Autoblog

Volkswagen hits Qatar with a pair of special Touaregs

Noah Joseph — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Volkswagen, Misc. Auto Shows, Middle East, Luxury, Racing

Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 Qatar (above) and Touareg Gold Edition (below right)
Click either image for high-res image gallery

After three consecutive wins in the famously brutal Dakar Rally, Volkswagen is no stranger to cresting dunes and speeding across desert terrain. And now the German automaker has rolled in to Qatar with a pair of very special Touaregs.

Most enticing of the two is the Race Touareg 3 Qatar. Envisioned as a street-legal version of the rally raider that recently locked out the podium at Dakar, the Race Touareg 3 Qatar looks every bit the beast it's based on, with a few nods towards usability. It packs the same 300-horsepower 2.5-liter TDI, with the 16-inch wheels of the rally machine swapped out for gold-colored BBS wheels complimented by the "Race Touareg" wording in gold across the "Magic Morning" white flank.

Inside is where the real changes have been made, however, upgrading on the bare-bones race cabin with one designed after the cockpit on a stealth aircraft. The ergonomics and appearance of the interior have been thoroughly worked over, characterized by matte carbon-fiber trim and a Serpetino Grey Metallic role cage, with Recaro racing buckets and door panels trimmed in Nubuk and perforated Nappa leather in black, grey and red.

The Race Touareg 3 Qatar is joined on Volkswagen's show stand in Doha by the Touareg Gold Edition. As you might have guessed, the Gold Edition is decked out in 24-karat gold trim inside and out. The shiny stuff coats the 22-inch wheels, roof rails, window frames, door mirrors, grille surround and more. The interior is likewise distinguished by gold trim, "complimenting" (as it were) the Luna trim color, Alcantara roofliner, Nappa leather seats, natural brown leather and Walnut Burr veneers.

The gold-trimmed SUV is bound to be a hit with the Persian Gulf crowd, but halfway around the world we're hoping the Race Touareg 3 Qatar makes its way from the show floor to the showroom and onto our streets as a compelling import alternative to the Ford Raptor. Too much to wish for? Only time will tell, but you can follow the jump now for the full press release and scope out the two concept vehicles in the pair of high-resolution image galleries below.

Gallery: Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 Qatar

Gallery: Volkswagen Touareg Gold Edition

[Source: Volkswagen]

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Volkswagen hits Qatar with a pair of special Touaregs originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why, yes, that is a Tata Nano covered in pure gold

Noah Joseph — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, India, Tata, Design/Style, Luxury

Tata Nano Gold Plus by Titan Industries - Click above for image gallery

Try to imagine the most basic car on the road, and you'll likely conjure up images of the Tata Nano. The Citroën 2CV of our time, the Nano was conceived as bare-bones, bargain-basement transport for the masses. But while it makes the rest of us wonder how much our own cars are really worth, sales of the diminutive budget car have been lagging in the wake of safety concerns after cars were reported to be spontaneously combusting due to bad wiring and such.

To drum up enthusiasm for the Nano, Tata has brought in one of its subsidiaries, Titan Industries, to give the car a more luxe appearance in the form of gold and jewels. Celebrating the 5,000th anniversary of Indian jewelry, Tata and Titan launched a public campaign to solicit designs for a bedazzled Nano. Thirteen designs came in, with the winner you see here chosen just a few days ago. The conspicuous one-off will be crafted out of pure gold by Titan at its facility in Bagalore. Have a closer look at the winning design, along with a couple of the runners-up, in the gallery below.

Gallery: Tata Nano Gold Plus by Titan Industries

[Source: International Business Times]

Why, yes, that is a Tata Nano covered in pure gold originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bugatti Veyron diamond-and-gold scale model even costlier than the real thing

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: Bugatti, Toys/Games, Luxury

1:18 scale Bugatti Veyron replica in solid gold - Click above for image gallery

How do you make the Bugatti Veyron - widely touted as the most expensive new production car in the world - even more costly? By miniaturizing it and forming it completely out of 24 karat gold and 7.2 carats worth of diamonds, naturally. Apparently, this pint-sized Bugatti replica is the work of Robert Gulpen of Munich & Stuart Hughes of Liverpool, and the result is a 1:18 scale Veyron that costs a reported £2 million ($2.93 million at today's exchange rates). Only three will be made.

Now, we don't want you to think we don't appreciate the engineering and detail that went into making this ultimate tribute to the diecast car, especially since this one comes complete with working hoods and steering, but if we were going to be spending that kind of coin on a Veyron, it would definitely be on a real one from the factory floor in Molsheim. That said, this golden supercar would look pretty darn great on our nightstand...

Gallery: Solid gold Bugatti Veyron model

[Source: Stuart Hughes via Born Rich]

Bugatti Veyron diamond-and-gold scale model even costlier than the real thing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Golden Arches: Gilded McMerc spotted in - you guessed it - Dubai

Noah Joseph — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars, Mercedes-Benz

Redefining the term "enough is enough", the owner of this car is said to have had his SLR gold-chromed. The strangest part is that, according to reports, this is actually the same Mercedes SLR McLaren that was previously spied in Dubai with a silver-chrome treatment. We're not sure about the accuracy of this model considering it has a different rear spoiler, different wheels (which have also been gold-chromed) and darker taillight frame like those on later versions of the Anglo-Saxon supercar, not to mention a different license plate... although the car also reportedly belongs to the owner of a UAE license plate registry, so anything's possible.

The sad reality is that someone, whether it's the same guy or not, looked at a chromed McMerc and thought, Yeah, but what if it were plated in gold? Sure makes the gold-plated Veyron and Phantom DHC sent to the same region seem like the epitome of good taste.

