Queen3

Cars of The Stars

Maybach Exelero owned by Jay Z - MSRP $8,000,000

Bugatti Veyron owned by Simon Cowell - MSRP $2,000,000

McLaren F1 LM owned by Ralph Lauren - MSRP $970,000

Ferrari Enzo owned by Nicolas Cage - MSRP $670,000

Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren owned by Jay Leno - MSRP $450,000

Porsche Carrera GT owned by Jerry Seinfeld - MSRP $440,000

Maybach 57S owned by Lebron James - MSRP $415,000

Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead owned by David Beckham - MSRP $407,000

Lamborghini Murcielago owned by Jason Statham - MSRP $400,000

Lamborghini Aventador owned by Cristiano Ronaldo - MSRP $370,000

Pagani Zonda C12 owned by Wyclef Jean - MSRP $350,000

Ferrari 458 Italia owned by Kobe Bryant - MSRP $330,000

Rolls Royce Ghost owned by Meek Mill - MSRP $300,000

Audi R8 owned by Scot Disick - MSRP $280,000

Lamborghini Diablo owned by Mark Wahlberg - MSRP $270, 000

Lamborghini Gallardo owned by Missy Elliot - MSRP $200,000

Ferrari California owned by Jack Osbourne - MSRP $190,000

Aston Martin DB9 owned by Kanye West - MSRP $180,000

Ferrari F430 owned by Kim Kardashian - MSRP $180,000

Maserati Gran Turismo owned by Britney Spears - MSRP $150,000

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster owned by Katharine McPhee - MSRP $130,000

Maserati Quattroporte owned by Sharon Stone - MSRP $120,000

Mercedes Benz G Wagon owned by Christina Millian - MSRP $100,000

Fisker Karma owned by Leonardo DiCaprio - MSRP $100,000

Tesla Roadster owned by Matt Damon - MSRP $100,000

SUPERCARS showed up

SUPERCARS showed up

...and THEN, WOW, in addition to the 'normal' numerous M cars, Porsche GT2's/RS3's/Lambo/Ferrari/etc etc etc you see there - these black falcon guys show up with their supercars...;

Alfa Romeo Disco Volante Touring Concept

The Disco Volante 2012 by Touring Superleggera, designed as a two-seater coupé with front-central engine and transaxle drivetrain, was presented at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in the form of a full scale style model. The car will be produced as a very limited series for discerning customers: collectors, sporting drivers and design aficionados with appreciation for a tailor-made car based on individual passion and taste.

There exist very few models that rouse fascination like the Alfa Romeo C52 'Disco Volante'. The briefing at Carrozzeria Touring in 1952 mentioned the need for a shape that was 'insensitive to wind'. The unique basic design, featuring an oval cross section, evolved in different versions, and was even registered as 'design patent'.

Using Alfa Romeo 1900 C elements, the car received a new aluminium crankcase, a new tubular chassis, and a very light, striking and efficient aluminium body.

Initially aimed at races in the Sport category, the C52 Disco Volante soon reached the status of design icon. It is one of the most important models in the history of Touring, so innovative that it influenced the automotive design for decades. It also is one of the best examples to illustrate the credo of Touring's founder Felice Bianchi Anderloni "Il peso è il nemico, la resistenza dell'aria è l'ostacolo" (weight is the enemy, air resistance the obstacle).

So significant is the Disco Volante in the history of automobile design, that Alfa Romeo has chosen this Touring design to celebrate its own 100th anniversary with a bronze sculpture now exhibited in Milan.

The Disco Volante 2012 design briefing required to blend ingredients as innovation, emotion and aerodynamic properties into a timeless and essential shape. The design language is that of a sports berlinetta by Touring, in this case extrovert, clearly pronounced, and tempting.

The integrated front bonnet and wings result in a dramatic monolithic frontal area, while the pronounced muscular rear end treatment leaves no doubts about the car's intentions. The overall teardrop shape reflects classic volumes with respect for aerodynamic values.

