Early Porsche 911 lr – Photo by Porsche Werks

The 18th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be held the weekend of March 10, 2013. The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is definitely among the top automotive events in the world.

If you love luxury and antique cars, then this event is truly a celebration of the automobile like no other. Now in its second decade, the annual car show will honor iconic luxury car brand – Porsche 911’s 50th anniversary.

Commonly known as “The Amelia,” this popular Florida car show draws nearly 250 rare vehicles from various collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.

The Porsche’s 911 was first launched in the autumn of 1963 at the Frankfurt Auto Salon. This car quickly became the classic design and the car that jettisoned Porsche to its commercial and competition success.

Even today, the classic Porsche 911 remains a timeless success in showrooms, on the roads and race courses worldwide. From its first entry Porsche’s new 911 won its category in all the classic sports car endurance races.

Class wins in the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans were followed by outright victory in the rugged Monte Carlo Rally in 1968. In 1973 the Brumos Porsche 911 RS driven by Jacksonville’s Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood won a legendary upset victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona, defeating an international field of pure prototypes.

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance

Also in 1973, Porsche’s 911 won overall victories in the punishing 12 Hours of Sebring and the World Championship Targa Florio on the rugged mountain roads of Sicily.

The Porsche 911 has seen numerous changes over the years. It has been turbocharged making it one of the fastest and strongest accelerating cars for highway use. On February 4, 2012 Porsche introduced the latest version of the 911, the 991.

The 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be held March 8-10th on the 10th and 18th fairways of world famous The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach, Florida which is next to The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.

The show’s Foundation has donated nearly $1.8 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. and other charities on Florida’s First Coast since its inception in 1996.

To receive additional information about the upcoming 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, please visit www.ameliaconcours.org or call 904-636-0027.

Contact us to help arrange your travel reservation or purchase tickets

Lexus LF-LC Concept Car

The Lexus LF-LC Concept Car has a distinctive and luxurious look that will definitely turn heads. The stunning vehicle from Lexus is a 2+2 coupe that comes with a hybrid drivetrain and a low profile.

The video was shot at the 2012 Concorso d’Eleganza. Whether we ever see it in production or speeding down the highway, it’s an incredibly attractive car.

To continue to battle both BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the luxury car market, Lexus may need to make an aggressive move like actually producing the stylish LF-LC.

Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce recently opened its second largest showroom in the world in Jericho, Long Island – New York. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Long Island is the 33rd Rolls-Royce showroom to open in North America.

The new Rolls-Royce showroom facility is larger than 9,200 square feet and includes room to display more than a dozen of the ultra-luxury automobiles. The showroom is owned and will be operated by Antoine Dominic of Bespoke Motor Group.

Featuring Rolls-Royce’s largest customer configuration lounge in the world, the showroom will allow prospective customers the opportunity to browse thousands of leather, color and trim samples.  The mold-breaking trend in dealerships will feature a café, ultra modern meeting spaces with floor to ceiling glass walls and an outdoor terrace.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Long Island opens just several months before the much anticipated arrival of the luxury car maker’s latest model – the Phantom Series II.   The Phantom Series II is schedule to arrive in showrooms in September and will mark the first significant improvements to the Phantom since 2003.

Rolls-Royce

The new Phantom Series II by Rolls-Royce will feature several technological upgrades intended to improve the timeless appeal, performance and efficiency of the car.

While the distinctive Rolls-Royce grill and iconic Spirit of Ecstasy remain intact, the striking new front-end features re-styled bumpers and rectangular LED headlights – the first full LED headlights to be offered as standard on a production car.

Rolls-Royce

A new 8-speed automatic gearbox and rear differential not only enhance the driving experience, but decrease fuel consumption by 10%.  he Phantom Series II also features upgraded driver assistance technologies, an updated satellite navigation system and new user interfaces which augments to the effortlessness and ease that the driver experiences.

Imperium Automotive is based in the historic city of Edinburgh, Scotland. The company designs and manufactures unique hand built limited edition vehicle upgrade packages for the motoring individualist.

