Merry Christmas!! Enjoy the last batch of the 2011 SEMA Show Girls brought to you by Richard Owen of Supercars.net.

[Source: Supercars.net]

Need to find a gift for the car enthusiast on your holiday shopping list, but are operating on a very tight budget? If so, don’t freak out just yet. Just because cars themselves are expensive doesn’t mean that you can’t find budget-friendly parts and add-ons that will make an automotive enthusiast jump for joy. Below, you’ll find three gift suggestions each presented for their low total costs. By that, we not only mean that the initial expense for the merchandise is on the low side for automobile upgrades, but the full cost is low entirely. That means no pricey professional installation or other sidebars that might add hundreds or thousands on to the actual price of the piece. That way, you can stay on budget, and still provide an incredible gift to the car lover on your list.

Performance Chip
There are few upgrades that offer as much bang for the buck as a performance chip. A typical performance chip will cost you less than a hundred dollars, and they’re so easy to install you can do it with only basic tools (meaning no professional installation is required). A chip can boost a vehicle’s stock horsepower output potential by up to 60 extra horsepower, and can even improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency as well. Plus, this little add-on is small enough to be a great stocking stuffer, so you won’t have to worry about finding a box big enough to fit it as you would with many other automotive parts.

Rims
It’s true that there are many exterior rims available on the market that are quite pricey, some even running into the high hundreds and low thousands of dollars in terms of cost. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t budget varieties out there. With the proliferation of aftermarket body parts in the last few years resulting in overproduction on the parts of many manufacturers, there are quite a number of budget-friendly rim sets you can pick up for your car enthusiast. Just keep a few things in mind if you do choose rims. First, make sure to find a set that reflects light well. A glossy set looks nice, but a matte finish on rims is commonplace on many vehicles so the new wheels won’t really do much to improve a car’s appearance. Also, take note of the spoke count on the set you’re buying. Some drivers prefer high spoke counts, others low ones. Find out which count your car enthusiast prefers, and go with that to avoid disappointing him when he opens his package.

Seat Covers
Available in many brightly colored designs and patterns, interior seat covers are fun to pick out. With so many varieties available, this is a gift you’re certain to be able to tailor exactly to the personal taste of the person you’re giving the gift to. Unlike actual seat replacements, seat covers allow you to improve the condition of your seats’ looks without requiring expensive new physical seat components. You can simply slide the new seat covers on and customize the appearance of the car’s interior anyway you like. Considering how nasty some car seats can get with juice stains, dust buildup, and other issues such as general wear and tear, seat covers have a big impact for a low price point, and are sure to impress someone whose car seats are worse for wear than most.

Muscle cars, it is generally agreed, can be blamed on Oldsmobile. That's right. The dowdy "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" kind of car started the muscle revolution in 1949. Oldsmobile took an intermediate car and replaced the V-6 engine with a high compression overhead V-8 for more power. From Musclecars magazine, “The idea of putting a full-size V8 under the hood of an intermediate body and making it run like Jesse Owens in Berlin belongs to none other than Oldsmobile…” Looking to start and capture a market, Chrysler introduced the C300 in 1955. Advertised as the most powerful car ever sold, the C300 came out as a limited edition with a 300 bhp engine. Driven with the pedal to the floor the car reached 60 mph in 6.9 seconds and could reach speeds up to 130 mph.

Moving forward, Ford and Mopar's battle in drag-racing in the early 1960s led to an increased production muscle cars. Ford turned out its 7 L Thunderbolt engine and Mopar turned out its 7 L hemi engine. The Pontiac GTO with its 6.4 L engine became its own model in 1966. This car was developed in a special division lead by John DeLorean who broke corporate rules to put this car on the market. This car was an answer to the Dodge Polera and the Plymouth Barracuda. These high performance cars attracted young people to the showrooms, but they ended up buying the more sedate street models. This lead the auto manufacturers to come out with a more compact, economic model of the muscle car. These models included American Motor's (the 4th car company) Rebel Machine, Plymouth's Road Runner, Dodge's Super Bee, Ford's Torino, and Chevy's Chevelle.

Muscle cars were also produced in Australia (the Holden HG Monaro), the United Kingdom ( Capri 300GT), and South Africa (Firenza CamAm). But, the end was near.

