Author

Anita Kumar

Anita is our Trainee Reporter and Researcher who is starting her journalistic career here at Cars for Stars News after completing a degree in Journalism at Cardiff University. As well as reporting on her own stories, Anita also works as a researcher on the news site to assist the other reporters.
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Millionaire medico Geoffrey Edelsten reports supercars stolen

Australian celebrity medical entrepreneur, Geoffrey Edelsten, has reported a theft at his property and the items stolen include supercars worth a staggering A$1.3 million. The celebrity doctor, and former owner of Australian football club Sydney Swans, reported the theft of two supercars and a BMW at his Exhibition Street luxury apartment block in Melbourne.

The Australian doctor who is well known for his penchant for expensive cars reported a black and gold Lamborghini Aventador, a blue Mercedes SLS “Gullwing”, and a turbocharged BMW 335i missing from his high-security car park. The A$750,000 Lamborghini and the A$500,000 “Gullwing” are two of the most expensive and rarest cars in Australia. The A$100,000 BMW is believed to belong to Dr Edelsten’s wife, Brynne.

The extent of how rare these cars are can be demonstrated by taking into account that Lamborghini has only sold 24 cars this year while only 12 “Gullwings” have been sold in Australia in 2012. The “Gullwing” famous for the manner in which its doors open – upwards above the car’s roof – is one of the most powerful cars in the world.

The automotive theft, reported on Sunday 3 June, is blamed on a security breach that allowed the thieves to make off with Dr Edelsten’s prized possessions. It is believed that the theft was carried out over two days.

Police have since then recovered the Lamborghini and are confident of finding the other two cars. Speaking to Australian newspaper The Herald Sun, Dr Edelsten said: “Naturally, I am most distressed but pleased that the police have recovered one vehicle, and are confident of retrieving the other two.”

The society doctor’s love for expensive cars translates into a stable of powerful engines worth more than A$6 million. The star-studded automobile line-up includes two Bentleys, two Ferraris, two Chevrolet Corvettes, two other Lamborghinis, a Maserati, two more Mercedes and a Rolls Royce Phantom, the most expensive car on sale in Australia with prices starting at more than A$1 million.

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Last Lamborghini Diablo ever made to be sold at auction

The last ever Lamborghini Diablo ever to be made will be sold at auction on January 21st by the car auction company, Barrett Jackson Scottsdale, with no reserve being stipulated for the luxury sports car.

The Lamborghini Murcielago took over from the Diablo model after its reign of 11 years in 2011, with the car being offered for sale later this month, being the very last Diablo to roll off the production line.

The last 40 Lamborghini Diablo cars were all individually numbered from 1-40 with the Lamborghini due to go under the hammer in two weeks bearing the number 40 mark. The Lamborghini supercar boasts a V12 engine with an output of 550 horsepower and the car has a mere 12 miles on the clock so you can bet it’s in mint condition.

The final run of the Lamborghini Diablo models were split into two groups with the first 20 painted in an exclusive shade, Oro Elios, which translates as Sunrise Gold, while the latter 20, including the car which is scheduled for auction, featuring a shade known as Marrone Eklipse, or Sunset Maroon.

No estimate price has been released for this highly sought after supercar, however the fact that it’s the very last Lamborghini Diablo to ever be made, and its pristine condition and minute mileage will certainly ensure this sports car attracts some sky high bids come Saturday 21st January predicts jalopik.com.

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Former chauffeur to Heather Mills in court over photocopied disabled badge

A former chauffeur to Heather Mills was in court this week after he was caught using a photocopy of the 43-year-old celebrity’s disabled parking badge on a recent shopping trip.

65-year-old chauffeur Stewart Simonson claimed he had photocopied the Blue Badge belonging to Heather Mills with her knowledge as she often forgot to carry the parking badge with her, and so he had a copy for the purposes of convenience.

However on the day in question, Mr Simonson had displayed the Blue Badge on his own car while parked on a yellow line. When Traffic Wardens inspected the badge, the recognised the image on the back as someone famous, which was later identified as Heather Mills, the ex-wife of Beetle Sir Paul McCartney.

The chauffeur admitted that the blue badge was a copy of the original held by Heather Mills. Ms Mills is eligible to have a disabled parking badge as she lost a leg in a road traffic accident in 1993, however there was no suggestion that the mother-of-one was aware that her former chauffeur was using the photocopy of her Blue Badge.

