Ladies and gentlemen, the Panameras have landed. The first fleet of Porsche Panameras – 31 of them, in fact – has arrived in the US just in time for its American debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 9.
If you must know, the cars were airlifted via the cargo hold of a 747 all the way from its production facility in Leipzig, Germany where it shares the production line with a number of other Porsche models including the Cayenne SUV. While the Panameras are expected to go on sale in the US on October 17, Porsche’s new crown jewel is expected to make a few pit-stops along the way, including an appearance at the aforementioned Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – where, as we’ve said, it’s going to make its US debut – and at the Monterey Auto Week later this year.
The Panameras that are arriving in the US are those of the V8-powered gas variant, which also comes in three models: the Panamera S, the Panamera AWD 4S, and the flagship Turbo, with the price tag for the three models coming in at $89,800, $93,800, and $132,000, respectively. It may be a steep price to pay for a car, especially considering the circumstances we’re all facing these days. Then again, it’s the Porsche Panamera; we’re pretty confident that a lot of Americans are lining up their pockets for a chance to be one of the first to be driving these babies out on the American highway.
Now that the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport has officially gone into full fledged production the imagineers at Bugatti have a little extra free time on their hands, so the exotic Italian automaker got to work preparing the usual round of special editions based on the upcoming Grand Sport.
It is only fitting that the first of these multi-million dollar special edition vehicles debut at the world’s greatest car show this August at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. If we reflect on what Bugatti did with the original Veyron coupe, we can safely assume that this initial limited edition vehicle will be a blacked out Sang Noir edition, and will cost owners somewhere around $2 Million.
At the same event we will also see such vehicles as: the new Jaguar XJ, the Bentley Arnage replacement, a virtual preview of the 2011 Infiniti M luxury sedan, the Aston Martin DBS Volante and the Fisker Karma; just to name a few.
It turns out that the next the rendering of the next generation Inifiniti M class full size sedan might just be what the luxury automaker is going to unveil on August 14th at the world’s greatest auto show, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey California. In a bold move, the Japanese automaker will be on the same stage as exotic car builders like Bugatti and Bentley. However the 2011 Infiniti M won’t exactly be at the show, instead Infiniti will be trying something different. Using what they call “virtual video mapping,” a full scale clay model of the Mercedes Benz E Class and BMW 5 Series competitor will be the center of attention. Infiniti’s crafty technical department will then set up a projector to shine the final design of the production model onto the clay figure.
In a recent interview with Edmunds our old friend Kyle Bazemore, head of Infiniti’s communications department said that “the car will look like it is actually there. It will be full-size, and, if you didn’t know it was a virtual mapping, you would think it was the real thing from a distance... it gives consumers a preview of the vehicle in advance of its December debut, before any actual vehicles have been built.” So if Mr. Bazemore has been honest with us, it looks like we will be seeing the a working model of the 2011 Infiniti M at the L.A. International Auto Show.
From August 10-16, the entire automotive world will converge at Monterey, California for the highly awaited – and internationally acclaimed – Monterey Car Week show and exhibit.
The week-long festivity is a must-attend event for all car enthusiasts all over the world. Featuring a steady diet of exhibits, races, auctions, and award ceremonies spread out in seven days, the Monterey Car Week is shaping up to be an event to be remembered.
In addition to the plethora of activities lined up, the Monterey Car Week will also be attended by a number of the world’s most distinguished auto makers, many of whom will bring some of their most expensive and historical vehicles to the event.
We’re not usually this excited in attending a car festivals, but this particular Monterey Car Week is one that we’ve circled in our calendars for a long time. Not only is it going to be as good as advertised, but the week-long extravaganza is replete with can’t-miss activities and events that – it’s safe to say – has us counting down the days to August 10.
For more information on the event, as well as a glimpse of what’s in store at the Monterey Car Week, don’t hesitate to pay a visit to their website at the link below.
The Bentley Boys were a group of privileged young British racing enthusiasts from the 1920s who chose the English automaker as their drug of choice, along with the women and booze, to compete in motor racing throughout Europe. The boys had a notorious reputation for playing hard and driving even harder. These young chaps are responsible for establishing the brand as a luxurious sports car builder that could cater to the wealthy and the speed to compete with the best makes of its day.
So it is only fitting that the world’s most exclusive car show, Pebble Beach, will be honoring the marque’s 90th anniversary by setting aside a special part of the 18th fairway for Bentley racing models. Started by W.O. Bentley himself; the car company was founded with one purpose only, to “make a fast car, a good car, the best in its class.” Thanks to the Bentley Boys, that includes four consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1927 to 1930.
