100 ovini e mi

somma di 100 sogni diversi

Good Bye Discovery

Good Bye. 

W is for Watch and Wotor (flip W to r...

Watch makers and Auto makers have many things in common. Not only in their promotional collaborations like in racing sponsors, but also in their designs share certain degree of similarities like this example of famous Tag Heuer's Monaco and Chopard's LUC engine one tourbillon.
(from left: Tag Heuer's Monaco V4, Cylinder head of engine block, Chopard's L.U.C. engine one troubillon)

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Alfa Giulietta sets the pace at Monza as Superbike safety car

Damn, It's bloody beautiful.


From: Autoblog
Original URL: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/11/alfa-giulietta-sets-the-pace-at-monza-as-superbike-safety-car/

Alfa Giulietta sets the pace at Monza as Superbike safety car

05-11-2010

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde SBK safety car – Click above for high-res image

As one of the most historic racing tracks in Italy, if not the world, Monza is inextricably intertwined with Alfa Romeo. Now those ties have been reinforced with the introduction at the circuit of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta as the safety car for the Superbike World Championship, which held its fifth round at Monza this past weekend.

The Giulietta takes over pacing duties for SBK (as the series is known in shorthand) from the MiTo, which itself had assumed the mantle from the 159. The Quadrifoglio Verde version, with its 235-horsepower, 1.7-liter turbo four, will continue its role for the eight rounds remaining in the series this season. If your Italian is up to snuff, you can read more about it in the native-tongue press release after the jump. And if not, well, we've gone ahead and translated it (thanks, Google!) for you, too.



[Source: Alfa Romeo]

Bond's cars

What do you like most about 007 movies?

James Bond, the timeless hero, is definitely the most loved movie character of all time. We had quite a few famous guys like Sean Connery, Roger Moore,  Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig as James Bond. 

(Sean Connery starring in Dr. No, 1962, source: wikipedia)

While Bond struggles to fight enemies to save the world, Bond girls are another pleasure to watch.

(picture of the legendary Ursula Andress in Dr. No - the famous bikini picture. source: wikipedia)

But, how about Bond's cars?

(Aston Martin DBS V12 shown in Casino Royale with Daniel Craig)

James Bond drove Aston Martin DBS V12 with a nice black suite, but, the most loved Bond car may be this one.


(DB5 from Aston Martin, shown in the film Goldfinger> in 1964. Notice the license plate is "JB007")

Featured in five films (Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, a small appearance in Tomorrow Never Dies, and Casino Royale – to this list can be added The World Is Not Enough, though shots of the DB5 being driven to MI6's Scottish HQ were cut, leaving its only appearance a confusing satellite image at the end of the film - from wikipedia ), Sean Connery drove this beautiful Aston Martin equipped with gadgets like bullet-proof shields, ejecting drive seat, rotating license plate, and machine gun thanks to the fanous Dr. Q.

DB5 was also the winner of Top 10 James Bond Cars awarded by Time magazine. What are other Bond cars the Time magazine lists?

10. Venetian Gondola (Moonraker, 1979)

9. Citroën 2CV (For Your Eyes Only, 1981)


8. Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another Day, 2002)

7. BMW 750iL (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997)

Bond drove this car with a "remote controller" in the movie <Tomorrow Never Dies>. (A stuntman actually drove this car in the back seat like the picture below.)

6. Ford Mustang Mach-1 (Diamonds Are Forever, 1971)

The first American can driven by James Bond.

5. Toyota 2000GT (You Only Live Twice, 1967)

4. Bentley Mark IV (From Russia With Love, 1963)

3. BMW Z8 (The World is Not Enough, 1999)

2. Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)

Second in the Bond car hall of fame is “Wet Nellie”, the sleek white Lotus Esprit with the hidden talent of transforming into a submarine at the flick of a switch. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore escapes his hunters by driving the Esprit off a pier into the sea, where it transforms into a fully functioning submarine. Armed with surface-to-air missiles, depth charges, underwater sight screens and torpedoes, Bond was able to despatch a team of underwater attackers and an airborne helicopter before surfacing, with all the calm and camp which Roger Moore could muster, at a nearby holiday beach. So popular was the Lotus Esprit that it was brought back for the next film, For Your Eyes Only, only for its self-destruction mechanism to be triggered by thieves early in the film. It was later replaced by a red Lotus Esprit Turbo, at which point Lotus’s involvement in the Bond films ended.

1. Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger, 1964)

It started with an ejector seat. Without doubt the most famous of the Bond cars, and one of the most iconic cars in cinema history, is the Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger. This car started the trend for gadgetry which has become a hallmark of the Bond series of films, as it was fitted with an innovative array of extras, including machine guns, an oil slick deployer, bullet-proof glass, rotating licence plates, and an ejector seat. That these devices have become staples of spy films ever since is a testament to the enduring popularity and influence of this charismatic car.

James Bond didn't only drive cars, but drove many other things. To name a few;

1. Space Shuttle (Moonraker)

(source: wikipedia)

2. Moon buggy (Diamonds are Forever)


3. Russian Tank (Golden Eye)

(Russian T-55 tank. source: Wikipedia)

4. Orient Express (From Russia with Love)

5. Hot Air Balloon (Octopussy, A View to Kill)

6. British Harrier T10 (The Living Daylights)

7. Submarines (Several films)

8. Iceberg (A View To Kill)

For Extra, Top 10 Bond Girls are here.


References
Time "Top 10 James Bond Cars"

Richard Branson's new adventure - Virgin Racing

2010 F-1 season seems more interesting with new members like Mercedes (acquired Brawn GP), return of Michael Schumacher, and the unveiled Virgin racing team.

Richard Branson was not satisfied with sponsoring Brawn GP in 2009,


(Virgin was the brave sponsor of Brawn GP, while all others refused to put their logo on Brawn's machine. Look at the shining Virgin logo on the white painted body. All my respect, Richard!)

He decided to make his own team in 2010 season.

After a long journey of the Balloon, the Spaceship, and the Submarine, You will rock on the bloody circuit, too! 

Start Your Engine!



   

The winner of "Candidates for my wife's car"

I have posted a list of candidates for my wife's car last year - Fiat 500 was the honorable winner, since it has beautiful italian style, looks gorgeous when driving amalfi coastline, and has long history of itself (which means that we can also get classic version of it, with lots of stories..)

Anyways, here are why we love Fiat 500.

We can drive it along the beautiful amalfi coastline. (Only Italian cars are good fit to the Italian backgrounds, no german car, please.)


(hey, the background seems like amalfi coast.. not sure, though)

We can have super-cute classic edition,

We can bring it to wedding anniversaries,


She can shop in style,


(or shop in this style?)


or seduce me with a passionate color, (oh.. the model girl is not my type, sorry.)....(really?)

Sometimes, I can drive in my style.

Men's car are from Germany, Women's car are from Italy.

Hot Pink Fiat 500

I have posted a hot pink Beetle spotted in Seoul a while ago; Fiat 500 strikes back with a hot pink Barbie edition.

Fiat and Mattel worked together to launch the 500 "Barbie" edition to those who like Gossip Girl, 90210, Legally Blond, and Paris Hilton. It was sold at the "Save the Children" charity event in Florence, Italy in November 2009.

Designers didn't forget to color the interiors in pink. Gear knob seems like a magic stick waiting to transform an ordinary girl into a charming princess.


Oh, someone already made her/his car Pink a long time ago.


I love you Italians!!!

References:  TopGear, Fiat 500

Alfa Romeo in the movie Nine

I saw the movie "Nine" (2009, directed by Rob Marshall, starring Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penélope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren.) last week.
It is a musical movie, the plot is a failure, with a no-brainer synopsis despite glimmering 9 stars. A famous director, Guido, starts with a monologue "I can't make movie" - Maybe it is Rob Marshall's honest confession for excuse of the failure.
The only song that caught my eyes was "Cinema Italiano" by Kate Hudson.
So, I was looking for something to be interested in, instead of the actresses, costumes, and boring monologues of Guido, and voila!, there indeed were very eye-catching scenes in the movie.
An Alfa Romeo Giulietta with beautiful sky-blue color. Guido rides this car all the way along the beautiful coastline of Amalfi, pleasing my eyes and ears. He rode this car with Sophia Loren,

and Nicole Kidman.
(Nicole is just beautiful as much as the Giulietta.)
Alfa revived Giulietta and will showcase in coming 2010 Geneva autoshow, according to NYT, so check it out.