It's hard to tell exactly what mechanical modifications, if any, are on this special Ferrari. The wheels appear to be identical to those on the 430 Scuderia, so the engine may be the Scuderia's up-powered 510 HP V8. Of course, if the owner really wants more power, he could always bolt-on a Novitec Rosso twin-supercharger kit, but that's not really the point here. Whoever commissioned this creation was probably more interested in turning heads than turning laps.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: All hail the era of random Ferraris lapping the Fiorano track as more buyers with the bucks to spend make the decision they'd like something special of their very own. [via Autoblog.nl]

The Lightning car company is proud to release one of the UK's first electric sports cars for 2008.

Combining classic, British sports car design with racing car technology and state of the art NanoSafe™ battery power and Hi-Pa Drive™ electric motor innovation, the Lightning has been developed with exhilarating performance front of mind. Whilst its head-turning looks will appeal to the most discerning of drivers, unlike other sports cars, the Lightning is also easy on the conscience. With virtually no polluting emissions, this energy-efficient car uses clean technology and will have the ultimate green rating. Following production of several petrol Lightnings and with the electric prototype build now well underway, the electric Lightning GT is now available to pre-order.

Lightning GT - Standard Features

* Anti lock braking system
* Traction control
* Regenerative braking
* Electronic door entry
* Programmable external engine sound generator
* Central door locking
* Alarm and immobilizer
* Electric windows
* Acoustic information and entertainment system
* Part leather/alcantara sports seats
* Forged alloy wheels
* Tinted windows
* Home based charging system (EVCS) with integral safety features
* Hella focused beam halogen headlamps
* LED taillights, front, rear and side-mounted lights

Colours

* Available in Electric Lightning Blue, black and silver as standard (as shown)

Options & accessories

* Air conditioning
* Tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system
* Satellite navigation system
* Non standard colour / metallic paint
* Full leather trim
* Mobile charging system
* Car cover

[Lightning Car Company via Autoblog]

UK style council members caught unaware Ferrari's in-house coachworks can personalize a Ferrari Scaglietti to order, get out your Alexander McQueen pad and pencil sets. Ferrari's teamed with Walpaper* magazine on a show car to highlight the company's bespoke options. The driveway model's been finished in a "stunning but subtle" paint scheme iin Nero (black?) and Blu Pozzi (blue?), with a custom interior, aluminum kickplates and special badging. Road trips to Spain can be made ever so much more luxurious with a set of matching luggage. Expect to see it at an insufferably pretentious event near you.

Related:
2006 Villa D'Este Concorso D'Eleganza [internal]

The Fisker Tramanto and Latigo, the Mercedes SL and BMW 6-based bespoke coupes designed by the former Aston Martin guy are now available in the UK. Fisker claims that they'll only build 150 of each model for the world market, leaving the well-heeled Brits in a hurry to have the latest and dubiously greatest in some sort of busy tizzy for Henrik's rebodied renditions of German semi-supercars. Meanwhile, if we ate lobster bisque, we'd go have some and then take a nap.

Fisker Sports Cars to Debut in Britain [Askaprice]

Related:
New Fisker Models Emerge [Internal]

With all the talk about Crunk-style Donks and Bubbles and Bezerkers (ok, scratch that last one), those neon-painted bargain hoopties with the 40" rims and skyward lifts, it's good to know the music business still appreciates high-margin luxury goods. Take, for example, the bespoke Latigo CS, a rebodied BMW 6-Series with an interior created from the skins of calves who've been fed nothing but shaved white truffles, and whose personal assistants already have Sidekick IVs. But really, the Latigo, a product of Fisker Coachbuild, was recently featured in a video by LeToya Luckett, late of Destiny's Child. You go, Henrik!

Fisker Latigo Makes Music Video Appearance [Leftlane News]

Related:
Frankfurt Premiere: Fisker Coachbuild's Bespoke Players [internal]

Our beaux fr res over at Le Blog Auto offer up this distinctive machine built by Italian restoration house Faralli & Mazzanti. It's the Antas V8, a design study that shows what might happen if a team of designers from Panoz and Morgan stared too deeply at a Tatra T87 after inhailing an eighth of 150-proof grappa. The V8-powered prototype will make its public debut at the Top Marques event in Monaco this week, where it'll be drooled on by tipsy, southern-European viscounts in scarves that cost more than Manhattan real estate. Tres gauche!

Antas V8 [Le Blog Auto]

Related:
Caparo T1 to Be Unveiled in Monaco [internal]

The first shot of Zagato's commemorative Ferrari 575 GTZ, a bespoke homage to Zagato Ferraris of the '50's and '60s, was released this week. The rebodied 575, which will be unveiled at the Villa D'Este Concours D'Elegance in Italy next week, is pictured with Yushiyuki Hayashi — the collector who commissioned the glorified hot rod. Despite looking like a shortened Scaglietti that's been strategically pumped up with helium, it's pretty sharp. Multimillion-dollar sharp? We'll see.

