This 1956 Aerocar is one of the only five in existence and is a real transformer that’s still fully functional both as an airplane and a car. The very first Aerocar was created by Moulton B. Taylor in 1949, and it’s considered to be the most successful flying car design to date. The rare flying car is now owned by a Colorado man named Ed Sweeney. The flying car was bought by Sweeney 21 years ago for a whopping $150,000. Sweeney says that his “bird” can fetch about $1 million if sold, but he has some other plans. He thinks of handing it down to his two sons to keep it as a family treasure. Sweeney’s Aerocar rests at Auburn Airplane Works, a new service and repair shop at Auburn airport co-owned by Sweeney’s sons. The iconic flying car is able to hit 60 mph on the highway and up to 150 mph in the air. Since you won’t be able to own this vintage flying car, better watch out for the promising Terrafugia Transition flying car.

Via: AuburnJournal/CBS4Denver

On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, we are going to witness the greatest eclipse of the 21st century. A total eclipse of the sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow will begin in India and cross through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. Here is a great chance for the eclipse chasers to fly above the clouds at level four-one-zero to have a clear view of the eclipse. The first time even in India, a plane has been chartered to see the total eclipse from above the clouds. Cox and Kings, in collaboration with Eclipse Chasers Athenaeum, is organizing a historical passenger eclipse flight, which will heighten the experience of seeing the longest eclipse of this century. A JetLite 737-700 has been chartered for the same and it will remain in the air for three hours. Mr. C V Devgun, the key person of Space Technology and Education Pvt Ltd (STEPL), said…

Hublot is renowned for creating some of the most beautiful and expensive watches, but lately, we have seen the watchmaker more as a luxury goods company that will make just anything. Last year, Hublot teamed up with Swiss manufacturer Zai for an exclusive ski, and now, they have teamed up with BMC to create a racing bicycle. Every Hublot creation is a work of art, and this bike is no exception. The beautifully designed bike from the “All Black” range offers a perfect blend of form and function, and is made from light, high-performance materials. The ideology that Hublot uses to manufacture the high-end watches has been used to create this limited run of 30 bikes. Attention has been paid to every single detail. The pedal bearings contain ceramic material to reduce friction and the frame is made from carbon fiber for strength and rigidity. This is a highly exclusive edition, with the first bike from the run due to be race-tested at the “World Stars Cycling Criterium” in Monaco during the Tour de France on the 3rd of July. What’s next? A Hublot motocycle?

Wia: Watch-Happening

The Earth-Stripe table from Fluid Forms is an exceptional custom piece of furniture that wouldn’t look out of place in an art and design gallery. It reflects the contours of any stretch of landscape you select. Designed by Stephen Williams and Hannes Walter, the Earth-Stripe table features a surface that shows the earth from above and you can shape it to your preferences. When you select a particular location on the table’s surface, the chosen landscape unfolds in a 3D model of your individual coffee table. When done, they carve out your selection with laminated wooden blocks. Austrian craftsmen further sand, oil and polish the surface. Above the selected landscape sits a pane of glass that makes for an even surface. The coffee mugs or anything else you place on the table seems to be floating above the different topographic layers. You can even design a coffee table using Google Maps. The stylish, custom-made Earth-Stripe table sells for EUR 2,200 (about $3,100).

Lately, the Yachts of Seabourn took delivery of the Seabourn Odyssey, the cruise industry’s first ultra-luxury vessel to launch in six years. Redefining elegance at sea, the $250 million Seabourn Odyssey was named in Venice in an intimate ceremony. The 32,000-ton, 450-passenger luxury vessel has now embarked on her maiden voyage. Out of the 225 luxury suites, 90 percent come with verandas, offering an outstanding space-per-guest ratio. The Odyssey comes with a huge spa (at 11,400 square feet), four restaurants and a range of lavish amenities. The salient features include 11 passenger decks touting 225 ocean-view suites, five Owner’s Suites that measure over 700 square feet, four two-bedroom Grand Suites providing over 1300 square feet of private living space, superb cuisine in a choice of four venues - The Restaurant, Veranda Cafe, Restaurant 2, and Patio Grill - six open bars, tour desks, an internet center, library, Seabourn Square lounge, two-deck-high waterfall and complete salon facilities.

