Specialty cars Archives - Page 5 of 5

President Barack Obama's new Cadillac limo: Options include shotguns and extra blood

The accompany image “speaks volumes.” President Obama will be transported in the limousine by a Secret Service driver, another long-standing U.S. tradition. President Obama currently owns a Ford Escape hybrid, and the Ebay auction for his soon-to-be previous car, a 2005 Chrysler 300C, is scheduled to end today. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to

Cars of Presidents & Candidates: Roosevelt to Clinton, Obama to McCain

The top-10 most interesting cars list coincides with what’s among the most historic presidential elections. Hagerty Insurance researched the personal vehicles of America’s past presidents and current candidates and selected one car for each individual most attention-grabbing for his time. The result is a fun and informative look at what drives American presidents or what American presidents (and candidates) drive. 1. William Taft (1909-1913): Baker Electric — Taft was the first president to own and drive cars during his presidency. One of the most interesting cars he owned was, ironically enough, “green” — a Baker Electric. This electric vehicle was especially popular with women in the era, as it did not require any cranking and was virtually maintenance-free. 2. Franklin

Luxury cars, Specialty cars, Sports Cars

Aston Martin Overtakes Bugatti As World's Most Expensive Car

The handmade coupe will cost $2.3 million. Aston Martin will make only 77 of the vehicles, about one-quarter of the volume of Veyrons manufactured and slightly less than the 80 Veyron roadsters built. According to Aston Martin, buyers of the One-77 are purchasing “an experience.” Autocar.com reported buyers would be invited to the factory in Gaydon, where they’ll meet with designers and engineers to develop the car to their exact specifications. Aston Martin hasn’t said much about the new vehicle, a project that began about 1 1/2 years ago. The hand-hammered aluminum bodywork retains the general profile of it predecessor, the DB9. It covers a carbon fiber chassis and a 7.0-liter V12 engine with 650 horsepower and a top speed

Luxury cars, Sedans

Audi A8 W12, 2008: The Weekly Driver Car Review (Video)

The 2008 Audi A8 W12 is the German manufacturer’s powerful top-of-the-line sedan. It’s nearly a small apartment considering its spaciousness, powerful sound system, rear-seat refrigerator and solar sunroof. Videographer Bruce Aldrich and I take a look and the luxurious Audi. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The

Auto Shows-Museums, Sports Cars

Volkswagen Beetle, Kaiser Darrin Shine At Carmel Concours On The Avenue

While soft jazz perfectly set the mood, mellow, daylong crowds gathered along the main artery, Ocean Ave., and its accompanying side streets. It was an ideal outdoor showroom for the second-year event. Porsche and Ferrari were featured Monday and Tuesday multi-marques were presented. I didn’t attend Monday’s festivities, but there were immediate favorites on Tuesday. Tony and Pat Olmo of Monterey, California, presented two Volkswagen Beetles — a 1962 convertible and 1956 deluxe. The 1956, a beautifully hued diamond green, is restored with only German VW parts as is the Pacific Blue convertible. Both cars attracted large crowds with a lot visitors commenting in general terms: “I used to have one of those.” Despite the popularity of the two VWs,

Electric and Hybrid

Chrysler Envisions Electric Car Envi Within Five Years

The new line created last September. Its vehicles are slated to operate on battery power alone for about 40 miles, according to Chrysler. Chrysler is also working on a new generation of hybrid vehicles with lithium-ion batteries that are lighter and store more energy than the nickel-metal hydride batteries now in wide use. Chrysler has not yet announced any partnership for the project or for the development of the batteries. General Motors Corp and Toyota Motor Corp are racing to develop rechargeable hybrid vehicles using lithium-ion batteries. GM’s all-electric Chevy Volt is scheduled to begin production in 2010; Toyota will begin testing a rechargeable version of its Prius hybrid with fleet customers around the same time. Ford is building 20

Luxury cars, News Service, Sedans, Specialty cars, Sports Cars

Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, Chevrolet Bel Air Make Daily Telegraph’s Beautiful Car List (Nos. 80-61)

Car aficionados likely know such unique cars as the NSU Ro80 or the Hispano-Suiza H6. But almost anyone who’s owned a car or whose parents owned a car has likely at least heard of the Chevrolet Bel Air or a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. All four were selected by The Daily Telegraph, the London newspaper among “The 100 Most Beautiful Cars.” The Weekly Driver continues its countdown with the Nos. 80-61 vehicles, and what a diverse group. The newspapers’ readers sent in thousands of votes representing 367 different cars. Each car is represented by a photo and short description. The accompanying text for the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud (No. 65) is typical of the newspaper’s clever style: “The Bentley S2/S3’s

Luxury cars

Ferrari Sees (More) Red In ’07 — And It’s All Good

It would be a disastrous year for almost any other auto manufacturer. But selling 6,400 cars in a year is huge — at least for Ferrari. The Italian manufacturer announced this week that its sales total for 2007 represented a 14 percent increase from 2006. According to ANSA, the Italian News Agency, the company’s greatest success of the year came with the car maker’s announcement of its new prototype, the F430 Spider. Ferrari currently has more than 1,850 orders for its Scuderia model, including 500 orders in the United States. The manufacturer also currently has orders for 430 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano models. The sales of the luxury car maker in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East jumped by

Automotive News, News Service, Sedans, Specialty cars

Skoda Extends Tour de France Official Car Deal Through 2011

But the Tour de France is nothing if not a moveable money machine, which is why one of its most important sponsorships is the race’s official vehicle. The manufacturer will serve it that capacity was announced on the eve of the 2008 race route when Skoda agreed with race organizers to extend its current sponsorship through 2011. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Professional cycling’s image is not as its best, but that didn’t deter the Czech manufacturer from agreeing to keep its brand in the race’s spotlight. Skoda’s vehicles are not available in the United States, but the brand is distributed in nearly 40 countries —