Thursday, December 9, 2010

John Lennons Cool Psychedelic Rolls Royce

John Lennon's taste for cool cars is well known and his  super cool Rolls Royce Phantom V. chassis 5VD73 with FJB111C license plate is nearly as legendary as the legend himself!

Why Lennon choose Rolls Royce was the opportunity of personalizing it. In 1965 when Lennon got his hands on this Rolls Royce, he immediately set about personalized it.

He started by installing a radio-telephone, then a very special stereo system, a Sony television set, a fridge and a bed in the back seat!

But only Lennon would dream up a paint job like this...


Lennon was unhappy about the dull uncool colour of his Rolls that clashed with his extrovert and magalomaniac personality. So Lennon ordered a psychedelic paint job from a group of Dutch artists, who filled his car with all sorts of cornucopias, multi-colour florals and yellow background. Lennon was stunned and paid £2,000 for it...that's a whole lot of money back in the 60's! Needless to say, the car shocked Britain's mentality at the time, for whom Rolls Royce was motive of national pride. Some say there was an elderly lady who was so shocked she actually hit the car with her umbrella!

In spite of these nuisances, that obviously amused Lennon, the car became The Beatles' main means of transportation until they split-up in 1970





When Lennon and Yoko moved to the USA, the car moved with them. Already on American soil, it was "lent" to other musicians, such as the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, until it was placed in a garage and, later, donated to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York, where it remained from 1978 until 1985, when it was finally auctioned. The winning bid reached the $2,299,000 USD and allowed Jim Pattison, a Canadian millionaire to become the proud owner of the famous automobile. Later, as an act of kindness, Pattison offered the car to the queen of England. Today, it can be found on display at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Fisker Karma

Even cool cars like the Fisker Karma uses sex sells when advertising. No ideal what this girl has lost in the back of this car and we really don't care! There's no doubting that the Karma has cool looks and has succeeded in transferring all the promise of the concept car into a production version, but now Fisker will have to begin trying to sell the $88,000 sports sedan.

The song in this video is by Brandi Emma with The Smart Set "Love Never Dies"

 

Hence the new marketing push and the car's appearance at the LA show. If the niche manufacturer can drum up business anywhere it will be in the eco-sensitive City of Angels.



Fisker claims the car "is the first and only true electric vehicle with extended range". The Karma is powered by two 200bhp electric motors which feed on lithium-ion batteries. These are recharged by a 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a 175kw generator.

The company claims their solution eliminates range anxiety by offering a 300-mile range. The Karma is also capable of 0-60mph in under six seconds while emitting just 83g/km CO2.
 

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Corvette Stingray Concept Replica

Chevrolet's 2009 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept that made its way into the Transformers movies is one of those love it or hate it cars. On the one hand, it was sleek and muscular and pointed to the next generation Corvette. On the other hand, it owed a bit too much design-wise with the 2003 Cadillac Cien and the nods to the original Corvette Stingray appeared a little forced.


Still, I'd find it hard to believe that anyone, even lovers of the '09 Concept, would consider putting down over $40 grand on this so-called replica. It's even harder to believe that underneath all that fibreglass is a 2005 C6 Corvette; it could just have easily been based on a twenty year old Mazda Miata / MX-5 like so many other eBay customs.


So what does the $42,500 "Buy It Now Price" get us? For starters, the underpinnings from the C6 Corvette including its 440 hp LS2 V8 and 6spd automatic transmission. You get a clear title and 29,111 miles on the odometer to boot.



So, what else? Well, the bodywork, exhaust, air intake and interior decals are all new. And an ECU tune is good for a purported, though still unconfirmed, 430 hp. Jet stream blue paint. There's also Jet Stream Blue Paint, LED headlights (which surely can't be road legal) and "adjustable ride control" with "electric tilt front end". Is this a car or a sex toy?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Abandoned Cool Cars

A collection of cool super cars that have been abandoned including Ford GT40, Ferarri F40 and Testarossa, a couple of Lamborghini mura’s, TVR, white Amphicar and a couple of Aston Martins!















Celebrity Car Crashes

Some celebrities have invested serious time and money in their car collections with the likes of American chat show host Jay Leno having a collection of around approximately 200 vehicles. Jerry Seinfeld is rumoured to have around 46 porches and with Chris Evans recently buying the most expensive car ever sold at auction, the economic downturn does not seem to be affecting the amount of money that celebrities are willing to spend on their toys. Having the money to buy these cars doesn’t always guarantee that you have the ability to drive them and there seems to be constant reports of celebrities crashing and damaging these dream machines. Whilst some of these crashes are extremely serious some are also just plain embarrassing and avoidable.

