Autoblog

Not sure what to get that motorcycle fan who has everything? How about something that's never been available before. Joining the first 31 BMW 7 Series models for 2009 in the Neiman Marcus Christmas book are 45 Limited-Edition Confederate Fighter motorcycles. The basic premise of the bike is similar in principle to the rest of the brand's wares, but the details really make this one stand out. Like the Wraith, the Confederate Fighter uses a girder-style front suspension made up of titanium, aluminum and carbon fiber bits and a 120ci 45-degree air-cooled V-Twin. From there, things diverge rather rapidly, with the Wraith's carbon fiber monocoque chassis being replaced with a backbone unit made from titanium connected to front and rear bulkheads cut from solid chunks of billet aluminum. Confederate claims a top speed of 190 miles per hour, but that may be just a tad optimistic considering that a prepped Wraith managed a land-speed record of just a tad over 166mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Still, this is one sweet bike that would be awesome to ride. Too bad about that $110,000 price tag. Thanks for the tip, John!

[Source: Neiman Marcus]

Those who do their daily shopping within the pages of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book will be the first able to purchase the new 2009 BMW 7 Series beginning October 17th. The price of early adoption in this case will be a steep $160,000 for one of 31 Neiman Marcus Limited-Edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series sedans based on the new 750Li. While that price is tens of thousands above what we expect the 7 Series base price to be, buyers will get much more than just the car. Included in the asking price is a trip to Europe to take delivery of the special 7 Series at BMW's headquarters in Munich, after which buyers will tour the south of France in their new sedan. After the fun and frolicking, BMW will have the car shipped back to the U.S. for you. And, of course, you aren't just purchasing a standard 7 Series. Each model has been customized by BMW Individual and painted in a special Diopside Black metallic color with an interior stitched in Champagne Merino leather and accented with wood and Piano Black inserts. Is all that worth 160 large? That depends on how nice you want Christmas to be this year.


[Source: BMW, Neiman Marcus]

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The Neiman Marcus catalog is always full of superfluous luxury goods like hover crafts or special edition Lexus models. The 2008 Spring Men's catalog is no exception. Its special seasonal offering happens to be a half dozen and one venomous snakes. Even though they are endangered, they are not the kind featured on National Geographic. They are, in fact, seven special 2008 Hennessey Venom 700 NM Vipers. The tuned beasts boast 700 horsepower and 645 pound feet of torque, though despite the increased power output, their 0-60 times are even with the 678-hp 650R Hennessey Venom upgrade for the 2008 Dodge Viper. The discrepancy in performance most likely stems from a traction issue. The lack of grip shouldn't be a problem for any buyer to handle, though, since a day of performance driving school at Lonestar Motorsports Park is included in the purchase price of $179,500. The shopping cart handle rear wing that's tested to 200 mph should also provide rear traction aid via increased downforce. Of course, the price of carrying the initials NM in the title means that each car gets the full interior treatment, as well. Black and red leather trim adorns the inside, along with embroidered floormats for the footsies. There is even a matching set of luggage thrown in to sweeten the deal. Look for these beauties to be snatched up within minutes of their release at 9 AM EST on April 10th.

[Source: Hennessey Performance]

Even though we just turned over our Jessica Alba calendar to October, Lexus is proclaiming that the holiday season is right around the bend. In keeping with tradition, the L-finesse'd automaker is teaming up with Neiman Marcus to offer its own special holiday edition ride to trust fund kids and recent divorcees in the form of the Lexus IS-F "Special Build."

For those of you in a higher tax bracket and smitten with the new 400 HP sedan, the duo is offering a limited run of 50 IS-F "Special Builds" that come swathed in an Obsidian black paint job, perforated leather seats with white stitching and an "F" logo embossed into the headrests. The steering wheel gets white leather accents and when you're not up to enjoying the burble from the 5.0-liter V8, you can bask in your favorite Barry Manilow hit album through a Mark Levinson premium surround system with nav and Bluetooth connectivity.

Lexus and Neiman Marcus realizes that deep pockets and driving talent have a tendency to be mutually exclusive, so included for your $68,000 is travel and lodging for buyers to attend a complimentary course from Skip Barber. They're taking orders beginning at noon on Thursday, October 18th, so get your platinum card ready and kick off the holiday season right.

Top tip Tony!

[Source: Lexus, Neiman Marcus]

The BMW M6 convertible may be capable of 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, but luxury retailer Neiman Marcus found out Wednesday that the German drop-top is nearly as quick off the showroom floor, as it sold its entire stock of 50 limited edition M6 convertibles in a record-breaking 92 seconds.

The Neiman Marcus edition M6, the star of NM's 2006 Christmas Book, features a custom Ruby Black exterior finish accented with Piano Black trim elements, and power sports seats wrapped in a custom Gold Brown shade of supple BMW Individual Merino leather.

At $139,000 each, the ever-so-special BMWs rang the register at a rate of $75,543 per second, if only for a minute and a half.

[Source: BMW]

The McLaren F1, Koenigsegg CCX and Bugatti Veyron all held claim to the worlds fastest car title for at least a short time, by they ain't got nothin' on the Moller M400. Moller M400? Yeah, the Moller M400. It isn't just inching past them either. It will literally fly past these three supercars like they are standing still. It can outpace them by a good 100 mph. Heck, its cruising speed is 275! And it will do it with some added versatility that puts it miles above the competition. Well, 36,000 feet above them anyhow. The Moller M400 is the funky looking Skycar developed by Moller International Inc. and promised to be the next big thing for commuters tired of increasing traffic congestion.

Until now, a few orders were taken and the prototype was demonstrated, and the car even appeared in last year's Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. Perhaps not as stylish as the special edition M6 convertible in this year's catalog, but it can fly, remember? And now one lucky owner will actually be able to get his hands on a functioning prototype! You see, company principle Paul Moller has decided to put one up on eBay starting Monday. Starting bid will be $4 million. The company has had some problems recently and is selling this "car" to help clear a debt backlog. Paul himself has given up about $1.5 mil in salary to help out.

Besides being well-heeled, we are guessing that you'll need at least a pilot's license if you plan to actually use it. You'll also probably have to fly out of airports, rather than from the freeway whenever you feel like it. Well, technically the car isn't even road legal just yet anyhow. So maybe this isn't for everybody. Maybe you'd prefer spending your 4 extra-large on something more like the Ferrari 612 P4/5. Or a Veyron and a Cessna or two. But come on people, who wouldn't want a flying car? And since we were among the first to tell you about it, whoever gets this has to take us for a ride.

tip: Andrew

[Source: Sacramento Business Journal]

Continuing a long tradition of offering special edition rides in its Christmas catalogue, Neiman Marcus and BMW announced today the availability of the Limited-Edition 2007 BMW Individual M6 Convertible in the 2006 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. Only 50 examples of this rare beauty will be sold, but for the pittance of $139,000.00, one gets a 2007 BMW M6 convertible bathed in Ruby Black paint and upholstered in a special Gold Brown shade of BMW Individual merino leather.

We're glad to hear that in addition to the car, this Christmas present also includes a four-night trip to Munich where the proud owner and a guest will steep themselves in BMW culture and meet the designers who designed, or really picked out the color combo, of their unique M6 'verts. One question for Neiman Marcus, though: do you guys gift wrap?

[Source: Neiman Marcus and BMW]

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