Car enthusiasts (And manicure enthusiasts)

Not that anyone here really cares too much about cars, but I just wanted to have a go at the new Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, which is set to be debuted at the Geneva Auto Show later this year.

In my opinion, Bugatti is doing less to actually improve and create new masterpieces in favor of making money; which is all too common. The new Grand Sport Vitesse, IMO, was only built to achieve the record of being the fastest production roadster in the world. They just took the Super Sport, chopped the roof off, and are now being praised for that “geniousness”. Really, it should be called the Super Sport Vitesse, not the Grand Sport Vitesse, since the 16 cylinder, quad-turbocharged engine is taken from the Super Sport, not the Grand Sport. They’ve done nothing to the bodywork, save for chopping off the roof. It reminds me of the Iphone.. change the color, add a few features that you had the technology for anyway, and sell it as something “new”. And people still buy it.

Then again, based on Loewy’s MAYA principle, perhaps Bugatti is simply trying to maintain their “look”, since it has become so iconic, and are making tiny changes without leaping into new territory. But really. I think they have the brainpower to do much more than that, and the money as well. Perhaps VW is holding them down.

Granted, Pagani did the same thing when they were just churning out Zondas with tiny adjustments that differentiated them from one another, but at least they just came out with the Huayra. Something new. And they’re a MUCH smaller company than Bugatti. So, please, Bugatti, have your next car be something new, something different. You can keep the horseshoe shaped grill. But I’m getting bored of everything else.

Yep, that Bugatti was amazing, but that was just a concept car.. wish they would put it into production! And that’s funny about the manicure kit!

Ooh, nice choice on the Works Cooper! That’s for sure the best Mini tuner brand. That would be a great rally car!

Hmm.. my first choice would be the CL Brabus, with the 6.3 liter BiTurbo V12, which churns out 700 bhp. Second choice would be between the Porsche 997 GT3 RS (track edition) and the BMW B5 Alpina, which I think is even better than the standard M5, if that were possible. In terms of specific upgrades, I’d have carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fiber body panels, Recaro seats, and Pirellis.

But all that’s with no limit on price. If I were going for something more practical, it would be between the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Golf GTI, Works Cooper (yea, it’s awesome), and the Civic Type R VTEC.

Ctrl Alt Del, I see what you’re saying, but I think there’s a big, big difference between a “speed demon” and a properly good car. Anyone can bolt 1000 bhp to a muscle car and have a speed demon, but it won’t last, it won’t be able to go around corners without shredding its tires, and at high speeds, it’ll feel like you’re driving over rocks. The amazing thing about the Veyron is that besides being amazingly fast, and amazingly powerful, it will last a long time, it can go around corners with unbelievable grip, and even at high speeds, it feels as smooth as silk. For that kind of engineering, and for those materials, the cost will be extremely high, of course.

I actually don’t really like the Veyron that much, because it just seems TOO technical. It’s not lively. For that kind of money, you’d at least want a thrill. So in terms of that, yes, a tuned Mustang or Charger will give you that, for much less cash.

It’s kind of like a couple of the newer Ferraris: the 458 and the 599. The 599 is undeniably faster, more powerful, and just better. But it is SO technical. Computers control just about everything, it almost feels like it’s driving itself. The 458 on the other hand, is much more analog. You feel like you’re in charge. There’s so much more of a thrill, even though it’s not as fast or as powerful as the 599. And, the 458 is so much more beautiful.

Yea, the new CTS-V is actually a very good handling car. It was tested on the Nurburgring to make sure it can compete with its foreign rivals. I am still not sold yet on American muscles, and much prefer European performance. But the muscles are getting better and better. I was never into the Japanese tuners, though they may look cool and be powerful. If I’m going Japanese, I’d rather have a stock GTR than a heavily tuned RX-8 or 370Z.

miritcka, thanks for sharing! That’s funny about the smudge!

crazybrit, yea, the Torino was indeed gorgeous. Wish they’d have continued making it. Also, once we’re talking about beautiful cars that are no longer made, we must acknowledge the Lancia Stratos. I know, it wasn’t very well built or very reliable, but wow, was it amazing to see.

BTGuy, yep, Bullitt probably has the best car chase scene ever. Runner ups would be Ronin, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, and maybe Transporter. I’m not sold on the new Challenger. I’ve never really liked it, and I don’t think I ever will.

And yea, Harleys are beautiful machines. I’m not a big motorcycle guru, but I think I’d prefer a Kawasaki to a Harley. It just looks more sleek to me.

