NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC: In this thread, I will RP the launch of my most luxurious vehicle, the L8. Press from wherever is absolutely welcome, aswell as potential buyers, and they can enjoy a drive with the L8 after it's launch. Every RP'er is welcome!

Please send a confirmation that you'll have somebody over. We will skip the arrivals, and go straight on to the start of the conference, which I'll RP the start of.)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/vlt.png
VLT Automotive. Won fir die Welt/Cars for the World.

OFFICIAL INVITATION

TRIER, May 5 2007

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

You have been chosen by the VLT Sales Division to attend the launch of the VLT L8, the most luxurious vehicle in the world. The vehicle will be launched at Schloss Neuschwanstein in Van Luxemburg, at a date that will be communicated to you if you accept this invitation. Be sure not to miss this, this is the chance of a lifetime to see the L8 first, and drive with it first. The programme will last 2 days, and everything will be paid by VLT. You will stay at Hotel Sonne, one of the very best hotels in the area. We will ensure complete privacy for you, and the best treatment available. The agenda has been set up as follows:

9:00 Arrival in Hotel Sonne
10:00 Pick-up by luxury coach, drive to Schloss Neuschwanstein
10:30 Start of the introduction of the L8, inner courtyard of the Castle.
11:30 End of the L8 Introduction, possibility to ask questions.
12:00 Lunch at the Castle, ability to see the L8 from the inside and up close.
13:30 Handout of L8's, guests are free to drive the car anywhere (within Van Luxemburg)
20:00 Dinner at Hotel Sonne

Day 2

9:00 Handout of L8's, guests are free to drive the car anywhere (within Van Luxemburg)
16:00 Guests are expected to arrive at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife near Cochem/Trier/Luxembourg, for a demonstration of the L8's capabilities and a possibility to test the L8 on a circuit.
20:00 Dinner in 'Dorint Novotel am Nürburgring', where we will spend the night aswell.

Day 3

9:00 End of the Introduction Programme, guests return home with the GFG (Van Luxemburgian Grand-Ducal Airways), First Class, from Frankfurt International Airport.

This is the programme currently planned for the Introduction. VLT Welcomes you to attend this great event, but asks you to confirm your attendance first. Please send a letter or E-mail to:

VLT Automotive Group N.V. – Sales Division
Balduinstrasse
P.O. Box 1278
54290 TRIER
http://www.vlt-automotive.vl
h.schmidt@vlta-sales.vl


We are awaiting your visit!

Signed,

Hans Schmidt,
Sales Division,
VLT Automotive Group

To:VLT Automotive Group N.V. – Sales Division
From:Col.John Macked- Calizorinstani Foreign Affairs

We will send our Cheif of Automobile, and also Head of the Navy, Adm.Jack Arnold to this unveiling, and if he like's it, we may end up ordering some L8's for the president, and the forementioned Admiral and his son.

Col.John Macked
CFA
Calizorinstan

Date: Sat, 05 Nov 2007 13:40
From: "Robert Merillion" <RM@PhoenixDynamix.tpm>
To: "Hans Schmidt" <h.schmidt@vlta-sales.vl>
Subject: RE: L8 Launch
I would like to attend along with one of my assistants and a producer from Phoenix Milita World News channel 69. I am looking forward to attending!

To: h.schmidt@vlta-sales.vl
From: S.Mainner@HDNmotors.co.hd
Subject: L8 Launch

Dear Sir,

I read the invitation just a few minutes ago having it passed to me by my secretary. As a strong believer in importing quality foreign motors to Hotdogs2 we have an interest in seeing your latest offer. As such, myself and two colleagues will gladly attend the launch, we shall of course arrange transport for ourselves to your nation and Park Hotel Sonne where we hope we will be able to find a good hotel to stay at before to take in some of your culture and to ensure we are in tip-top condition for the launch.

Yours Sincerely,

Samantha Mainner

http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/pan-arab_barronia.jpg
Pan-Arab Barronian Ministry for Interior Affairs
Pan-Arab Barronia Ministry for Interior Affairs
154 St Valentine Boulevard
Valentine District
Misenae
MI-5-S43

VLT Automotive Group N.V. – Sales Division
Balduinstrasse
P.O. Box 1278
54290 TRIER

5 May 2007

Dear Mr Schmidt,

We are very much pleased to inform you that three citizens of Pan-Arab Barronia shall be in attendance for the unveiling of the L8. Due to the recent death of our beloved President, a great lover of your vehicles, he shall not be in attendance. Therefore, I shall be attending, along with our Foreign Affairs Minister, Armen Zeroun, and our Trade Secretary, Rachael Jones.

We shall be arriving at Frankfurt airport on the evening before the launch.

We look forward to the occasion.

Yours,

Amee Melisande
Minister for Interior Affairs
Pan-Arab Barronia


OOC: About time :p Looking forward to it

To: VLT Automotive
From: Secretary to the Chief Executive Officer of Euro Group
Subject: L-8 Introduction

To Whom It May Concern,

The Chief Executive Officer of Euro Group, Mr. Casper Neo Yao Wei, is interested in what is your fine automobile manufacturing corporation's latest addition to it's products: the L-8 automotive. Mr. Neo Yao Wei is a compassionate and consummate businessman, and a collector of various items which he finds worthy to add to his collection. The prowess of the L-8 has travelled far beyond the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg, and our corporate leadership has deemed it worthy to add to the collection. Furthermore, the rest of the Board of Directors of the Euro Group Conglomerate would adore dealing with VLT Automotive and the Van Luxemburgian Grand-Ducal Airways as an agent in the financial services industry.

Yours Truly,
The Office of the Secretary of the Chief Executive Officer
Casper Neo Yao Wei
Euro Group Conglomerate

From: Hans Schmidt, Sales Division, VLT Automotive Group <mailto:h.schmidt@vlta-sales.vl>
To: Col. John Macked, Robert Merillion, Samantha Mainner, Amee Melisande, Casper Neo Yao Wei
Subject: RE: L8 Launch

Dear Sirs/Ma'ams,

We are glad to announce that you all have been accepted into this exceptional event. You will be picked up by coach from München Airport, and you will be driven to Hotel Sonne, where you can spend the night before the first day.

As you may know, or may not know, Van Luxemburg is a nation which is proud of their road system. Therefore, the Van Luxemburgian Government has instated the Motorway Familiarisation Test, or MFT. This test should only take an hour before you leave the airport, but we believe this shouldn't be too hard to pass for skilled drivers. As an attachment, we have sent the National Tourist Board's guide to Van Luxemburgian Autobahns, which we think should help with the MFT.

Signed,

Hans Schmidt,
Sales Division,
VLT Automotive Group


A Tourist’s guide to
The Van Luxemburgian Autobahn



It could well be every motorist’s dream: A motorway without any speedlimits. Van Luxemburg offers these, plenty of them. But, the reality might be different; With today’s traffic, the Autobahn’s around cities are very crowded, and do not allow high speeds.
Interconnecting motorways, however, are barred from any speed limit, and high-powered luxury vehicles and sportscars usually fly by with speeds in excess of 180 km/h.
The roads are usually well-serviced, and the death toll is low, due to the skill of the drivers, used to the high speeds of the motorway. This, and the mighty power of the Automobile lobby (a lobby even containing the head-of-state, Grand Duke Koen van Luxemburg), has never seen an initiative to universally minimize the speed. The advised speed is clearly stated to be 130 km/h, although many drivers tend to ignore this advise.

This guide from the National Tourist Board of Van Luxemburg will try to make you more familiar with the customs and rules on the Van Luxemburgian Autobahns. This guide can be used to finish the Van Luxemburgian Motorway Familiarisation Test within one hour, instead of two.

STEP I: A rental car.

Who might visit Van Luxemburg, and doesn’t have any family living here, will need a rental car (Or can use public transport, ofcourse). Major rental companies will be based at every airport around Van Luxemburg, and some will also own offices in major cities or at train stations. Please mind the following:

-Rental Cars in Van Luxemburg have a manual gearbox. If needed or wanted, a vehicle with automatic gearbox can be delivered. Please bear in mind that these vehicles will need to be reserved specifically, since there are not too many available.
-Always check the car for possible damage before you hire the car. Rental Companies can oblige you to pay for damage that was already there when you hired the car. If the damage is reported beforehand, There will be no problems afterwards.
-Most rental companies keep several high-powered vehicles (e.g. Porsche, Ferrari) in stock for the tourists that want to hire them to experience the Autobahn in another (faster) way. Usually, these vehicles are very expensive to hire.
-Most rental companies have no limits to the amount of kilometres that can be driven with the car; However, Fuel will need to be paid by the person who hires the car.
-To hire a car, you will need a valid driver’s license, an MFT Certificate and a passport; rental cars are always insured, since it is obliged by law that any (road-legal) vehicle must be insured.

STEP II: The Motorway Familiarisation Test

Every tourist willing to drive a car in Van Luxemburg must take the MFT, or Motorway Familiarisation Test. This is only for the first time they will be driving a car in Van Luxemburg; All times afterwards you can show your certificate to the rental company and the Police. The MFT certificate must be with you every time you are driving a car; Penalties of up to 200 Euros are possible when the driver doesn’t have the required certificate.

It is encouraged for all persons 18 years and up with a valid driving license to take the test, instead of only the driver. However, if any of the passengers will not have an MFT, they will not be fined by the Police. Please bear in mind that only persons of 18 years and up are allowed to drive a car; minors (under 18 years) with a valid driving license are not allowed to drive a vehicle in van Luxemburg.

The MFT consists of a theoretical lesson and an Exam; The theoretical exam can be finished in an hour. The theoretical lesson consists of an explanation of the Van Luxemburgian Road system in a classroom, which is not compulsory. If both have been finished with good results, the MFT certificate will be given out by the examinator. Costs for this one-time test usually are around 50 Euros.

STEP III: Learning the rules

The Traffic Laws might be different then the ones in your home nation. Please read this section carefully!

The minimum age of driving in Van Luxemburg is 18. The drivers usually get their license after almost half a year of training, both practical and theoretical. The drivers are usually calm and skilled, and try to keep aggression out of traffic. Using your headlamps is usually frowned upon; if it happens, the driver is indicating that he wants to get past. Several General Laws:

-Traffic drives on the right, passes on the left. The so-called Rechtsfahrgebot enforces this by ordering the driver to keep right whenever possible. Fines for driving too long and unnecessary on the left range from 50 to 350 euros, while overtaking over the right can cost up to 500 Euros, depending on the situation. In heavy traffic and traffic jams, it is allowed to switch lanes from left to right and overtake someone.
- The Police reserves the right to collect minor fines (up to 500 euros) on the spot. If the driver is unable to comply, a bill will be sent to it’s home address. However, the Police prefers to collect fines from foreigners on the spot, since it is hard to send the bill to a foreign nation. Be prepared to have your car towed away if you cannot comply, but it is also possible that the Police will bring you to the nearest bank to pick up the required amount of money there.
-Bicycles, mopeds, and pedestrians are specifically prohibited from using the Autobahn, as are any other vehicles with a maximum speed rating of less than 60 km/h.
-Stopping, parking, U-turns, and backing-up are strictly forbidden, including on shoulders and ramps (except for emergencies.)
-Entering and exiting is permitted only at marked interchanges.
-During traffic jams, motorists in the left lane are required to move as far to the left as possible and those in the adjacent center or right lane must move as far to the right in their lane as possible, thus creating a gap between the lanes for emergency vehicles to pass through. However, emergency vehicles can also use the emergency shoulder.
-If you have a breakdown or accident, you must move to the shoulder if possible and place a warning triangle 200 meters behind the scene. You must report the incident to the authorities using the nearest emergency phone.
-It is illegal to run out of fuel on the Autobahn. Technically, there is no law specifically against this, but it is illegal to stop unnecessarily on the Autobahn and this law is also applied to people who run out of fuel as such an occurrence is deemed to be preventable.
- It is a custom to use the hazard blinkers to warn other drivers behind you that there is a traffic jam ahead.
-The Speed Limit is non-existent, Advised speed is 130 km/h, unless stated otherwise alongside the road. Vehicles with trailers and vehicles above 3,5 tons must obey to a speed limit of at least 80 km/h, and a maximum of 100 km/h

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/Limits.jpg


-Always obey the limits and advice set on the Electronic Dynamic signs overhead. Please note that if these signs give a maximum speed, traffic cameras and speed checks will be aware of this and go off at speeds above the maximum.
-Do not forget that, in a car accident, the vehicle with the higher speed is always guilty.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/signs.jpg
A list of possible warnings/limits on the Electronic Dynamic Signs. Every lane has one screen for itself. (e.g. in this illustration there would be three lanes in this direction)

STEP IV: Traffic, Police and Construction

All cars in Van Luxemburg actively scan the radio station you last tuned into for traffic messages. It will break into anything you were currently doing with the radio, playing a CD for example, with renewed traffic information and important warnings. The Police itself will warn for speed checks beforehand, and will put up alternative routes if there is a traffic jam. It is also possible they will block off roads due to a smog warning, but this is relatively rare.

Please be always polite to your fellow drivers. If you are not polite to them, they will not be polite to you. Never block someone’s way when he is driving faster then you, and try to keep off the horn, unless you are able to prevent an accident. Using the horn is considered very rude, and will not be appreciated.

The Police operates a separate service for the Motorways, the Autobahnpolizei. These officers are equipped with faster cars and have had special high-speed driving trainings. These units do not crack down on speed violation that much, but they will rather stop cars which show aggressive driving, dangerous behaviour or are subject to a traffic violation. Fines range from 10 euros to a driving ban and confiscation of the car. A small list is included below. Some fines are indicated in price ranges, this due to the situation in which it takes place. Please be aware that these are not set fines, and the fine might differ slightly from the price set here. The Police force is however not funded by corruption, and there are heavy penalties for it.

