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As its name suggests, the special edition model is available exclusively in the Ultimate Yellow exterior finish with 19-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels and the special livery completing the look.

Already a worthy adversary to Porsche in the performance stakes, it is inside where this version of the 370Z plays catch-up with integrated satellite navigation system, illuminated entry plates, special mats and a BOSE audio with eight speakers and a six-CD audio unit.

The upholstery is a mix of black leather and suede and features additional equipment such as heated seats, cruise control, speed limiter and all the other features from the 370Z GT Pack as standard.

Under the bonnet remains  unchanged with Nissan’s 3.7-litre V6 engine developing 243kW and peak torque of 366Nm.

The 370Z Yellow sprints from rest to 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h when mated with the standard six-speed manual transmission.

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The best part of the news – the car which needed to be transported is one of my top five dream cars, way above Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Mach 5, probably almost on par with the Batmobile.

Allow me to present the Lotus Exige S.

I had 24 hours to get the car from Melbourne to Sydney, and considering I’d just spent nine hours in a Porsche 911 Carrera S to get to the city-of-self-importance-and-retarded-traffic-flows it was around 6pm when I first saw the car with somewhat tired eyes.

Upon getting my first visual it was like having a strange optometrist install toothpicks between my eyelids.

Knowing there was about 1200km in front of me and a deadline of about 8pm the next night I decided to knock out some of the boring freeway kilometres that evening. Obviously I would probably not remain on the main roads the whole way – I mean do those guys in Texas really leave the house with a weapon not intending to use it?

Now as much as I’m a complete geek and love statistics and stuff, when it comes to cars, I’m largely not interested. When I was a teeny-bopper reading magazines (yes there were primitive information mediums before the web “gasp”) or in my early 20’s playing Gran Turismo and Need For Speed I would spend all night poring over the specs and performance data and just ponder how well they stacked up to my ‘81 Sigma SE.

The obsession over specifications and performance statistics was deep-sixed when I started spending some time in exotics and realised the numbers didn’t reflect the experience.

If you want to look at the stopwatch after you’ve had a drive to let you know how good a time you’ve had, get a Porsche.

Or if you’d like to feel as though you’re crawling in traffic, eyes like Graham Kennedy, looking for greed cameras when you’re doing 110km/h on the freeway (no cruise-control and 1mm of throttle equals ~50km/h) then get a Lamborghini.

If you’d like to drive flat-out everywhere you go and not get in trouble – get a Lotus Elise and don’t change out of 2nd gear.

If you’re in need of numbers and stuff to understand a car then let’s just go with the bastion of integrity and scientific proof, Top Gear.

Here’s where it stands on the Top Gear Power Lap board driven by The Stig in reference to a few other interesting cars available in Oz (I think).

• 1:19.5 – Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
• 1:19.5 – Porsche 997 GT2
• 1:19.7 – Nissan GT-R
• 1:19.7 – Ferrari 430 Scuderia
• 1:19.8 – Lamborghini Murciélago LP640
• 1:21.2 – Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
• 1:22.3 – Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
• 1:22.3 – Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996 mk.II)
• 1:23.9 – Aston Martin DBS
• *1:25.1 – Lotus Exige S*
• 1:25.3 – BMW M3 E90 Sedan
• 1:25.7 – Audi RS4
• 1:25.7 – Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
• 1:26.0 – BMW Z4M
• 1:26.0 – Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black series
• 1:26.0 – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ320
• 1:26.2 – BMW M5
• 1:26.2 – Porsche 911 Carrera S (997)
• 1:26.7 – Porsche Cayman S
• 1:26.9 – Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG
• 1:27.1 – Aston Martin DB9
• 1:27.2 – Tesla Roadster (mildly moist)
• 1:28.2 – Lotus Elise Sport 190
• 1:28.7 – Porsche Boxster S
• 1:30.1 – Subaru Impreza WRX STi
• 1:30.1 – Vauxhall Monaro VXR
• 1:30.9 – Audi S4 quattro 4.2
• 1:31.8 – BMW M3 E46
• 1:31.8 – Nissan 350Z
• 1:31.8 – Mazda RX-8
• 1:32.8 – Honda Civic Type-R
• 1:33.3 – Volkswagen Golf Mk.IV R32
• 1:34.2 – MINI Cooper S Works

If you need some moving visuals to make this a verified Web 2.0 post, here’s Jeremy Clarkson’s review – if I had the time I would have made a far more entertaining video, you’ll just have to trust me on that one:

So I’d driven a couple hundred kilometres out of Melbourne,  I had no GPS except for my iPhone, which I soon realised is about as useful as an on-road tool as licking your finger and sticking it out the window, so with no real idea where I was going, my theory was I just kept the car pointed toward towns I’d never heard of, I pressed on assuming that I was probably going in the right direction.

