Author: karla

We’ve heard of horror stories involving the appalling actions of valet drivers and the “VIP” services they do to the vehicles they park.

From stealing items to spinning the cars to the maximum speed and even putting disgusting bodily secretions, we sometimes question if paying the price is worth it.

But it’s one thing if they don’t treat a car nicely as they should — it’s another if they wreck a multi-million supercar.

In India, a valet parker from a hotel in India obliterated a — gasp — Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

The unlucky (or maybe stupid?) fella, who is working at Le Méridien in New Delhi, India made the very costly mistake while aboard a white Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. Just look at the image above and you’ll pretty much guess it wasn’t at all just a dent — the supercar’s front was severely damaged and even the concrete wall was affected.

Of course, the hotel’s insurance will most probably handle the expenses, but with all the hassle this involves, one would really think twice of entrusting the keys of such a precious ride to a valet parker next time.

(Image from World Car Fans)

Porsche is reportedly taking sportscar rivalry to another level, as it is reportedly working on a Ferrari 458 Italia contender, currently codenamed “988.”

According to reports, engineers from Stuttgart have started work on an entirely new flat-eight engine. The 988 will allegedly get this engine which is said to have a 4.0-liter displacement and pack four turbos to generate approximately 600 bhp (447 kW) and more than 400 lb-ft (542 Nm).

It will boast an entirely new architecture that will make more extensive use of aluminum and composite structural elements. At this moment there aren’t any exact details about the 988’s design but it is believed some styling cues will be borrowed from the 918 Spyder. There should be an elongated rear deck taking into account the mid-mounted flat-eight arrangement.

The car is expected to go on sale in 2017 and will be followed by the next generations of the Boxster, Cayman and 911, all arriving within two year’s time.

Let’s take a break from the many road-related absurdities we have here in the Philippines. On a lighter note, let’s see how the other countries are doing about it, say for example, the license plate craze.

In Dubai, did you know that owning certain license plates means the world to your reputation? Not too far from our penchant for vanity plates, but apparently, they really take it there seriously — and can afford to.

Typically, each license plate has 5 randomized digits. But drivers can select which digits are on their car, with certain numbers being more expensive than others. The most expensive license plates range from the number 1 to number 10. Ten to 99 are the second most expensive, and certain combinations, like 11, 22, 11111 and other repeating numberss fetch a high amount as well. Some owners even like to match the number of their license plate to their car. Example: Ferrari 458 with the plate “458.”

If your license plate costs less than your car, you aren’t doing anything for your reputation. The numbers “5″ and”7″ sold for nearly 10 times the amount of the car they are attached to (both were sold to the same millionaire who has them on Rolls-Royces). The world’s most expensive plate was sold to Saeed Abdul Ghafour Khouri. The number? 1. The cost? $14.3 million. Compare that to the price of the number 5 license plate, which sold for $6.8 million.

The plates are auctioned off at the Emirates Auction, where they aim to “make an expensive car without a prestigious license plate worth nothing.”At these auctions, they are not only buying a status symbol, but they are also investing in an object that will only appreciate in value. The head of Emirates Auction, Abdulla al Mannaie, says that the plates have more than a 20 percent annual return in value. It’s strange to think that the price of the car will decrease, while the price of the piece of metal attached to it will increase.

Cars, charm and women — these are the main reasons why James Bond remain to be every male’s idol.

And while the latter two may be harder to achieve, those with pockets brimming with P1.5 billion can live the life of Mr. Bond on the fast lane. Apparently, the world’s largest collection of cars featured in 007 movies is now on sale for almost $34 million. Collector Michael Dezer bought most of the cars in 2011 and has building the collection since.

Included in his amazing collection are the tank used in Goldeneye (1995), to the Audi A5 used in Skyfall (2012).

The cars have been located at a museum in Miami, Fla., for some time, but Dezer has now decided that it is time to part ways with the collection. “It is the best private collection of Bond cars in the world but it is probably in the wrong place being in Miami,” said Stuart Donovan. Donovan and his wife Barbara have been Dezer’s British Representatives for the past 5 years, and helped Dezer find the initial collection.

