Steenstra GCM wants to debut the prototype at the 2010 Pebbe Beach Concours d'Elegance with intended production set for 2013. Let's hope they can achieve the stats they want with an exterior design that doesn't make us think of Spy Vs. Spy.

[World Car Fans via Steenstra GCM]

As with its hard-topped twin, the C8 Aileron gets the same Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V8 mounted behind the driver and pushing 400 HP through either a six-speed manual or automatic tranny. In order to maintain the dynamic driving experience its price tag and power warrant, there's a Lotus-designed suspension sitting under the attractive, though polarizing, metallic skin.

The least subtle touch is the inclusion of the company's motto, in block letters, around the decklid. The text is "Nulla Tenaci Invia Est Via." This is Latin for "if you can read Latin you probably went to Exeter or some shit and got a well-connected job in finance and therefore will easily be able to afford this car."

Full details in the press release.

World Debut of the Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

PEBBLE BEACH, California (15 August 2009) – Spyker Cars, manufacturer of exclusive, handcrafted sports cars since 2000, today introduced the first prototype of the Spyder version of its all-new second-generation sports car, the Spyker C8 Aileron. The Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder was unveiled at the Spyker lounge on Peter Hay Hill on Saturday, and subsequently displayed on the concept lawn at the 59th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday.

Spyker Cars announced the development of a convertible C8 Aileron Spyder in March at the Geneva Auto Show, during the introduction of the production version of the Spyker C8 Aileron. The car presented today is the first prototype for the open-top model, scheduled to go into production in the first half of 2010.

"Spyker Cars has taken the next step in our short but intense history with the launch of our second-generation sports car," said Victor R. Muller, Spyker Cars' founder and Chief Executive Officer. "We are currently presenting the first Spyker C8 Ailerons to customers, dealers and press around the world, and the response has been very enthusiastic."

"The C8 Aileron Spyder is a logical extension to our range of vehicles, since we have both hard-top and convertible versions of the short-wheelbase model," said Muller. "The Aileron Spyder will offer open-top motoring along with all the usual Spyker characteristics, striking aviation-inspired styling and hand-crafted quality, based on the exclusive use of noble materials."

The Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder
The Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder sports a high-quality, semi-automatic canvas soft-top. The roof's operation is electric/hydraulic, secured by one central latch operated manually. Once folded, the soft-top is totally enclosed within the body of the car, allowing for an undisturbed profile. The roof retracts under an aluminium tonneau, with two buttresses upholstered in quilted Hulshof leather (matching the car's interior) and featuring the company's motto "Nulla Tenaci Invia Est Via" ("For the tenacious, no road is impassable").

The soft top has a glass rear window and is available in eight colours.

The Aileron Spyder features a luggage rack, CNC-machined from solid billets of aluminium, mounted immediately behind the roll hoops, on which a wing-shaped aluminium case is strapped. The case is trimmed in the same quilted leather as the interior and buttresses.

Spyker C8 Aileron: the new-generation Spyker
The Spyker C8 Aileron is an advanced mid-engine, two-seat sports car, featuring a longer wheelbase than Spyker's existing sports cars, the C8 Laviolette and convertible C8 Spyder.

The Aileron is characterized by a distinctive design, lightweight all-aluminium body construction and an uncompromising engineering package. The Spyker C8 Aileron is handcrafted,using only the finest bespoke materials to create a unique automotive statement.

The Aileron features an all-aluminium V8 engine producing 400 bhp and generating 354 lbs of torque at 3,400 rpm. The engine is paired to a manual six-speed gearbox, driving the rear wheels via a limited slip differential. For the first time, Spyker is offering an optional automatic transmission on the C8 Aileron. The Aileron delivers a top speed of 300km/h (187 mph) and accelerates from standstill to 60 mph in a mere 4.5 seconds.

Optional features include a turned aluminium dashboard fascia, elegant 19-inch directional rotor wheels, branded Rotorblade™, quilted leather detailing for the cockpit and Chronoswiss dashboard instruments. Additionally, complete custom and unique finishes are available for the experienced connoisseur. Customers may also order a 5-piece Louis Vuitton luggage set exclusively made for Spyker.

Chassis
The Spyker C8 Aileron's all-aluminium space frame was completely redesigned with the objective to increase torsional rigidity and to incorporate an all-new suspension system designed and supplied by Lotus. These characteristics provide an ideal foundation for enhanced vehicle dynamics.

Moreover, the C8 Aileron's dimensions have been optimised for more interior space and to accommodate the optional automatic gearbox. Compared to the short wheelbase of the firstgeneration cars – the Spyker C8 Laviolette and C8 Spyder – the wheelbase of the C8 Aileron is 150 mm longer, providing more driving comfort and stability at high speeds. Its front track has increased by 6.1 inches (155 mm). The total dimensions of the front and rear track are now 63.98 inches (1625 mm) and 64.76 inches (1645 mm) respectively, which improves road handling significantly.

