Rundown of New Cigars
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Scratch: The Ultimate DJ is the Guitar Hero for hip-hop heads?
by Quibian Salazar-Moreno
Examiner
Examiner
Quincy D Jones III aka QD3
Genius Products have announced Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, a rhythm based music game developed by 7 Studios for the Xbox 360 and PS3; with consultation from hip-hop producer and filmmaker Quincy D. Jones III (2pac, Ice Cube, Beef TV and DVD series).
The game play is said to be similar to those of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but the player uses a turntable controller to play the game. The controller, called the "Scratch Deck," was created by Numark, the world renowned DJ equipment manufacturer.
“We are thrilled to be teaming with 7 Studios and Quincy Jones III to release a cutting-edge game that captures the vital energy of hip-hop culture”, said Trevor Drinkwater, President and CEO of Genius Products. “We’re confident that Scratch will take interactive music gaming to the next level and excite a large and relatively untapped fan base.”
“With the recent success of music-driven videogames and the dominance of urban culture in the youth market, the potential for Scratch is endless,” said Quincy Jones III, CEO and chief creative officer of QD3 Entertainment and also the son of the legendary Quincy Jones. “Having spent 20 years as a music producer for artists such as Tupac, LL, and Ice Cube, it is rewarding to work with 7 Studios, Genius and Genco to ensure that there is authenticity in every detail of this game. Scratch will feature original recordings from the catalogs of many top urban artists and will allow players to re-imagine songs on the fly and add their own creativity. This feature sets it apart from other music rhythm games and makes it a dream come true for both casual music fans and serious DJs/producers.”
Although the track list has yet to be revealed, the game is set to hit stores in Spring 2009. Check out a few of the screen shots:
LEGO Batman Cake ...comes to NYC!
This past Tuesday we delivered the heaviest cake we have ever made. Warner Bros. asked us to recreate the landscape of the new LEGO Batman Video game. This cake was comprised of three different cake flavors (vanilla, chocolate and red velvet) and was entirely edible. Even the sugar sculptures were made out of sugar. If this entry doesn't make much sense it's because there is a huge lack of sleep going on. We have been working on the cake for twelve days straight.
Dare I say this was the biggest cake I EVER made? Well, let's just say it was the HEAVIEST that I had to transport. This cake was close to 300 lbs. The six foot tall sock monkey we made for the Food Network's Extreme Cake Challenge was much taller and may have been up there in weight but it stayed in the studio. For this cake we had to enlist the help of SIX guys from the neighborhood to help us get it out of the bakery. That may sound like we just had to lift and go, but what I need to tell you is that you have to get through three doors, get over the foot of steel that extends toward the ceiling at the end of the stairs and then walk up four steep steps all before getting it into the van and driving in NYC traffic to our final destination!
An exciting part of this project is that we took over ten hours of footage depicting the making of the cake and figurines, and my friend Lisa will create a video similar to our first YouTube video.
Here's a quick video of the cake cutting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eggrollboy/2885022077/in/photostream/
This cake could not have been accomplished without the amazing work of Amanda, Liz and Jen (all pictured in the photo) and Edgard who came in to help too!
The Ghostbuster’s Ecto-1 For Sale
Someone is selling a restored Ghostbuster’s Ecto-1 which was used in Universal Studios Florida for over fifteen years.
“This car is one of three Sony/MGM authorized Ghostbusters 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor Ecto-1. There are the two original cars used in the films and this one built exclusively for the Universal Studios Theme parks. This car has a rich history and thousands of fans have been photographed with this car. The only major change made to this car was the roof rack. We modified the roof rack to resemble the screen used Sony Ecto-1 original car. Other upgrades are cosmetic and mechanically it’s very sound.”
So if you have $45,000 to spare, check out the auction on ebay.com.
"Ghostbusters Proton Pack"
Click here for a nice step by step walk through on how to build your own Proton Pack
First Instrumented Test of Corvette ZR-1- how does she stack up
How many times have you read the words “the best Vette yet” in a car magazine? Well, you’re about to read them again. It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Chevrolet’s iconic and extremely well-rounded Corvette, as evidenced by the seven straight 10Best trophies it’s earned since 2002. And while we’re loathe to recycle trite headlines, the incredible ZR1 is poised to hit the Corvette out of the ballpark, over the river, and into a whole new borough.
