Cool Lamborghini Lighters and Cigar Cutters

Just because you can’t own a Lamborghini doesn’t mean you can’t dream of one. And if you happen to be cigar aficionado, what a better way to do this than to sit down and light one up with these awesome Tonino Lamborghini lighters and cigar-cutters. Tonino Lamborghini offers three different series of lighters in various colors priced from $135 to $157.50 with the coolest ones being by far the Forza Black (pictured on the left above) and Silver carbon fiber lighters. As for Tonino Lamborghini’s cigar cutter with its surgical steel blades that cuts cigars up to 58 ring gauge, its offered in three different colors all priced at $76.50. -More photos after the jump

Link: elighters - Photos Edited by CarScoop

Homemade BatBug Attempts to Replicate 1940’s era Batmobile

We don’t know whether we should laugh or cry (or maybe even both) with this Volkswagen Beetle-based replica of the Batmobile. The owner of the vehicle was apparently inspired from the car featured in the 1940s era Batman comics –see image after the jump- but the end result isn’t exactly prize worthy. If this is what the BatBug owner envisioned the 1940’s Batman in we can’t even begin to imagine what he pictured the Joker in… -Continued

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Bamkapow

Video: Audi R8 Blackbird Puts KITT to Shame

Bearing the codename “Blackbird”, this souped up Audi R8 has more gadgets than Battlestar Galactica. Among other things, the blacked out German supercar gets four GPS units, a police scanner, a kill switch for the rear lights, two radar detectors, a CB radio, high-speed Internet with Wi-Fi running on a laptop, a remote-controlled exhaust bypass valve and the best of all, the so-called “liquid-cooled infrasonic wave pulse generator”. We can just hear Michael Knight bursting into tears… -Video after the jump

Via: Autoblog.com

Chevrolet UK’s Mobile Punch & Judy Puppet Show

Chevrolet decided to take the British beaches this summer with yet another bizarre promotional tour, this time with the world’s first in-car Punch & Judy theatre. Punch and Judy is a traditional, English puppet show featuring the characters of Punch and his wife Judy.

According to Chevy, one in three children (37 per cent) says that they have never experienced the once popular show so the automaker took it upon itself to reintroduce the famous puppets to a new generation of kids by fitting a custom-made booth onto the side of a Captiva that will tour up and down the UK seaside this summer. -Thanks for the tip Sarah!

Yacht Designers Create Exclusive Range Rovers Priced up to $1.2 Million!

Edmiston, a luxury yacht brokerage and sales company has joined forces with Land Rover to create a program that will see top yacht designers crafting one-off-a-kind Range Rovers inspired from the world of luxury yachts. The two companies will kick off the program with the “Superyacht Range Rover Design Competition” in which seven top yacht designers took part, including Bannenberg, Tim Heywood, Andrew Winch, Terrence Disdale, Ken Freivokh, Redman Whiteley Dixon and Martin Francis.

The winning design will be unveiled during the Monaco Yacht Show in late September. Edmiston states that visitors to the show will be able to place their orders for any of the exclusive Range Rover designs that even include a two-door cabriolet version. Delivery time will be between three and six months with prices ranging from €200,000 to € 800,000 or about or $300,000 to $1.2 million.

Amazing: Home-Made Batmobile Tumbler Replica!

Believe it or not, this staggering working replica of Batman’s current generation Batmobile Tumbler (see video here) was built from scratch in a house garage by Bob Dullam. Even more impressive is the fact that Dullam, who makes specialty costumes, props, and statues for a living, created the Tumbler without the use of blueprints as the only references he had were photos of the car that he downloaded from the internet.

According to Dullam, the project cost him in materials somewhere between $50,000 and $70,000. As you can see in the pictures after the jump, Dullam also made a Batman suit to go with the car.

And that’s not all as the talented builder said that he has already begun working on the Batpod from “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”. Guess we all know who the real “Boy Wonder”…is!

Source: Superheroehype

Lotus to Develop "OMNIVORE" Bio-Fuel Research Engine

Lotus has announced plans to develop a bio-fuel research engine dubbed “OMNIVORE” that will achieve a high thermal efficiency when fuelled on any alcohols or gasoline. The British sports carmaker won’t be alone in this project as Queen’s University of Belfast’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will be adding its expertise in engine simulation while Jaguar Cars will act as a consultative partner at all stages of development.