Spyker has put tremendous effort in the spaceframe performance of the C8 Aileron, specifically the structure's efficiency. The utilisation of modern finite elements and numerical optimisation methods has allowed Spyker's engineers to arrive at an exceptionally stiff structure of 29.500Nm/degree. Rigid-node and load-path technology has been employed in order to ensure that the minimum amount of aluminium is used to achieve this performance, thus reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. The dynamic stiffness characteristics of the structure have been carefully tuned in order to minimise unwanted cabin noises and vibrations, which may otherwise detract from the driving experience. These technologies and measures have allowed Spyker to arrive at the most efficient chassis in its history and certainly one of the best in class.

Design
The design of the hand-crafted Spyker C8 Aileron and Aileron Spyder represents the latest evolution of Spyker's signature architecture, which is heavily inspired by the company's aviation heritage. In the first-generation cars, the propeller design was consistently applied to many elements of the vehicles. Within the design of the new Spyker C8 Aileron, the emphasis was shifted from the propeller propulsion to the turbine propulsion. As a result, for instance, the bright polished air inlets were converted into turbine-engine-shaped air scoops.

In order to enhance the aerodynamic performance of the car, several changes in styling were made. Most of the shark-like gills have been abandoned, which results in a cleaner, smoother appearance. The front end is now characterized by a larger grille that allows additional cooling. Also the rear diffuser was redesigned for improved functionality. An extra spoiler has been placed under the diffuser, providing additional down force to boost the ground effect produced by the diffuser.

Sometimes practicality gains over design: the split side windows with the characteristic metal frame have been replaced by single-pane side windows that are fully retractable, improving driving comfort.

The outside mirrors, standard in body colour, were redesigned and the mirror body is mounted on two turbine fan blades.

The rear lights are made of LEDs (light-emitting diodes). LED lights were also used for the indicators and the sidelights in the redesigned headlight units. The style of the headlights is particularly eye-catching as they follow the body design more closely. This characteristic styling can be defined as a part of the (future) Spyker identity first seen on the Spyker C12 Laturbie and subsequently in the Spyker D8 Peking-to-Paris, which will use the identical headlight units to those of the Aileron.

The C8 Aileron Spyder is available in 16 standard colours, but customers may choose any colour they wish as an option, as well as the Spyker Squadron GT2 colour scheme. The standard colours have been developed by Sikkens Autolakken Nederland and AkzoNobel Car Refinishes. Spyker selected these companies because of their high quality standards and their ability to meet special requirements. Some of the standard colours have been created especially for the C8 Aileron.

Drivetrain
The Spyker C8 Aileron uses the Audi 4.2 litre V8 engine, delivering 400 bhp and is available with two transmission alternatives. The first one is a 6-speed Getrag manual gearbox, with ratios perfectly matched to the V8 engine. A ZF 6-speed automatic gearbox is optional, which comes standard with paddle shifts behind the steering wheel. Both transmissions retain Spyker's trademark exposed gear change mechanism.

Interior
Thanks to its longer chassis, the Spyker C8 Aileron has more interior space, which results in a higher comfort level and improved ergonomics. The interior, with its signature Spyker attention to detail, is made of the highest quality leather, from the Litano range of the Dutch Royal Tannery Hulshof. The leather interior is available in 14 standard colours, but any other colour – if desired by the customer – can be ordered as an option.

The brushed aluminium dashboard was completely redesigned to suit the new Spyker identity and to improve ergonomics and functionality, including driver and passenger airbags. Air vents are designed in turbine style and the performance and distribution of the air conditioning was improved significantly. A multifunctional LCD display is integrated between the speedometer and the odometer. The middle console accommodates the standard Kharma sound system (see In-Car Entertainment). A turned aluminium dashboard, as well as Chronoswiss (Spyker's watch manufacturing partner) dials and switches, are available as an option.

More space was created around the Spyker's characteristic floor-mounted pedal box. The impression of professional functionality and ergonomic styling is enhanced by the optimised positioning of the door handle and the hand-brake lever.

In-Car Entertainment
With more cars going into the market and the increased popularity of the iPod and similar products, demand rose for a standard factory-fitted sound system. As a result, every Spyker C8 Aileron will feature a Kharma audio system as standard equipment, incorporating a digital radio, Bluetooth interface, iPod connectivity and a navigation system. The Kharma sound system offers a turbine-shaped control mounted on the central gearlever bar and a dashboard display, paired to six Kharma loudspeakers. It can be upgraded with an optional audio package.

