Noah Joseph

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VIDEO: That's a Wrap! Ferrari F430 Spider gets the vinyl treatment

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 6th, 2009 at 6:33PM


Ferrari F430 Spider goes under the knife – Click above to watch the video

It can't really be that simple, can it? Well, it seldom is. But experts in any given field tend to have a knack for making complex procedures look deceptively simple. Take this video, for example, from Creative FX. The British firm specializes in vinyl wraps, and they make it look all too easy.

Wraps are growing into a popular choice for exotic car owners looking to give their rides a new look. Rather than repainting the entire car, specialist shops like Creative FX apply what essentially amounts to giant decals. That's how most of the matte-finish cars we see – including this particular Ferrari F430 Spider – end up that way. You have to figure it'd be a very tricky operation. Follow the jump to watch the video and judge for yourself.

[Source: Creative FX]

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Rendered Speculation: Ferrari 458XX developmental track-car

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 5th, 2009 at 4:44PM

Make-believe Ferrari 458XX

Ferrari has stumbled upon one heck of a formula with its XX development programs. They've found that their most wealthy clients aren't just willing to help Maranello develop new components for future supercars, they're actually willing to pay for the privilege. And pay big, too – as in $2 million big.

The program started with the Enzo-based FXX, evolved with the FXX Evoluzione, and carries on with the Fiorano-based 599XX. So what's next up Ferrari's sleeve? A 458XX wouldn't be too far off the mark.

If the outgoing lineup (and those that came before) can serve as any indication, the new mid-engined V8 sports car is poised to spawn numerous variations, including the requisite Spider, a new Challenge-spec racer, a replacement for the existing F430 GT2, a stripped-down successor to the 360 CS and 430 Scuderia, and, if this speculative rendering from Luxury4Play has its way, a 458XX as well. If and when it does come along, we'd expect it to look something along these lines – which is to say, "tasty."

[Source: Luxury4Play]

Lexus LFA to be sold in Europe through one dealership

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 4th, 2009 at 9:32AM


Lexus LFA at Lexus Park Lane – Click above for high-res image gallery

We're not the vindictive types here at Autoblog, but we can appreciate some measure of poetic justice. After all, how many lustworthy European supercars were made available over the decades to any European buyer with enough cash on hand, but those same cars were scarcely available on this side of the Pond? The Old Continent practically had the market cornered. But what goes around comes around, and in this case rather quickly, as Lexus has announced that its new groundbreaking LFA will be available in Europe, but only from one dealership. And that one location isn't even on the continent. It's in England.

London's Lexus Park Lane has been appointed as the sole sales location for the LFA in all of Europe. So any buyer from Monte Carlo to Oslo looking to get his or her hands on one is going to have to head here. A demonstration car has already arrived at the Park Lane showroom, and the dealership has appointed a dedicated "personal liaison manager" to handle all LFA sales.

The one part where potential European customers have us beat is that, unlike North American clients who'll have to lease their LFA, across the Atlantic customers can actually buy their example outright. Prospective customers can begin registering their interest now, orders will begin in the spring and deliveries will commence in 2011 and continue through 2013 until all 500 examples have been sold. Follow the jump for the full press release and check out the images in the gallery below.


Gallery: Lexus LFA at Lexus Park Lane


[Source: Lexus]

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Ford Motor Company

Driving Skills for Life

Ford hosted another Driving Skills for Life driving camp in Washington D.C. just before a two-day summit created by the U.S. Department of Transportation on the topic of distracted driving. The connection of the two is a natural.

Full Coverage >

Porsche Design gears up for the sunshine with new driving and sportswear collection

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 4th, 2009 at 8:01AM

Porsche Design Sport Spring/Summer 2010 Collection – Click above for high-res image gallery

It may be getting colder across the country, but in Porscheland, things are heating up. The German automaker just took the wraps off its ultimate tribute to sun and fun, the new Boxster Spyder, in Los Angeles, and its merchandising counterpart is gearing up for sunshine with its new collection of gear for the spring and summer.

The latest sport collection has items for the driver, runner, golfer, swimmer, sailor and tennis player, all made in collaboration with sportswear giant Adidas. Highlights include weatherproof jackets, shock-absorbing sneakers, and even the odd Bermuda or two. You can check it all out in the press release after the jump and in the high-res image gallery below. The collection is available from Porsche Design stores worldwide, and the best part is you don't have to own a Porsche to buy them (you little poseur, you!).


Gallery: Porsche Design Sport Spring/Summer 2010


[Source: Porsche Design]

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Fifth Gear: Hope yet for Britain's other car show?

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 3rd, 2009 at 4:39PM


Our heart goes out to the crew at Fifth Gear. It really does. Because it's got to be tough living in the shadow of the BBC show that spawned it. We're talking about Top Gear, of course, and by any other yardstick, Fifth Gear is a fantastic car show. But its popularity has never approached what Clarkson and company enjoy, which has reportedly led to UK's Channel 5 decision to cancel the show. Which is really a shame.

All hope may not be lost, however, as reports indicate that Channel 5's decision isn't final just yet. But if it is, the show's lead host Tiff Needell has hinted that it could very well get picked up by another network altogether. Alternatively, Needell could get a show of his own. If he does, we hope he takes some of his co-hosts with him. Because short of Jezza, Hampster, Captain Slow and the Stig, Fifth Gear's ensemble is one of the best – on the airwaves or off. Thanks for the tip, Paul T!

[Source: Tiff Needell on Twitter via iCars Singapore]

Mercedes and McLaren bid farewell to SLR, each other

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 3rd, 2009 at 11:20AM


Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren range – Click above for high-res image gallery

When the end of one's life approaches, individuals are prone to reflect and wonder how they'll be remembered. A car, on the other hand, can't think for itself, so we'll have to take up the task in its stead.

