Daily Pampering: Suite drive at Four Seasons

by Melanie Nayer on

Maserati? Ferrari? Rolls Royce? Why, yes! I don’t mind if I do!

Listen up, car lovers: If you rent one of the top suites at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, you are given your choice of a Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce and more, to use during your stay at no additional cost. Guests who book a One Bedroom Suite, Luxury Suite, Premier Suite or Grand Luxury Suite will receive car options including a Cadillac, Mini Cooper, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volvo.

The “Suite Drive with Four Seasons” program provides hotel guests with access to ultra luxurious vehicles such as Bentley, Ferrari, Rolls Royce and Lamborghini during their stay. Simply book one of the hotel’s 36 newly-renovated suites and you can choose from a selection of luxury or exotic cars, depending on the suite category at no cost, other than fuel, additional mileage and insurance.

Cars available for driving include: Rolls Royce Phantom, Ferrari F430, Ferrari California, Bentley Flying Spur, Maserati, Bentley GTC, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz SLS, Mercedes-Benz S600 or Porsche 997. What we love: The Four Seasons can also arrange for guests to receive their cars at the airport at no additional cost, and valet parking is included throughout the duration of the stay. Now that’s some suite pampering!

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Ferrari already looking at more theme parks

by Leigh Caldwell on

Ferrari World just threw open its doors in Abu Dhabi this weekend, but already, Ferrari is thinking about expanding its theme park franchise.

Michelle Pignatti Moreno, head of new business for Ferrari, tells Bloomberg that Ferrari World’s opening is “a dream come true for us as Ferrari. This is our first one, we may have plans for more.”

Company officials look are looking at Ferrari World as a branding exercise – a way to get people who may not be able to buy Ferrari’s closer to the Ferrari brand.

Ferrari World opened on Friday on Yas Island, after a one-week delay due to a Sheikh’s death. The theme park has not released weekend attendance figures, but the park is expected to attract up to 10,000 people per day.

There are 20 attractions in all at Ferrari World, as well as a large collection of Ferrari race cars and an Italian trattoria. The biggest draw is the Formula Rossa roller coaster, now the world’s fastest with a top speed of 149 miles per hour.

Go easy on the pedal in St Gallen

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Imagine you’re behind the wheel of a red Ferrari Testarossa. You have nothing but open road in front of you in St Gallen, Switzerland. You’re rich. You’re in Europe. Maybe you’ve got a hottie riding shotgun and whispering incredibly absurd things in your ear. It’s impossible to believe you wouldn’t push the pedal to the floor and send your life (and hers) into overdrive. This thrill wouldn’t come cheap, if you take a recent speeding ticket at face value. Swiss police nailed a millionaire gunning through a village in his Testarossa at a mere 100 kmph with a fine for $290,000.

According to a Reuters report, “The accused ignored elementary traffic rules with a powerful vehicle out of a pure desire for speed.” He’s said to have hit up to 137 kmph out on country roads. With a fortune of more than $20 million, though, his fine shouldn’t hurt all that much.

The previous record for a Swiss speeding ticket was just over $100,000, given to a Porsche driver in 2008, after he’d committed several traffic offenses.

[Photo by Steve Brandon via Flickr]

The four top supercars

by David Breisch on

Wired Magazine has released a list of the four top Supercars – that is, cars that go at least 200 mph. Also, cars that have “the ability to attract a parade of local law enforcement.” Hey, never hurts. Here’s a quick recap of the list.

  1. Ferrari F430 – $186,925 – one of the best handling cars, but also one of the slower ones (tops out at 196).
  2. Dodge Viper SRT10 – $88,875 – the cheapest of the bunch and also one of the most fuel efficient. Unfortunately, it’s also noisy and difficult to get in and out of. Top speed of 202 mph.
  3. Bentley Continental GT Speed – $203,600 – ridiculously comfortable inside and nice paint job, according to Wired, but also heavy and lacks a sunroof. Like the Viper, tops out at 202 mph.
  4. Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 – $339,400 – hey, what can you say? It’s a Lamborghini. Expensive, fast, nice engine and easily maneuvered. Also, noisy, and not the most comfortable ride. Hits 211 mph.

So, which one are you going to buy?

Dispatches from around the world


Fake Ferraris for sale in Italy

by Catherine Bodry on

Fake Guccis, faux Rolexes — these are items you see for sale on Italian streets everywhere. But fake Ferraris?

Reuters reports that Italian police broke up a ring “selling fake Ferrari cars for a fraction of the real price,” or as little as 20,000 euros. The police also suggest that those buying the cars knew they were buying fakes.

So how did the salesmen pull it off? How do you actually build a fake Ferrari? Police say that the car body workers were “very able,” and cobbled together “mostly fake parts and a few original components.” They then modified the body parts to resemble Ferrari classics, such as one (the 328 Gtb) that went out of production in 1980.

Do you think you could tell a real Ferrari from a fake? Better yet, would you buy a fake one?