Vehicle Review: The 2011 Jaguar XK-R

This weekend gave me the opportunity to drive one of the most wonderful cars of my life. In fact, as I write this I am experiencing a twinge of withdrawal from a car so amazing that giving up the key took a concerted effort. What car do you ask? Why, the 2011 Jaguar XK-R.

Getting into the Jaguar isn’t like other cars. Open the door and you will find an interior that screams luxury, with suede headliner, hand stitched leather seats that are both heated and cooled, as well as a dash that looks like it is out of a sci-fi movie.

That isn’t where it ends either. When you get in the car, the start engine button is glowing red, blinking in a way that resembles a heartbeat. Simply put your foot on the gas, and all of those luxury features are completely forgotten as all 510 horses of the supercharged V8 roar to life. I have to be honest, having driven Porsche 911s and Maserati GranTurismos, I still assert that there is no sound quite like the XKR. 

Thankfully, that sound represents enormous amounts of power. Enough power in fact to rocket the XKR to 60 mph in just 4 seconds. That’s less than the amount of time it takes to read this sentence. Even with all of those numbers on a page, it is still difficult to convey just how epically fast this car really is. 

Then there is the handling. The car is so crisp, so easy to drive, that it makes everyone who drives it feel like they can be the next Sir Sterling Moss, or Michael Schumacher. It takes the bends with authority, and didn’t feel like there was a moment when it didn’t have it all under control.

It’s also good that the car is outfitted with lots of creature comforts too, because the car is literally so ready for high speeds that normal traffic makes the car feel like it is barely moving. So in traffic, the iPod integration, Bowers& Wilkins stereo, and air conditioned seats made driving this car very pleasant.

So in conclusion the XKR is comfortable, handles well, and is unbelievably fast. That is just what you would come to expect from the most high performance version of the Jaguar sports coupe.

Art of the Car Concours

Blog Post: Art of the Car Concours           

We believe more than most that automobiles are works of art. Not just any works of art, but a daily expression of our personality that we venture out into the world with every day. In tune with that belief, we are proud to be working with The Kansas City Art Institute at the 5^th Annual Art of the Car Concours.

The Fifth Annual Art of the Car Concours® will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 26 on the KCAI campus. The show will feature more than 180 vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles, including cars, trucks, racing cars and vintage motorcycles belonging to collectors from eight states. Vehicles from Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina and Oklahoma will be on view.

Event day parking will be available on the streets surrounding campus as well as in the underground parking garage at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Garage parking is $5 and the entrance is located at 45th and Oak streets.

This event, a benefit for the KCAI scholarship fund, is growing in popularity and stature among vintage and classic collectors. The Concours is unique for its size and scale in having no formal judging and no classes of vehicles. The intention is to provide a wide range of very high-quality, original, vintage vehicles in an eclectic, informal setting, without the pressure of traditional Concours events.

More information including ticket purchasing can be viewed at www.artofthecarconcours.com .
We look forward to seeing you there!

Aristocrat Motors: Employee Social Media Training

Today it is hard to get around Social Media. It seems that every advertisement on TV or in Print has those little F’s and T’s written all over them. Since most companies seem to be moving into the social realm (including us) it becomes more important than ever to educate our employees on social media related issues.

That is why we at Aristocrat Motors have committed ourselves to making sure our employees are properly trained and educated on how to use social media in a safe and effective way.

By holding regular training sessions, we have highlighted how to setup a Facebook or Twitter account, managing your security settings to ensure employee privacy, and how to protect yourself from online identity fraud.

We hope that these training solutions ensure that our staff is as well informed and up to date as possible. We know that by having a well trained and educated staff, we can continue to provide the best experience possible to our customers.

We can be visited on the web at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors , www.Twitter.com/AristocratKC, or www.AristocratMotors.com.

Aristocrat Motors is Building a New Website

Aristocrat Motors is proud to announce that it is beginning a new website partnership with DealerFire, a custom dealership website design firm. We believe that our websites should provide the same superior experience online that we provide offline, so we have begun building a set of new, modern, and more efficient virtual storefronts that will be able to do more than ever before.

As we are in the design process, we encourage our customers to visit our current website (www.AristocratMotors.com) and tell us what they would like to see added, removed, or kept as the new sites begin developing. 

We will provide updates as the build goes on, but expect our new website to be live sometime in mid-July. As always, everything we do is focused on the customer experience.

Please contact us at 913.677.3300 or AristocratSocialMedia@SoaveAuto.com .

Aristocrat Motors Tent Event

Here at Aristocrat Motors, we love the cars we sell. In fact, we love them so much that a few of them have had a few miles put on them. Every summer, we try to feature some of those that have been demonstrated favorites.

This is your opportunity to see why we like these cars so much, and an opportunity to save even more.

Come see us during our Tent Sale, or give us a call at 913.677.3300 for more information.

