Wednesday, June 8, 2011

In today’s economy, AU$1.0 will get you US$1.06, but it seems Australia’s overseas automakers have yet to acknowledge this. A Lamborghini Aventador, for example, costs a hefty AU$754,600 – or more than twice the price you would pay for one in the U.S. of A. And its 51% pricier than a V12 powered Lamborghini Diablo was ten years ago. This was tolerable when the Aussie dollar was worth 64 U.S. cents a few years ago, but those days are over.
While TV’s, computers and mobile phones have all become more affordable, supercars have not. It’s so bad that one prospective Lamborghini buyer, businessman Ra Hazouri, has flat out refused to pay.
Labels: Australia, Ferrari, Ferrari 458, Lamborghini, Lamborghini Aventador, Maserati, Porsche
In today’s economy, AU$1.0 will get you US$1.06, but it seems Australia’s overseas automakers have yet to acknowledge this. A Lamborghini Aventador, for example, costs a hefty AU$754,600 – or more than twice the price you would pay for one in the U.S. of A. And its 51% pricier than a V12 powered Lamborghini Diablo was ten years ago. This was tolerable when the Aussie dollar was worth 64 U.S. cents a few years ago, but those days are over.
While TV’s, computers and mobile phones have all become more affordable, supercars have not. It’s so bad that one prospective Lamborghini buyer, businessman Ra Hazouri, has flat out refused to pay.
Labels: Australia, Ferrari, Ferrari 458, Lamborghini, Lamborghini Aventador, Maserati, Porsche
Monday, June 6, 2011
Investigators Uncover Multi-Million Pound Tax Scam in India; European Exotics, Foreign Diplomats and Bollywood Actors Involved
0 comments Posted by bajol at 12:11 PM
In what sounds more like the plot of a The Fast and the Furious movie than real life, investigators at India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office (a.k.a. India’s IRS) have uncovered a massive exotic car smuggling operation in the nation’s capital of New Dehli. It all has to do with India’s notorious 100% import tax on new luxury vehicles.
It began with one New Dehli luxury car dealer, Sumit Walia, importing brand new luxury cars on forged invoices. These invoices listed the cars as second-hand, which saved Walia – and his customers – some 40% on import tax. Some of the cars – which included Porsches, Bentleys and Aston Martins – were found to have been stolen from the streets of Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.
Investigators Uncover Multi-Million Pound Tax Scam in India; European Exotics, Foreign Diplomats and Bollywood Actors Involved
0 comments Posted by bajol at 12:11 PM
In what sounds more like the plot of a The Fast and the Furious movie than real life, investigators at India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office (a.k.a. India’s IRS) have uncovered a massive exotic car smuggling operation in the nation’s capital of New Dehli. It all has to do with India’s notorious 100% import tax on new luxury vehicles.
It began with one New Dehli luxury car dealer, Sumit Walia, importing brand new luxury cars on forged invoices. These invoices listed the cars as second-hand, which saved Walia – and his customers – some 40% on import tax. Some of the cars – which included Porsches, Bentleys and Aston Martins – were found to have been stolen from the streets of Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
MR Car Design Fine Tunes the Maserati Quattroporte Sports Saloon
0 comments Posted by bajol at 3:21 PM
For those Maserati Quattroporte owners seeking a bit more flair from the Italian sports sedan, German tuning house MR Car Design has prepared a mild performance package. Starting with a pre-facelift model, MR Car Design’s engineers tweak the 4.2-litre V8 engine’s software and add a custom exhaust system lifting output by 30HP and 29Nm for a total of 430-horses and 480Nm (352 lb-ft) of peak torque. Read more »
Labels: Maserati, Maserati Quattroporte, MR Car Design, Tuning
MR Car Design Fine Tunes the Maserati Quattroporte Sports Saloon
0 comments Posted by bajol at 3:21 PM
For those Maserati Quattroporte owners seeking a bit more flair from the Italian sports sedan, German tuning house MR Car Design has prepared a mild performance package. Starting with a pre-facelift model, MR Car Design’s engineers tweak the 4.2-litre V8 engine’s software and add a custom exhaust system lifting output by 30HP and 29Nm for a total of 430-horses and 480Nm (352 lb-ft) of peak torque.
Labels: Maserati, Maserati Quattroporte, MR Car Design, Tuning
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The GT Garbin is a design study for a future Maserati sports coupe. Called Garbin, the Maserati GT is the project thesis of three students (Jaime Cervantes, Andrea Coccia, and Chetan Rajput) and was developed during their Master's degree in Transportation and Automobile Design, with a sponsorship from the Fiat Group. Read more »
Labels: Concepts, Gran Turismo, Maserati, Maserati Concepts
The GT Garbin is a design study for a future Maserati sports coupe. Called Garbin, the Maserati GT is the project thesis of three students (Jaime Cervantes, Andrea Coccia, and Chetan Rajput) and was developed during their Master's degree in Transportation and Automobile Design, with a sponsorship from the Fiat Group.
Labels: Concepts, Gran Turismo, Maserati, Maserati Concepts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Novitec Rosso Supercharges Alfa Romeo 8C Spider to 600-horsepower
0 comments Posted by bajol at 11:48 AM
It may not be the best sports car Italy has to offer us right now, but Alfa Romeo’s 8C Spider is certainly a prime candidate for being one of the most beautiful out there. That said, even Novitec Rosso is smart enough to know that you don’t mess with a good thing with the German tuner focusing its attention on improving the Alfa’s mechanical hardware.
The highlight of Novitec Rosso’s performance package is hidden under the 8C Spider’s hood with the adoption of a modified version of the supercharger system used on the firm’s Maserati GT tune. A new water-to-air intercooler with a dedicated radiator, custom injectors, a stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system and an ECU optimization round off the changes to the 4.7-liter V8 engine.
Labels: Alfa 8C, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Novitec, Tuning
Novitec Rosso Supercharges Alfa Romeo 8C Spider to 600-horsepower
0 comments Posted by bajol at 11:48 AM
It may not be the best sports car Italy has to offer us right now, but Alfa Romeo’s 8C Spider is certainly a prime candidate for being one of the most beautiful out there. That said, even Novitec Rosso is smart enough to know that you don’t mess with a good thing with the German tuner focusing its attention on improving the Alfa’s mechanical hardware.
The highlight of Novitec Rosso’s performance package is hidden under the 8C Spider’s hood with the adoption of a modified version of the supercharger system used on the firm’s Maserati GT tune. A new water-to-air intercooler with a dedicated radiator, custom injectors, a stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system and an ECU optimization round off the changes to the 4.7-liter V8 engine.
Labels: Alfa 8C, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Novitec, Tuning