The 65-year-old private hire driver revealed that he suffered with severe arthritis which resulted in him having to retire 6 months ago, Mr Simonson added that he had also applied for his own Blue Badge due to his condition.

In court this week Mr Simonson pleaded guilty to using the Blue badge illegally 6 months after leaving the employment of Heather Mills. He was ordered to pay £650 in fines and costs as a result.

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Car hire company launches sale in Spain

Sixt Rent-a-Car have launched a one-off car hire sale between Monday November 14th and Wednesday November 16th offering car rental customers a cut price vehicle hire rate for rentals taking place throughout Spain at selected times.

Great savings on car hire are being offered by Sixt, with daily rental rates starting from as little as £11 a day on selected models. Some of the most popular destinations in Spain are included in the 3-day car hire sale including rentals from busy airports such as Alicante, Majorca and Malaga Airport.

The reduced car hire rates will be automatically applied to any car rental bookings taken by Sixt in Spain taking place between December 14th– 22nd, and also January 6th-26th 2012. Sixt has a wide range of vehicles to choose from, including the most affordable hire cars within their fleet such as the Smart Fourtwo and the Renault Twingo which will be available for hire for the heavily reduced price of £11 a day during this period.

Sixt Rent-a-Car works in conjunction with a wide range of car makers so as to offer vehicles to suit all styles and budgets. The leading car rental provider offers vehicle from Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen, as well as Ford and Renault amongst their fleet of hire cars.

The car hire company is going from strength to strength in Spain, having expanded the brand across a number of Spanish destinations, with the latest branch having recently opened in Valencia.

For a full rundown of details on the Sixt car hire sale in Spain, please see the company’s main website.

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Sky Sports pundit in suspected drink drive Mercedes crash

Sky Sports pundit and former footballer, Paul Merson, sustained facial injuries and wrote his car off after he crashed the £40,000 Mercedes after falling asleep at the wheel in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The ex Arsenal football player was said to be lucky to be alive after his luxury Mercedes ML350 vehicle smashed into the central reservation and ploughed into a lorry at 3am when Merson fell asleep at the wheel. After he failed a breath test on the side of the M40 motorway near Warwick, the 43-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment and blood samples were taken away for police evidence.

It’s been reported that the former sportsman was driving back to his home in Sutton Coldfield after attending a Children in Need event in South London when the accident occurred.

The police later confirmed that the driver of the Mercedes was arrested on suspicion of driving while over the legal drink drive limit.
A source revealed that the sports pundit had not been wearing a seatbelt at the time of crash and that the car had spun out of control before smashing through the central reservation.

Although the luxury Mercedes car is thought to be a write off, no one was seriously injured in the crash. Paul Merson sustained a cut to the face which required stitches and the drive of the lorry reportedly suffered whiplash injuries.

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Bentley planning mobile office chauffeur car

Bentley has unveiled their latest plans to create a state of the art chauffeur car which will operate like a mobile office. The new concept car will be fully equipped with the very latest technology including integrated iPads and Apple Max systems and video plasma screens.

The new mobile office concept limo was revealed by Bentley at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show. The inspiration for the new chauffeur car came from Bentley chief executive, Wolfgang Durheimer, as he revealed he spends a great deal of time in the back of cars preparing for upcoming meetings and so decided to design a new Bentley which would enable other busy executives the chance to utilise their time on the road by offering a mobile office space.

Features in the new Bentley will include a roof mounted 16 inch LED central video screen, plus two electric fold out tables which will each have an Apple iPad with Bluetooth connected keyboards. Each component is connected to an Apple Mini Mac hub which is installed in the vehicle’s boot and can be controlled from within side the car via an iPhone, iPod or one of the onboard iPads.

There’s also the additional option of adding two more DVD screens in the rear headrests which combined with the other features, can create a network of 5 screens onboard the Bentley chauffeur car. The Bentley will also have a Wi-Fi hotspot onboard to allow fast internet access on the move, as well as a fridge to store chilled drinks and other refreshments.

Bentley say that the first mobile office chauffeur car will go into production as soon as tests have been completed on the concept cars.

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Ferrari sports car crashes into Lake in Canada

A rare Ferrari sports car crashed into a saltwater lake in Canada after the driver lost control of the high speed car during a race.

The Ferrari Enzo, worth an estimated $1.5 million and one of only 400 models made by Ferrai, was plunged into the water after the driver of the sports car lost control as the vehicle hit a stone on the track as it came around a bend on the race track at a very high speed.

