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[extract] Every now and then, there will be an automotive ornament or accessory that will amaze us and I believe that this is one of them. What you see here is 1:1 scale model of the Aston Martin

[extract] When we talk about cars, normally, what we have in our minds is a vehicle with four wheels. We won

Late last year, Mini revealed a quirky looking concept known as the Rocketman. It was smaller in size compared to the Mini hatchback and it was ideal for urban dwellers. But soon after the Rocketman Concept was released, Mini had to place the idea on the shelf. This was mainly due to the overall size of the Rocketman which said to cause handling and stability issues. With the announcement of Mini releasing a revised Mini Rocketman concept for the London Olympics, there is a possibility that the concept is due for a return. The new edition of the concept car sees Mini reaffirming its commitment to the brand's British roots. The new Mini Rocketman Concept wears its British heritage on its sleeve, most prominently in its exterior and interior colour schemes and more subtly through the use of extremely high-quality materials and stylish details. All in all, it embodies a typically British form of sporting elegance. The colours of the Union Jack, looks prominent on both the outside and inside of the car; where red and white accents accompanies the dominant dark blue. The body's non-metallic paintwork is interspersed with exposed carbon components at the front end and around the doors. And the 18-inch light-alloy wheels have white polished areas and a metallic red accent. Matt Porcelain White paintwork is also used for the mirror caps, boot opener and surrounds for the radiator grille and headlights. The grille structure, made up of MINI logos, could certainly be described as eye catching, thanks to its red metallic paint finish and contrasting white surround. A red strip emphasises the path of the hallmark MINI diagonal link between the wheel arch and door at the foot of the A-pillar. This takes a particularly chunky form on the concept car and also makes a feature of the door hinges. The two-section split boot opening consists of one upward-pivoting element and a second segment which extends out of the body in the form of a drawer and which is also painted blue on the inside in the new Mini Rocketman Concept. The rear lights have a trapezoidal stirrup design and work using projector technology. Another special feature is the distinctive lighting design for the roof. The concept car has a full-surface glass roof, where illuminated braces recreate the look of Britain's Union Jack flag. The interior of the car exudes a sporting ambience, while intricate details emphasise the car's connection to London. The inner door panels and rear side sections are trimmed in dark blue nubuck leather, while the familiar MINI elliptical door rings provide an effective contrast with their white leather. The circular surrounds for features such as the air vents, door pulls and stereo speakers are split into two sections and consist of a red inner ring and white outer ring. The exposed carbon elements in the interior accentuate the Mini Rocketman Concept's high-tech character and are incorporated into its colour scheme. For example, the blue paintwork used for the dashboard merges smoothly into black around the steering wheel, producing a harmonious flow of colour into the dark carbon surfaces. The most distinctive element of the dashboard is the cockpit surface, which is bordered by a red bar and has a striking 3D effect. Its relief structure depicts the name of every host city of the summer Olympic Games in the modern era using artistically intricate lettering, with London given particularly prominent billing. The seat surfaces blend blue nubuck leather with an innovative textile fibre. The upper sections of the seats' side bolsters, which provide additional support under dynamic cornering, are made from a rubberised material whose composition takes its cues, in terms of both style and function, from high-performance sports textiles and shoes. The seat belts also share the dark blue tone of the seat surfaces, while thin red and white strips add extra flourishes. The new design of the Mini Rocketman Concept also displays its sporting spirit, Brit-chic style and eye for extravagant details through the range of sophisticated accessories for the interior. The stowage compartment on the centre console between the driver and front passenger symbolises a basketball court with miniature players. The key fob for the new concept car, meanwhile, comes in the form of a rocket decked out in British national colours. Other interior features include a rucksack attached behind the front passenger seat, which is made from the same rubberised material used for the seat bolsters and also sports the three-dimensional cockpit motif. The new edition of the Mini Rocketman Concept cuts an unquestionably British and an unmistakably Mini automobile. Designed to welcome the athletes taking part in the "greatest sporting show on earth" to London this summer, the new edition of the concept car underlines the central role played by typically Mini customisation in every new product idea from the brand. Photo credit: Auto Evolution and Net Car Show

Oh dear, UK about to be hit by a one in 50 years storm too... hope it isn;t as terrible as the ponding we got in Singapore... once in 50 years storm

Without a doubt, the sultan of Brunei is one of the richest person in the world with a vast car collection, some specially created ones. With thousands of dream cars to go through, Carbuzz.com tried narrowing down to a few real exotics among the Sultan's immense fleet of luxury and ultra rare vehicles which is worth an estimated $300 (S$383) million, and fills five garages the size of airplane hangars. Rolls-Royce wedding car: The Sultan's Rolls-Royce wedding car: Gold Plated Rolls-Royce made with 24k pure gold Rolls Royce: The world's most expensive Rolls Royce, The Star of India costed him $14 million. Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR: The world's only right-hand-drive version with a 6.9-litre V12 powertrain producing 612hp. The tip of the iceberg is his collection of like any other gazillionaire the Sultan has a taste for Ferrari's with over 300 in his collection. Ferrari FX: Like any other gazillionaire the Sultan has a taste for Ferraris with over 300 in his collection. This FX is based on the F512M enclosed with a custom-built body and rumoured to have a seven-speed transmission from the Williams F1 Team. 6 F90 Ferrari Testarossa Speciale: All 6 are owned by the Sultan. All the F90's use a Ferrari Testarossa chassis producing 390hp sent to the rear wheels. The interior is custom with a glass greenhouse and a fully removable sunroof. McLaren F1s: Eight McLaren F1

