Gallery: 2009 BMW M3 Edition

Continue reading BMW introduces exclusive M3 Edition models

BMW introduces exclusive M3 Edition models originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 May 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Koenigsegg Edition CCXR

(More) Limited Editions: Koenigsegg reportedly cutting production of CCX, CCXR models originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Honda S2000 Ultimate Edition

Continue reading Farewell, Friend: Honda announces S2000 Ultimate Edition for Europe

Farewell, Friend: Honda announces S2000 Ultimate Edition for Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click to view the VW Golf Collectors Edition in hi-res

Remember when the Volkswagen Golf was meant to be an economy car? Well those days may be long gone, if they weren't already, as customers in Europe have demonstrated a willingness to shell out extra for luxury options even on less-than-premium automobiles. To cash in on that demand, European automakers have been scrambling to launch luxury option packages, complete with leather and all the trimmings, like Volkswagen has done with the first special edition of the new sixth-generation Golf.

Called, quite simply, the Collectors Edition, the exclusive new Golf tops the range of trim levels. The exterior is sprayed in an especially dark shade of blue which Volkswagen calls "Moonlight blue pearl effect" with matching grille. The 18-inch "Vancouver" wheels have been given a special high-gloss finish. But it's the interior that has been given the really special treatment, swathed in "Iowa" natural leather with piano-lacquer dash inserts and aluminum kick-plates. The special edition, supervised specifically by design chief Walter de Silva - whose initials adorn the vehicle - is being launched in its German market specification; we wouldn't expect it to make it to the US market any time soon, but you can still check out the press release after the jump and the trio of images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Volkswagen Golf Collectors Edition

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Volkswagen Golf Collectors Edition by Walter de Silva

Volkswagen Golf Collectors Edition by Walter de Silva originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Special Edition Volvos

Continue reading Bats and Boats - Special edition Volvos for Bo' Sox fans and sailors alike

Bats and Boats - Special edition Volvos for Bo' Sox fans and sailors alike originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8

Rumormill: Dodge Challenger SS Drag package weeks away originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

True, red-blooded Alfa Romeo fans will remember the Clover Leaf emblem, and not just from the red car in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The badge was used on Alfa's most successful racing cars and most powerful road cars. Now the Quadrifoglio Verde is coming back to grace two new top-of-the-line versions of the 147 and GT.

Both models are being outfitted with the 170-hp 1.9-liter JTDM that made its debut on the limited-edition 147 Ducati Corse, coupled to Alfa's Q2 limited slip differential, a lowered suspension and a sport button to switch between touring and sport set-ups for throttle response. The Quadrifoglio Verde editions of both the 147 and GT also feature a range of cosmetic enhancements inside and out, including chrome exhaust tips, red brake calipers, satin-finish grilles and wing mirrors and a host of interior mods.

The 147 is being replaced soon by the "Junior" and 149, while the GT has largely become obsolete since the even more gorgeous Brera hit the market. We'd like to say these will be the last editions of both, but we have a feeling Alfa Romeo has a few more shots of adrenaline on hold to keep sales lively.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

Alfa brings back the Quadrifoglio Verde for dying models originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

click images to view in high-res

The Maserati Quattroporte is without a doubt one of our favorite sports sedans, exuding the kind of exotic Italian craftsmanship usually reserved for supercars and two-door GTs. But with a facelift around the corner, the Trident marque has been keeping the sensuous sedan fresh with ever more desirable editions.

The latest is the Quattroporte Collezione Cento, unveiled here at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. If you have a grasp of any romance language, you'll have guessed that the Collezione Cento is limited to a 100 examples, each individually numbered. It features a special ivory tint with a beautiful quilted Cuoio dark tan leather interior, and comes equipped with the company's multimedia entertainment system, a keyboard built in to the rear center armrest, iPod and USB connectivity, web access and DVDs displayed on twin 10.4" touch-screens mounted in the front seatbacks.

We have a selection of live shots from the show floor as well as the press shots in the gallery below, and the official press release can be read after the jump.

[Source: Maserati]

Gallery: Maserati Quattroporte "Collezione Cento"

Continue reading Detroit 2008: Maserati unveils special Quattroporte "Collezione Cento"

Detroit 2008: Maserati unveils special Quattroporte "Collezione Cento" originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Reports are now surfacing which indicate that the new model could be an even more expensive, even faster supercar than the Veyron. Whereas the Veyron, for all its enormous, time-bending power and speed, was designed as a comfortable grant tourer, the new model would be a tighter, more track-focused supercar. Power would likely come from a retuned version of the Veyron's 8-liter quad-turbo W16, which was long reported to be under-rated in its power production of 1000 hp, and is tipped to produce 1175 hp in the new version. Artistic renderings from German magazine Auto Motor und Sport depict the car with styling more akin to a Le Mans racer, with a protruding front splitter and an enormous rear wing.