Below is the entire list of cars included in the lot:

Land Rover (Casino Royale)

Russian T55 tank (Goldeneye)

Cagiva motorcycle (Goldeneye)

Lotus Esprit Turbo white (For Your Eyes Only)

Aston Martin DB5 with gadgets (Man from Uncle George Lazenby)

BSA Lightening motorcycle (Thunderball)

Aston Martin DBS (OHMSS)

Toyota 2000GT (You Only Live Twice) Not used in film.

Triumph Stag (Diamonds are Forever)

Jaguar XKR (Die Another Day)

BMW 750il (Tomorrow Never Dies)

BMW R1200 motorcycle (Tomorrow Never Dies)

Aston Martin V8 with skis (The Living Daylights Lotus Esprit Turbo bronze with skis(For Your Eyes Only)

Lotus Esprit S1 (The Spy who Loved Me)

Aston Martin V8 (The Living Daylights)

Aston Martin DB5 (Goldeneye)

Lotus Esprit (Spare for parts)

Helicopter shell (The Spy Who Loved Me) Not used in film.

Lotus Esprit Submarine (The Spy Who Loved me)

Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another day)

Fairey Huntress (From Russia With Love)

Cagiva motorcycle (Goldeneye)

Parahawk & figure (The World is Not Enough) Skidoo (Die Another Day )

Q Boat (The World in Not Enough)

Road version Hovercraft (Die Another day)

Glastron GT150 (Live and Let Die)

Alfa Romeo 159 (Quantum of Solace)

Wetbikes x 2 (The Spy Who Loved Me)

TUK TUK Taxi (Octopussy)

Kawasaki Z900 & sidecar (The Spy Who loved Me)

Renault 11 half car (A View to Kill)

Ford Mustang Mach 1 (Diamonds are Forever)

BMW Motorcycle (Tomorrow Never Dies)

GP Beach Buggy (For Your Eyes Only)

TUK TUK Taxi (Octopusy)

Speedboat (Live and Let Die)

Litte Nellie Autogiro (You Only Live Twice) Not used in film

Dragon tank (Dr No)

Replica Mini Bede Jet (Octopussy)

Gaz Volga (Goldeneye)

Mini Citroen 2CV (For Your Eyes Only)

Yellow 2CV (For Your Eyes Only)

Replica Yellow 2CV (For Your Eyes Only)

Replica AMC Hornet (The Man with the Golden Gun) Not used in film

MP Lafer (Moonraker) Not used in film

BMW Z8 (The World is Not Enough)

Q Boat (The World is Not Enough) hull

Renault 11 Taxi (A View to Kill)

Rolls Royce Sedanca de Ville (Goldfinger) Not used in film

Ford Thunderbird (Die Another Day) Not used in film

Land Rover (Skyfall)

Lada Riva (The World is Not Enough)

Lockheed Jetstar Jet(Goldfinger) Not used in film

Land Rover (Skyfall)

Audi A5 (Skyfall)

Lotus Mould (The Spy Who Loved Me)

Reef Ranger Mini submarine (Licence to Kill)

Admit it — when you get your dream supercar, you’d take good care of it, not even let a fly scratch it, even love it more than your girlfriend or wife (sometimes).

Apparently, not everyone has this thinking. A 40-year old entrepreneur from Thailand apparently believes he had too much of a good thing, as he crashed his Lamborghini Gallardo. Bad enough? Just look at how it was ripped in half. Yes, that bad. Definitely cringe-worthy.

The driver said he was traveling at around 93 mph in heavy rain when the accident occurred. I believe this may qualify as “too fast for the conditions.” The resulting impact was enough to break the car in two, a fact he apparently didn’t realize until he stepped out of the passenger compartment, essentially unscathed, and saw the car’s rear end sitting in the street. Rescue crews found him talking on his phone when they arrived on the scene.

But maybe the driver can chalk his walking away from the shunt up to more than luck: The newspaper also reports that he stopped at a temple before the crash, where a friend recommended he wear a Buddha amulet before setting off on his drive. He did so, and here we are. Whether it was plain old good fortune or a higher power looking out for him, he lives to drive another day. Just not this particular Gallardo.

Just another “oh no he didn’t just do it to a Lambo” moment, we guess.