Should you ever become a world-famous celebrity, it’s likely that along with your stardom will come the means to afford a car that the rest of the world could only dream about owning.
But if the pricetag that usually comes along with sought-after exotics is a problem, the price of insurance will help put ownership even further out of reach. In fact, for most people, the monthly cost of insuring the current flagship model exotic is more than an average monthly car payment.
The infographic below gives a quick breakdown of a handful of celebrities rides and what they have to pay in insurance to keep driving them legal.
Take Kobe Bryant’s Ferrari 458, for example. With a starting sticker of around $230,000, Kobe has to pay an astronomical $461 a month in insurance. If we take that rate and apply it to the length of the typical 5-year car loan, Kobe will have paid $27,660 in insurance premiums. That’s enough to buy a new FR-S, 500 Abarth, Impreza WRX, and many, many more desirable “poor, non-celebrity people” cars. Or two and a half Nissan Versas, but really, who wants those.
Check out some of the other outrageous costs to insure some of the most desirable cars in the world below:
Presented by CheapCarInsurance.Net
This week Lamborghini decided to kickoff its anniversary festivities a few months early. The famed exotic car company celebrates 50 years this November but decided Italy is much nicer in the spring! In short, they gathered together a group of 350+ Lamborghinis of all models from all over the world for their 50th Anniversary Grand Grio Tour. You can see some footage from the event at the bottom of the page but first let’s give you the Reader’s Digest version history lesson of Lamborghini.
Ferruccio Lamborghini was doing pretty well for himself building tractors and in the mid-fifties was one of the largest tractor companies in Italy. He was also fortunate enough to have bought a Ferrari 250GT. He owned a few of them actually. He grew tired of having to replace the clutch so often which, as you can imagine, was not cheap. Then he found out that the 250GT used the exact same clutch assembly as his tractors and he knew they didn’t cost nearly what Enzo was charging. So what did he do? He decided to build a better car.
The first attempt was the 350GT (original name right?) which was powered by a 3.5L V12 producing 360 hp. The car wasn’t exactly a looker but it wasn’t ugly either. It is a forgotten car too. The reason? The Lamborghini Miura.
In 1967 Lamborghini changed the world of fast cars with the Miura. The industry had never seen a car like it. It was compact for a mid-engined car. This was due to its transversely mounted V12 pumping out 370 hp. An idea inspired by the Mini of all things. The design was stunning too. It was this car that set the trend not only for Lamborghini, but for Ferrari and others as well of being flamboyant mid-engined cars. Some people consider it to be one of the most beautiful cars ever.
They were at it again in 1974 with the arrival of the Countach. With its scissor doors it was so crazy to look at some people loved it while others thought it was too much. The Countach was the poster car of the seventies and eighties. In those days you either had the Countach or the bb512 on your wall. When the Countach hit the market it produced a “mild” 375 hp and the final iterations produced 455 hp. The Countach was also a fairly large car. It was fast in a straight line but not so much around corners. It was also incredibly hot in the cabin and impossible to see out of and park. The Countach is also the only one of their super cars to not be named after a bull.
In 1987, Lamborghini was bought by Chrysler under the direction of Lee Iococca, the man responsible for the Ford Mustang. The purchase price? $25.2 million. That is cheaper than a Ferrari 250 GTO. The nineties ushered in the Diablo. Longer and more sleek than the Countach, the Diablo was hardly a dull car. The 492 horse V12 was the most powerful yet. Just like the Countach though, the car was all about straight line speed. It was the first Lamborghini to pass the 200 mph barrier having a top speed of 202 mph. An all-wheel drive version came in 1993 which used a modified drive train from the LM002. The Diablo was Chrysler’s only notable contribution to the company. Chrysler sold Lamborghini to Audi in 1998. A year later came an updated version of the car which eventually was powered by a 550 hp 6.0 V12 before being replaced.
In the 2000s Lamborghini turned its first profit as well as bringing German engineering to the brand. The Murcielago was let loose on the world in 2001. The car was simply huge but my gosh was it fast! The 572 hp 6.2L V12 would propel this rocket to 60 mph in 3.8 sec and on to a top speed of 205 mph. The car’s handling was improved but it was still a bit of a pig when compared to other super cars like the Pagani Zonda and the Ferrari Enzo. With Audi having its hand in the engineering things like the air conditioning actually worked. It was even more refined to drive on the street while still being a brute when pushed. The car was later updated with a 6.5L 640 hp version and then the almighty SV producing 670 hp! This car would also do 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and had improved handling due to weight savings.
Along with the Murcielago, Lamborghini launched a “baby Lambo” in the form of the Gallardo in 2005. The car had a 500 hp V10 which provided an impressive soundtrack (one of the best exhaust notes in the world in my mind). It was considerably cheaper than the Murcielago and became very popular. It is the best selling Lamborghini to date. The car was updated to produce 560 hp and then the stripped down version produces 570 hp and will do 0-60 mph in 3 seconds flat! The Gallardo remains available for sale today but it’s replacement is on the horizon.
Lamborghini’s current flagship is the Aventador. Styled after a fighter jet, the car is very angular and arguably the most aggressive looking since the Countach. For the first time since the Miura, Lamborghini redesigned their V12. This time producing 691 hp is lighter and faster than ever before. It is currently one of the fastest accelerating cars on the market hitting 60 mph in a mere 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 220 mph. The cornering is vastly improved over the Murcielago largely due to its F1 style pushrod suspension.
