One of the greatest ever exhibits of a collection of Ferraris is underway in Italy as the Italian supercar company opens an event dedicated to Sergio Pinanfarina in the wake of his death earlier this year.

Both production models and concept cars are part of the exhibition in the Ferrari Museum in the homeplace of Ferrari Maranello. All of the cars on show are there to honor Sergio Pinanfarina who was a legendary designer for the luxury car company before his death in July 2012.

The Greatest Ferraris of Sergio Pinanfarina

The exhibits feature cars that were made when Sergio made his most pivotal contributions to the company. Son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina , Sergio began his career with the Prancing Horse company back in 1952 and his contributions would change the face of the luxury car world forever.

A display of Ferraris in remembrance of Sergio Pininfarina

Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari Chairman, current Pininfarina boss Paolo Pininfarina, Sergio’s wife Giorgia and son of Enzo Ferrari Piero Ferrari all attended the opening ceremony.

The Ferraris at the Ferrari Museum in Maranello

The museum will host the exhibition until January 7 and it showcases 22 models that include one-off special editions such as the Pinin Concept. This car was Ferrari’s only attempt at creating a four-door model while the 330 GTC Speciale that was formerly owned by Lilian, Princess de Rethy of Belgium can also be spotted at the exhibition.

The Ferraris lined up at the Ferrari Museum

These magnificent luxury cars will be displayed in three halls that will represent the following:

• Race cars
• Concept cars
• Production cars

The poster for the Greatest Ferraris of Sergio Pinanfarina exhibit

Some of the most poignant cars on display at the event are the racing cars that Pininfarina penned for the company including:

• A Ferrari 250 LM
• A Ferrari 500 Mondial
• A Ferrari 250 Berlinetta
• A 373 Ferrari MM racer
• A 1969 Sigma F1 prototype

There are 11 road cars on display including a 1964 275 GTB4 plus the Testarossa and 599 SA Aperta.

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in a position to see the exhibition, then you can book tickets online for $17 through: www.museoferrari.com.

James Bond fans might find it hard to believe that it has been 50 years since the first movie was released in 1962 (Dr. No) but true Bond fanatics will know that it’s actually been 59 years since we first met the suave detective – in the first book back in 1953 (Casino Royale).

However, last Friday was Global James Bond Day and the latest addition to the James Bond movie franchise Skyfall was released to mark the occasion. Whether your favorite Bond was Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore or Daniel Craig, it’s the cars that we’re really interested in!

The legendary Q filled Bond’s cars with all kinds of funky gadgets and gizmos to turn even the most luxurious of cars into something even more magical. During the last 50 years, Bond has been lucky enough to drive all sorts of vehicles from a Lotus Esprit that turned into a submarine to a Aston Martin DB5 that transformed into a  heavily armored tank.

Here are our top five Bond cars from the big screen:

Bond's 1937 Rolls Royce takes fifth place

5. Goldfinger – Rolls Royce Phantom III

Goldfinger’s 1937 Rolls Royce Phantom III might not technically be a Bond car but it’s certainly one of the top cars to feature in a Bond movie. Its black top with bright yellow sides was accompanied by a solid gold hood and has ranked in at number five in our list of the top Bond cars.

Brosnan's BMW 750iL takes fourth place

4. Tomorrow Never Dies – BMW 750iL

Q loaned this awesome car to Bond an a rental car station in Germany complete with missile launchers, self inflating tires, an impenetrable body and handy tire spikes.

The most impressive part of this luxury BMW car? Its remote control feature that allowed Bond to jump out of the moving car and continue to drive it straight into a car parking space back at the rental station!

The Spy Who Loved Me's Lotus Esprit S1 takes third place

3. The Spy Who Loved Me – Lotus Esprit S1

This Lotus Esprit S1 had to make it into the list if only because it changes into a submarine! In The Spy Who Loved Me we see Bond drive the Esprit out of the sea and into the middle of a busy beach before launching a missile that eventually blows up a helicopter.

There’s nothing like a Bond car for explosive action…

The sexy Aston Martin Vanquish in at number two

2. Die Another Day – Aston Martin Vanquish 

This V12 Aston Martin Vanquish is one of the most poignant cars Bond ever drove not just because it’s a Vanquish but also because it was the first Aston Martin Bond drove again after a near 20-year hiatus. Its machine guns, spiked tires and of course grille-mounted rockets (what car is complete without these features?) ensured its place in the number two spot.

