Its quite inaccurate to categorize designer Marko Petrovic’s concepts as “stuffs of fantasy”. While it might be true that all of this talented conceptual designer’s creation have been just mere elaborations of Photoshop, Auto-CAD, and other software. They do have a breadth of realism within them. Petrovic’s latest is his Avenger Vertical Tourbillon Watch, a concept timepiece inspired by angular super car, the Lamborghini Aventador. “Driven” by belts and gears, much like those found on DEVON WORKS Tread 1 and the Tag Heuer Monaco V4, the Avenger mimics Lamborghini‘s mid-engine compartment perfectly, right down to details like its clear engine cover and lattice roll bars. To further the concept’s exactness, Petrovic applied black and orange colorways to the timepiece’s frame, along with a tire tread-like wrist band. With so much details, its no wonder folks have mistook this as a real watch. via: Yanko Design

German auto tuner Startech has worked its magic on the Jaguar XJ, giving the luxury sedan a sportier look while transforming the interior into a virtual mobile office. There’s premium leather upholstery and high-gloss piano wood trim in black, plus a number of technical features with the tech savvy user in mind: full-length center console, storage compartments and tables for the iPad plus Bluetooth keyboard, as well as a 20 MBit/s GSM modem providing high speed Internet through EDGE, HSDPA or HSPA+ protocols. Outside, the vehicle is given a new aerodynamic kit including a new front fascia, with integrated side air inlets and LED daytime running lights, joined by a trunk-mounted spoiler at the rear. It’s all supported with 21″ Startech Monostar J Diamond Edition Wheels. Check more looks after the click. via: WCF

Don’t let the pint size of the Aston Martin Cygnet fool you, this vehicle is as much of a luxury car as its bigger siblings. Aston Martin produced a special video titled Hand Crafted to showcase just how much attention goes into creating the Cygnet. In this day and age where mechanization is commonplace in most industries, Aston Martin took one step back to give each Cygnet a human touch. Shot on location at Gaydon Headquarters, the short film gives us an insight into the production of Cygnet and the craftsmanship that goes into every vehicle. Click after the jump to watch the video in full.

Driving in what was originally a pint-sized race car is already a lot of fun for MINI owners, but BMW wants to take the experience of sitting behind the wheel to a new level with the Driving Excitement iPhone app.  Building on the car’s MINI Connected in-dash hi-res cock-pit display, which allows drivers to stay connected to Facebook, monitor their driving efficiency, access the web and search for local restaurants, the iPhone app gives MINI owners three new functions: Digital Sports Instruments, a Force Meter, and a car Condition Check.

When uploaded from the iPhone app into the car, these functions are accessible through the normal steering wheel and joystick controls and feature a coolant temperature gauge, accelerometer, g-force meter and enhanced car condition check information, such as engine temperature, fuel level and outside weather conditions. In short, this turns your MINI into more of a highly-tune sports car then you everyday commuter.

Detailed photos of the app in action are after the jump.

Bentley is set to unveil two new models in the Continental V8 range, namely the GT coupe and GTC convertible. The 4.0 liter, twin turbo V8 engine is slated to produce 500 horsepower and 487 lb ft of torque. Stand still to 60 mph will be reached in sub 5 second time and top speed will be around 180mph, with power transferred through a close-ratio 8-speed automatic transmission. One of the easiest ways to spot these models is to look at the Bentley badge, which is made in red enamel. On the interior though, the luxurious theme continues with Eliade cloth headlining, Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus veneer trim and optional two-tone leather upholstery. Standard alloy wheels are offered in 20-inch size but a larger 21-inch six spoke wheels are available as option too.

The Canadian-based Media Merchants production agency specializes in projection based technologies, which probably sounds both underwhelming and vague. To display what exactly they’re capable of, creative technical director Anthony Diehl and animation director Stuart Langfield recently undertook a projection mapping project that had them taking a Lamborghini Reventon (at one million euros, the most expensive Lamborghini road car manufactured to date) to use essentially as a canvas for an animated art installation with sound. The Reventon is capable of speeds up to 220 miles per hour, and even though the car stood still during the entirety of the audio-visual projection mapping event, there were times where it appeared to approach that top speed. Check out the eye-opening video after the click. via: Autoblog

Aside from their engineering prowess, German auto makers pride themselves in plan execution which rivals military precision. So its quite uncharacteristic to have an upcoming product “leaked” to the general public. Even more so since it was done not once but twice. A day after its sales catalog surfaced, official images of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Class unceremoniously appeared over the Internet. Though there was no press release attached to the photos, its already known this completely re-designed Mercedes-Benz flagship model features an all-aluminum chassis that will be 300+ pounds lighter than the current design. What’s more, it will feature a new windshield wiper system, sub-woofers integrated to the chassis, and visual design cues reminiscent of the SLS AMG super car. Guess we will have to wait till next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit for more details, unless someone will divulge more tomorrow… via: Autoblog

With a name like Venom Edition, you can expect the tuned Audi A8 from ANDERSON GERMANY to be nothing but a boring four door sedan. First and foremost, the exterior of the A8 is covered in satin gunmetal gray, bringing out the gloss black details on the grill emblems, exterior trims and 22 inch wheels. All of the windows are tinted black and even the tail lights are smoked out for a totally stealth look. Carbon fiber side mirrors are reflected by carbon fiber details on the interior trim, continuing the sporty theme inside. As far as the performance is concerned, the mild mods on the sports air filter, racing catalytic converter, exhaust system and reprogrammed ECU increases its power output. The modded 4.2 liter V8 engine puts out 442 horsepower, a considerable improvement over the standard 350 horsepower. via: Carscoop

Perhaps it was a destiny for the Sci0n sponsored Formula Drift driver Ken Gushi, who was initially trained to drive by his father in a Toyota AE86. Now, it has come full circle and Gushi is testing out the new Scion FR-S at Sodegura Forest Raceway in Chiba, Japan. Even though the test day was wet, Gushi shows the potential of the new vehicle and what’s more, he is just having so much fun on the track. It will be interesting to see this car in a competitive environment but if it can make a driver like Gushi smile, then Scion has done a great job already. Watch the drifting antics in full after the jump. via: Speedhunters

The announcement of LF-Gh hybrid concept earlier this year marked the start of Lexus’ new direction in design. Come next month, the luxury car maker is elaborating on that new design theme at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), more commonly known as the Detroit Auto Show. For a taste of what is to come, Lexus released a teaser today. More curvacious than previous models by its design studio at Newport Beach, CA, there is no designation from Lexus at this time except as Lexus Concept Vehicle. The car is to make its worldwide debut on January 9th, 2012 at Detroit’s Cobo Hall.