How far into the new borough? Actually, not as far as you might have been led to believe. After months of listening to GM’s claims, we’ve finally strapped our equipment to one and recorded the first ZR1 performance data:
- Zero to 60 mph in 3.4 brain-scrambling seconds
- Zero to 100 mph in 7.6 seconds
- An 11.5-second, 128-mph quarter-mile blast
GM’s early estimate for the quarter was 11 seconds flat, which was then revised to 11.3. We believe we could match that number with power shifting, but that sort of drivetrain abuse is not a part of our testing regimen.
If those numbers aren’t quite what you were hoping for, let the skidpad and braking numbers lift your spirits: 1.07 g and just 142 feet to stop from 70 mph—the shortest stopping distance we’ve ever recorded for a production car. Those 15.5-inch ceramic rotors appear to be money well spent. Top speed is claimed to be 205 mph, but we ran out of room before we could verify that. No doubt these numbers helped a ZR1 prototype lap the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife in a blistering 7 minutes, 26 seconds. It could have wood paneling and an eight-track player and we’d still consider this the best Vette yet.
With results like these, the ZR1 is ready to stare down the world’s elite supercars on both road and track, and its $105,000 price tag represents a giddy bargain among ultra high-performance automobiles. If the idea of dropping six figures at a Chevrolet dealer seems akin to buying a $15,000 Rolex at Wal-Mart, one stab of the accelerator pedal should serve as a reminder that not only is the ZR1 the best Corvette ever, but it is among the best sports cars available today!
With chiseled bodywork and a powerful 5.9-liter V-12 that generates 510 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, the breathtaking, $266,350 Aston Martin DBS serves as Aston Martin’s speedy flagship, not to mention the reigning James Bond car.
As slick as his ride may be, however, Mr. Bond will struggle to keep up should his nemesis be driving a ZR1. He could very easily find himself lost in billowing tire smoke as the ZR1 escapes in a delightfully American twist on the ol’ James Bond smoke screen trick. Despite extensive use of carbon fiber, the DBS is still saddled with 400 extra pounds, while facing a massive power disadvantage of 128 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. At 4.3 seconds, the Aston takes nearly a full second longer to hit 60 mph, while its laudable skidpad rating of 0.97 g nonetheless trails the ZR1’s phenomenal 1.07 g.
No matter how fast the ZR1 is, we could never envision M tossing Bond the keys to a Corvette instead of the sapphire starter of a DBS. As an Aston Martin, the DBS is born into privilege, destined to spend most of its life briskly shuttling between soirees and climate-controlled garages (and the occasional movie set), far beyond the reach of the Corvette’s more, uh, blue-collar fan base. That is what separates quarter-million-dollar GTs from $105,000 Corvettes—$105,000 Corvettes whose taillights are growing smaller and smaller.
With the car world all atwitter over the ZR1, it’s easy to forget America’s other home-grown hero: the Dodge Viper. Considerably updated last year, the Viper remains a meaty American muscle machine that can out-badass pretty much anything short of an Abrams battle tank on looks alone. Furthermore, all that nastiness is available as a coupe, a roadster, or a truly frightening, track-oriented Viper ACR.
Behind the Viper’s shrieking mug is a naturally aspirated 600-hp, 8.4-liter V-10 that made the Viper America’s first homemade production car to enter the 600 Club last year. Now, the ZR1 blows right by the big snake with 38 more ponies, as well as a distinct torque advantage (604 lb-ft versus 560). Still, our most recent test proves that the Viper can accelerate with the same 3.4-second 0-to-60 voracity as the ZR1, while at the track, its astounding grip and communicative chassis make a quick friend of any thrill-seeking pilot.
As a daily driver, however, the Viper can’t touch any Corvette. Our list of Viper gripes remains as long as ever: calf-roasting side exhausts and a cramped pressure cooker of a storage-challenged cabin desperately lacking in refinement. Then again, the Viper’s base price of $87,175 ($99,891 for the ACR) makes it the only ZR1 competitor to undercut the Vette’s price. Just to be able to drive such a car every day without complaint, though, we’d find the money and spring for the ZR1.