Bond's favorite Aston Martin DB5 takes top place

1. Goldfinger, Golden Eye, Thunderball, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall – Aston Martin DB5

The bond car of all Bond cars has to be the Aston Martin DB5. It was the first Bond car to ever feature secret gadgets and it also stars in more Bond movies than any other car. It’s elegance and beauty helped to win its place in the number one slot and matched by its machine guns, body armor, ejection seat, oil slick generators and rocket launchers – the winner was a no-brainer.

What’s your favorite Bond car? 

A turbocharged Ferrari engine

At this time in 2011, Americans had bought 12.8 million new cars and around 1.3 million (approx. 10%)  came fitted with turbocharged engines. As a result, many experts have concluded that in five years time, 25% of all cars sold will have the same powerful turbocharged engines.

Turbo supplier Honeywell predicts that out of an estimated 16 million cars that will be sold in 2017, one in four cars in the US will be turbocharged.

An Audi engine with a turbocharger

Tony Schultz, Vice President of the Americas for Turbocharger Technology spoke out about the bold prediction by talking to Automotive News and he had the following to say: “The new CAFE standards have meant that powertrains have had to be downsized. This is happening all over North America and in order to ensure that we are still able to offer powerful cars, the smaller powertrains are using forced induction in the form of turbocharging instead. This allows a car to accelerate and create an output that drivers demand and expect.”

A turbocharged Lamborghini Murcielago engine

He went on to say: “Ford was one of the first car manufacturers to adopt turbocharging as the company used an EcoBoost V-6 engine that drives almost the same as a conventional V-8s and at the same time it delivers a better fuel economy.  The EcoBoost four-cylinder engines provide a performance much the same as a V-6 but with better gas mileage returns”.

A Mercedes engine with a turbocharger

The EcoBoost system has been really successful for Ford and by 2013, 90% of its cars will use it. If rumors are to be believed then the new Ford Mustang due out in 2014 will also come with an EcoBoost option. However, not all car companies are adopting turbocharging as a way to improve fuel economy. Both Honda and Toyota have spent lots of money researching hybrid technology and changing their stance to turbocharging now would prove costly.

A turbocharged Stealth R Mustang engine

However, Toyota have announced plans to create small displacement turbocharged engines by the time 2014 rolls around but the company is yet to reveal whether they will be available in the US or not.

What do you think about the new turbo-charging craze? 

The Lamborghini Aventador is one of only two current models

Lamborghini exudes exclusivity and part of the attraction of owning a Lamborghini is the fact that you are one of very few people in the world lucky enough to own such a superior luxury car.

Engineering and designing such luxurious cars is not an easy feat and it’s an expensive sector to be involved in. This is why Lamborghini only build a limited amount of models every year and with only two models currently on offer; exclusivity comes as standard.

The Lamborghini Gallardo is the other current model

So, what can Lamborghini do to improve revenue without increasing the production line?

The key to earning more money without building more cars is to concentrate on providing bespoke cars with an extensive range of personalization options. This plan is catching on quickly as many of Lamborghini’s rivals are currently also focusing their resources on personalization services.

This bespoke Lamborghini was colored in with Sharpie markers!

Lamborghini is currently considering designing and building a third model to add to the family and it’s likely to be a production copy of the Urus SUV concept car. The release of this third addition to the Lamborghini family probably won’t happen for a few years and just the funding aspect of creating an entirely new car will take up massive resources.

The Lamborghini Aventador might be getting a new family member soon

At the 2012 Paris Auto Show a couple of weeks ago, Stephan Winkelmann, CEO and President of Lamborghini, confirmed the rumors that his luxury car company would also carry on developing one-off cars such as the Aventador J along with the limited edition Sesto Elemento. He went on to chat about the company’s plan to provide more personalized services to its customers who want to make their Lamborghini Gallardo or Lamborghini Aventador more their own.

Lamborghini at the 2012 Paris Auto Show

Lamborghini has recently opened a new prototype and concept development center that will feature a specialist department that will focus solely on building bespoke models. The new building is separated into two halves with one section dedicated to building limited edition cars and the other that will be used to test quality control and pre-production models.

The existing personalization service at Lamborghini is called Ad Personam and this program will soon feature new offerings such as new color schemes, upgrades and a choice of interior trims.

What would you have done to your Lamborghini? 

Porsche often describe their cars as having ‘spirit’ and this so-called spirit is clear to see in every soft top Porsche ever designed! From the new 2013 Porsche Boxster through to the 1948 Porsche 356 Cabriolet; it’s clear that Porsche have some of the best ‘spirit’ in the luxury car business!

The all-new Porsche Boxster 2013

The market has always offered faster soft top cars as well as more opulent soft tops than the ones Porsche make, yet the German manufacturer still manages to design car after car that has a real essence to it.

