A slick look at the Frankfurt International Motor Show by Vimeo user Adonis Pulatus. My pick of the show is definitely the new Volvo concept sedan, they have a habit of making their show cars into retail models, heres hoping.

- T, excellent edit

- t, this looks fantastic, can’t wait! Hits Blu-Ray November 1st.

- T, in the year thousaaaaaanddd! In the year thousaaaaaaaaaanddd!

Greazefest is back again this year and it’s set to be as big as ever. Running from Friday the 5th of August and ending with Sunday’s Hot Rod show, once again you’ll be able to drown yourself in all things retro cool. We had fun last year so there’s no reason this year will be any different.

- t, for full info hit up the Greazefest site

- t, Coming to a Hyundai near you… not.

Pretty sweet little film about a man and his old Galaxy. Sounds wicked as well…

- t, By Ben Pender-Cudlip

Companies go to great lengths to disguise the cars they are testing on-road before they are revealed, although over the years it seems that it has become more of a hype creating scam than actual covert operations. Autoblog revealed that the test mule for the game changing Ferrari Enzo has gone up for sale on Ebay.

The coolest part of this whole story? It’s a 348 with Enzo components underneath, basically taking away the dumbest part of the hypercar (its ugly body) and replacing it with wedgy goodness. Test cars have a habit of looking better than their finalised bretherin due to their inherit purposeful looks, but this takes it to the next level. Is this the ultimate retro-fit?

- t,

I can’t believe its been almost 5 months since my last Top Ten. It does however reflect my somewhat frustrated attitude to the market at the moment. It’s not that there isn’t enough decent product around, the problem seems to be me, I’m simply not getting excited about much anymore.

- t,

1. Incase Ping Pong iPhone 4 Cover – $30

Bored? Got an iPhone 4 and sick of it slipping out of your hand/pocket/everywhere and lost your ping pong bat? Incase have you covered on both fronts with their newest creation. My only worry is whether it would just be permanently stuck in your pocked once it was there.

2. Nike Lunarwood+ – $TBA

Well apparently I wasn’t cool enough to get a free pair of shoes from Nike, as they saw fit to give some of the shoes I ranted about being so good to Taz. I swore revenge, but realised I’m too lazy for that. Instead I’ll just say that if I didn’t hate Nike I would really like this Lunarwood+ model, I would say it looks like a nice trade off between ruggedness and comfort. I would then mention they’ll be available at Laced in the not-too-distant future and to keep your eyes peeled… But seen as how I’m being spiteful I wont…

3. Grand Seiko SBGC001 – $Lots

Watches are sweet, my income is not. Seiko is a name synonymous with many things to most of us, but incredibly high quality innovative mechanical movements is not one of them. However, this shouldn’t be as this Japanese company’s Grand Seiko range is home to the Spring Drive movement, a technical marvel that surpasses the old world problems of most swiss movements with the trademark Japanese ingenuity and respect for tradition, along with meticulous quality control. I can’t go into depth about what the Spring Drive movement entails because basically it’s well beyond my knowledge and it would take quite a while to explain but basically this watch does not ‘tick’ at all, its hands move in completely fluid sweeps. Have a search on Youtube for some clips that will better explain what I’m saying.

One of the downfalls of this range has been their face aesthetics, with most of the watches sporting huge power reserve slashes in the face. That is, until now. The SBGC001 chronograph looks awesome, and I’m sure it would be stupidly huge on my wrist with those enormous pushers but I don’t care. Anyone willing to loan me a few thousand, I’ve read the retail is going to be somewhere around US$6000.

4. Oliver Peoples “Zooey” Sunglasses – $350

Zooey Deschanel is just a cool chick; she’s an actress, jazz/folk singer and pretty awesome in every movie role that she has appeared in. When I heard that the long-time Oliver Peoples ambassador had created a frame with the company I knew it would be spot-on. They retain a retro coolness whilst being modern and at risk of sounding like a complete tool, they reflect the charm of their namesake. The all-black version is a no brainer, but the rose/blue combination has me sucked in even harder. Now I just need to find a lady fit to wear them…

5. Citroen Metropolis Concept – $Lots and Lots

Sticking with the modern whole trendiness theme, we move onto my next pick which is Citroen’s Metropolis Concept, which is undeniably French. There’s something about Citroens that just tickles me the right way, sure they’re a bit weird but that’s the point! I hate when they release a model that could pass for something more mainstream because I think that’s going against what the company is best known for. To me the enormous Metropolis would make a great replacement for the C6, another favourite largely un-loved model of mine.

