Each Maserati is a witness of 95 years history of unrivaled racing achievements, uncompromising performance, unique interiors and unmistakable design. In particular, the Maserati Quattroporte blends all the quality of a luxury sedan with the uncompromising performance and driving exhilaration of a high performance grand touring car. Maserati Quattroporte style and elegance are combined with a muscular presence that can be clearly identified in the convex vertical slats in the front grille and extends all the way down to the taillights, bi-xenon headlights, aerodynamic nose and wide wheels arches.The interiors convey Italian craftsmanship, quality, design through elegant wood trim and soft Poltrona Frau® Leather. There is an extensive range of colors, trims and options available that can make each Quattroporte truly unique. The Quattroporte superior performances are provided by the Maserati V8 engine: the 400 hp 4.2 liter of the Quattroporte, the more powerful 425 hp 4.7 unit of the Quattroporte S and the 433 hp 4.7 of the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S.

The 4.2 liter V8 engine generates a stirring 400 hp and a maximum torque of 339 lb-ft at 4750 rpm. This Maserati V8 has its own unique power delivery curves which results in Quattroporte drivers experiencing supreme driving comfort and impeccably smooth ride as well as top performances. The automatic 6-speed transmission helps ensure effortless gear changing on high traffic as well as offers the option of shifting manually when there is an opportunity for a sportier drive. The automatic transmission features six gears: when the overdrive sixth gear is engaged, fuel consumption improves and sound levels fall. Maserati Quattroporte reaches its top speed at 168 mph and has a 0-60 acceleration of 5.5 seconds.

The Maserati Quattroporte S mounts the 4.7 liter engine that generates 425 hp at 7,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 361 lb-ft at 4,750 rpm. The 4,691 cc engine has been specially developed to boost the car’s performance and the cc increase in size versus the Quattroporte’s engine has been achieved by proportionally increasing the bore and stroke of each cylinder. Maserati quattroporte S reaches its top speed at 174 mph and has a 0-60 acceleration of 5.3 seconds. The Quattroporte Sport GT S fits the most powerful engine in the Quattroporte range: it produces 433 hp at 7,100 rpm with a maximum torque of 361lt-fb at 4,750 rpm.Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS reaches its top speed at 177 mph and has a 0-60 acceleration of 5.3 seconds.

With the Maserati Quattroporte, engineers’ objective was to provide the optimum balance between responsiveness and driving comfort, performance and safety. The Maserati Quattroporte assures superior handling capabilities even in emergency situations with exceptional braking performance and exemplary handing in its segment. Another active safety system is the Maserati Stability Program, a traction and stability control system designed to interact with the anti-lock breaking system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and automatic slip regulation (ASR) to help maintain the car dynamic balance in extreme scenarios. Each Quattroporte is built to the owner uniqueness tastes thanks to the endless colors and trims combinations offered.

The Car Wash Guys is a franchise system, which had never been done before in the Industry of Car Washing, as it was a mobile car wash. It started out in California with independent contractors and quickly grew to 53 units in 39 cities within a 4-year period and then the company decided to franchise the concept.

No such variation in this business structure or variation of franchising had ever been tried. The company had so many new and innovative ideas, that it was really hard to define in current business terms exactly what we are doing. For instance the Car Wash Guys corporate HQ was actually on wheels.

http://www.carwashguys.com/blitz.html

The Car Wash Guys franchise system was also run with no employees to cut down on cost and allow them to deliver a higher level of service using the new digital age. It was not until the end of the first three years that the corporate HQ of The Car Wash Guys even had one salaried employee, as every one else was either a consultant or independent contractor.

