Monday, June 6, 2011

Want to Try out the New Caterham-Lola SP/300 R? Here’s How


With the development of the new Caterham-Lola SP/300 R now complete, the British carmaker is ready to give potential owners their first taste of the prototype-racing car on the tarmac. The dates on which racing drivers and trackday enthusiasts alike can get behind the steering wheel of Caterham’s 300bhp, 180mph (289 km/h) sports prototype are:

-Saturday, August 27 at Donington Park
-Wednesday, September 7 at Donington Park
-Thursday, September 15 at Snetterton
-Wednesday, September 21 at Donington Park

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MINI Previews New Coupé, Publishes Information on Lineup and 131 Photos


We’re still more than three months away from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but the BMW Group has already begun dropping information and photos of the models it plans to introduce at the show. Following the presentation of the all-new 2012 BMW 1-Series hatchback during the weekend, today the Bavarian group unleashed specifications and a large gallery of photos of the MINI Coupé.

While the model seen in the official pictures is partially covered in the firm’s characteristic swirly camouflage, it’s clear that the production version has barely changed from the 2009 concept car. Pictured here in John Cooper Works (JCW) form, the top-end Coupé hangs on to the concept’s sportier aero package that includes modified front and rear bumpers, side skirts and extended wheel arches that leave room for larger alloy wheels. The Coupé is also the first MINI to get an active rear spoiler that extends automatically at 80 km/h (50 mph).

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Sunday, June 5, 2011

A Photo Tribute to the Ladies of the 2011 Wörthersee Show


Having brought you all the automotive-related news from the 2011 Wörthersee Tour including the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in GTI and R formats, the 503HP Audi A1 and the Skoda Fabia RS2000 Convertible, now it is time for us to share with you something related but far more spicier if you catch our drift…

Yes, that is right; we are talking about a photo gallery of the booth professionals and ladies who made their presence felt in full force at the world’s largest annual Volkswagen Group meeting, which took place in Austria from June 1 to 4. Hop over the break to get a taste of what you missed at Lake Wörthersee in our photo set that includes more than 70 images.

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Project Kahn-Tuned Range Rover Sport 3.0TD V6 Davis Mark II Limited Edition


The Davis Mark II limited edition tribute is the latest addition to Project Kahn’s long line of tuned Range Rovers. We are not sure who the vehicle is named after, but for educational purposes [sic…] we found several people with the name Mark Davis on Wikipedia ranging from a British adult film actor to a cricketer, so feel free to take your pick. Back to the tune, Project Kahn’s newest creation is based on the 2011 Range Rover Sport powered by a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel and comes with both styling and performance modifications. Read more »

This is what Happens when a Limousine, Convertible and Yacht Meet


In today's highly competitive auto market, one would think there are no new niches left to explore. Well, it's pretty true, except for imaginative individuals like the crew from Sweden’s Gray Design, which also penned the Saab supercar.

Enter the world of the Strand Craft Limousine Beach Cruiser, a vehicle that looks like a crossover between a limousine, a convertible and a yacht – yes, you read correctly, a yacht. Essentially a beach shuttle, the Stand Craft has been conceived for luxury hotel chains willing to offer their clients premium service. More specifically, to carry six passengers from the hotel to the nearest beach as fast and as comfortable as possible.

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Saturday, June 4, 2011

All-New 2012 BMW 1-Series: Official Specs, Details and 126 High-Res Photos


With imagery of the brand new 1-Series hatchback making the internet rounds since Friday, it was only a matter of time before BMW came out with an official release and a full set of photos. The Bavarian firm’s entry-level model sports has grown in size and sports fresher –albeit, somewhat more controversial- looks, while also introducing a new generation of 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engines with up to 170HP.

For its debut, BMW chose to show the five-door hatchback model, but the range will eventually grow to include a three-door hatchback followed by the coupe, cabriolet and if the grapevine holds true, a longer and more spacious Gran Turismo version in the likes of the 3-Series GT we recently showed you in these spy shots.

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2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid At Geneva Motor Show


Finally, 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid get the first debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Panamera Hybrid is priced € 106 185. 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid comes with adaptive air suspension, a rear wiper, and infotainment systems featuring a revision of relevant information about the status of certain driving hybrid vehicles.
2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid is powered by a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with 333PS (245 kW) and motor (47PS) 35kW of electricity. The total power is 380PS (279 kW) and 580Nm (428 lb-ft). For acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid takes 6 seconds flat and top speed can be achieved – 270 km / h (168 mph), perfect for large SAV.