The new video above created by Porsche shows rare footage from the company’s archives showing vintage Porsches competing. The famous Porsche 550 Spyder is one of the cars that can be seen in the video and the 550 is a car that Porsche have worked tirelessly to link to the ever-popular Boxster.

The back view of the 2013 Porsche Boxster

However, the Boxster is big enough and cool enough to stand on its own two feet four wheels without any help from its grandfather! The highly anticipated launch of the 2013 Porsche Boxster that is due out in North American showrooms sometime in the next few months might just see the introduction of the company’s best Boxster yet.

The sexy 2013 Porsche Boxster will be out soon

The new Boxster is bigger yet lighter and it has also  managed to gain some serious power in its rebirth, while at the same time improving its fuel economy. This does inevitably mean that the price has also increased by a reasonable $1,400 but we believe the small hike is worth paying for the improved capabilities.

Are you interested in the 2013 Porsche Boxster?

The new Porsche Boxster as well as its sister the Porsche Boxster S are certainly worth looking at if you are shopping around for a new soft top sports car with a great reputation…

The new Bentley GT with a snakes skin covering

Latvian design company has just created a unique car creation by covering almost an entire Bentley GT in snakes skin!

Dartz Motorz created the new design called the Bentley SS, which of course stands for Bentley Snake Skin, for release in 2013 when it becomes the Chinese Year of the Snake.

The gearbox of the snakes skin Bentley GT

The interior areas including the dashboard and other interior detailing will be covered in specially treated skin as will the motors. The luxury Bentley GT already costs around $200,000 to buy but the snake skin covering will cost a minimum of an additional $13,000.

The snakes skin on the hood of the Bentley GT

The snake skin comes from snakes that are bred on farms in the leather industry but if you are an animal lover and hate the idea of this new luxury car creation; then fear not as Dartz Motorz are also offering a faux skin option. Instead of using real skin, the company can also use a vinyl covering that looks just like real snake skin but without the cruelty.

The hood of the Bentley GT

The boss of Dartz Motorz Leonard F Yankelovich had the following to say about the new design: “We’re positive that our new snake style Bentley will be huge hit as we are releasing it in the Year of the Snake!”

Do you think the new design is tacky or tasteful? 

Designer Sergio Pininfarina before his death in a Ferrari

Legendary designer Sergio Pininfarina, the son of the Pininfarina founder Battista Pininfarina, died in July 2012 aged 85 and Ferrari has just announced a plan to create a special event is his memory to commemorate some of his most famous designs for the Italian luxury car manufacturer.

Pininfarina contributed a lot to Ferrari throughout the years and an exhibition will be held in the official Ferrari Museum in the home of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy. The exhibition will be called Le Grandi Ferrari di Sergio Pininfarina, which is Italian for Sergio Pininfarina’s Great Ferraris.

The poster ad for the exhibition

Visitors will be able to see some of Pininfarina’s work in action and the designer worked alongside the famous prancing horse company for more than 60 years. The Ferraris being displayed at the event will be showcased in three halls that will be split up into production cars, concept cars and race cars.

The race car hall will feature a 250 LM that once won a Le Mans, the exact 250 SWB Stirling Moss won the Touring Trophy in and a Formula 1 Sigma that Pininfarina first suggested the company use back in the 1960s.

Sergio Pininfarina with one of his designs

In the concept car hall, visitors will be able to see the fascinating four-door Pinin, a Modulo and the P6. Lastly, the production car hall will be the temporary home to a collection of Berlinettas, a BB prototype and other impressive Ferrari models that Pininfarina worked on.

Pininfarina with one of his first Ferraris

A large mural will also feature at the event that depicts all of the Ferraris that the designer worked on from 1952-2012. Some of these cars are part of the Pininfarina family collection and it will be a huge privilege for members of the public to see them.

A Ferrari designed by the Pininfarina brand

The opening ceremony will take place on October 27 and the event will run until January 7, 2013. The chairman of Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo will be present at the opening of the exhibition and tickets are on sale for around $17 via the internet while private tours can also be organised.

The Agera R has just been released in the US

The holder of no less than six production car records, the Koenigsegg Agera R has finally been launched into the US market. The Swedish supercar company has officially made its debut into the North American market after making an appearance at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last month.

During the attendance of the annual Concours d’Elegance, Koenigsegg founder Christian von Koenigsegg greeted fans and potential customers to drum up more attention before the company launched into the US market last week.

The sexy hood of the Koenigsegg Agera R

The latest edition of the Koenigsegg can be all yours for around $1.5 million and while this might sound like a hefty price tag; the luxury car is certainly worth it!