Hints to the past can be found in subtle details, when aesthetical solutions were judged to be congruent with the new design. These include the pronounced waist line underlined by the aluminium profile, the partly covered front wheels, and the prolonged lines of the rear section ending with round shaped tail lights.

The final result is a rear-oriented design, with an extended rear overhang, a retracted greenhouse, and a limited front overhang. It combines power and elegance, integrating a balance between potent and fluid lines and the use of refined proportions in the best Touring tradition.

Rolling Chassis

The hard points of the Disco Volante 2012 are dictated by the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione chassis, chosen for its light and rigid structure and the outstanding dynamic properties. It forms the perfect basis to receive the totally new, coach built bodywork conserving integrally the rolling chassis and drivetrain.

The front-central engine, transaxle transmission and rear wheel drive layout offers an optimal weight distribution of 49-51% between the front and rear axles.

The steel space-frame is engineered for weight reduction and improved torsional stiffness.

Further feature for top class handling is the front and rear double-wishbone suspension scheme combined with hub carriers of forged aluminium, and additional trailing arms for the rear suspension.

The light and compact V8 engine with 4.7 litre displacement delivers 450 PS and 470Nm peak torque. It is coupled to a 6-speed sequential transaxle gearbox with electronic control and paddle-shift gear selection. A limited slip differential and a state-of-the-art brake system with large diameter, ventilated discs complete the package to endorse precise, dynamic and proactive drive.

The Disco Volante 2012 is a tribute to the best Italian sports car philosophy: refined mechanics dressed with light and exciting bodywork.

Manufacturing Process

Prior to any construction phase at Touring, every new component is CAD designed and documented. The meticulous engineering programme covers feasibility, safety, homologation, aerodynamics and structural analysis. In this process, the most advanced IT tools and simulation techniques are used. Special attention is paid to the underbody structure, a critical factor for quality, torsional stiffness and noise reduction.

Touring has preserved and developed the use of hand-beaten aluminium panels. Today, this traditional way of shaping body parts responds not only to the design requirements, but also to the strictest precision standard.

The weight advantage of aluminium is one of the assets of Touring Superleggera's construction methods. However, carbon fibre is used for specific components such as bumpers and a number of substructures for further weight saving and strength gains.

The entire manufacturing process is fully documented and digitally logged, to guarantee consistent quality levels and accurate reproduction.

3-dimensional reference and measurement tools are used to ensure the highest precision in the assembly stage. Many key detail components and ornaments are entirely manufactured by hand.

The original 8C interior is basically maintained, but modified and upgraded according to the personal preferences and taste of the customer - as an exponent of Touring's automotive tailoring philosophy.

Each unit requires more than 4,000 hours of highly skilled artisan and engineer work to be completed.

The delivery time for a Disco Volante 2012 is eight months after the reception of the donor vehicle.

BMW Z4 UK Version

BMW AUTO CAR: BMW Z4 UK Version

2013 Lexus GS 350

Related Gallery2013 Lexus GS 350: First DriveSo Lexus wants to be taken seriously now. Certainly the brand is a heavyweight – and has been since the moment it launched 22 years ago, changing the luxury market almost overnight. It's just had trouble garnering the respect of the cognoscenti, the car enthusiast types, the sorts of people who can see a pair of taillights flash by and identify year, make and model

Lexus representatives are not shy about the issue, in part because it's hard to ignore years of critics calling your cars bland and soulless, while smirking, self-avowed "car guys" trade their BMW sedans in on new BMW sedans, even as they grumble about electronic nannies, iDrive and Chris Bangle.

That's why Lexus built the LFA supercar, say the company's flacks, who seem unnaturally willing to admit that previous models were lacking a certain something, having settled upon the word "emotion" as the politically correct way to describe what was wrong with this last generation of Lexus products. But the real reason behind such refreshing, if specious hindsight, is that the Lexus braintrust thinks it has the solution to winning over its detractors in the 2013 Lexus GS 350.

The redesigned midsize luxury sedan goes on sale in February 2012, so Lexus saw fit to invite us out to Orange County, California, to spend a few hours behind the wheel. But first it wanted to emphasize just how important the GS is to the brand, as it will be introducing the new face of Lexus to the world – in a Super Bowl spot, no less.