-Not using blinkers while changing lanes: 10 Euro
-Signalling with headlights in dangerous situations (e.g. in corners, blinding oncoming traffic): 25-100 Euro
- Using a cellphone without handsfree set: 175 Euro
- Overtaking on the right: 25-500 Euro
-Driving on the left unnecessarily 50-350 Euro
-Endangering other drivers: 500-10,000 euro, or driving ban plus possible confiscation of vehicle. (there are known cases that the driver had to appear in court)
- Aggressive driving: 200-1000 Euro, Driving ban plus possible confiscation of vehicle (there are known cases that the driver had to appear in court)
-Speed violation: 2 Euro per kilometre too fast, baseline fine 20 Euro. (speeds below 5 km/h too fast are not fined, so 6 kilometres too fast would be 22 Euro. However, Speed violations are not the main priority of the police)
- Resisting arrest (e.g. beating an officer, wounding an officer or driving away after a ‘stop’ sign.): 2,000 euros and up, plus a punishment to be decided by a Van Luxemburgian court
- Insulting an officer during duty (e.g. calling names, bullying, etcetera): 50 euros and up, possible arrest
-Owning a weapon without valid documentation (this also applies to foreigners): confiscation of weapon and a punishment by Van Luxemburgian court.

For a full list, please inquire at a van Luxemburgian embassy, or at a Police Station in Van Luxemburg

You will find the Police officers to be polite, and not aggressive. Usually, they will not be heavily armed, but will carry a pistol with them in their car. Since several decades, the van Luxemburgian Police also has undercover cars driving around on all roads, these will record the traffic situation and stop vehicles accordingly. These have the same rights and duties as normal policemen, but please do not hesitate to ask for an identification. Since several years, the Internet is sprawling with possible license plates for these cars. The Autobahnpolizei has already attended citizens of Van Luxemburg that it is useless to record them, since they change the license plates of the vehicles in irregular patterns.

The Police usually uses a flashing sign to pull cars over to the side of the road. These signs mostly read ‘Stop – Polizei’ (or Police),with ‘Bitte Folgen’ or ‘Please Follow’ added to it in the next flash. Other possibilities are being stopped by hand or a so-called ‘lollypop’, a sign held by the officer, which indicates you to stop.

Construction sites are, due to the good state of the Autobahn, usually present to maintain the road. Please note that, during construction, speed is limited (limits differ per site) and that yellow lines supersede the normal white lines on the asphalt. Always be careful at construction sites; there might be people walking around!



STEP V: Service areas (Raststätte)

The Service areas along the Autobahn are usually well-maintained, and Contain a filling station, a restaurant or snack shop, toilets (and showers, occasionally) plus enough parking space. Most also have WiFi Wireless Internet and a playground, some others might have chapels, shops with local produce

Fuel is expensive in Van Luxemburg, mostly due to taxes. The Current price (January 2007) is around 1 Euro per litre Diesel and 1 euro and 20 cents for a litre of petrol (Euro RON95) There are also several highly priced fuel, which will improve the prestations of your car and will reduce the amount of fuel used. Think of Shell V-Power and BP Ultimate. Van Luxemburg might use different octane levels than in your country; please refer to the car manual on what kind of fuel to fill up your car with.

Relatively popular with so-called ‘truckers’ is the Autohof. These large rest areas just off the Autobahn are usually cheaper then the Raststätte along the Autobahn. They are marked along the Autobahn, and so are fast-food restaurants off-route.

Even more present are the simple parking places, always including toilets and an emergency phone (These are also available every 2 km. In tunnels, they are 100 metres apart. They have speakers available in many different languages. If the language you requested is not available, the dispatcher will likely speak English to you, or any other language that suits you better. They will be able to dispatch special Autobahn emergency services and repair vehicles from the VLMA, the Van Luxemburgian Mobility Association.)

This concludes the Autobahn Guide. We wish you a great holiday in Van Luxemburg!

To: Hans Schmidt, Sales Division, VLT Automotive Group

We are eagerly anticipating the launch of the L8 and would be interested in seeing the vehicle's commercial debut. During our stay, we will examine the vehicles and determine if they would make a suitable addition to the Vetalian government's official car fleet. As you may know, our elite officials require vehicles that are commensurate with our nation's economic and political strength, and obviously this poses

We would also like to commence commercial exports of these products as soon as possible, since citizens and private corporations across our nation are excited by this vehicle's prospects and would like to purchase them as soon as possible. As a result, any issues your government may have in regard to trade barriers in your would be taken care of at this time.

We will bring drivers who have most likely been certified to drive on Van Luxemburgian roads and highways. However, if you wish, they can take the test to ensure maximal safety during our trip.

Thank you,

Proconsul Vladimir Trepov, Ministry of State
Consul Boris Tulikov, Ministry of State
Procurator Josef Lomako, Ministry of Economic Development
Procurator Milla Kedrova, Ministry of Trade

From: Dictator of FreeAngola
To:Hans Schmidt,Sales Division VLT Automotive

Subject:

Since i´m on vacations i have some spare time to visit the introduction myself,and if i like the car i will buy 15 of them for my automobile fleet

Thank You

His Excellency The Dictator Of FreeAngola

Dear sir,

Thank you for your prompt reply to our acceptance of your kind offer for the launch of your new vehicle. We would like to inquire as to whether it would be possible to have brochures made available to myself to have sent back to Hotdogs2 as we are sure this will be a major breakthrough into the Hotdian Market. We look forward to seeing you at the launch.

With Thanks,

S. Mainner
CEO, HDN motors

From: Hans Schmidt, Sales Division, VLT Automotive Group <h.schmidt@vlta-sales.vl>
To: The Government of Vetalia, The Dictator of FreeAngola
Subject: RE: L8 Launch

Dear Sirs,

We are glad to announce that you all have been accepted into this exceptional event. You will be picked up by coach from München Airport, and you will be driven to Hotel Sonne, where you can spend the night before the first day.

As you may know, or may not know, Van Luxemburg is a nation which is proud of their road system. Therefore, the Van Luxemburgian Government has instated the Motorway Familiarisation Test, or MFT. This test should only take an hour before you leave the airport, but we believe this shouldn't be too hard to pass for skilled drivers. As an attachment, we have sent the National Tourist Board's guide to Van Luxemburgian Autobahns, which we think should help with the MFT.

Signed,

Hans Schmidt,
Sales Division,
VLT Automotive Group

--------------------------------------------------------

From: Hans Schmidt, Sales Division, VLT Automotive Group <h.schmidt@vlta-sales.vl>
To: Samantha Mainner, HDN Motors <S.Mainner@HDNmotors.co.hd>
Subject: RE: L8 Launch

Dear Sirs,

Sending brochures would certainly be possible, but we can only send the information requested after the launch of the vehicle, since we want to keep the L8's looks absolutely secret till the last moment. We would also like to attend you to the fact that the L8 will be a very exclusive vehicle, and that we will limit sales to one per model per person and five per year per nation.

Hoping to have answered your questions,

Signed,

Hans Schmidt,
Sales Division,
VLT Automotive Group

To: h.schmidt@vlta-sales.vl
From: S.Mainner@HDNmotors.co.hd
Subject: RE: L8 Launch

Dear sir,

I am glad you are taking such steps to ensure this vehicle will not be sold in such large numbers which will ensure the L8 will indeed be one of the most, if not the, most exclusive luxury car available on the market. We are impressed by how you can sell just 5 cars per year to each nation as it shows the dedication you must put into each vehicle and we already have had interest shown by several customers in such a car. However, whilst being exclusive we are sure it will be very expensive if it is to remain productive and profitable to create such a car and so are ourselves looking into alternatives from your own company which will see your entry fully into the Hotdian motoring market. The L8 is sure to receive high acclaim in the press from what we have so far heard from you if it is indeed true, and this will mean VLT Automotive will have the required interest in Hotdogs2 to make a national launch. We will of course be interested in further discussions into selling of your vehicles in the near future, we are only glad we have been chosen to attend the launch of what promises to be the most luxurious car the world has ever seen.

With thanks once more,

S. Mainner
CEO, HDN motors

(OOC: 7 participants. Enough to justify the start of the RP, IMHO. If you want to drop in later on, please report in OOCly first, before you start RP'ing. As I said before, the RP will start when the bus transfers the journalists and attending people to Neuschwanstein. Everyone has settled in Hotel Sonne one hour before, and has had the chance to maybe get some breakfast or something, before the coach picked them up.)

Füssen, 10:09 AM

The Volvo 9900 coach slowly turned onto the B310, and the vehicle slowly accelerated, while the driver attempted to make the least revolutions possible, guaranteeing a smooth ride. The coach glided past several houses, which were built close to eachother in a distant history. The driver didn't bother about the houses, nor about the fact that he was leaving the town where he had picked up his passengers. The driver looked into his conversation mirror to check what his passengers were up to, but his dark sunglasses prevented him from seeing any details in the somewhat dark coach. The sun only sporadically broke through the windows, and sometimes produced rays of light which could be experienced as irritating. When the driver returned his view to the road, his eyes had to adjust to the light that the sun projected on the alpine landscape ahead, despite the fact he had his sunglasses on.

In front of the coach, a single VLT L7 drove ahead, cornering somewhat more aggressive than the Volvo that followed, and pulled ahead on the straights that led to the Castle. It transported, according to the coach driver's knowledge, two high-ranking VLT managers, which would host the introduction of the executive car today. But that didn't occupy the drivers' mind, when he stared at the fabulous castle ahead. It was actually not a castle, it was more of a Palace, which rose above the village of Schwangau near the foot of the mountain, while the building itself was built on a somewhat awkward location halfway up the mountain. Meanwhile, the coach and the VLT had arrived near the foot of the mountain, and the driver attended the coach passengers, of which most were Van Luxemburgian, and a few foreign.

'Ladies and gentlemen, we will be climbing a steep road now. If you aren;t using your seatbelts, you are kindly requested to hold yourselves tight.'

Immediately, the engine began to make more revolutions, and the driver ran through several gears, until he had all the torque the 12-litre engine could give him. Seemingly, the L7 in front of him had no problems with the steep Neuschwansteinstrasse, and quickly vanished out of sight in a hairpincorner, but he quickly returned on his rear bumper when the L7 calmly accelerated towards the next corner, probably to allow the Volvo to keep up with the car. In the next corner, the driver of the VLT floored the accelerator as soon as he came out of the corner, and shot away into the distance. The coach soon followed, but took a more leisurely climb, in order to not stress it's passengers. Several minutes later, the coach also arrived on the small parking lot closest to the Palace. It was now empty, since the normal buses didn't drive uphill and no visitors were allowed, because VLT had hired Neuschwanstein for the day.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your final destination.' The driver opened the doors of the coach while talking into his microphone, wishing his passengers a good day.

Outside, Hans Schmidt and a colleague awaited the group of invitees, before taking them to the inner courtyard of the castle. The rays of sunlight rained down on Neuschwanstein, but inside the courtyard, the sun could barely penetrate. The sun only reached a single point inside, which was precisely the place where the stage was placed, and an object was protected by a large black silk cloth. The Introduction was about to begin.

Most impressive. was the thought of a man with a somewhat small, moon-shaped face, his eyes gazing at the Van Luxemburgian castle. Dressed in a white tuxedo with a jet-black tie, the moon-shaped-faced fellow of average height (5'8) exited the Volvo vehicle, being the nearest to the door. The man was well-dressed, formal, though one could argue that it was perhaps too illustrious and as a result of an excess in elegance, inappropriate attire for this occassion. This man was of Chinese ethnicity, but was not a holder of a document that would get one to find him to be of the Middle Kingdom, but certainly his biology did trace him there. The Southeast Asian people knew him all too well: Casper Neo Yao Wei. The younger of the two Neo brothers. Charismatic and manipulative, he utilized his impressive interpersonal skills and devious mind for the financial services, if not other industries and markets. As their father put it: "this guy's a real capitalist, and a good one at that...he should get into business." The mother, a versed worker in the financial services too (if not later the seafood market), concured.

And he did. In this way, Casper was able to upstage His Most Esteemed Presidency and Right Honorable Prime-Executive Leadership in his own right. The two were known for a rivalry that stemmed from youth. While the older Neo would fulfill his dream of a united bloc stemming across what was a former region, the younger one had taken over - and surpassed - their father in his headhunting firm and vastly expanded it. He would later take over the maternal part of family commerce. Casper was always proud to surpass his parents and knew that the late patriach and matriachs, though divorced and in containers with several others of their generation, and especially savored at the thought of upstaging his elder brother and permanently resolving the love/hate relationship.

However, for now, this was not the correct occassion. This was not the right time for upstaging him, though he had done so already by creating an empire in it's own right. Now, was the time for killing two birds with one stone. The first bird to kill was a hobby he enjoyed: collecting items that fancied his interest. The second bird to kill was to form sort of a business clique, a cartel of sorts. The Groussherzogliche Fliger Gesellschaft (Van Luxemburgian Grand Ducal Airways) first-class flight had impressed him. He was hoping that this trip was worth it.

Redirecting his concentration from the grand structure to the figure that was clearly a Van Luxemburgian Transportation Automotive representative, and possibly the host, he flexed his facial muscles to a gregarious smile. Observing the Caucasian man's tag, he stated: "Herr Schmidt, I presume?"

'That is correct...' Hans paused a second while he was running through the extensive list of invitees. 'Mister Neo. 'Hans Schmidt, Sales Manager with VLT. Ofcourse, I wouldn't be here because I wanted to buy an L8... That would be way too expensive for me.'

Schmidt grinned, and thought about the stupidity of him pausing to find Neo's name. Ofcourse it was him. Neo was, as far as Schmidt could remember, the only man of Asian descent to attend the introduction.

'I take you're interested in buying an L8, Mister Neo?'

He waited for a moment, when he saw the actual host walking up to him.

'Oh, sorry, I completely forgot to introduce him', Schmidt said, while he pointed at the man. 'This is Maxime Hertel, he will be presenting the car. I will only stand by him and give a short speech.'

"Indeed, Mr. Schmidt." nodded the high-profile businessperson, and still composing the amicable grin while shrugging. "You could say it's a hobby of mine. Collecting interesting items." If not using the moment for profiteering, making new clients and new friends.