[extract] With the current economy crisis many businesses are either folding or seeing red. As such it is rather surprising (and happy) to see exotic/luxury car maker Aston Martin handling the crisis pretty well. So well that Aston

If you have enough money to splash, you could pretty much enter any exotic car headquarters and ask for a completely custom car to be built specifically to your liking. Back in 2008, British collector Roland Hall commissioned a custom Rolls Royce, and the company created a one-off Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe dubbed the Hyperion. Rolls Royce got legendary designer Jason Castriota to head the design team and constructed a Rolls Royce solely out of carbon fiber (with the exception of the wooden doors). The car was put up for sale just one year later for roughly $6 million. Since then, the Hyperion disappeared until reappearing for sale at an Abu Dhabi dealership recently. The current asking price is unknown, with an estimated price of at least $7 million. Any takers, for this exclusive piece of beauty?

Prelude to Falklands War II? The last war saw the Royal Navy suffering heavy casualties with the lost of quite a few ships including two Type 42 destroyers and two frigates by Argentinian aircraft's bombs and Exocets. All they got was a lousy WWII vintage ex-USN light cruiser and some aircraft. This time I do hope that the Brits are well-protected by heavy anti-air ring in the event of another conflict. From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp...1180251/1/.html Britain sends new warship to Falklands Posted: 01 February 2012 0826 hrs LONDON: Britain said Tuesday it was sending a new state-of-the-art warship to the Falklands, but insisted the deployment was purely routine despite rising tensions over the islands' sovereignty. Defence ministry officials said the decision to send HMS Dauntless to the South Atlantic Ocean was long planned. The Type 45 destroyer is due to head out on her maiden voyage in the coming months to replace the smaller Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose. The Falklands dispute is especially sensitive as the 30th anniversary approaches of the war between Britain and Argentina over the barren islands. Buenos Aires denounced what it called a "militarisation" of the dispute. "The Argentine Republic rejects the British effort to militarise a conflict which the United Nations has said on multiple occasions should be resolved through bilateral negotiations," a foreign ministry statement said. Prime Minister David Cameron angered Argentina last week by accusing it of "colonialism" over the British overseas territory which Buenos Aires claims belongs to Argentina. That led Argentine President Cristina Kirchner to accuse Cameron of portraying her country as "violent" in the dispute. Foreign Secretary William Hague played down the deployment of HMS Dauntless, telling Sky News television: "There's nothing unusual about this deployment, it doesn't reflect any change in the situation of any kind. "These things, they are routine deployments. We do keep a garrison on the Falkland Islands, and of course aircraft there as well. Royal Naval ships frequently visit the area." Hague added: "We will always be in a position to defend the Falkland Islands if necessary, not that we are aware of any military threat to the Falkland Islands at the moment." Argentina's then-ruling junta launched an invasion on April 2, 1982. Britain restored its control following a 74-day war which cost the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British troops. Tensions over the 30th anniversary have been raised by the announcement that Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II's grandson and the second in line to throne, will soon spend six weeks on a routine deployment to the Falklands as an air force search and rescue helicopter pilot. Argentina expressed dismay over the deployment of William "in a conqueror's uniform". In London, Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne told parliament that Argentina had been trying to build an "economic blockade designed to try and hurt the Falkland Islanders". In December, South American trading bloc Mercosur agreed to close its ports to ships flying the Falklands flag. However, Browne added, it was important not to exaggerate its impact. "If the intention of the Argentinian government is to weaken the resolve of the Falkland Islanders through economic means then that is not an objective that they have achieved." -AFP/ac

sure, the riots in Britain seemed to be sparked off by the shooting of a criminal suspect by the police, but the massive looting and arson by angry youths, spread on such a fast scale helped by communications through blackberry, twitter and facebook, is on unprecedented level, not seen in the last 30 years... unlike the jasmine revolution in the middle east, this riot seems "harmless" as it's not politically motivated or even racially motivated... and that's the scary part.. realising how fragile a society can be... imagine the furious youths in Singapore went on a rampage, gangsters joining in from Geylang, and went looting in Orchard or setting fire at Suntec... scary to think of that

just wondering if anyone here follow BGT... ? i always think it's by far the best talent reality show it has variety and showcase some great talents think Susan Boyle.... this evening in UK, it will be the final. the finalist lineup: Susan Boyle Singer Diversity Street dancers Flawless Dancers Shaun Smith Singer Stavros Flatley Greek/Irish comedy dance duet Shaheen Jafargholi Singer Julian Smith Saxophone player 2 Grand Singers Aidan Davis Breakdancer Hollie Steel Singer if u had not seen any of these, u certainly did miss out on something but youtube always helps

hopefully our GST will be cut too.. but GST are here to help the poor.. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...ImY3Y-I01K-OEDA LONDON (AFP)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-D75CWbSgY...feature=related

The British govt care for their people..what about ours? but 15% GST is still