Most Avoidable Accident
Now technically Paris Hilton was not driving at the time of the crash- it was her Greek shipping heir boyfriend Stavros Niarchos but the $200,000 Bentley Continental GT he was driving was hers. After exiting a club in the early hours of the morning in November 2009 in L.A, and being pursued by paparazzi, Stavros got into the driving seat of the Bentley. To hide from the paparazzi he put his jacket over his face (this, as we all know, is the best way to drive your top of the range sports car) and drove forward wedging the Bentley underneath a parked lorry leaving large gorge marks in the bonnet of the vehicle, what a wally! Paris is no better when she gets behind the wheel herself; there are videos of her reversing into a parked Honda Accord.

Not Again
George Michael, where to start with this one. In the last six years George Michael has been investigated seven times by police for his involvement in car accidents. His most recent accident happened on the morning of the 6th July 2010 when he ‘whammed’ into a snappy snaps shop in his £80,000 Range Rover. Following the incident Michael was sentenced to time in prison and received a five year driving ban, meaning there will be a vacancy for a driver of his range rover and £150,000 Ferrari Enzo – I’m free!


Oooh Nasty!
Suleyman Kerimov may not be a name that is familiar with you but he is a member of parliament in Russia and has been listed at number 72 on the Forbes list of the world’s richest individuals. Mr Kerimov was driving his highly customized, black Ferrari Enzo which is valued at approximately one million dollars in the south of France in 2006. According to reports, Kerimov lost control of his vehicle in the rain, suggesting he may have been speeding at the time; the vehicle struck the curb and hit a tree. The car ended up in two halves following the accident and the fuel tank exploded on impact. It’s enough to bring a tear to your eye.


End of a Career
Tiger Woods had built a reputation as a wholesome family man and a great golfer however; this all changed recently when the story of his many affairs broke. This all came out following an accident he had outside his home in Florida where he hit a fire hydrant and tree in his Cadillac Escalade. General Motors confirmed following the incident that the vehicle belonged to them and that it would eventually be repaired and put to auction. Several sites are claiming that the car is worth more with the damage on it, just like the bullets in the Bonnie and Clyde car. A new morbid visitor’s attraction is born.

On to the next car
On the morning of 8th January 2009, Ronaldo collided with a barrier in a tunnel near Manchester Airport when on his way to a training session for Manchester United. He was driving his £200,000 Ferrari 599 GTB at the time and managed to walk away unharmed after the incident. Unlike most other people who would need to wait for a recovery agent to come and collect the vehicle before getting a taxi back home to ring their insurance Ronaldo managed to avoid this. Travelling through the tunnel at the same time as Ronaldo was Man United’s goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar in his own Bentley, giving Ronaldo a lift to his training session. Whilst Ronaldo was playing reports state that friends brought his own Bentley to him allowing him to travel home in style. This alone was a difficult decision as Ronaldo’s garage is reported to also include a Rolls Royce Phantom, Two Porche Cayennes, a BMW M6 and a Porche 911. It would only have taken two weeks of his wages at Man United to replace the Farrari although he may have needed to rejoin the waiting list.

Written by Rhian Gillam of the car insurance team in Moneysupermarket.com

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Cool Chevrolet Corvette with extreme car body kit

A cool wide body kit conversion has been made for the Chevrolet Corvette, from the tuners at ZR1 Body Kits. The Chevy Corvette already looks great from the factory, but this look has been inspired by the C6.R Corvette racing cars, featuring an aggressive stance and exterior styling. It's available in 2 varieties, the more aggressive called the Extreme Style ZR1 for the C6 Z06 Grand Sport retails for $7,599, while the tuning firm also offers the mild OEM-style ZR1 body kit for $6,999. Both of these performance packages are made from fiberglass using compression molds, and is similar to what the GM OEM manufacturers use for their body panels, while keeping the factory mounting points.






This Chevrolet Corvette ZR6X Extreme body kit widens the car 1.5 inches when compared to the OEM ZR1 fenders, giving plenty of room for new wheels and rubber. For customers looking to spend a little extra and make their Vette even more unique, ZR1 Body Kits offers a carbon fiber option for the front lip, side skirts, and diffusers. The result is one of the best looking Corvettes we’ve seen to date, with a menacing stance, and a flush wheel fitment that almost looks too good to be true!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Ferrari 458 Italia Camouflage

As cool cars go, this Ferrari 458 Italia camouflage paint job is pretty cool! We think it looks better with this paint job than just having this Ferrari in White. You can see in the video below how it looks before and after. Let us know what you think below by commenting.