Another interesting fact about The Car Wash Guys was the founder, did not draw a salary; all interesting in that this was not your typical franchise model. It is hard to say, if any other company besides the Car Wash Guys has ever used such methods or franchise variation model. They model proved to be successful in allowing the company to rapidly expand in the market place. It was believed by the Car Wash Guys that the virtual aspects allowed them to move fast, change directions and attack market sectors faster that their competitors. So who runs the company? Well, the team, franchisees, vendors, consultants, regional team managers (future master franchises), two employees and founder. Here is his resume;

http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html

The Car Wash Guys was later broken into many parts to allow them to wash things other than cars, but still allow them to use the operational costs of the franchise system to run many other co-brands simultaneously with little outlay of administrative costs. The best way to improve the fierceness of their franchisee team members is to lower their costs, stated the founder. In other words eliminate the Franchisor and run it virtual. When they divided their system into many parts the costs associated are divided against all those parts and the fixed costs to run a franchise system are nearly eliminated. Thus they were able to do more for less. With computers they networked the team together, sharing data, customers, vendor support, consultants, etc.

The Car Wash Guys had many market sectors, they competed in. A Young , dynamic and aggressive company, the kind of company you do not see come along that often in the franchising realm. The customers loved them and the competition hates them. And the government did not know what to do with them, as they appeared to be between definitions of law and regulation. Amazing what new things entrepreneurial companies think of isn’t it. Think on this in 2006.

In the world of wedding fashion, your name is your trademark. From couture one-of-a-kind dresses to breezy ready-to-wear styles, these five up-and-coming designers represent the next class of high-style designer names to remember. Move over Ms. Wang…

The Island Fashionista – Tamara Catz

Peering from the panoramic window of her ocean-side studio on the island of Maui, it’s easy for Tamara Catz to understand that a sweaty, satin-and-tulle-encased bride isn’t a great look for a beach wedding. Instead, she envisions the kind of dress that can “make a girl want to walk barefoot in the sand with the man of her dreams – flowy, feminine, simple.” Catz, 36, modeled her line of romantic, bohemian-style wedding dresses after her breezy sensibility.

For those who are on the market for a new pair of sunglasses, choosing the right brand is going to ensure that you will get the quality lenses you are looking for, and a pair of sunglasses that will last you for years to come. You are going to find that the designer name brands, although they are more expensive, are going to offer the best quality, and will not break or start to come loose, after you wear them out a couple times. People know of the big name brands like Ray Ban, Arnette, Gucci, and all the other designer brands which a consumer can purchase. And, although these brands do come with a larger price tag, the quality, comfort, and the design style you will get, are well worth the extra cost.

You will find that when you purchase a cheap pair of glasses, that do not even have a name on them, they are going to offer you a couple days of wear, then the screws will start to come loose on the hinges, or if you drop them on the floor a lens might pop out. So, even though they only cost $10, you are going to have to continually buy a new pair, every couple weeks or so, just to be able to have a pair of sunglasses to wear. When, if you had gone with the more expensive, designer brand frames, you would not have this problem. You are going to find that when you do not spend the money, and when you purchase a cheap pair of sunglasses, you are not going to get the quality or the UV protection you are looking for in your sunglasses.

So, rather than spend that money every couple weeks, it is a much smarter, and much more price conscious move, to save up for a few months, and when you have the money set aside, purchase that designer name pair of sunglasses, which is going to withstand any damage you put them through. They are also going to offer the protection, the glare reflection lenses, the comfort on the nose bridge, and the durability, in the screws and hinges, which will not come apart after wearing them once or twice. So, even though they are going to be a higher cost up front, the fact that they are going to last, and will offer the ultimate in quality and comfort, as well as the protection you need from the sun, is well worth the higher price you are going to pay for these designer name sunglasses.

If you want the best, and if you want the sunglasses which are going to offer you the protection, style, and quality you are looking for, you have to be willing to spend the money on a new pair of glasses. There is definitely a relationship between the price you pay, and the quality you are going to get, when considering the purchase of a new pair of sunglasses. So, rather than go with the cheap pair, which is going to give up on you after a few uses, turn to the designer name brands, which will last you for years to come, with the same level of quality and style for as long as you own them.

There are forty one recognized cat breeds according to the Cat Fanciers’ Association, the world’s largest registry of pedigree cats.