Related:
Zagato to Build Commemorative Ferrari 575 [internal]

It's shaping up to be an intercontinental grudge match between two Ferrari collectors for the swankiest one-of-a-kind Ferrari. First James Glickenhaus, an American, commissioned Pininfarina to build him a futuristic homage to the P4, the 612 P4/5. Now, Yoshiyuki Hayashi of Japan has commissioned Zagato to fashion a new take on the 250GTZ berlinetta of the mid-1950s and set it atop the chassis of his Ferrari 575M (teaser image, above). The result will be called the 575GTZ. But whereas the Glickenhaus model will debut in Pebble Beach, the GTZ's coming out will be at the Villa D'Este Concours D'Elegance, Cernobbio, Italy later this month. Advantage: Hayashi.

Zagato 575 GTZ [Italiaspeed]

Related:
AutoWeek Reveals New P4/5 Prototype [internal]

Well-heeled Mini lovers in warm climes who require space enough to haul burlap sacks of coconuts (or whatever) finally have a car that meets their rather unique need-set. Milanese coachbuilder Castagna (remember this?) is offering the Mini Tender, based on a Cooper cabrio that's been lengthened by more than 27 inches. It's the perfect yacht-side companion, with a shower (fed by an eight-gallon water tank), plus 2000-watt audio system, teak appointments and seats of waterproof neoprene.

Castagna Unveils Its New Luxurious Tender Car Concept [Born Rich]

Related:
Groovy, Baby: Radford Coachbuilders Returns With Bespoke Mini Cooper S; Castagna Imperial Landaulet Concept to Debut in Geneva [internal]

Henrik Fisker's choice of his Danish compatriots at Kleeman to provide the tuner powerplant for his $200,000 Tramonto roadster may have been driven by pride of country, but the outcome is the automotive equivalent of Scandinavian death metal. Fast, nasty, and somehow locked to the beat despite all the menace. The company took the donor Mercedes SL55 AMG's 493hp supercharged 5.5-liter V8 and tweaked out 610hp at 5800 rpm and 616 ft/lbs. of torque at a near-idle 2000 rpm. The result, along with Fisker's total body makeover, is a supercar worthy of Danish egomaniacs and satanists alike. Mwahahah.

Kleeman starts by slotting in a redesigned pulley wheel and replacing the stock cams with Kleemann Super Sport joints, then its band of genius elves reprogram the ECU to within an inch of its life. A proprietary limited-slip differential along with stainless-steel headers and a performance exhaust system complete the package, which gives the Fisker Tramonto an electronically limited top speed of 202mph, and zero to 60 times of under four seconds. Performance at such speeds is enhanced by Kleemann's Electronic Body Lowering module (EBL) is fitted to the car that enhances the Merce's stock ABC suspension, reducing ride height and lowering the center of gravity.

Related:
Former Aston Martin Designer to Launch First Supercar in Frankfurt; Fisker Coachworks Revives Bespoke Body Building; New Fisker Models Emerge; Frankfurt Premiere: Fisker Coachbuild's Bespoke Players [internal]

A-list car designer Henrik Fisker took the covers off his two new low-volume luxury cars, the Tramonto roadster and Latigo coupe today in Frankfurt. Fisker's plan is to restore bespoke coach-building (undone by the Great Depression and WWII) to the marketplace, but instead of one-offs, the company plans to build 150 copies of each model per year. Customers will pay around $135,000 above the cost of the donor car (a Mercedes SL55 in the case of the Tramonto and BMW 6-Series for the Latigo) for a new, Fisker-designed skin with carbon fiber and stamped metal, a custom interior, and in the case of the Tramonto, a Kleeman tuning kit. Trivia note: Fisker says the cars' shared fascia design was inspired by the F/A-22 Raptor fighter jet.

Easy boys, there's enough luxury for everyone

Related:
New Fisker Models Emerge [internal]

Crazy! We were just preparing a post on an article in The Car Connection profiling Henrik Fisker's new, bespoke carbuilding project, Fisker Coachworks. (The ex—Aston Martin designer announced the company will introduce its new Tramonto roadster in Frankfurt this year.) TCC's piece examined how Fisker takes Mercedes SL55 and BMW 6-series cars off the line, blows out the interior, strips down the exterior and creates all-new coachwork, much like bespoke artistes like HJ Mulliner and Henri Chapron did in the 1920s, and plans to charge around a quarter-mil for the privilege. But when we went back to TCC, the article had been taken down. Break an embargo, did we?

Fisker Revives Fine Art of Coachbuilding [The Car Connection]

Related:
Former Aston Martin Designer to Launch First Supercar in Frankfurt

Former Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, who left the company to start his own bespoke automaker, will launch his first Fisker Coachbuild models in Frankfurt later this year. The company released a sketch and details on one model, a roadster, which will reportedly have 610hp and do the zero-to-60 shuffle in 3.6 seconds. No word on the second model, but our predictive-analysis supercomputer says it's a coupe.

Henrik Fisker recreates the deleted "bespoke roadster" scene from the 1985 video for "Take on Me" by A-ha

Related:
Former Aston Martin Designer Launches New Car Company [internal]