Highly Armored (B6) Becker Luxury Ford Excursion

4 wheel drive, V10 petrol engine, 6 doors. Seats 7 adults and includes advanced communications, entertainment and intergraded mobile office systems.

Becker JetVan™ Luxury Transports are created with the same objectives employed in the most advanced private aircraft; offering maximum interior spacious, luxury, comfort and utility. With an array of floor plans for you to chose from, state-of-art materials are adapted from the aviation industry and used extensively throughout Becker JetVan™ conversions. These include lightweight substructure materials which allow us to more perfectly balance the vehicle's center of gravity and ride performance properties in your favor.














Sale price = $650,000

Featuring:

The Ultimate In
• Seating for up to 8 passengers
• Tailored to top-tier customers
• Ultimate luxury & unequalled space
• The centerpiece of your luxury fleet!

You'll love our advanced lighting systems which provide you beautiful interior ambiance and illumination of wonderful clarity. Our aviation style hide-away tables offer convenience for work and snacks. Custom seating is designed to provide the first-class comfort you've come to expect in creme de la creme transportation. Simple to use electronics packages provide sophisticated mobile office amenities, including high speed wireless Internet access, communications, and stupendous entertainment capabilities. And your safety and protection are assured by our advanced security features, including the addition of laboratory certified armoring, as required. Discrete on the outside, and your world on the inside---the Becker JetVan™ is on the leading edge of future transportation design.

Becker JetVan Gallery


Source: beckerautodesign.com


Audi R8 2009
MSRP $114,200

There are no compromises when it comes to the finest sports car engineering. Technical precision and performance must be pushed to the limits – and beyond.

From the days of Auto Union to the present, Audi R8 2009 engineers have continued to push back the boundaries in motorsport. The result is a sports car with an unmistakable design and a champion’s DNA. With the new Audi R8 2009, our developers and designers have built a car that epitomizes Audi's quest for perfection.


The 2009 R8 is a 2-door, 2-passenger sports coupe, available in two trims, the Coupe quattro and the Coupe quattro with Auto R tronic. Upon introduction, the Coupe quattro is equipped with a standard 4.2-liter, V8, 420-horsepower engine that achieves 12-mpg in the city and 19-mpg on the highway. The Coupe quattro with Auto R tronic is equipped with a standard 4.2-liter, V8, 420-horsepower engine that achieves 13-mpg in the city and 18-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims.

EXTERIOR

BI-XENON Headlights : These headlights use gas-discharge lamps that are electrically controlled. The result is a bright arc that serves as an excellent light source to illuminate the road.

Carbon sigma sideblade : The aggressive look of carbon sigma on the signature sideblades gives the Audi R8 an individualistic appearance.

LED daytime running lights : Various studies and the NHTSA recommend the use of daytime running lights, to improve driver visibility to oncoming traffic during the day. When the low-beam headlights are switched on by the light sensor or rain sensor, the daytime driving lights remain on but are dimmed to the brightness of side lights.

LED lighting : Light-emitteing diodes (LEDs) have a whole series of technical advantages over conventional bulbs, the most important being their activation speed and their long service life. The R8 features LED lighting within the daytime running lights, engine compartment, brake lights, side turn indicatiors in exterior mirrors and third brake light.

Oxygent Silver sideblade : A distinctive sideblade option that creates a unique optic.

Power adjustable and heated exterior mirrors : The heated mirrors provide extra comfort and safety to the exterior of the R8.

Reinforced bumpers : Special reinforced bumpers are dynamically designed for optimum appearance and added safety.

Retractable rear spoiler : The retractable rear spoiler automatically extends at 65 mph and retracts at 20 mph. This sporty and aerodynamics-enhancing feature of the R8 can also be operated manually.

Single frame grille in high-gloss black : The high-gloss black grille adds to the dynamic design and impressive stance of the R8.

Twin tailpipes : The four-branch exhaust system with twin tailpipes on the left and right are standard exterior features of the R8, demonstrating the vehicle’s power.

Wheels: 19″ five-double-spoke cast alloy, this progressivelly-designed wheel is the perfect complement to the sporty and powerful Audi R8. The light weight alloy helps to improve driving dynamics.

Wheels: 19″ five-double-spoke polished alloy, this progressively-designed wheel is the perfect complement to the sporty and powerful Audi R8. The light weight alloy helps to improve driving dynamics. The optional polished alloy finish is new for 2009.