The presence of a Kharma sound system in the Spyker C8 Aileron marks Kharma's debut in the world of automotive entertainment. Kharma International produces high-end audio products, sold worldwide through a network of highly qualified distributors and dealers. All Kharma sound systems are developed, assembled and tested in the Netherlands, with the utmost care by a team of highly engaged specialists. These characteristics of high-quality products and exclusiveness are fully in line with Spyker's brand values of craftsmanship and exclusivity.

Suspension & Wheels
The C8 Aileron is fitted with a brand new front and rear independent double-wishbone suspension system developed by Lotus. The new suspension system includes a new kinematic layout of the front and rear suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars, mono-tube dampers, coil over damper steel springs, anti-dive and anti-squat setup for improved handling properties. The suspension components are made of forged aluminium where possible, to keep the vehicle's unsprung weight as low as possible. Shock absorbers are placed vertically within the wishbones.

The Aeroblade™ wheels of the first-generation cars are replaced by newly-designed 19-inch alloy wheels. New 12-blade, 19-inch directional rotor wheels, branded Rotorblade™, are available as an option. These wheels are inspired by the turbine blades of a jet engine, which hints at the new styling direction while respecting the aviation heritage. The 235/35 size tires in front and up to 295/30 at the rear provide exceptional handling.

Brakes
The C8 Aileron's brakes are supplied by AP Racing, a partner from day one. Black brake callipers with Spyker script are standard. Colour-coded callipers with Spyker script can be ordered as an option. Carbon ceramic brakes will be available as an option soon.

Warranty
The Spyker C8 Aileron comes with an unlimited 3-year manufacturer's warranty.

We'll be honest here, we're too busy eyeballing supercharged Vegas and high-rise F150s to really pay much attention to the Infiniti M right now, but the it was revealed virtually at Pebble Beach earlier today, and in pictures here. It'll get a 3.7 liter V6 or a stout 5.6 liter V8 with "more than 400 HP," there's a lot of filler verbiage in the press release about technology and elegance and materials, but all you really need to know is there will be a diesel available in Europe and not in the US. Take that America.

Apparently Infiniti wants to project an image of advanced technology with its reveal of the latest generation of its M sedan as they'll be using some techno-geekery to show off their latest car in a virtual sense. Using an array of linked projectors beaming images of the car onto a dimensionally accurate 3D foam model, they'll be revealing the new M in a superfluous display of technology. Seems like maybe a next best option after the real deal didn't get finished in time.

In any case, it'll be the only confirmed showing of the next generation car, as we don't know specifically which show it'll be presented at formally, but the Frankfurt Motor Show is a good bet.

[WCF]

Hyperion: a new custom-built car from Pininfarina

While arranging this press release, Andrea Pininfarina, Chairman and CEO of Pininfarina S.p.A., died in a road accident. Mr. Roland Hall, client and owner of the Hyperion, has decided to dedicate this car to his memory, remembering his outstanding human qualities and professional skills. A car as extraordinary as the man who left us, but who will remain with us forever.

Turin, August 16, 2008. Pininfarina presents the Hyperion, a one-off custom-built car derived from the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe which made its world debut at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, America’s most important competition for historical classic and one-off cars and a prestigious annual event.
The car is named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology, to underline its architectural and figurative power.

The car as an artistic expression

It is not the first time that the Pininfarina Special Projects Division has designed a unique car from a standard production model. In the recent past Pininfarina has reinterpreted Ferrari engineering, as in the case of the P4/5 of collector Jim Glickenhaus, or Peter Kalikow’s Scaglietti “K”. In the case of the Pininfarina Hyperion, Roland Hall, a collector and the owner of a Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, asked Pininfarina to create a custom-built car that would evoke the appeal of the sumptuous cars of the 1930s. It might seem paradoxical, but today more than ever before, there is a desire on the part of a very elite clientele to return to the idea of the car as an artistic expression. As it was in the 1950s.
With the Hyperion, the team of designers and engineers of the Special Projects Division was able to express its creative skills and to apply Pininfarina expertise without limits, save that of coming as close as possible to the type of car that our customer had in mind. The result was a custom-built unit that is firmly rooted in the values of the Pininfarina and Rolls-Royce brands, with lines and dimensions that are hard to find in a 21st century model. The Hyperion takes up the legacy of other Rolls-Royces designed by Pininfarina, the Silver Dawn saloon of 1951, for example, or the Camargue coupe of 1975.