Yes, that pinched, hollow stare you see from the so-called "spindle grille" of the GS is, indeed, it. Serious? Yes. Aggressive? Check. Mean? Pretty much.

If the Lexus GS doesn't look like the sort of car that slows down to let you merge, that's because the self-important drivers of the competition's products probably wouldn't either. While the Lexus folks might blush at putting such a fine point on it, they describe their prototypical customer as someone who wants it all, without compromises. In other words, not the sort of guy you'd want to work for, but exactly the kind you might choose to perform surgery – or represent you in court if you want to sue the doctor afterwards.

Even if we're not sold on the new grille, the rest of its lines are smooth and elegant.

But before we get too caught up in the idea that Lexus is embracing an edgier look, let's be honest: It's not like they've gone Juggalo here. Indeed, the GS now wears a sharp and scowling face, but there's little about the rest of the GS's styling that's shocking or screams for attention. In fact, while tooling around the OC, we were ruthlessly ignored, just one more in a seemingly endless succession of midsize luxury cars.

Even if we're not sold on the new grille, the rest of its lines are smooth and elegant. You can see plenty of traces of the old GS in the new one, especially in the greenhouse and the curved forward edge of the C-pillar, which carries over since the original. But Lexus has lengthened the rear deck a bit, while sloping its sides down to meet the character line that extends forward from the front fender along the side of the car. This, combined with a two-inch increase in width, makes the new GS look lower to the ground and better visually balanced than the old model, despite being over an inch taller. The rear fascia of the GS looks more like its baby brother now, and the family resemblance will only increase once the IS acquires its own spindle grille. In total, the GS is an attractive car, and similar enough to the BMW 5 Series that nobody will mistake it for a Toyota Avalon.

Inside the GS, it becomes even clearer that Lexus has been studying the Bavarians. The instrument panel – hell, the whole interior – not only resembles the 5 Series, it feels like it when you're behind the wheel. Except it's better. Everything in the Lexus is pretty much in the same place as in the BMW, from the LCD screen that dominates the center of the dashboard, to the HVAC vents and controls, to the Lexus Remote Touch Interface right where BMW's iDrive knob would be. Even the GS steering wheel seems like a Bimmer knock-off. But the cowl height in the GS is low, which allows for a seating position high enough that the driver doesn't feel buried in the cockpit and visibility is excellent as a result. We also like that the instrument panel lacks all the strange contours of the 5er.

The materials in the GS are much improved, with lots of stitched leather upholstery and new mood lighting. That said, some of the metal-look plastic in the GS is, indeed, plastic – likely a price that engineers felt was worth paying to achieve an overall 10 percent reduction in the weight of the interior trim. You won't notice any skimping elsewhere, however, as the car is as quiet and comfortable as you'd expect of a Lexus. Optional 16- or 18-way adjustable seats seem like overkill, until you climb out of them and sit in the standard 10-way seats. Yes, we really have become that spoiled. We expect an on-board chiropractor next.

Lexus says the new GS tips the scales at exactly the same 3,795 pounds as the outgoing model, and while the length and wheelbase of the GS have not changed, the new model does have a 1.6-inch wider front track and a two-inch increase in the rear. Lexus claims the torsional rigidity of the GS has been improved by 14 percent thanks to the use of high strength steel and new welding processes. We'll take all this – and a redesigned multilink rear suspension that enables four-wheel-steering – as a down payment on further evaluation.

The F Sport carries quite a bit of equipment not offered on the other models.

During our day with the GS we were mostly stuck puttering around So. Cal., without much opportunity to test the dynamics. To complicate matters, Lexus will be selling four different trim levels that carry some radically different equipment, not to mention an all-wheel-drive option and the GS450h hybrid. We're going to write up the hybrid separately, as it's truly a different car altogether – although we could almost say that about the F Sport model.

