If you're buying an Escalade, there's a good chance that even the Platinum Edition ESV won't be enough for you. That's why companies like Becker and STRUT exist, so that you can shine like one of the brightest stars in the multiverse. When these two companies get together on something... well, you'll probably need tinted goggles to behold it. So it's with a bang that they introduced a special edition Cadillac ESV limo.
How do you top platinum? With a floor-to-ceiling leather interior, where you'll enjoy a home -- or is that limo? -- theater system, broadband Internet, a wall-mounted computer screen... and the company of your statuesque personal assistant with the Eastern European accent.
At its unveiling at this past March's Geneva show, it was immediately apparent that Abarth had carried off a transformation of the Fiat 500 from a demure retro-hatch into a veritable pocket rocket. But for those for whom the 135 hp turbo four is just not enough, the performance division has unveiled a new limited edition "500 Abarth Opening Edition".
Although the name might suggest a convertible, the 500 Opening Edition is a fixed-roof hot-hatch distinguished by a 160hp engine, dropping a half-second off the conventional 500 Abarth's 0-60 time, now down to a sprightly 7.4 seconds. The Opening Edition also gets red brake calipers behind special 17" alloys in white or titanium finish, tinted glass and a revised interior with red leather and special badging with a serial number plate. Available in either pearl white or Campovolo gray (the latter available with a red-and-white checkered roof), only 100 examples of the 500 Abarth Opening Edition will be offered, complete with a special car cover to keep the exclusive vehicle protected from the elements.
In celebration of GM's 100th Anniversary, GM Asia-Pacific has unveiled the Corvette S-Limited, a 30-car special for the Japanese market. priced at ¥7,980,000. The allotment is split evenly by color -- 15 in Arctic White and 15 in Black. All the cars get the full leather-wrapped interior package; a rear spoiler, mesh grillework , and screened inserts for the side coves and the plate between the exhaust outlets. 'Vettes in Japan are probably scarce enough that they still draw plenty of attention. Hey, in the land where the best-selling car's engine displaces 660cc's, a thundering, 430-horsepower American pushrod that displaces 6.2 liters is always gonna make people look. Appropriately, the Corvette S-Limited officially goes on sale on the Fourth of July.
If you're thinking about dropping $1.5 million on a set of wheels, would a special edition really tip the scales one way or another? Well, Bugatti evidently thinks so. After having produced the Pur Sang and the Fbg par Hermès editions, the ultra-premium auto marque revealed the Sang Noir last month.
Now, after disgruntled U.S. buyers lost out on the opportunity to buy the Pur Sang when it sold out to an invited group of European customers in Paris, Bugatti has announced that its American clientele will get first crack at the limited run of 15 Sang Noir Veyrons before they're offered elsewhere in the world. And who said holding American citizenship isn't worth what it used to be?
The Ford Fiesta is one of the best-selling vehicles in the UK. But before it's replaced by the new model, the Blue Oval's British subsidiary isn't about to let it go out without a... well, we'd hardly call it a bang, but at least a last desperate plea for attention before it's retired.
The imaginatively named "Red" edition comes in any color, as long as it's – you guessed it – red. Colorado Red, to be specific, with a black-and-white checker-board roof and black accents on the mirror caps, door handles, moldings and roof spoiler. The special edition is based on the Fiesta Zetec S, powered by a "zesty yet thrifty" 1.6-liter four pushing out 100hp. Leather seats, 16" alloys, air-con and heated electric side-view mirrors round out the package, of which only 400 will be offered at a price of £13,000 to British customers who really should be waiting for the new Fiesta.
Who knows what took so long, but the Buick Lucerne Super that was first shown over a year ago at the 2007 New York Auto Show is arriving in dealerships this month, and it's brought a friend in the form of a the new Lucerne CXL Special Edition. To refresh your memory, the Lucerne Super is the super duper counterpart to the LaCrosse Super, which we've already tested in the Autoblog Garage. The Super features the venerable 4.6L Northstar V8 tuned to produce 292 horsepower and 288 pound-feet of torque. It's also equipped with higher-grade steering components, high-rate front and rear coil springs, a larger front stabilizer bar, 18-inch aluminum wheels and Magnetic Ride Control. The Lucerne Super also features a base price of $39,395 sans destination charges, so go easy on those options if you want to keep the price as low as possible.