With the VLT Sales Director having introduced him to the gentleman, he turned to make eye contact, as always maintaining a figure of warmth and charm. "How nice to meet you, Mr. Hertel." He said this as the left-handed conglomerate executive outstretched his dominant hand for a handshake.

Scmidt smiled friendly. 'Well, the L8 certainly is an interesting item. I've heard some people call it a work of art. But I think it is time that, today, the myth of the L8 will leave the walls of the VLT offices. I've heard rumours that some car enthousiasts are standing on the Marienbrücke, which offers a great view of Neuschwanstein, to just catch a glimpse of the car when it leaves the courtyard. I think we achieved a lot with our PR campaign.'

Meanwhile, Hertel shook hands with Neo, muttering a form of 'Nice to meet you', but the man was too occupied with his future role in the presentation of the car already, that he didn't really pay attention.

Adm Arnold said to the VLT repersenitive as they walked along, "Mr.Schmdi tI am very interested in acquring L8's as you know, to replace the President's L7, and the president told me, I could buy one for me and my son too. Which is why I am looking at it very closely. My son is currently in prep school, and I managed to get away from the military for a bit to come here. It's an honor to come here, my son, he is studiying in a foreign land, just got marrried, so I ordered and gave him one of your VLT L9s. He couldn't be happier with the preformance." He looked all around the courtyard and wondered why he hadn't visited Van Luxenberg earlier, maybe he was always in a battle all the time, he thought jokingly, but he had a serious thought, after this, and his order was put in for the L8's, he would have to go back to command the battle in Leocardia, but his son, while in the dorm, had made a wonderful plan to help Leocardia. He couldn't wait to see the VLT L8.

Their flight left Misenae at 5.55pm, on the Van Luxemburgian Grand Ducal Airways flight to München Airport. The aircraft surpassed expectations; the first class lounge was impeccable. The staff, courteous and efficient; the pilot, well trained, practiced, and providing of one of the smoothest and most comfortable flights they'd had in a long time. Touching down at München Airport, they disembarked and headed for their coach to Hotel Sonne. Having travelled to Van Luxembourg a month previous, they had attained their MFT's especially for this event. Armen, particularly, was excited about the prospect of pushing the L8 to the edge on the Autobahn.

The Hotel Sonne was one of Van Luxemburg's best, and it showed. The three rooms they had booked were of the finest quality - by far better than what was usually stretched to by governments. They would sleep soundly tonight - and quite rightly so.

The next morning...

Having arrived at the manor where the L8 was due for it's debut, Amee Melisande observed Mr Schmidt talking with Admiral Arnold of the Calizorinstan Navy. She decided that she would introduce herself.

"Sorry, not interrupting anything am I? Mr Schmidt, Amee Melisande, Pan-Arab Barronian Minister for Interior Affairs. A pleasure to finally meet you." She held her hand out to be kissed.

The Vetalian delegation stepped out in to the sun, carrying with them their omnipresent PDAs that kept them in close contact with the Ministries back in Vetalia. As usual, they were dressed in the exceptionally formal style that characterized Vetalian workwear, creating an unusually homongenous group as they walked towards the display area.

Vladimir Trepov spoke to the VLT authorities, announcing:

"Based upon the information given to us by the Ministry of State, the Vetalian government will probably provide us with funds to outfit elite government officials with these cars, and the rest'll be exported by the company to the private sector." Trepov's fingers moved rapidly on the PDA at the same time, exchanging messages with the Consuls left running the show back in Vetalia City.

The others stood in the back, quietly talking with other visitors while the Minister of State discussed the situation between the Vetalian government and VLT.

Schmidt and Hertel were surprised by the amount of people that approached them to shake hands and introduce themselves, but tried to show no sign of their surprisement, and shortly shook hands and talked to the invitees.

'Admiral Arnold, it's an honour to meet you. It's good to hear that your son likes the L9 so much. Oh, if you excuse me..'

Schmidt had to walk on to the next invitee wanting to meet him, and had to leave Admiral Arnold.

'Miss Melisande, The pleasure is entirely on my side.'

He kissed her three times on her cheeks, while he still shook her hands. Then, he walked on, muttering a distant 'excuse me', to answer the Vetalian delegation.

'Perfect, Mister Trepov. We are aiming for such high-ranking persons with the L8, be it in private business or in the Government sector. You won't regret your decision. Now, if you excuse me, I need to get to the stage, I believe we're about to start.'

Schmidt walked towards the stage, while the lighting equipment began projecting a dim light on the object beneath the silk cloth, while a beamer began to project the VLT logo on a screen just behind the stage, well visible for all that would be attending the introduction. Meanwhile, Maxime Hertel appeared on the stage. He spoke a few words to the press and the invitees, indicating they would start soon.

'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Schloss Neuschwanstein, would you please all get seated at the seats that have been reserved for you? Thank you.'

The Vetalian delegation took its seats, spending a couple of minutes making sure they were entirely in position for the presentation. Ties were straightened, collars straightened and jackets adjusted, and their omnipresent PDAs nearly turned off and placed in their jacket pockets. It hardly dispelled the stereotype of Vetalians as orderly, overly formal and obsessive about the way they presented themselves to others.

"I've spoken with the ministry back home and the Senate has granted us funds to buy some of these vehicles...at least enough for the Proconsuls and Consuls in the ministries." Trepov said, fidgeting with his tie clasp.

Tulikov replied "That's good to hear. I do like my Anza F675, but I think we Consuls need something a little better than diplomatic sedans...we can't afford to be shown up by the other governments' officials at conferences, and I for one am tired of being confused with the chief ambassador, especially at that conference in Shazbotdom when we were negotiating the new embassy...Gods that place was creepy,with all the emphasis on the shrubbery being watered. Sort of like the book A Clockwork Tangerine, you know what I mean? I do not envy the guy we sent there, although he's a pretty nice guy, went to Zabire Provincial University to major in international studies. I think he also did a major in economics, but I do-"

"Hold on, I think the show is going to start!" Trepov interrupted, unwilling to tolerate another one of the consul's rambling "stories". The flight here had been enough and he was already dreading the return. Maybe he'd pick up some neurosupressants for the flight back. Those things put conventional sleep aids to shame, although they could only be used in people with artificial kidneys. That meant, unfortunately, that he couldn't use them on Boris yet. Maybe next time...he should push him to get that surgery a little harder.

Procurators Lomako and Kedrova were not spared the luxury of conversation, as they were forced to constantly send messages to the ministries while the higher-ups chatted about their new cars. Frankly, Josef Lomako was bored out of his mind.

Lomako thought to himself, In fact, Kedrova isn't even here; she's off negotiating another boring-ass trade deal back at the hotel while I get to do the budgeting paperwork for a car I'll never get to drive. Of course, naturally the Procurators wouldn't get them, we'll get the hand-me-down Anzas from the Consuls..." Realizing it wouldn't help to get irritated, he shifted thoughts. "Ah well, give it a few more years and you'll get the consulship. Gods only know what good the Procuratorial salary has done for your health...those anti-aging treatments and artificial organs don't come cheap, for sure. It sure beats my days as a legate when I was close to selling my kidney for cash rather than buy new ones...hah, back in those days we didn't even have artificial brains, we were a bunch of primitive bastards...

Lomako found this thought oddly amusing and chuckled a little too loudly, drawing a brief glance from Boris and Vladimir who apparently didn't find anything worth laughing at and whose brief glance told him quite plainly to be quiet. He stared dully forward at the upcoming presentation, but not before he made sure that his cufflinks were properly affixed and his tie straight.

Casper Neo noted, that Mr. Hertel seemed to be in deep thought as he gave a handshake. Whatever could it be? the Southeast Asian CEO thought, his facial composition maintained and not betraying any of his personal thoughts, Public relations? He should be used to things like these...but then again, having fear isn't neccessarily a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Then the rest of the guests had exited, all making their own respective introductions to the VLT Automotive businessmen. Government officials? Perhaps that was what Mr. Hertel was thinking. But then again, the rest of the board and I would be more concerned with more...tangible, economic and beneficial...use of resources, if not public reputation. The business leader was careful with public image like his government official of a brother, with what he said, spoke, and did. Then again, it's their loss.

After the colleague of Mr. Schmidt made his announcement, he took one of the seats in the front row, next to the Vetalian group. Things were looking good for the Euro Group Conglomerate in doing business with VLT Automotive and possibly GFG. So far. Now, Casper Neo would have to continue beyond the beginning, and to the end, to make a full and appropriate analysis.

Slowly, the VLT logo transformed into the L8 logo, which would appear on the back of the car. Hertel spoke again, this time with his face trying to capture both the cloth that covered the L8, and his audience.

‘Ladies and Gentlemen. You know the feeling. You drive an L7, and think: Is this all? Well, until today, it was all. We couldn’t offer anything more than the L7, in terms of luxury vehicles. And yes, some exceptions have been made, with somewhat modified L7’s for our home market, but outside Van Luxemburg, nobody has seen these cars. But now, the L8 will set the standard for luxury cars, all over the world. Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maybach are all subordinates of this car. This car will be so exclusive, that car spotters have taken up positions outside this building to just catch a glimpse of the car. For now, you are the only one that can see it up close, and from the inside, and that will experience the unrivalled power of this car. Theoretically, this is the fastest four-door saloon car, and tests have pointed out it definitely is, although we couldn’t approach the theoretical speeds due to limitations. Yes, Ladies and
Gentlemen, limitations, not just because of technicalities, but because of the laws of Physics, because of gravity. This car can get out of every situation. Be it a nice Sunday tour along pitoresque villages, or the Autobahn, or maybe even a warzone, it can do it. It’s not just a car, it’s a VLT. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…. The L8!’

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/L8S.jpg

The Silk cloth was slowly removed, and the Van Luxemburgian press was already busy taking pictures from their seats, trying to capture the moment. From beneath the cloth, the L8 was slowly revealed piece by piece, while Maxime Hertel was still commenting on the car.

‘We found that one version is not enough. A saloon is nice, but with the aspirations of the car, one model alone is not enough. In the spirit of other luxury Coupés, the L8 Coupé is an addition to the L8 programme, and will cater to customers who would like to get a taste of driving the L8 themselves. While the Saloon is meant for the captains of government and industry, to be chauffeured by skilled drivers, the Coupé is meant for people who want to take life, enjoy it, never let it go. Vivat, Crescat, Floreat. Ladies and Gentlemen, Here is Number 2, the L8 Coupé!’

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/L8C.jpg

The silk cloth was removed completely, and revealed a second model, a sleek Coupé, which stood next to the Saloon. Above, the cars, the beamer projected images of the car, while another beamer projected a short video, which showed the L8 and L8 Coupé driving through fields and villages, cities and motorways. It showed the car from it’s best angles, and all the new technology that had been implemented into it. Maybe it was rather conservative styled, and maybe the car was conservative, but at least it would be a good car.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b76/VanLuxemburg/L8C-S.jpg

Impressive marketing, thought Casper as he watched both the L-8 Saloon and the L-8 Coupé through out the video presentation displaying their pertinence as not only vehicles, but as a commodity of great value in a economic and business sense, if not a cultural sense. How appropriate it would be limited in supply for maximum profits, and most fitting for a masterpiece in mechanics and cultural pride for the people of the Grand Duchy. presuming it's all genuine, marketing in this industry can do all so much, design is also part of the action...you need two hands to clap with, after all.

Employees of media firms both local to the Grand Duchy and from abroad could be seen amongst the audience. Groups of clustered car fans, who were unable to enter the formal ceremony for an up close encounter, were photographing the moment, but thanks to distance and amateur skill (the Euro Group head turning a blind eye to the flashes in spite of the fact the sun was far from setting, but blinked a bit out of annoyance to the faraway spotters), probably did not get very good shots. Clapping could be heard from some media employees, some stopping note-taking for paying respect towards the firm's latest creation. A few gasps could be heard from the said people who were doing their occupations as well.

In the midst of all this, the chief executive officer thought: What to pick? The VLT L-8 Saloon, or the VLT L-8 Coupé? Tough decision... Of course, he would not neglect talking with either Mr. Schmidt or Mr. Hertel, on business affairs with his firm, if not mingle out with the other guests for similar reasons.

As he watched the unveiling Adm. Arnold knew which one he would order for the president, the L8 saloon, and he would order for his son an L8 Sleek Coupe, that would suprise him, he thoughht. He was excited about it, and couldn't wait to see what the option list was.

There was a gasp from the Hotdian representatives as the cover was pulled off. Even for Samantha, who had been in the cars business from her childhood through her farther, it was an amazing sight to her eyes. The cars lines had an appealing look to them, although simple they were more than effective, the whole look just said executive luxury car. For any ex-patriots in business within Hotdogs2 from Van Luxemburg this would be a sure hit, and by the looks of it there would be fierce competition, and was sure to attract attention from the national press. That was of course, if the rest of the car lived up to the same expectations...

The Barronian Delegacy took front-row seats, eager to gain a view of the L8. Armen in particular was a huge driving fan, making extensive use of Barronia's racing circuits on his time off. He had always wanted to visit Van Luxemburg to travel on the Autobahn, and was looking forward to doing so in one of the most exclusive cars in the world at this time.

The Barronian Government was a heavy investor in VLT Automotive, having made them chief suppliers to the Interior Ministry, making VLT responsible for more than 75% of vehicles used by the government - this included Police Vehicles, the First Responder Paramedic Scheme, and, should VLT ever release a commercial line, possibly ambulances and police vans too.

Amee smoothed off her skirt, standard Navy-Blue as ever. It was a government theme of sorts, they all wore that colour, just with the differing Ministerial Crests on the tie. For women, the tie was more of a neckerchief. Generally, they appeared to be high-ranking officers within the police force, including the peaked caps. There was some variation, mind you, length of skirt, double- or single-breasted jacket, although altogether it was merely to show a unity between government ministries.

"So, when are we starting?" Armen was like an excited child in a sweet shop - he could barely contain himself.

"Shush, Armen. Stop fidgeting - we don't need to be embarrased in front of the other delegations..."