2008 Lamborghini Murciélago LP640
If the ZR1’s competitors gathered to take cheap shots at the bratty American newcomer, our money says the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 would be first in line. Even in this intimidating group, the $325,200 Murciélago is clearly the bully, happy to throw the first punch at the relatively fuel-efficient, bantam-weight neophyte with a cheap interior and only eight cylinders.
Good luck, Lambo. The ZR1 crashes this party with four more horsepower, 117 lb-ft more torque, and a weight advantage of around 500 pounds. By some measures, the Murcié is up to the task. In a recent test of a Murciélago roadster we hit 60 in 3.5 seconds, and it boasts a top speed that matches the ZR1’s 205 mph.
Just 11.5 seconds into the drag race, however, the Lambo will find itself still 0.3 second short of the quarter-mile mark while the ZR1’s brake lights illuminate the braking zone. And the Lambo’s roadholding is mighty impressive for a two-ton porker, at 1.01 g, but it still doesn’t reach the Vette’s centrifugal velocity. Add water, however, and the performance balance tilts back to the Lamborghini, thanks to standard all-wheel drive.
Nearly as important to exotic-car owners is how their car moves them even when standing still. And clearly, in terms of curb appeal, the Lambo will happily show that pesky Chevy who steals this show.
It’s rare that a Mercedes-Benz and a Chevrolet woo the same customer, but the $188,075 SL65 AMG and the $105,000 Corvette ZR1 have a lot in common. Each embodies an equally ambitious exercise of in-house performance that cost about double that of the car on which it’s based, and both can render their massive rear tires into steaming pools of molten rubber without much provocation. Our most recent SL65 road test shows a 3.8-second 0-to-60 run, nearly a half-second behind the ZR1’s sprint.
While both cars corral more than 600 horsepower, the ZR1’s 604 lb-ft of torque appears modest next to the locomotive-like 738 lb-ft of the SL65’s twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12. The ZR1 is still the better sprinter, however, as the Benz is burdened by roughly 1100 pounds of extra mass, some of which comes courtesy of its heavy folding hardtop.
Upgrade to the SL65 AMG Black Series, however, and watch the mighty King of the Hill gallop back to the castle for reinforcements. With outrageous sheetmetal, a fixed roof, active rear wing, and massive spider-spoke wheels, the ultra-exclusive super-Benz is 550 pounds lighter than the base SL65, and also extracts 661 brutal horsepower from its V-12 (torque remains stet). Of course, it will also downgrade your bank account to the tune of $300,000 or so. Mercedes is either being coy or careless in projecting a 0-to-60 sprint of 3.9 seconds. A head-to-head match with the ZR1 could be very entertaining.
In every competitive field, there’s always one to beat, and among top-shelf sports cars, it often sports a prancing horse on the hood. And yes, Chevrolet benchmarked none other than the $318,045 Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano while honing the ZR1.
Chevy hit the mark. According to the instruments, anyway. While the LS9 outmuscles the Italian V-12 both in horsepower (638 versus 612) and torque (604 lb-ft versus 448), dynamically, the cars are practically twins. At 3.3 seconds, the 599 is just one tenth quicker to 60, with a 206-mph top end versus the Vette’s 205. And the Vette’s 1.07-g cornering clobbers the Ferrari’s 0.98 g.
From the driver’s perspective, however, the cars are fundamentally different. The 599 comes from a company focused first on its highly successful F1 racing program, with all corporate endeavors—including building road cars—serving that end. This translates into the mother of all racing R&D programs, which in turn provides a steady stream of race-bred technology to Ferrari’s road cars. This comes through in the vivid immediacy and predictability of the Fiorano’s controls, in its extraordinarily composed chassis, and of course, the unleashing of ever-deeper reserves of horsepower as its tach soars to an 8400-rpm peak.
Of course, Chevrolet’s C6.R racing team also provides R&D feedback for future Corvettes. But to bring a Corvette to the level of masterful finesse offered in the 599—to say nothing of its magnificent assembly quality and splendid interior—will take way more than $105,000, if not a whole new corporate mission statement.
If you are dreaming of a Corvette that approaches Ferrari-grade finesse and character while delivering Ferrari-grade performance, here’s the bad news: Chevrolet doesn’t build one. The good news? Pratt & Miller, best known for building the extraordinarily successful Corvette-based C6.R racers for the American Le Mans racing series, does.
