For those looking for golden cars (yes, those cars clad in gold), Dubai is a great place to start looking. One of the best ways to prove your wealth in those rich oil countries of the Orient is to get the cars covered in gold, silver or platinum. What got our eyes however, is this chrome-finished Mercedes C63 AMG that was recently posted on a web forum. With a large normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 engine that outputs 451hp (336kW), torque of 443 lb-ft (600Nm) and reaching 100km/h in 4.5 seconds, that must be a sheik’s dream. Don’t you think? [mbworld.org]

The old GT2 is getting an upgrade and the Germans just made their new Porsche GT3 RSR, official. And the biggest change is … (be prepared) … a substantially louvered hood. Of course there are some aero tweaks, brakes and wiring harness that make it a bit lighter and a multifunction display. Add a 4.0 liter (up from 3.8) engine that outputs 450 hp at 7,800 rpm and 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) at 7,250 rpm, and you have a … pretty disappointing new Porsche. Why would they release a car that won’t bring many changes from the older version? Expected to sell for a €380,000 (plus the appropriate VAT) we can’t vouch it’s going to be a top seller. Looks good though. [via Autoblog]

Doing research on rail/ level crossings and road safety, I have come across interesting data. Approximately 95% of accidents are caused by driver error – and these are inattention, driver distraction, risk taking, disobeying or lack of knowledge of the road rules and sometimes suicide.

Some of the facts are:

• Stopping distance: Trains can’t stop within 1.5 km
• Relative size: If trains were cars you would look like a soda can
• Number of level crossings: There are 7500 level crossings in South Africa
• Number of fatalities: 13 persons were killed last year in 129 incidents

Why do we say there is no contest? – it is obvious that there are a significant size difference – but for the best display on what happens when a train crashes into a motor vehicle we have to refer to our Top Gear experts and a video clip titled “Top Gear Level Crossing Public Service Film”

Now that President Barack Obama was officially sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States, today in Washington, it’s time for us to take a look at Barack Obama’s new limo. A week ago, GM came out with the official details of the new Cadillac presidential limousine, and we’re really impressed. With a completely new design from its predecessor, it has a dual-textured grille from the Escalade, side and rear profiles from the DTS and STS, while the inside resembles the interior of a CTS. And though the design is impressive, we’d really love to know a bit about the high tech safety features it comes packed with. Cadillac only said that “the car was designed, developed and tested by specialists who adhered to an extensive set of specifications. It was subjected to an extreme testing regimen to ensure performance that achieves precise functional requirements.” [via SFGate]

Now if those 1,100 guys waiting in line for a Roadster are not mad enough and can wait a few more months, our advice is to save more money and wait for the new sports version. Dubbed Tesla Roadster Sport, the two-seater electric vehicle is now 15-percent more powerful thanks to a hand-wound stator that increases winding density and helps eliminate resistance. The car also sports better handling, a unique paint job with carbon accents and a set of ultra high performance tires. Doing naught to 100km/h in only 3.7 seconds – unlike the base model that takes 3.9seconds – the car is expected to be deliver starting from June and the price is expected to start from $128,500 in the US. [via Jalopnik]

Well how about we take a brake from hot cars and get our eyes on hot babes? The North American International Auto Show in Detroit was host to some of the most beautiful women to ever attend that kind of events. With more clothes on them, looking extremely professional but provocative at the same time, here’s a quick photo album to get you dreaming. Wicked … isn’t it?

This years Motor Show in Geneva is not far (starts March 28) and we already heard there are a lot of surprises for us. One comes from Mini, which we’ve been told, will be unveiling their entry-level, affordable and fuel efficient Mini One Clubman. With the exquisite Clubman interior, the stylish vehicle uses a 1.4-liter four-cylinder petrol engine that outputs 95hp, goes from naught to 100km/h in 11.6 seconds and has a fuel efficiency of 52.3 mpg. The eco factor comes from the fact that it’s using the brake regeneration technology, auto start/stop and a shift point display that tells the driver when to shift to maximize fuel economy. From what we’ve heard – can’t confirm it yet, the price in the UK will be starting at £13,290 so better expect it to be a bit more expensive in SA.

Though the trend is to go green, we don’t think the horsepower war is over. For that reason we bring you the new RENNTECH 777, a Mercedes-McLaren SLR based beast that outputs nothing more and nothing less than 777 bhp from a highly tweaked 5.5-liter supercharged Kompressor V8 engine. With an aero-kit that packs big wings, splitters and skirts, new suspension, a stronger transmission and a limited-slip differential, the little monster is expected to top at 210 mph. We’re sold on the design, but to be honest we’d expect a much better performance from such an engine. No? [via WCF]