The concept in brief

The history of Pininfarina offers plenty of examples of special cars built on “noble” bases. Which is why the company naturally welcomed Roland Hall’s proposal to work on a Rolls-Royce floorpan. For the new Pininfarina one-off, however, the Special Projects Division wanted a new idea, something absolutely unique, which only an individual in love with the car as an abstract, and not merely utilitarian, concept could appreciate. And so the Hyperion project was born, in the Autumn of 2007.
In terms of the styling, the first brainwave came when thinking of some of the cars of the 1930s, with their majestic, regal bonnets, and a body that surrounded the driver and a single passenger.
Distinctive features of a car which, thanks to its strength and elegance, does not need to move to draw attention to itself.
Like all the cars designed by Pininfarina, the secret of the Hyperion lies in its absolute harmony between masses and volumes, and the perfect balance of every proportion.
Structurally, we moved the driving position further back (400 mm) and took out the rear seats. We designed a new hood, which folds behind the seats under a wood-lined cover. In front of the windscreen we created two compartments for small items or for sports equipment, such as Mr. Hall’s hunting rifles.
The bodywork is made of carbon fibre, while the details are applied using a technology adopted in boat building. The doors were made of solid wood by craftsmen who specialise in creating components for luxury boats. This is another aspect of the programme of Pininfarina special cars: offering customers unique stylistic and technical solutions that are not possible on mass produced cars.
Some of the best international firms contributed to the realisation of the project: Re Fraschini for the carbon, Isoclima for the glazed surfaces, Proxi engineering for the drawings of the car, Triom for the lights and headlights, Fondmetal for the wheel rims, and Materialise for components created using fast prototyping.

The styling decisions

Romantic and noble. These two words sum up the styling of the Hyperion.
The archetype of the special car, an opulent two-seater roadster that conveys the luxury of the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, from which it derives, at the highest figurative and architectural levels. At the same time, it harks back to the past, and the cars of the pre-war period that now populate the world’s most prestigious concours d’elegance.
To repeat the proportions of those unforgettable cars (a short tail end and majestic bonnet that “surges” forward), we had to extend the roof and shorten the rear end. To balance the volumes, the Pininfarina designers tried to achieve soft, fluidly flowing surfaces. The front sports the classic Rolls-Royce grille, which has been slightly inclined. A trapezoid plane creates a more aerodynamic dashboard, while the recessed Bixenon headlights and LED technology convey sportiness and elegance. The spectacular bonnet is underlined by the muscular, taut wings, while the line that embraces the front wheels is drawn back until it disappears into the hood cover, giving a sense of movement even when the car is stationary. This feature is counterbalanced by a small tooth under the door that runs towards the rear wheel. The shape of the rear end recalls Pininfarina’s legendary sports “berlinettas” of the Fifties and Sixties, with their cut-off tails, strongly inclined downwards, with a flat closure borrowed from boat-building.
The interiors were practically unchanged, maintaining the perfect sense of high luxury in the passenger compartment that distinguished the original car. One precious detail of the instrumentation underlines the unique environment: the watch designed specifically for the Hyperion by Girard-Perregaux, which can be removed from the dash and attached to a bracelet to be worn on the wrist.

Pininfarina and Girard-Perregaux: the emotion of excellence

Combining the excellence of a watch and a car that are out of the ordinary. This was the goal of the collaboration between Pininfarina and luxury Swiss watchmakers Girard-Perregaux. The meeting of two prestigious names that embody artisan tradition and cutting edge technology has created a refined timepiece with a sophisticated mechanism. Girard-Perregaux have personalised one of their sophisticated watches, the Vintage 1945 Tourbillion with gold bridge, for the Hyperion.

Thanks to an ingenious anchorage system, this timepiece can be mounted on the car’s dashboard, or removed from its mount to slip on to its owner’s wrist.
The pure lines of the white gold case, inspired by a model of 1945, contain a gold bridge tourbillon. This mechanism, which is faithful to the original design created by Constant Girard-Perregaux in the 19th century, stands out for its complexity: only an expert watchmaker could assemble the cage that weighs just 0.3 grams, carrying no fewer than 72 elements. The automatic movement was painstakingly built by the company.
The Vintage 1945 Tourbillion with gold bridge blends perfectly with the Hyperion, starting from the colours of the face which match those of the bodywork. A sophisticated “spring-ball” system allows it to be extracted from the leather bracelet so that it can be mounted on the dashboard in a support in the shape of a whirlwind, or tourbillon, the hallmark of the Girard-Perregaux brand.
This unique piece suggests the link between the worlds of prestige cars and outstanding watch-making. Cult objects that transcend their function to arouse emotions that are constantly renewed. Pininfarina and Girard-Perregaux: outstanding watches and cars share numerous common denominators: the notion of time, a fundamental factor of motor racing; increasingly refined techniques; and ever-present passion. In these two worlds, admiration for historical models goes hand in hand with the appeal of the most recent performances; the classic design shares the stage with daring concepts; cutting-edge technologies and noble materials are the key words of every successful innovation. High standards of quality, beauty, power and perfection even in the smallest detail, are essential components.
Girard-Perregaux bases its relationship with Pininfarina on a common conceptual approach, underpinned by a striving for excellence, emotions and beauty. And when passion encounters technical capabilities, the dream takes shape, producing the most refined mechanical structures.

