Spy Shots: Grand Bentley covered in camo before Pebble Beach unveiling

Like every big reveal of the past few years, Bentley has decided to dish out a series of teasers before unveiling its new model to the world. Thankfully, we're only a few weeks away from the Grand Bentley's debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and before the main event takes place, we've got a few spy shots of the flying-B's large-and-in-charge luxo-barge.

Although the Grand Bentley is coated in copious amounts of camo, when we look back at the two teasers Bentley released of the hood and rear-quarter, it doesn't take much imagination to piece things together. There's a few shades of the Mulsanne and Brooklands to the profile, primarily accentuated by the ultra-thick C-pillar, and while the body cladding lends an air of Phantom to the fascia, it's decidedly more sculpted and smooth, and should be a fitting place to stack the duo of round headlamps we've seen in previous spy shots. All will be revealed next month.

Read Article

Lamborghini Reventon Spyder Rumoured for 2010

When Lamborghini originally announced the ultra-exotic matte finish Reventon at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show limited to just 20 examples, the €1 million carbon fibre supercars were quickly snapped up by collectors. Angular with razor sharp lines, inspired by a fighter jet and named after the bull that killed famed matador Felix Guzman in 1943, the 6.5-litre V12 features 650 hp and 4-wheel drive. Having appreciated considerably in value, there are now 9 Reventons for sale on JamesList – almost half the total production.

So what will Lamborghini do for an encore? Rumours are rife that a Reventon Spyder is in the works for 2010. Even more exclusive, the roadster version, based on the Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, would be limited to only 9 examples. A newer version of the 6.5 litre V12 engine would crank out 670 hp and 660 nm of torque. Given the current economic climate, prices for the Spyder are likely to be lower than they might have been during the boom years – about €1.25 million according to reports. An official announcement is expected at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Read Article

Is Saab officially cool again?

[Editor's Note] Once upon a time, a long, long time ago (we're talking the 80's here) I wanted a Saab really, really badly. I was only 8 or 9 at the time so getting one was kind of out of the question, maybe not in my mind but I've always been a tad out of touch with reality.

Back then, all of the cool kids rocked the Saab 900. If you were really cool, you'd rock the Saab 900S. If you were THAT dude, you rocked the Saab 900S Cabriolet with the gold BBS rims as seen above forever immortalized in the cult classic movie that paid homage to urban 80's culture Paid in Full (2002).

When Will Smith debuted the fire red 900S Cabriolet in his "Ring My Bell" video, (the followup to "Summertime") back in 1990, my passion for cars particularly that Saab, hit an all-time high. Check out the 2:21 mark of the video

Needless to say, since then Saab hasn't quite been the car manufacturer of choice for the cool kids. In fact, its quite possible you might catch a beat down from one of the cool kids for even daring to drive one these days. Though some may view you as a revolutionary unwilling to yield to the peer pressures of society, most people will probably just label you a nerd, and not the cool kind of nerd either.

Well here we are with the first pictures of the all-new 2010 Saab 9-5. We're cautiously optimistic that this attractive sedan (though it's appearance is certainly polarizing to many) will look as good in the flesh as it does in pictures. In this round of images, we get a better look at many of the new 9-5's most interesting details, including its pronounced grille and fascia, multi-hued side mirrors, full-length LED brake lighting and bottom-edge J-shaped chrome trim.

Inside, we see the expected cockpit-style dash layout, though with a more modern take on the classic Swedish design. Of course, there's a console-mounted ignition button and mellow green-tinted interior lighting, but we also note quite a few interesting textures and patterns to break up the otherwise somber-looking monotony of dark colors. Hold tight for the official details and specifications from Saab, which should be on their way in short order considering that the dam is crumbling at such an alarming rate. Will this be enough to endear Saab to present-day cool urban kids? Probably not. But its definitely a step in the right direction...

What are your thoughts?

Porsche Cayenne Turbo Balrog… No Comment!

Jeremie Baret has now turned his car styling ‘genius’ to the Porsche Cayenne Balrog. The styling kit, which took 8 months of research (don’t know why ’cause it still looks like s…), consists of a new interior, a performance upgrade and an array of rim types.

The kit also includes a new front bumper with original Cayenne Turbo side lights and fog lights with angel eyes. A highlight of the styling kit is the front bumper that is fitted with the all the required vents for cooling the intercooler and the front brakes. If your car has xenon nozzles and parking sensors, the kit has something to spice that up. The rear features a new spoiler and diffuser which can be removed for installing the tow hook. There’s more: a new front grille, large fenders, and new side skirts.