Art of the Car Concours Featured on The Kansas City Star Website

Art of the Car Concours: Featured in The Kansas City Star

All of us at Aristocrat Motors and Mercedes Benz of Kansas City are proud to be the title sponsors for the 2011 Art of the Car Concours. This fantastic display of classic automobiles benefits the scholarship fund for The Kansas City Art Institute. Recently we were mentioned in The Kansas City Star as the title sponsor:

Kansas City Art Institute to host Fifth Annual Art of the Car Concours on June 26

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 31, 2011) - The fifth annual Art of the Car Concours®, featuring nearly 200 vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles, including cars, trucks, racing cars and vintage motorcycles belonging to collectors from eight states, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 26 on the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute, 4415 Warwick Blvd. Vehicles from Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina and Oklahoma will be on view.

“This event, a benefit for the KCAI scholarship fund, has begun to develop a national reputation,” said Marshall Miller, a Kansas City attorney and vintage car aficionado who founded and serves as chairman of the event. “The Concours is unique for its size and scale in having no formal judging and no classes of vehicles. The intention is to provide a wide range of very high-quality, original, vintage vehicles in an eclectic, informal setting, without the pressure of traditional Concours events.”

Advance tickets may be purchased online for $12 at www.artofthecarconcours.com. The day of the event, tickets may be purchased for $15 at the gate. Children 10 years old and under, as well as active duty military (with identification), will be admitted free. In addition, early-bird tickets are available online and at the gate for anyone who would like to arrive between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. to see or document vintage cars arriving for the event. Those tickets cost $17 when purchased online and $20 at the gate. Anyone who purchases a $12 ticket online but who then comes early to the event may pay another $5 to enter the campus prior to 10 a.m. Proceeds from sponsorships and ticket sales will benefit KCAI’s scholarship fund.

Featured vehicles this year include a 1929 Duesenberg, a 1930 Rolls Royce Phantom, a 1936 Stout Scarab and a 1956 Nash Rambler.

“The 1929 Duesenberg Model J-129 Dual Cowl Phaeton, owned by John Groendyke of Enid, Okla., has been shown at Pebble Beach, Meadow Brook and Amelia Island,” Miller said, citing three of the nation’s premier concours venues. “The 1930 Rolls Royce Phantom II Cabriolet de Ville, owned by Lawrence Smith of Wichita, Kan., has never before been shown in public and has a special French custom body. The 1936 Stout Scarab, owned by Dick Taylor of Lumberton, N.C., is a Grand National Award-winner that has been shown at Amelia Island, as has the 1956 Nash Rambler Palm Beach Coupe, owned by Scott Morris of Kearney, Neb. The Nash Rambler also was the Pininfarina 1956 Paris Show car. The upcoming Concours in Kansas City will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view these very special cars.”

One of the most popular activities at the Concours is voting for “People’s Choice” awards. Ballots will be distributed to all who attend the event, and they will be invited to vote for their favorite cars. After the votes are counted, trophies created by a KCAI alumna will be presented to the top five vote-getters. Corporate sponsors, the president of KCAI and the chairman of the Concours also will be presenting trophies to the owners of special vehicles chosen as the best in categories that range from “best color” to “car we’d most like to insure.”

“In five years the Concours has grown to the largest in the Midwest for high-quality original vehicles of a wide variety,” Miller said. “There is no similar event in Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, St. Louis or Dallas. As a result, exhibitors, sponsors and visitors from around the country will be traveling to Kansas City for the Concours. This year we have many new vehicles that will delight our guests. We especially encourage multi-generations of families to attend, as that is how I started my interest.”

Miller said that he anticipates that from 180 to 200 vehicles, trucks and vintage motorcycles will be on display. Many of the local vehicles are in private collections and have not been publicly displayed. Amelia Island and Pebble Beach Concours winners also will be displayed.

The event has attracted both local and national sponsors. The Mercedes-Benz Dealerships of Kansas City, Aristocrat Motors/Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City are the presenting sponsors. Additional sponsors include Baron Automotive; The Branson Car Auction; Curves Ahead Transport; Grass Pad; Hagerty Insurance Agency Ltd.; Hyman Ltd.; Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A.; McPherson College; and Meguiar’s Inc. Community partners include DeLaSalle Education Center, McPherson College and Tivol.

The Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent, four-year college of art and design, awarding the bachelor of fine arts degree with majors in animation, art history, ceramics, digital filmmaking, digital media, fiber, graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and studio art with an emphasis on creative writing. The college also offers evening, weekend and summer classes in art, design, multimedia studies and desktop publishing for children, youth and adults. Founded in 1885, KCAI is Kansas City's oldest arts organization. More information about the Art of the Car Concours is available at www.artofthecarconcours.com.

We hope to see you at this year’s Art of the Car Concours!