Arriving with the Lucerne Super will be the just announced CXL Special Edition. What makes it special is that it's the only Lucerne model that offers the option of either the large but woefully weak 197-hp 3.8L V6 (or ye' ole 3800 Series) or the 4.6L Northstar V8 tuned to make 275 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque. The CXL Special Edition also gets some exterior and interior enhancements, though nothing we haven't seen before.
Though Buick has the hot-selling Enclave CUV, its sedans are being ignored by buyers for a number of reasons, not the least of which is poor powertrain choices. The Northstar V8 was a good motor in its day, but its tech is now aged and the same power output with better fuel efficiency can be had with GM's newer 3.6L V6, both in direct-inject and non-DI versions. We're sure GM doesn't want to cannibalize Cadillac CTS sales by offering the same engines in less expensive Buicks, but something has to be done to salvage these sedans.
"Even in times of recession, people still want to have something of great quality." This is the idea behind the Fbg by Hermes edition of the Bugatti Veyron. So rest assured that while you and I are watching our assets plummet, somewhere out there, there is someone with enough surplus income to spend on an even more expensive version of the world's most expensive supercar. We brought you news and images of the special-edition Veyron from the floor of the Geneva Motor Show where it was unveiled, and were left wondering if the idea of the empire was really dead. In the video after the jump, the Wall Street Journal seek to understand – and more than that, explain – the justification for such an outlandish expenditure.
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New England is Volvo Country. It's also home territory for the loved and loathed Red Sox. There's plenty of cars plastered with "B" stickers, license plates and trinkum. Long a sponsor of Red Sox baseball, Volvo's rolled out a special edition of its stubby C30. The Kammback hatch comes with a factory-fitted Team logo stuck to the glass of the rear hatch, fender badges and a distinctive shade of red. This regionally pimped Volvo is a limited edition, with only 107 examples being produced.
If baseball (or just the Red Sox) isn't your thing, Volvo's got an Ocean Race Edition that spans the V70, XC70 and XC90 models. Ocean Race cars have been available a couple of times before, sporting Ocean Blue paint and nautical detailing, and the new Ocean Race themed cars continue to tie in with the actual sailing event. New this time around is the availability of Ocean Race models in Electric Silver as well as Ocean Blue. Interior details are more evocative of sailing, and new wheels draw inspiration from the undulation of the ocean. Volvo expects to shift 9,000 of these maritime units, which should make it easy enough to find a limited production Volvo, even if you miss out on the baseball themed C30.
HUMMER has a pair of special edition trucks on the way, in the same vein as last year's H2 Victory Red Limited Edition. So, without further ado, we'll start with the one that sends Sierra Club do-gooders into fits of Tourette's, the H2. The H2 Silver Ice Limited Edition takes factory blingtacularization to new heights of brightness, starting with the rig's exclusive Silver Ice monochrome paint scheme. The grille, hood vents, and side extractors all get coated in the stuff, and the chrome appearance package dresses up the 20" wheels and other trim elements. Inside, it's pretty well loaded, right down to the rear-seat entertainment system. The package can be had for both the SUT ($65,230) and SUV ($67,595) body styles, and a total of 750 will be built (500 in the US, 250 in other markets).
The other vehicle being offered is the H3 Championship Edition, a nod to the H3 Alpha that won the Baja 1000 Full Stock class last year. As such, the CE gets the Alpha's V8 drivetrain plus 33" tires, a grille guard, skid plates, fender sill extensions, and a decal aft of the (faux) hood louvers to create a stripe effect. The shocks and brake calipers are painted red, and the rest of the car is doused in Ultra Silver Metallic paint. Pricing for the H3 Championship Edition starts at $39,206, before you start adding stuff like the optional wheels and cab lights you see here. Both it and the previously-mentioned H2 Silver Ice arrive this April
One of the unexpected Chicago announcements this year is the 2008 Audi A4 Special Edition, an obvious model run-out push in advance of the new A4's arrival. The specialness comes from an extra equipment package that adds value via standard 17" Y-Spoke wheels and, on quattro-equipped models, standard heated leather seats. The Special Editions come with one year of free SIRIUS satellite radio and are powered by the sprightly 2.0 TFSI four-cylinder. Naturally, Audi will happily let you pad the bottom line on the A4 SE's sticker price by further enhancing it with any currently-available A4 options and/or packages (S-Line, etc.). Look for the A4 Special Edition in sedan and Avant bodystyles to arrive at your local Audi dealers by the middle of next month.
