Autoblog

Hermes has decided to continue its recent trend of modifying iconic cars and celebrating their birthdays. First it was the Bugatti Veyron Fbg by Hermes, followed by a special commemorative edition of the Citroen 2CV for its 60th anniversary. Now, Hermes has taken on the smart fortwo, issuing a special edition of the diminutive city car, which has now been on the market for a decade. As you'd expect, the Hermes fortwo sees its interior swathed in leather along with a special canvas called Toile H. These two unique textures cover everything from the seats to the car's tridion safety cell. On the inside, the Hermes signature orange is a nice color option, as are nine others including indigo, gold, lime and, uh, pink. High fashion never comes cheap, and the Hermes Smart is no exception coming in at $48,500 in U.S. dollars or 38,000 euros and on sale now in both hardtop and convertible versions. Hey, at least you get a standard umbrella. Thanks for the tip, JW!


[Source: Sybarites]

You remember that mystery Ferrari prototype that was spied at Fiorano back in August? After initial speculation settled down, the prevailing wisdom suggested that the car in question was a one-off coachbuilt creation designed by former Pininfarina (and now independent) stylist Fioravanti for one wealthy customer. In the second issue of Ferrari's official magazine, the reports were confirmed. We're still trying to get a hold of those images for you, but in the meantime the report has hit the internet.

Called the SP1 (for Sport Prototype 1), the Fioravanti-designed special was built for prominent Ferrari collector and Japanese business executive Junichiro Hiramatsu and forms the first product of Maranello's new Portfolio program. The initiative gives the extremely wealthy the opportunity to collaborate with various Italian design houses (including Fioravanti, Pininfarina and Zagato) with full factory support to commission custom creations. The unique vehicles can be based on the Enzo, F430 or 612 (the 599 and new California remaining, for the time being, outside the program), and need to retain certain structural requirements and ultimately meet Ferrari's measure of taste, but beyond that, the sky's the limit. The sky, and your bank account, of course.

[Source: AutoWeek.nl]

Rumors have been circulating for almost a year that Nissan plans to campaign the GT-R in several different series outside of SuperGT, including the Grand Am championship and the 24 Hours of LeMans. Japan's Best Car magazine supposedly has it on good authority that Nissan is developing a road-going model of the LeMans competition car that will carry an "LM Edition" badge and be sold in limited numbers.

According to the Japanese pub, the twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V6 will be putting out approximately 600 hp and will be equipped with upgraded brakes, lightweight wheels, a beefed up transmission and reworked suspension components, in addition to a new aero kit to increase downforce.

Nissan has produced several limited edition models of each generation of the Skyline GT-R before, including an LM Edition of the R33 that campaigned in LeMans in the late 90s. One good turn deserves another, and with 600 hp under the hood, things are bound to get interesting both on the track and on the street.

[Source: BestCar via Carscoop]

Click above for high-res gallery of K.I.T.T. and the Mio GPS

There were a lot of movie and TV-themed vehicles at SEMA this year, but one of our favorite entertainment tie-ins had to be the Mio Knight Rider GPS system. We told you about this way back in June, played with it when the new K.I.T.T. visited the Autoblog Garage, and messed with it some more in Vegas. It sounds exactly like you'd hope it would. "Michael, you're going the wrong way, you ninny," isn't in the regular playlist, but it did have some attitude. Even better than laying hands on the Mio, however, was the fact that K.I.T.T. ( no, not the Mustang) was actually in the Mio booth selling the product. It was almost too much to handle. As we told you in June, the Mio Knight Rider GPS unit uses the voice the one-and-only William Daniels, the original voice of K.I.T.T., and asks cordially "Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?" when powered up. The 4.3-inch LCD display is also flanked by a series of red LEDs reminiscent of K.I.T.T.'s nose-mounted lights. It's available for sale now at about $270.


Photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

Click either image for hi-res gallery of the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M

The summer season may be over, but that won't stop Ferrari from going topless. Because in Italy, the end of the beach season is superseded only by the end of the Formula One season, and this year the Scuderia took home the constructors' title. To celebrate, Ferrari has unveiled the Scuderia Spider 16M at the annual finals at its Mugello circuit in northern Italy, the same place the company revealed the enhanced FXX Evoluzione last year.

As we've already reported, the Scuderia Spider is a limited-edition roadster amalgamating the best features of the existing 430 Scuderia and F430 Spider, giving a lucky 499 customers a blistering open-air driving experience faster than any Maranello has offered before. The rest of us can only ogle and admire from afar, so check out the updated gallery of high-resolution images by clicking the thumbnails below. Thanks to everyone who sent in the tips!