Last year, Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, with his family, moved to his new luxury mansion on Lake Geneva, which has 2200 square meters of living space, a parking garage for 29 cars, a helicopter landing area and a football field. Just 25 kilometers away in the village of Vufflens-le-Château is Schumacher’s old residence, the Villa La Chenai. The luxury house hasn’t yet a found a buyer, so the motor racing legend is offering his villa for a monthly rent equivalent to EUR 19,000 (about $26,700). For this price per month, the tenant will get a chance to live in the legend’s former house. In addition, he/she will get 750 square meters of area, 11 rooms, fitness and indoor swimming pool, four horses and six pit garages, a home cinema, a dressing room, a suite and a kitchen annex. The hefty rent price kept aside, it’s one great opportunity for Schumacher’s fans.

Via: Bild

Me-Mo, an online car accessory store aimed primarily at girls, is now offering a range of Swarovski-studded in-car accessories. Me-Mo has lately added the brand Isotta Fraschini, and is selling their Urban Glow Swarovski crystal embedded in-car accessories. The new sparkling range includes leather, chrome and crystal drinks holders, leather and crystal gear knobs and leather gear boots. All these items are available in a range of colors. The “Moon Unit” handbrake from the line comes embossed with 304 Swarovski crystals and costs £170 ($275). A crystal-studded pink leather and chromed aluminum steering wheel is selling for £400 ($650). These blinged items will appeal to those who think that their car’s leather upholstery is just not enough to make a dazzling statement.

Via: NewCarNet

Pablo Picasso’s cherry-red musketeer painting “Homme a l’epee” has been sold for a whopping $11.5 million, the highest price of the season, and it leads Sotheby’s sale of Impressionist & Modern Art. With the pre-sale estimates of between £26.8 million and £37.3 million, the sale managed to raise a total of more than US $55 million (over £33 million). Out of the only 27 lots offered, 23 were able to find buyers. There was fierce bidding within the room and on telephones from international collectors and strikingly, eight works fetched prices in excess of £1 million, with an average lot value of £1.4 million. A second work by Picasso, a larger-than-life nude entitled “Nu debout” from 1968 went for $7 million. Three much sought-after works by Alberto Giacometti from a private European collection were sold for a total of more than $12 million. The magnificent vista of Istanbul by Paul Signac titled “La Corne d’or” was sold to a private collector for $2.2 million. While the global recession has undeniably taken its toll on the auctions, Melanie Clore, co-chairman of impressionist and modern art at Sotheby’ worldwide, seems optimistic. Clore said…

The new G4 Organic multiplayer gaming machines from Elektroncek are bound to be the center of attraction at any gaming floor. With these gaming machines, the player on each play terminal can choose to play a game from any Organic gaming machine on the location. The G4 Organic electronic gaming machines let you enjoy a switchable game and help the player to swiftly switch from the currently running game to any other supported game. The new G4 Organic play terminals include large 19-inch touch-sensitive LCD displays. These gaming machines integrate a dynamic full-spectrum LED illumination and detect the presence of the player using infra-red motion detection sensors. The new G4 Organic range includes a number of gaming machines, including roulette, cards (Blackjack), dice (fish-shrimp-crab, craps) and bubbles (keno, bingo). The electro-mechanic gaming machine Organic Card is capable of shuffling and dealing real cards in a Blackjack game. Check out some more shots of the range after the juump...

Italian design is well known for the clean lines, thoughtful touches and inspired thinking, and the De’Longhi products are no exception. Lately, De’Longhi commissioned artists from all around the globe to laser-etch their art on a limited run of Perfectas espresso machines. The new artistic machines have been named the “Artista Series.” Artist/designer Damien Correll was commissioned by the branding agency 160over90 to design the De’Longhi high-end espresso machine, and the upshot was as impressive as it could be. Other than Damien Correll, other designers who got their art onto the De’Longhi machines include Nicole Miller, John Hardy, Kelly Hoppen, Mike Perry, Michele Toffalori, Maria Vittoria Benatti, Jonathan Calugi, Mario Hugo and Kristina Collantes. Every machine designed was a work of art in itself. These rare machines are currently being auctioned, with the proceeds going to benefit Oxfam America, a charity house that fights against poverty.

Via: DeLonghiUSA