Honda shows off its first private jet

Posted July 30, 2010

Honda has been showing off its first ever aircraft at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, saying that the jet should fly by the end of the year.

The HondaJet is the first venture into aviation for Honda, more commonly known for its cars and motorcycles, with the brand saying that it incorporates many technological advances in aviation design.

Among them are engines that are mounted above the wing instead of below, which Honda says significantly reduces drag (improving fuel efficiency), cuts noise pollution on the ground and creates additional space in the aircraft cabin.

Like the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it also features a composite fuselage, which is both lighter and stronger than the traditional alloys used for the main section of the aircraft.

Inside, the HondaJet is decked out with a leather interior, with "exceptional leg room" and "unique lavatory features" in chrome and blue.

Honda says that the factory for the new jet will be completed in early 2011 so that the aircraft can be delivered to its first customers in the third quarter of 2012 with a price tag of $4.5 million (¤3.46 million).

The EAA AirVenture Oshkosh runs through August 1 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.

Source: AFP/Relaxnews

World's first Ferrari Park opens in Abu Dhabi

Posted July 23, 2010

(ABU DHABI-AFP) - A year after its first Formula One race, Abu Dhabi hopes to lure even more tourists with "Ferrari World" -- a grandiose theme park that is the first of its kind for the iconic Italian carmaker.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi announced on Monday that the park will open in 100 days featuring a record-breaking roller coaster ride meant to emulate the feeling of being in a Ferrari F1 car.

Sitting next to the futuristic Yas Marina circuit that hosted Abu Dhabi's inaugural Grand Prix race in November 2009, the sprawling complex will be the world's largest indoor theme park.

Due to open on October 28, little more than two weeks before this year's Abu Dhabi GP, it will be housed under a massive triangular red roof on the 40-billion-dollar Yas Island development.

Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital, hopes the park will help to draw tourists from around the globe along with several other ambitious projects including state-of-the-art branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums.

Ferrari World spreads over 86,000 square metres (925,696 square feet), while the red roof bearing the world's largest logo of Ferrari's prancing horse stretches over 200,000 square metres (2.15 million square feet).

Among its 20 attractions are two roller coasters, including the F1-themed Formula Rossa which is set to be the fastest ever reaching a top speed of 240 kilometres (150 miles) per hour.

The second of the roller coasters, which stretch beyond the building's perimeter, features two tracks with Ferrari-shaped trains.

Right in the centre of the building, out of a big funnel which is the only area with daylight, visitors can experience the space-shot G-force Tower.

Elsewhere, a Ferrari California Spyder convertible takes visitors through Bell'Italia, a reproduction of the Italian countryside with model villages and tourist highlights like the lagoon of Venice, the Colosseum, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

A large replica of the Maranello factory demonstrates the manufacturing process from the design stage to the finished product.

Motoring enthusiasts will even be able to experience the inside of a Ferrari V12 engine in another ride.

Abu Dhabi hopes such features will boost tourism in the desert emirate.

Source: AFP/Relaxnews

Gaultier celebrates strong, seductive women

Posted July 16, 2010

(PARIS-AFP) - "Perhaps it was pretentious, but they say couture is like a Stradivarius, a bit aggressive, a bit of a rebel, but a virtuoso," muses Jean-Paul Gaultier at the end of his couture show for next autumn-winter on Wednesday.

For a finale his bride, in a trenchcoat, pulled out a violin and after a brief warm up, struck up in a convincing mime to a tape of the wedding march.

It was yet another collection celebrating women in full control of their powers of seduction - like burlesque artiste Dita Von Teese, who came down the catwalk in a powder pink corset boned in black, watched admiringly by her companion Louis-Marie de Castelbajac, sitting next to his designer father in the front row.

"It's really just an excuse," explains Gaultier. "Dita likes taking her clothes off to be better dressed."

He said his entire collection aimed to show the internal structure of clothes like the corset worn by Dita.

The first spontaneous bursts of applause were for a long skirt in tweed picked out with black and white ostrich feathers, which looked airy despite the weight of the material.

Warm fabrics predominated, like a tantalisingly tactile fox stole and a cognac leather suit with pockets fastened with purse clasps.

A grey-blue pullover and pants ensemble had breasts enhanced by black sable, reminiscent of the cones he created for Madonna all those years ago. More fur emphasised the model's derriere.

Source: AFP/Relaxnews