The build of a single cylinder research engine is expected to be completed in January 2009. According to Lotus, the engine design will significantly increase fuel efficiency for sustainable bio alcohol fuels. The architecture of the engine will feature an innovative variable compression ratio system and use a two-stroke operating cycle with direct fuel injection. -Continued

Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus Plc said: ““Alcohols possess superior combustion characteristics to gasoline which allow greater optimization. Taking full advantage of the benefits of sustainable bio alcohols will ensure a greater percentage of vehicle miles will be travelled using renewable fuels.”

Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain at Lotus Engineering said: “The requirement to operate on gasoline in today’s flex-fuel engines limits their thermal efficiency when operating on alcohol fuels. However, the physical and chemical properties of alcohols, when compared to gasoline, provide the potential for higher thermal efficiency operation to be achieved. This single-cylinder research engine will investigate a highly thermal efficient combustion system that optimises engine performance to fully exploit the properties of both gasoline and alcohol fuels and maximise efficiency.”

MINI Clubman Tricycle at Beijing Olympic Games

When we first saw these pictures of the MINI Clubman tricycle over at our Spanish pals at Motorpasion, our initial thought was that some witty individual found a way to lure tourists that have flocked China’s capital for the 2008 Olympic Games. Turns out though that credits have to go to MINI as the British automaker created this unique “clubman-cycle” for promotional reasons just as they did with the MINI XXL in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Nice idea just as long the tricycle driver avoids any McDonald gold medalists… -More pics after the jump





Via: Motorpasion

Mercedes-Benz Introduces Warning System that Recognizes Driver Tiredness

Driver fatigue is a very dangerous condition, not only for you own life but also for you fellow road users. According to Mercedes-Benz, scientific studies show that around 25% of all serious accidents occurring on motorways are caused by overtired drivers. To deal with this problem Mercedes-Benz has developed a system called Attention Assist that is able to recognize driver fatigue at an early stage, and warn the driver that a break is called for soon. -Continued

The system that will enter series production in spring 2009 monitors the driving behavior of the driver in an attempt to recognize the transition from alertness to drowsiness. In addition to the vehicle speed and linear/lateral acceleration, the Attention Assist system also registers steering wheel movements, indicator and pedal operation, plus a number of specific control operations and external influences such as side winds or uneven road surfaces.

The system begins monitoring the driver from the moment he enters the vehicle using the data to compile an individual driver behavior pattern which is constantly compared with the current steering behavior and driving situation by the onboard electronic control unit. Once the system recognizes the typical signs of overtiredness it warns the driver by an acoustic signal and a display in the instrument cluster with a fairly straightforward advice: "Attention Assist. Break!"

Lamborghini Opens New Fashion Boutique in Las Vegas

Italian sports carmaker Lamborghini performed the grand opening of its newest showroom and the world’s first Collezione Automobili Lamborghini fashion boutique at the Palazzio hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 9. The new boutique that is hosted on Lamborghini’s two-story, 20,000 square-foot showroom at the Palazzo, comprises of men's, women's and junior's collections that include swimsuits, fur-trimmed jackets (…), and crest-embroidered polos, as well as accessories including hats, shoes, briefcases, iPod cases and more. -Continued

“The opening of the first Collezione Automobili Lamborghini boutique brings a new level of luxury to Las Vegas that epitomizes the Lamborghini lifestyle,” stated Lamborghini’s CEO, Stephan Winkelmann,. “Lamborghini super sports cars and fine Italian fashion go hand-in-hand. We are pleased to offer this unique experience at Lamborghini’s newest showroom.”

1966 Fiat 500 GIANNINI with NASCAR Tony Stewart Decals

Created in the 1930’s by the Giannini brothers Attilio and Domenico, GIANNINI was a tuning and racing firm that specialized on Fiat models. In the early 1960s the Italian company began offering tuning solutions for the iconic Fiat 500. This example that’s for sale on e-Bay here in the States is a 1966 model equipped with a modified 700cc 2-cylinder engine and according to the seller, it’s capable of going up to 100 mph or 160km/h. What make this Fiat 500 Giannini even more special -or less, depending on your point of view, is that it has been covered in NASCAR graphics mimicking Tony Stewart’s race car. -Image gallery after the jump

Link: e-Bay