RideLust

“Made in China”. That’s a sentence that is unfortunately seen on most of the goods we have over here in the United States. As Americans, we see that, sigh, and then drop our heads wishing that we produced all of our own goods and services. Apparently though that phrase is paying off big time for the Chinese as they’ve got a car club over there that rivals just about anything I’ve ever seen stateside. Pagani, Ferrari, Bugatti, Koenissegg, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are all present and accounted for and hot damn if these guys don’t drive the piss out of them as well. Stored in a warehouse somewhere in China, the value of these automobiles together rivals the yearly economy of some small countries. So, next time you see a label that reads “Made in China”, don’t worry because it’s helping keep our favorite super car companies in business.

Ugh…

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Owning a classic car can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand what your driving is a true piece of automotive history, but on the other, these wonderful machines can be extremely costly and require extensive maintenance. Now sure, if you want there is no reason you can’t go out, spend $10k and buy a decent classic to tool around in. However if you want the best of the best, well then, it’s going to cost you. This is Gavin King of Concours Sportscar Restoration just outside of Sydney, Australia. His company specializes in bringing vintage Jaguar’s and Aston Martin’s back to life and with that, they help fulfill the childhood dreams of the cars owners. Restoring a classic car is a labor of love. You do it because you want to preserve history and keep the feeling of excellence alive. It’s not easy, nor is it cheap, however the end result of a properly done concourse restoration is something that can bring one joy for a lifetime.

Source: RalfBecker.com

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I like this thing! This is one of those rare occasions where a customized import actually looks pretty damn good. It looks as though the owner started out with a Honda Civic hatch and then decided to give it the full-on Bugatti Veyron treatment, which, in some strange way really works. Granted the wheels still have to be color matched, but the overall execution is downright cool. Who knows, maybe Bugatti should take some queues from this guy if they ever decide to go the Aston Martin Cygnet route and build a budget Bugatti.

Source: VWVortex.com

When the Bugatti released the Veyron back in 2003 for the lofty sum of $1 million, automotive enthusiasts the world over thought that the company had gone insane. It was one of the most expensive cars ever produced and market watchers weren’t sure if the company would move even one from the factory. Since the Veyron’s release other obscenely expensive hyper-cars like the Lamborghini Reventon, SSC Ultimate Aero, and Gumpert Apollo have come to fruition, and with that, a whole new type of consumer was created. The gentleman in the above photo is Neil Graham, co-founder of Mainfreight, a global logistics provider based out of Auckland, New Zealand. He’s worth about $60 million and aside from his other achievements, will now be known as the owner of the most expensive car ever ordered by a Kiwi. The car in question is the limited production Aston Martin One-77 that cost Graham a paltry $2.8 million. The One-77 is powered by a 760 hp 7.3-liter V12 that enables the car to sprint to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and then onto a top speed of 220 mph. Hopefully Mr. Graham will flog the snot out of the One-77 especially considering that New Zealand has some of the best driving roads on the planet.

Source: BornRich.com

I know you’ve been waiting anxiously for the third and final installment of Aston Martin’s “True Power Should Be Shared” video series, so here it is. If you’re expecting it to make any more sense than the first two installments did, you’re about to be sadly disappointed. On the plus side, this segment does have more audio and visuals of the Rapide on the roads of Portugal, so it’s got that going for it. I won’t ruin the plot and tell you that it’s all about a conspiracy to smuggle time traveling technology from 2024 into the present day, so you’ll have to figure that part out on your own. The third video is below, and I’m including the first and second in case you really want to make you brain hurt. If anyone can tell me how these videos will help Aston Martin sell even one more Rapide, I’m all ears. Read More…

Since I know you’ve been hanging on the edge of your seat, waiting for part two of Aston Martin’s “True Power Should Be Shared” video series, here it is below. Sadly, it hasn’t gotten any better than part one; if anything, part two heaps on the cheese, and includes technically inaccurate gunplay and fight scenes. For his own self-reservation, I hope the driver is better at his task than the other two are. At least the Rapide in the tunnel sounds cool, too bad we don’t hear more of it. Read More…

Do you remember BMW’s series of short films called “The Hire”? All starred Clive Owen as a BMW driver under some extraordinary circumstances, and the videos were directed by some of the biggest names in the industry (John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, Tony Scott, etc.). Madonna appeared in one, as did Mickey Rourke, Gary Oldman, Danny Trejo and Marilyn Manson. It’s not clear if BMW sold a single vehicle because of this bold marketing approach, but they did prove that they could blow a lot of money producing videos and distributing them for free. Now Aston Martin seems to trying a similar tactic (less the big name directors and Hollywood stars); have a look at the video below to see what I mean. Read More…

Apparently there are still a few individuals out there with money to burn. Take for example the 60 soon-to-be owners of the new limited edition Aston Martin One-77 super car. At $1.87 million a pop these suckers are not exactly listed in the affordable column, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those willing to put up the cash for the right to be exclusive. The One-77 is powered by a 750 hp 7.3-liter V12 that is said to move the car and all of its carbon fiber body work past the 220 mph barrier. That’s great news and all, but at the end of the day, spending $1.87 million on a car seems to be a bit ridiculous, regardless of how big your bank account is. Think about it for a minute, because when all is said and done you’re spending almost 2 million bucks on one car. Wouldn’t you just rather take a cool $500,000 and build a wicked cool garage? Do that and then you could spend the other $1.5 million on the cars that would fill it up. Makes more sense as far as I’m concerned. If you must have the new Aston Martin One-77 though, you’d better place your order fast because there are only 17 of them left for sale.

Source: InsideLine.com

For me, the 1980′s conjure up visions of cars like the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa and Porsche 959. These were the super cars of the day and ones that I always hoped I would have a chance to drive. Most of them were outstanding performers by 1980′s standards, and have thus far, stood the test of time. There were however a select group of exotics built during the 1980′s that for one reason or another, never really caught on with the buying public. Maybe it had to do with spotty build quality, an exceedingly high price tag or the fact that they were underachievers. Whatever the reason though some of these big dollar cars simply didn’t make it and because of that, they sit below as part of this list.
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If you own an Aston Martin Rapide then odds are you feel like you’re “Big Pimpin’” every time you go out for a cruise. From a visual perspective the Rapide is the best looking four-door coupe on the planet hands down. From its beautiful lines, to the elegant grill, to its 470 hp V12 engine, the Aston Martin Rapide is truly in a class of its own. How about those days though when you wish to go beyond “Big Pimpin’” and into the realm of the “Super Pimp”… what then? Well I’ll tell you what then, you go out and buy the Aston Martin Rapide Luxe, it’s got all the wonderful features of the standard Rapide, with a few more little diddies thrown in for good measure. There are some new paint choices, a new luggage set to match the cars leather interior and a rear-seat mounted DVD. So, for those of you out there looking to achieve the ultimate in elegant, powerful and now colored coordinated Pimp Status, have no fear, because your chariot has arrived.

Source: Autoblog.com