It’s getting toward midnight and I’m around Bairnsdale about 300km east of Melbourne, having been up since 4:30am and spent more 1000km on the road in sports cars, I’m kind of spent.

I do a couple laps of the town looking for late night accommodation with my mate’s words from earlier ringing in my ears when I mentioned I might do some driving and look for somewhere to crash late that night.

“Yeah of course – there’s heaps of people like you who try to drive late at night and need somewhere to stay at the last minute.”

Ok, one caveat that we didn’t contemplate was that this was a long weekend, and the areas I was driving through are mega tourist areas, hence everything was fully booked -” doh”.

After Bairnsdale I try Lakes Entrance about 40km down the road (not to mention pulling into the half dozen caravan parks along the way), no luck there so I just keep driving – it’s now after 1am and I am really really tired, not to mention the high-beams are either ineffective or inoperable.

Still the Exige feeds you confidence on the road like a morphine drip, so even when the tarmac turns to dirt and my instincts are that I’m now entering Deliverance country and I’m just two awkward conversations away from being told to squeal like a pig, I’m impelled to press on.

Thankfully the Exige over-ruling my instincts turned into a way of finding new towns without a time-costly trip back to the freeway – you’ll find that in driving the Exige there are so many times it beckons you to do things that are distinctly against your instincts, let me just say it’s very rewarding when you do so. (note: this does not constitute legal or spiritual advice)

So the Exige S, why?

This is the stupidest production car I’ve spent time with.

To get in or out you need to open the door to it’s full extent – yes it’s a tiny car – but it means you can’t safely park within one metre of any other car/wall/bollard/obstacle. Also being extremely low, be careful when near seaside suburbs or towns, they tend to have higher kerbs.

Into the bargain, entering a car park means you have to get out of the car to get your ticket, which means driving a few feet forward of the ticket machine, at which point you realise the car will actually fit under the gate and you ponder just driving through.

Another thing, the central rear-view mirror is there only for ADR compliance and so you can admire the engine bits or see the reflections of the dash and radio at night.

There is no chance of being able to check your “blind spot” – which includes 90 per cent of the planet that happens to be behind you. Reversing out of parking spots is largely a faith experience.

On the highway and open roads it’s not a problem, people are somewhat more predictable over the longer distances you have to overtake them and change lanes, but for inner city multi-lane driving it’s just way more stressful as you try to figure out whether the muppet you just passed has remained at constant speed or decided, because they’ve just seen a sports car overtake them, that they should speed up too.

Oddly enough bus and tram drivers notice you, but beware the Mum’s taxis, which places a relentless stake on any piece of real estate within 50 metres of their vehicle.

But God dammmmm – this car is fun!

I’m not talking about a day of skirmish with the guys at the office where you get to shoot that annoying bland guy from finance in the nuts or when you sticky tape your girlfriend’s shoes to the floor so she does a comedy stack when she puts them on.

This car induces pure dopamine – you feed it fuel, it feeds you smiles – this is the simplest equation since the good old one – beer equals good looking women.

So I eventually make my way to a town called Orbost in Snowy River country and it’s 2am, freakin’ cold and I need sleep after driving what is basically a race-car on the road for 400km.

In the mean time I’ve noticed how people react to the car when I pull up somewhere – I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, etc – but this car is somehow different.

I don’t know what the exact ingredient is, and much may be skewed given I’ve mostly been a passenger in the others, but in the high-end cars you tend to only really get the young boys and mid-life-crisis geezers come and talk to you about the car.

Most others give a sideways look because they want to see it but want to appear uninterested, I mean they’re pretty big imposing and impressive cars.

In the Lotus though nobody seems to have any qualms, it’s so little that people aren’t intimidated, but they’re definitely impressed.

Perhaps I should clarify for fellow guys, by people I mean everyone including chicks, in 24 hours with this car I had more chats, smiles, waves, photos, indecent offers, etc than I’ve had in the last several years around all the other exotica I’ve been in.

