Autoblog

It's not the actual car referenced in the little chestnut "Freeway of Love," but this Mary-Kay pink 2008 Cadillac CTS signed by Aretha Franklin is hitting the auction block in Los Angeles today. The funds will benefit MusiCares, an organization set up by the Recording Academy (the Grammy people) to provide humanitarian support to musicians that need help. That doesn't mean getting a speech therapist for Ozzy, it's more like helping folks still trying to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Katrina. The event is part of the MusicCares 2008 Person of the Year tribute that will honor Aretha Franklin, and we'd much rather have a pink CTS than a Cimmaron, which was the entry-level Caddy during the song's day on the charts. We'd take it in black, and load R-E-S-P-E-C-T onto the audio system's hard drive immediately.

[Source: MusiCares via Inside Line]

In London, the black cab has instant recognition, cult appeal, a 25-foot turning circle, Euro IV emissions clearance, and drivers behind the wheel who don't earn their licenses until they've memorized the contents of a book simply called The Knowledge. Now, thanks to an unnamed buyer, the black cab also has a pink paint job.

LTI Vehicles produces London's trademark people mover, the current model being the TX4. LTI will make the cabs in any color, and this particular buyer decided to test that proposition, requesting a one-off version in candyfloss pink. The 4-man paint shop team mixed to order, and Mike McKenzie, one of the painters, called it "the most outlandish" cab they've done so far. The interior remains a muted black, so if you ever get a ride in it, only those on the outside will see how pretty you look in pink. The buyer paid a surcharge for the special color -- but the question is: would you?

[Source: LTI]

Did you think the Porsche Turbo with the camouflage paint job was strange? Then try this on for size. Japanese streetwear brand Bathing Ape (think Fubu or Marc Ecko from the land of the rising sun) seems to have a knack for taking the most expensive, exclusive high-end automobiles on the market and giving them a "different" paint job.

This repainted Veyron at least remains faithful to Bugatti's two-tone rule: the side panels get a rather unique pink and purple camo job, while the hood and rear panels are in solid Pepto pink. Just as well, 'cause you'll probably need a bottle of Pepto after seeing this, anyway.

Glutton for punishment? There's an almost as revolting image of a camouflaged Rolls Royce Phantom after the jump. Don't think the camouflage will keep it hidden with all that blingin' chrome, though.

[Source: Ed Spivak via German Car Blog]

You know what the fashionistas say, pink is the new black. Or is that black is the new black? Whatev. The point is that pink's a hot color. In fact, many of us with kids that lack a Y chromosome (read: daughters) are treated daily to the sight of Barbies with pink hot pants, Hello Kitty notebooks with pink covers and, perish the thought, diapers with pink waistbands. So it's obviously important to expose our impressionable young daughters to car culture as early as possible if we ever hope to raise the next Danica Patrick, Kathryn Legge or Ashley Force, and the best way to do that is to bring together their favorite color and your biggest passion. Automoblox does just that with its new limited edition pink sportscar, the C9p. It's just like the Automoblox heirloom toys we showed last year, except for the pink plastic greenhouse and pink rubber wheels. Fortunately it's not the hot pink that tends to scar the retinas, but rather a muted, subtler shade that's easy on the eyes. Little ladies, start your imaginary engines.

[Source: Automoblox]

The Ford Bold Moves web-based documentary series has released its 16th episode, which focuses on Ford's Warriors in Pink program that supports the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. We're glad the series switched off the topic of product, as we were becoming increasingly frustrated with its back-against-the-wall, underdog-pulls-it-out attitude towards Ford's current situation. This episode, however, highlights Ford's giving nature, and give it has. The company is about to reach $100 million in total contributions made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. We meet the Warriors in Pink in this episode, who are foot soldiers funded by Ford and charged with the mission of eradicating breast cancer. We also spend the day at the track with Champ Car driver Katherine Legge during her recent race at Road America where she slid behind the wheel of a special car wearing Warriors in Pink livery, i.e. a baby pink paint job. Unfortunately Katherine scratched up that pretty paint job pretty good when she lost control of the car, hit the wall and virtually disintegrated the ride. The crash looked worse than it was and the safety measures did their job, as Katherine was fine and returned to racing five days later.

[Source: Ford Bold Moves]