.

The Sweeney Ford Granada

I didn't grow up with this show so this vehicle is news to me. Check out the article from The Telegraph, here.

Mazda Takeri

What a stunning car. This looks amazing. And it's a Mazda! Love it. Why can't Toyota and Honda up their game in the looks department?

2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet

Thoughts?

New shoes for life?

Oh. Brake shoes.

Anyway, this still sounds like a good deal. Read this article about how Halfords is offering free parts and labour...for LIFE!

A face only a mother could love.

Is it just me or are BMW's getting uglier by the year? Here is the new 3 series model.

How did they go from this...

To this?

New Defender

If I lived somewhere warm, had lots of money and about five other cars, and you bought this for me as a gift, I would probably drive it.

It looks very, very fun. I don't think I'd buy one though.

Thoughts?

Tata MiniCAT - Fact or Fiction?

I was fascinated to hear of Tata's new engine which ran on nothing but air. Naturally I thought it was a little too good to be true, so I contacted Tata directly and here is the very exciting response:

Dear Mr. Blatch,

Thank you for your message.

The compressed air car technology is being developed by MDI of France. Tata Motors has financially supported the development works. The technology is still in the project stage. Tata Motors is licensed to deploy the technology as an when it is ready, only in India.

 Regards,

Roxana Cooper

Tata Motors

International Business

Go Tata! 

What's that car?

If you're a car lover and you've been following the recent Italian Government's meltdown, you'll have seen Berlusconi chauffeured to and from meetings in an appropriately comical official car. I had never seen anything like it before and wondered if it was some sort of Fiat but after doing some research it turns out it's the Lancia Thesis. Now this machine really does put the mental back into Governmental vehicle.

Now, you'd have to go a long way into the back catalogue of some Chinese or Korean car manufacturers to find a car this, umm, ugly. I don't find the rear too offensive but the front is like the headlights of a tiny little Alfa Romeo Mito have been mated to a Lincoln grille and finally laboured with the overall jarring proportions of a Hongqi. Yeah I said it. A Hongqi.

And one last thing- You could even go so far as excusing the coach builders for their crimes, but brown-on-brown paint really is rubbing salt into the wound.

The Lancia Thesis:

Berlusconi's Official Lancia Thesis:

The Hongqi V12:

The Lancia Thesis TV Ad:

Taking the joy out of joyriding?

A motoring device which was born out of the need to monitor mining vehicles, this car spyware can now be bought for the family car. Designed to alert the car's owner if it's being driven dangerously, this device is thought to help lower the road-toll. I must raise the question though of whether this is pointless in this context. After all, most young people hooning around in cars probably own the car. What are your thoughts on this article?

For non Australians, this pic from the Sydney Morning Herald is a classic Aussie motor- the Holden (GM) Kingswood. It also came in a premium version called a Premier. I think the Kingswood in its various Premier/ Panel van/ Sandman/ Station Wagon guises should be explored in a separate post. Standby!

A lot of hot air?

Could this be the end of fossil-fuel pillaging, Middle-East conflict, Dictators and BP?


My Dad just sent me info on Tata's new car which runs on...wait for it...not hydrogen...not electricity, but air! "Tata Motors and ex-Formula One engineer Guy N. from a Luxembourg MDI have come up with a car that runs on air. Dubbed the Tata Mini CAT, or Air Car, the environmentally-friendly car uses no petrol, requires little maintenance and has a range of around 300km between re-gassing. Tata hopes to have it on the market in India in 2012."


But is this true? Check out more here.

The justification we all need.

Here's your excuse to blow the family finances on classic car! Check out this article from The Telegraph about buying your childhood dream.

Geneva Motor Show 2011

Click here for The Telegraph's gallery and view some of the magnificent models below (the cars, not that old man waving).

Mystery car revealed.

I posted about Olly Murs's new film clip in which a mysterious roadster appears. I thought the emblem was a bit like a Peugeot because of the lion rampant emblem on the front. Well It turns out that's because it is a Peugeot! And I think I've figured out where the producers sourced the car- The Classic Car Club. Check out the 1974 504 below and also the Club's website. Yearly membership isn't cheap but it's probably far cheaper than maintaining most classics for a year.

Restart!

We've unpacked our boxes in the new house and the internet is up and running- so it's time to start your engines once again. My first post after MovingHouseHiatus will be a question. What is Olly Murs driving in this video clip? It looks like some sort of Jensen Interceptor but it has a lion rampant emblem on the grille, which reminds me of Peugeot, so I'm at a loss.

Hiatus

Exhaust Pipe Dreams is on a short moving-house-hiatus. We'll be back soon!

Revenge of the Electric Car

The follow up movie to the controversial 'Who Killed the Electric Car' is the soon to be released 'Revenge of the Electric Car.' Check out the official movie trailer below.

Mobile office.

Finally I can take a trip without having even a minute of downtime. After all, time is money. Check out this gallery and report on the new Bentley Mulsanne.

Intercept this.

I have long been a fan of the Jensen Interceptor's beautiful tail-end, but have always heard horror stories about the build quality. Anyway, I enjoy looking at this silver concept (middle image) that's been doing the rounds online but now I've discover today they're thinking of actually bringing it back!

Pictured: The original Jensen Interceptor.

Pictured: A concept illustration. I'd love to know who made this and whether they're attached to the new version.

Pictured: The new concept released to the press which will go head to head with Aston Martin. That's a tough market to break into!

Read the article from the Sydney Morning Herald here.

Wheels of misfortune.

This latest craze will horrify some and impress others. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below. The video says 'glow in the dark' but I find this hard to believe. I think they must be lit somehow. Does anyone know?

Bavarian Babes

Check out the catalogue for Bonham's upcoming classic BMW auction (October 1) in Munich. There are more 2002s and 3.0s at this German sale than you can poke a ruthlessly efficient stick at. Check out just a sample of the motors below and click here to view the website.

1938 BMW 327/328 Cabriolet

1973 BMW '3.2' CSL 'Batmobile' Coupé

1959 BMW 503 3.2-Litre Coupé

Just add water.

As the BBC asks, does hydrogen represent the future of motoring? It sounds amazing and win-win but is it possible and viable? And where do electric cars stand in this battle for the roads? Electric cars sound fantastic for large cities with lots of charging points, but what about when you're in huge countries like Australia, Canada and the USA? Check out this report from the BBC here.

Would you ride in a car with no driver?

That's what a team have created in Germany. Read more here.