Who knows, maybe I’m just hotter now that I’m older and I would have got that attention in a Commodore.

So fast-forward past the indecent proposals of the evening around Orbost, where I couldn’t find accommodation but had a few random offers. It’s now 2:30am so I find an out of the way location behind some shed, park on a mild incline and proceed to attempt to get some sleep – in the Exige.

For those who haven’t sat in one let me paint a picture, I don’t think Colin Chapman’s mates were considering this idea when they designed it, the seats are small, you have only a few inches of legroom either side of where you put your feet, and the sports seats they installed have a headrest which is forward of the neck.

This headrest thing, not so much an issue when you’re driving, but when you want to relax, hmm, imagine a carbon-fibre pillow, 40 millimetres wide, covered with a slim leather outing that forces your chin into your cleavage.

No, you can’t just lean to the side, the seats hold you in place, it’s not like a normal car where you can just put your head up against the window, your only choice is to sit upright with your head resting on your shoulder.

I won’t bore you with the details, but it wasn’t a particularly rewarding sleep, at 6:30am I decided I’d had enough and I decided to get back on the road.

Ok, first thing, I was camped in Snowy River country, second thing, it’s winter. I woke up not only stiff from four hours of attempted sleep in a race-seat preceded by several hours of driving in one, but shaking like break dancer. Just getting out of the passenger seat to go to the driver’s seat I’m sure I could have won numerous dance awards.

I let the car and myself warm up a while, thankfully the Exige has exceptional heating qualities for it’s little cabin. Within minutes I’d gone from considering just snapping off a few of my frozen fingers as they seemed to just be in the way, to considering a striptease for all the native fauna I could hear in the background just waiting to laugh at me.

Fog was heavy in the air, like the last chick at the bar, and every exhalation almost obscured my view with the mist produced but the roads around Orbost, weaving through farming areas and the Snowy River foothills are fantastic.

Apart from “Megan Fox” and “morning glory” being in the same sentence I find it hard to imagine a better way to wake up.

It took me three attempts to leave Orbost, the first two times I took the “wrong” road, which did all the right things, however somehow lead back to Orbost. Eventually I managed to find a road out that delivered me to other roads that  were the perfect combination of forest and seaside boulevards, I can only hope the folks in the cars I passed got half the joy I got out of passing through.

I found a few random places along the way in the early morning mists, one was an interesting little inlet where people were launching boats and walking dogs. Here, right on the edge of one of Victoria’s pine forests (or something) the combination of freshness, the smell of sea and pine at dawn, was simply amazing.

This area was just so serene and beautiful that it gave me a somewhat callous pleasure to hit the starter button of the Exige and break the silence with a bark of exhaust.

I feel I’ve already over-written this silly little road-trip on the point of dawn, especially when I still have 800km of adventure ahead. People do the Melbourne-Sydney run every day and don’t make a big deal, I guess the thing to ask is how many people thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

One of the things that need to be pointed out is just how great it is to drive such a machine, there are so many clichés regarding “wearing the car” and “handles like a go-kart” etc, but the next night in the pub telling a Lotus enthusiast mate about the trip I was trying to convey how it absorbs a corner.

Trying to avoid the clichés I still had to evoke the go-kart experience, that point where you are at full-tilt through a corner and the kart slips a little bit and you just instinctively correct, that’s the feeling you get in the Exige, only at (slightly) higher speeds, and those corrections are more likely the result of our poor roads.

I was really quite put-off prior to driving the Lotus as to whether a regular schmuck like me could handle it. I’ve driven Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, etc before, but mostly modern stuff, which in comparison are soft GT tourers, but surprisingly this car is so difficult to put a foot wrong.

I didn’t baby the car, James did say “use it”, there were segments of 20+ minutes where it rarely went below 7000rpm, but even at full-tilt round a bouncy bend you just know you could drive this thing up the cleavage of Kate Moss.

Getting into (non-legal) trouble in the Exige S would require such a dulled sense of excitement that in order to wake up you need to inject Tabasco into your eyeballs.

I won’t bother comparing the car to most others, except to say if you’re driving around for a few minutes and have time to think, you start to realise the complete lunacy of what you are in, wondering how the hell they made this legal.

As for comparisons to the Elise, I’ve only been in a few and only as a passenger, but these times have been let’s say “spirited”.