They caught the tail-end of a chuckle from another delegate, and wondered if it was aimed at them. Stiffening all the more, they looked to the stage.

As the L8 was unveiled Armen let out a low whistle. It was stunning. Sleek lines, incorporating both speed and comfort, would make sure this car was a hit.

"Well dang...that's a nice car."

The conservative stylings of the car made it perfect for the Barronian government, and they would immediately be making an offer to incorporate the car into the fleet.

The Vetalian delegation simply stared for a moment, examining the care closely and then applauded politely at the stunning new vehicles close in front of them. Displaying the traditional Vetalian image of formality, they didn't gawk or comment profusely on the vehicles, but simply took out their PDAs and began sending messages back to their ministries.

That was a very, very good sign for the VLT Automotive company officials presiding over the meeting. They could expect a significant amount of Vetalian Solaris to start flowing in to their coffers in the near future.

(OOC: The next post, detailing the L8, will probably come tomorrow)

Adm.Arnold sighed and said "They can definatenly expect some Dollar's to be in their bank in the near future." He thought it looked amazing, he was ready to order the coupe sleek version for his son, and walked up to the Van Luxenbergian Transportation offical and said "After we're done with this, is there any place we can put order's down? I would like to order 1 coupe for my son and I, and 2 of the sedan's to replace the President's L7's."

Maxime Hertel continued.

'Ofcourse this car is not just a car. It's interior is made out of the finest products. The leather is produced from Bavarian bulls, since bull leather is less sensitive for overstretching. On top of this, all the bulls have been kept in areas where razor wire wasn't present, to ensure no damages have been made to the skin. The real wood veneer is chosen by the customer, and all veneer comes from one tree, to make sure the wood connects to eachother and shows no deformations of any type. All carpet mats have been made out of sheep wool from the same region, that hasn't been in contact with razor wire or any other sharp objects either. If any sort of damage or imperfection is found, the whole produce of that day won't be used in the vehicle. We use only the best materials, and our experts are always looking for the best quality products. We do not accept imperfections, and that is why the production of this car takes so long, and why we only have a limited production quota.

We also use several interesting technologies in this car. For example, electrochromic glass is used for the rear passengers' windows, aswell as the sunroof that covers a large part of the roof. If required by the passenger, the window can be 'closed', by sending an electric signal through the window, which darkens it. This is also ossible the other way round, and the window can even function as a lighting possibility. When the windows are darkened, it is practically impossible to see who occupy the rear seats, which improves privacy inside the vehicle.

From the rear seat of the vehicle, the passenger can operate the In-Car PC, with monitors hidden in the headrests, which can be hidden away by the push of a button, or he/she can pull out a small table from the rear centre console, which can be used to accomodate a laptop PC or can be used to do paperwork or have something to eat and drink. The possibilities are endless with the built-in multimedia, from playing a movie or video to doing a video conference with your business partners. Inside the rear center armrest, the passenger can also find buttons to operate his airconditioning zone, the highly sophisticated sound system, or he/she can enjoy cooled food or drinks, from the small fridge. Also, if the rear passenger has to get out, he or she can take one of the two umbrellas in the armrest to protect themselves from the falling rain.

The rear seats themselves are fully reclining and can be set in any required position. When the driver has initiated the 'sport' setting, the sides of the seat will automatically fill with air to support and protect the passenger when the car corners. The same applies to the front seats, and this is where we arrive at the front of the passenger compartment. While we doubt that the customer of the L8 will take the wheel many times, we are proud of our achievements here. The drivers' seat is maybe one of the most exciting places of the entire car. From here, the part Liquid Crystal Display, part analogue instruments show any information the driver needs, and to avoid needless distraction from the road, all information can also be projected on the Head-Up Display, including the Night Vision imagery. When the HUD is not operational, the driver can see the Night Vision in the multifunctional display, which is hidden behind a part of the dashboard covered by wood veneer. If the multifunctional display is activated, the 8.8 inch touchscreen slides into view from the dashboard, and can be operated by the fingertips, or with the controls on the steering wheel. Next to the steering wheel, a crystal starter button can start the powerful VV16 engine, and when we look more closely, we can see the starter button being finished with platinum, around the edges and behind the crystal. If the driver wants to get something from the booth of the car, he can open it at the touch of a button. The car is equipped with a heating system that can continue to supply hot air after the ignition has been turned off.'

Hertel quickly demonstrated some of the many features that were available for the car, before getting out of the car again.

'Then, we get to the car's exterior. The complete bodyshell has been made out of an aluminium/titanium alloy, while all bodypanels have been double-sided zinc coated, to prevent any form of rust reaching the bare metal. The grille has been made out of titanium, while platinum accents the exclusivity of the vehicle. The bodyshell of the car is protected from dents by a 360 degree birds-eye view Park Distance Control system, which shows any objects around the car that deserve the driver's attention. In the bumper, foglights are built in below the well-hidden LED marker lights, which can be used by day to improve the vehicle's visibility. The wheels are driven by an intelligent All-Wheel Drive system, which adjusts the power given to the driven wheels in any situation. The radiator shell is made out of titanium, to protect it from being damaged by small stones that could enter by the grille. Behind the car, other motorists will get a view of the quad sports exhaust tailpipes in chrome, aswell as the chromed number plate surround applique. Then, we get to one of the most innovative systems of the car. The vehicle has two sorts of suspension. One is an adaptive Air Suspension, which is computer-controlled and levels the bodyshell at all times. The second system is a Hydropneumatic suspension, which is able to offer higher cornering speeds and more stability and comfort while driving on roads that are in bad repair. Also, when one of the systems has broken down, the other one can handle the car on it's own, while the driver can also shutdown one of the two suspension systems, to choose the most comfortable ride. The advantage of Hydropneumatic suspension is the low amount of service it needs. The car can drive on for about 5 years or 200,000 kilometers before the hydropneumatic suspension is in need of service. A computer system controls the leveling of the car, and automatically adjusts ride height and compensates any load that is carried in or on the car, which includes keeping the headlamps level, instead of them becoming beacons for incoming aircraft. The car also has an adaptive brake light, which shows the amount of brake force projected on the brake pedal. The car also has radar-guided adaptive cruise control, which automatically stays at a given distance from the car in front of the L8. If the L8 overtakes the car, the L8 will automatically speed up to the speed that has been entered into the system, anything from 20 km/h up to 320 km/h. The brake discs are ventilated at all times, but when overheat is detected, for example during a sudden braking procedure, the vehicle will initiate the emergency cooling of the discs, meaning water will be cooling the brakes by means of high-pressure water jets. The headlamps are Bi-Xenon, and include directional indicators, curve lighting and pilot light. The Electronic Stability Programme is from Bosch and includes ABS, EBD, ASR, Engine drag torque control MSR, Hydraulic Brake assist and Aquaplane detection. There are 12 airbags all around the interior, ranging from the normal steering wheel airbags to thorax and side impact airbag systems. There is a lane departure warning system and a system that monitors driver movements, in order to warn him from oncoming dangers. If the driver falls asleep, the same system will warn the driver to wake up again.

Last, but not least, the car also includes a 12DVD-changer audio system, aswell as two bluetooth telephones, and two valet parking keys. Ladies and Gentlemen, thsi concludes the introduction of the L8. If required, you can now ask questions.'

Immediately, a few hands rose from the Van Luxemburgian Press, of which one was picked by Hertel.

'What will be the price of the L8?' Asked a reporter from Autoblog.tv

Hertel nodded quickly.

'That was a question that could be expected. The current FY 2007 baseline price is 1.23 Million USD.'

The Press immediately wrote down all answers,w hile the next few hands rose again.

'You haven't told us about the engine yet.' HP Magazine.

'True. You will be handed out all technical details soon. I can however already answer your question. The VLT L8 has an 8.5 Litre VV16 engine, which produces 956 PS at 8150 rpm when running on Super RON98, but when it is fueled with Ethanol E100, the engine can develop up to 1106 PS, when running at 7650 rpm. This has all been connected to a VLT G8S Semi-Automatic Gearbox.' Hertel answered in a calm manner, before choosing the next person.

'What can this car achieve? Top speeds? 0-100 acceleration?' Zeitong Mateneen

'The vehicle is capable of sprinting to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, while the vehicle has been tested to achieve speeds up to 330 km/h. Theoretically, it should be able to reach 361 km/h. Next question, please.'

"Wow" whispered one of the Hotdians "Would this thing even be legal in Hotdogs?"

"Don't be so stupid, no country is better suited to high powered vehicles than Hotdogs, why do you think we do so well? Now shut up and listen" Replied Samantha.

As the next few questions were asked Samantha put her hand up. When asked she asked, "Just how much of what you have described are options which must be purchased as extras, and what comes as standard? Also, i am interested in the actual cost for producing the vehicle. At $1.23million USD i don't see you making massive profits, the Veyron itself cost $10million USD according to estimates but is sold at slightly over 1/10 of this price. So i ask you, what led you to design such an expensive car, even though i suspect the research costs alone will never be covered? Thank you" 'Samantha Mainner, HDN motors Co.'

'It is correct that we're actually losing money on this car. This vehicle is more expensive than any car in the world, including the Veyron. All options that have been described come standard. This is more of a prestige project than an actual sales champion. Fortunately, I would like to thank Grand Duke Koen van Luxemburg for financing this project, he is paying all the extra costs that are remaining after the car has been sold. Next question, Please'

"I have two questions. Firstly, esides ethanol and the traditional car fuel, what other substances can this vehicle run on?" Chief Executive Officer Casper Neo asked, regulating carefully his typical public performance and behavior of polite charisma and formality. He raised his hand, just after the woman from Hotdogs2 got the response from Mr. Hertel. "Secondly, to what degree of customization can the VLT L8 models be?"

'Well, we'll start with the first question. The L8 can run on traditional gasoline, Euro RON95 and Super RON98 preferably, on Ethanol E100, and all mixtures inbetween them. The vehicle's engine can be severely damaged if any other type of fuel is used.'

Hertel paused, and then went on with the next question.

'The L8 can be highly customised, to the customers' specification. VLT currently reviews every L8 order, to make sure that everything can be delivered exactly the way the customer wants it. Within bounds of reality, ofcourse. This includes a choice of every possible paint, every possible hide colour for the leather upholstery, but it could even be a special modification of the interior, for example for physically handicapped persons.'

Adm.Arnold raised his hand and said "Could the L8 be potentially modifed to be a diesel-hybrid run? It would most certainly earn our sales if so, even if not we are still going to buy it. Now on to my second question, Does it have optional iPod capability to connect to the stereo, and if it does, could it do surround sound in the car?"

"Our government has budgeted the funds for us to purchase 30 L8s for top officials. The money for these vehicles will be paid at the start of the next fiscal year. We'll have the contracts ready by tomorrow" Proconsul Trepov looked around to see if anyone else was waiting to speak to the company officials before continuing.

"Of course, we do have one question regarding the vehicle. Vetalia has long since exhausted its oil supplies and our vehicles run entirely on alternative sources, save government vehicles which run on synthetic fossil fuels . Will the L8 be capable of running on gasoline produced from F-T synthesis?"

Robert Merillion, who had been watching the presentation carefully and noting the questions and answers, was satisfied enough. He mumbled to himself: "I'll get one."
His assistant leaned in close because she couldn't hear him and thought he was talking to her. Merillion then turned and whispered to her:
"Ok, see if they can make a swiveling passenger side front seat that can turn about 150 degrees to face the rear passenger compartment... and get the wool for the carpet from a black sheep hmm lets see, Pecan wood veneer, black body paint and phoenix red leather... yes the saloon model."
His young assistant frantically noted Merillion's musings on a small PDA and then turned back toward Hertel, and tried to ignore the half-asleep Phoenix Milita World News Channel 69 producer who kept bumping her shoulder whenever he nodded off. Merillion reached behind his assistant, over to the producer and whacked him in the head, waking him up. All three then returned their eyes to the presentation.

'Well, We now have two questions on the type of fuel used by the L8. At this moment, the L8 only takes normal fuels and Ethanol, aswell as any mixture inbetween. If the car is required to run on any other type of fuel, this is essentially possible, but you need to bear in mind that this will lead to power loss, and affect the top speed and acceleration of this car.

Now, on to Admiral Arnold's second question. The L8 indeed has bluetooth connectivity, and can connect, as per your example, an Apple iPod to the audio system.

On the subject of the order from the Vetalian government, we would have to warn that the delivery of the cars, due to our export quotas, will take an expected 6 years, and all the cars would have to be ordered by the person that will be receiving it, due to the export quotas, again.'

"Very well, that is no matter. We will place each order individually in the name of their intended recipients. Our Anza F625s will be sufficient until they are delivered."

"That's ridiculous, 6 years?" Robert Merillion said as he slammed his fist on the armrest violently.
"I only came here because I thought I could be one of the first own one of these! I'm not gonna buy a 6 year old car! Call the plane and have them spin up the engines, we are out of here as soon as this little presentation is over." Merillion said in a loud whisper to his startled assistant before crossing one of his legs over the other angrily.

The Phoenix Milita World news producer heard Merillion and in order to make it appear that he wasn't completely lazy, stood up and asked in a loud voice:
"Is there any way someone could arrange an export sooner than 6 years, What if someone bought a vehicle from a dealer here and then had it shipped out after?"

'We only export 5 cars a year per nation. So those 6 years only apply to Vetalia, since they want 30 cars, but The Phoenix Milita is another nation, with also 5 cars a year. That means you could have the first in your nation. Also, the L8 isn't sold at standard VLT Dealerships, customers are requested to report to their importer when they are interested in buying an L8, or apply directly at the factory.'

Adm.Arnold raised his hand and asked "What if we wanted to buy say, 5 for the goverment, and 1 for me personally, would the time on that be 5 years, we will wait how long you guys will take to make it, but we would like to know before ordering." He was pleased with the L8 so far.

'The governmental cars would need to be registered on the individual customers, but it would take 2 years before that order can be fully completed.

