Amazing Audi A8 2010

Social Media News

2010 Peugeot 308 RCZ Sets For Frankfurt Auto Show

The first concept of the Peugeot 308 RCZ was showcased at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007. Today the French automaker has announced that the car, which will be based on the 308 will be officially unveiled at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show.


Peugeot says the design is kept as close to the original concept as possible and make the driving dynamics. A compact coupe, the car has the similarity proportions of the Audi TT with heavily flared fenders, a longer rear deck and Peugeot’s chunky front-end design is noticeable.

The RCZ will be powered by a 220hp 1.6-litre turbo from the Mini JCW through a new six-speed gearbox. But rumours that the official version will have up to 250bhp (184kW). Peugeot also claims that it will be the first car that does not use the zero or double zero numbering system in its name.

The final form of RCZ will be displayed for the first time to the public at the 63rd Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Social Media News

Gumpert Apollo Sport smashes Nürburgring record!

The German supercar company, Gumpert, last moth claimed to have smashed the Nürburgring lap record for a production car with a lap time of just 7 minutes and 11 seconds in its Audi-powered Gumpert Apollo Sport supercar! That’s 11 seconds faster than the the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR and the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and 15 seconds faster than the Nissan GT-R V-Spec! Truth be told though, the notion of a road legal production car is being stretched just a tad by this 700 bhp powered low production car.



Social Media News

The Aluminum karma

Car makers are all decking up their cars for the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. Are you ready? Looks matter. Do they? At least for cars, the answer would be a definite ‘Yes’. That is why Fisker has taken its Karma to the beauty parlour. Do you believe that? Is it just the looks? No. As far as Fisker is concerned, it is not the looks. Yes, you got it right. It’s the performance.

The Fisker is changing the skin of its Karma. The car wants to shed off some pounds. Yes, the beauty will look prettier. Not just that. Fisker is more bothered about the efficiency. The car is getting all set to show off its aluminum muscles. Yes, the lightweight, super-strong Karma will be walking the ramp at the Geneva Auto Show next month. Surprised? We were too. A car with an aluminum space frame will be displayed at the Geneva Auto Show.

The frame will be very strong, one of the strongest in the car industry. The torsional and bending rigidity too will beat that of other top sports cars. Let’s just wait till next month for the real picture. Aluminum will be giving the Karma the ease to move around quickly. The initial battery charge is believed to allow the car to run a mighty distance of 50 miles.

Would you like to see a picture of the Karma? No, Fisker will not show it. We will not even get to know the car’s weight. However, there’s something I can still tell you. The car uses 5000 and 6000 series high-strength aluminum alloys. It is built around a powertrain and drive system that includes a 2 Litre turbocharged GM Ecotec gas engine or generator up front, a lithium-ion battery pack down the center and a 403-horsepower, two-motor electric drive assembly in the rear. A structural tunnel down the center houses the battery pack and works as a torque tube connecting the front and rear frame sections. The whole thing is held together by 79 meters of precision welds and 1,058 self-piercing rivets. Isn’t this too much of news for the moment?

The frame had been designed keeping in mind the initial four-door sedan Karma. I just heard the rumour that Fisker would be coming up with a coupe and a convertible. No word from Fisker has come directly though. It also looks like the car will be using the same engineering and assembly parameters for the frames of the "Project Nina" family of smaller plug-in electrics. Isn’t that great news?

Now, will the Fisker Karma steal the show at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show? Will the lightweight aluminum muscles attract the right crowd? Well, hope we get just a little more news before the month end. I’m just too desperate to know more. You too? We will hopefully get some news very soon.

Social Media News

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

Social Media News

2010 Audi quattro concept

Social Media News

Audi R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI Quattro

Audi have finally announced the long rumored addition of a 4.2-Liter FSI V8 powered Spyder to its R8 range. The 4.2-Liter R8 Spyder will feature Audi’s permanent all-wheel-drive Quattro system and will be available with a six-speed manual transmission and dual-disk clutch, or a R-Tronic sequential semi-automatic transmission.