On each occasion I came away rather impressed with the lateral-G’s (that is to say I had to keep buying new underpants) and launch from zero, but underwhelmed by the acceleration over 60km/h or up hills, always feeling they were just not meant to go much above the speed limit.

In the Exige S, firstly it has six gears, yes six, so let’s just tackle highway driving.

Leave it in sixth all you want,but say you are in a 110km/h zone and a HiAce is doing 87km/h flat out and there’s a bend 300m away? No problem, this thing has enough torque to simply launch you around the mobile chicane without changing gears.

I was truly astonished by how much this car was capable of without dropping cogs, it’s just really strange to drive a car that thrives at 8000rpm yet has such a strong response at 3000rpm , and I found myself dipping back to second simply for the noise!

For the spirited roads (generally indicated by a sign showing logging trucks), second gear is all you need. Most of them at rated at 80km/h but some are 100km/h, either way just leave it in second and if you need to change into third you are breaking the law. According to the handbook third redlines at about 180kph.

Fourth and fifth are wasted gears for road driving, third is nice, in fact the Exige S may as well just have first, second, third and sixth.

I have to mention I found almost no difficulties in other areas where you find hardship in Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc;  there is such little overhang that the lowness of the car doesn’t particularly matter, sure, you have to be mindful of spoon drains, speed-humps and the like, but there were very few times when an extra reverse move was required to get the right angle of approach to enter or exit a street.

Is this car something you can live with? Definitely.

Every day I hear people bitching about jobs they hate and relationships they tolerate, for the compromises you need to endure to experience the greatness of this vehicle I think it far outweighs the everyday comfort, especially when considering the frustrations mentioned at the start of this sentence.

One of the major shortcomings that can be overcome is the rearward visibility, I don’t know why a rear-camera with screen isn’t an option in this day and age, at least it’s an easy aftermarket fix, the other option is to rip off the roof and install a periscope.

The bruises I have on my arms and legs because of 24 hours straight in this car would surely only cause my body to adapt and toughen up.

Either way – road-going sublime has a benchmark.

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“We have to think about this if car sales continue to develop like this and do not recover,” Reuters quoted a company source as saying.

Due to the ramp-up of production of the newly introduced Panamera luxury sedan in the second half of 2009, Porsche’s plant in Leipzig, Germany, which assembles the Panamera, and the Cayenne SUV should remain unaffected by the output cuts in Zuffenhausen.

To counteract a severe slump in demand, Porsche said late in January it will cut costs this year by far more than 100 million euros (US$140.7 million) and will halt production in Zuffenhausen by another 19 days before its summer break in addition to the 11 already taken since the start of last December.

A Porsche spokesman said no decision was made yet for further production cuts, but if it became necessary management and labour could decide quickly on such a measure.

In the first nine months of the fiscal year to July, Porsche’s global sales fell 28 per cent to 53,635 vehicles.

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Porsche said it will not submit another loan application to KFW but will instead work harder on sourcing major investment elsewhere, namely the Gulf state of Qatar.

Qatar had been deliberating on a 25 per cent investment stake in Porsche for some time now but recently was said to be favouring the purchase of up to 10 per cent of Volkswagen.

A final decision from Qatar is expected later this month.

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Utilising a pair of modified VTG turbochargers, the engine generates 515kW and maximum torque of 860Nm 4,500rpm with a top speed of 350km/h.

Although it was not brute power alone which led the GTStreet RS to victory, unique tyres and suspension have been added to car which have been developed in collaboration with technology partners Bilstein and Michelin.

In addition to the victory in the GT Turbo class, the TechArt team also performed exceptionally well in the Cabriolet-turbo class, taking first place yet again with a time of 1:09.601 in the TECHART GTstreet R Cabrio – 3.186 seconds of its competitors.

TechArt claimed its final victory with the Magnum taking first place in the SUV Class with a time of 1:16.939 – the fastest time ever achieved by a car in the ‘heavyweight’ division, and while riding on 22-inch TechArt Formula rims.

CarAdvice experienced the full ensemble of the TechArt Porsche range during the latest Full Throttle 2 tour of Europe. The full TechArt range is available in Australia through RamSpeed.

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Mr Zetsche said demand would stabilise at a low level this year with a very gradual recovery beginning in 2010 for certain markets and segments.

