“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…

There is no question that owning a car like the $500,000 Koenigsegg CCX would be a true privilege. Sometimes however being privileged isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For instance, if the average Joe gets into a fender bender with their run of the mill Toyota Camry, the odds of anyone giving a crap are slim to none. Stack a half-million dollar super exotic though and well, everyone and their brother is going to pick-up on it regardless if it was the owners fault or not. I suppose some people see it as justice for the little guy when something beautiful and expensive gets wreck, whereas they should just see it for what it is… a simple car accident. I’ve got to say though that it does kind of hurt the eyes to see such a beautiful piece of machinery stuffed in the woods like that.

Source: Newsday.com

For some, the new 1.6 millon dollar Koenigsegg Agera R is the ultimate hypercar. It has a 5.0-liter V8 with twin-turbo superchargers that help it produce an astounding 1115 hp and 885 lb-ft of torque. It goes 0-62 mph in under 3-second, 0-124 mph in under 7-seconds and has a theoretical top speed of 273 mph making it one of, if not the fastest production based automobile on the planet. While all of this speed and technology is great, the Koenigsegg Agera R is not without its flaws. For example it only gets about 8 mpg and there isn’t even enough storage space to store a pack of chewing gum. The fuel consumption is unfortunately out of our hands, as for the storage thing, well let’s just say that we’ve found a way for all you prospective owners out there to haul your goodies along with you for the ride.

Enter Thule, those happy people who build roof racks for just about any, and every vehicle out there. Their newest rack was designed specifically for the Koenigsegg Agera R, and will easily allow you to haul with you a weeks worth of clothes, electronics and or lingerie for that mistress of yours. Granted it costs $28,000, but when you think about the amount of utility it offers I am sure that you’ll agree that it’s worth every penny.

Source: Adventure-Journal.com

The Bugatti Super Sport tops the list.

If you ever see me giving stock tips on RideLust, be afraid. I’m not a “play the stock market” kind of guy, and every spare dollar I’ve ever made has gone into cars, bikes, racing or travel (usually centered around cars, bikes or racing). With that in mind, you have a certain right to be skeptical when Forbes publishes a list of the most expensive cars. First, it’s only a snapshot in time, as new supercars are introduced every year. Next, there’s no clarification on where the prices are from, so I assume they’re a manufacturer’s list price, translated in to U.S. dollars. That’s hardly an accurate representation, as cars typically sell for higher prices in the EU than they do in the United States. Finally, any car’s price is based on supply and demand: since the entire run of Bugatti Veyron Super Sports has been spoken for, good luck finding one at the list price of $2.6 million.

Here’s Forbes’ list of the ten most expensive cars for 2010. I know that some of them don’t yet exist (like the Ferrari F70), so pricing is sheer speculation. Likewise, the list has a few glaring omissions (like the $550,000 Gumpert Apollo), so take it for what it’s worth. Just remember that there’s a reason we don’t give you investment advice on RideLust.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, $2.6 million

Koenigsegg Agera, $1.5 million

Maybach Laudaulet, $1.405 million

Pagani Zonda C9, $1.3 million

Ferrari F70, $870,000

SSC Ultimate Aero, $750,000

LeBlanc Mirabeau, $728,000

Ferrari SA Aperta, $520,000

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, $455,400

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, $447,000

Koenigsegg is known for building rare and exotic supercars, but the new Trevita certainly tops their list. Only three will be built, in a stunning translucent white carbon fiber finish exclusive to Koeniggsegg. They’ll have over 1,000 horsepower, yet weigh half as much as a Bugatti Veyron. How many other cars have you seen that use a double syncho-helix door opening mechanism?

Christian von Koeniggsegg gives a fairly detailed overview of his latest creation for the first 13:00 of the video, then Jay takes it out for a test drive. Since he’s in L.A., there’s more time spent in traffic than in determining if the Trevita CCXR is really faster than a Veyron (which,sadly, is never determined). Still, the fact that you can drive a car like the Trevita CCXR in bumper to bumper traffic on a hot day speaks volumes about Koenigsegg’s build quality and their attention to detail in design. Once I finally crank out that bestseller, I can definitely make room in my garage for one.

As a bittersweet farewell to one of the most tumultuous years in automotive history, RideLust presents to you a re-cap of all the biggest industry events in 2009…and a few that slipped in under editorial bias.

Rick Wagoner, Bob Nardelli, and Alan Mulally spent weeks feigning humility and destitution in three piece Brooks Brothers suits in an attempt to wrangle a billion-dollar loan from an apparently benevolent Uncle Sam. Eventually, the government acquiesced and agreed to bail out both General Motors and Chrysler so as not to interrupt their steady production of poorly built, aesthetically unappealing vehicles.

Stunt double Ben Collins outed himself as Top Gear’s infamous masked driver, The Stig, potentially blowing the sweetest gig on planet Earth. Rather than kill him off, Top Gear attempted to counter the rumors by fingering (::snicker::) legendary racer Michael Schumacher as The Stig. Gearheads in America with an Internet connection that’s too slow to cope with downloading the weekly BBC broadcast still don’t give a rat’s ass.

There was some sort of F1 scandal involving Renault intentionally throwing the Singapore Gran Prix, but we were too immersed in our rally obsession to care. Just Google it or something.

As per their plan to cut costs and pretend to pay back taxpayers, GM made the logical decision to axe one of the only remaining brands that consumers still cared about, Pontiac. Shortly after the announcement, rumors began to circulate that the late John DeLorean’s company was interested in purchasing the rights to produce the Pontiac Solstice. The idea, much like the DMC-12, was short lived.

Drawing heavily from the blatantly phallic styling of the Ambiguously Gay Duo’s car, Porsche released it’s first 4-door sedan, the Panamera.