For customers that haven't completely understood our quota rules; we will only allow 1 L8 of each type to be sold to an individual, while we do not export more than 5 cars per year per individual nation.'

While he has a right to complain, the man from the Phoenix Militia at least could have been more civil. Casper thought, his facial expression not betraying the thoughts and feelings inside his skull. Then again, it's poor execution of government expenditure on Vetalia's part to use tax money on such a collector's item.

After Mr. Hertel had finished answering the question of Admiral Arnold of Calizorinstan, the senior leading echelon in one of Southeast Asia's better private entities raised his hand. This time for one question, a question which Yao Wei had been intending on asking, but nearly forgot, and was reminded, by the said military official.

"Mr. Hertel, would it be possible to arrange a special case for an individual's order on a VLT L8 model? Like say, a gift for an intimate person of someone."

'That would be possible. The car would be registered on the name of the person the car is for, and is to be declared a 'gift'. Other special cases can ofcourse be discussed with the Sales Division.'

I Want One

Samantha had two thoughts occur to her, both related to making a profit from selling these vehicles.

"May i ask how exactly how you will choose your official importers?" She paused, and then quickly continued "I also wonder how resales would be catered for? I could see some customers attempting to bypass the system and purchase vehicles from abroad if say a company should go bankrupt. The same would apply for replacing damaged L8s..."

Ms Niels had so far remained silent, but the limit on exports was shocking. However, Barronia would make do, as it always had done.

"Ahem...we would look to purchase 10 of these vehicles, even with the unfortunate 2-year wait."

She sat back down, smoothing out her skirt once more.

I Want One
[OOC: Not to be rude or anything, but...

The role-play's had enough guests interested in the VLT L8 and the Coupe version, and you're too late.
You can get one for yourself in the VLT Automotive 2.0 thread when this role-play is finished and the models' details are produced there.
Try to distinguish between IC and OOC, please. I'm not sure if that's an IC comment, or an OOC comment, or both.

There. Hope this helps...]

'To answer your questions, Miss Mainner, Our importers are usually part of VLT, and are not independent companies. If it is an independent company, the importer has been sufficiently screened to check if they are reliable.

Ofcourse fraud is impossible to completely prevent, but we are taking some measures against it. For example, the owner, which basically agrees to the clauses when he signs his order, always needs to report resale, and VLT always wants to speak to the new owner of the vehicle, if the car ends up being sold. Also, it is impossible to buy an L8 from a foreign nation. All owners need to fill out a form, which also asks which nation they are from. They need to have an ID on them, preferably a valid driving license. And we cannot do anything about forged passports or driving licenses, that's not under our jurisdiction. A customer would have to go into extremes for that.

Also, if an L8 is damaged, it will need to be returned to either the importer or VLT, which will either repair it, or replace it with exactly the same, but new, car. The damaged one will become property of VLT, to protect possible theft of vehicle parts.'

(OOC: I can't answer orders right now, Please keep those for the end of the presentation, during the lunch, or order it by mail (at the VLT Automotive storefront))

(OOC: Since I've got a hard time moving my arm, and I can hardly type up a post longer han this, this RP is paused until I recover.)

(OOC: Since I've got a hard time moving my arm, and I can hardly type up a post longer han this, this RP is paused until I recover.)
[OOC: Hope you get well soon, VL!]

OOC: Get better soon VLT!

(OOC: Well, I can use two hands again, in order to operate my keyboard, so it is un-paused again.)

Hertel overlooked the attending persons. Since he saw no more hands, or anyone attracting his attention, he went on to the next point on the agenda.

'Ladies and gentlemen, we will now be having a lunch, before we hand out the keys to the L8 demo cars standing around here. You will also have the chance to take a view of the car from up close. We will be serving a cold buffet lunch, meaning that we have all kinds of salads, bread and bread filling. Please do not hesitate to ask our caterers for any special requirements you might have. Guten Appetit.'

Hertel stepped down from the stage, and, after a short talk with Schmidt, joined the line of invitees moving along the buffet.

OOC: Hey, can I still join here?

(OOC: Basically, yes. We just passed the official introduction, and we're now moving on to the lunch. Just drop in with a few people.)

The Chief Executive Officer of the Euro Group Conglomerate joined the line of guests who attended the VLT L8 premiere, and the said automobile's cousin, the VLT L8 Coupé. Picking up one of the elegant trays prepared, he looked forward at the other individuals ahead. The professional chefs who were standing behind, were of Caucasian-Van Luxemburger descent. European food, presumably...nice having a bit of diversity besides the usual Asiatic diet. he thought, as he watched the others gather their items, being like a man wielding armor underneath, of the old days of the knights. Elegant silk and velvet material, on the exterior, but hard-as-metal. That description could apply to his prowess in business. Maintaining his amicability, it was difficult to release thoughts. VLT Automotive seems to have everything well-done, so far. Business dealings seem likely, and I'll have to talk more with Hertel or Schmidt. I'll take both models, but which I shall keep to myself and give away, I'm not sure...

*bump*

"Our apologies for the delay, but between the Hatarian reconstruction and troubles in North Calaveras, we've been somewhat strained in recent weeks. I hope everything is going as planned in regard to our delivery."

Schmidt answered the Vetalian party, while he waited until everyone had passed along the buffet, before swiftly pulling his own plate along the buffet.

'Ofcourse. We are giving your order the utmost attention, and everything should be delivered in time'

Near Schloss Neuschwanstein

Ofcourse, the introduction of a powerful and expensive car wasn't something which didn't catch the attention of other people. Outside the few enthousiasts eagerly awaiting the rollout of the first L8's at the gates of the Schloss, there was another organization interested.

The Van Luxemburgian Police knew about the habits of their national press, and had been preparing for this event. Not only because they would have a chance to see the L8, but also to ensure that the Van Luxemburgian press would be driving correctly this time. From the sides of the road, Police Officers had set up their speed traps. Laser guns all pointed in the same direction, and undercover police cars drove around the most likely routes the press would take.

The heart of this operation would be formed by a mobile command post on a service station along the A7. The identity of the trailer was given away by the bright white, red and blue from the Autobahnpolizei's official livery, but also by the amount of police cars standing outside. Monteluci Duca Biturbo's, VLT L6 GT's, Audi S6'es, BMW M5's, but also the pride of the Autobahnpolizei Deutschland-Süd: a Ferrari 599 GTB. While it wasn't as quick as Luxembourg's Bugatti Veyron, Deutschland-Süd was very proud of the two Ferrari's that had been delivered, one of which would be employed in this operation. Another special car had been especially ordered from the Video Surveillance unit, and had already been deployed. An unmarked Aston Martin DB9 was silently patrolling the motorways and B-roads. It would be there to undertake high-speed undercover pursuits, which they would have, when the L8's would break loose....

(OOC: Just some OOC info, the vehicles deployed for this operation. This is what you can encounter:

AUTOBAHNPOLIZEI DEUTSCHLAND-SÜD
1 Aston Martin DB9 (Unmarked)
1 Ferrari 599GTB (Unmarked)
11 Monteluci Duca 3.2 V6 Biturbo
6 VLT L6 4.4 V8 GT
2 Audi S6 Avant (Unmarked)
2 BMW M5
3 Audi S4 Avant (Unmarked)
4 Yamaha YZR1300 (Motorbike)

This is purely to counter speeding on roads where a speed limit is present. That is, non-Autobahn areas. It will mostly be on the lookout for L8's, and possibly pull some vehicles over. Please mind you, we're still busy with the Lunch, and have not yet moved on to the 'driving' part. )

Adm.Arnold moved along the buffet line and said to Schmidt, as he picked up various insundry foods, "I am very impressed about your L8, I have heard in recent news, that the VLT Auto Group just acquired Afterburner Automotive which is from my country, what are your plan's regarding it's line-up 3 years from now? I am intending to order 5 L8's for the goverment, and 2 for my son and wife. Very good food by the way."

[OOC: VL, sorry for taking a bit of liberty here, but I'm here for business as well! ;)]

Yao Wei had taken ahold of a Germanic meat dish. On the nicely prepared metal tray, it was surrounded by green plants - leaves. The dish was Falscher Hase - German for "False Hare" (http://www.cajuncookingrecipes.com/german/german17.htm). It was German meat-loaf, but nevertheless it was complimented by pea-pods, cabbage leaves, and lettuce, coated in vegetable oil. The delights of being a guest... Neo Yao Wei thought as he ate formally, with a napkin on his laps, and cutting another slice of meat for his taste-buds to process and savor at. The meat dish he had taken was carefully taken by him, in order for him to enjoy it while at the same time reduce the chance suffering motion-sickness - not that he suffered from it frequently, but rather, it isn't pleasant to have that queasy feeling in one's abdomen. Beside the fine plate, lay a short, somewhat fat, transparent cylinder - a glass holding iced water.

Wiping off the sauce on the left side of his mouth with a napkin, he had caught Mr. Schmidt just getting the last bunch of his meal from the buffet tables. Remembering his attention to kill two birds with one stone, Yao Wei reached into his left pocket with his dominant hand, while using his right hand to attract Mr. Schmidt's attention in a polite manner without offending the other guests and without ruining his demeanor. Time to leave a contact, and perhaps arrange a little meeting near the end of the day...

Robert Merillion took a sample of each dish and pointed to what he thought tasted good as his assistant followed him up and loaded her plate with the goodies he wanted. The producer picked a few items and ate them calmly, while Robert drooled over the food in front of him. His assistant ate a few bites some green stuff that was probably a plant and the turned her plate over to Robert who quickly devoured it. Now that his stomach was full he was eagerly awaiting the chance to be the first Phoenix Militant to drive an L8!

Schmidt answered Admiral Arnold, while he waited in line for the buffet.

'Thank you. We have indeed acquired Afterburner, yes. Currently, we'll let the model range run on for the coming 3 years, and after that, the Centro Stile VLT will be taking care of the model range. Eventually, Afterburner should become somewhat more in line with the other VLT brands. I doubt the changes will be very shocking.'

Schmidt quickly wrote down the order, before carrying on.

'Noted. I think that won't be a problem, as long as they aren't registered on the same name.'

Schmidt slowly walked on, and loaded some food on his plate aswell. While he looked around the lunch area, he saw that Mr. Neo was trying to get his attention. He slowly walked towards the table the Southeast Asian sat at, and took a seat on the other side of the table.

'How can I help you, Sir?'

Delighted that he had caught the Sales Director's attention, he put down his hand. The dominant arm of his however, still had its hand casually in the pocket, ready to bring out the wallet it was holding. "I would like to thank you for the hospitality provided by yourself and your colleagues." smiled Casper Neo, "The airline trip offered and supplied to the guests, here and back to our respective homelands. The premiere and presentation of the VLT L8 and the Coupé version. And presently, not last, and certainly not least, the meal."

Pausing briefly for dramatic effect, then maintaining a projection of sociability and amicability into his Van Luxemburgian counterpart's eyes, he then continued.

"All very well done...so far, so well. However, I'm not only here for an automobile purchase, as you guessed correctly, Mr. Schmidt."

'Ah, Yes. Well, if we use a bit of common logic, you probably won't be asking me about the scenery now, I guess.' Schmidt grinned, but tried to keep his composure. He gave a warm smile to Neo, before taking his ham sandwich, and taking a bite.

"Yes indeed, Mr. Schmidt." the Chinese Southeast Asian businessman smiled, taking a brief sip of his iced-water before depositing it back down on the tray that had been provided with his upper-body, rightward appendage. "I am looking forward to personally testing your product myself and adding it to my collection. But I also have this in mind: further discussion, and contacting with matters of business."

His left hand extracted his leather wallet, placing it on the left side of the silver tray. Opening it up, he plucked out one of his spare business contact cards, which he always had to keep contact with potential clients. "Would you care to exchange contacts, Herr Schmidt?"

Adm.Arnold took his tray with a steak, and fries, and a Sprite in his other hand and went to sit at a table, he hoped other's would join him.

'That would be no problem at all.' Schmidt reached inside the jacket of his suit, and took out a small bundle of cards. He carefully picked one, and stored away the rest in the same place he had put them in. Then, he swiftly swivelled the card out of his hand, using two of his fingers. With his other hand, which had now returned from storing the rest of his business cards, he took Neo's card.

'You can contact me anytime, if it is on working days or in weekends.'

"Excellent," Yao Wei smiled as he got ahold of the Sales Director's business card, "thank you Herr Schmidt. You can contact me any time, and we can arrange phone meetings and the like during working hours. On the weekend, when I'm relaxing, you can as well." The corporate leader then deposited it into a separate compartment reserved for business cards that he had received from other individuals.

"Oh, and before I forget, Bon appétit." Yao Wei said, "Would you care to go into greater, intimate inspection at the end of the day, Herr Schmidt? It would be nice to see you again for another conversation."

'Okay. Guten Appetit, we say here. But, anyways, I wouldn't mind going into a conversation with you, Mr. Neo.'

Schmidt finished his lunch, and put down his cutlery.

The Chief Executive Officer, noting that his counterpart had chosen a sandwich, figured that he would be quick. He himself was half-done with the German meatloaf, as it was only a fair fraction of the larger piece. Clearing the originally white dish clear of the meal, it had been reduced to a few stains of sauce and small vegetation scrap. The ice water glass was now empty, save a few droplets. He placed his cutlery on the plate nicely and properly, then used the napkin to wipe the marks of food and drink off. Well, thanks for the correction...the food was satiating indeed. When he finished, he folded up the napkin nicely to a small rectangular shape.

Adm.Arnold walked up to Hans Schmdit and said "Are we going to drive the L8 after lunch, a quick question is Van Luxenburg left hand drive or right hand?" He sipped a bit of his Root Beer.

'If you would excuse me...' Schmidt rose from the table, taking a microphone offered to him by one of the staff members.

'Ladies and Gentlemen, outside, there is a fair amount of L8 demo vehicles. Every vehicle has an envelope placed on the drivers' window. This envelope is directed to the driver designated to that vehicle. The envelope contains all the required official papers, aswell as the keys to the car. It also contains 2000 Euro in cash money. This is for fuel and snacks and the like. You can now collect your L8, outside. Please do not hesitate to contact us when you ever need help, or anything else. The addresses and contact information is included in the envelope.'