White gold case
Measurements: 32 x 32 mm
Non-reflecting sapphire crystal
Water resistant at: 30 metres
Girard-Perregaux GP9610C mechanical movement with automatic winding
Functions: Tourbillon, hours, minutes.
Frequency: 21,600 alt/hr (3 Hz)
Rubies: 30
Charge duration : minimum 48 hours

LINCOLN MKT PRODUCTION CONFIRMED; ALL-NEW THREE-ROW LUXURY CROSSOVER TO LAUNCH IN 2009

* Lincoln continues to expand its portfolio of luxury vehicles with the all-new, three-row Lincoln MKT set to be introduced during calendar year 2009 and redesigned Lincoln MKZ sedan to be shown at 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show
* Lincoln MKT to be available with Ford's EcoBoost™ engine and fuel-efficient six-speed transmission, offering consumers a new way to tour in style
* Based on the Lincoln MKT concept from the 2008 North American International Auto Show, the production version will feature the timeless elegance of Lincoln's signature design cues, industry-leading comfort and convenience technologies like SYNC and comprehensive safety and security features

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., Aug. 15, 2008 - Kicking off the weekend marking the celebrated Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Lincoln today confirms it will produce the Lincoln MKT, a premium, three-row luxury crossover based on a the well-received concept vehicle.

"The Lincoln MKT reinforces our commitment to further expand America's fastest-growing luxury brand, providing an all-new vehicle to the showroom that's been crafted and honed for a new kind of customer," said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company's president of The Americas.

"The MKT will offer the comfort of a luxury sedan, the spaciousness and flexibility of a crossover and the performance of a sports sedan, courtesy of its EcoBoost engine," he added. "At the same time, this perfect blend of performance and power is elegantly wrapped in the refined design cues that have become synonymous with modern Lincolns."

The Lincoln MKT will build on a string of successful Lincoln products launched in recent years. The Lincoln MKX, a two-row crossover, and the Lincoln MKZ mid-size sedan have earned high praise from consumers and continue to gain share in their respective segments.

The flagship Lincoln MKS luxury sedan, introduced earlier this summer, has seen strong early sales, as well. Dynamic and clean-lined, the Lincoln MKS is the first production vehicle to embrace the strong new Lincoln design DNA. New Lincoln products, including the new MKT crossover, will feature this distinctive new Lincoln design language as well as industry-leading technologies.

The Lincoln MKT crossover will join the Lincoln lineup in calendar year 2009, along with an upgraded Lincoln MKZ mid-size sedan - plus an additional version of the flagship Lincoln MKS sedan powered by an EcoBoost engine.

In addition to a fuel-efficient 3.7-liter normally aspirated V-6 engine, the Lincoln MKT also will offer an EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 engine that will deliver an estimated 340 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Lincoln MKT will join other vehicles early in the EcoBoost engine technology rollout, including the Lincoln MKS luxury sedan and Ford Flex.

EcoBoost engines feature turbocharged direct injection technology and deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy and 15 percent improved emissions than larger-displacement engines. In the Lincoln MKS and MKT, for instance, the EcoBoost engine delivers the fuel economy of a V-6 engine but the performance feel of a V-8.

Ford is making a significant commitment to EcoBoost engine technology. Within five years, the company plans to produce 750,000 EcoBoost-equipped vehicles annually - in vehicles ranging from small cars to full-size pickups in markets around the world.

"EcoBoost engine technology is another symbol of what luxury means today," Fields said. "Lincolns should drive as beautifully as they look, delivering as much refinement on the road as their designs do even while standing perfectly still."

Taking cues from its performance sedan sibling and the MKT concept vehicle first shown at the North American International Auto Show in January, the Lincoln MKT will feature the distinctive bow-wave, double-wing grille; clean, uncluttered surfaces; powerful, dynamic beltline; chamfered surface running parallel to the beltline; significant D-pillar that smoothly transitions into the cantilevered roof and a powerful roofrail.

"Embracing the same spirit as the concept, the Lincoln MKT's design represents harmony in motion, balancing sculptured shapes and contours traditionally associated with beautiful cars on a crossover vehicle that offers the luxury of space and efficient, powerful performance," said Peter Horbury, Ford's executive director of Design for The Americas.

The MKT will provide seating for up to seven passengers and all the latest in-car connectivity technologies that customers have come to expect from Lincoln.

This includes a new version of SYNC, the company's industry-leading connectivity technology that fully integrates customers' Bluetooth technologies including mobile phones and MP3 players.

Plus, next-generation navigation system technology and new safety and security features will be available, including the new Blind Spot Monitoring and Cross Traffic Alert System.

Working in conjunction with the blind spot information system, Cross Traffic Alert warns the driver of impending traffic while backing out of a parking spot.
When cross traffic is approaching, an indicator light provides a warning in the corresponding outside mirror, as well as an audible warning.

