| Big wheels keep up to the marque by buying flash
AS ECONOMIC barometers go, there could hardly be any more dashing a $580,000 status symbol on wheels and at least 80 Australians have already placed their order for Ferrari's slick new model, the F430 Scuderia. The latest street incarnation of the world's most famous motor racing emblem is an eight-cylinder, 503-horsepower, high-performance vehicle its Italian makers would seem wholly justified in touting as a "unique supercar perfect for passionate and sporty customers". Then there's the Porsche 911 turbo, retailing at $370,000. More than 100 Australians put themselves behind the wheel of one last year, and others are queuing to take delivery of the next generation GT2 priced at $425,000. Property developer Zac Brankovic, 38, who has been driving Porsches for about five years, shelled out $260,000 for his Porsche Carrera S convertible.
Mercedes-Benz introduces SLR McLaren Roadster
Imagine this: You're a guest at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows. As you approach your car, heads turn to see which of the rich and famous is in their midst. Yes, it's true. Even in Beverly Hills heads will turn when your car is a 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren roadster. Star-struck situations like this really do occur, especially if you own one of the most desired, most expensive, most status-oriented, and hard-to-get cars on the planet.
Mercedes-Benz has begun building a roadster version of its extraordinary SLR McLaren super coupe for the 2008 model year. Powered by a supercharged 5.5-liter, 617-horepower AMG V-8 engine, the SLR McLaren Roadster boasts a 0-60 mph time of only 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 206 mph. Showing off Formula 1 technology for the street, the roadster's carbon fiber monocoque provides an extremely rigid platform for outstanding handling, as well as exceptional protection in collisions.
Lenny Dykstra: MLB Player To Money Analyst To Publisher?
Lenny Dykstra, baseball player turned financial analyst, is now adding another title to his resume: Publisher. He's coming out with a magazine called The Players Club in conjunction with Doubledown Media, publisher of Trader Monthly. It promises to be a monthly business and lifestyle glossy for athletes. The circulation will only be 20,000, but the magazine press release says it will wind up in the locker rooms of the major professional sports. When this idea first hit a couple years ago, I thought it was tremendous. It's basically, a play on an old game. Niche publication gets into the right audience. Pays for itself and earns a profit from advertisers who covet the market. But this marketplace is challenged. First, Dykstra is hardly the initial mover in this field. The "original" magazine of this type was called Moves and it was founded by a former agent named Scott Helfand, four years ago.
Supercars that will spoil you
Buyers of ultra-high-end cars have traditionally fallen into one of two camps: performance or luxury. There are the thrill seekers, strapped into million-dollar Bugatti Veyrons, zooming down the autobahn at 200-plus mph. And then there's the chauffeured set, lounging in the backseats of Rolls-Royce Phantoms while sipping glasses of Cristal. Judging by the latest crop of supercars to hit the market, automakers are betting more big-spenders fall somewhere in between the two extremes. You no longer have to choose between ultra-fast acceleration and hand-stitched comfort. In some new models, you get the best of both worlds. No car embodies the Goldilocks approach better than Fiat's Maserati GranTurismo, a supercar that made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. A sportier update of the four-door Quattroporte, the Pininfarina-designed GranTurismo is more compact and more curvaceous than its predecessor, with a wider grille.
Events for the family
Special Events Philadelphia Black History Month Mural Tour See murals of & painted by renowned African Americans. Soul food lunch to follow. Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, 1729 Mt. Vernon St.; Reservations required: 215-685-0754. www.muralarts.org. $45. 2/23 10 am-1:30 pm. Ray Martin Celebrity Basketball Tournament Annual benefit for the Fox Chase Cancer Center. 267-312-5456. St. Joseph's University, 5600 City Ave.; www.fccc.edu/celebritybball. $10. 2/23 2-5:30 pm. *FREE* Sideshow Nation Casting Audition Seeking performers for TV pilot about the formation of a sideshow/burlesque troupe. North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St.; 215-787-0488. www.thesnivelinggoat.com. Sign-in time 5-6 pm. 2/24 7 pm. Watson Adventures: Demons & Mummies Scavenger Hunt At Penn Museum, search across time to uncover the secrets about a Zuni footrace, a Tibetan skull drum, an Egyptian mummy's medical mystery & more.
Cutting Your Premiums Down To Size, Part I
LET'S START WITH AUTO INSURANCE. Coverage for your car breaks down into four categories: liability, for bodily injury and property damage; uninsured motorist coverage, to pay your bills in case you're nailed by one of the one in five people who drive without insurance; collision and comprehensive, to protect your car if it's damaged or vandalized; and medical and personal injury coverage. Forty-six states require liability coverage, and it's a good idea to have as much as you can afford. Say you're trolling the parking lot of the A&P and nick a Mercedes on its bumper, bruising the driver's elbow. Your liability insurance will pay for any damage you inflict on other people in an accident, so this Mercedes driver is likely to go away happy. But if you don't have enough coverage, the person you injure can come after your house to pay for his aches ? and you can rack up thousands of dollars in legal fees trying to defend yourself.
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