Last year the organizers of the famed Concours d’Elegance honored GM’s historic vehicles, with an impressive row of 16 cylinder Cadillacs. This year the theme will be British motoring, starring the flying B. In addition to the show’s dedicated racing class, there will also be two classes set aside for unique Vintage Bentleys, a class of Derby Bentleys, and several other models from various classes. Peter Hageman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance promises that their “Bentley racing class promises to be the most impressive collection of Bentley team cars ever assembled.”
There will be a new super car making its debut this July at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concourse d’ Elegance. What better place for the American made machine from Devon Motorworks, the racing team is owned by Justin Bell, son of the great Derek Bell, Justin has raced everything from Trans-Am cars to Daytona Prototypes, so there is plenty of R&D from the race track to go into the future GTX road car. The company claims that when completed, they will take the Devon GTX to Germany in order to break the single lap record at the Nürburgring track.
The Devon GTX is a pure driving machine; with an inherent beauty that comes from a simplistic and functional design. The body features wide arches that stick out even more with the two tone paint scheme. The interior is filled with retro touches like the cueball looking shift knob that looks like it came right out of an old Shelby Mustang. With the GTX, Devon Motorsports is looking to create the future super car. An entire lineup of high performance machines could be in the racing team’s near future, having offered Chrysler $5.5 Million for the Dodge Viper, although it is well under Chrysler’s $10 Million asking price, this could be a new era for American made, world class sports cars.
It was a big weekend for Bugattis at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The first Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport 16.4, which made its debut at the show, had a hammer price of $2.9 million at the Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction yesterday. Although the final price will be confirmed later today, this could mean that it is likely as much as $850,000 (the excess of the Veyron’s MSRP) will be donated to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation charity.
The Grand Sport features a see-through removable roof panel made from polycarbonate material for lightweight rigidity. Unfortunately there is no place to store the panel on the car, so if the weather turns bad, owners may need to use the included “umbrella” fabric top (much like the one used for the Lamborghini Murcielago roadster.)
The biggest changes to take the Veyron topless were stiffening the carbon fiber body and changing the windshield angle. The car now also includes new LED headlamps, different alloy wheels and a rear view camera display. According to Bugatti, the total production run for the Veyron Grand Sport will be 150 vehicles.
If the Veryon Grand Sport was the Bugatti to steal everyone’s hearts, then the 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante Coupe stole their wallets. The classic Bugatti set a new Pebble Beach record at Gooding & Company’s Saturday auction at $7.92 million. The car is one of 95 57Cs produced during the run from 1937 to 1940. The 3,257 CC Supercharged Inline Eight-Cylinder Engine is rated at 160 BHP At 5,000 RPM.
Lamborghini is bringing a few of its “must-see” cars to the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach this weekend. Included in this showcase will be the 2009 Gallardo LP560-4, 2008 Reventón and the 1989 Lamborghini P140 prototype.
The 2009 Gallardo LP560-4 is the latest from Lamborghini. It replaces the current Gallardo by offering a new 5.2 liter V-10 engine, permanent four-wheel drive transmission and an improved suspension.
The Reventón is Lamborghini’s ultra-exclusive supercar. It is Lamborghini’s most powerful and most expensive car ever. It is built from carbon fiber, and there are only 20 in the world. Although the mechanics are heavily based on the Murciélago LP640, the output of Reventón’s 6.5-liter V-12 is upgraded to 650 horsepower.
The P140 is significant because it bridges the gap between the Jalpa and the Diablo. The Jalpa was the “affordable” Lamborghini. It was built to compete with sub-supercar types, similar to the current Gallardo. Although it was never it was put into production, the P140 provides a clear visual evolution that took Lamborghini into the 90s.
Cadillac gave the first showing of the 2010 SRX today at Pebble Beach today. The design for the new crossover is heavily based on the Provoq concept car that went around the car show circuit earlier this year. General Motors will release full details on the car later this year.
The new SRX is expected to switch to GM’s Theta platform, which would make it smaller wheelbase than the current SRX. The switch would also means that in two-wheel drive form, the power will now go to the front wheels (an all-wheel drive version should be an option.) The SRX has become an important car for GM as it is a smaller and more fuel-efficient an alternative to Cadillac’s other SUV offering, the Escalade.
Sometimes technology isn’t a blessing. Not only did video kill the radio star, but also General Motor’s travailing showcase know as Motorama.
Motorama used to travel all around the U.S. in a caravan of specially built “Parade of Progress” busses, all used to showcase GM’s new cars and new innovations. But once television was in every household, the Motorama changed. It was still a grand spectacle, but the Motorama no longer came to your doorstep. By the mid-50s Motorama would only set up in the major cities but could be broadcast to homes nationwide through TV. The last one was held in 1961.
Enjoy as GM’s Vice President of Global Design, Ed Welburn reminisces about the Motorama and the dream cars of GM’s past before they are showcased next week at Pebble Beach (including the Chevrolet Biscayne.)
