Luxury News from InsideLux – The Daily Luxury News Authority

Peugeot, French automaker reveled their SR1 concept car at the Geneva Motor Show this March.  Style is obviously evident with the sleek frame and swooping sidelines fluidly merging into the windows and windshield. But the sexy style also as a practicality objective, a low center of gravity provides the driver with optimal handling. Peugeot’s newest HYbrid4 technology combining a 1.6 Liter THP gas burning lump which provides 218 HP in the front and an electric motor adding an additional 95 HP in the back.

London luxury car dealer H.R.Owen predicts a better future for 2010 after working at a loss during 2009 due to the global recession.  The company sells brands including Ferrari, Porsche and Rolls Royce was faced with job losses and restructuring that they believe places them in a better and more dynamic position that will lead to profits during 2010.

Shares on the London Stock Exchange jumped by 6.6% following the announcement.

Lexus finally unveiled the production version of the Lexus LFA at the Tokyo Motor Show; car enthusiasts have been waiting nine years for this unveiling and like me couldn’t contain their excitement. With only 500 units being made, might be time to race to your local Lexus dealer if you want your hands on one. The key dynamics to the Lexus LFA is its lightweight construction with the chassis and bodywork made of CFRP – carbonfibre reinforced plastic. The Lexus LFA offers four times the strength of aluminum and weighs 100kg less on an LFA-sized chunk. The engine is 115bhp/litre specific and output is ten per cent better than the Prancing Horse’s.

In terms of specifications the Lexus LFA has a 4.8-liter V10 with 560 ps (552 bhp), 354 lb-ft torque, a zingy 9,000 rpm redline, six-speed sequential gearbox, 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. Price tag is $375,000.

Pedal bikes aren’t necessarily the first thing that pops into your head when you think ‘luxury’ but that’s all set to change with the launch of Mercedes’ luxury folding bike.

Lightweight, practical, good-looking and high-tech this new luxury folding bike is ideal for traveling the eco-friendly way without compromising on style.

The Mercedes-Benz bicycle takes only a few seconds to fold up thanks to it’s clever design. Plus, unlike some other bikes you can also fold down the bike seat to make it even more compact when you’re not riding it.

The bike boasts disk brakes, bolt lock, hardwearing tyres and an 8-speed gear shift. The whole bike frame is also coated in a protective covering to prevent scratches and damage.

Priced at $2,400, it’s definitely worth leaving your Mercedes E-Class at home every once in a while to enjoy a ride round the city on one of these luxury folding bikes from Mercedes-Benz!

The Enzo is a rarity in itself; but even more so in black. With only 399 of the models built in 2003, the Ferrari Enzo is named in honour of the Italian auto maker’s founder. For the Ferrari enthusiast Italian red is the colour most prized, but this unusual jet-black beauty can put a hex to the collection. The stunning Enzo is up for sale on Ebay for a cool $1,325,000 as one of only three with its configuration in the US. This entails a gorgeous black leather interior to match the opulent exterior. It comes with the original window sticker, two keys, car cover, battery tender and luggage.

Bentley has launched the ‘Series 51’ version of the Continental GTC at the ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show, the series 51 Continental models gets its name from the year the first official styling department was established in Crewe.

Boasting a sleek exterior and powerful engine, the new series 51 Continental interior is enhanced with a range of premium materials for the dashboard and center console as well as color-matched floor mats and trunk carpet. Customers will also have the option to opt for a two tone paint job to complement the car’s interiors.

The new series 51 also has a very eye catching exterior, it has a 20’ 14 –spoke polished diamond wheel with a dark center cap and is further distinguished by a signature ‘51′ badge on the front wings.
The new series 51 is available to order now.

For the first time in 40 years the opportunity to own a Shelby CSX2568 roadster has arisen. A vehicle designed in the early 1960s and associated with the affluent macho, it has the unenviable reputation of being the most copied car in the history of motoring. Barrett-Jackson Auction Company brings the opportunity to have the privilege of owning a genuine Cobra, with only 687 built from 1962-1965. This iconic car will feature among others at ‘The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions ™’ at its 2nd annual Las Vegas event October 7-10, at that Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Certainly one of the stars of the show, the Cobra is valued at $525,000 although will almost definitely go for more than this price. The model is a beautifully restored, low mileage 1965 289 Shelby Cobra sporting original style Dunlop racing tires on chrome Borranis wire wheels. According to the consignor numbers on the chassis, engine, transmission and differential are correct and original and it was never raced, never had any rust and was never bent. This is a rare opportunity indeed to own a car of timeless status and luxury.

Described as the entry level fuel efficient luxury sedan, the Lexus 2010 HS 250h is the latest addition to a fleet of four hybrid vehicles.  The unveiling in Winnipeg yesterday came after years of design and engineering to ensure that the HS250h “green” from the bottom up.

The engine is a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder with a battery powered electric motor.   As far as hybrid’s go, the HS 250h churns out an impressive 187 horsepower.  Technological advances has seen the introduction of wide view camera’s and an automatic lane warning and correction system.

McLaren finally unveiled its long awaited super car the McLaren MP4-12C today. Developed entirely in-house, the McLaren MP4-12C gets its designation from three sources; ‘MP4’ because every McLaren grand prix car has used that designation since 1981, ‘12’ because that is its efficiency coefficient according to a secret McLaren performance scale and ‘C’ because the important bits are made from carbonfibre.
According to McLaren, the MP4-12C is the most efficient, most drivable high-performance sports car in the world”; the engine revs to 8,500rpm; 80 per cent of the torque is available below 2,000rpm and has more power per gram of CO2 than any car that is not fully electric.
The McLaren MP4-12C is priced at £160,000 ($265k) thanks to the body panels being soley made of carbon fiber and composites; this means the MP4-12C is more expensive to build than its competitors ie Ferrari 458 Italia or the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 but lighter in weight too.
The McLaren MP4-12C will go on sale sometime in 2011 but faces stiff competition from the new, well-received Ferrari 458 and the Porsche 91; McLaren is planning on building 1000 units in 2011, a quarter of which will go to the domestic UK and American markets.

Last year Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni announced that all luxury cars taken from arrested Maffia members and criminals would be put to use by the police. At the time, Maroni said from behind the wheel of a canary yellow Ferrari 512 “Officers will now use cars such as these, where previously Mafia types were at the wheel, to show that the climate has changed.”

However it now appears that Maroni’s idea of having the police driving round in ex-Maffia Ferraris and Porches is proving quite a strain on the police’s finances-The luxury automobiles are simply to costly too run and spare parts don’t come cheap either.

Italy’s Department of Public Security have released a statement saying “In order to keep costs to a minimum all police vehicles will now have to be limited to 2.5 litre engines, all luxury cars above that size that have been seized will no longer be used and will instead be kept in judicial custody.’

The Italian media have been quick to declare that this shows that it’s the end of the ‘Miami Vice’ era for the Italian police force.