“One should not expect that in one year markets will be at the level of 2007,” Mr Zetsche said in the interview.

The Daimler CEO added that he still considered it likely that talks to deepen ties with rival carmaker BMW would eventually lead to results that the two could present to markets.

Mr Zetsche denied German media reports that he was looking to acquire a stake in Porsche, reaffirming his statement from two years ago that there was no acquisition target he could see that would strengthen Daimler.

He said carmakers would see only a few defensive deals happen in which ailing competitors would look to save themselves by linking up with a stronger rival.

Mr Zetsche believes the number of carmakers will not decline as Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has predicted, since new players are emerging in China and India.

He said: “This industry is too closely intertwined with national interests, which is the reason why it seldom follows the pure laws of the market.”

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Its built a wide variety of sports cars of the front-, mid- and rear-engine variety, its built a four-wheel-drive sports car and used it to win the Paris-Dakar Rally, its even built an SUV, but Porsche has never built a production sedan, until now.

When the company introduced the Cayenne back in 2003, the business case was relatively straightforward: research indicated that Porsche customers were also buying luxury SUVs and it had none in its showrooms to offer.

So, to stem the tide of people venturing over to the BMW and Mercedes lots for their SUV fix, it produced an off-roader of its own.

It was a fantastic move. Around the world, sales for the Cayenne have been incredibly strong until the recent downturn; so strong, they helped bring Porsche unprecedented financial stability.

With the Panamera, you have to wonder if lightning will strike twice; now that Porsche has abandoned its status as a manufacturer devoted exclusively to sports cars, will it find an audience for another model that deviates from its initial raison d’être?

Let’s not beat around the bush and jump right to the conclusion; yes, the Panamera will find an audience, economy notwithstanding, for a very simple reason, if you’re in the market for an executive express or a gran turismo sedan (as they like to call it), the Porsche absolutely must be on your shopping list.

For the press event held in the Bavarian Alps, three versions of the Panamera were at my disposal: the rear-wheel drive Panamera S, the all-wheel drive Panamera 4S and the rear-wheel drive Panamera Turbo, all equipped with the PDK dual-clutch transmission.

Many markets will receive other versions of the new sedan, including a V6 model, rear-wheel-drive V8 paired with a six-speed manual transmission, and –eventually – a petrol-electric hybrid.

The drive route was brilliantly conceived. The Panamera is a big car – very big – and wider than the average executive sedan, so it’s not the perfect choice for Europe’s famed switchback turns or alpine passes.

But it is great for a selection of gently winding roads and quick blasts along the autobahn; for it’s here where the sheer genius of the car’s engineering comes into sharp focus.

Even though lightweight materials have been used throughout the build, the Panamera still tips the scales at between 1770kg, for the manual S, and 1970kg, for the Turbo. Given this weight, motivation was a key factor and, as expected, Porsche has answered the call with a pair of potent engines.

The Panamera S and 4S are powered by a 4.8-litre V8 that features direct fuel injection, four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing and a dry sump lubrication system. This powerplant generates 294kW and 499Nm of torque with a healthy band that stretches between 3500rpm and 5000rpm.

Meanwhile, the Panamera Turbo rings in with the same V8, aided and abetted by twin turbochargers. The net result is 373kW and 699Nm of torque, most of it in the useable range between 2250rpm and 4500rpm.

With the optional Sports Chrono Package, the Turbo gains an overboost capability that sees the engine generate 768Nm of torque for even sharper acceleration.

The Turbo, as well as the 4S, came equipped with this option, which also delivers quicker shifts and a launch control system for the PDK versions, an air suspension system that lowers the sedan by 25mm, active suspension for sharper handling, a less intrusive stability control system and a nifty stopwatch on the dashboard.

Given all this, it will be a wonder if anyone orders a Panamera without the Sports Chrono Package!

All versions of the Panamera feature a very interesting new engine management feature: automatic start/stop.

While this system has been available in hybrid cars for years now, and is responsible for a significant portion of fuel savings in those vehicles, this is the first application in a production luxury non-hybrid.

When the car is in normal mode, it automatically shuts down when the car is stopped and immediately fires up again as soon as the brake pedal is released.

Full credit to Porsche for setting the pace with the start/stop system, there’s really no reason (except perhaps cost) why all cars aren’t similarly equipped.