[Source: Ferrari]

After winning its 16th Formula one constructors championship last week, Ferrari has chosen this week to release a open top version of the F430 Scuderia. The Scuderia Spider 16M gets all the goodies from the lightweight Scuderia coupe like the 510 hp 4.3L V8 and the 6-speed F1 paddle shift gearbox. Ferrari is claiming the Scuderia Spider is the fastest open top model they've ever tested around the Fiorano test track, presumably beating out even the might F50 of decade ago. The Scuderia is 176 lbs lighter than a standard F430 spider at 2954 lbs dry. That's claimed to be good enough for a 0-62 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds and a terminal velocity of 195.7 mph. As a limited series model Ferrari has of course added lots of distinguishing features like a carbon fiber shell around the roll bar, number plaque on the dash and special interior trim packages. Only 499 Scuderia Spiders will be built and they will undoubtedly be priced higher than the $277,000 US base price of the coupe. For those with access to that much disposable cash, it will surely be worth the price of admission. The press release is after the jump.


[Source: Ferrari]

Click either image for a hi-res gallery of the Andros XTM and XTR

Looking at the Andros XTR, we're reminded of the Ferrari California we just drove in Sicily. But while the Ferrari was just unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last month, the Andros actually made its debut in concept form several years ago at SEMA. Prophetic? Maybe, but Andros says they drew inspiration from classic Ferraris, as well as Aston Martins, Jaguars and Maseratis. Either way, it's a compelling design... for a kit car.

Based on the C6 Corvette, the Andros is part of a revival of the time-honored tradition of rebodying Vettes in Italian-style coachwork (check out Pininfarina's take) that has included such recent examples as the Castagna Aznom and Spada Codatronca. In addition to the XTM roadster, the Andros is also available in XTR coupe and XTS targa bodystyles, with panels made from carbon fiber and select steel chassis components replaced by aluminum and magnesium pieces. An available supercharger boosts power from the LS2 pushrod V8 up to 600 horsepower, with optional exhaust, induction and airflow sensor components good for another 15 horses apiece. With Corvette reliability, nearly 650 available horsepower and classic European styling, the Andros presents a compelling package... for a kit car. Check out the images in our gallery below for all the angles.

[Source: autoblog.it]

Click above for a gallery of the Aston Martin One-77

Despite a slowing economy, Aston Martin is not shying away from tackling some high-priced territory. Its Rapide four-door coupe is on the way, the as-yet un-named convertible DBS is due imminently, development of the V12 Vantage continues, and it's re-launching the Lagonda marque with some new luxury machinery. All the while the next DB9 and Vantage are tipped to go up-market, but not before the ultra-premium One-77 lands in the hands of a few very fortunate customers. Only six in the U.S. to be exact, with just five destined to stay in the UK out of the total production run of 77. That leaves 66 for the rest of the world, and just where they'll all end up is open to speculation, but expect a fair few to be destined for emerging luxury markets in Asia especially.

Although the One-77 won't be officially unveiled in full until next year – we got a partial preview last month in Paris – the first batch of pictures is already out, and initial specs have now found their way onto the internet. CEO Ulrich Bez has confirmed that power will come from an artfully-crafted derivative of the company's existing 6-liter V12, bored and stroked to 7 liters and producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque. All that power will have to move just 1500kg, lighter than the 1630kg V8 Vantage, the 1760kg DB9 and even the lightweight 1690kg DBS. Despite the One-77's imposing silhouette, at 4576mm it will actually measure 133mm shorter than the DB9, but 196mm longer than the compact Vantage, while at a stout 1223mm high and a lane-dominating 1900mm wide, the supercar will also be shorter and wider than either the Vantage or the DB9. Bez claims that an all-out performance battle with the Bugatti Veyron isn't the point of the One-77, but a top speed well in excess of 200 mph is all but guaranteed.

[Source: Autocar]

As you can tell from our furious posting frequency, there's a lot of stuff at SEMA. Often, you encounter some well-publicized car and your reaction is "Oh... harumph." And then there are the sadly infrequent times when you make your way to the back of a ginormous hall and turn the corner to find a tiny booth holding one of those "Oh... wow..." treasures. That's what happened when we dropped by the Helios Coatings booth and discovered the Cadillac-powered VRS (V Sport Rod).

Probably everything on this car except the fuel filler cap is custom or has been customized. A how-low-can-you-go custom-designed fiberglass body wraps itself around a 6.0-liter, 400 hp Cadillac engine. The engine cover runs from that hot-rod nose all the way to the bulkhead and then continues in one sweep to form the center console. The console works much like your phone, going dark when not in use and lighting up again when you touch it. And yes, that's an iPhone slotted in there. And at the corners are 20-inchers up front and 22-inchers out back suspended by aircraft strut suspension arms and wearing six-pot calipers front and rear. It is certifiably "Oh... wow..." But don't take our word for it -- check out the full specs, or get straight to the gallery of high-res images below.

Leave the Saint Bernards at home, honey, we've got something better. The Subaru Mountain Rescue Vehicle was made for the National Ski Patrol -- an organization we had never heard of until we saw this truck. On its tiptoes it has 14 inches of clearance, and the staid passenger car driving compartment is balanced by the diamond plate floor and steel walls in the rear. Its got more flashing lights than K-Mart, and a 9,500-pound winch in case you need to rescue snowcats. And apparently, when ski time is over, you can hop in the toboggan that's mounted on the roof. Or you can put injured people in it. Your choice. Have a look at the mighty mountain rescue ranger vehicle in the gallery of high-res photos below.