Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Middle East, Luxury, Koenigsegg

When we were 21, we were happy to ditch the fake ID and score cheaper insurance rates. Life's a little different for Dhiaa Al-Essa, a 21-year-old Saudi who owns a fleet of exotics that'd turn the average enthusiast's knees into Jell-O.

His 30-car (not a typo) garage includes enough Italians, Brits and Germans to re-enact World War II. His current stable includes four Ferraris, five Porsches, three Lamborghinis, two Rolls-Royces and a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which he counts as his personal favorite. To wring maximum enjoyment out of his exotic empire, Al-Essa spent this summer flying his fleet around the globe so that he and his friends could create their own driving tours in cities such as London, Montreal, Las Vegas and New York.

How is a young man like Mr. Al-Essa able to afford such amazing machinery? Well, he can't. His father just happens to be a billionaire who enjoys spending money on cost-is-no-object basis for his son. To prove this point, Dihaa's father is planning on providing him with the keys to two more otherworldly vehicles. On his 22nd birthday, Dihaa will become the proud owner of a Koenigsegg Agera, which comes with a golden key. It's like the Willy Wonka of supercars. After the Agera, a Bugatti Veyron will join the family. The price for both cars? Around one Corvette Z06 under $5 million dollars.

Sadly, Al-Essa's new Ferrari 458 Italia was recently lost to fire while housed at Heathrow Airport. Is he crying about it? Nope. He reportedly plans to replace it with one of the Ferrari 599 Roadster models rumored to have been shown at Pebble Beach last month. Thanks for the tip, dood!

Image Copyright (C) 2008 Alex Núñez / AOL
[Source: Metro.co.uk]

21-year-old with giant supercar collection makes us jealous originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Toyota

One month of dreary sales figures doesn't signal the end of the hybrid, but the numbers reported for August hint that without a rise in gas prices, hybrid vehicle sales will likely continue to suffer. Overall hybrid sales dropped 40.4 percent in August compared to a year ago. Not even the mighty Toyota Prius could avoid the plunge. Prius sales fell 37.5 percent compared to August 2009 and dropped off 16.3 percent compared to the July 2010 numbers. Combined, Toyota and Lexus hybrids saw a 36.2 percent decline from a year ago. Ford fared better by posting a 17.1 percent drop in year-over-year numbers.

Hybrid sales were clearly boosted last August by the government's Cash for Clunkers program, but this summer's low gas prices take much of the blame for the current hybrid sales plunge. Toyota remains in the number one spot, posting 15,444 sales last month. Ford sits in second place after moving 3,894 hybrid vehicles off dealer lots, while Honda holds onto third with 3,485 sales. It's getting redundant, but Toyota still leads the hybrid market. Anyone want to place bets on when (or if) that'll change?



[Sources: Green Car Advisor, Autoblog]

Hybrid sales plummet 40% in August; Prius records 37.5% decline originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was interesting to read Editor Chas Hallett’s blog that a used Ferrari is still a good Ferrari, but let's be honest - is a Ferrari ever truly ‘used’ in the accepted sense of the word?

I would argue that there are some cars which never truly become used. I believe that they miss all the usual stages and go straight to collectible or classic status instead.

I never really see many exotics as used, although a Jaguar always will be very used, then a banger and, if it is very lucky, a classic. A Caterham to me is never really a used car, although the Ferrari 400i went through all the Seven Ages of Car, as far as I could see.



Oh yes, the Seven Ages of Car. Here is my theoretical breakdown as to just how cars get old and all that:

New – Showroom fresh and delivery mileage.

Pre-registered – As above, but there is a name in the V5 and some money missing from the bottom line.

Nearly new – Dealer demos and pretty much most cars under a year old and with less than 10k miles qualify.

Pre-owned – The posh and slightly pretentious car dealer, or perhaps an exotic vehicle will be listed here. Would make a great name for a column, too.

Used – Self-explanatory, I hope.

Banger – The cars I love - all depreciated out, but still full of life.

Classic  - All of a sudden a car crosses that threshold (Morris Ital, anyone?) and suddenly everyone loves them and maybe they start to appreciate in value.

There are of course, exceptions - models that seem to miss out on several stages altogether. So I just wondered whether this Seven Ages theory holds any water and how the cars you love fare on this basis?

Okay, this one’s a bit more complex because it involves the twists and undulations of Donington, plus a more disparate range of cars, but the question itself is exactly the same: what’s fastest?

I’m talking about the short circuit at Donington - in other words, not the one that includes the Melbourne loop. And despite what you may think in light of the British GP debacle, the circuit itself is the same as it ever was – even if the Spitfire has been sadly removed from the infield near the Old Hairpin.



Here are the cars. See if you can put them in order of lap time, from fastest to slowest, with yours truly at the wheel on a dry, sunny day:

Renault Megane 250 Cup, Noble M600, Mercedes SLS, Jaguar XJ (supercharged), Ferrari 458, VW Scirocco R, Lotus Elise (entry-level model), Lotus Evora, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Alpina B5 S.

Anyone who gets it spot on wins a free subscription to the mag for a year – on me.

Good luck.