Booking starts for 45th anniversary Nissan GT-R
You have to be lucky and quick to lay your hands on the 45th anniversary edition of the Godzilla of supercars. Nissan Motor Co. starts taking booking for the 45 limited edition cars, scheduled to be launched alongside the base 2015 model GT-R in early February.
The 45th Anniversary Limited-Edition will come with a special paint color, “Silica Brass” – the same trademark color as the Skyline GT-R M-Spec (R34 Type), which was touted as the “a GT-R that satisfies the mature driver” when it was released in 2001. The 45th Anniversary GT-R, available only in the Premium Edition trim level, will have an exclusive marque on the console and under the hood.
While we know the car only from 2007, the GT-R has originally been available in Japan from the 60s. The 45 cars are to be available only in Japan; and bookings from our region are being taken on a first-come first-served basis. The price in Japan is close to AED 330,000 but check with Nissan Middle East for the actual price for the limited edition and if you are going to get it with the wheel (I mean steering wheel) in the right place, the left in our case!
Inspired Light Painting by Infiniti and Patrick Rochon
Sometimes I forget to change the speed settings in my camera after a low light shoot. And the results at times are mesmerizing, purely by accident. Trails of light and colour formed behind objects in the picture, creating a hypnotic effect or a slow motion capture of dynamic movement. I often do it by accident but Patrick Rochon does it deliberately; in fact he has made a career of art out of it. The art is called Light Painting and why we are talking about it is because some Infiniti cars were turned into light painting brushes creating some spectacular effects perhaps as photo-mesmeric as the yearend pyrotechnics at the Burj Khalifa!
Usually the artist moves his hands to create the trail of colourful light that is captured on camera and video. This time, lights were fitted onto the vehicle that interacted with the light and darkness in the background along its trail of movement. As Patrick says, “All of us are creating a trail of light in the universe. And I think that’s what light painting is all about… and the project with Infiniti is all about… creating something remarkable… and that light is projected into space… into infinity!”
Inspired Light by Infiniti was a project six months in the making and is the world’s first performance of light painting using cars, in this case Infiniti’s unique SUV, the QX70S Elite Sport. Watch the YouTube video here to see how the project was carried out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfiy35IJ2uQ
Celebration time at Audi factories. In its 4th generation, the ever-popular A4 marks 20 years of production.
Picnic Hamper: Rolls-Royce Style
McLaren reveals another Black Swan moment
McLaren revealed another picture of its Sports Series in mid-December (I did readily post it on DriveME facebook page then.) New McLaren P13 with its V8 engine is the smaller brother of the 650S, due for launch in the second quarter of 2015. Earlier pictures showed the P13 with swan doors turned up, just like its siblings the 650S and P1. Which explains the #BlackSwanMoments right now in circulation.
Ferrari Sergio has an owner in Abu Dhabi
December was special for Ferrari owners in the UAE. The first Ferrari Sergio was delivered to its owner here – the SBH Royal Auto Gallery in the UAE, at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. Designed by Pininfarina, this roadster is limited to six examples, and celebrates 60 years of association of the historic Cambiano company with the Prancing Horse. Sergio was a natural name choice for the model, after the influential Pininfarina, who personally persuaded Enzo Ferrari to adopt a ‘mid-engined’ configuration for their new line of road cars.
The Ferrari Sergio is an authentic open-top based on the 458 Spider, and is powered by the latest 605 hp version of Ferrari’s naturally aspirated 4497cc V8 which is a three-times straight winner of the International Engine of the Year award. 0 to 100 km/h – 3 seconds. (Phew!)
Reminiscent of the spirit of Pininfarina’s 1960s and 70s creations for Ferrari, the Ferrari Sergio combines a simple yet subtly intriguing style. Each one of the six Ferrari Sergios was configured by its owner in dedicated sessions at the Tailor Made atelier in Maranello. The one in Abu Dhabi has three-layer red exterior paintwork and an extremely sporty cockpit with black leather upholstery with contrasting red stitching, Alcantara seat inserts, and extensive carbon dash and door well trim. It also features Sergio-specific forged wheels in gold, with a diamond finish.
