Special Editions Car reviews

From the outrageous styling, to the thumping V-12 powerplant, to the breathtaking performance, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is anything but boring. But that’s not stopping one lucky owner from turning the volume knob up to 11 on their Raging Bull. Say hello to the SC18 Alston, which comes with race-spec aero and a track-ready attitude to set it apart from its more “standard” brethren. And although it’s designed for track use, the SC18 Alston is still road-legal, bringing the best of both worlds into wing-tastic harmony.

Volkswagen celebrates the 30th anniversary of its sun-chasing California campervan with a special edition model of which only 999 examples will be built with a choice of three engines. The 30th anniversary Californias will be priced at $83,570 in the U.K.

Originally, Westfalia was the company that converted a variety of Volkswagen vans for use as mobile campers - which were known as VW Californias. This tradition dates back to 1988, but it all ceased in 2001 when Westfalia was bought by Daimler-Chrysler. From that point on, Volkswagen manufactured their own campervans with help from the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles arm.

Aston Martin has cooked up a limited edition DBS Superleggera for one of its most famous dealerships in the U.K. Called the Aston Martin DBS 59, the special edition DBS was commissioned by Aston Martin Cambridge as an homage to the legendary DBR1 race car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 1959. In true Aston Martin fashion, the DBS 59 comes to us by way of the automaker’s Q division, which has been responsible for some of the most drool-worthy Aston Martin special edition models in recent years. The DBS 59 is dripping with exclusive touches in the exterior and interior befitting a true special edition Aston Martin. The DBS 59 will be available exclusively from Aston Martin Cambridge, and the dealership is now taking orders.

Redesigned for the 2018 model year, the Lincoln Navigator finally has what it takes to compete against the current Cadillac Escalade. It also comes in a long-wheelbase version and with the company’s recently introduced, more luxurious Black Label package. The latter has become so appealing that even TV celebrity and car collector Jay Leno ordered one. However, Leno requested some aftermarket extras and showcased the SUV at the 2018 SEMA Show.

Although it’s pretty much a stock Black Label model, it stands out thanks to its unique paint, wheels, and customized interior. Although it was conceived by the Lincoln Design Studio, this Navigator was actually customized by Van Nuys and Galpin Motors & Auto Sports. The Black Label Navigator will join the 1966 Lincoln Continental the Jay Leno purchased earlier in 2018.

Lexus is bringing a special edition LX SUV at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. Dubbed the “Inspiration Series,” the limited-run LX offers exclusive touches on the exterior to go with a few upgrades in the interior of the SUV. There are no engine upgrades included in the package, though you probably wouldn’t know it based on how much Lexus is asking for the special edition SUV. The Lexus LX Inspiration Series costs a whopping $100,420, which is almost $15,000 more than the base LX that starts at $85,830.

A unique Toyota Tundra showed up at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show with Kevin Costner’s imprints all over it. The Hollywood A-lister hooked up with Toyota to build a custom Tundra Platinum that embraces Costner’s love for adventure and the outdoors. The one-off, custom-built creation is the ultimate adventure truck, fitting for a man whose famous for his love of the outdoors. They don’t make them as rough and tough as Kevin Costner; turns out, Toyota — and Working Complete Customs of McKinney, Texas — was up to the task of giving him a ride that suits his personality.

Jaguar is celebrating its 70th birthday this year, and like most automakers worth its salt, the British company is commemorating the occasion by rolling out a special edition F-Type called the “Chequered Flag.” Based on coupe and convertible versions of the Jaguar F-Type R-Dynamic, the F-Type Chequered Flag features exclusive touches throughout the car, including lots and lots of badges. Jaguar has yet to reveal pricing and availability of the F-Type Chequered Flag, but you can bet that it’s going to cost a pretty penny.

The fourth-generation BMW X5 is set to arrive very soon for the 2019 model year, but Bimmer is already ramping up the hype with a slew of new M Performance parts, including fresh exterior bits and new interior equipment. Off-roading- or racer-styles are both on offer.

50 years have passed since the introduction of the first Toyota HiLux. The Japanese company is celebrating this wonderful achievement with the production of the limited-edition HiLux Invincible 50 which will be available in the U.K. from the 1st of November.

The new HiLux Invincible 50 comes with an assortment of upgrades that dramatically improve the looks, increase its capabilities, and once again demonstrate the “tough as nails” character of the most badass truck in the world.

This is the truck that conquered everything and proved time and again that it is the only vehicle to be a perfect companion in a calm Swedish village, a tool in the remote parts of Mongolia, and a freaking war machine in Africa. It can do it all. Celebrating the 50th anniversary with a version like this is the least Toyota can do. Well, I have to tell you that this is not the only way Toyota is celebrating the HiLux anniversary. It actually unveiled a whole set of Invincible vehicles and provided a trim called the Invincible x.

This particular model - the Toyota HiLux Invincible 50 was created in cooperation with Arctic Trucks - an Island-based company famed for its extraordinary transformation of HiLux trucks into incredibly worthy off-road machines. You may have heard about this company as they’ve actually crafted trucks that the TopGear team used to reach the North Pole. They were HiLuxes too.

If you’re looking for a unique, handsome, tech-savvy hybrid sports sedan, the Karma Revero is a pretty decent choice. Now, Karma is offering an extremely limited special edition dubbed the Aliso, which takes its name from a town in Southern California, and offers customers a slew of additional California-style customization options that could hint at what’s to come from the boutique automaker. And no, that doesn’t mean it just comes with avocado.

Hot hatches are big business in Europe, but not everybody wants the stiffer ride, or the higher associated fuel bills, which is why Kia has made the Ceed GT-Line which it revealed at the Paris motor show.

The 2019 Porsche Panamera and the Panamera Sports Turismo get some extra pizzazz with both being offered with a GTS badge. This is not the first time Porsche has used the GTS moniker on its cars; the second-generation Panamera and the Panamera Sport Turismo have gotten the same treatment and have been quite successful. The GTS versions have always been a good bang for the buck, as you get performance specs and features that are optional on other models, without actually costing a bomb.