Read Article

2010 Bentley GTC Speed is like Heaven. Only better.

The Bentley Continental GT has been lauded and derided for being too much: too powerful, too fast, too easy, too big, too ubiquitous, and yes, too good. The convertible version, the Continental GTC, dismissed its roof but retained the excess. Now, Bentley has worked its "Speed" hocus-pocus in order to create a new variant of everyone's favorite over-the-top drop-top and Crewe's mad scientists have taken a vehicle that's already cranked to eleven and turned it up a notch or two... or three. Gloriously excessive excess awaits and with 600Hp and 533-lb of torque, it wont be waiting long!

2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV on display at La Dolce Vita Automobili at Black Horse

[Photo above: New La Dolce Vita ad]

La Dolce Vita Automobili has recently announced a great feature to their premiere show this year: the addition of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV.

The car pictured above will be sitting on the lawns of Black Horse Golf Course where attendees will get an up close look at the super exotic Lamborghini. Finished in White with black rims this Lamborghini is a stunner for sure.

The Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV is powered by a V12 with 670 Italian horsies. Lamborghini claims this special edition Lambo can hit sixty in just 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 200 mph at 212.

"The new Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is the systematic continuation of our brand philosophy. It is more extreme and uncompromising than virtually any other automobile," says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.

We couldn't agree more...

Learn more at Montereybayconcours.com

G-Unit recording artist 40 Glocc shows his thanks & appreciation to the Carlyle Motor Club

This past weekend, we here at Carlyle Motor Club were honored to be the exclusive provider of vehicles for a video shoot for the new smash single "Damnnnn!" by G-Unit recording artist 40 Glocc. The track also features Ray J.

Above you'll find a shout-out from 40 Glocc himself letting us know where he goes to get all of his cars.

Special thanks to Lil Shawn, John Colombo, RasKass, Ray J, Broadway, the entire Infamous/G-Unit camp, and of course 40.

Officially Official: Ferrari announces the 458 Italia!

After months of speculation and spy shots, the crew from Maranello have finally revealed their new mid-engined V8-powered creation to replace the F430. The all-new 458 Italia won't be shown in public until September's Frankfurt Motor Show, but the details were released early this morning. A new direct-injected 4.5-liter V8 ups the power ante to 570 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. Eighty percent of that torque is now available at an impressively low 3,250 rpm, thanks probably in part to the 12.5:1 compression ratio.

Like last year's California, the 458 gets a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox to send power to the rear axle. A lot of work has been done on reducing the internal friction of the powerplant, in addition to work on reduced aerodynamic drag. The results help improve the 458's mileage to a combined 17.1 mpg (US) on the EU test cycle. No mention is made so far of incorporating any type of KERS hybrid system, something that has been entertained in a lot of rumors... perhaps it will come at a later date.

Like its predecessor, the structure is fabricated out of aluminum giving the 458 a dry weight of just 3,042 pounds. As this is a Ferrari, talk of fuel consumption really does seem a bit pointless. The real question, is how quick is it? Based on specs at least, this new coupe does not disappoint. Acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 3.4 seconds, and this will be the first volume production Ferrari V8 to top the 200 mph barrier, with a top whack of 202 mph.

Call us today to be placed on the waiting list for this awesome piece of Italian engineering! (888) 804-7852

[Source: Ferrari]

2010 Transformers Special Edition Chevy Camaro unveiled

Today at Comic-Con, General Motors officially announced the 2010 Chevy Camaro Transformers Special Edition. The $995 appearance package can be applied to LT (V6) and SS-trim Camaros in Rally Yellow with or without the optional RS package. So, whadda ya get for the dough? It's very straightforward:

• Autobot insignia fender badges and wheel caps
• An embroidered Autobot insignia on the center console
• Gloss-black rally stripes with Transformers logos
• Transformers-logo doorsill plates

If you were hoping for more, such as the Z/28 fascia and hood, the storm drain-sized exhaust outlets used on Bumblebee in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, or, say, an actual robot mode, you're outta luck. There are no performance upgrades, either -- you'll simply have to make do with the 304, 400, or 426 horsepower that comes standard, depending on which base config you select. If you desperately want your own Bumblebee but are turned off by the whole Transformers brand-mania thing, you can still do the obvious thing and order up a regular Rally Yellow car and simply add plain black rally stripes for $470. We'd do that.

We're positive Alezar would LOVE this car!