The engine size for the muscle cars peaked around 1970. Muscle cars had obtained a status of being dangerous as traffic fatalities occurred with car owners drag racing their cars and speeding on roadways with cross traffic. Most owners found themselves paying much higher insurance quotes. Further, the gas embargo of 1973 made these cars extremely expensive to drive. In addition, beginning in 1970, car manufacturers were required by law to increase their mileage and reduce pollution. The heaviest polluters and the cars with the worst gas mileage were the muscle cars. Another issue that effected these cars was the impending phaseout of leaded gasolines. The muscle cars of the 1970s were not designed to run on lead proof gas. Between the laws and the desire from consumers for more affordable cars, these behemoths were pulled out of production. Cars became smaller and smaller as imports and higher fuel economy became a necessity.

Beginning in the late 1980's and 1990's, muscle cars of a sort made a return. Based on more efficient engines and less weighty bodies, pony cars, smaller, sportier versions of muscle cars, returned. This led in the early 2000's to the return of some of the muscle car brands including Thunderbird, Camero, and Charger. Gas prices stabilized during this time, and since these cars were better designed, higher insurance quotes were not necessarily a given. The public had tired of small cars.

Once again, however, a spike in gasoline prices to almost $4.00 per gallon has led to a decrease in production and sales of large cars. Along with the recession of 2008 and the increase in hybrid cars, the new muscle cars are being driven out of production once again.

Vehicle owners and motor traders should be aware that there have been significant and important changes made to motor insurance law. While it is vital to be aware of these new changes, it should also be recognized that the best way to stay within the law is to secure a strong and thorough motor trade insurance policy from a reputable provider like Staveley Head.

But what are the new legal requirements for vehicle owners and motor traders? Basically, all vehicles owned and registered in your name must be fully insured unless it has been declared by the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) as being SORN by receiving a Statutory Off Road Notification.

Neglecting to have your car officially declared SORN will mean your insurance policy record will be absent from the MID (Motor Insurance Database) which could ultimately lead to prosecution for not possessing valid motor insurance and a penalty fine.

It is therefore vital for vehicle owners to ensure the vehicle or vehicles registered under their name have either been declared SORN by the DVLA or are fully covered by an up to date motor insurance policy. Failure to do so could prove to be extremely costly, particularly if you have more than one vehicle failing to meet legal requirements.

Likewise, those in the motor trade must ensure that all their vehicles have been added on to their motor trade insurance policy and that all trade plates have been added on to the MID. Motor traders must ensure they send all necessary information updates to the MID as soon as possible, as fines can be significant.

Motorists driving without insurance cost UK motorists millions every year. The MID was created by the MIB (Motor Insurance Bureau) to combat this costly law breaking. The new legal requirements are a further step to dissuade vehicle owners and motor traders from neglecting their motor insurance responsibilities.

If you are a motor trader or vehicle owner and have vehicles not covered by motor insurance move fast to get them fully covered or you could be hit with a hefty fine for failing to meet the strict regulations of the new legislation.

The 2011 Ferrari of Quebec Formula One Party was a tonne of fun. Delicious Montreal smoked meat, lamb chops and crab cakes were catered and old world Italian reds were poured high in crystal glasses….. and the Canadian unveiling of the brand new Ferrari FF. Checkout the full post to see the parking lot filled with 458′s and GTO’s and their brand new service garage.

The sea of Ferrari 458′s and GTO’s was unreal!

Ferrari of Quebec Party – Guest Cars

Ferrari of Quebec Service Garage

Ferrari FF Canadian Debut

Montreal Grand Prix Exotic Car Spotting

[Source: Whipdaddy.com]

The next-generation Porsche 911 was recently spied during testing at the Nurburgring. The next generation Porsche 911 is internally called type 991. It is 56mm longer and the roof line is 11mm lower compared to the current model. The 345bhp 3.4 liter boxer engine propels the vehicle from zero to 100km/h in less than five seconds up to a top speed of 180mph.

[Source: YouTube.com, Worldcarfans.com, MadWhips.com]

Good morning beautiful sunny California! Today is day practice day before 2 days of races at the Laguna Seca 2011 Ferrari Racing Days at the Mazda Raceway in Monterey. I arrived in San Francisco yesterday and warmed up my 5DMKII by visiting Lamborghini San Francisco and Bentley San Francisco.

