Aston Martin Unseats the Veyron as the World's Most Expensive Car

The Bugatti Veyron just lost its last claim to fame.

Having already been dethroned as the fastest car on the planet, the $1.4 million Veyron and its more expensive roadster sibling are no longer the world's most expensive rides. That title now rests with the One-77, the $2.3 million hand-made coupe Aston Martin will sell next year. No more than 77 will be built, a figure that makes Bugatti's run of 300 Veyrons look mass-market and just beats the 80 Veyron roadsters in exclusivity.

A British bookie already is laying odds on who'll get the first one.

Paying $2.3 million for anything that doesn't have wings is beyond excessive, but then, those few who get a One-77 aren't buying a car. They are, according to Aston Martin, buying An Experience. Autocar says buyers will be invited to the factory in Gaydon, where they'll meet with designers and engineers to develop the car to their exact specifications.

"It's a very special car for customers who want to take the bespoke experience to a higher level," company chairman David Richard told Autocar. "Every car will be entirely individual."

Aston Martin isn't saying much about the One-77, a code name for the as-yet-unnamed coupe, but the project started about 15 months ago. The hand-hammered aluminum bodywork retains the general profile of the gorgeous DB9 but is more muscular. It covers a carbon fiber chassis and a 7.0-liter V12 engine said to produce 650 horsepower. Top speed is estimated at 220 mph and 60 mph arrives in 3.5 seconds.

Those figures are well short of the 253 mph and 2.5 seconds the Bugatti has hit, but Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Benz says the company isn't "doing a Veyron." Instead, the company's flagship will highlight its latest technology, raising the possibility future Astons will make greater use of carbon fiber and other advancements developed for the One-77.

The company reportedly has identified 500 or so potential customers and will bring a One-77 to their homes -- when you're spending that kind of money, you aren't expected to actually visit a showroom.

So who's on the list? The bookies at William Hill Casinos have opened betting and David Beckham is their 9-4 favorite to be first in line. Singer Jay Kay of Jamiroquai is second at 3-1, while the odds on Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich stand at 7-2.

As for Aston Martin's decision to build just 77, it's said to have stemmed from Bez's belief that seven is a lucky number. It certainly is for those fortunate enough to get one.

Kanye West's New Song: Love Lockdown

I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
What I had to do, had to run from you
I'm in love with you, but the vibe is wrong
And that haunted me, all the way home
So ya never know, never never know
Never know enough, til' it's over love
Til' we lose control, system overload
Screamin' no no no, no no
I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
See I wanna move, but can't escape from you
So I keep it low, keep a secret code
So everybody else don't have to know


So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now, keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, you lose


I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I can't keep my cool, so I keep it true
I got somethin' to lose, so I gotta move
I can't keep myself, and still keep you too
So I keep in mind, when I'm on my own
Somewhere far from home, In the danger zone
How many times did I tell you 'fore it finally got through
you lose, you lose
I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
See I had to go, see I had to move
No more wastin time, we can't wait for life
We're just racing time, where's the finish line?


So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
You keep ya love locked down, you lose


I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
I bet no one knew, I got no one new
I know I said I'm through, but got love for you
But I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
Gotta keep it goin, keep the lovin goin
Keep it on a roll, only God knows
If I'll be with you, baby I'm confused
You choose, you choose
I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to
Where I want to go, I don't need you
I've been on this road, too many times before
I'm not lovin you, the way I wanted to


So keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Keepin ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, ya love locked down
Now keep ya love locked down, you lose, you lose
You lose...you lose...you lose

You see, that song is really into me.

Soulnation Weekend - Day 1

I think it's genius for the promoter to finally create an international hip-hop festival that big in my own city. I've been all excited since the first time I got my hands on the tickets. I also wandered around the giant venue and took a peek at all 6 stages with Adanty, Dhanya, Ikram, Isaac, Kashira while some of the Indonesian artists performed, didn't stay long enough to watch. I met a few people I know, like Andhari, Angga, and the other D'Makaveli People, Hasfi, etc.

Shortly afterwards, I watched this Australian group, Iz and The Nufirm. Supposedly, Iz did a few joints with Jin and The Ruffryders or something. He got the typical male R&B artist vibe like Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, and the likes. Mixing dance beats and some reggae with his music. He did other people's music too. But he danced and sang pretty good. The dancers were excellent, and they got one male audience to the stage to get a free lap dance from the dancers. After doing 2 more songs, Che'nelle came on stage and all the male audiences went crazy. Because she's sexy and such, of course. I wonder why she looks more Asian, despite people telling me she's half Australian and Malaysian. She sang her popular tracks.

Around 10.30 PM, there was a long queue to get to the venue where Akon would perform. Right then, my feet started to get hurt but I got stubborn. I got the spots near the stage but couldn't go on any further due to many hysteric teenage fans of Akon. Screaming already, although Akon hadn't appeared yet. But may I say, that Akon is truly an example of spectacular performer? Despite his good choices of songs, he knows how to make the audiences stayed screaming and wanting more. He jumped anywhere, kept telling stories about himself, asked the audience to scream and dance certain ways. He didn't need any dancers to shine like the rest. He only got one back up rapper, and a very interactive DJ that could do fire juggling. Near the end of his performance, he managed to walk to the center of the crowds, climbed a stool and perform more songs there. I bet the securities were panicked. People shoved and pushed each other to get to him and touch him. He did a little stripping too, throwing his clothes and towels. I started to like him more. He did his popular tracks like "Don't Matter", "Lonely", "Smack That", "I'm In Love With A Stripper", and of course my favorite "The Sweetest Girl". I think it would be hard for any Soulnation performers, including Ashanti, to top what Akon did. But unfortunately, I lost my cellphone during the concert, and Ikram did it too, lol.