2011 Porsche 911

2011 Porsche 911 will appear with little change in the interior. so also in exteriornya. Early reports in some media to play anticipate this is the 911 Turbo, but the pictures you can see that the support air intakes in the front-rear roll is mendacious – and so is the titanic rear barrier someone pelt the shape smaller than the basic 911s. If you examine intimately, you can see equal the rear outgrowth lights were specious – that makes us consider there gift be whatever changes toon the finer details when the car comes to industry.

Compared with this possibility, the headlights are more vertical and cut mirrors fucking been aroused from the crossway of the pane to the side threshold. Do not eff the programme of the headlights and side lights are too musing, patently, because there is a label appendant to the dock pay lense camouflaging the apodictic illuminating.

The 911′s all new inside seems to see cues from the Panamera, especially around the cogitate structure and hummock. 5-traditional near tack is promiscuous to see along with plentitude of aluminum and a effeminate handwork.

In terms of engines, the evolution is mild, with slightly more powerful direct-injected flat-sixes. The Carrera will be powered by a 350-hp 3.4-liter unit (up 5 hp from today’s base 3.8-liter), while the S model benefits from a beefier 3.8-liter rated at 400 hp. Although Porsche has plug-in hybrid applications in the pipeline, it is still tight lipped about power, range, price, and timing. And, of course, there will be the aforementioned new seven-speed manual gearbox, which has been derived from the PDK dual-clutch automatic. We can’t wait to come to grips with its dogleg shift pattern.

Jackie Evancho brings the 'Britain's Got Talent' house down, plus a surprise winner

We said it the last time Jackie Evancho performed publicly, at Oprah Winfrey's farewell: It's hard to fathom such a big (and polished) voice coming from such a small girl.

We'll say it again after watching the 11-year-old sing on Saturday's (June 4) finale of "Britain's Got Talent": She's unbelievable.

Jackie, the runner-up on "America's Got Talent" last year, sang what's become her signature, "Nessun Dorma," on Saturday's "BGT" finale. Embedding is disabled, but you can watch her here.

The show ended with a surprise winner, as 24-year-old singer Jai McDowall beat out favorite Ronan Parke by a slim margin (2.5 percentage points). The 12-year-old Ronan was the subject of rumors this week that he'd been groomed by "BGT" creator Simon Cowell before coming on the show. Both have vehemently denied the rumors, and Cowell is exploring legal action.

Ronan probably doesn't need to worry too much about the loss, though. Finishing second seems to have worked out pretty well for Jackie Evancho

A Photo Tour of the VW Group’s 2011 Wörthersee Festival with 150 Images


For the past thirty year, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group cars assemble on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria to participate in the largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the years, Volkswagen and the other brands of the German group including Audi, Seat and Skoda, have used the show to unveil special concepts, new models and studies that hint at future production versions or accessories.

At this year’s event (June 1 to 4, 2011), the VW Group prepared several vehicles for the festival including the production VW Golf GTI 35 Edition with 235HP, the VW Golf Cabriolet GTI and R concepts, the wild 503HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro study, and the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible prototype. As you may have noticed, the company didn’t show much love for its Seat brand which was left to display its current lineup.

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2012 BMW 1-Series Unveiled, gets New 1.6-liter Turbo Engine with up to 170HP [Updated with 60 High-Res Photos]


We knew that the next generation of the BMW 1-Series was coming but we didn’t expect to see the compact hatchback making its appearance so early. These official photos along with the first details showed up on a German website called Motor Traffic, as BMW has not yet made an announcement.

Seen here in a five-door format, the new 1-Series evolves the current model’s styling with sharper and more prominent creases all around along with a much more pronounced front end that sports unusually large headlamps pushed to the far corners of the bumper literally hugging the wheel arches.

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Jump Fail: Can You Guess What Happens Next?


Here’s one jump that won’t buff out. For reasons beyond logic, the driver of a fairly new Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck decided to impress his buddies (and his….insurer) at a meet on the sand dunes of Silver Lake in Michigan, USA, by performing a high-speed jump stunt. The laws of physics pretty much explain what happens next.

If you're still wondering, follow the jump to watch the video and leave your comments below.