Of the three versions, I came away most impressed with the Panamera S because it seemed lighter on its feet and easier to plant when entering corners of all descriptions.

You could hardly call any of the iterations “flickable”, but the S came closest. Of course, the Turbo also impressed with its sheer brute force, nothing makes an impact quite like an additional 75kW.

The PDK proved to be up to the challenge of transmitting all that power to the wheels. Of all the current dual-clutch systems on the market, my money’s on the Porsche system for being the quickest and slickest of them all.

The visceral pleasure of a well-sorted manual transmission will never go out of style, but the PDK has a charm all its own, setting aside the shift buttons on the steering wheel.

Porsche continues to insist that these buttons are a better solution than the far more ubiquitous shift paddles that derived from motorsport. Last year, virtually every review of the Porsche 911 included a complaint about the buttons, which are far from intuitive to operate.

Interesting, then, that the rumour is that Porsche will offer shift paddles as an option for any Panamera equipped with the PDK, and suffice to say it’s a decision whose time has come!

Regarding the Panamera 4S, I was a bit under-whelmed and the culprit seems to have been the variable-assist power-steering (it was the only car of the three so fitted), which felt too light and not confidence-inspiring in the same way as the regular power steering.

The 4S also suffered from additional weight (compared to the S) and less power (versus the Turbo).

No doubt, the all-wheel-drive system would come in handy under more extreme driving conditions, but if you have a rear-wheel-drive car that can scream along a very damp autobahn at well north of 200km/h without moving a millimetre out of line, you have to wonder at exactly what speed you’d need to be going before the additional traction is required.

The Panamera boasts the lowest centre of gravity of any car in its class. When you pair this fact with aerodynamic trickery such as the adaptive rear spoiler (a four-way version for the Turbo) that deploys and adjusts its angle automatically depending on the speed traveled, you have a sedan that seems more suited to hurtling down the Bonneville Salt Flats than shuttling business executives in rush-hour traffic.

Still, if you are forced to do the latter, the Porsche is more than ready to answer the call. With an interior cabin treatment reminiscent of the Carrera GT, the Panamera is easily the most luxurious Porsche ever built.

The most unique aspect of the cabin is the centre console, which extends from front to back, creating separate “cocoons” for the driver and three passengers.

The console houses the vast majority of the controls, including the audio system switches, climate-control buttons, suspension and engine mapping switches, and gear selector.

Everything is very logically organised for easy access to the driver and the surfaces are finished with rich materials, and it’s all very well executed.

In terms of comfort, the Panamera also sets new standards for the company. The seats are a marvel and there’s an abundance of headroom and legroom for back-seat passengers, something that was a very clear objective when designing the sedan.

Not so long ago, it was clear that Porsche devoted the vast majority of the development effort to the mechanical aspects of its cars. With the Panamera, it’s equally clear that the company is now setting aside time for creature comforts as well.

By this point in the story, keen observers will note that I’ve left the most contentious topic for last, the exterior design.

Some have compared the Panamera to a squashed Cayenne, or a stretched 911. Others have complained that it’s just flat-out ugly. One thing’s for sure: It’s unlike anything else on the road today.

To these eyes, the design blends elements of the 911 and the Chevrolet Corvette at the front with the Jensen Interceptor at the back.

While I won’t go as far as saying the Panamera meets the average person’s concept of beautiful design, it is strikingly original and there’s a strong chance it may grow on you. In the final analysis though, looks are a secondary concern because this is very definitely a true Porsche.

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Initial talks saw Qatar interested in a stake in Porsche, but now with Volkswagen dominating the debt-riddled partnership, Qatar’s interest has shifted.

Aid from the state could save the deal from ever going ahead, but there are strong signals from Berlin that the request will be denied.

Porsche, already owning almost 50 per cent of VW stock, is rumoured to be prepared to surrender its right to buy about a fifth of Volkswagen’s voting shares, leaving these open for Qatar to purchase.

If the deal were to be completed, Qatar would be on equal footing with Volkswagen’s second biggest shareholder, the state of Lower Saxony.

We’ll keep you posted on any further developments.

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“We could no longer avoid shutting down the vehicle assembly line because auto manufacturers’ strategies have changed,” said Karmann official Ottmar Hermann.

Given the firm’s dire financial position the company’s remaining 2240 employees were left without a severance package when the doors closed yesterday.