INTERIOR

The interior has a driver-oriented cockpit architecture, integrating the driver between the dashboard and the high centre console. The instrument panel above the console is angled slightly towards the driver. The flat-bottomed steering wheel is a typical feature of the sportiest Audi models, and also enables comfortable sports car entry and exit.

The sports seats are trimmed as standard in a Leather/Alcantara combination, or optionally in full leather. Alternatively, the R8 can also be fitted with bucket seats, specially developed by quattro GmbH. There is plenty of room for the two occupants, with comfort levels well beyond the norm of high-performance sports cars. There is space behind the seats to stow large bags, or even two golf bags. The luggage compartment at the front has a capacity of 100 litres.

With numerous trim variants and applications in Piano finish or Carbon sigma, there are few limits to the range of customization options for the interior.

The chassis

The chassis features forged aluminium double wishbones at the front and rear. At the front they are triangulated, while at the rear the top one is triangulated and the bottom one is a triangulated wishbone with a track rod. This provides for optimum wheel control, and is a geometry which has proved itself to be the ideal solution in delivering agility, maximum steering precision and precisely defined self-steering characteristics.


Direct, hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering provides optimum feedback to assist the driver.

The spring and damper set-up is stiff in order to deliver maximum driving dynamics, while still providing a quite astonishing level of ride comfort. This is particularly true when the 'Audi magnetic ride' adaptive damper system is chosen as an alternative to the standard gas-filled shock absorbers.

Instead of the conventional damper fluid, a magnetorheological fluid is used -- in other words, a fluid whose viscosity can be influenced by an electromagnetic field. This effect enables the damping characteristic to be influenced electronically at will and instantaneously, by applying a voltage to the electromagnets.

Audi magnetic ride uses this property to deliver the correct damping forces in every driving situation. A computer determines the prevailing driving situation in a matter of milliseconds. Drivers can choose from two driving programs depending on whether they want to drive in a highly sporty style -- with the magnetorheological fluid adjusted to a low viscosity -- or with the emphasis more on ride comfort.

The Audi R8 is fitted with 6-arm 18-inch wheels as standard, and can optionally be ordered with 19-inch wheels. The 235/40 size tyres at the front and up to 285/35 at the rear provide the necessary road-holding. The mid-engined sports car's long wheelbase and extremely low centre of gravity ensure that it always retains maximum stability.

Equipment and trim

Xenon plus lights, LED rear lights and daytime running lights, 18-inch aluminium wheels, an audio system with 7-inch monitor, an anti-theft alarm and Leather/Alcantara interior trim are just some of the items on the extensive list of standard features.

The range of optional extras includes a Bang & Olufsen sound system, featuring an output of 465 watts and 12 specially designed speakers. A microphone-based vehicle noise compensation system adjusts audio levels to changing road conditions and speeds.

The acoustic parking system and a rear-view camera help the driver to manoeuvre into even the tightest of spaces. The radio/navigation system plus, featuring a large-format colour monitor and MMI keypad, combines extensive functionality with extreme user-friendliness.

A total of eight exterior colours are available, from Ibis White to Phantom Black, pearl effect.

Craftsmanship

The Audi R8 is being built on a small-lot production line in a specially constructed new block at the Audi plant in Neckarsulm. The entire production process - from the body shell construction to final assembly - is organized in the same way as a craft workshop. Small teams of specialists accompany every step of production, ensuring that every one of the maximum of 15 cars per day built is up to quality standards.


Audi R8 2009 Picture Gallery (click the image to enlarge)






































































































Sources: Audi

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They must have taken out a mortgage at Barklays.



How else could a pair of Great Danes get their paws on this £250,000 kennel?

The bespoke doghouse is being built on an exclusive estate near Cirencester in Gloucestershire.

Inside, the dogs will sleep on sheepskin-lined, temperature-controlled beds, soothe their aches in an 18in-deep spa, howl along to a £150,000 sound system and watch dog-friendly programmes on a 52-inch plasma TV.

Automatic dispensers will ensure that chilled, filtered water and deluxe dry food are always available.

The two dogs will each have a bedroom with large windows which overlook their own private playground. 'Dog-vision' webcams allow their owner to monitor their activity 24 hours a day, while climate control ensures they are kept warm.


There will be a sophisticated retina scanner installed at the front door to stop any other dogs getting in - something the Great Danes may view as a bit of a party pooper.

Plans for the kennel, and for an adjoining house for the dogs' mistress, have been approved and building work is to begin at the Lower Mill Estate in the spring.