The 90° 4.2-Liter V8 FSI engine is taken from the Audi R8 the R8 Coupé and produces 430 bhp at 7,900 rpm and a peak torque of 317.15 lb-ft (measured at the crankshaft) between 4,500 and 6,000 rpm, with at least 90 percent of the torque is available from 3,500 all the way through 7,500 rpm! Together with an aluminum body and the Audi Space Frame (ASF) design, these figures translates to an acceleration time from zero to 62 mph in a quick 4.8 seconds and on to a top speed of just over 185 mph in either the six=speed manual transmission or the R-Tronic.

The Audi R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI Quattro will be available from Audi dealers in Germany from the third quarter of this year with a base price of €121,000. No announcement regarding availability in North America has been made yet.
Social Media News

Mini goes JDM with the Mini Saville Row? WTF?

As if the Japanese don’t have enough vehicles from their own manufacturers, BMW decides to go and throw in a Mini just for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM)! The Mini in question is the special limited edition 2010 Mini Saville Row that will be available in a Midnight Black finish with tinted windows, chrome 17-inch wheels, a chrome gas filler cap, chrome mirrors and chrome trim inside and outside the car.

The Mini Saville Row will also feature Bi-xenon headlights, white turn signal indicator, and a Saville Row logo. Only 100 Mini Saville Row will be built and will be powered by a 1.6-Liter four-cylinder engine that will drive the front-wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. The car will retail at ¥3,100,000 .

Social Media News

Lancia to revive the Stratos!

The Lancia Stratos from the early 1970s was one of our favorite rally cars, winning the Group 4 World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975 and 1976. A pity that only about 500 models were produced to meet homologation requirements; and that FIAT decided to run the FIAT 131 Abarth in place of the Stratos in 1977. The good news is that Lancia is seriously contemplating the revival of the Stratos a new flagship sports car!

The reliable people at Autocar are reporting that Lancia’s CEO, Olivier Francois, is in discussion with Fiat Group boss Sergio Marchionne on the matter. However, the new Stratos probably won’t be a mid-engined rally car like its predecessor. In all probability, the new Stratos will be based on an existing Alfa Romeo or Fiat platform, but we live in hope that Lancia will prove us wrong.

Social Media News

Bugatti 16C Galibier coming in 2013

More than a year ago, the Bugatti 16C Galibier, which was first conceived in 2006, made its world debut, as a concept car, during the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009, though it wasn’t part of the motor show. Now AutoWeek are reporting that the Bugatti 16C Galibier is to go into production and will be available sometime in 2013 as a successor to the Bugatti Veyron, which will cease production in 2012.

The Bugatti Galibier will feature the 8.0-liter W126 engine from the Veyron supercar, but will be less powerful! Instead of the four turbochargers featured on the Veyron, the Galibier will feature two superchargers. The result is a power output of around 800 bhp. As with the Veyron, Bugatti will only produce 300 units of the Galibier, though the Galibier retail in the region of $1.5 million.

Social Media News

Gogogear Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe at the SEMA Show

Hyundai has teamed up with Gogogear Racing to develop a high performance racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe that will be unveiled next month at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Gogogear Racing Genesis Coupe has been developed to illustrate the Hyundai Genesis Coupe’s “racing reliability and high-end performance capabilities” to “not only match the best from Asia, Europe and America, but beat them” according to Ali Arsham of Gogogear Racing.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe’s V6 engine has been modified and tuned to produce 330 horsepower and 280 lb. ft. of torque with the aid an AEM air intake, Magnaflow exhaust system and ARK Performance headers. A light weight Spec racing clutch will help transmit power to the stock close ratio six-speed manual transmission. The Gogogear Racing Genesis Coupe will also have its suspension tuned and will feature ARK Performance shocks, springs, coilovers and QA1 bearingsAt each corner, StopTech brakes, Hawk racing pads, Konig lightweight wheels and BF Goodrich R1 street legal race.

Gogogear Racing intends entering its modified Genesis Coupe car in the U.S. Touring Car Championships,which is sanctioned by the National Auto Sport Association, for the 2011 season.

Social Media News

Abarth to build its own roadster?