In addition to the Ghia, Karmann will be remembered for such models as the Porsche 914, Volkswagen Golf convertible, Audi A4 convertible, Chrysler Crossfire coupe and convertible, Chrysler Sebring convertible, Pontiac G6 convertible and the Mercedes-Benz CLK convertible.

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Ford improved to 102 reported problems per 100 vehicles and Chevrolet to 103, just behind Toyota’s sixth place score of 101.

That put the three top-selling brands in the United States in the same league when it comes to complaints during the first 90 days of ownership.

“There is no statistical difference between a 101 and a 102 or, for that matter, between a 101 and a 103,” said David Sargent, JD Power’s vice president of automotive research, in a presentation to the Automotive Press Association.

Overall industry quality improved to its best level in the study’s 23 years, and domestic brands continued to close the gap between their performance and the industry average.

That average was 108 reported problems per 100 vehicles, down from 118 in 2008. Owners of US domestic brands recorded an average of 112 problems per 100 vehicles.

A year earlier, the US domestics had 124 reported problems, or six more than the average.

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I’m here to make a case for all the men (and women) that buy expensive sports cars or luxury cars because they choose to. Not because they want to impress others, but because they want that car. I am also going to shamelessly fill this article with photos of me with expensive cars as an example of how gorgeous cars don’t really do that much when it comes to attraction.

In this job one of the benefits is seeing what it feels like to have a different car every week. One week you drive around in something James Bond would be happy with, the next week you’ve got a Kia Grand Carnival people mover. So not only do you see the difference in treatment but you also eventually realise how judgemental people can be. Let me give you a few examples.

Last year when the Jaguar XF first came out I had my hands on the very first one in Brisbane. Now remember, it’s just a Jag, sure it looks very modern and expensive, but it’s just a car.

I wasn’t expecting much of a reaction, but I was blown away. First day in the XF and a friend and I went to grab some lunch, we decided to head to St Lucia, near the University of Queensland campus, we parked the car directly next to a restaurant and sat down for lunch.

In the hour that we sat there eating we watched five or six people stop and examine the car, nothing out of the ordinary but still interesting, however once we paid the bill and got up to leave, two rather attractive girls approached the car – “hey guys, nice car, can you take us for a ride?” – were they serious? I mean, who does that?

It was one of those movie moments where the two guys stare at each other and wonder what they should say “Sure…” – “Don’t think so” both of us spoke at the same time. My friend was keen, I wasn’t.

“Sorry girls, we’re on a tight schedule (lie) we need to get out of here”. “Oh, come on, guys, just up the road, we live five minutes away”. Now I had a dilemma on my hands. At this point my friend was looking at me, wondering what the tight schedule was, with that “are you crazy” look on his face.

“Can’t do it, have a great day though”. We got inside the car and drove off, 30 seconds went past in silence but it finally came: “Dude, have you gone mad!” said one rather confused man.

I love cars. I really do, I love the way they look, I love the way they sound, I love everything about them. One thing I don’t love is the stereotypical attention they get.

A while ago I was in a gorgeous red Ferrari 360 convertible driving around the Gold Coast, at one stage while we were stuck at a red light two girls walked past us, stopped, one of them wrote her number on a piece of paper and threw it inside the car. “Call me!” she yelled as we looked at her in disbelief.

Would any self-respecting man really call her?

That same week in the XF, I went to the Brisbane Chocolate Festival at Portside and there were absolutely no car parks left, but as soon as the manager saw the Jag, he came out, directed me to a reserved park right at the very front, next to a Porsche. Deferential treatment? Not at all.

Now that I’ve driven most supercars worth driving, I can honestly tell you, if you’re looking at buying one to impress anyone, don’t bother. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, etc, they are all cars of beauty, power and finesse, but they are all, at the end of the day, just a car.

You should only buy them because YOU love them. This already holds true for the majority of owners.

My favourite story though is with the Aston Martin DBS, in Quantum Silver (James Bond’s car) in Brisbane. Those familiar with the Brisbane night life scene have probably been to West End and Lychee Lounge in particular.

I usually have a policy of not taking supercars out at night unless they are under consistent supervision, so with that in mind I planned to park the DBS right out the front of Lychee Lounge so I could see it at all times.

You can of course hear the car coming kilometres away and as we approached the venue, I could see the first parking spot was free, literally right out the front. Perfect position, as the place was packed.