[Source: GTSpirit.com]

The Golden Arches: Gilded McMerc spotted in - you guessed it - Dubai originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Midas Touch: gold-plated Bugatti Veyron delivered to Middle East

Noah Joseph — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars, Bugatti, Specialty, Middle East

Bare carbon fiber, chrome, French racing blue...Bugatti's done just about everything to the Veyron but plate it in gold. Oops, look like we spoke to soon, as our favorite Orwelian supercar has proven once again that all Veyrons are special, but some are more special than others.

Like the gold-plated Rolls-Royce Phantom DHC, this gilded Bugatti was ordered for delivery to the Middle East. But unlike the myriad Veyrons in the United Arab Emirates, this one has been purchased by a Kuwaiti customer just up the Persian Gulf coast, who reportedly actually drives it in between the occasional $10,000 detailing jobs and storage in a climate-controlled chamber.

Generally speaking, we're not big fans of this particular brand of wretched excess, but as far as gold-plated, seven-figure supercars go, the gold-and-tan combination is relatively tasteful.

[Source: Motor Authority]

The Midas Touch: gold-plated Bugatti Veyron delivered to Middle East originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alchemist: the company that turns cars gold

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Aston Martin, Lifestyle, UK

Click above for more gruesome shots of gold-plated exotics

Do you ever wonder what company actually does the 24-carat gold plating jobs on those gilded exotic and luxury cars that surface on the web from time to time? Perhaps you're looking for someone to do the same to your Camry? Alchemist is the appropriately named company behind these works, and its specialty is gold plating just the roof panel, though it will to dip the entire car in gold for the right price. The company is based in London, England and headed by a Frenchman named Jacques Blanc, who will soon be taking a perfectly good Aston Martin DBS and gilding the entire thing with 24-carat gold and platinum-leaf at the upcoming MPH Show in London.

Gallery: Alchemist: Gold Plated Roofs

[Source: Alchemist]

Continue reading Alchemist: the company that turns cars gold

Alchemist: the company that turns cars gold originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gilded Shame: gold-trimmed Camry spotted in Dubai

Noah Joseph — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Toyota

Click above for gallery of the gold-trimmed Camry

Taste: some have it, some don't. Case in point this Toyota Camry spotted in Dubai where the burgeoning middle class apparently wants to roll just like their oil-funded upper class but lack the money to secure a Rolls-Royce or Bentley. While we've reluctantly grown accustomed to customers opting for the gold-tone bright-wear instead of the standard chrome detailing - especially on cars like the Camry - this owner actually had the badges, grilles, side mirrors and wheels plated in 24k gold. Seriously.

If this somehow strikes you as a good idea, it can be yours for only 135,000 Dollars. Thankfully those are Arab Emirate Dollars, worth about $37 grand in American greenbacks. But please, if you're even thinking about it, contact us first and let us convince you of all the better ways you could spend $37k on a new car that won't instantly lose half its value the minute you take a wrong turn into a bad neighborhood.

Gallery: Gold-trimmed Toyota Camry

[Source: Auto Unleashed]

Gilded Shame: gold-trimmed Camry spotted in Dubai originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Golden Oldie: 18-karat Vee-Dub in Bucharest

Noah Joseph — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:26:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc., Europe, Volkswagen

This isn't exactly what the recording industry had in mind when The Beatles went gold for the first time. But then, who would have predicted back then that the Iron Curtain would fall and that Eastern Europe would grow into one of the world's largest markets for tasteless luxury items.

This 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, unveiled at this year's Luxury Show in Bucharest, Romania, is covered in tiles made of glass and 18-karat gold. We'd say if you have to ask, you can't afford it, but it strikes us that the whole point of building or buying something this perversely ostentatious is to flaunt to the world just how much it's worth. In this case, the figure is actually just $88,000.

If you're thinking that eighty-eight grand will buy you a well-equipped Porsche 911, we're not far behind you. But then, whoever would even consider buying something this ridiculous probably has a couple of "ordinary" Porsches lying around the grounds already.

[Source: Luxurylaunches.com]

Golden Oldie: 18-karat Vee-Dub in Bucharest originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iced-out Bentley knob

Noah Joseph — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Bentley

How do you know you've got too much money? When you spend a chunk of it on something like this. The leather Bentley key case is one thing, but this ... this operates on a level all its own.

This shift knob, made for Bentley by IcedOutEmz, a brand of the Las Vegas-based LP Wheel Group, comes studded with 30 karats worth of diamonds trimmed with 10 ounces of 18-karat white gold.

All that bling comes with a hefty price tag: $150k (spitting distance of the Continental GT's $170,000 MSRP itself). That's what it takes to stand out at the SEMA show, where the shift knob will be unveiled this coming November.

[Source: NY Times via Luxist]

Iced-out Bentley knob originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitsubishi Outlander G-Limited goes for the gold

John Neff — Wed, 31 May 2006 18:02:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Mitsubishi

While we were mighty impressed with Mitsubishi's upcoming new Outlander during its debut at the New York auto show, we had no idea Mitsu was planning to pimp it out with gold plating. The Outlander G-Limited features 18-inch aluminum rims, a grille surround and pin stripes that are all colored gold. We hesitate to say dipped, cast or painted gold, because that rare yet soft yellow metal may not be a part of the process as far as we know. Otherwise the G-Limited is standard Outlander fare with the company's 2.4L MIVEC four-cylinder and CVT transmission. The subtly pimped G-Limited will go for about $25K in Japan.

[Source: NoonzWheels]

Mitsubishi Outlander G-Limited goes for the gold originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 May 2006 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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