Rumors of an Abarth roadster have been making the rounds alnost from the moment Fiat revived the Abarth brand in 2007. Recently the rumors were that Abarth would work with either Lotus or KTM to develop a relatively low-prices, mid-engined roadster. The lastes rumors, however, are that Abarth are to go it alone.

Apparently the problem with the KTM partnership was related to costs as KTM’s carbon-fiber X-Bow, upon which the Abarth roadster could be based, was too expensive for price bracket Fiat wants to target. The problem with Lotus is more political as the Lotus CEO, Danny Bahar, defected to Lotus from Ferrari, taking a number of personnel from both Ferrari and Maserati with him.

Social Media News

Mazda RX-9 to succeed the RX-7?

Autocar are reporting that Mazda are currently developing the next rotary engine sports car, with the currentMazda RX-8 ceasing production after 2011 due to the stricter Euro-5 emission standards. The new car is believed to be named the RX-9, and will be more a successor to the RX-7 than an evolution of the RX-8 as it will be based on the Mazda MX-5 platform and will not feature the quasi-four door layout of the RX-8.

produce around 300 bhp, up more than 75bhp over the Mazda RX-8! Of course, the new engine will have to be clean and efficient to meet emission standards. Alternatively, the RX-9 could become a hydrogen halo vehicle

Social Media News

Subaru Impreza Design Concept at the LA Auto Show

In terms of design, the Subaru Impreza has been going backwards ever since the first generation Impreza, with which the late Colin McRae won the World Rally Championship in 1995, was replaced in 2001. Each successive Impreza has failed to match the visual appeal of the first generation. Thankfully, Subaru has seen the light and unveiled a beauty in the shape of a design study named the Subaru Impreza Design Concept, which is to be unveiled later this month at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Once you’re done feasting your eyes on that body, let’s peep under the hood, where you’ll find Subaru’s 2.0-liter naturally aspirated Boxer engine with a Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), similar to the 2.5-liter drive train that powers the 2011 Forester.

Social Media News

Subaru’s Impressive New Impreza Concept at 2010 LA Auto Show

Surprising many at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Japanese automaker Subaru premiered an exciting new concept car giving observers a vivid peek at the brand’s next compact sedan. The Subaru Impreza Concept unearths a dynamic out-of-the-box view from the all-wheel drive specialist.

Motivated by the brand’s emerging brand identity as “Confidence in Motion”, Subaru asserts that this Impreza concept adapts a striking collection of shapes and textures which is yet evident in their production cars. ”Through “Confidence in Motion”, we will continue to establish the relationship of confidence with more customers and further strengthen our Subaru brand.” Ikuo Mori, President of Subaru’s parent company Fiji Heavy Industries Ltd. said at the Los Angeles Auto Show’s press conference.

A sign of a new dimension of Subaru design, the Impreza Concept’s exterior is quite a defining sculpture constructed with remarkable simplicity. Little less than an inch longer in wheelbase, the Impreza Concept is considerably lower than the existing Subaru Impreza. This concept sedan by Subaru is even 1.8 inches shorter in overall height than a 2011 Impreza WRX. Performance-oriented front and rear styling charges emotion into the vehicle’s potential handling prowess while the silky smooth side is intentionally purposeful. “Hawk-eye-style” headlamps glow within the hexagonal front end form. Wheel arches are placed to emphasize the Subaru all-wheel drive system which launches the Impreza Concept. Though largely original, Subaru has apparently borrowed a chapter from the 1990s Chrysler “cab-forward” design. On the Impreza Concept, Subaru has stretched the concept car’s roof front A-pillar and rear C-pillar to not only cast a more sporty, aerodynamic look but to improve interior space.

In regards to the Subaru Impreza concept’s cabin, seating is provided comfortably for four occupants on premium leather. Stylishly surrounded by blue piping and stitching, the Impreza Concept interior flow is focused upwards at a very luminescent dash panel. A multi-function center touchscreen controlling audio, navigation as well as vehicle information. The steering wheel integrates touch screen interfaces for what Subaru recognizes as stress-free use. Subaru’s advanced safety system aid called Eyesight uses sensors to alert driver of a collision or potential slow down the vehicle itself. Video through Eyesight Stereo Camera is provided via an in-dash monitor.