Among the Ferrari Racing events I am most excited to see the hardcore track only versions of the Ferrari 458, Ferrari FXX and Ferrari 599XX screaming around the track! Stay tuned for full video and photo coverage!

Ferrari Racing Days Schedule
round 1: 16 Feb-17 Feb 2011 Abu Dhabi
round 2: 29 Apr-01 May 2011 Infineon (USA)
round 3: 20–22 May 2011 Laguna Seca (USA)
round 4: 17–19 Jun 2011 Fuji (JPN)
round 5: 22–24 Jul 2011 Shanghai (CHN)
round 6: 02–04 Sep 2011 Zeltweg (AUT)
round 7: 19–20 Sep 2011 Spa (BEL)
round 8: TBD
World Final: TBD

[Source: MazdaRaceway.com, YouTube.com]

This upcoming Saturday February 26, 2011, Auto.ca is giving away 7000 FREE parking spaces at 7 Parking Green P’s Downtown Toronto! The following lots will be FREE PARKING from 7am to Midnight: 37 Queen Street (Queen & Victoria), 40 York Street (York & University), 323 Richmond (Richmond & Sherbourne), 37 Yorkville (Yorkville & Bay), 20 St. Andrews (Kensington Garage), 110 Queen Street (Nathan Phillips Square) and 2 Church Street (St. Lawrence Garage).

The Free Parking Day initiative coincides with the final weekend of the 2011 Canadian International AutoShow taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

SEE MAPS BELOW

[Source: www.Autos.ca/Freeparking]

Checkout the skills of this motorist on Interstate 93 in Salem, NH, during that lovely 2011 winter storm. Not sure how the laws of physics contributed to this piece of work, but it’s definitely amusing! Luckily, nobody was seriously injured.

[Source: MSNBC.com]

Seeing how you all enjoyed my first 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon Girls post, I thought I would release the 2nd batch to help you get through this stormy winter week.

BTW, if you are interested in checking out the cars of the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon, you can find them beautifully categorized on MadWhips.com right here: 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon.

Related Posts
2011 Tokyo Auto Salon Girls – Post 1
Tokyo Auto Salon 2009 Girls
2009 Tokyo Auto Salon Girls Part i
2009 Tokyo Auto Salon Girls Part ii
2009 Tokyo Auto Salon Girls Part iii

[Source: WhipDaddy]

The Lamborghini LP700-4 will be the successor to the retired Lamborghini Murcielago, and will boast yet another huge advancement in the line of Lamborghini Supercars. It will feature the most advanced styling and performance of any Lamborghini to date. Checkout these clean spyshots of the supercar and the official drive train images from Lamborghini. Public unveiling will be done in March 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show.

[Source: LamborghiniClubAmerica.com]

David Beckham’s murdered out matte black Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet was listed on eBay last week, but the reserve of $75,000 USD wasn’t even met (listing here)?!?!? It looks that it has been re-listed (listing here) and the current bid is at $168,000 USD after it started at $100,000 USD! Not sure how or why the original listing didn’t sell it, maybe everyone with money was too busy paying their holiday bills or because it was equipped with a TipTronic transmission

Chequered Flag International is selling this 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet purchased new by world famous soccer superstar David Beckham. Purchased new at Beverly Hills Porsche and then personalized with no expense spared; Painted in Matte Black, some expensive off set three piece rims and Techart exhaust were fitted, custom made silver ’23′ emblems are featured throughout (on the front hood, deck lid, rims and steering wheel), also embroided on the front and rear seats and custom fitted floor mats. Other upgrades include bass speakers hidden under the rear jump seats. This spectacular 911 Turbo was ordered with the bullshit pussy Tiptronic S transmission (which should only be ordered for your GF or wife), heated front seats (seriously?), parking assist, sport chrono/package, module for telephone PCM, remote CD changer, 6 disc and thicker leather steering wheel. No damage, no issues, clean CARFAX, balance of factory warranty till 9/11. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a unique supercar with unparalleled celebrity history.

