Luxury News from InsideLux – The Daily Luxury News Authority

Famed UK publisher Kraken Opus has announced a forthcoming book on Ferrari called the Magnum Opus.

The book will have text contributed by the world’s finest automotive writers and interviewers accompanied by hundreds of rare and previously unpublished archival images, including unseen pictures of Enzo Ferrari’s villa and action inside Formula One racing pits as well as specially commissioned photographs and illustrations.

Each Magnum Opus book will be individually hand-bound and designed to stand the test of time and increase in value. The book will be limited to 399 copies, will be signed by all living Ferrari champion racing drivers and cost $40,000.

Not everyone knows Tag Heuer as an eyewear maker but as it turns out, they have quite an extensive eyewear range and recently it added this Squadra Night Vision optics and Purple Temples Glasses to its collection.

Both collections are engineered to enhance contrast at night, reduce eye fatigue and increase the ability to make out all those important details after dusk.

The one-piece lend is fitted with titanium arms, elastomer and soft rubber ; it is firm enough to hold your head and flexible enough to fit under helmets. The Sqaudra glasses were worn by the Audi drivers who won Le Mans this year. The Squadra Night Vision Optics is available in two shapes and is priced at $450.

The second collection by Tag Heuer is the Purple Temples; the collection comes in Zenith Rimless Curve, Zenith Rimless Curve Glamour and Squadra. Prices range from $330 to $350.

As a follow up to January’s electric sports and racing motorcycles  Roehr Motorcycles LLC unveiled its eRoehr series of electric sport bikes which includes the fastest production electric motorcycle currently available.

The new eRoehr models include the entry-level eSuperSport, the eSuperBike and the race ready eSuperBike RR.  The eSuperSport has the lowest-spec with a 48hp motor, 395lb weight, dual 300mm brake discs up front, 41mm inverted forks and 5.8Kw/h worth of batteries good for 80 miles of range and 100mph top speed. Step it up to the eSuperBike and you get two of the same motors for a combined power of 96hp but a total weight of 500lbs. Also, the rear shock gets boosted to an Ohlins unit and 7.7Kw/h worth of batteries good for 100 miles of range and 135mph top speed. Finally there’s the RR model which moves up to Ohlins suspension on the front as well as have lovely lightweight wheels.

Prices start from $16,995, with the eSuperBike costing $27,595 and the RR model going way up to $34,495.

Place your order now and one will be custom-built for you with your choice of colors.

The Life Ball, Europe’s biggest AIDS charity event has outdone its efforts to raise money this year. The event which usually auctions off one ‘Life Ball Mini’ unveiled three ‘Life Ball Minis’ created by three fashion designers.

Last week the three designers Francisco Costa, Diane von Furstenberg and Kenneth Cole unveiled their creations at Vienna’s City Hall Square; Kenneth Cole startled the crowd with his silver MINI Convertible that had shimmering interiors done with Swarovski crystals, Francisco Costa presented his MINI Countryman in matt black paintwork with a reflective logo on each of the front doors and tinted windows and Diane von Furstenberg turned heads with her bright red MINI featuring numerous colorful lips and pearl white touch wheels, mirrors and roof.

Francisco Costa’s The Life Ball 2010 MINI was auctioned off for 40,000 Euros during the amfAR Gala in Vienna, the other two will be auctioned off at forthcoming amfAR events.

Italian motorists near Foggia were thanking their lucky stars yesterday when a bullion van en route to a bank in Bari overturned spilling its load of 2 million Euros (£1.6million).

One and two euro coins scattered across the busy motorway after the van burst a tyre, hit another car before crashing into a barrier. Two drivers in the truck and two in the car were hurt but no-one was bothered about them as passing motorists stopped to scoop up at least 10,000 Euros.

Later police in Foggia said that after a further recount the estimated amount missing was closer to 50,000 Euros.

Pop singer, fashion designer and now creative design executive for Range Rover, looks like the sky is the limit for Victoria Beckham.

Mrs. Beckham’s new role was unveiled at the 40th birthday celebrations of Range Rover at ‘The Orangery’ at London’s Kensington Palace. To mark the celebration the brand unveiled a smaller, sleeker model called the Range Rover Evoque.

Beckham will be working in collaboration with the creative team on the Range Rover Evoque which goes on sale next summer and is described as the “greenest” Range Rover yet.’’

In explaining the decision to take on Victoria, Land Rover and Range Rover design director Gerry McGovern said “She knows a lot about fashion and a lot about trends, a lot about luxury products; she has her own fashion business that’s been going for three years and has gained critical acclaim.”

Here’s the first look at 2011 Aston Martin DB9 which hits showrooms this month. According to Aston Martin, the 2011 Aston Martin DB9 has the most significant upgrade programs since the model was first introduced back in 2003.

The 2011 Aston Martin DB9 is powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine that develops 470bhp and 442lb ft of torque

The official numbers say the 2011 Aston Martin DB9 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and that it has a top speed of 190 mph.

John Hennessey has outdone himself again with the creation of the new super light and ultra powerful Hennessey Venom GT. Known for his impeccable work with the Dodge Viper, this space-aged toy is based originally from a Lotus Elise (the only part in relation to Lotus and this car is the body shape and odds and ends) but, the Mad scientist had inserted a LS7 engine with twin ball bearing turbochargers producing up to 1200 horsepower and 1135 lbs/ft of torque. If that doesn’t make you salivate enough, the body was replaced with lightweight carbon fiber and stylish upgrades to make the Venom GT more appealing then the original Elise thus making its curb weight a scant 2,685 pounds. Hennessey is offering two engine choices, one being the less severe supercharged LS9 version producing 725 horsepower and the Behemoth twin turbo LS7 producing close to 1200 horsepower. All cars are offered in either left or right hand drive, and each is specially designed so no two Venom GT’s are alike. Hand crafted in England, the Venom GT is limited to production to only 10 units per year and specifically tailored to each owner. Watch out Ultimate Aero, there is a new sheriff in town and it has the capability of taking the new top speed record.

The Fisker Karma, an ultra-sleek hybrid car, has more energy saving technology than just it’s plug-in capabilities; it also features rooftop solar panels. First of it’s kind, Karma can sit in the sun and not only display its super-sexy luxury vehicle status, but soak in the suns rays to actually re-charge the batteries! While saving the planet, the stylishness of the outside of the coup seeps in with two different interior options. “EcoChic”, which used “100 percent bamboo viscose and frames authentic fossil leaves inside the EcoGlass” and the “EcoSport” boasts top-of-the-line leather for a more sophisticated and luxurious option.

At $90,000, the eco-friendly high end vehicle goes from zero to 60 in 5.8 seconds and reaches up to 200km/h. With a fully charged battery, the driver can travel on electric power for 80 kilometers without needing a re-charge. When the battery is low, a two-litre gas engine starts up knocking the distance capacity up to 380km.

Thanks to German Magazine ‘the Bild.de’ we finally get a preview of Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell.

The Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell is said to be powered by four electric motors, one for each wheel developing a total of 526 hp and 649 lb-ft of torque. Rumour has it the final production model of the E-Cell is expected to go on sale in 2013. We wait with baited breath for more information from official sources but enjoy the pictures in the mean time.