Bugatti Unveils Trio of Special Edition Veyrons at Dubai Motor Show

To honor the importance of the Middle East market to its automotive business, Bugatti swiped the wraps off two unique cars, the Veyron "Sang d'Argent" and the Grand Sport "Soleil de Nuit", as well as a special series of five Veyrons dubbed "Nocturne", all of which will be sold only in the Middle East, at this week's Dubai International Motor Show.

Limited to just five units, the Veyron Nocturne sports a black finish with polished aluminum body parts and custom rims along with galvanized side windows. Inside, this special edition Veyron features a black nanocoated magnesium dashboard and a centre console in galvanized Platinum.

Moving on to the one-off specials, the Veyron "Sang d'Argent" coupe combines a silver paint finish with polished aluminium parts and a Havanna interior with quilting pattern on seats and saddle and other personalized items.

The Grand Sport "Soleil de Nuit" features a two-tone paint scheme with the Black Blue Metallic color enriched by mirror shine body parts and trim while the interior is finished in a strong burnt orange shade.

All three cars will be available for delivery to their Middle East owners in the first quarter of 2010 with prices ranging from €1.45 million for the "Sang d'Argent" and €1.55 million for the "Soleil de Nuit", the Veyron and Grand Sport one-off models, to €1.65 million for the five car "Nocturne" series.

2010 Ford S-MAX gets a New Snout and 203HP 2.0-Liter Turbo Gasoline Engine

Along with the revised Galaxy MPV , Ford -officially- unveiled today the minivan's 'sportier' sibling, the facelifted 2010 S-MAX that will also make its public debut at the 2010 Brussels auto show next January. Being twin-models, the two people carriers share most upgrades including the introduction of Ford's new 2.0-liter EcoBoost STCi petrol engine and the new diesel lineup.

However, the S-MAX's makeover is a little more noticeable that that of the 2010 Galaxy. At the front, the new S-MAX gains a redesigned bonnet, bumper and upper and lower grilles, with the high series models now featuring distinctive LED daytime running lights.

Meanwhile, at the back, the seven-seater minivan gets a more dynamically profiled tailgate, a tweaked lower fascia, and reshaped LED tail lights.

Interior upgrades concern the new multifunctional overhead console, an available one-piece panorama roof equipped with power sun blinds, a new LED interior lighting system and revised upholstery colors, graphics and materials.

Like the Galaxy, the S-MAX will be offered with Ford's new 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost petrol engine featuring direct injection that delivers 203 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 300 Nm of torque from 1,750 to 4,500 rpm.

The new powerplant is linked to Ford's dual clutch transmission that drives the front wheels. According to Ford, the S-MAX EcoBoost accelerates from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 221 km/h or 137 mph.

Ford says that the new gasoline motor will produce 189g/km of CO2 with a combined fuel of 8.1lt/100km or 29.0mpg US / 34.8mpg UK.

At the same time, Ford's diesel offering for the new S-MAX have has been improved with the upgraded 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi engine family now complying with Stage V emission regulations. The diesel unit is available in three power levels with 115, 140 and 163 horsepower.

The 2010 S-MAX and Galaxy will go on sale across Europe early next year.

New Photos of Aston Martin Lagonda Crossover Concept, What's Up with the Retro Seat Cushions?

We know that most of you would rather forget about Aston Martin's conceptual nightmare endeavor to revive the Lagonda nameplate with the aptly named Concept at the 2009 Geneva Show Concept, but new images of the luxury crossover have popped up on the automaker's site. Q67JA9WA82WC

Well, to be completely frank, the reason why we chose to share these pictures with you are those laughable cushions seen on the independent rear seats that take us back a few decades. Oddly enough, Aston Martin's home decorators skipped on the fuzzy dice...

The four-seater Lagonda Concept is based on the mechanicals of the Mercedes GL-Class with power coming from a V12 engine - apparently the same one found in the DB9. Aston Martin has not made any new announcements concerning the future of the Concept crossover.

Source: Aston Martin , Via: Egmcartech

Mercedes-Benz Brings Together Three Generations of Racing Car Haulers Including the 300SL-Powered Blue Wonder

As part of this year's celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows, the German automaker has brought together three generations of trucks that have been used to transfer the firm's racing cars over the years. These include the 1934 Lo 2750, an awesome replica of the once fastest racing car transporter in the world, the so-called 'Blue Wonder' from 1955 that was powered by the original Gullwing's direct-injection engine, and a modern day Actros Truck.

Needless to say, the one that stands out like a shining star is the official replica of the 'Blue Wonder'. Built at the request of racing manager Alfred Neubauer in the mid 1950s, this one-of-a-kind transporter served Mercedes-Benz for more than a decade.

The 6.75-metre-long and two-meters-wide hauler used a lengthened tubular frame from the Mercedes-Benz 300 S luxury coupe of the era.

Power was provided by a three-liter inline-six with direct-injection that came straight from the legendary 300 SL Gullwing sports car of 1955, while various body components such as the doors, wings and some of the interior appointments were sourced from the Mercedes-Benz 180 standard saloon. It was then billed as the 'fastest racing car transporter in the world'.

After Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor sports at the end of 1955, the 'Blue Wonder' initially served as an exhibition vehicle in the USA, followed by ten years of service for Mercedes-Benz test drives. Unfortunately, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who managed the motor sports department during the racing car carriers' "active" period, had the one-off model scrapped in 1967.

However, decades later, Mercedes-Benz rebuilt this stunning racing car hauler based on archive photographs.

As for the other two trucks featured here, the Mercedes-Benz Lo 2750 is a completely restored model from 1936 equipped with a four-cylinder petrol engine while the 4-meter tall and 16.5-metre long 2009 Actros Truck that's powered by a V8 turbo diesel currently serves as a carrier for Mercedes-Benz's Formula 1 and DTM racing cars.


1955 Mercedes-Benz Blue Wonder

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1934 Mercedes-Benz Lo 2750 and 2009 Mercedes-Benz Actros