Now if only this thing didn't stand out quite so much...

Course, that's kind of the point of this particular car...

http://www.netcarshow.com/porsche/2010-panamera/800x600/wallpaper_08.htm
http://www.netcarshow.com/porsche/2010-panamera/800x600/wallpaper_0b.htm
http://www.netcarshow.com/porsche/2010-panamera/800x600/wallpaper_11.htm
http://www.netcarshow.com/porsche/2010-panamera/800x600/wallpaper_15.htm
http://www.netcarshow.com/porsche/2010-panamera/800x600/wallpaper_19.htm

Gotta say, it's tough to resist the temptation to give one of my OCs one of these things. I don't care what Kiskaloo says about them, they're gorgeous cars. Now if only they could blend in well enough to actually be practical for what my characters are doing...

Give one of your fratello teams one of these babies when they're on some mission to infiltrate this place where everyone drives swanky cars.

First look at it,I just thought there is just 2 seats.

Jose bought one:





If you want a classy four door sports car, the new Aston Martin Rapide is the logical choice:

Kiskaloo wrote:If you want a classy four door sports car, the new Aston Martin Rapide is the logical choice:

I love that...only in the James Bond or GsG universe could the term "logical" be used to describe a quarter-million dollar Aston Martin.

Super exotic cars are really not part of the canon. Sure Hillshire & the Croce brothers have nice rides, but the story implies that they come from families with money. Other characters like Marco & Priscilla own far more modest transportation.

Still, the super exotics are fun to read about. A clapped out Chevy Beretta with old beer cans patching the muffler and the passenger side mirror held on with duct tape just doesn't seem to fit as well, although having a fratello that's constantly late for missions because they can't find jumper cables could be mined for comedy.

To be fair, we have not seen every handler's automobile.

And Bruno (Cristiano's "Fixer") drove an armored Ferrari 456, which is the same car Michele owned when he joined the Agency (though his was not armored).

Also, Yu Aida changed Franca's other Alfa from a basic 156 sedan to a €150.000 8C Competizione in -IL TEATRINO-. Alfa only made 500 of them, of which 84 went to Italy, so Franca had to have some serious pull with the factory to get one.

Even Princess Diana was driven around in a cheap Mercedes. So I would not know what this 'Swank' people speak of is all about.

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Still, the super exotics are fun to read about. A clapped out Chevy Beretta with old beer cans patching the muffler and the passenger side mirror held on with duct tape just doesn't seem to fit as well, although having a fratello that's constantly late for missions because they can't find jumper cables could be mined for comedy.

Who needs jumper-cables whem you've got a cyborg to push-start it?

Besides, as every good classic driver knows: you always keep jumper-leads in the boot and always park at the very top of the multi-story... so then you've got like, seven floors of ramps to roll start on

Maybe you could jump the car off the cyborg herself.

Alfisti wrote: Who needs jumper-cables whem you've got a cyborg to push-start it?

Besides, as every good classic driver knows: you always keep jumper-leads in the boot and always park at the very top of the multi-story... so then you've got like, seven floors of ramps to roll start on

Another good reason never to own an automatic transmission. I believe Lauro had an automatic in his Land Rover, but if he had a dead battery I think he'd just make Elsa push it all the way home.

Professor Voodoo wrote:

Alfisti wrote: Who needs jumper-cables whem you've got a cyborg to push-start it?

Besides, as every good classic driver knows: you always keep jumper-leads in the boot and always park at the very top of the multi-story... so then you've got like, seven floors of ramps to roll start on

Another good reason never to own an automatic transmission. I believe Lauro had an automatic in his Land Rover, but if he had a dead battery I think he'd just make Elsa push it all the way home.

Amen... though in many cases we're not getting much of a choice these days (Land Rover, I'm looking at you here... and you too Audi, just to name a few).

With the stop-and-go nature of Rome traffic, if Michele's car's had manuals (as opposed to "flappy-paddle gearboxes" with automated clutches) he'd have had another reason to teach Kara to drive since her knee is both artificial and can more easily be replaced when it wears out.

Kiskaloo wrote:With the stop-and-go nature of Rome traffic, if Michele's car's had manuals (as opposed to "flappy-paddle gearboxes" with automated clutches) he'd have had another reason to teach Kara to drive since her knee is both artificial and can more easily be replaced when it wears out.

Here you do have a point... having spend the last few days punting variously the Disco, Alfetta and 33 through stop-start city traffic (ferrying stuff around for the exhibition) I'm fairly certain my left leg is at least twice as muscled as my right now =P

Car and Driver magazine drove one for 24 hours and summed it up as more sports car than luxury sedan with performance rivaling a 911 Turbo. Like almost every reviewer, they praised the interior and panned the exterior.

Personally, I think the exterior is ugly, so you'd stand out because Italians would be offended at such poor vehicle design aesthetics. But I'd put the interior up against any New Generation Bentley (the Continental family) in terms of luxury, opulence and craftsmanship. Old World Bentley (Arnage, Azure, Mulsanne) is on another level, of course.