The vehicle, currently rumored to be code-named "Project Lydia" after Ettore Bugatti's wife, would exceed the 400km/h top speed of the Veyron in pursuit of a Nurburgring lap time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds. While these reports could very well turn out to be no more substantial than previous ones, if Bugatti did built Project Lydia in a reported run of 70 examples for a whopping ?2.5 million apiece, it would easily eclipse anything else out there.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via Motor Authority]

Rumormill: Bugatti developing $3m uber-Veyron track car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Upwardly Mobile: Ferrari edition Motorola Z8

Upwardly Mobile: Ferrari edition Motorola Z8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click on the image above to view in high resolution

Close your eyes, we're going to play a little automotive word association. Just one round. Think of "malaria" - now what vehicle are you associating with the unfortunate disease? It could only be the Land Rover Defender, the go-anywhere, no-nonsense sport-ute that has probably traveled more malarial swamps and barren deserts than any other vehicle in history. Granted most marketing firms would not recommend that their clients associating their product with a debilitating disease, but this marketing association is geared towards raising funds to eliminate the disease. That's good.

Land Rover Netherlands has teamed up with designer Piet Boon to produce a limited edition Defender. The Dutch designer has added some minimalist details to the truck, equipped with LR's 2.4-liter turbodiesel, in return for €56,900, a portion of which goes towards the Drive Against Malaria foundation. Like the previous Piet Boon Edition of the Range Rover Sport, only 15 will be made available, so if malaria is your cause, you live in Holland, and you're in the market for a new truck, we'd like to meet you better get yours now.

[Source: Piet Boon Design via Land Rover Owner International]

Gallery: Land Rover Defender 90 Piet Boon Edition

Holland gets special-edition Land Rover to benefit Malaria originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Good keeps getting better over at Aston Martin, who never seem to tire of making their sports cars faster and faster. The latest in the speed wars from their new headquarters in Gaydon is this adrenaline-dripping special-edition V12 Vantage RS.

Into what could very well prove to be the fastest, hottest Aston Martin yet, the newly independent British automaker has dropped the V12 reactor not from the recently demised Vanquish, nofrom the road-going DB9 or Bond-tastic DBS derivative, but from the DBRS9 race car. With somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 horsepower (!) pushing 3500 lbs, the V12 Vantage RS is anticipated to clock a 0-60 time in the 3's on its way to a 200-mph top speed. Performance target: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. That's highly ambitious, considering that the Fiorano is widely acclaimed as one of the most competent supercars on the planet, but with that kind of juice in such a brilliant package as the Vantage's, it might not be so far-fetched.

At the time of writing, AutoWeek was the only source carrying the information, and we hope to have more details soon on the special Vantage which was unveiled earlier today on the occasion of the company's new design center. Although it was launched as a concept, sources suggest it could very well find its way into limited production and slot into the Aston Martin line-up above the current flagship DBS. We certainly hope so.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Gallery: Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS Concept

BREAKING: Aston Martin shoehorns V12 into Vantage RS originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're expecting an Italian take on a VW bus, you're thinking of the wrong kind of stoner, hippie. That's Stoner with a capital S, as in Casey Stoner, Ducati's star rider who's riding this year to the MotoGP title. To commemorate the victory, Alfa Romeo teamed up with Ducati Corse to produce this special-edition 147.

Now if you're thinking "not another special-edition 147", hold on another second there, hippie. (Okay, now we're just raggin' on hippies for kicks.) This one actually gets more power! Summoned by a power boost button on the center console, this Alfa draws an extra 20 horses from its 1.9-liter MJet diesel, bringing peak output up to 170 from the standard 150. Not bad, considering this isn't even the range-topping 147 GTA. The Ducati edition also gets Alfa's trick Q2 differential, unique 18-inch rims, special "Rosso Ducati" paint and leather sports seats.

[Source: Infomotori]

Continue reading Stonermobile: Alfa Romeo 147 Ducati

Stonermobile: Alfa Romeo 147 Ducati originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Mazda RX-8 Special Edition

Continue reading Frankfurt 2007: Mazda RX-8 Special Edition

Frankfurt 2007: Mazda RX-8 Special Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

click above image for more high-res pics of the Ford Focus ST WRC Edition

Hot hatches and rally cars: two European trends that are only starting to catch on in America, Ford's home market. But that doesn't stop the blue oval from campaigning fiercely in both arenas. The latest point where the two intersect is here, with the Ford Focus ST WRC Edition.

Not to be confused with the 136-hp TDi-powered Focus WRC-S shown last month at the Barcelona show, the ST WRC Edition (as you might well have guessed) starts with the already red-hot European Focus ST and upgrades from there. It's motivated by a 2.5-liter turbocharged Duratec inline-5 mated to a six-speed and coupled with an Eibach suspension kit that drops the ride height by 15mm. The WRC Edition, available only in white and decked out in special stripes and decals, also gets a full body kit with a front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser, plus chrome-tipped exhaust and monster 20" powder-white OZ racing rims.

The only change to the interior is an aluminum plaque on the center console bearing the signatures of Marcus Gronholm and his co-pilot Mikko Hirvonen, victors of the 2006 World Rally Championship, the two drivers who took the 2006 WRC constructors title for Ford, which this car is made to commemorate. Only 50 will be made, and even with the approximately $11,000 premium over the standard Focus ST, they should sell out pretty fast.