Lamborghini’s 50 year history is far too long for us to go into deep detail. We hope this gives you a little more insight into their history. Looking back you can clearly see where their roots came from. The 350GT may be the oddball of the bunch but from then on, Lamborghini was in the business of making wild automobiles. The brand is recognizable worldwide and when you see one, you know you are looking at something special.
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Photo credits are unknown with the exception of the Gallardos which were taken by the author.
#12 Rebellion Racing Lola B12/60 Toyota
The 2013 American Le Mans Series makes it’s 3rd stop at the BEAUTIFUL central California race track commonly known as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In fact, it’s about 10 miles off the coast.
In P1 qualifying, with his first time at Laguna, was Rebellion Racing’s Neel Jani in their Lola B12/60 Toyota. Edging out Dyson Racing’s Guy Smith by 0.377 seconds. Muscle Milk qualified 3rd, despite pushing hard throughout the qualifying session.
In P2, Level 5 Motorsports qualified 1-2 in class. In fact, 0.360 seconds separates the two Level 5 cars. ESM brings in 3rd with their beautiful #01 Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b-Honda.
GT. Oh, how we love GT here. Risi Competizione secured pole with Matteo Malucelli at the wheel. Following 0.091 seconds behind him was American Porsche factory driver, Patrick Long, in the CORE autosport Porsche 911 RSR. Which also makes for CORE autosport first foray into GT. And yes, those wondering, CORE’s 911 RSR was Fly Lizards old 911 RSR. Coming in third was the Bryan Sellers piloted #17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR. And to give you an idea of how competitive GT is – the top nine cars were within 0.883 seconds of Risi!!
PC. Colin Braun driving the #05 CORE autosport came out swinging for pole. Followed closely by DragonSpeed Mishumotor’s #81 – 0.546 secs to be exact. Bruno Junquiera qualified 3rd with the #9 RSR Racing ORECA.
GTC. Umm, can anyone beat Jeroen Bleekemolen? NGT Motorsport’s Nick Tandy came in 0.111 seconds behind Jeroen. Andy Lally in the #27 Tully’s Coffee Dempsey Del Piero Racing rounds out the top 3 qualifying positions.
So, fire up the XBox + espn3 app on Saturday (5/11) for the live stream starting at 6:15pm ET.
For international fans, ALMS.com will carry the feed.
ALMS.com will also carry live streams of an assortment of in car cameras and car to pit radio transmission for all viewers.
Or wait for the “time condensed” version to air, Sunday (5/12), on ESPN2 at 4pm ET.
As always – the handy-dandy spotters guide.
[Photo | Mike Gillilan]
It’s almost the weekend! Reward yourself with a motoring diversion.
Two of the most beautiful BMWs you’ll ever see… Guaranteed.
The Datsun 240Z has always been one of my personal favorite cars. When launched in 1969, they were a cheap alternative to American Muscle Cars and looked similar to the Jaguar E-Type. What wasn’t to like? It was small, rear-wheel drive and had decent power from a 2.4L straight 6 rated at 150-160hp depending on who you talk to.
Pete Brock put the car on the map in 1970 when Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) built and raced a car to a championship in SCCA. That car is arguable one of the most recognizable race cars from that era and is also the most replicated 240Z ever.
Today, it is rare to find a 240Z in original condition. The reason for this is because are extremely easy and popular to modify. A common upgrade is a motor swap to a 2.0 turbo 4 or the Skyline twin-turbo inline-6 from the R32, R33, and R34 variants. To do that in the U.S. you must first find a motor in Japan and have it imported. As with anything, importing isn’t cheap. There are all kinds of import fees and taxes. Other common upgrades are updated suspension and bigger brakes.
The car seen above has been tastefully modified. It maintains the stock look but has flared fenders, lowering springs, Willwood brakes, and 18 inch wheels. The crown jewel is the motor. To avoid importing fees, this car has a modern 3.5L V6 from a 350Z shoehorned under the hood. The result is a rather fast car which absolutely screamed at the track!
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Weekend Wallpaper is a weekly series featuring the automotive photography of the Daily Derbi crew. This week’s photo is by Chance Hales
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2003 Kamal Concept
Our favorite cheeky Brit, Jeremy Clarkson, once said that you’re not a true petrol head until you’ve owned an Alfa Romeo. That poses a problem for many a gear head, specifically to those living in the United States. It’s been decades since you could buy a new Alfa in Yankee town, although technically a new Dodge Dart is just a massaged Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
There are plenty of us American’s, regardless of our affinity for big brash American muscle, that would love nothing more than to have the option of an Alfa Romeo. That time may be short at hand… relatively. We’ve reported on rumors in the past that the Fiat group is planning on bringing back Alfa Romeo to American soil. The Fiat 500 being sold in conjunction with Chrysler’s was just the first step. Another clue that they may be on their way is Alfa recently disclosed that they definitely have an upcoming SUV in the works.
This is revealing because we Americans love our SUV’s. They make us feel safe, we like sitting high, and for some reason we are under the false perception that they are all spacious. Regardless of the reason, most manufacturers that are successful in the U.S offer an SUV, generally a small car based model. Alfa’s concept from 2003, the Kamal, looks to be just that. It’s unlikely that the Kamal will be the upcoming model but it at least gives us some direction.
An Alfa Romeo SUV isn’t my cup of tea… I don’t even like tea. However, if an Alfa SUV means sporty car models for sale at your friendly Alfa Romeo/Fiat dealer in average town USA. I’m certainly not opposed. Especially considering that it would likely have Jeep underpinnings, it might not be half bad.
Source: MotorAuthority