Imperium Automotive is a Bentley personalization specialist and just introduced their new limited edition customization package for the new generation Bentley Continental GTC.

For luxury car fans enthusiasts, the dream of just driving a Bentley Continental GTC can be a life-long dream. But to own a custom Bentley Continental GTC … is just plain the ultimate joy!

As summer near, the exclusive Imperium Audentia GTC convertible upgrade program arrives just in time.

Imperium Automotive focus on bespoke low volume manufacturing using the finest traditional British engineering processes to create beautiful unique limited edition luxury vehicle upgrades.

The new Imperium Bentley Continental GTC Audentia package is a limited edition upgrade and only available in extremely limited worldwide production numbers. This exclusive package is available to order directly only through UK based Imperium.

All Imperium Bentley Audentia GTC bodywork components are expertly designed and manufactured using the finest British engineering techniques, processes and principles.

The Audentia GTC package includes a new bespoke designed front bumper with grille, air vents and visually lowering sport side skirts. The custom rear apron design features a new subtle boot lip spoiler, rear diffuser and newly designed sports exhaust tips.

Each individual limited edition package is manufactured to order in the finest ultra light prepreg autoclave carbon fibre.

For more information please visit: www.imperiumautomotive.com

2011 Hyundai Equus

Do you want to get presidential with your ride? Join Korean president Lee Myung-Bak in purchasing the new 2011 Hyundai Equus luxury car and you can imagine yourself as a head of state. Or at least, you’d be secure in the knowledge that you’d be in the same model car as the Korean president.

Here’s your dose of politically-inspired automotive history for the day: while Korea is the fifth-largest car manufacturing country in the world. Up until the release of the 2011 Hyundai Equus, none of the Korean-designed cars had been considered “viable” for the task of transporting the president of the country safely.

Hyundai enjoys an excellent car reputation worldwide, but it’s a reputation for making reliable budget hatchbacks, not classy presidential limousine-cum-tank machines.

Before the Hyundai Equus, the Korean head of state was driven around in a bulletproof Mercedes Benz. This was despite the fact that Myung-Bak was a former chairman and employee of Hyundai for an incredible twenty-seven years!

However, if safety is a concern for the Korean president – and it always is with presidential motorcades of any nationality – he can ride assured in his specially built, 2011 Hyundai Equus: the specially armored presidential ride can supposedly withstand a blast from 15 kilograms of TNT. Now that’s a dynamite ride!

So does the Korean automaker’s step out from the moniker of “value conscious” live up to the hype? Time will tell: the 2011 Equus is released this fall and is expected to compete with other luxury sedans like those in the S-Class. With a starting price sticker of $55,000, it’s not your ordinary Hyundai.

The South Korean government has apparently given the Equus the stamp of approval, now the only thing left to see is if the rest of the consumer world agrees.

Talon Motors “Invader”

Widely known as the  premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, the SEMA Show opens tomorrow November 2 through 5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Talon Motors is planning to announce its new Invader car. The Invader prototype car is being presented at SEMA as a proof of concept, and is scheduled for production by mid-2011.

The stylish new Invader will utilizes a unique reverse trike three-wheel design (two steering front wheels, one rear drive wheel), that offers two passengers with comfortable, enclosed side-by-side seating, plus car-like controls.

The Talon Motors “Invader” will have a 1,300cc Hayabusa engine, that will offer acceleration to 60 mph in just four seconds. The Invader will a lighting, top speed of up to 150 mph!

The frame of the the Invader is constructed from one-and-a-half-inch tubular steel with a front crash zone, a complete roll-cage around the cockpit., in addition to triangulated side protection bars.

The car’s fiberglass body will include a Lexan windshield that protects two occupants, who are comfortably strapped into car-like seats with three-point safety belts.

The “Invader” has a center of gravity that’s inches off the road, allowing it to corner like a super car.  But with its open air design, you truly get that ‘close to the road sensation’ that is unequaled in anything else.