[Source: Ford]

Gallery: Ford Focus ST WRC Edition

Europe Rallies to the Cause: Ford Focus ST WRC Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some travelers insist that a country's character and culture are best understood by tasting their local food. We'll offer instead that you can tell the most about a country by looking at the special-edition cars honoring their football teams. In America, for example, you might find a pick-up truck spangled with decals honoring the local NFL franchise. In Italy, on the other hand, they've decked out a unique Lamborghini in the colors of their national soccer team.

This one-of-a-kind Gallardo has been painted the same shade of blue as the national team's jerseys. The roof has been painted in the tricolore, the red, white and green of the Italian flag. The interior is likewise trimmed in solid blue alcantara, and the engine - which is otherwise left completely stock with "only" 520 hp - is said to be adorned with a gold-tone engine cover.

The one-off Gallardo was produced through Lamborghini's factory personalization program, and is offered by the dealership in Padova at a whopping €230,000...a considerable €85k premium for what amounts to little more than a special paint job. That's more than a few yards difference over that Ford F-150 New England Patriots edition you've been eyeing.

[Source: OmniAuto.it -translated]

Fantasy Football: Lamborghini Gallardo "Italia" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Want a 2007 Ron Fellows ALMS GT1 Corvette Z06, but the $80K you need to get it is currently tied up in pork futures? The fine folks at www.vettecollectibles.com can get you something that will do in the meantime. To go along with the 399 full-sized versions of the car, they are offering 399 1/24-scale die-cast editions. The models have a metal chassis, and opening hoods, doors, and trunks. Each one is also numbered, like the actual car, but will only run you $35 in this case. And honestly, short of the autograph on the $80K car, it'll put you just about as close to Ron Fellows as the people who bought the life-sized version.

Thanks, Bill!

[Source: VetteCollectibles.com]

Put a Ron Fellows Z06 on your desk originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 May 2007 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Germany has the fifth largest GDP in the world. It also has a thriving rap industry. And a huge pool of absurdly wealthy sports figures. What does that mean? Money, bling, and athletes. The perfect environment for a tuner like ASMA to grow in. It is somehow comforting to know that the country that gives us the understated Audi can also go where no Unique Whip has gone before. It is not exactly comforting, however, to lay eyes on the ASMA Eagle II Sport Edition. It was once an S-Class. It could be a Funny Car. If Morris Day and the Time were still in action, and on crack, and headed to a sonic battle with Prince in order to steal Apollonia away, this is what they would drive there. While wearing matching Stacy Adams'.

It cannot be argued, however, that the Eagle II has presence. And a nice set of 21" wheels. It means business. Exactly what business is up for a guess or two. And it will sell like mad. And for those of you who will be purchasing the new C Class, ASMA's kit for that comes out later this year. You can say it like the German rappers do: "Ja ja!"

[Source: eMercedes Benz]

Tuners Gone Wild: the ASMA Eagle II Sport Edition S-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 May 2007 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most special editions are offered to help manufacturers clear out the last run of an outgoing model before the replacement arrives. The smallest cars on the market, though, seem to have it backwards. When Smart introduced its new ForTwo city car, the special edition came not on the outgoing model, but on the incoming one. Now Fiat has revealed that, in advance of the introduction of the highly-anticipated 500, it will be offering a limited edition of its own.

Think the 500 looks no bigger than a large arm chair? Well, you're not far off. The special Cinquecentos are being offered exclusively during the International Milan Furniture Fair (April 18-23), as part of a promotion staged in conjunction with the Italian design house Cappellini. Two special versions - one in light blue and one in pearl white - will be offered to visitors of the "500 Lounge" at the Cappellini Temporary Store at the Piazza San Babila in downtown Milan, who can sign a non-binding inquiry to have their name placed on the list, later to be contacted by Fiat with pricing information and the option to buy or withdraw.

The Cappellini display will also feature a 250-square-meter autostethoscopic system at the entrance to the store, where interested customers can customize a virtual 500 on computer and then step inside the box to see a full-size 3D projection of what their car would look like, taking the "500 Wants You" campaign to a new level. Only 500 of the special editions will be made, and each will receive a special number plate and special badging.

Check out the press release after the jump for more details.

[Source: Fiat]

Continue reading Fiat and Cappellini offer special edition 500 ahead of launch

Fiat and Cappellini offer special edition 500 ahead of launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vertu has long been cultivating an image of association with the pinnacle of automotive excellence through their branding, use of materials and special editions. The latest effort is a collaboration with Ferrari, that Italian stallion that seemingly manages to get its name on everything these days.

Following on the heels of the exclusive Racetrack Legends series, the Ferrari Challenge edition is likewise based on the sporty Ascent handset that features proprietary "liquid alloy" construction, jewel bearings, a sapphire crystal screen and distinctive leather trim. The Ferrari version is differentiated by a Prancing Horse emblem near the mouthpiece, black and red leather with embossed Ferrari insignia, and a drilled accelerator pedal on the back.

[Source: Sybarites]

Continue reading Vertu rides the Prancing Horse

Vertu rides the Prancing Horse originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.