360 DEGREES Weblog

Though it is the same company that has the Ferrari brand attached with it, Fiat have been in the memory of people for many of its smaller city cars, like the Fiat 500. Despite the initial warm response during the introduction phase, the more recent times have actually shown a decline in sales volumes. Hence after producing special editions like the Gucci for Paris and the Pepita Gold, Fiat has decided to take it on the long way, by producing 3 special edition stretch limousines of the Fiat 500 car; LimoSun, LimoCity, LimoCity Presidential. The enterprise behind this idea is Castagna Milano, who has targeted the American audience mainly, for their knack of owning limos. Other than the apparent change in length from 3.5 meters to 5.32 meters, the height has seen an increment from 149 cm to 158 cm, while the wheelbase goes from 2.3 meters to 4.1 meters.  Three versions are planned, The limo Sun, The Limo City and yes you wish Fiat The LimoCity President. Ahhh get real guys!

The new car caravan continues on with the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo ($TBA). Powered by a 201 hp, 1.6L four cylinder, the Turbo also packs 18-inch alloy wheels, LED tail lamps, dual exhaust outlets surrounded by a new rear fascia, available factory matte gray paint (!), your choice of a six-speed automatic or manual transmission, LED headlight accents, leather seats, a 7-inch touchscreen display, a 450-watt Dimension Premium Audio system, and an aggressive front end that screams “get out of my way”.

Sad because your holiday gifts were decidedly sub-par? Cheer yourself up by grabbing up a piece of television history. The General Lee ($TBA; auction) is the exact same car used to jump a police cruiser in the first episode. Unfortunately, it sat in a junkyard for years after its maiden — and only — voyage, until it was found, rescued, and painstakingly restored to its former hell raisin’ glory.

Audi fans hold your breath. A1 Quattro, a limited-edition version of Audi’s subcompact hatch outdoes it predecessor. The high-performance A1 is equipped with the all-wheel-drive system, with power provided by the same 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder used in theS3. Which for you works out to a 252 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm – that is more than 70 hp and 74 lb-ft over the standard 1.4-liter A1. And please just trying to control your drool from not forming a puddle on the keyboard.

In what has become a part of racing memorabilia auction history, the Steve Mc’Queen suit which the star wore in the ‘Le Mans’ movie, has been sold to a bidder for $984,000. When one bars the sale of cars, this piece of racing memorabilia happens to be the most expensive single piece of automobile memorabilia ever sold at an auction. When one considers the fanfare and status of the movie, and that of Steve McQueen’s character, Michael Delaney, this suit would always have fans’ eyes fixed on it. Way back in 1971, Solar Productions had donated this suit to the British Newspaper, ‘The Independent’ for a Le Mans contest which took place shortly after the main parts of the movie was filmed. It was won by the then 12-year old Timothy Davies at the contest based, who had eventually put it up for auction again this time. The person to present the suit to him was Richard Attwood, who had won the Le Mans in 1970, and even gets a few moments in historic racing based movie. After being on the auction block then, the suit makes reappearance before finally landing up at the hands of a lucky winning bidder, who paid a total of $984,000 for it, thus making it the most expensive ever as a single piece of automobile memorabilia.
From all the specialties of the suit, it comes with Steve McQueen’s character’s name ‘Michael Delaney’ stitched on the side. So the current wearer, would perhaps ‘get into the skin of the character’, as some of the classic method actors would say.

Dutch sports car maker Doonkervoort was planning a D8 GTO revamp for Christmas last year, and by the likes of it, they seems to have made good on that promise, albeit a year later. The makers are out with the D8 GTO that will feature a 2.5-liter TSFI Audi engine. The car sports a “steel-tube frame is wrapped in carbon panels and a one-piece door that swings up quasi Koenigsegg style”.

While the first set of 25 cars with the Audi engines are already on sale right now, you can expect the “regular” versions with an a different engine later in 2012. Prices start at €100,000 ($130,130) and can go as high as €150,000 ($195,210).

To celebrate its true Italian roots and in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, luxury automaker Maserati has pulled the veil off its limited edition GranTurismo S of which only 12 will ever be produced, radically different from the original. What sets this limited edition car apart from the rest is its Sebring Blue paint finish with bold carbon fiber elements including the front and rear spoilers, the side mirrors, and the door handles that in turn highlight the car’s blue. Also, Maserati added a dash of carbon on the instrument panel, center console and the dashboard and to top it off, the car sports a commemorative plaque that highlights its tribute to Italy’s 150th unification anniversary. Sporting a 4.7-liter V8 engine that produces 440 horsepower and an electro-actuated MC-Shift manual transmission, the limited edition GranTurismo S sprints up to 183mph, touching the 62mph in just 4.9 seconds.

Hyundai Motors launched its new Shouwang brand by unveiling a concept car BHCD-1 at the 2011 Guangzhou Auto Show on 28th November. The brand has been launched solely to cater to Chinese markets and will be manufactured under Hyundai’s joint venture with its local Chinese partner Beijing BAIC. It will be subjected to the similar scrutiny applicable to other Chinese Automobile majors in connection with maintenance of high production and industrial technique standards and strict compliance to intellectual property rights ownership rules. Without revealing much detail about the car’s technical prowess, Hyundai affirmed that it has been designed from scratch.

The guys at Hennessey Performance Engineering know that some things are just better topless, sports cars being one of them. Hennessey’s pride and joy is its flagship 1200-hp Venom GT hypercar. How exactly do you make a car that’s reportedly capable of 275 mph better? You take the top off and create the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder.
Texas-based Hennessey didn’t just take a Sawzall to a standard Venom GT and call it a day. Rather, it has engineered the Venom GT Spyder to have an easily-removable hardtop. Hennessey CEO Don Goldman said, “With the hardtop in place, the Venom GT offers a very visceral, raw, driving experience. With the hardtop removed, the wind and the growl of the twin turbo V-8 will offer our clients an even greater driving sensation.”
That twin-turbo V-8 Goldman speaks of is of course a modified twin-turbo 6.2-liter LS9 V-8 from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Under the Venom GT Spyder’s gold-lined hood, the LS9 produces a staggering 1200-hp and 1155 lb-ft of torque. Hennessey President and founder John Hennessey told us that he believes the Venom GT is capable of hitting 275 mph, making it the fastest car in the world – he’s just got to find a place big enough to prove it.
Hennessey will build five Venom GT Spyders – two of which are already spoken for. As expected, the Venom GT Spyder’s price is a bit dearer than the $950,000 base price of the Venom GT Coupe, at $1.1 million.

The GoldenEye Hotel and Resort in Jamaica was the island retreat of James Bond author Ian Flemming. It has seventeen beach cottages on the turquoise blue Carribean Sea each with its own plunge pool and hot tub. It is situated near the quiet country town of Oracabessa on the north of the island. There are two highly acclaimed restaurants on the sea which serve both traditional Jamaican and modern cuisine.

Book your stay at The GoldenEye Hotel and Resort with Kiwi Collection and receive the best available rates with VIP Status.