Cross Traffic Alert utilizes the blind spot system's two multibeam radar modules, which are packaged in the rear quarter panels - one per side. These modules identify when a vehicle enters the defined blind spot zone; an indicator light provides a warning in the outside mirror corresponding to the side in which the vehicle is approaching.

The system can pick up an object moving at up to 18 miles per hour within a 65-foot range - or three parking spaces - from either the left or right side of the vehicle.

The Lincoln MKT will be manufactured in Ford Motor Company's Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario, Canada. Additional product details will be made available closer to the Lincoln MKT's launch.

[Source: Ford]

Well, not really. But if Nick Hogan did have one, this is totally the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe he'd drive. In fact, we bet he has a poster of this exact car on his jail cell wall right now. We'd also say the odds are high on this Phantom sticking out like a sore thumb at the Pebble Beach Concours.


(Thanks to J.F. Musial for the tip!)

Only 350 of the 2009 Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series supercars will ever be made, but that hasn't stopped one from appearing at the Pebble Beach Concours. The $320,000 Benz has a staggering 661 HP, but that's topped by the 6.0-liter V12's 738 lb.-ft of torque.


(Thanks to J.F. Musial for the tip!)

The Pebble Beach Concours is scheduled for tomorrow, but all the cars are taking their places already, including the debuting Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. Here, the Veyron Grand Sport is seen running around in its underwear, hoping to avoid photography. Gee, wonder what it looks like? (Thanks to J.F. Musial for the tip)

My mother marks my reading of On The Road when I was 18 as the precise moment when everything started to go wrong in my life. I prefer to say it's the book that turned me from a mid-day anonymous undersexed teen on a sugar crash into an unwitting writer. Without getting florid or farther into a navel-lint mining expedition than I already am — it's the piece that taught me where writing comes from. It was a manifestation of Gutenberg-wrought Awesome. Last week, Slate published an interesting installment of The Book Club by Walter Kirn and Meghan O'Rourke. O'Rourke had never read On The Road before; for Kirn the book stood as an absolute totem; a part of him. What's more, he reads it like an elegy for a time Kerouac already knew was past.

I tend to traffic in elegies. But to twist a hoary old cliché, life is what happens while you're mourning something else; excessive short shrift; the kisses you're half-assing while suckling at the teat of another memory of liplock that may not have been as wonderful as what's dripping down your chin at that very moment. But who's ever gotten rich betting on my prognostications besides my bosses? I've never been much good at predicting the new.

I figured nobody'd buy the Prius because the Insight was cooler and got better mileage. And that since the original Avalanche was bad, I assumed nobody'd go for a Cadillac version of such an already unappealing vehicle. After all, the Cimarron was an atmosphere-inhaling wound of a joke, right? I am, however, a little too good at mining time gone by. I blame teenage ownership of that Rites of Spring record for it. I may be in love with the future, but I have no clue how it'll pan out.

The new comes from relentless optimists with a fuck-you, can-do spirit. Guys like Kelly Johnson, René Panhard or Ferruccio Lamborghini. Visionaries like Soichiro Honda or John DeLorean. And while I'm a relentless proponent of the future, I want the goddamn future I was promised. I want my verdammt Soylent Green, and I want it now, you wobbly-arsed prognosticators of always-impending wonder! Kerouac was either smart enough to know (or too dumb to realize that there was another way) that — like a similar icon who died a quarter-century after him — his ticket out of the cult he'd created by crafting a genuinely sensitive and genre-defying work was simply to meet his end ASAP. Kerouac grew up inky-fingered in a print shop. He could've pressed the book himself and sold it to friends. Cobain could've continued releasing records on Sub Pop. Karl Benz could've built the Patent Motorwagen and stopped there.

Instead, they all took a shot at the big leagues — and for better or for worse — inspired their respective generations to all manner of endeavor. Lest we forget, DeLorean did the same thing (twice, in different ways) and met an ignominious end himself. Sure, the profiteers are ultimately the Warren Buffetts, Sumner Redstones and Rupert Murdochs of the world. (Although we have to give Johnny Z. some props for ripping off Mrs. Thatcher.) As Thomas Frank points out in his still-relevant 1994 essay "Why Johnny Can't Dissent," "The basic impulses of the countercultural idea, as descended from the holy Beats, are about as threatening to the new breed of antinomian businessmen as Anthony Robbins, selling success & how to achieve it on a late-night infomercial."

Frank makes an excellent point. But what can't be co-opted is the particular cultural flashpoint that something creates in any genre. Star Wars, the GT-40, the Cosworth DFV/DFX, the Hemi, Never Mind the Bollocks, the "I Have a Dream" speech. Colin Chapman. Don Garlits. The smart money banks on aping and repeating. The could-give-a-fuck money goes with its gut and often flames out spectacularly. More often than not, silently. But now and then, the paradigm simply eats shit and dies. Isn't that the moment that self-styled rebels live for? And wasn't this nation built on the thrill of rebellion?