The owner of the estate said the house and kennel were designed to the specifications of a female surgeon who wishes to remain anonymous.

(Click the image to enlarge) The yap of luxury: The house will include sheepskin-lined, temperature-controlled daybeds, elevated to allow the dogs to guard their empire

Jeremy Paxton said: 'Most houses are built with human specifics in mind and animals fit in around that - but this is the other way round.

'It's a very interesting house with fabulous architecture and unusual requirements.

'There's even a spa bath with a saline treatment built in because it's good for their coats.'

clipped from: www.mailonsunday.co.uk


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- A huge man-made island shaped like a date palm tree opened Thursday (November 21, 2008) off the coast of Dubai with a celebrity-studded gala and a three-day party. The island officially opens with a spectacular fireworks display.

The Palm Jumeirah increased Dubai's shorelin by 100 percent after work started on it in 2001. It features resort hotels, homes, luxury shopping and entertainment.

Though the entire island officially opened, parts of it already opened weeks ago - including the Atlantis, The Palm, a sister to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas

The Atlantis played host to the opening celebration last Thursday night.


Stars including Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, Robert De Niro, Janet Jackson and the Duchess of York were in attendance.

Pop star Kylie Minogue performed at the party.

Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra started what was billed as the world's Largest - ever fireworks display with more than 100,000 pyrotechnic devices.

When work on the island began, a team of Dutch engineers were employed to create the Palm by using a technique called rainbowing -- a vessel dredging sand from the seabed and spraying and piling it onto the desired area and into the requested shape.


Atlantis Dubai PalmAtlantis Dubai PalmAtlantis Dubai PalmAtlantis Dubai PalmA light display illuminates the Atlantis Hotel during the official grand opening party on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai on November 21, 2008. Dubai threw a multi-million-dollar extravaganza today to launch a luxury hotel on an artificial palm-shaped island, despite the bite from the global financial crisis.


Atlantis Dubai PalmSarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York attends the landmark Grand Opening of Atlantis, The Palm Resort, and the Palm Jumeirah.


Atlantis Dubai PalmFormer US basketball star Michael Jordan poses for a picture at the official grand opening party for the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.


Atlantis Dubai PalmUS actress Lindsay Lohan arrives on the red carpet of the Atlantis, The Palm Hotel in Dubai launch party, which is the Middle East's biggest opening gala.

Atlantis Dubai PalmUS actress Charlize Theron poses for a picture at the official grand opening party for the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.


Atlantis Dubai PalmChairman of Kerzner International Sol Kerzner (L) arrives with his wife Heather Kerzner and Chairman of Dubai World Sultan Bin Sulayem (R) for the grand opening of Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai November 20, 2008. The $1.5 billion mega resort with 1,539 rooms is the first resort to open on Dubais man-made Palm Jumeirah island.


Atlantis Dubai PalmSinger Natalie Imbruglia, Sir Richard Branson, Lady Joan Branson, Holly Branson and Sam Branson attendsthe landmark Grand Opening of Atlantis, The Palm Resort, and the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.


Atlantis Dubai PalmAustralian singer Kylie Minogue arrives on the red carpet of the Atlantis, The Palm Hotel in Dubai launch party, which is the Middle East's biggest opening gala.


Atlantis Dubai PalmJanet Jackson watches the unprecedented pyrotechnics and illumination at the Grand Opening of Palm Jumeirah and its flagship Atlantis, the Palm Resort at the Palm Jumeirah Island.


Atlantis Dubai PalmRobert DeNiro attends the ceremonial opening of the resorts Nobu Restaurant during the Grand Opening weekend Atlantis, The Palm Resort, and the Palm Jumeirah.


Atlantis Dubai PalmThe Atlantis hotel opens today - the flagship resort on Dubai's man-made Palm Jumeirah Island.


Atlantis Dubai PalmA sculptured glass fountain decorates the entrance lobby of the luxurious complex.The resort has four celebrity chef restaurants, a nightclub, a Spa and Fitness Club among other attractions.


Atlantis Dubai PalmAquaventure is the resort's water park, consisting of rides with cascades, tidal waves and rapids and a Mesopotamian-styled Ziggurat temple.There are seven water slides, two of which catapult riders through shark-filled lagoons.


Atlantis Dubai PalmThe resort is also host to one of the largest aquariums in the Middle East - the Ambassador Lagoon.








Sources:CNN/Skynews/Seatletimes

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