JAPAN: Lamborghini Gallardo, BMW M5 and a Lancia Stratos turned into manga cars

See these cars right on these pictures? They are owned by one man, a matured gentleman by the name of Yoshida San. Yoshida is an avid gamer, in fact he is President of AGE SOFT, a videogame software house. Note the three customised cars; Lamborghini Gallardo, BMW M5 and Lancia Stratos are decorated Japan manga style. Manga is a cartoon method modernized and popularised in Japan from the 1950s. The cars are adorned with characters from manga and erotic video games. They were exhibited at an itasha event last weekend (itasha is the art of beautifying cars with

Yoshida San's cars have some international exposure already having been featured on Bloomberg.com and famitsu.com. The man is said to drive his Lambo on a daily basis, and even to business meetings as it doubles as a promotional mobile billboard during events.

Thanks to Frankie from Tokyo for this colourfully fast tip.

MINI Cooper covered in 1 million Swarovski crystals

A million crystals. That's what this MINI Cooper is glittering from, one million Swarovski crystals of 40 different colours. The creation is by Ken and Annie Burkitt of Ontario, Canada and it depicts 10 images of iconic American institutions, things like Mt Rushmore, the statue of Liberty, the American flag, White House, the soaring eagle and the Hollywood Hills sign among others. Resulting in eye-catching mobile art, the two artists placed these crystals by hand, one by one on the MINI.

The bling car, named American Icon, is featured at the new Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum at Piccadilly Circus in London.

Mercedes Reveals GLK Tuner Vehicles Headed for SEMA

"We selected SEMA in Las Vegas as the backdrop for its first appearance in North America because we want to take advantage of the show's glamour," said Gorden Wagener, Mercedes-Benz Head of Design in a press release statement.

Mercedes-Benz is also holding a popularity contest for several of the top tuners that will be shown at the SEMA show, whereby people can vote for their favorite models online or by mobile phone. The winner will be announced on December 2nd.

The SEMA show takes place from the 4th to the 7th of November at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Some things are not meant to be. Like women do not go bald and a Mercedes GLK should not be a convertible. But on the other hand, what are freaky tuner versions for if not to entertain us like an afternoon at the circus? These cars are not meant to be driven but simply looked at for a laugh or for appreciation of the work.

In an increasingly competitive luxury market, and one that is contracting severely in North America, Mercedes likely believes this kind of marketing will set it apart and add a little glitz to their new GLK.