Positioned as the halo of the range, the F Sport carries quite a bit of equipment not offered on the other models, including 19-inch wheels, 14-inch front brake rotors, a firmer suspension with a special calibration for its adaptive system and a variable gear ratio steering system. It's also the only way you can put your hands on the optional Lexus Dynamic Handling System, which is how you get the rear steering actuator, capable of turning the wheels up to two degrees to improve turn in and handling.

The base GS, Premium and Luxury trims are more similar than they are different, with the Luxury package getting the adaptive part of the F Sport's trick suspension, but not the rest. A whole host of safety equipment is available, including a collision mitigation system with an infrared camera mounted behind the steering wheel to scan the driver's eyes. Lexus has also seen fit to introduce a head-up display that's functionally identical to the system General Motors has been using for years in such vehicles as the Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac CTS. The company's Enform telematics system is also offered alongside an optional navigation system with a massive 12.3-inch screen.

Certainly, Lexus has loaded up the GS with a whole bag of new tricks, but its core is largely carryover. The optional V8 engine is gone – nobody bought them, apparently. So the 3.5-liter V6 remains, improved to make it a bit more powerful. It's now rated at 306 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, an increase of just three horses and three lb-ft. However, Lexus estimates a fuel economy improvement of two miles per gallon on the highway and one combined when compared to the 2011 GS. The new car's 0-60 mile-per-hour time remains at 5.7 seconds. The 2013 GS uses the same six-speed, sequential-shift automatic, but with paddle shifters in addition to a standard shift lever. Shifting with the paddles is fast and satisfying, and we like that they are small and well positioned unobtrusively behind the wheel.

Complementing the paddle shifters is a new three- or four-position Drive Mode, selected by a knob that sits below the shifter on the center console. This allows the driver to select either Eco or Sport S mode, in addition to the default normal mode. Eco mode attempts to save fuel by decreasing throttle response, while Sport mode does pretty much the opposite. The fourth setting, Sport S+, is tied to the adaptive suspension system that's standard on the Luxury and F Sport models, and optional on other trim levels.

Driving even the base car in normal mode feels more engaging than past Lexus models, with good road feel and feedback through the steering wheel. We'll mention that Lexus seemed to have all the cars on hand equipped with at least 18-inch wheels, despite spec-ing undersized 17-inchers as standard. The brakes slow the car with authority and the pedal feels nice and firm. Throttle response is great, and the sound under full-bore acceleration is sonorous. A new Helmholtz resonator in the engine compartment and a revamped muffler produce some pretty nice music, and it is refreshing to see Lexus embrace the idea that its cars can be quiet and loud at the same time – just as long as the noises are the right ones. Really, Lexus has hit on all the right notes (ahem) with its redesign of the GS.

Introducing a new design direction for the brand on the GS is pretty gutsy on the surface, because if there's one market segment where the pursuit of perfection has caught nothing but scorn, it would be this one. In 2009 and 2010, the GS was the worst selling sedan in the Lexus lineup, with sales of just over 7,000 per year. By comparison, the one-size-smaller IS sells about five times that number. Yet Lexus thinks it can move about 24,000 units of the new GS each annum, gung-ho on wooing buyers from other luxury marques. Lexus officials are claiming they expect about half of GS sales to come from the competition, which to hear them tell it means Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Perhaps this bold new Lexus is actually vintage Toyota.

Trebling sales would seem to require a historic European emigration, even if the segment grows some five to seven percent next year, as Lexus predicts. The good news is that there are plenty of customers out there: Mercedes and BMW combined to sell over 100,000 E-Classes and 5-Series last year. By that measure, perhaps this bold new Lexus is actually vintage Toyota – in other words, pursuing a conservative strategy designed to test the waters on a lower volume vehicle before applying the face paint to the more lucrative parts of the lineup, like the ES sedan and RX sport utility.

While we can say with some certainty that the GS has the right aesthetics and a pleasant enough cabin to compete with its European adversaries, the hardware is what's really going to make or break the new model. From our initial impressions, Lexus is right there, offering a compelling package with enough serious go-fast bits to warrant consideration from all but the most slavish fans of Teutonic motoring. Now we just need to find the right roads.