6. New Balance 1500 UKG – $Don’t Bother

I’m gonna be honest with everyone here. I intended to include the UKG in here as they’re a shoe I was semi-waiting for since seeing that the OG colour 1500 was being re-released. However recent images and seeing the quality of the current UK made New Balance products has changed my tune. Instead I’m going to say that it’s not worth bothering with this shoe unless you really truly want to get a shoe that somewhat resembles a 1500 in the colours that the shoe was originally produced in.

From what I’ve seen on Ebay (there’s about 2 trillion pairs of seconds for peanuts), the shape is horrendous. The picture I’ve used above looks actually quite nice, alas this doesn’t seem to be an accurate representation of the real released model. My suggestion is to just wait out for a pair of the Anniversay release from 2006 (1500IB) and pay the extra, as the shape and materials are miles ahead of these things.

7. Vintage Frames Company Cazal 951 – $750

Y’all know I got the gold version of this iconic model from Optiko the other month, well Corey Shapiro’s Vintage Frames Company teamed up with Cazal to bring back the colourway that (in my opinion) is the best version of this frame, the red/black. Quite a site harder to find in original form than most of the other versions, having them retro’d means that many have the chance to pick up a snappy looking pair of sunnies. Sure they’re expensive, but c’mon!

8. Maison Martin Margiela Classic Leather Duffle Bag – $1525

I’ve recently realised that my current Incase backpack is great for one use and one use only, carrying a laptop and some small bits and pieces. As such I’m currently on the lookout for a suitable duffle to act as an overnight bag. I’ve always been a fan of MMM’s simple design and the leather used on this bag is nothing short of amazing looking, I’m a sucker for this pebbled leather. The only issue is the fact that it’s a crap load of money for a piece that will be thrown around and abused more than a bit. Still, one can dream…

9. Acronym 3A-5TS MKII Tec Sys Messenger – $730

Acronym does some sick bags and jackets, I love their modular approach and among all the faux technical jackets out there they seem to be actually trying some new stuff. Unfortunately this also means that their products are pretty damn expensive. The bag I’ve picked here is more realistically priced than some of their items, however the awesome solar panel and modular pockets in the picture are add-ons that push the priced even higher. It’s still cool to see these pieces being made, as it’s interesting to see whether this sort of thinking gets picked up and made more mainstream and not just in niche markets.

10. NOIR Selvedge 5 Pocket Jean – $320

Finally we have an item that I actually already own and have been wearing for a little while now. NOIR is the brainchild of a few Aussies, most notably Pete from For The Homies. This brand picks up where Homies stops and provides locally designed apparel meticulously crafted in Japan.

The Selvedge 5 Pocket Jean comes in a long developed cut that has been modified since the last all-black Homies jean, this time though in indigo denim. The best way to describe the cut is a comfortably slim straight leg, something that’s perfect for myself as it basically fits my build perfectly. I’ve actually picked the pocket acurate for a cleaner look. The fit is true to waist, make sure you get them tight though as they will stretch to fit. Beware if you’re considering these as they bleed like jeans are supposed to so white shoes are a risk.

Just listen to that Zonda R… nom nom nom

- t

Once every year two of the best races in the calendar fall on one fateful day; this Sunday was that day. Both the Bathurst 1000 and Suzuka round of the F1 World Championship took up the whole day which was good because the weather in QLD is pretty dismal as you probably know.

Congratulations to Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife for finally doing what they couldn’t 10 years ago, proving that old guys can still drive. The obnoxious yet incredibly talented Sebastian Vettel dominated the weekend in Japan, although our own Mark Webber increased his lead in the championship with just 3 rounds left.

And with that I’ll go back into my shell until the next race.

- t