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Ad Watch: Land Rover Defender Passport


The clever minds over at RKCR/Y&R, a UK-based advertising agency, have created this new print campaign called ‘Passport’ for Land Rover’s rugged Defender 4x4. The ad shows an open passport with the airport stamps outlining the shape of the short-wheelbase Defender. Without using any words, the ad clearly conveys the message that the original Land Rover model is a vehicle aimed at adventurous travelers. Very clever indeed. Read more »

Porsche Celebrates 10th Anniversary in China with Special Edition 911 Turbo S


BMW isn't the only automaker releasing limited-edition models unique to the Chinese auto market. This week, Porsche took the wraps off the new 911 Turbo S Anniversary Edition to celebrate 10 years in China. Only 10 cars will be built and all of them are destined for the Chinese market. Read more »

BMW Introduces M3 Carbon Fiber Limited Edition, but Only for China


Chinese customers love a good limited edition model and BMW tries its best to keep them happy. Not long ago, BMW had released the China market-only M3 Matte Edition and M3 Tiger Edition. During the BMW M Legendary Experience event held in China last week, the Bavarian automaker lifted the covers off yet another special M3, the Carbon Fiber Limited Edition of which only 111 examples will be built at a price of 1.23 million yuan (approximately US$189,800 at today’s exchange rates) a piece. Read more »

2012 BMW 1-Series Hatchback

We knew that the next generation of the BMW 1-Series was coming but we didn’t expect to see the compact hatchback making its appearance so early. These official photos along with the first details showed up on a German website called Motor Traffic, as BMW has not yet made an announcement.
Seen here in a five-door format, the new 1-Series evolves the current model’s styling with sharper and more prominent creases all around along with a much more pronounced front end that sports unusually large headlamps pushed to the far corners of the bumper literally hugging the wheel arches.
Unless you happen to own the current 1-Series, you’ll have a hard time discovering the styling differences. Upon a closer look, you may notice the larger center console with new switchgear and the new steering wheel design.
According to the leaked information, the new 1-Series rides on a 85mm (3.3-in.) longer platform that brings the total length of the car to 4,320mm (170-in.). The cargo area has increased by 30 liters, from 330 to 360 liters, while passengers should also feel more comfortable thanks to the longer platform.
Perhaps the most important news about the 2012 BMW 1-Series is the introduction of a brand new 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. The German website reported that new powerplant will be available on the 116i with an output of 136-horses and on the 118i with the same displacement but with 170-horses. Diesel options are said to include a 2.0-liter turbo diesel with 116HP, 143HP and 184HP.
The 1-Series is scheduled to premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, but we expect to hear and see more from BMW within the next few days.

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Dacia Duster SUV New Hot Design

Following in the footsteps of Elia, German aftermarket specialists at Eibach and Giacuzzo Design teamed up to create a tuning package for the Dacia Duster SUV. The two companies opted for light modifications in order to stick to the basic character of the Duster and to make sure the price of the tuning package would remain affordable for the car's target group.
An expert in suspensions, Eibach fitted the car with its Pro-Kit Performance Springs, which lower the ride height by 30 mm to improve handling and provide a more aggressive stance. Giacuzzo Design then took over and fitted the Dacia with 20-inch Shark wheels made by Alutec. The rims are painted in black and white and are shod in wide Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires (245/35R20). The tuner takes great pride in the fact that the wheel-tire combination is one of the largest ever seen on the Duster. However, we're not convinced they are the right choice for this type of car, but tastes differ.
Moving on to the front end of the car, there's a bull bar made of polished stainless steel with the company claiming it's "constructed to provide optimum pedestrian protection". We can’t vouch for that, but it surely fits the car's off-road character. Similar bars are fitted to the rocket panels, while the lower part of the rear bumper has been modified to accommodate a double-end rear muffler made of polished stainless steel.

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Friday, June 3, 2011

Yuhan Zhang’s Aqua is the Personal VW Hovercraft Concept of Tomorrow


Before budget airlines and the Channel Tunnel, the faster way to get from Britain to France was by hovercraft. The largest of these was the SNR4, a 300-ton behemoth capable of carrying 380 passengers and 40 cars at a speed of 70 mph (113 km/h). In the 1950s and ‘60s, magazines like Popular Science and Popular Mechanics were predicting a future where we’d all be cruising around in affordable, personal hovercrafts. Sadly, it was not to be.

Now, some 11 years after the last SNR4 was retired, 21-year-old industrial design graduate Yuhan Zhang has resurrected the personal hovercraft in the form of her Volkswagen Aqua study.

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