A joint effort between Mercedes-Benz and its erstwhile Formula One racing partner McLaren, the SLR spawned five variants: the original coupe and roadster, the 722 coupe and roadster and the Stirling Moss edition... not to mention a racing version or two. Over the course of its five-year production run, more than 2,000 examples were built, making the SLR one of the most prolific supercars in automotive history. As the final examples of the Stirling Moss roll out of the McLaren factory in Woking, its parents are going their separate ways: Mercedes has sold its stake back to McLaren, acquired its own F1 team, and each has produced its own successor: the SLS AMG and the MP4-12C.

So with its production run drawing to a close, we can't help but wonder how will history remember the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. As the purest embodiment of the Gran Turismo? A fitting tribute to the original 300 SLR that dominated racing in the Fifties? The flawed result of a conflict of interests? Or perhaps as the roadgoing product of one of the most intriguing partnerships in automotive history? Read through the history lesson in the press release after the jump and peruse the gallery of high-resolution images below and you'll get Daimler's perspective. We invite you to share yours in the comments section below.


Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren retrospective


[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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Confirmed: Mercedes to shift some production of next-gen C-Class to Alabama

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 3rd, 2009 at 8:29AM



Fluctuations and disparities in currency exchange rates have grown to become a significant factor in determining where foreign automakers in particular assemble their vehicles. Mercedes-Benz is among those carmakers most cognizant of these effects, and it has been assembling select models in the United States to meet local demands. Now the German automaker has announced that, for the next generation of its popular C-Class sedan due in 2014, partial production will shift to its assembly plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the M-Class, R-Class and GL-Class crossovers are already built.

The shift in production – which is set to comprise no more than one-fifth of global C-Class production – will not only help offset currency rates, but also afford greater flexibility in meeting local customer demand. The move is expected to further upset Germany's automotive workforce, which has grown restless in the wake of General Motors' collapsed sale of Opel.

In addition to the partial shift to Alabama, German production of the remaining four-fifths of C-Class production is set to switch places with the SL-Class roadster, the former moving from Sindelfingen to Bremen and the latter vice-versa. Full details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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Infiniti prepares special FX Millionaire Edition exclusively for Europe

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2009 at 5:40PM



Kudos to Infiniti. With seemingly every special edition model being blinged-up and chrome frosted inside and out, you'd figure something called the Millionaire Edition would be the most ostentatious thing on four wheels. But Nissan's luxury division has taken an entirely more understated approach with the 2010 Infiniti FX Millionaire Edition.

Instead of chrome or gold plating, the FX Millionaire gets dark graphite trim on the exterior, including the grille, air dam, 21-inch wheels and roof rails – as well as the window surrounds, from the look of it – complementing the Obsidian Black or White Moonlight paint schemes. Inside, it's all Alcantara micro-suede with brown stitching offset by carbon fiber, plus all the advanced features from the catalog, including sat-nav, Infiniti's excellent Around View Monitor system and Bose audio.

The package is available on either the FX37 or FX50, but only in Europe, with no more than 100 examples to be built. Equipped with the 390-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8, the FX50 Millionaire Edition sells in the price-inflated UK market for a princely €95,450 – about $144k in 'merican greenbacks, or more than twice the base price for us non-millionaires. On second thought, maybe we'll save those kudos for another time. The FX Millionaire Edition is being unveiled next week, appropriately enough, at Amsterdam's Millionaire Fair.

[Source: AutoWeek.nl]

Ruh-Roh: Marchionne reportedly puts Alfa Romeo under review

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2009 at 5:20PM



Take a look at the Fiat auto group. What division (barring Ferrari and Maserati) would you think holds the highest value for the company? If you thought Alfa Romeo, you're on the same page as yours truly, but you'd be mistaken. Horribly mistaken, as it turns out: Alfa has lost Fiat hundreds of millions of euros every year. Its sales have declined sharply, and not just since the global economy collapsed: Alfa sold 203,000 units in the year 2000, but only 103,000 last year. That's a heck of a drop-off.

In response, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has ordered a full re-evaluation of the marque, with two courses of action to potentially result. The first would see Alfa more closely integrating its future products with Chrysler platforms. The second would be to stop investing in the brand altogether, leaving the still-new MiTo and the brand-new Giulietta to carry its aging stablemates (including the 159, Brera, Spider and GT) for the foreseeable future.

Speaking with Automotive News Europe from Fiat's headquarters in Turin, Marchionne reportedly said the new plan for Alfa will be revealed this coming February or March. Even if he chooses to keep Alfa alive with Auburn Hills synergy, though, Marchionne has nixed the notion of merging the brand with Dodge, noting that there's a limit to how many times a brand can be reborn.

[Source: Automotive News Europe – subs. req'd | Image: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty]

REPORT: Cadillac CTS Coupe won't spawn convertible variant

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2009 at 1:28PM

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you're nostalgic, the first car that may come to mind when you think about a droptop Cadillac is the old tail-finned Fifties Eldorado. A pink one especially. But since then, the American luxury marque hasn't had a whole lot of convertibles. There was the Pininfarina-styled Allante and the recently discontinued XLR, both roadsters, but if you think the General's luxury division is eager to get back into the open-air business, think again, as new reports indicate that there are no such plans on the horizon.

At least not based on the CTS, anyway. The series has spawned a sedan – including the all-conquering CTS-V – a wagon and even a coupe, but the guys over at Inside Line say they've got the inside line that no convertible version of one of Cadillac's most prolific models is in the works. Which is a bit of a shame, when you think about it. But you never know what's coming around the corner...


Gallery: Live: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe


[Source: Inside Line]

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