Talon Motors has teamed up with rock-and-roll legend and long time exotic car enthusiast, Sammy Hagar. Hagar and Talon Motors are currently designing a signature series, “Red Rocker” edition of the Invader in 2011.

The luxurious “Red Rocker” model will contain design and performance elements influenced by both Hagar and the Talon design team.

The controls of the Talon Motors Invader are similar to what you’d find in any sports car: a steering wheel, gas, brake and clutch pedals, plus a six-speed sequential shifter with an electric reverse gear.

The cockpit includes a full compliment of gauges, as well as a built in passenger side storage compartment and removable saddlebag-style totes. All this makes the Invader ideal for weekend escapes.

Performance & Specs:
0-60 MPH 3.92 Sec.
Top Speed 144 MPH
Lateral Acceleration 1.3 G
Displacement 1340 CC
Maximum Horsepower 197
Length 138 Inches
Wheelbase 90 Inches
Dry Weight 1040 Lbs

President of Talon Motors – Sandy Hall was quoted, “The Talon has really been a collaborative effort between Tom, myself and Adam. We wanted to create a new level of comfort, performance and sensation that did not exist before.”

Hall continues, “Combine that with its jaw dropping looks, and I think we’ve designed and built an exotic vehicle that provides more bang-for-the-buck than anything out there.”

Ferrari

As online car shopping continues to surge, another trend has surfaced that will have a greater impact on the overall travel industry.

Instead of shopping at the local car dealer, people are increasingly traveling to other regions to pick up their vehicle. This change of habit dubbed “Automotive Tourism,” has resulted in a slight boost to local economies via lodging, restaurants and minor sight-seeing.

LeaseTrader.com is nation’s most popular car leasing marketplace and assists people who takeover the remaining portion of vehicles that are still under contract. This attractive method allows them to obtain a short-term car lease with no down payment.

LeaseTrader reports that 15 percent more people this year are taking over leases of vehicles from outside their own region.

Although LeaseTrader.com offers transportation quotes to have their vehicle shipped to them, more and more buyers are opting to travel to pick-up their car and driving it back home.

The company explains that almost 40 percent of all lease transactions occur between two people not in the same geographic region.

Here is a list of the Top-10 Destinations where people are traveling to pick up a car they bought online:

1. Daytona Beach, Fla.
2. Dallas, Texas
3. Baltimore, MD
4. Nashville, Tenn.
5. Thousand Oaks, Calif.
6. Tuscon, AZ
7. Phoenix, AZ
8. St. Paul, MN
9. Reston, VA
10. Cleveland, Ohio

To find additional information, please visit www.LeaseTrader.com,
or call (800) 770-0207

When one thinks about the ultimate luxury automobile, it’s hard to argue that any short list doesn’t include the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.

On any Rolls-Royce car, its always been apparent that craftsmanship is the key. The company refused to build a custom, all-chrome Phantom Coupe for a famous rap artist because the chrome couldn’t be finished to the company’s exacting specifications. Now that is setting the bar high.

Exterior paint of the new Rolls-Royce Phantom is hand-finished between each paint layer and then polished for five hours. Incredibly there are more than 44,000 different hues to choose from.

The Phantom Coupe’s hand-crafted interior combines a bit of bling and a lot of grace. For example, the rear curved sofa is flanked with hand-crafted wooden fold-down trays. The ceiling has 1,600 stars (boulevard lights) that can be adjusted for brightness.

The seat leather also receives much TLC. The Phantom comes with R-R hides that are barrel-dyed to ensure uniform color. The leather is then checked by hand and eye for any kinds of blemishes.

Additional interior features include: new front and rear door cappings, bi-directional double reading lights in the C-pillar and repositioned electric window switches

Rolls-Royce’s new model showcases a stretched-out front end and beefy 21 inch wheels. The engine is a 6.75-liter V12 and produces 453 hp and 0-60 in 5.6 seconds.

It was recently announced that the 2009 Rolls Royce Phantom will offer a brand new front bumper design and a more shallow stainless steel grille.

These changes are targeted to merge the models with the front appearance of the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and Phantom Coupe.