Not long after Kerouac published On the Road, John Steinbeck took a road trip of his own. In Travels With Charley, Salinas' favorite son mourns the loss of the Monterey County that raised him. The people he lost it to come out every August to celebrate the period when they took it away from the likes of the original denizens of Carmel; folks Steinbeck initially characterizes as "starveling writers and unwanted painters" and goes on to extrapolate that "if Carmel's founders should return, they could not afford to live there, but it wouldn't go that far. They would be instantly picked up as suspicious characters and deported over the city line." The Monterey Peninsula has been picked clean of the early-century charm it once held for the children of pioneers. Once a year we all gather there to ogle the shining, patina-stained history that such wealth and provenance afforded a half-decade ago; a vintage coin whose face has been religiously buffed while its flipside remains firmly encrusted in blooming algae. The locals are powerless to anything about it but don a straw boater, hit the links, brave the stench and grin at their winnings.

Steinbeck went home to New York and died ten months before Kerouac did, having lived 20 years longer and published a more impressive and eminently readable body of work. SCRAMP built Laguna Seca, which coincidentally, also turned 50 this year. Typically, people bemoan every change made to the track. Just as people who first encountered the facility in its current state will bemoan any future changes. As poet Robinson Jeffers wrote: "You people with the cleverer hands, our supplanters/In the beautiful country; enjoy her a season, her beauty, and come down/And be supplanted; for you also are human."

But it's largely the point where one starts that defines nostalgia; that dictates what we believe needs to be changed. I can gander at the Napier-Railton Brooklands record car and walk away absolutely flabbergasted and dumbfounded. But ultimately, as astounding as it is, it's too heavy and old. Magnificent, yes. Perfect? Quite possibly. But it exists outside the aesthetic worldview that makes my peninsula dingle in that absolutely personal way. On the other hand, when I see a T-Bucket, a '70 Buick Skylark or a Ferrari 308; watch a video of Joe Strummer talking, hear a Stooges song on the jukebox or sense the death-has-arrived thump of a Hayabusa's idle through a wall, something wells up in me — a genuine happiness.

In a world where cars are increasingly designed by lawyers and the way we use them dictated by greedy developers and shady financial institutions; as we slouch toward a state of over-regulated perfection, we've lost something. In Kirn's view — and I agree — Kerouac essentially felt the same way. But he presented something new in mourning the time he spent both with Neal Cassady and without him. And fifty years on, we're still attempting to process the life and loss of a man who launched a million road trips. We bide our time waiting for the next great new thing to happen. As Strummer said to me nearly a decade ago, in that all-knowing umpteen-pack-a-day crackle he perfected before the age of twenty-five, "Punk's only followin' the Beats. And the Jazzers. And the Smokers. And anyone else who was centrally slamming on the main deal." It's happening somewhere right now. We just don't know it yet. But a half-century from now, some car; some great race; some book; some wonderful thing from today will stand; an epochal green-and-white milemarker of an age. And life will be all the more interesting for it.

"Fast as a Shark" is an electronic broadside aimed at what has been historically right and terribly wrong with the automotive industry and culture. Udo Dirkschneider likely has little time for the Beats.

In late adolescence, I heard a song. It was called "Los Angeles," and it was by an outfit called X, who were quite possibly the greatest band to come out of this town in the late '70s-early '80s, and still proudly stand as one of the city's all time great groups. It appealed to my shambolic state at the time. I was often the smartest kid in the room, almost rock 'n' roll, and hopelessly out of step. I was also loud, fast, obnoxious, and fancied myself poetic. My El Camino had Torq-Thrusts with BFGs, white letters out, with the rear slightly jacked up. I had long hair a la Chris Cornell, but even attempting one of his shrieks would rip my vocal cords out.

I wish I could say that the moment I heard that song, I cut my hair, my bad poetry improved, I ditched the truckcar and started getting laid regularly. But no, that didn't really happen. On the other hand, tooling around in said El Camino, with X on the eight-watt-per-channel JVC, crusing the East Bay from Richmond to Martinez to Moraga with eight (admittedly weak) cylinders underfoot; a sense of ass-lightness and derring-do inspired by the glory of Camino-ness and hormones with no sign of calming down personified the ultimate calm-plus-anxiety equation of driving.

Bumbeck and I were talking about why the drive from LA to Monterey and back left us tired, when all we were doing was sitting on our asses. Why? Because we were fighting for our lives. The act of driving takes it out of you, even when you the car lulls you into feeling like you're not doing anything. It can be a fantastically pleasurable experience, the likes of which nothing really compares to. But when you have to worry about cops and/or death, especially when you're poor, it livens things up a bit.