As I pulled in, I could see and even feel the glances, conversations had stopped, heads were turned. James Bond had arrived.

There is something enormously empowering about getting out of a $600,000 supercar in front of a crowd of people. Somehow you’re now someone important, simply because you drive an ultra-expensive car. For the sake of my social study experiment, I was happy to play the part.

My friend and I sat down, I had a coffee and we stayed for a while. I realised I’d left my wallet in the car so I got up and walked outside towards the DBS, and there she was.

Between the DBS and I stood a girl no older than 25 in a red dress, stunning in every conceivable way possible. She looked so good, that the Aston was being humbled. I could once again feel that everyone in the lounge was starring, it was law of expectations in full force “Oh, of course, that’s definitely his girlfriend, it all makes sense…”. She wasn’t.

I didn’t really know why she was there, maybe she was admiring the car, maybe she was just standing there, but she was actually physically standing between me and the door so unless I intended to push her out of the way, I had to talk to her.

“Hi there, I need to open the door…” I said. “Oh, sorry (lie). Is this your car? Wow it’s beautiful… ” she looked me up and down “and you’re so young, you must be doing something right” she said in the most intoxicating voice.

“Aw, yeah… I guess”. I love my job.

“You know I’ve never been in a car like this, can you take me for a ride?” she said as she got one step closer to me.

It was the Jag situation all over again, only this time the car was six times the price and the girl, well, she looked like she was six times the price too.

“Umm… I’m here with a friend, maybe later?”

“I’m leaving now, give me a lift to my car? We’ll talk on the way”

Argh! Men are hard-wired to respond to a situation like this with a big clear massive “Yes”. Dammit, the whole point of my experiment was to see if this would happen, it wasn’t to fall for it!

There was a five second pause, it felt like a week. “Sorry, can’t do it at the moment” I said in the manliest voice I could muster. My internal organs were at this point rejecting me, they had gone into failure mode.

She smiled and walked away. I convinced my body I had made the right choice, walked back inside and sat down. I then realised I still didn’t have my wallet!

You can say what you want and pretend it doesn’t happen, but if you want to break it down to an evolutionary psychology level, mate selection can be influenced by the male’s ability to care for his offspring. So an expensive car is going to increase the male’s sex and reproductive value, but only to a degree.

In my experience of driving the world’s most expensive and prestigious cars, female attention is increased dramatically,  but it’s hardly a good thing as most self respecting males would find it hard to be proud of that.

Now, what about the not so expensive cars.

Currently in my garage is a Suzuki Swift Sport, one of my favourite little cars to drive around town. I’ve had it for a week now and knowing I was going to write this article, I’ve been trying to subtly survey female opinion.

“Cool, I’ll pick you up around 8pm” I said to a female friend of mine last weekend. “I’ll bring the Swift.” – “Oh… why? Bring your own car, it’ll be more fun.” she replied back.

I have tested the theory by going out on dates with the same girl with different cars. I distinctively remember picking my date up and going to dinner in a Kia Grand Carnival. The week before I had picked her up in a BMW and given she had no idea what I do, it made for a really interesting observation of character.

One thing I can tell you with utmost certainty is that everyday cars that blend in with the traffic do little to inspire any attention – from anyone.

Of course the point here is, when the time comes and you’re buying your first Aston Martin or Lamborghini, make sure you’re buying it for you.

More importantly though, next time you see a guy getting out of his expensive car, please take a moment to appreciate that he loves his car, he bought it because he loves it and he chose to buy it. He didn’t buy it to impress you. He is not compensating for anything.

Many females I’ve questioned have told me that attractive cars make already attractive men more attractive (consistent with the Top Gear survey results) but little to no affect on average or not-so average looking men.

As for the flip side, do expensive, sport or luxury cars make women more attractive to men, the clear consistent answer from our side of the fence is a big massive YES.

We can’t help but to fall in love with a girl driving a Porsche 911 Turbo. We can’t help but to love a girl as she screams past in her BMW M3 convertible. We are visual creatures and are pre-programmed to admire things of beauty. For most men, the pre-existing attraction to cars is a massive bonus when it comes to increasing our interest!

If you’re female, I would really like to read your opinion so please leave a comment.

As for the men reading this, by all means let me know what you think and share any experiences you’ve had with cars and their social value.

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