Spotlighting a radical, new design, the Subaru Impreza Concept conceals a differing drivetrain from the current production Impreza. A normally aspirated, Boxer-style engine is found under the elegant hood. Fascinating enough only 2 liters in displacement, this flat-four powerplant is 0.5 liters smaller than the United States market’s base engine. Horsepower and other engine vitals were not revealed at the premiere of the potential Subaru. Mated with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), this Subaru Impreza Concept appears to be making a dedicated effort to supply peak fuel mileage. Despite the compact four-door concept car’s innovations, certain traditions continue to be upheld on the Subaru Impreza Concept sedan. Symmetrical all-wheel drive moves the 19 inch Subaru Impreza Concept’s aluminum rims.

Promoting a potentially new brand identity for future Subaru vehicles, we should not be surprised if the next production-based Subaru Impreza will strictly adhere to the framework of this concept vehicle.

Social Media News

Schumi and Nico Launch new Mercedes-Benz F1 safety car in Geneva

When the new Formula One season gets underway in Bahrain next week, it will mark the debut of the most spectacular and powerful Official Formula One Safety Car of all time.

The job of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which will be launched on 27 March 2010, is to ensure maximum safety in Formula One. The “gullwing” model replaces the SL63 AMG, which was used as the Official F1 Safety Car in 2008 and 2009. As in the last two years, the C63 AMG Estate will be used as the Official F1 Medical Car for the new season.

Together with the entire AMG Team, I am very proud that the new SLS AMG is the Official F1 Safety Car. Im sure all Mercedes and AMG fans will be excited to see the gullwing model together with the new Mercedes GP Petronas team at the F1 circuits

says Volker Mornhinweg, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

From March 2010, the Official F1 Safety Car will be deployed whenever hazardous situations such as accidents or bad weather endanger normal racing. The SLS AMG, piloted by Bernd Mayländer (38, from Germany), will be on stand-by in the pit lane throughout the entire race. When radioed by Race Control, the former DTM driver and his co-driver, FIA man Pete Tibbetts (44, from the UK), will take to the track at the head of the field in order to guide the Formula One race cars safely around the circuit.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has the best possible credentials for this demanding role in the top flight of motor racing: its 6.3-litre V8 engine has a maximum output of 420 kW (571 bhp) and a peak torque of 650 Nm, enabling the gullwing model to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. Fast lap times are a must for the Official F1 Safety Car, otherwise the Formula One cars' tyres and brakes would cool down too quickly, while their engines could overheat.

Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg appear with Mercedes-Benz chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche at the Geneva Motor Show, Geneva Motor Show, Palexpo, March 2, 2010.

Social Media News

Three Stillborn MG Sports Car Development Sketches Uncovered

Images of three never-before-seen MG sports cars have surfaced on the net.  Dug up by Auto Express and aronline.co.uk, the sketches show a trio of vehicles that were being developed in 2005.

The images show a new coupe, a redesigned Midget, and a new TF roadster each to use an updated engine producing 120-180 horsepower (89-134 kW / 122-183 PS).  Automotive designer Lee Mitchell created the vehicles, all meant to use next generation TF architecture.

Mitchell tells the two sources that the biggest problem was that the same driving position in the TF would have to be used on the other two cars.  Still, Mitchell has faith in his design, saying that the vehicles were conceived with the idea of an all-aluminum tub.  "For relatively little investment, we would have had an amazing mid-engined platform that cured the packaging problems," he said.

The aluminum tub would have required a total £52-million, but the project only had a £50-million budget.  He says a Chinese investment firm could breathe new life into the five-year old plan, created just before MG went bankrupt.

"There was every intention to take the brand back to the US as MG Rover really needed to find new markets for its products," he said.  If new investment comes through, there is no guarantee MG would return to North America.

"I felt we were making history and it's a pity it never came to fruition."

Source: aronline.co.uk via autoexpress.co.uk
Tags: MG TF Roadster, MG Midget, MG Project X120, Project X120, X120


Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/110031925223/three-stillborn-mg-sports-car-development-sketches-uncovered#ixzz15R4RVvuB

Social Media News