As in one movement, the Van Luxemburgian press walked outside in a calm pace, used to the VLT ways. Every vehicle was designated for another group of invitees, and the planners had made sure everyone who had been related had received one or two cars, so that no two groups had to share one car. It would now all be up to the invitees.

(OOC: From now on, I'll also be taking the role of every Van Luxemburgian you'll meet, if it is a police officer or a shop assistant)

Adm.Arnold walked outside to the L8 and got in, and started the L8 and drove off, he was liking the feel of the L8, he saw it had a nav system in it, so he punched a small town name that was 30 miles from where he was, and it would luckily take him on the Autobahn.

Schmidt answered Admiral Arnold after he had made the announcement.

'Here, steering wheels are on the left side of the car, and cars drive on the right. I hope that isn't a problem for you?'

(OOC: Van Luxemburg is similar to Europe, but it is a huge continent on itself, without neighbouring nations. So, basically, you can use any roads that are shown on the maps of European nations.)

(OOC: Ehm, I don';t think you picked the correct starting location. Castle Neuschwanstein is in Southern Germany, not near The Netherlands, nor the A3. For everyone, the correct starting location is pinpointed here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=nl&q=Schloss+Neuschwanstein&sll=44.777936,21.357422&sspn=43.201175,81.738281&ie=UTF8&z=16&om=1 )

Adm.Arnold said "Thanks, I'll check it out." He hopped in his VLT L8, that happened to be blue, and turned his nav system to start from Neuschwanstein, to go north, and he drove off, on the city streets to decide the desistantion.

OOC:: Sorry Van Luxenberg, I was confused, I am kind of new at this, we all make mistake's, I am going to put my end point in later

Meal, check, future business meetings partially secured, airline trip, hospitality...so far, it's maintaining it's impressiveness. the Southeast Asian thought as he picked himself up, and gently pushed back the chair into it's proper position. A tiny bit of relief to the servicemen hired to clear all this up when the ceremony was over. Paying attention to the Admiral's question and the response of the Sales Director after the Van Luxemburgian business echelon announced the beginning of the next part of the L8 ceremony, he noted this. However, as Director Schmidt had announced, there would be a larger, more deeper explanation of the roads in the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg.

Spotting the envelope wielding his name, he advanced towards it. It was a classic black paint scheme, with the license plate number "D-TR-FV51895" encrypted on the front bumper and on the automobile's behind areas. Advancing closer to the VLT L8 assigned to him, Neo Yao Wei showed a facial expression which read: "it looks even more worthy up-close". Indicating that he was now more than certain he would enjoy this ceremony and reap all the profits. Killing two birds with one stone was more than likely to be assured.

Adm.Arnold drove his VLT L8 up Route 17 to Halbech, he was presumably on the Autobahn, but he kept the speed at 75 M.P.H, not wanting the police after him, he determined that Halbech would be his first stop on his journey.

Samantha had to try hard to stop herself from sprinting to the L8 she had been assigned. She and her two companions would be sharing just one L8, which would work perfectly in the L8 Saloon, each taking turns to drive the car. However, Samantha being Samantha, she wasn't going to let anything stop her being the first to drive in the Saloon she had been designated.

"Hurry up boys, i want to see what this beauty feels like on the open road!"

As she and her two colleagues approached they were amazed by the dazzle of the shiny paintwork, polished to perfection. The sleek lines of the vehicle astounded them, making their desire to drive greater than could possibly be imagined, such was the way the car had been expertly delivered as the most luxurious car in the world. As Samantha walked towards her car, hips swinging and her long flowing hair, remarkably blond in the strong sunlight, it seemed to her companions as if the car had been made for her. In fact, their beauty nearly excelled each other in a strange way, the L8 a mechanical creation, Samantha a pure breed model in many ways. Just looking at her you would be forgiven to mistake her as an actress or model rather than a businesswoman, but no, she was in fact quite succesful in her chosen career, even at the young age of 19 years. Of course, having a rich and caring father need not hinder that education which she received, cramming as much time with her "pa" during her early years whilst he was at his work. She was no stranger to a board meeting!

Just as she was about to jump into the drivers seat she had a thought, why drive around the place pointlessly? better to make it into a bit of a competition...

"Anyone want a race?" She shouted at anyone nearby. "Im thinking a nice little trip around the place, see who can get where first and get some evidence what time they made it there, say a car parking ticket. Or course we could find some satellite trackers, those are always so much more fun!"

'Ah, why not? We'll be able to test it's handling under pressure that way. Count us in.'

Two men stepped forward from their L8, followed closely by another man wielding a camera.

'We're from Autoblog.tv. I'm Wouter, this is Sacha, and the man holding the camera is Ruben. We're recording this for our TV show, broadcasted every week on RTVL. Hope you don't mind being videotaped?'

Wouter was undoubtedly the one that wanted to take on the challenge. The man, his hair roughly shaven off, in his thirties, was eager to test the L8 out 'for real'. He had been one of the main reasons the Van Luxemburgian Police was ready for catching speeders now, since he was notorious for his driving style. The show he presented together with Sacha and several other frequent guests was extremely popular, aswell as extremely profitable; hundreds of millions of people watched the show every week. With the L8 theme to be broadcasted next week, Wouter had been working hard to create a show completely dedicated to the car. This would be a good opportunity to make it even more exciting, according to him.

'I can arrange some satellite trackers, I think. Our production crew always takes a few with them, in case we find a place to do one of our challenges. Well, this is the place, I guess. Might warn you about the announced police checks, though.'

Robert Merillion kicked the two left side tires and slid into the driver's seat.
He started the engine and pumped the gas a little to hear the engine rev.
Robert then fastened his seatbelt, checked his mirrors, carefully backed out of the parking spot and proceeded to do a couple of donuts in the parking lot, swing around, and do a massive burnout before taking off down the road in no particular direction. The Phoenix Milita World News 69 producer got it all on film and then packed up his camera and looked for a place to take a nap.

Admiral Arnold got off of the Route 17 at Halbech, and saw a gas station, so he got off the offramp, and pulled into the gas station. He put his credit card in the slot, it accepted it, and his started fueling the L8.

B17 road, Halblech

The National B-road 17, locally also named Bundesstrasse 17, was a simple one-lane road, with one lane available for each side, the opposite side to be used for overtaking. Halblech was a relatively small town, but still the largest in the immediate area, making it the home of the municipality's town hall.

The B17 had two names in Halblech; the Allgäuer Strasse, and the B17. On that B17, or number 7 on the Allgäuer Strasse, was the Agip tankstelle (petrol station). Usually, nothing happened in Halblech, and local press was dominated by the larger towns and cities in the area, while Halblech itself hardly ever was the subject of an article. It really was one of those towns where nothing happened.

Well, except for today. When Admiral Arnold halted his L8 at the petrol station alongside the B17, he already received quite a few stares and thumbs-ups. Slowly, but surely, younger inhabitants of Halblech came to the petrol station, hearing about the L8 from their friends and family. Half of the Halblech Police Department (Kommunalpolizei Bayern, Gemeinde Halblech), a single Audi A3 Sportback with four officers, two of them belonging behind a desk at the station, also showed up. They were not their to check papers, not to send the crowd away, but simply to see why those people were standing at the petrol station. Since the L8 had been equipped with license plates from the Region Deutschland, one of the police officers spoke to Admiral Arnold in German.

'Klasse Wagen hat man da. Sind Sie eine VLT-Testfahrer? Oder eine Kunde? Wie gefällt die Wagen dir? Super, wirklich Super Toll.'* The officer grinned, while he overlooked the car from a distance, in order to get a better view.

(*'Great car you got there. Are you a VLT Testdriver? Or a customer? Do you like the car? Nice, really very nice.')

Admiral Arnold turned to look at the officer after putting the fuel nozzle in the blue L8 and said "I am a customer, this isn't mine, VLT just let me drive it, I am buying 5 for my country's (Calizorinstan) President, and 2 for me, and my son. It drive's nice, and it's gets decent gas mileage too." He filled it up and said to the officer "Is there anything up the B17 that's a good thing to see, I am making this a day trip before returning to the castle tonight for dinner?"

'Klar. Es muss sehr schön sein so eine klasse Wagen zu kaufen. über den B17, es ist ein teil der Romantische Straße (https://www.romantischestrasse.de/showpage.php?SiteID=147&lang=uk), welcher Sie durch das schönste Landschaft Region Deutschlands führt.'*

*'Ofcourse. It must be great to buy such a fabulous car. About the B17, it's a part of the Romantische Strasse, which guides you around the most beautiful landscape Region Deutschland has to offer

Admiral Arnold nodded and said "I know, it's a nice car. I am going to stop in Rottenbuch for lunch, any good resturant's there? I'll probably go there, and then maybe up to Augsburg, maybe up to Donawourth and then back to Scholss. Have a good day officer, and I hope you people have an enjoyable afternoon." That last was directed to passers by, and he took the fuel nozzle out, got in his car and rolled down the window's to hear what the officer had to say before he departed on the B17.

Without ruining the envelope beyond recognition and thus guaranteeing reusability, Yao Wei had revealed its contents such as the document titled A Tourist's Guide to the Van Luxemburgian Autobahn (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12615070&postcount=7), the VL€2000 notes and the indisputable VLT Automotive logo on the car-keys. Speed-reading through the guide, he had a fairly-good grasp on language, though that grasp was not as firm nor as sharp as his politician of a brother. Apart from the left-hand side drive but on the right side of the road, I believe I should be fairly set.

The Admiral of Calizornistan had been in a rush, and was thus off. While Neo Yao Wei knew that he would be facing the Van Luxemburgian press anyway, he thought that the Admiral could have been a little more patient, and not so hasty. Hearing the Hotdogian lady announce her challenge, he decided to respond to it. Should help the VLT Automotive firm if there is a little race...

"I wouldn't mind taking up that challenge, Madam." he stated simply and politely to the Western businesswoman.

'Ich weiss nicht. Rottenbuch liegt nicht im meinem Streifegebiet. Es ist eines Kurort, so dass soll keine problem sein. Tschüss!'* The Police Officer waved, before moving some spectators out of the way of the L8, in order to allow Admiral Arnold to exit the petrol station.

*'I don't know. Rottenbuch is not in my patrol area. It's a Spa, so it won't be a problem. Bye!'

Admiral Arnold waved to the crowd and the officer's and set off on the B17 to Rottenbuch, and he plugged in his iPod and chose AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top" and he listened to it as he drove down the B17, seeing some stare's and thumb's up's, which he returned cooly.

Samantha's eyes glinted in the sunlight, she had a mischievous look on her face, probably just the thought of the poor driving that was sure to occur, but especially the speed on the autobahns.

"Excellent, but im afraid i hardly know this region, and i wouldn't mind knowing where we should look to head towards. of course we want to have some fun on the way, so somewhere with an autobahn would be good!"

She signaled to one of her companions to pass her a map. Taking it, she set it on the bonnet of her L8, unfolding it as the outline of the region and its roads became clear. She wasn't too used to the region or the range the car could do on a full tank, especially at racing speeds, even if she had been told she couldn't remember, it had rather been information overload when she had been so astounded by the car in the first place...

"Oh, and i wouldn't mind being able to make my own way back through another route, so a round trip wouldn't be the best thing for myself, i hope you don't mind? We should of course meet up for dinner at our destination before we part." She smiled sweetly at the other competitors, her white teeth crystal clean, hoping her looks would win over their minds as to her suggestions, whilst also taking full advantage of the camera pointing towards her.

Wouter stepped somewhat closer, followed by the camera, carried by Ruben.

'Well, let's see. With the vehicle's petrol usage, we would need to refuel in 4-500 kilometers, under normal circumstances. If we would be pushing top speed, the tank could be empty within anywhere from 50-100 kilometers. We need to get back here at 8 o'clock tonight, but if we report we're taking dinner elsewhere, I guess that wouldn't be a problem. At an average speed of 150 kilometres an hour, which is generous if we're going to take a race, we can do around 1000 kilometers. That's from now till 8 o'clock. Which means, we can get to anywhere within a 500 km circle from here, if we want to get back by 8. We can stretch this to 650 kilometers, if we arrive at the hotel again at 10. This puts a lot of places in sight. Stuttgart, München, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Trento, Zürich... Out of a practical point of view, we would like to visit Region Switzerland, just for the scenery. We could shoot some nice pictures of the car there. For you, the region would be enjoyable, and so is the scenery along the way. That'd mean we're going from here, Schloss Neuschwanstein, to Luzern, on the Vierwaldstättersee. Mostly takes you across Autobahns, but you're free to choose, essentially. It should be do-able within the time we got, especially if we stretch our arrival time here by a few hours, but I guess we won't need that. Anyways, that's my proposal. Anyone else?'

While he presented his plans, and did his calculations, he was always vaguely pointing at the map spread out over the bonnet of Samantha's L8. He always had some sort of a smile on his face, probably because he was thinking of all the fun he could have doing this race. When he finished his story, he made a warm smile to all persons who had been standing around him, while he crossed his arms and looked over to his colleague, and good friend, Sacha. Sacha, meanwhile, nodded after he heard Wouter's plans, to show he agreed with him.

(OOC: I'm not sure if the route will show up in Dutch, since Google knows I'm on a Dutch PC, but I used Google Maps to plan my route: Link (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=nl&saddr=Schloss+Neuschwanstein&daddr=Luzern,+Luzern,+Luzern,+Zwitserland&sll=47.879513,9.953613&sspn=2.556896,5.108643&ie=UTF8&cd=2&ll=47.0231,8.403511&spn=0.162427,0.31929&z=12&om=1).)

Adm.Arnold was driving along, suddenly he saw a sign that told him he was in Rottenbuch, so he looked for a place to eat, and he saw a Deli, and so he pulled in, and parked the car in front of the Deli, stopped it, fished in the envolope, got roughly 200$ worth, and put in his pocket, and walked in to the Deli, looking back at his blue L8 before going in.

