The Acura NSX supercar press kits are selling for $275 on eBay

After a decade of absence from the automotive market, the Acura NSX supercar generated much excitement when it was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Only a few days after the news broke, a number of journalists – or at least, people who were accredited as journalists at the show’s press preview on Monday and Tuesday – put their NSX press kits up for sale on eBay.

This number plate is for sale – click the image for details

It’s common for automakers to offer elaborate press kits when they introduce new models, and the NSX kit did not disappoint. Packaged in a lovely tin box, it contains a USB thumb drive loaded with pertinent model information and a small metal model of the car.

One sold on eBay today for $167.50, and other online auctions ending later have received bids well in excess of $100. There’s even one enterprising individual offering a buy-it-now price of $250 for one of the kits.

Do you think it’s right for journalists to sell the press kits on eBay?

Source: The Guardian

The booming car rental business behind London’s ‘supercar season’

‘Supercar season’ has long been the domain of the super-rich – but more Arab visitors to the UK are now entering the fast lane by hiring luxury motors for a fraction of the cost.

Visitors from the Arabian Gulf are known for showing off their high-value motors over summer, with some spending up to Dh70,000 to fly their cars to London for just a few weeks.

Supercar marques ranging from Aston Martin to Bugatti were spotted in areas like Knightsbridge and Mayfair last year, sporting number-plates from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

Some local residents have complained about the annual “invasion”, saying that the cars are noisy, and that some drivers are dangerous or do not pay local parking fines and speeding tickets.

This number plate is for sale – click the image for details

The London-based Signature Car Hire, which has one of the largest fleets of luxury cars in the UK, says it has seen a “growing market” in bookings from Middle Eastern customers.

Dee Bhatia, the firm’s founder and chief executive, said his customer base has included royals from the UAE and Qatar, although he declined to specify names.

“They are discerning clients who know exactly what they want. We have been known to buy a car specifically because a VIP client requested it,” Bhatia said.

Rival UK-based rental firm Supercar Experiences also reports a steady increase in customers from the Middle East.

This number plate is for sale – click the image for details

It offers models like the Porsche 911 Carrera or Range Rover Vogue to hire for around Dh1,400 a day, while the Ferrari 430 Spider F1 goes for £595 (Dh3,300).

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700 — the firm’s most expensive car available for general hire — is available for a whopping £1,995.00 per 24 hours.

Nik Hardwick, managing director of Supercar Experiences, said the firm had seen a lot a clients from the UAE, mainly during the summer months.

“We’ve had the princes, the sheikhs, the billionaires,” he said. “They’ve all got cars back home. But a lot of people decide to hire rather than bringing their own cars over.”

Source: The National UAE