Details
Condition: Pre-Owned Clear Title
Mileage: 6,774 Miles
Stock No: 788117
Warranty: Factory Warranty
Transmission: TipTronic (super pussy option)
Engine: 3.6L H6 SFI DOHC Turbo Gasoline
Drivetrain: All Wheel Drive

Other Cars Owned by David and Victoria Beckham
David Beckham Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
David Beckham Porsche 911 Carerra S For Sale
Victoria Beckham in her Bentley GT Coupe with DUBs

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Jenna Jameson 2002 Lamborghini Murcielago on EBAY
Celebrities Spotted in their MAD WHIPS
Simon Cowell shows off in his $1million Veyron
Molly Saleen and Molly Pop S281 Revisited
Nick “Hogan” Bollea’s crash – Clearwater Police Photos
Gwen Stefani’s 2007 Tahoe Dub Edition FOR SALE
Where Is 50 Cent’s Chrome Painted Lamborghini?
Seinfeld’s 1997 Porsche 993 Turbo S FOR SALE (eBay)

[Source: ]

We’re willing to bet that it was none other than a classic American muscle car that first ignited your passion for automobiles. That vintage, “cool guy” thing really resonated with you, and ever since your heart thumps like a cartoon character’s every time a Stang, Corvette or Camaro rolls up next to you at the limit line. From their aggressive stance and glistening paint jobs to their rumblin’ exhausts, there’s no wondering why muscle cars are the top performers out in the gravel jungle.

Top Mod #1 Exhaust

If you own a Mustang, Camaro or Corvette, you probably drop the names Borla, Flowmaster, Magnaflow and Gibson like they are your high school buddies. Those restrictive stock pipes are not enough for you, so you count on those “buddies” of yours to deliver big power gains, throaty grows and sometimes increased fuel economy.

Top Mod #2 Air Intake System & Air Filter

Let’s face it—OEM parts are just not up to par with your sporty ride. Let your Camaro, Corvette or Mustang inhale fresh air when you drop in high-flow cold air intake systems and air filters. Your ride’s horsepower, torque and even fuel economy are sure to boost like never before.

Top Mod #3 Chips & Programmers

Unlocking huge power gains is as simple as plugging a power chip or programmer into your Mustang, Corvette or Camaro. There’s a wide assortment of brand name performance chips and programmers guaranteed to transform your classic ride into the beast it was created to be. Just plug ‘em in and let that engine roar.

Top Mod #4 Brakes

For every stop there is a go—and vice versa. Plus, it’s only natural to make your classic ride push the speed limits, but be sure you have the braking power to bring yourself to a stop safely. With performance rotors and pads, your brakes are ready for anything—even that last minute stop sign!

Top Mod #5 Gauges

There’s nothing like being in-tune with everything under your Mustang, Camaro or Corvette’s hood. Drop some boost gauges, tachometers, speedometers, oil & water pressure gauges and more into your ride to keep the critical info within a quick glance.

AutoAnything carries these and other top products for your American Muscle car. Everything from car care to interior accessories such as floor mats and seat covers, AutoAnything can help you customize your ride. And, for the truck lovers out there they’ve got quality nerf bars, tonneau covers and more to choose from. What’s more, they want to make sure CarZi.com visitors get a square deal. So enter CARZI at checkout and receive 10% off orders over $100!

[Source: MadWhips.com]

Silver and black are in tight competition for the title of world’s most popular car color, according to DuPont, which just released a study on global vehicle colours for 2010. This is DuPont’s 58th Global Automotive Color Popularity Report.

While silver still holds the lead by only 2% from black as the leading vehicle color globally. DuPont says black’s popularity in key automotive markets outside of North America is growing.

The top 10 global vehicle colors are as follows:

1. Silver – 26%
2. Black/Black Effect – 24%
3. White/White Pearl and Grey – 16%
5. Red – 6%
6. Blue – 5%
7. Brown/Beige – 3%
8. Green – 2%
9. Yellow/Gold – 1%
10. Others – <1%

“Our annual global color analysis allows DuPont to share insights into global color trends with automakers as they’re planning future vehicle designs,” said Nancy Lockhart, DuPont color marketing manager. “The demand for fresh, high-quality information is more relevant today than ever before, as the industry continues to see increased consumer demand for innovative vehicle design and styling.”

[Source: DuPont News, Photos: MadWhips.com]

Photos of a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Police car chases a Pagani Zonda! Both cars were vinyl wrapped for a video trailer scene for the upcoming Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit due to be released November 2010!

[Source: TeamSpeed.com]