Also, we're old. In the grand scheme of things, we're not the do-anything twentysomething punkers we used to be. And Bumbeck even exercises, which is largely more than I can say for myself. Regardless, we were both fatigued. Riding along on the Gumball 3000 was a masochistic wet-nightmare of such shenanigans. Strangely, the Kia Sorento we were in was so dirt-simple to drive. Its quirks weren't endearing; they were annoying. The interior fit and finish was frankly wonderful for the price — the amenities were things you were lucky to find in a near-luxury car a decade ago. Overall, feature-wise, how could one beat it? It could be beat because the thing felt like it was trying to kill us in entirely improper ways. Take its atrocious insistence on hewing hard left under emergency-stop conditions. No modern car has an excuse for that sort of behavior. On the other hand, my El Camino once power-oversteered across I-80 in the rain. Why do I love it more, then? Because it actually tried to kill me instead of just kind of tried to? The Sorento will outbrake and out-accelerate a basically-stock '75 El Camino. It's also a safer vehicle, despite the center-of-gravity disadvantage. On the other hand, it doesn't smell as good. It doesn't say anything about you. "I banged a stupid-hot Misfits-loving teenage French exchange student in my Sorento," just doesn't pack the same je ne sais quois, either in a poem, barroom bullshit session, or an essay.

In essence, the perfect car is a totem — a stand-in for one of those perfect times in your life, no matter how screwed up it is or was. I was born in 1975, and tellingly, most of my perfect cars hail from the hoonpower-wacked '60s or the exceptions to the Malaise Era. The AMG Hammer, the all-iterations 308, the F40, the Countach, the A&E-bodied 340 'Cudas, the Buick GS, the Starion, the Lotus Europa, the 240Z, the Pierre Cardin AMX, the E36 and the CRX. Today's face-melting cars may disfigure one's visage faster, but they refuse to melt it harder than their ancestors. On the other hand, you young bucks and oldsters may well —- and validly — hold a different opinion. The perfect car is subjective. It is a matter of time and place. And when it grabs you, it never quite lets go. Craig Jackson's made a mint off of that very fact and earned my eternal ire in the process.

Eventually, I did cut my hair, ditch the truckcar and get up to my ears in sniz. Today I drive the most dangerous car I've ever owned. And it's not really fun unless I'm in danger of killing myself or everyone around me. It makes me miss a time when a frozen spoon applied to the bruise as a way to ease appearance of the hickies was a crafty, innocent, perfect salve; when Kim Coletta of Jawbox would write back about my young meditations on perfect things because it was the punk thing to do — even after they were signed to Atlantic — or Joshua Clover would send my Creative Writing teacher a Jawbreaker record and it would thrill me for weeks when Blake Schwarzenbach would sneak me into sold-out shows or when the aforementioned mid-to-late-'40s prof drove around proudly with a Screeching Weasel sticker on her bumper.

Those things don't exactly last in the way one first experiences them. One's world grows larger and more complex, and it's a good feeling as you age. (I was born in '75.) My dad was right about continually having one's head stretched and punching every ticket that came along. The older one gets, paradoxically, the more those opportunities come up, and often, the more one has to pass them up. But the perfect car remains, frozen in time, like the aforementioned bruise-quelling spoon. It will always smell right. It will continue to sort of try to kill you. It will frustrate you. But it will always be perfect. Even if you didn't know it at the time.

"Fast as a Shark" is an electronic broadside aimed at what has been historically right and terrribly wrong with the automotive industry and culture. Udo Dirkschneider's car is always perfect.

Press Release:
57th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Names Duesenberg SJ Special (Also Known as the Mormon Meteor) 'Best of Show'
Classic Cars from 12 Countries and Throughout the U.S. are Showcased During Competition Along California's Monterey Coast

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (Aug. 19, 2007) - The 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links® hosted some of the world's rarest vintage vehicles and thousands of spectators Sunday at the 57th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Concours competition, which included judging in 24 classes, culminated when a 1935 Duesenberg SJ Special, owned by Harry Yeaggy from Cincinnati, Ohio, was named "Best of Show."

The winning car, also known as "The Mormon Meteor," is a supercharged speedster that was raced by Utah's Ab Jenkins (the former mayor of Salt Lake City) and then driven on the city streets. The car, which set a 24-hour speed record (135.58 miles per hour) in 1935, sold for a record $4.45 million at the 2004 Pebble Beach Auction conducted by Gooding & Company.

"I'm trying to catch my breath," said Yeaggy on the winner's ramp. "I knew I had a great car. I love the styling and the art deco look, and it's a performance car. It's just elegant from every different direction. For me to get a performance car and a beautiful car is a perfect combination. In my opinion, this is the most significant American car ever built.

"I'd also like to give loads of credit to Chris Charlton, who did the restoration work."