For what feels like the 10th year in a row, GM failed to launch the all-electric Chevy Volt. Reports indicate all 3 enthusiastic fans are coping well.

In an attempt to steal the allegedly sizable fan base the ever-elusive Volt has garnered, Nissan unveiled their equally unready-for-production EV, the Nissan LEAF. As quickly became the case with the Volt, no one really cares.

After muscling a disgraced Rick Wagoner from his position, GM CEO Fritz Henderson found himself on the receiving end of a nasty blow from karma when he was unexpectedly forced to resign after less than a year of service. Immediately following the announcement, his 20-something daughter Sarah Henderson took to Facebook, providing days of gossip fodder with her caps-locked, obscenity-filled defense of her father’s unremarkable stint with The General.

Although arguably destined to be a success in the long run, Cash For Clunkers proved treacherous to September car sales and dealer temperaments everywhere. In truly bureaucratic fashion, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of dealer rebates were caught up in red tape for much longer than expected and, thanks to a gross ignorance of performance and quality, at least one 300ZX was clunked in favor of a 2010 Chrysler Sebring. It was a very dark time for the automotive community.

Citing the worsening global economy and the need for budget cutbacks, Toyota withdrew participation from F1, cruelly crushing the vain hope of fanboys everywhere that Toyota’s race-bred technology would eventually find its way into their excruciatingly boring production vehicles.

In a stark break with the Detroit Three’s storied business philosophy, Ford began producing cars that people actually enjoy driving. In one of the biggest upsets of the year, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid all but completely usurped the Prius as the public’s favorite hybrid.

After failing to resolve some sort of vague disagreement with Penske, GM opted to wind down the Saturn brand, finally putting an end to what was basically a 19-year identity crisis.

Unseating Ford as the reigning king of the recall, Toyota found itself in hot water in the latter half of the year when a grisly accident exposed serious engineering flaws. After feebly attempting to pin the problem of sudden, accidental acceleration on loose floor mats and receiving a class action lawsuit by way of response, Toyota demonstrated a rare act of responsibility for their subpar product by recalling 3.8 million vehicles for faulty accelerators. Of course, although this was certainly a serious problem in urgent need of an immediate resolution, some might reasonably argue that anyone who purchased a Toyota sort of deserved it anyway.

Ford went to great lengths to keep its month-long negotiations with Geely a secret, ultimately culminating in the quiet sale of Volvo in mid-December. Fortunately, traditional Volvo enthusiasts renounced their brand loyalty when the company was purchased by Ford in 1999, so few tears were shed.

Finally, just a few days before Christmas GM delivered a heartfelt gift to Sweden, announcing that purchase negotiations with Koenigsegg had fallen through and Saab would be killed off. The failure trifecta is now complete.

In conclusion, on behalf of the staff that I no longer employ, I’d like to wish the RideLust readership a very Happy New Year. Thank you sincerely for reading and please keep up the snarling hate mail, my therapist loves the business.

After purportedly exhausting every possible alternative, or least deliberating long enough to appear as though they had, General Motors has opted to kill off their long-suffering Swedish subsidiary, Saab. Although many blogs/any amateur with access to WordPress claim to feel sadness and shock, those industry professionals familiar with The General’s megalomaniac business principles are merely surprised it didn’t happen sooner. While hefty government funding may have made GM more attractive to investors, whatever strings are now attached to all of its transactions have proven toxic to literally every potential sale GM has had in que.

Of course, assuming responsibility for their mounting failures is at odds with their personal philosophy, which means the presser was brimming with ambiguous corporate buzzwords. “Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time. In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution,” said GM Europe President Nick Reilly. “We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars. We will work closely with the Saab organization to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner. This is not a bankruptcy or forced liquidation process. Consequently, we expect Saab to satisfy debts including supplier payments, and to wind down production and the distribution channel in an orderly manner while looking after our customers.”

Rest in peace, always-wanted-to-be-but-never-quite-was Volvo.

Source: GM
Image Cred: Reuters Pictures

Just a few minutes ago General Motors released a statement confirming that Koenigsegg has suddenly reneged on their agreement to purchase Saab. Despite the fact that GM is no stranger to failed deals (for further reference, please contact your nearest disgruntled Saturn dealer), CEO Fritz Henderson expressed surprise and regret over the decision. “We’re obviously very disappointed with the decision to pull out of the Saab purchase,” said GM President and CEO, Fritz Henderson. “Many have worked tirelessly over the past several months to create a sustainable plan for the future of Saab by selling the brand and its manufacturing interests to Koenigsegg Group AB. Given the sudden change in direction, we will take the next several days to assess the situation and will advise on the next steps next week.”

While Henderson’s promise to weigh their options carefully seem promising, those who are familiar with GM’s proven track record for leeching what they can from a brand before tossing its lifeless carcass to the buzzards are not optimistic about Saab’s future.

On a lighter note, this now frees up the funds previously guaranteed by the Swedish government for the Saab-Koenigsegg purchase to be invest elsewhere, possibly with the Crown consortium.

Source: GM
Image Cred: Reuters Pictures

In New York, an exotic car dealer took a customer’s 2008 Koenigsegg CCX for an ill-advised spin, resulting in the unfortunate crash pictured above. Only one of ten to ever touch down on U.S. soil, the total dollar loss on the damaged CCX was close to $1 million and doesn’t include the amount the dealer shelled out to placate the undoubtedly irate customer. What’s more, not only was the CCX the unfortunate victim of a joy ride gone awry, but a 2009 Porsche GT2 was also reportedly damaged in the accident.

Thanks to Gregg from Wrecked Exotics for the tip.