The new Pratt & Miller C6.RS is a comprehensive, cost-no-object actualization of the Corvette’s visual, tactile, and performance potential. Starting with a donor C6 or Z06, Pratt & Miller replaces the body with wide, low, carbon-fiber duds. Meanwhile, every interior surface is reupholstered in exquisite leather and Alcantara. All insulation is replaced with Dynamat sound- and heat-absorbing material, virtually eliminating interior white noise. This creates an optimal chamber in which to savor the glorious sounds of the C6.RS’s massive, naturally-aspirated 8.2-liter V-8, pumped up to 600 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque. At 3215 pounds, the C6.RS is blazingly fast—effectively matching the ZR1’s power-to-weight ratio—and though we have yet to strap test equipment to it, we’re confident that any performance gap with the ZR1 will be slim.
Of course, efforts such as these don’t come cheap. At $260,000, the C6.RS targets only the most adamant and moneyed Corvette-philes. But each will also get two days of personalized track instruction in a C6.RS with C6.R racing legend Ron Fellows. And to those who follow all things Corvette, that in itself might just make the whole thing seem worthwhile.
Superman
Okay, the ZR1 comes not from Planet Krypton, but rather Bowling Green, Kentucky. It does not wear red, blue, and yellow simultaneously (we hope). And in all likelihood, no one will confuse it with a bird or a plane.
But, like the Man of Steel himself, the ZR1 is blessed with strength, speed, and stamina far beyond the scope of normal. It does not have Super Breath or X-ray Vision, but it does have a Plexiglas window in the center of the hood offering a peek at the supercharger—fittingly enough—which represents an interesting parallel to the big, bold shield in the middle of Superman’s barrel chest. Hmm.
In any case, we expect ZR1 sightings on the street to evoke a hero’s welcome such that Superman himself might receive after rescuing a hapless damsel or saving a mountain town from imminent annihilation. Men will stare, ladies will swoon, kids will jump for joy. We welcome the ZR1 as our newest four-wheeled Super Friend with none of the trepidation its competitors experience.
The 15 Hottest Gun-Loving Ladies
These ladies have no problem taking a long, thick rod in their hands and blowing a man straight to heaven. Oh, and they also like guns.
15. Caprice Bourret
Where you’ve seen her: She was the lingerie model who gained notoriety as the “Wonderbra girl.” So you’ve probably never actually seen her face before.
Proof she likes guns: From an interview with FHM: “I’m a pretty good shot,” she insists. “My ex-boyfriend would drive his pickup while I’d sit in the back and shoot at stuff. I’ve killed a couple of field rabbits in my time….”
14. Laura Prepon
Where you’ve seen her: That 70s Show, Scientology conventions
Proof she likes guns: In an interview with Stuff Magazine: Lately, she’s been spending her free time playing with her newest toy: a Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle. “I love the energy you feel when you shoot,” she says. “Some people get a little freaked out by it, but I am so into guns.”
13. Erin Gray
Where you’ve seen her: Silver Spoons, Magnum P.I., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, any TV channel that only plays shows from the 70s and 80s.
Proof she likes guns: Erin has appeared at the “Shooting Stars Shine for Kids” charity event where celebs show children how to properly use firearms. Hopefully this event wasn’t held in downtown Newark, New Jersey, or it would’ve been the other way around.
12. The Swedish Bikini Team
Where you’ve seen them: Um, Sweden.
Proof they like guns: The team has apparently given up their career in Old Milwaukee ads and have transformed themselves into a gun-toting paramilitary squadron who are, according to their website, going to “battle a terrorist organization that tries to hold the world hostage with nuclear weapons.” We all know you’re going to need guns to do that. (I don’t care if they’re not real…just look at the photo.)
11. Leslie Easterbrook
Where you’ve seen her: She was Lt. Callahan in the epic Police Academy series…so she’s totally awesome.
Proof she likes guns: Aside from being an NRA member, she made a video called “Real Beginner’s Guide to the Shotgun Sports.” I really hope she got Michael Winslow to do her special effects.
10. Jill Wagner
Where you’ve seen her: Punk’d, Blade: The Series, Mercury Milan commercials
Proof she likes guns: Jill owns a Kimber Raptor, which is a semi-automatic…uh, gun. So there you go.