If you are looking to bring more sophistication to your life, the BMW M5, embodies class and style all with everything it stands for.

The M5 is equipped to take you and your entourage anywhere you want to go, equipped to seat five passengers comfortably, there is plenty of room for everyone to fit without feeling the least bit cramped.

Although the M5 appears to have a modest look, don’t let the exterior fool you. This BMW is probably faster than most other cars in its class. Not only does it beat out others with its fast speed it also has impeccable stopping capabilities as well as handling capabilities that will take turns and rough patches with ease.

This high speed BMW doesn’t just come with a speedy athletic package it also the brains the too. The M5 comes standard with an MDrive that is located on the steering wheel. The MDrive button will allow the driver to customized their favorite settings and the car will remember it for next time. If you travel a certain path to work every day, this BMW will memorize every mile you pass. Smart and sophisticated, what more could you ask for?

Because of a few added bells and whistles, this BMW M5 doesn’t come cheap, although above average, the price tag is well worth it. This car makes for a sophisticated drive that is flashy enough on both the interior and exterior to turn some heads and cause a little stir. Although it doesn’t live up the flashy flair of most BMW’s in its class, the M5 makes up for it with its brain and it’s brawn, leaving you anything but disappointment.

Enjoying the life that you have worked hard to maintain makes it all that more pleasurable with the BMW M5. Sometimes things are actually better on the inside than from how they appear on the outside and the BMW M5 is a good example of that.  Author: Richard McCombe

The Azure T is the latest member to join the Bentley family. This 2009 model is a more powerful and exclusive version of the drop-top Azure.

Bentley’s flagship convertible, the Azure T, offers speed, style, superior craftsmanship and high-end acoustics. Too many awesome featires, so where do we begin?

First, let’s talk about Speed: Boy does this luxury Bentley Azure T have speed. This four-seat convertible has a twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 500 hp with a top speed of 179 mph and a 0-60 mph of 5.2 seconds.

Even the roof is fast: Touch-button and hydraulic-powered, the three-layer canvas roof stows beneath the rear parcel shelf in 25 seconds. The roof stows in a separate well area; boot space is designed to hold two sets of golf clubs and hand luggage.

Bentley’s Azure T includes standard features that were previously unavailable or only available as extras.

Inside, the Azure T embodies a range of standard features that were previously unavailable or available as cost options on the standard model such as the diamond-quilted seats and door panels, the aluminum finish on the dashboard that is supposed to remind the 1920s racing Bentleys and the instrument faces which are finished in Black rather than Parchment.

The seats and door panels have Diamond Quilting, the fascia features an “engine-turned” aluminum finish and the instrument faces are finished in black.

All Azure T models come with an iPod interface linked to the Infotainment system. Optional Naim for Bentley premium audio system features 10 speakers, a dual-channel sub-woofer and an 1100 watt amplifier.

The latest RL luxury sedan from Acura, which actually made its world debut at this year’s New York Auto Show, steps up to the plate with a larger engine and improved handling characteristics.

This latest RL from Acura is a highly desirable, luxury performance sedan that comes loaded with virtually everything one could possibly want in such a vehicle in its price range, and then some. Factor all this in with the more powerful V6 engine, and you have a car that can comfortably compete with European sport sedans.

The Acura RL is a smooth, quick and comfortable luxury sedan, and complements its sleek, sporty appearance. To enjoy maximum performance in terms of acceleration and shift points, simply select the Sport mode and let the RL do the work for you, or utilize the paddle shifters to chose gears at will. Either way, the RL delivers a satisfying and exhilarating ride.

The Acura RL for 2009 also showcases advanced new technologies including AcuraLink weather, AcuraLink Traffic Rerouting, a new note function for XM radio, active sound control and Bluetooth audio – all additions to the already rich inventory of high-tech features found on the previous RL model.

Even the innovative Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system has been enhanced and improved, along with a revised steering system, upgraded coil springs, better shock absorber performance, a larger rear stabilizer bar and bolder, more aggressive wheels and tires.
Source: SFGate.com