Exotic Car Blog

Obie Silverwood, President of the ASTON ELITE car club, initially wrote this captivating event review for his club's newsletter. We thank him for kindly agreeing to republish it in our blog:

Without a doubt, Monterey Auto Week has become one of the world's premier celebrations of automotive style, performance and history. With events such as Concorso Italiano, the Quail: A Motorsports Gathering, and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, this year's festivities from August 17-21, 2011 drew the attention of automotive aficionados, collectors, luxury car buyers and the media like none before.

Guest blog post by: Obie Silverwood, President ASTON ELITE (Aston Martin car club)

Los Gatos Luxury Cars hosted a lavish new model unveiling event this past Thursday for the all-new 2012 Aston Martin Virage and the 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S. The event at 66 East Main Street brought together new and established Aston Martin owners and a number of Silicon Valley's finest car enthusiasts, all eager to be the first to get a close look at the latest additions to the Aston Martin lineup.

Los Gatos Luxury Cars had several Virage Coupe and Volante models at hand for the exclusive crowd, which admired the elegant, yet powerful lines and the superb handcrafted contrast leather stitching. The V8 Vantage S with its dramatic looks was displayed in two stunning versions, Coupe and Roadster.

Infineon Raceway was transformed into a "Bullring" on May 20, 2011 when British Motor Car Distributors and Los Gatos Luxury Cars held their latest Track Day at the racing circuit near Sears Point. The exclusive event was co-hosted by Hooked on Driving (HOD), a well-renowned provider of high- performance driving programs.

On a beautiful, crisp Sonoma morning, 17 clients and their guests were able to experience their supercars like never before. Hooked on Driving's expert instructors, including founder David Ray, provided coaching to our clients on high-performance driving techniques. In three track sessions, at 25 minutes each, our customers were given ample opportunity to practice their advanced car control skills that are essential to mastering the challenging track.

In addition, British Motor Car Distributors and Los Gatos Luxury Cars brought the newest Lamborghini models to the venue: Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante, Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Bicolore, and Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera. For the first time, our clients were able not only to get up close and personal to the stunning new members of the Raging Bulls family, but also to get in ride-alongs and test drives around the famed Infineon racing circuit.

What made the event even more extraordinary was the presence of Lamborghini factory driver Richard Antinucci. He brilliantly demonstrated the true capabilities of the new Lamborghini models and helped our clients unleash the full potential of their high-speed Lamborghini vehicles.

The intense 60-lap morning track session was followed by a relaxing luncheon at Jacuzzi Winery in Sonoma. Wine Valley Catering outdid themselves in a delicious 5-course feast that was followed by an afternoon tasting of some of Jacuzzi's most exclusive wine offerings.

From adrenaline-fueled track driving to lounging with a glass of Sonoma wine, it was a great event in which all the participants enjoyed themselves to the max. Even Lamborghini factory driver Richard Antinucci was impressed: "I've done a lot of these (events), no dealer has done it quite as elaborate as you guys have."

Aston Martin dealers were sent top secret information on the new "Virage" and told to keep it quite before its public announcement February 23rd, 2011 (today). What a difficult task that was as this is an incredible new addition to the Aston Martin model line up.  The new Virage will debue for the first time at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show next week and is expected to make some big waves.  Aston Martin Dealers will begin taking orders just after the auto show with an expected customer delivery this summer.  Allocations will be limited and Aston Martin dealers expect to be sold out quickly.

    Since the economy took a dip back in 2008 there have not been many new cars launched that have prevailed in this down market.  Even the Ferrari dealers who previously had their VIP waiting list for all of their new car models had to resort to cold calling their database to fill orders.

Lotus is said to be the big show stopper this year at the 2010 Paris Auto Show with the debut of six new models. Lotus will be rolling out their new models starting with the all new redesigned Elise spring 2011.  In 2012 Lotus will be bringing back the ever popular Esprit that gained popularity in the early nineties after being featured in the movie "Pretty Women".  The all new 400hp V6 Elan that is said to rival the Porsche 911 and the Audi R8 is set to launch in summer 2013.  The new front engine GT V8 Lotus Elite is also scheduled to arrive in 2013.  Then the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide rivaling 4-door Lotus Flagship "The Eterne" will arrive in 2014 and is forecasted to make a big stir with its estimated 500bhp front engine V8.  The sixth model Lotus will be unveiling in Paris next month is an all electric compact concept car that will feature a solar paneled roof to help keep its charge.  The current name of their electric concept car is "The Lotus Supermini".  For more details and pictures on Lotus' 6 new models check out this great link "Lotus Launch"

As an adult, there aren't too many things that get your blood pumping, your heart racing or that gives you a grin so wide your cheeks hurt yet it's impossible to stop smiling.  24hrs after my $1.8 million joy ride though the South San Francisco Bay area in the red & black Bugatti Veyron shown above....I'm still smiling. 

Since the dawn of the Bentley brand, the purchase of a new Bentley was usually only possible for the uber rich with pockets deep enough to write a check larger then the value of many US homes.  While the price of a new Bentley ranging from the GT at $190,000 to the new Mulsanne at $310,00 is still out of reach for most, Bentley has never been more aggressive on their pricing and financial offerings.  When the economic crisis hit, Bentley saw a decrease in sales of nearly 40% which put new Bentley dealer inventory at an all time high.  This summer Bentley Motorcars has responded to their dealers cries for help, by releasing programs so good that dealers have sold more new Bentley's in the past 60 days then they have all year.  Bentley Financial Services responded by releasing lease programs for new GT, GT Speed, Supersports and Flying Spur models requiring dealers to sell their cars at invoice in order to take advantage of their subsidized residuals, some with nearly $20,000 increased lease residual value, making for ultra low payments for those with qualifying credit.  Supersports, the fastest Bentley in history, now has lease payments that are nearly 50% off of what they were when the car was released just last year.  The GT Coupe, Bentley's best selling model, can now be leased for less than that of the new Mercedes Benz SL63amg for those with top notch credit even though they are considerably more expensive.  If your credit took a hit during the market downturn like many people's did and you don't think you would qualify for Bentley's strict credit qualifications, not to worry, Bentley has you covered too.  For those who do not want wish to take advantage of Bentley Financial's special lease and finance programs and prefer to pay cash, Bentley has incentivized its dealers on many of the most popular models to sharpen their pencils to make writing a check for a beautiful much easier.  The time to treat yourself to a new Bentley is now!