9. Irlene Mandrell
Where you’ve seen her: The Love Boat, Cover Girl ads, your local shooting range
Proof she likes guns: According to her website: “Irlene is proficient with a handgun, shotgun, rifle, and crossbow. She is an active member of several outdoor groups such as Quail Unlimited, Buckmasters, and a life member of National Wild Turkey Federation, NRA, and Safari Club International. Irlene has served several years at the Sportsman Against Hunger banquet.” I think that should just about prove it.
8. Andrea Parker
Where you’ve seen her: The Pretender, Can’t Hurry Love, and she was Julia Robert’s body double in Pretty Woman (don’t ask how I know that)
Proof she likes guns: From an interview with TV Guide: “I have a huge target at the L.A. gun club with eight perfect shots to the heart and eight perfect shots to the head,” she says, “and I signed it ‘Thanks for the therapy, Andrea Parker.’ ”
7. Condoleezza Rice
Where you’ve seen her: In front of podiums, wearing pant suits, talking about stuff
Proof she likes guns: From an interview with Larry King: “We have to be very careful when we start abridging rights that the Founding Fathers thought very important. I don’t think we get to pick and choose from the Constitution. The Second Amendment is as important as the First Amendment.” [Editor's Note: Despite what you may have previously thought, you can not deny that the photo of Condi in the bathtub is not hot.] [Well, OK, maybe you can.]
6. Milla Jovovich
Where you’ve seen her: Resident Evil, The Fifth Element, and of course, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
Proof she likes guns: From an interview with NY Metro: After several months of combat training to prepare for her role as a zombie killer in Resident Evil, Milla has a newfound affinity for firearms and has become a regular at her local Los Angeles shooting range. “I love guns,” she told us while signing autographs at Planet Hollywood in Times Square last week. “I just get such a sense of power. The karate and kickboxing was okay, but give me a gun and I can do serious damage.”
5. Sarah Michelle Geller
Where you’ve seen her: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, I Know What You Did Last Summer, the Freddie Prinze Jr. newsletter
Proof she likes guns: The NRA gave Sarah their blessing after a 1999 interview with Teen People where she said she “grew up around guns” and “refused to blame firearms for the tragedy at Columbine High School.” Then she said “I am going to shoot you in the face!” OK, I made that last one up.
4. Sarah Palin
Where you’ve seen her: Hangin’ with McCain, snowmobile races, on Saturday Night Live
Proof she loves guns: As if you didn’t already know, she once said, “We hunt as much as we can, and I’m proud to say our freezer is full of wild game we harvested here in Alaska. My favorite food is moose stew after a day of snowmachining.”
3. Catherine Bell
Where you’ve seen her: JAG, Army Wives, other things you probably don’t watch
Proof she likes guns: From an American Fitness interview: “I’m really into kick boxing, boxing and martial arts, so the writers added that, plus her [JAG character's] expertise with guns, to my character,” says Bell. “I’ve always gone to the shooting range, and I like to think of myself as a pretty tough chick. I can certainly hold my own.”
2. Jeri Ryan
Where you’ve seen her: Star Trek: Voyager, Boston Public, nerd wet dreams (mostly because of the Star Trek role.)
Proof she likes guns: From an interview with Jon Stewart: “I was on a series before Star Trek called Dark Skies and I was a Russian agent so I got to use a lot of guns. I had my little .22 that I carried around all the time and I got to shoot a lot. I shot some .45s and I got to shoot an M-16 on one episode and it was fun! They created a monster. It’s a big adrenaline rush.”
1. Eva Longoria
Where you’ve seen her: Desperate Housewives, crappy movies about sassy ghosts, San Antonio Spurs games
Proof she loves guns: PETA got mad at her for saying “(I was) hunting with my dad since I was six. I still go with him to this day. I can handle a gun. Hello? Yes. I could skin a deer, I could skin a pig. I can pluck a quail—you name it, I’ve done it. I’m a pioneer woman,” on Oprah. We’ll forgive you for marrying Tony Parker.
Being Bond is as close as the local Aston Dealer
In profile, this looks like any other 2008 Aston Martin DBS. But then there's the Italian license plate, not to mention an ever-so-tiny badge on the door sill kickplate that gives the game away entirely. It says "Quantum of Solace," which makes this a very special Aston Martin indeed.