Spectators at the Targa Newfoundland Rally in Canada described seeing the luxury sports spin a full 180 degrees, before hurtling backwards towards a ledge overlooking the lake, before plummeting into the water below.

The Ferrari was being driven by Calgary based car dealer, Zahir Rana, and friend Roland Linder was also travelling onboard as co-driver and navigator. The two men managed to scramble out of the crashed Ferrari unharmed.

Despite the dramatic nature of the crash, the luxury sports car only sustained minimal damage including a smashed bumper and wing, although the problems to the bodywork are mostly cosmetic. The main issue to be resolved following the crash will be to correct the electronics as they became wet after being submerged in the lake.

After the Ferrari was lifted from the lake by a crane, the car dealer owner had two of his best mechanics work for 14 hours straight to strip the car back immediately to try and minimise the damage caused by the water.

The plucky car dealer says that despite the accident, he has every intention of returning to the race next year.

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Classic Jaguar sports car converted to transport owner’s dogs

A unique Jaguar sports car which was converted into an estate style vehicle by its owner in the 1970’s to accommodate his two dogs, is due to go under the hammer at the forthcoming Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale in West Sussex.

The classic Jaguar XK150 was extended by the owner and Jaguar enthusiast, Geoffrey Stevens, sometime in the mid 1970’s in order to accommodate his two Labrador dogs. Mr Stevens needed more room in his sports car to transport his dogs and so obtained a Morris Minor Traveller which he cut in half and attached to the rear of the Jaguar to create extra space for his animals.

The result is a strange hybrid of the two vehicles with the front comprising of the stunning classic Jaguar shape, while the rear morphs into a Morris Minor Foxbat. The sports car boasts the original 3.4 litre Jaguar engine, and yet offers the practicality of a saloon vehicle with the Morris Minor boot.

The vehicle left Britain after it was sold to a car enthusiast in France in the 1980’s, before it made its way back to the UK in 2008.

The unusual vehicle is thought to be the only one of its kind in existence and is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £35,000 when it goes under the hammer later this month.

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Cars for Stars named as a preferred supplier for The X Factor

Leading luxury transport hire provider, Cars for Stars, has been named as a preferred supplier for the hit ITV talent show, The X Factor.

Cars for Stars specialises in the provision of top quality chauffeur driven transportation and has a history of supplying vehicles for hire profile events often chauffeuring celebrity names to awards ceremonies and red carpet events.

Not surprisingly, Cars for Stars were singled out by the hugely popular reality TV show to provide chauffeur driven limo hire for a contestant appearing on the programme’s sister show, the Xtra Factor presented by former X Factor runner up, Olly Murs.

Cars for Stars supplied a top of the range cream coloured stretch Chrysler limousine, also known as the Baby Bentley limo, for filming in London for the Xtra Factor. The chauffeur driven limo was needed to transport an X Factor contestant, although the name of the contestant being chauffeured for the filming has remained top secret.

However, Cars for Stars will be able to reveal all about the contestant’s identity once the segment airs on ITV2 in the coming weeks. We’ll also publish exclusive behind the scenes images from the filming in London featuring the Cars for Stars limo on here very soon.

The X Factor returned to our screens with a new judging panel at the end of last month. Louis Walsh is the only original judge from the 2010 series to make it to the this year’s series and is joined by new faces including Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, Take That singer and songwriter Gary Barlow and N Dubz singer Tulisa. The show is proving as popular as ever despite the judging panel shake up with the opening show drawing in 12.6 million viewers at its peak.

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The wackiest Rolls Royce Phantom revealed

A retired businessman has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds creating what he hopes will be the wackiest Rolls Royce Phantom ever.

The luxury motor, which has been described as the most highly modified Phantom in the world, has just arrived at the millionaire’s home in Marbella, Spain after undergoing an epic makeover at the hands of a leading car designer in the UK.

62-year-old Robert Allan purchased the Rolls Royce Phantom for £200,000 in silver before employing the expertise of London based car dealer SuperVettura and designer Pablo Rabiella to customise the vehicle.

The unique Phantom was completely stripped down before having 18 layers of paint applied in the three different colours of purple, white and yellow. The interior of the top of the range limo was also transformed with the use of 24 cowhides and also copious amounts of gold. The overall effect is bold and in your face, and guaranteed to prompt a reaction.

The ex-pat has owned a number of customised luxury vehicles in the past, however he wanted to push the boat out with his latest project. The car’s makeover cost the British born businessman in the region of £200,000 to complete however he says it was worth every penny as he wanted to create something which had never been seen before.