Alfisti wrote:having spend the last few days punting variously the Disco, Alfetta and 33 through stop-start city traffic (ferrying stuff around for the exhibition) I'm fairly certain my left leg is at least twice as muscled as my right now =P

off-topic advice: play drums for a punk band and they'll even out.

The Renault Avantime also stands out and it's also very rare (it was a terrible seller). However, I think it looks hella cool and it's flexible, so in "The Next Generation", this will be Michele and Noël's "city car" since Noël doesn't like Michele's exotics.





Of course, this one will have paid a visit to the "SWA Technology Center" for some tricking out.

Any shot of tweaking that suspension to negative camber?

Kiskaloo wrote:


Of course, this one will have paid a visit to the "SWA Technology Center" for some tricking out.

The Stig is moonlighting at the SWA "Q" division!? They say he can make a Ferrari bullet-proof just by riding in it, and he has a larger teddy-bear collection than Triela. All we know is...

The last time when the SWA ordered a car from Renault, they failed on their delivery service...

i hope that thing has airbags !

"Woooo!!! Hope you got airbags!" *Ejects, punches alien*



"Now that's what I call a close encounter."

No matter how many times you tell the money spending handlers, its hard to find indoor parking for a 747!


Nor can you sneak about unannounced in one around and about in the city!

A 747-400 is too slow for Kara:

(squinting really hard) Is that Brock Sampson & Rusty Venture I see in the cockpit of the top pic?

Kiskaloo wrote:A 747-400 is too slow for Kara:

Oh how I miss the days when every single concept rendering looked like it belonged in Spacebase 2000:



*immediately runs off to find a copy of that book since he's been meaning to buy it since highschool.

Alfisti wrote:Oh how I miss the days when every single concept rendering looked like it belonged in Spacebase 2000...

I have all four of the original Terran Trade Authority Books that I snagged back in 1978 or 1979 when they were first published.

Kiskaloo wrote:

Alfisti wrote:Oh how I miss the days when every single concept rendering looked like it belonged in Spacebase 2000...

I have all four of the original Terran Trade Authority Books that I snagged back in 1978 or 1979 when they were first published.

I loathe you right now
Man, in highschool I pretty much had Spacebase memorised.

For the next time Britney and Triela decide to party in Vegas.

So I actually saw a Porsche Panamera the other day and it didn't look that bad, though the jet black paint probably helped, as it hid most of the lines.

Still, compared to the Porsche Cayenne behind it, it was downright beautiful.

Kiskaloo wrote:So I actually saw a Porsche Panamera the other day and it didn't look that bad, though the jet black paint probably helped, as it hid most of the lines.

Still, compared to the Porsche Cayenne behind it, it was downright beautiful.

I saw my first one in Galveston about 2 weeks ago, but didn't get a very good look at the car. It is a lot bigger than I expected.

Kiskaloo wrote:For the next time Britney and Triela decide to party in Vegas.

I can see them riding in...that while this is playing in the background.



And afterward...

Brittany: Biff, play something else already!!!
Biff: But Brit, this is practically the theme song for visiting Vegas.
Brittany: Biff, if you don't stop that old CD and play something else...I'm going to start singing.
Michele & Kara: Biff, play something else!!
Biff: I don't think she's bad at all, so there.
Brittany: Biff, you're missing the US Amateur Greco-Roman Championships on ESPN2.
Biff: WHAT?!! Quick, turn on the TV!!
Everyone, but Biff: Finally.

Michele: "Hey! At least it's not "Surfin Bird"!"

Britney (looking to Kara): "Get the bat."

Kara: "I'm on it."

Professor Voodoo wrote:

Kiskaloo wrote:So I actually saw a Porsche Panamera the other day and it didn't look that bad, though the jet black paint probably helped, as it hid most of the lines.

Still, compared to the Porsche Cayenne behind it, it was downright beautiful.

I saw my first one in Galveston about 2 weeks ago, but didn't get a very good look at the car. It is a lot bigger than I expected.

UPDATE: Okay, I'm in Ft. Lauderdale (good city for watching exotics) right now & I've gotten a better look at a few Panamera's. It's really not that bad...I like the proportions, it keeps Porsche styling cues, and it's eye catching in a lot full of Range Rovers and Mercedes'. Having seen it in 3 colors now, I prefer the silver because it actually accentuates the lines.
Porsche's have never been renowned for their aesthetics, so I'd say it's at least as good as anything they've done lately. What I'd like to see is how fast it laps the Nurburgring...

Professor Voodoo wrote:What I'd like to see is how fast it laps the Nurburgring...

7 minutes, 56 seconds.

Kara: W'ever. How fast has The Stig lapped the Top Gear Test Track with it?

Kiskaloo wrote:
Kara: W'ever. How fast has The Stig lapped the Top Gear Test Track with it?

Elio: (in a growling tone of voice) Did you say whatever? Have some respect for the old Nurburgring, missy...that's the greatest cathedral of motorsports on earth. Bloody kids...

Don't worry. In Chapter 04 of Public Relations Michele takes Kara and Triela to the Nürburgring.