This really is James Bond's car.
Even as the Aston Martin executive hands us the chunky glass key that's known within the company as "the Emotional Control Unit" and the dash display lights up with the words, "Power, Beauty, Soul," we figure that we'd be prevented from driving out of the gate by a hail of gunfire from mysterious men on skis.
But all we had to do was hand over a yellow slip of paper to the man at the factory gate and we were gone, on our own in the 2008 Aston Martin DBS that belongs to James Bond. We didn't even have to kill a man with our bare hands.
If only we were being accompanied by a female sidekick with a suggestive name instead of this blasted photographer.
Setting the Scene
The opening sequence in Quantum of Solace — a set piece of spectacular action that's characteristic of James Bond films — takes our Mr. Bond on a merry drive around Lago di Como (although it was actually filmed at Lago di Garda), where he finds himself set upon by bad guys in a fleet of Alfa Romeos.
What follows is the most visceral chase scene in Bond's history, thanks in part to the work of transportation supervisor Graham Kelly, well known for the action sequences he helped stage for The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. In 12 minutes of screen time, not one panel of the $265,000 Aston Martin DBS escapes unscathed and the car is even sideswiped by a truck before meeting its end in a dramatic crash off a quarry road. Of course, Bond nevertheless lives to fight another day and the Alfas don't fare as well.
This DBS isn't that smashed-up casualty but instead one of four so-called "hero" cars used for the filming of close-ups. There were seven Aston Martins in all used in this process, although some were simply DB9s with a body kit — an accusation that has been pointed in the direction of the production Aston Martin DBS, you might recall.
Performance Art
With the high-compression 6.0-liter V12 pumping under its voluptuous vented hood, the 2008 Aston Martin DBS has the firepower to measure up to Bond and his modern Walther P99 (never mind the 1928-vintage PPK). Rated at 510 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 420 pound-feet of torque at 5,750 rpm, this engine powers the DBS to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds and then on to 191 mph. The rumbling exhaust from the engine becomes a vicious roar once the intake tract opens at 5,500 rpm to help the engine breathe deeper at peak rpm. It's one of those engines that endangers your license every time you fire it up, as that throaty exhaust is just begging to be opened up.
To complement the 60-hp boost over the DB9, the DBS also sheds 176 pounds, a result of using carbon fiber to produce the front fascia, hood and fenders. Even lightweight carpet is part of this package.
There's more high-performance hardware in the form of carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes, a five-way adjustable suspension, Pirelli P Zero tires and even a manual six-speed transmission with a suitably manly notchy shift action.
At 3,737 pounds, there's a lot of car here, so it's a lot of car to get back once it starts to slide, high-performance specification or not. Really, it's just not built for the sideways lunacy that fills Bond's latest extravaganza. It's also questionable if the DBS is really $100,000 better than the standard DB9, as it's still a GT rather than a sports car. But on the open road this big beast is a laugh riot, providing you don't kick that back end out of line.
The Real World
Today's James Bond adventures are altogether darker, grittier tales, so the cheesy gadgets are gone. The days of the underwater-rated Lotus Esprit and remote-controlled BMW 7 Series are long behind us, even though a rocket-equipped Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger began the love affair between Bond and Aston Martin back in 1964. For Quantum of Solace, realism is the message, and a fully equipped Aston Martin DBS is actually far more gadget-laden than Bond's own DBS transport.
Still, this being the movies, it takes serious work to make a car look perfectly standard. Transportation director Kelly stripped the cars and rebuilt them, strengthening them in places and weakening them in others for the crash scenes. And while Kelly maintains the Astons performed far better than any supercar he ever used before, he had to raise the suspension to cope with the chase through the quarry and then defeat the stability control to permit the monstrous powerslides.
Kelly predictably drafted racing and rally drivers to take the wheel for the chase scenes (including Top Gear's The Stig). Actor Daniel Craig apparently has become a handy wheelman himself after spending time on track with the Aston Martin drivers, so the star did as much of the driving as possible.