Read Article

Italian-American Pride: Corvette-based SV 9 Competizione

Imagine a cross between an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione – from which this creation clearly draws its inspiration (as well as its name) – and a contemporary Corvette and you're well on your way towards summing up the SV 9 Competizione's design. And while we have some reservations over the front-end styling with its protruding snout, overall, the design strikes an intriguing balance between American muscle and Italian style. And when you consider the price of many contemporary coachbuilt customs, the $99,995 sticker price – including the donor Vette – doesn't seem all that outlandish.

Along with the carbon fiber bodywork, SV has tweaked the interior, fitted a new intake and exhaust for a 14-horsepower boost to 450 and fitted a new set of wheels with Pirelli Pzero Rosso tires, giving the SV 9 Competizione a claimed 0-60 time of four seconds flat, a 12-second quarter-mile sprint, a braking distance from 60 of 107 feet and 1.03g of lateral grip. Not too shabby by any standard. And with configurations based on 25 exterior colors, five interior trims and four wheel choices, SV figures there's no reason any two of the 1,000 units to which production is limited will ever need to turn out the same. We wouldn't mind seeing one up close ourselves; the first example is set to debut in San Francisco this weekend ahead of its unveiling at the local Concorso Italiano next month, but in the meantime you can check out the computer renderings.

Read Article

Performance numbers revealed for the Rolls Royce Ghost

The official numbers for the Rolls-Royce Ghost have been revealed, and as expected, you won't need to worry about getting embarrassed. The 6.6-liter, twin-turbo V12 is rated at 563 hp and 575 lb-ft, that latter number, in typical Rolls fashion, being available practically at idle – just 1,500 rpm.

The run to 60 mph takes 4.8 seconds in North America (but 4.7 elsewhere for some reason), which is a couple of tenths behind the BMW 760i and about a second quicker than the company's own Phantom. For a car once derided as "the baby Rolls," its performance looks as if it will be pleasantly adult. It will go on sale later this year for £165,000 in the U.K. (that's $271K U.S.).

Read Article

The Most Expensive Alfa Romeo Ever Made

Although most present-day Alfa Romeos are positioned at competitive price points, the company's name has almost the same clout as Ferrari or Maserati. But today all three of these venerated Italian marques are owned by the same company, so they each take a different market position. Except the 8C Competizione. That's the one model that bursts dividing walls between the separate divisions, with each one lending a hand towards the car's development and production. Alfa only made 500 examples, and they all went fast. But there are 500 more to come, and they could be even more desirable.

Spurred purely by popular demand, Alfa Romeo is building a second run of convertible 8C Spiders. But good luck getting your hands on one. Of the 500 that will be built, only 35 are destined for the United States. And when they get here, they'll be selling for $299,000 apiece. But with demand reaching far higher than supply, you can bet that most will be trading hands at far higher prices than that, giving new meaning to the phrase "nice work if you can get it".

Read Article

VIDEO: Top Gear pits Jaguar XFR against BMW M5

While the BMW M5 has topped Top Gear's list of four door sports sedans for what seems like forever, the Bavarian bombshell suddenly has plenty of competition, the newest of which is the Jaguar XFR. TG wanted to see which vehicle was better on the track and around town, and naturally, Jeremy Clarkson volunteered to work as judge and jury.

Clarkson spent all of his time behind the wheel of a right hand drive XFR, and he seemed surprised and delighted at the Leaping Cat's power and handling. Clarkson calls the cushy ride of the XFR "so soft and it's so absorbent, it's like sitting on a fat dog." But this plump puppy has 503 hp, and "80 more torques" than the BMW, while both vehicles' weight is about the same. Hit the jump to check out the comparo, and try to guess which sedan finished the Top Gear lap first.

REPORT: No Aston Martin SUV...for now

Aston Martin has grown accustomed to success. Since the DB7, its sports cars have only gotten better, while on the track the British automaker continues to rack up trophies. The Lagonda SUV concept which the company unveiled this past March in Geneva, however, was another story. The awkwardly-shaped crossover got a cold reception at its unveiling, and Aston pulled it off the show stand before the public even got there. Now reports indicate that the entire project has been put on hold.

Chief executive Ulrich Bez reportedly proclaims that the decision to axe the Lagonda venture was purely financial. And in this economic climate, that's a reasonable claim. But other sources suggest that the automotive media's reaction to the concept dictated its demise. Will Aston give it another shot? Aston Martin Lagonda chairman David Richards reportedly wants to get a new concept on the stands before the end of the year. We wouldn't be surprised if he gets his way.

Read Article

Spy Shots: 2010 Jaguar XJ shows new sheet metal in Death Valley

We've already seen the 2010 Jaguar XJ in the sheet metal – once during its online premier and a brief jaunt around London. Now, the intrepid shooters from KGP have caught both a prototype and a near production version weathering the summer sun in Death Valley, and we're still evenly split on its styling.