After carefully considering the offer, and the race, Casper Neo nodded. "I agree to that. To Luzern, Switzerland it is." The Southeast Asian businessperson then advanced towards the Western lady called Samantha, outstretching his left hand. "May the best individual win?" he questioned.

[OOC: Urgh, not my best effort, but I'm tired, and need to hit the sack. Plus, I'm a bit on limited time, writer's block and what not...hope this will do.]

OOC: Hope you don't mind VL if dinner is missed? I didn't actually realise there was an evening dinner, probably helps if i read and try to remember what everyones posts say, i'll keep it mind more from now on.

Samantha laughed. "Why of course, and thank you Mr. ehr, im sorry i don't think i quite caught your name. I'm ever so sorry, its a bit embarrassing isn't it?" She shook his hand, staring straight into his eyes, quite unflinching but also pleased at the way had not been dismissive of a woman possibly winning the race. A politically correct and very polite person it seemed, an ambassador for SouthEast Asia and their excellent manners, and quite charming that he had picked her out from any of the other standing around.
"Mr. Neo, Casper Neo" Came the reply from the Asian man.
"Well Casper, i hope Casper is fine with you, may we all enjoy it and good luck, safety is the most imporant factor! The route sounds perfect Wouter, i've always thought Switzerland was picturesque from all i've heard of it, and if we dine there i expect there must be a good restaurant nearby. So shall we get started? I say we leave in five minutes time, that should be enough time to get the tracking system turned on i expect, and good luck to you all!" She smiled back at the grinning Wouter and his companions, it looked like the race was all set and all looking forward to it, patting her cars bonnet proudly. If the car did well she was sure to buy one, maybe even this very one she thought, it would after all make her the envy of everyone around her in Hotdogs2.

He finished his delicous Ham and Cheese sandwich, and hopped into his cobalt blue VLT L8, and headed to Donawourth to see what he could see there.

(OOC: No problemo. Just try to return before the hotel receptionist goes to sleep himself :p You're using your puppet, btw, HD2?)

'Very well then. May the best driver win. Good luck to you all.'

Wouter got in his L8, accompanied by both Sacha and Ruben, while some technicians from the production team helped all drivers to set up their trackers, they were ready to go. Sacha set up the Satellite Navigation system, while Wouter familiarised himself with the knobs and buttons inside the vehicle. He was used to driving different cars everyday, but this one would probably be one of the best ones. At least, if he would like it.

When he had finished setting everthing up, he let the window gently slide down, before leaning out of the window of the L8.

'I think we're ready to go. You?'

Admiral Arnold finally arrived at his destination, and drove around the city street's, and saw several gawker's, suddenly, he saw behind him a Van Luxenburgian Police car, so he pulled over, and the police car did too, and he saw the policeman emerge from the car...

The Monteluci Duca slowly halted behind the L8. Although it was usual for Policecars to pull in front of the vehicle that was to be stopped, the policemen saw no chance to do this. Therefore, the 'STOP - POLICE' sign was given by the front part of the Police vehicle's lightbar, repeating it in a slow pace, even after the vehicle had stopped. Only the driver of the vehicle got out, while the polcie officer that had been the passenger of the car was still filling in some forms with details about the vehicle they had pulled over.

'Gutentag, Ich möchte mich gern erst vorstellen. Schreiner, Autobahnpolizei Deutschland-Süd.'*

*'Good day, I might introduce myself first. Schreiner, Autobahnpolizei Deutschland-Süd.'

The officer then immediately continued speaking to Admiral Arnold, while reaching him a hand.

'Es tut mir leid, aber wir müssen ihre Papieren kontrolieren. Wir müssen jede L8 anhalten dafür. Ich möchte gern ihre Führerschein, Reisepass und MFT, Bitte. Oh, und die Papiere von dieser Wagen, und die Grüne Karte.'*

*'I'm very sorry, but we'll have to check your papers. We have to pull over every L8 for that. I would like your Drivers' License, Passport and MFT, please. Oh, and the Vehicle Papers, aswell as the Green Vehicle Card of this car.'

Admiral Arnold nodded, and produced the Driver's License, Passport, MFT, the Vehicle Papers, and the Green Card and said "No problem, I was prepared for this, I've got the stuff ready, I've been driving this courtesy of VLT Automotive, if you want to know why I'm drving this L8."

The Police Officer took the papers, and quickly checked them. He went through all of them pretty quickly, knowing where to check the information he needed, until he got to the vehicle's papers. He looked it over twice, and then turned to Admiral Arnold.

'Es tut mir leid, aber die Kfz-Papiere stimmen nicht. Haben sie einen Moment? '*

*'I'm sorry, but the vehicle papers are incorrect. Have you got one moment?'

The Police Officer walked back to his own vehicle, and handed the papers over to his colleague. After he had also seen what was wrong with the papers, he gently took out the radio microphone, and called up their police station.

'Goodafternoon, this is 21-785 with a request. Could you please tell me the details of a vehicle with license plate D-TR-FV51893? 21-785 Out.'

'21-785, We're checking the license plate right now. One moment, please.'

Several seconds, the digitalised radio spitted out the voice again that had asked the officers to wait.

'21-785, D-TR-FV51893 is a rental vehicle belongs to VLT Automotive Financial Services and Leasing. It's a VLT Automotive L8 8.5 V16, registered 13-05-2007 as 'unspecified', and was changed to 'VLT L8' on 27-05-2007. Vehicle should show up for General FTS Inspection on 13-05-2011. The plate shows no fines. That'd be enough?'

'Yes, certainly. Thanks. The driver still had 'unspecified vehicle type' on his vehicle's papers. But that has been cleared up now. Thanks.'

Schreiner stepped away from the police vehicle again, and walked back to the L8, where he handed all the papers over to Admiral Arnold.

'Einige Problemen mit die Kfz-Papiere, aber es ist nichts. Dass war alles. Ich wünsch Ihnen einen schönen Tag. Tschüss!'*

*'Some problems with the Vehicle's papers, but it's nothing. That was all. I wish you a nice day. Bye!'

The Police Officer walked away to his own car, where he got behind the wheel again, shut down the lightbar's constant showing of 'STOP - POLICE', and drove away into the direction of Füssen.

Jack nodded, and turned around to drive back to the castle at Scholss, as he drove down the B17 he turned his iPod to "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC feeling it appopriate for that afternoon, he saw people waving and giving thumbs up at him, and he returned the waves and thumbs up as he drove along.

[OOC: IC Post will be up later...while I don't approve of others controlling my characters, as it's not a significant action, I'll let this one slide. But, please don't do that again.]

[OOC: IC Post will be up later...while I don't approve of others controlling my characters, as it's not a significant action, I'll let this one slide. But, please don't do that again.]

OOC: Sorry SEA, i thought it would save a ridiculous wait just for a couple of lines of speech, although in future i will just contact you first so i can pose the question later on or find a way around it. Also please accept my apologies for posting as Sparten, not my own nation originally but i was given it to keep Sparta running (a region).

Robert Merillion had been driving toward nowhere for quite a while and was getting tired of it. He was on the autobahn going a modest speed of about 160kph. He looked carefully to see if there was any cars behind them, and tapped the radar detector he had smuggled just to make sure no cops were around and then he slammed the brakes, hard. The vehicle slid and swerved as it skid to a stop, laying a long, thick patch of rubber on the road. Satisfied with the performance of the brakes, he turned off the main road and looked for a U turn so he could return.

Admiral Arnold had seen the L8 in front of him stomp hard on the brake's, and go off the road, he himself had to stop in order not to hit the car, and he also went off the road, and he rolled down the passenger window and said "Hi, I am Admiral Arnold, I am testing the car for a possible goverment order, and a probable personal order, who are you?"

"Hello sir, my name is Nunya, Nunya Bidness. I am testing this car to see if it is cool enough to get me hot chicks. Sorry for stopping short, I just remembered I have to get back and take my medication before I have a heart attack!" Robert Merillion lied through his teeth.

Adm.Arnold wondered what sort of strange man was this, and said "No problem." He turned on the radio, and on his iPod he scrolled to "Freebird" full volume, and roared off towards the castle.

The Aston Martin DB9 had only just joined the other automobiles on the Autobahn, when it was already neraing the 200 kilometers per hour barrier. Inside of the vehicle, two undercover officers were watchful as ever, quickly looking over every car they passed. They belonged to the team that would have to track and follow all the L8's that had been sent out, but for now, the Autobahnpolizei had managed to stop only one.

Suddenly, two brake lights lighted up some one hundred meters in front of their Aston Martin, coming closer quickly. Immediately, the driver of the DB9 almost stood on his brakes, trying to bring the vehicle to a standstill. The car was thrown sideways in the proces, halting in time to see the L8 driving off again.

'What... the... fuck....' the driver muttered as he saw the VLT driving off again, with nothing in plain sight. 'What was he doing?'

'We'll find out. We'll follow him.'

The DB9 slowly got out of it's position, while using it's blue LED strobe lights hidden in the grille and behind the rear window to attract attention, and avoiding anyone would crash onto it while it accelerated again, following the L8. It then shut down it's strobe lights again, in order to remain undercover, while following the L8. They followed the vehicle, until a second L8 joine dthe first one.

'This should be enough to stop him over anyways. Stop front.'

The passenger pulled out his sun visor, which began to reveal a small flashing LED-sign. 'STOP - POLICE' was broadcasted in a calm pace, while the DB9 flashed his lights towards the L8, originally designated to Robert Merillion.

Admiral Arnold saw Nunya pull over, and saw the DB9 flash the police, so he slowed down and kept checking his mirror every 5 minutes to make sure they weren't following him.

Merillion stopped short again, pulled over and rolled his window down.

The Aston Martin parked behind Merillion's L8 in a swift move, and the passenger of the vehicle got out, leaving the door open. He walked towards the L8, while also reporting the stopover to their police station, in order to check if the vehicle had been stopped over before. He then walked towards the VLT's front passenger door, leaning down to make eye contact with the driver.

'Gutentag. Deine Papiere bitte, Führerschein, Reisepapiere, Kfz-Papiere, Grüne Karte, und MFT. Ich möchte gern wissen was dass war, soeben. Es ist verboten an zu halten auf die Autobahn. Weil eine zu höhe Geschwindigkeit nichts macht, und wir da nicht gleich eine Buße vor ausschreiben, ist anhalten sehr gefährlich für andere Fahrer im Nähe deines Fahrzeug. Wir müssen die Staatsanwalt von Verkehr anrufen, um deine Buße an zu fordern. Haben Sie einen Moment?'*

*'Good day. Your papers please. Drivers' License, Passport, Vehicle papers, Green Card and MFT. I would like to know what that was, there. It's prohibited to stop on the Autobahn. While a speed violation isn't a problem, and we won't write a fine for that immediately, is halting on the Autobahn very dangerous for other drivers near your vehicle. We will have to phone the Public Prosecutor for Traffic Affairs, to inquiry what this fine will cost you. Have you got one moment?'

Admiral Arnold knew he wasn't in any sort of trouble, after all, that Nunya guy had made him stop, otherwise he would've ran into Nunya, Jack rolled down his window, and said to the policeman "Am I okay? I mean, I aren't going to be arrested or anything, I don't think this guy is Nunya, that's what he told me... I just stopped because I would've crashed into his rear-end if I hadn't."

"Well you see sir, I was just trying to slow down a little and get off the autobahn and what do you know, right as I touched the brake, I had a seizure! I have to get back and take my pill quickly you see or else I have random siezures and might die!" Merrilllion said while handing him the papers.

The Police officer quickly noted down what Merillion had to say, before returning with his answer.

'Herr... Merillion' The officer said, while looking on the man's passport. 'Wenn sie Ärger hatte von der Anfalle, und überhaupt wenn sie Tötlich sind, ist es verboten eine Fahrzeug zu fahren. Wenn die Anfalle vergänglich sind, Einer deine Passagiere soll mit dem fahrzeug fahren, nicht Sie. Ich mache dass eine offizielle Warnung. Und, die Buße muss erzählt werden, jetzt. Wenn sie nicht genug Geld hatte, wir werden Ihnen nach einem Sparkasse fahren.'*

*'Mister Merillion, When you are troubled by these seizures, and especially when they are deadly, is it prohibited to pilot a vehicle. When the Seizures are temporary, your passenger should be driving the vehicle, not you. I'll make that an official warning. Also, the fine will have to be paid, right now. When you don't have enough money, we'll drive you to a bank.'

The officer paused, while he got a yellow paper handed to him by his colleague, which then walked away to his car again.

'Anhalten auf den Autobahn ist das In Gefahr bringen von andere Fahrern. deshalb, die Buße ist 1250 Euro. wenn wir ihnen eine zweiten mal anhalten, mit dieselbe Entschuldigung, folgt die Beschlagnahme des Führerscheins.'*

Halting on the Autobahn is endangering other drivers. That's why the fine will be 1250 Euro. When we pull you over for the second time, and you have the same excuse, seizure of your driving license will follow.

"I never got seizures before! I never forgot my medicine! Oh who cares! I'm late!" Robert exclaimed as he reached into his coat pocket and counted out about 1250 of the Euros he had been given by VLT Automotive earlier. He could care less about the little fine cared, after all it was only money, and free money at that! PLus it was euros which were worhtless at home anyway!

"Might as well spend all I can while here" he mumbled as he handed over the cash.

'Danke, Herr. Hier ist deine Empfangsbescheinigung, und deine Papiere, und ich wünsche ihnene einen schönen Tag. Tschüss!'*

*'Thanks, Sir. Here is your receipt note, your papers, and I wish you a very nice day. Bye!'

The officer walked back to his car and closed the door, before shutting down the LED sign, which had been on ever since they had pulled over the L8. However, the vehicle remained at it's position for a few minutes, while the officers filled in the forms they would need.

"Indeed, I accept the proposal. Hopefully we shall have enough time to return for a well-deserved meal back at the Castle." Yao Wei smiled, and shaked the female counterpart's hand once more with his own dominant hand. "Once again, may the best individual win."