Kelly insists that Craig is a natural behind the wheel, but try to re-create his antics in a factory car and you'll look like a dufus and probably crash your pride and joy as well. It happened to a driver delivering one of the Bond DBSs to a press conference, as he careered off the road and flew into Lake Garda. He hit the bottom of the lake before kicking the door open. Of course, he might not have been entirely happy to have survived after the worldwide media coverage that ensued.
Recommended Viewing
This grand touring car is manly, although no match for the Ferrari 599 when it comes to ultimate track performance. But a car like this isn't built for the circuit; it belongs on the road.
And the road is where the 2008 Aston Martin DBS (whether this James Bond stunt car or the production DBS that you can buy) belongs. Here the DBS is a triumph. It's comfortable enough to cope with a long-distance jaunt, yet brutally quick and dramatic enough to match anything you'll see in Quantum of Solace. And it's cheaper than a Ferrari, too.
Unfortunately Ford's sale of Aston Martin to a private consortium in March 2007 might spell the end of the love affair between Bond and Aston Martin, even though this DBS embodies Bond's newfound macho spirit better than any other car on the open market.
In the original novels written by Ian Fleming, the super spy drove a Bentley, so don't bet against VW ponying up the money for the starring role in the next Bond movie adventure. That's a shame, because the DBS really is Bond.
And just for a moment, so were we.
2010 370Z spotted in Germany
NURBURG, Germany — Yet another prototype of the 2010 Nissan 370Z has been spotted in Germany ahead of its 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show debut. This follows extensive testing in California and Arizona earlier this month, according to sources inside Nissan.
Wearing only minimal camouflage, the styling details of the redesigned coupe are now evident. It gets a pair of boomerang-shaped headlights up front that are similar to those used on the recently redesigned Nissan Maxima. The taillights appear to have a similar shape, although black tape obscures the final design.
Another major detail that was not obvious in previous spy photos is the shape of the roof. It appears similar to the GT-R supercar with a flat, steeply sloped roof, thick B-pillar and small rear quarter window.
This prototype also gives a good idea of just how wide the 370Z's fenders flare out in back. When viewed from behind, the Nissan looks more like a Porsche Cayman than a $30K Nissan.
Comparisons to Porsche's coupe are bound to continue, as Nissan targeted the German coupe throughout development. With a 300-plus-horsepower 3.7-liter V6, the smaller and lighter 370Z should be able to deliver similar performance for a significantly smaller base price.
Inside Line says: Smaller, lighter and more distinctive-looking than before, the 2009 Nissan 370Z looks like a suitable follow-up to the flagship GT-R.New Mazda 3 Revealed
IRVINE, California — Mazda has just offered an advance look at the redesigned 2010 Mazda 3, showing off a sedan version with more aggressive styling. The Mazda 3 will debut on November 19 at the 2008 L.A. Auto Show.
Although the Japanese automaker was careful to not detail any exterior specifications, it is anticipated that the new Mazda 3 sedan will be slightly wider and longer than the current model. The Mazda 3 is known as the Axela in Japan.
"Following the world debut of the North-American-specification sedan with 2.0- and 2.5-liter engines at the show, the five-door hatchback version will be revealed in line with Mazda's global sales schedule," the automaker said in a statement.
The 2010 Mazda 3 will continue to share the European Ford Focus platform, with an emphasis on brawniness.
Inside Line says: The Mazda 3 gets bigger and more muscular — and should be one of the highlights of the upcoming L.A. show$160,000 BMW 7 is this year's Neiman Marcus Holiday Car
WOODCLIFF LAKE, New Jersey — One of the highlights of the fall season is getting a peek at which automaker will end up as the featured marque in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. For 2008, that particular honor goes to BMW, which will offer a $160,000 limited-edition 2009 BMW 7 Series.
The package includes a visit to the BMW Welt museum complex in Munich, Germany, in April and a trip along the French Riviera, with stops at Monaco, Nice and Cannes.
BMW said it will only build 31 of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book cars. Design cues include iridescent Diopside Black metallic paint and Champagne Merino leather in the cabin. The cabin also has piano black trim and a steering wheel in piano black with a wood ring insert.
The car goes on sale at noon EDT on October 16 and can be ordered at (866) 303-2696. The German automaker noted that "the last BMW offered in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book sold out in a record time."
Inside Line says: Speed dialing and a fat wallet are musts if you want to get your hands on this beauty.
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