Shown here for the first time in Frost Blue Metallic, the front end remains the most attractive iteration of Jaguar's new design direction, but the back – particularly the chrome accent the bisects the darkened C-pillar – is going to take some getting used to, particularly in such a light hue. Check out the gallery below for more real-world shots of the XJ rolling through California, and if you're in the area, keep your eyes peeled for Jag's newest cat.

Flying Cars have finally arrived! (Sort of...)

The historians once pontificated that we'd all be cruising about in flying cars right around the year 2000, and while that whole Y2K fiasco threw us a tad behind schedule, it looks like the future may actually still be upon us.

Parajet has now placed its long-awaited SkyCar up for pre-order. Said vehicle has evolved quite dramatically over the years, but now that dollars (er, pounds) are being dropped on it, we have to assume that the design is near final.

The vehicle is completely street legal and can accelerate to 62mph in just 4.2 seconds, thus making it the world's first "usable, road-legal flying car." If you're champing at the bit to be the first on your block with one, you can drop £10,000 ($16,381) now and pay the remaining £50,000 ($81,905) just before it ships in "late 2010." Of course, we're not making any promises about it actually shipping, but that's a risk you'll have to take.

Read Article

Making of the Verse: Young Life

Far West Entertainment/Universal Records recording artist Young Life shows us how he crafts his verses, this time Carlyle Motor Club gets the "Life Treatment". Special thanks to Emil of Emsar Design, MG, Arman, and of course Young Life. Check this out!

PICS + VIDEO: Mansory Vincero costs $1 million... on top of the price of a Bugatti Veyron

Bugatti always finds ways of making their Veyron more exclusive, with a seemingly endless procession of special edition models. But for some, that still ain't enough. Inherently, Bug customers also tend to be the same people for whom cost is no object. And for them, tuning house Mansory created the Vincero.

With updated aero, LED lighting, new wheels and carbon fiber galore, Mansory also managed to coax out an extra 108 horsepower from the Veyron's thousand-horse, quad-turbo W16. And the cost of these otherwise rather modest modifications? A whopping $985k – nearly a million dollars – on top of the price of a stock Veyron to begin with. At those kinds of prices, it's no wonder Mansory decided to build just three of 'em.

Read Article

Real-Life Photos of 2011 Hyundai Equus (Dont laugh, this car is the truth)

[Editor's Note] I really must admit that I'm beginning to fall in love with this car. I love Hyundai's strategy with the Equus. Rather than naming it a Hyundai Equus. They're simply calling it an Equus VS460. Equus happens to be Latin for "horse". (Its similar to the strategy Toyota employed with the introduction of the Lexus in the late 80's) This ensures that status-seeking individuals can still hold their heads high as they pull this beauty into their local valets.

In addition to taking away any reservations one may have for driving a car emblazoned with the Hyundai logo, Hyundai has chosen to offer more features and anemities than have ever been included in a car with such a low price tag (We'll get to that later). Alcantara suede headliners, leather-stitched dashboard, tilting & massage seats, rear dvd entertainment system, the list goes on & on. These are features you wont find in a Mercedes Benz S550 AMG. One would need to pay the extra $50k and upgrade to the S63 in order to enjoy suede headliners & real leather-stitched dashboard.

Lastly, Hyundai states their goal for the Equus is to keep the price under $60k. With the Equus a full year away from its debut, there's still a very good possibility that goal will be attained.

Needless to say, the Carlyle Motor Club will be offering the Equus upon its arrival here in the states for NO CREDIT CHECK leasing. For those that are looking to get a better value than an S-Class or 7-Series for half the price, the Equus VS460 may be your best bet.

2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid gets 30 mpg

Later this summer, Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming new S-Class hybrid, the S400, will arrive in the US. The first series production hybrid to use a lithium-ion battery pack, the S400 hybrid also boasts of having an automatic stop/start system, regenerative brakes, and 45 components like wiring ducts and underbody panels that are made from recycled, high-quality plastics.

Daimler also added a recycling process for the li-on battery into the design of the vehicle. Daimler calls the new S400 hybrid the most economical luxury saloon with a petrol engine. The German TÜV Süd agency has recognized the car for its comprehensive environmental commitment. The S400 hybrid gets 30 mpg (U.S.) (8.1 l/100km) on the European combined cycle and emits 186 grams of CO2 per kilometer. The car has a 0-62 mph time of 7.2 seconds and a top speed of about 155 mph.

Read Article