I forgot to mention a car that may be even more beautiful than the 300SL- The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. It is simply breathtaking. That is real art! And yes, I’ve always been fascinated with the engineering achievements in cars. For a while, I was considering going into auto engineering and design, but it’s a very competitive field, and there are only a few locations where one can live with such a job. But I still very much like it, and consider it a hobby.

Some new car news: I just saw on Car and Driver’s webpage that the Lamborghini LP700 (Aventador) will be made as a roadster next year, besides the hardtop version. And this goes back to what I said about the Veyron Vitesse. I don’t like when they do that. But the truth is, at least the Aventador is pretty much an all new car, both outside and in, and isn’t at all derived from the old Murcielago, so making a roaster of it is actually not too bad. I think it will actually look amazing. I just hope it’s not gonna be a cloth roof. I’d want a carbon fiber removable roof.

I am fan of both Lambo and Ferrari. I just think they serve different functions; Ferraris are made with the primary focus being on impeccable standards of engineering and physics, and their designs follow that lead. Lambos on the other hand, are primarily concerned about futuristic design and appeal, and “fit” their engineering to that. Although, ever since Lambo was bought by Audi, they are becoming increasingly focused on engineering and performance, and have been more modest in their design approach. Of course, they are still unbelievable to look at, but consider what Lamborghinis look like now, and think about the earlier Lambos like the Diablo and Countach. Those were like from another planet!

I don’t think they are still making the Stutz Bearcat, although I’m sure there are companies that are making replicas of them. And haha, thank G-d the Yugo is no longer with us! That has got to be one of the worst cars ever.

Some news for today: Ferrari has just unveiled their new F12 Berlinetta. It is their fastest ever road car. It has a V12 lifted from the 599 GTB, which will produce around 730 bhp. That is A LOT. Top speed of 211 mph. It will obviously be competing with the Aventador. And I have to say, they both look incredible.

Koenigsegg haven’t disappeared, they just haven’t come out with a new car in about a year. Their latest creation is the Agera R, which actually holds 6 speed records for a production car, one of them being highest top speed (268 mph). Since they’re such a small company, they will probably not come out with anything new for another year or so. They literally only sell around 30 cars a year, and cost an average of $1 million.

I was sad when Saab went down, because I really liked their cars. Now, aside from Koenigsegg, Volvo is the only Swedish car maker. It’s funny, because Volvo and Koenigsegg are about as far apart as you can get in terms of design philosophy.

Unfortunately, I had a feeling the people at Shelby would do something ridiculous to celebrate 50 years of the Shelby Cobra name.. and they did, by releasing the limited edition Shelby 1000. It’s got 950 bhp. In a Mustang. Now that is what I call a disaster. Only 50 will be made, so it’ll be exclusive, and around 200,000 dollars each. But I think it’s a big, big mistake. I was hoping that for the 50th anniversary, they’d make a special edition Shelby that actually focused on HANDLING, not just power, because that was always their weak spot. And it seems they’ll continue to ignore that, although they did fiddle around a bit with the suspension. Power, they’ve been able to do quite well. I expect that the Shelby 1000 (which should really be called the 950) will be blindingly fast in a straight line, and yet continue to disappoint, in typical Shelby fashion, on the track. Oh well. At least it’ll look and sound good.

Chanie, I can understand that. Many people feel the same way. But yes, the Karma is stunning.

OOM, you do have a point there, although perhaps wearing galoshes can improve maneuverability of pedal usage while driving. It hasn’t been proven yet, but what the heck, why not put the two together.

DY, sounds intriguing. I didn’t know there are different types of nail clippers.

McLaren just debuted their replacement for their iconic F1 at the Paris motor show… the P1. In terms of looks, I love the rear of the car as well as the side profile. But other than that, it kind of looks… confusing. I’m pretty sure that is due to the fact that it was shaped more by science and engineers rather than by designers. But at least we know it’ll be good. More than good, it’ll be incredible. I mean, the F1 was THE car of the century. And this has to live up to all that, bearing in mind that it is going against the Veyron, Koenigsegg Agera, Pagani, and a whole slew of other spectacular cars. I have faith though that the P1 will be a masterpiece, for the sole reason that it is a McLaren. No other car manufacturer has the pedigree for automotive excellence that McLaren has, not even Ferrari. And I’m looking forward to seeing it in a color other than orange.. black would be nice.

Once on the subject of British automotive news, Jaguar came out with the new F-Type, and it really does look stunning. Perhaps it doesn’t have the elegance of the old E-Type, but it’s still amazing in its own right.