It goes without saying that there are a long list of options to choose from including a personalization service. This means that the $1.5 million price is merely a starting point and prices can easily go up to $2 million or more if you choose to take advantage of the additional luxury services available.

The Swedish-built Koenigsegg Agera R

However, once you are behind the wheel of the Agera R all of your money matters will soon be forgotten! The power stems from its twin-turbocharged 5-liter V8 beast of an engine that pumps out 960 bhp. The power of the Koenigsegg Agera R is immense and it manages to hit 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. Its top speed is also worth admiring as it is 5 mph more that a Bugatti Veyron at 273 mph.

US customers will also be happy to know that the Agera R boasts all kinds of high tech gadgets including nano-surfaced cylinder sleeves, a Formula 1 pushrod suspension and hollow carbon fiber wheels.

A blue version of the popular Agera R

If you missed Koenigsegg at this year’s Concours d’Elegance, then keep your eyes peeled next year as Koenigsegg announced that this is the only event that the luxury car company from Sweden will be attending in North America.

Are you excited about the Agera R?

All five of the current Ferrari models are on display at the 2012 Paris Auto Show but arguably the most interesting Ferrari on display is the car without any bodywork, wheels or drivetrain…

The carbon fiber tub that is drawing all the attention in the Ferrari corner is referred to by the professionals as a monocoque and this particular monocoque is going to be turned into the successor for the Ferrari Enzo, hence all the attention!

The monocoque of the Ferrari F70

The Ferrari F70 will be built based on lessons learnt from F1 racing, which is always a good sign for anyone who loves to drive a fast car! The carbon fiber chassis may be the most complex chassis ever created by the Italian supercar company after more common methods of industrial carbon fiber production were discounted for the development of the F70.

Popular techniques such as Resin Transfer Molding were deemed to not be of a high enough quality by Ferrari and who are we to argue with the experts? In total, four different types of carbon fiber will be used and each of the four parts made of carbon fiber will be laminated by hand before they are cured into an autoclave.

The skeleton of the Ferrari F70 at the Paris Auto Show

The main part of the new Ferrari F70 is made from T800 carbon, which is overlaid by carbon fiber tape called T800UD for extra strength. The cross member and the underbody is made from M46J carbon fiber, which is famous for its strength under pressure. The doors are made from T1000 carbon fiber that is, of course, well known for its ability to withstand a forceful impact.

The side of the new Ferrari F70

The monocoque will be fully protected by debris on the road as it is made from a mixture of carbon fiber and Kevlar, which is the same material that is used in bullet proof vests!

The end result of the Ferrari F70 is a luxury sports car that is 20% lighter than its predecessor - the ever-popular Ferrari Enzo. The lighter body of the F70 means that it will offer improved handling as well as faster speeds meaning the newest member of the Ferrari family will be a car not to be messed with!

The Ferrari F70 is taking over from the popular Ferrari Enzo

The 2012 Beijing Auto Show was the setting for the debut of the Ferrari F70 drivetrain and now that we can see the monocoque at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, we can’t wait to see the entire car…

The 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo at the Paris Auto Show

The 2012 Paris Auto Show is proving to be a huge hit, as always, and Lamborghini has now got in on the action by unveiling the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4.

The supercar is due to be released in 2013 and the new look Gallardo is refreshing. Customers can also enjoy a completely new level of personalization services and while the range still consists of six models; the difference between the ‘standard’ Gallardo LP 560-4 and the most extreme LP 570-4 Spyder Performante is more noticeable than ever before.

The unveiling of the 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo

The entire family of Gallardo LP 560-4 variants have enjoyed receiving a new front end. This is dominated by trapezoidal and triangular shapes and the back end of the car has also been modified with the same triangular patterns.

The side panels of the new 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo

Anyone lucky enough to be able to buy a Lamborghini Gallardo should count themselves lucky but now the luxury car manufacturer is offering its customers a really intimate service with the choice of new wheel patterns and unique interior trim options.

The hood of the new 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo

All of the 2013 Gallardo LP 570-4 cars will have an additional option to receive the Edizione Tecnica, including the already impressive LP 570-4 Spyder Performante and the LP 570-4 Superleggera. No alterations have been made to the powertrains and the outputs will range from 542 bhp in the LP 550-2 models in the rear wheel drive through to 562 bhp in the LP 570-4 models in the all-wheel drive cars.

Lamborghini rarely get it wrong and judging by the reaction of the company’s many fans at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, the 2013 Gallardo looks set to be a huge hit…