Then he returned to the classic black painted supercar, unlocking the door and getting into the driver's seat. Depositing the guide into a compartment on the door which it was built into and he used to enter the vehicle (but after closing it), he then inserted the key, and ignited the engine. The icon of VLT Automotive achievement identified as "D-TR-FV51895" roared it's engine to life with a low gargling. But it had power, and elegance. Like the way of a warrior practicing martial arts, with might, restraint, yet grace...tense, but like dancing, martial arts was a way of exercising the body. The VLT Automotive L8 had captured this, not only in aesthetics, but in the way the sound of combustion presented itself to the human ear.

Looking at the satellite navigation system, he punched in the coordinates for the Van Luxemburgian Swiss Alps, and drove the automobile to what he judged to be an impromptu starting line. While not knowing the precise distance, he was good at mathematics and figured it to be good, reasonable and safe enough for both cars to drive out at. He knew how to be civil. Placing his hand on the button, ready to retract the driver's seat window for Samantha Mainner when her L8 vehicle moved beside his, he thought: Even if I "lose" this race and improvised publicity trial, we're all winners anyway. This car seems to be a worthy investment.

Samantha looked after the black super car as it quickly braked, drawing to a stop in a rather elegant manner for such a powerful beauty, the 8.5 Litre VV16 engine purring as it idled after the perfect halt to the cars graceful movement. The roar of the engine wasn't exactly muffled she thought, muffled made it sound as if it was ugly and had to be hidden, but this engine sounded perfect. As she saw its elegant lines move swiftly and pull up she felt the need for drive the L8 for herself. Jumping into the drivers seat she nodded to her accomplice, Patrick O'Moore to get into the passenger seat, just as the third member of their party arrived; it seemed he had just been to see the VLT representatives.

"I've just spoken to the officials, they seem to think it will be fine for you to have this little race, just make sure you abide by the laws of the roads, and be back no later than midnight. I think mentioning the fact that the press were going made them more than happy to, after all, publicity is everything i say!"

Samantha looked at the 23 year old, as a matter of fact he was her brother in law, married to her older sister, a tall and ambitious man, he was deeply involved in business like the rest of the family he had married into. She thought it would be best not to make a fuss if he wasn't going, in fact she never really got along with him too well but he was powerful and if she stayed on his good side she hoped there could be a chance of funding for her business ideas.

"Well thats good news, thanks for checking Max. Have you decided not to come then? Its not a problem if your not." She added quickly "We even have sat nav to get us there!"

"Oh no, don't worry about me, i wouldn't go unless i could drive it myself, and as you know the court case is ongoing." He sighed to himself before carrying on, "I'm planning on starting negotiations with VLT about setting up quite a few dealerships, hopefully i can get something sorted soon, set up a new company et cetera, you know the deal. Plus, theres no way I'm missing out on the Nürburgring track! Boy, thats going to be good fun, even if i just watch."

"Well good luck anyway, maybe you can get some walking done in the local country side, plus the socializing will be good fun, lots of important people around." As she said this she slipped the car into first, let go the clutch as she felt the accelerator bite and waved goodbye. "Adios! See you tonight or tomorrow morning if not!"

With that she purposefully pushed down on the accelerator, probably a bit too quickly for the short distance she was traveling, but she wanted to check the brakes, nothing like making a show of the smallest things, and her driving skills were excellent. Applying the brakes gently because she didn't have the safety belt on she slowed down quickly, the beeping that she didn't have her belt on annoying her very slightly. However, she instead let off the brake and pressed down onto the clutch to coast the short distance next to Yao Wei's L8. As she stopped in a near perfect line with the dazzling car that was now next to her, with its window down.

"How do you like that Patrick? i always thought i was a better driver than you, you would have put us a meter in front!" she laughed jokingly. She looked across to the other L8 she had placed herself next to, half expecting the window to wind down for the polite Mr. Yao Wei to say good luck...but of course she put her belt on to stop the beeping, that would nag her a lot if she didn't!

The minute she had positioned her vehicle, Yao Wei had pressed the button. A soft but dismissable mechanical sound was heard as the window retracted. In fact, not only one sound, but two. The two drivers had retracted their windows simultaneously.

What Yao Wei had quickly noticed was, the fact that Mrs. Mainner had her seat-belt fastened. In a country like the Grand Duchy of Van Luxemburg, the speed limits were not present. It would be tempting to speed, and one could easily forget to keep safety in mind and know where the boundaries were.

"Thanks for reminding me of that, Mrs. Mainner." Yao Wei smiled, using his right arm to secure the seat-belt, "Safety comes first!"

As soon as the clicking sound occurred, coincidentally, the businessman was reminded of something to ask. "Sorry to be a bit absent-minded, what's the plan and schedule? I remember dinner being at 8:00 p.m. back at the castle."

"I always thought so myself, safety is very important. Well, i have been informed we must be back by 12 o'clock, but if we make it to luzern, chances are we will be half way back before we want to be having dinner. I'll let our Luxumburg press friends decide once they pull up with us, what do you think og that idea? Hopefully they can find a good place for us to eat at, although the option is always open to race back for that 8pm dinner!"

Max meanwhile hadn't stopped long enough even to see Samantha stop perfectly, but he did hear the sound of the engine, wishing him on to get more information on what VLT had to offer. Instead of hanging around he turned and walked towards the display and where the officials were seated, arriving there, he promptly asked one of the VLT staff politely
"Excuse me sir, do you think i would be able to speak to one of your company staff who can discuss setting up VLT dealerships within Hotdogs2? After all, having seen the L8 i can only wish to see some of the rest of the VLT series, the ones i have so far seen have been driving on the roads rather than anything. Or perhaps at the very least, plan for a meeting at a later time or date to discuss these issues?"

The L8 slowly pulled up to the imaginjary starting grid, and halted in a clam manager. This time, Wouter had chosen to not give full throttle and drift to a halt, but to be calm and civilised, taking it easy, since the engine had not been given enough time to get to it's working temperature. When the window glided down, the driver had to adjust it's audio system, in order to be able to hear the other drivers.

'I think we're all set. We'll see you all in Luzern, probably.'

Wouter already closed the window before the others could reply, and allowed the engine to rev.

Meanwhile, Schmidt looked out over the terrain, where nobody, besides a few others wandering around and three L8's ready to leave, accompanied him. When one of the persons accompanying Samantha Mainner approached him, he was able to answer his question quickly enough.

'That would certainly be possible. I'm the director of the Sales Department, which also handles export affairs. It seems you have come to the right address. I've got some time now, I suppose you are available now?'

Noticing the appearance of a man next to th Hotdian lady with a question, and being a bit eager to get the race done with, he made eye contact with the said individual. Presumably a colleague of Mrs. Mainner's...maybe he's also part of her company's board of directors... Yao Wei thought.

"Sir, I would be interested in that...I'm killing two birds with one stone after all. I appreciate the offer and would look forward to discussing and doing business with you." the Southeast Asian company official smiled at his question, and the smile was acquiesing the message of 'thank you'.

Having dealt with the question of Mrs. Mainner's business colleague, he then turned to deal with the businesswoman's question.

"On the issue of eating where and at what time, I'm flexible, Madam. Once again, thanks for reminding me, and good luck in the race!" Yao Wei responded. He then pressed the button to raise the window, and the same sound that was generated when he had it retracted was produced. The window gave out no sound when it had completely retracted, with elegance and niche, a sovereign identity that could only have stemmed from the craftmanship of the dedicated people of the Van Luxemburgian Transporation Automotive Group. The engine hummed nicely. The outside world's grass was lighter in color contrast to the Azzurro and Anthracite interior combination, though not exactly the Southeast Asian man's taste, was nevertheless a well-chosen compliment on the VLT L8 designer team's part.

Speaking of the outside world, he noticed a Neuschwanstein Castle security guard, idle. Yao Wei presumed him to be an extra colleague of the man near the gate, a fairly-sized security booth. It did not take a genius to figure out what a classic-black-colored luxury supercar, and two other cars of the same automobile line were gathered there for. Acquiesced, the security guard turned around and asked his colleague for permission. He walked out, on the left hand side of the grass expanse that was interdicted by the road development. He made used his hands to form a countdown once he was close enough for all driving parties to see. During the time taken, Yao Wei used it to rev up the powerful engine, enjoying it's elegant sound, like a gentleman who knew when and how to use language to master a situation and when to bring out blunt force and go at it effectively.

When the countdown was complete, the Van Luxemburgian man brought his hand down, his fist clenched as if a metal pole, attached to and displayed with the traditional black and white checkerboard-patterned-banner, as if it were brought down, like a victorious car racer had crossed the line after several rounds along the racetrack. Erroneously used for the incorrect moment, but an audience should be able to shrug it off and take the message intended: it had begun.

With a roar, Yao Wei sped off first, driving on the left-hand-side, but on the rightward lane. I'm going to enjoy this... he thought. It had begun.

[OOC: Sorry for taking any creative liberties, folks, and missing out stuff here and there...]

As soon as the security guard lowered his hand, The L8 driven by the Autoblog.tv crew sped off second, right behind Yao Wei. Wouter was not afraid to let his car oversteer or understeer, but what he expected, didn't happen. The vehicle catapulted off, and cornered like it was clamped on the road with a magnet. The powerful 16-cylinder, 8.5 liter engine revved like Wouter was trying to act like a Formula 1 driver, but everything was neatly kept under control by the advanced CPU installed in the L8, courtesy of Walter Technologie, VLT's prime partner in automotive computing technology.

Storming down the narrow roads that gave access to the Schloss, The L8 hsowed it's capabilities to the passengers. With minimal effort, the vehicle cornered and accelerated with full throttle, using it's powerful ceramic brakes to slow down for the next corner. The same trick was repeated a few more times, until the road ended, and the L8 headed onto the Parkstraße. Once again, the vehicle accelerated to it's full extent, and it's suspension had to catch and stabilise the vehicle when Wouter cornered the vehicle too fast. The vehicle shot past a sign that had been positioned near the side of the road: 'Füssen, 2 Km'

Autoblog.tv was on it's way.

Samantha had been slightly slow on the start, she was only alerted to the fact that the race was about to begin because of the revving of Yao Wei's Black L8, she and Patrick had been looking over a map, deciding if it would be worth risking taking a B road, taking into account they couldn't get to as high a speed as legally allowed on an autobahn. Without time to ponder further Samantha slammed her foot down on the accelerator as she saw the security guard pull down his arm, unfortunatly she was seconds too late as Yao Wei and Autoblog pulled away ahead of her, although on the narrow roads where their speed was restricted she didn't think she would have a problem keeping up with them for now...

She shifted gears up into second, as she pushed hard to keep up with the Autoblog car, taking the near 90 degree turn the fastest she would dare before testing out the car a bit more. In some ways, they had chucked the L8 in at the deep end, but it didn't stop Samantha from chucking the car left and right on the road, warming the tires as if she was in on a warm up lap, and gaging the cars turn motion before any more major, higher speed turns came up.

"Wow, it took that turn well!" Said Samantha, eyes glued on the road ahead, and the car she was closely following, "I'm liking what i feel, i just can't wait to get onto an autobahn and max its top speed, although having three cars all the same is going to take some skill to beat the other two!"

"If theres anyone to do it, its got to be you;" replied Patrick, waiting for them to make another corner before continuing. "I think taking the autobahn all the way would be the best idea, we might manage to get away with taking the back roads which would cut the journey down, but i don't know what the police presence is like around here. Or if they speak Dienstadi, let alone English!"

"Best not take that chance...oh look! We're entering Füssen, best cut back onto a legal speed limit for a bit, after all in a town you can expect some police presence, and being that all these L8s are around, i would want to nab one for speeding too, just to get a look inside!"

Patrick laughed at this poor joke, it's true what people said about Samantha, she could make almost any Hotdian man fall for her. All that remained now was to leave the town and make to overtake the Autoblog crew, dangerously or not, Samantha was a risk taker.

Roar. Cheer. Roar. Cheer. Dozens of car fanatics were lined up nearby, some hiding in the shrubs, eagerly aspiring for a snapshot. The L8 of Mr. Casper Neo's was on the way. A white Bell 212 helicopter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_212) was soaring overhead the convoy of luxury super-automotives. It was a rented one, but customized for news delivery it seemed, with a camera man glaringly staring down. Presumably it would be recording the video for YouTube or perhaps for an automobile fanatics channel for their amusement twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. But whatever the case, it was clear that the pilot knew what he was doing and as did his passengers.

Yao Wei would soon be facing the highway. Some fanatics had even attempted to trail the L-8 convoy. The Van Luxemburgian police would be havng a hard time...Yao Wei figured that the literal competition would be catching up. It was just as he saw the entrance to what would be a hell of a ride on the highway.

Closely behind Yao Wei the second L8, driven by the team from Autoblog.tv, followed at high speeds, accelerating to the car's maximum. pushing the limit of what was possible on these roads, the L8 catapulted along The Schwalten Weiher lake, nearing the entrance to the A7 Autobahn.

'Everybody hold tight, this is going to be a rough corner!' Sacha shouted, while looking at the Satnav screen, displaying a sharp bend that marked the start of the A7 Autobahn.

Moments later, the L8 screeched through the bend, the electronics refusing to act, since they had been shut down by one of the computer settings made by Wouter. When it reached the true beginning of the A7 Autobahn, Wouter planted the throttle pedal almost onto the asphalt, shifting through it's gears quickly. The road was mostly empty, since this Autobahn didn't really connect any major cities, and not a lot of citizens had to use it. Therefore, the L8 was almost alone on the 2-lane northbound side of the A7, allowing it to accelerate greatly, in excess of 200 km/h.

'Okay... I've passed 250 km/h now. With this setting, the engine sound is like a sportscar, and the vehicle is not exactly silent. But who cares, it sounds great anyways!' Wouter said, while looking behind him, into the camera.

'270... 300... 310... It keeps accelerating... The speedo shows 330 now, but it's been electronically governed at 310... This is it!'