Porsche Panamera v Range Rover Evoque

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham was the first person who came to mind after we heard on Monday that Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was getting her own version of the Porsche Panamera GTS. Beckham was appointed creative design executive for Range Rover in 2012 and helped with the Evoque Special Edition with Victoria Beckham. (Sharapova is also a former Landy shill. —ED)

That Evoque was a true special edition, coming with unique, matte gray paint with gloss accents and a bunch of rosegold. Big, gloss black wheels were standard, as was a four-piece luggage set. So it wasn’t the performance that was upgraded, just the look.

Similarly, the Porsche Panamera GTS by Maria Sharapova is really just the company’s way of showing off its Porsche Exclusive program. The spec sheet for Sharapova’s car includes black LED headlight surrounds, additional leather trim with decorative stitching, carbon-fiber trim and black 20-inch wheels. The sill plates also feature “Maria Sharapova” lettering.

So, there’s no reason we can’t pit these two titans of beauty — the cars, not the women — against each other to decide what’s what.

Thanks to www.autoweek.com

Aston Martin Snow Gliding

If the slow and tiresome winter days have left you without motivation, we have just the thing to put a little pep into your step. It’s a video of an Aston Martin V12 Vantage S, a car that’s as cool as icebergs, drifting on snow and ice.

The shots were captured by NM2255 in Saint Moritz, a famous tourist destination for Europe’s rich and famous. We did a little digging and found the event took place throughout last week. Guests stayed at the five-star Kempinski Gand hotel, “a beautifully decorated luxury property, offering the best standards of accommodation and hospitality, combined with a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.”

The ice “training” took place between 9AM and 4 in the afternoon, with every fast Aston imaginable being provided there.

Thanks to autoevolution.

 

Black Satin Ferrari F12 Berlinetta looking good.

Modifying a supercar is not that easy because the percentage of screwing it up is much higher than the one in which the vehicle will end up looking even better than the original one, and it seems that the crew at Elite Wrap has done the impossible. The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta in question has received an awesome matte black wrap, complete with the satin finish, a red front splitter, a set of black and red Vossen aftermarket and some other tweaks.

The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta has been introduced during the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and it’s coming as the official replacement of the 599 GTB. The supercar is offered in a two-door coupe body style, with a front mid-engine and a rear-wheel drive layout. Power is being provided by a 6.3 liter naturally aspirated V12 engine, shared with the FF, which is good for 730 HP (544 kW) at 8,250 rpm and 690 Nm (509 lb-ft) of torque, available at 6,000 rpm. The unit is mated to a 7-speed dual clutch automated semi-automatic transmission. The 0 to 100 km/h sprint takes 3.1 seconds and top speed stands at 340 km/h (210 mph).

 

Thanks to www.inautonews.com

Aston Martin v Dog. Aston Martin wins owners heart.

A car fanatic has given away pet pooch after it made a dog’s breakfast of his $160,000 Aston Martin.

English builder Royston Grimstead came home to find his border collie spaniel cross, Luce, had chewed through the fibre glass of his 15-month-old luxury car.

The newfound chew-toy amounted to almost $6000 of damage, The Daily Mail reported.

“I came home and saw her covered in white stuff and I thought she had got a bird and it was feathers – but it was the fibreglass from the car,” Grimstead said.

“She had chewed out a huge chunk. I just laughed. I mean, what else could I do? I’m not a crier and she knew she had done something wrong because she had this guilty look on her face.”

Grimstead had already been considering re-homing Luce as she didn’t get on with his other dog.

He believed it may have been an act of revenge.

“She must have overheard me talking about re-homing her because she’s normally friendly and never really chewed on anything before.”

He gave Luce away the day after the incident.

“I didn’t tell the new owners what she had done – I expect when they hear I’ll find Luce back on my doorstep.”

The car was insured against the damage and is expected to be repaired next week.

Jaguar and Chrysler go head to head at the Super Bowl 2014.

Everybody loves a villain. And the Jaguar F-Type ad has three of them – Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong and Tom Hiddleston. The three actors are all British, of course. Because that’s how Hollywood likes its bad guys – and that is also the riff that this advert plays on. Why are movie villains always British? Because they are evil geniuses, cool, commanding and super-suave. And they drive Jaguars.

This is the first time Jaguar has shelled out for a Super Bowl slot – and they have thrown everything at it. Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) puts together a glossy, high-octane production with jets, helicopters and car chases.

It doesn’t always make too much sense.

“Feels muddled instead of the sexy beast it should have been,” sniffs industry bible Adweek, referencing Sir Ben’s scariest creation of all, foul-mouthed Cockney psychopath Don, from Sexy Beast. Now that would have been an ad. Adweek gives Jaguar a C-grade in its round-up.

Chrysler and Bob Dylan Super Bowl Commercial
Chrysler and Bob Dylan Super Bowl Commercial 2014

That, incidentally, is how big this thing is in the US – there are websites dedicated to discussing and rating the new Super Bowl ads as if they are the latest Hollywood blockbusters. It is advertising as event.

And Chrysler are past masters of it. Their 2012 Super Bowl ad featuring Clint Eastwood (“it’s half-time, America”) was a jaw-dropping hymn to wounded American pride and resilience. Now we get Bob Dylandelivering a two-minute paean to just how cool America is.

“What could be more American than America?” he asks as the stock footage of iconic Americana begins to roll. You’ve got us there, Bob. The pay-off is priceless: “Let Germany brew your beer/Let Switzerland build your watch/Let Asia assemble your phone/We will build your car.”

So that’s the American brewing and watch-making industry finished, then

Having Bob Dylan in an ad feels like an event in itself (it shouldn’t – he’s been in several of them before, including one for Victoria’s Secret underwear) but it got Adweek, which gave it an A, raving: “Dylan is a cool cat, and this ad has a hell of a lot of swagger.”

Some critics have questioned whether its bombastic appeal to patriotism really works now that Chrysler is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Italian car giant Fiat.

Jaguar is no longer British-owned either – it is part of Indian conglomerate Tata. But their ad plays on its outsider status, daring the car buyer to go with something a little bit edgy.

Jaguar also steals a march on Chrysler in the event stakes – with online teasers ahead of the main event, a making of video and a website with tips on how to be a super-villain. Its twitter hashtag is doing good business.

Chrysler, by contrast, kept their ad under wraps until the third quarter of the big game.

By which time, as Forbes magazine points out, the Super Bowl was all but over as a contest and many viewers had switched off.

A victory for British super-villainy?