Modena-based sports car manufacturer Maserati continued its pronounced 2005 return to the American market with a sponsorship of Monday’s Columbus Day Parade that included a host of breathtaking 2-seaters and gran turismos.

Looking like an F-117 stealth fighter plane as designed by Darth Vader, Lamborghini’s new Sesto Elemento concept car could easily be confused for a futuristic vehicle from some sci-fi movie. Considering that the car’s name literally translates to Sixth Element, one could hardly be blamed for wondering if Bruce Willis or Milla Jovovich was at the wheel (for a follow-up to Luc Besson’s 1997 classic The Fifth Element) when the sleek two-seat exotic sports car debuted at the Paris Motor Show earlier this week.

Held in one form or another since 1898, the two-week Paris International Motor Show that kicks off this Saturday is nearly as old as the automobile, itself. As the world’s oldest manufacturer-based auto exhibition, the Paris Show has witnessed the debut of many of the 20th century’s greatest concept and production vehicles.

An unusually thick wall of fog could not stop the ardent auto enthusiasts of Southern California from turning out last Sunday to the 18th annual Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance. Held for the last four years at the Trump National Golf Club, the Palos Verdes Concours regularly mines the finest gems of the area’s many collectors to provide a stunning foreground to the Pacific Ocean vistas availed by the property’s grassy cliffs.

When Tata Motors purchased Jaguar from the ailing Ford Motor Company in 2008, the Indian company was faced with a number of makeover issues. So in launching their brand new XJ flagship sedan earlier this year, Jaguar unleashed an all out marketing blitz that sought to re-connect with savvy luxury consumers through carefully chosen branding partners.

Attention all classic car lovers in the Tri-State Region! Looking for something to do this weekend? Then consider this Sunday’s Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance. Now in its seventh year, the Fairfield Concours has developed into one of the premier collector car exhibitions in the northeastern United States.

Enjoying a picturesque view of Central California’s rocky coastline, the Bentley faithful were gathered on an elegant patio of Pebble Beach’s Inn at Spanish Bay, huddled around wood fires and enjoying heartwarming spirits. In attendance three weeks ago for the annual Concours d’Elegance, the well-heeled crowd was acclimating to the charming environs when their attention was beckoned by the tinkle of a wine glass.

Readers of this blog might recall that when I wrote about the growing momentum of Jaguar’s 75th Anniversary celebration a few months back, I mentioned the possibility that the manufacturer would stage a reunion of the surviving XKSS examples at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The sensory overload that characterized last Friday’s annual Motorsports Gathering at the Quail Lodge in coastal California’s picturesque Carmel Valley illustrated the extent of luxury for which the show has come to be known…hopelessly exclusive, and unmistakably haute.