In other news, the Panamera Turbo evidently matches the Enzo on 0-100km times: 3.3 secs

Kiskaloo wrote:

Professor Voodoo wrote:What I'd like to see is how fast it laps the Nurburgring...

7 minutes, 56 seconds.

Okay, I found the article. So it was Walter Röhrl who drove the lap? Seriously, I think that guy could break 10 minutes at the 'Ring driving my Ford E-350 van.

Professor Voodoo wrote:Okay, I found the article. So it was Walter Röhrl who drove the lap? Seriously, I think that guy could break 10 minutes at the 'Ring driving my Ford E-350 van.

That would put him one up on Sabine Schmitz, who could only do 10:08 in a stripped Ford Transit...

Kiskaloo wrote:That would put him one up on Sabine Schmitz, who could only do 10:08 in a stripped Ford Transit...

I think she was driving the BMW M5 Ring Taxi when I lived over there, but unfortunately I never got around to taking a lap in that. I never timed my own laps, but they were probably pretty unimpressive.

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Okay, I found the article. So it was Walter Röhrl who drove the lap? Seriously, I think that guy could break 10 minutes at the 'Ring driving my Ford E-350 van.

Well, he did have practice driving trucks at speed... that Audi wasn't exactly the lightest of the Group B crowd.

Alfisti wrote: Well, he did have practice driving trucks at speed... that Audi wasn't exactly the lightest of the Group B crowd.

Yeah, Audi led the 4wd revolution, but got left behind the power curve (by Peugeot & Lancia) pretty quick. They were the only Group B car to maintain a front engine layout, and I think they paid for it.

For when the SWA has a mission in America, they send this vehicle over with the fratello:

1964 "Hank Williams Jr." GM Pontiac Bonneville convertible

This car was built for recording artist Hank Williams Jr. by his mother and features 350 authentic U.S. silver dollars embedded into the all-leather interior. The car also packs 12 .22-caliber six-shooter pistols, six .38 handguns, and three trunk-mounted .22 rifles. Known as "The Silver Dollar Pontiac," it was created by "Rodeo Tailor to the Stars" Nudie Cohn

It's up for auction again if you're interested.

Kiskaloo wrote:For when the SWA has a mission in America, they send this vehicle over with the fratello:

1964 "Hank Williams Jr." GM Pontiac Bonneville convertible

This car was built for recording artist Hank Williams Jr. by his mother and features 350 authentic U.S. silver dollars embedded into the all-leather interior. The car also packs 12 .22-caliber six-shooter pistols, six .38 handguns, and three trunk-mounted .22 rifles. Known as "The Silver Dollar Pontiac," it was created by "Rodeo Tailor to the Stars" Nudie Cohn

It's up for auction again if you're interested.

I do like that at least one gun appears to be mounted so as to point at the middle passenger's head... add that to the wide rear bumper, if you needed to transport someone dangerous you could just stand a girl on the back to man the armament.

Kiskaloo wrote:For when the SWA has a mission in America, they send this vehicle over with the fratello:

And I thought nothing could be as awful as that pink Cayanne limo I saw outside Gainesville the other day. Tasteless truly knows no limits. Sad thing is, that would be a pretty sweet Bonnie without all the crap tacked onto it.

Went over to the mechanics today (steering, something I'm not confident working on: screw up the engine and it stops with a big bill, screw up the steering and there's a high probability of winding up in a tree) to pick up the Alfetta and found this parked outside another workshop a few doors up:







Yeah, it sorta stood out. However if someone was feeling retro enough, and going somewhere rich enough... just maybe.

One day I'll see if the mob who do our work will let me take a few photos inside their workshop, probably one of my favorite places to go... if only because they also have the best coffee I know of.

To that, I say, "NICE!"

When I was thinking of a car for Fernando, Masseratis were high on the list.

But then I realized, "What would a 1/2 million dollar/euro car be doing in a slum on some missions!" I chose the Porsche 928 for being able to fit into that second category- It wont draw as much attention as a Masserati.

You can get a very nice Maserati Bora for under $100,000.

ElfenMagix wrote:
But then I realized, "What would a 1/2 million dollar/euro car be doing in a slum on some missions!"

Because sometimes the X5 has to go into the body shop to get the bullet holes taken out but you still have to pick up a cocaine shipment?

Alfisti wrote:

ElfenMagix wrote:
But then I realized, "What would a 1/2 million dollar/euro car be doing in a slum on some missions!"

Because sometimes the X5 has to go into the body shop to get the bullet holes taken out but you still have to pick up a cocaine shipment?

lol!

BTW- I knew (through my bro when he worked as a supermarket manager), some idiot who drove around in a white Countach years ago. He owned over 50 Bagel Shops city wide and supplied supermarkets with his brand of bagels and went about to each store to pick up their daily proceeds with it and then drove to some bank somewhere. I have not seen him in years.

Another City Countach (in red) used to be owned by the late Malcolm Forbes. He used to ride it around in 'The Village' until he died in the early/mid 1990s.