Monday 31 March 2008

Alfa Mi.To in action video

Thursday 27 March 2008

Iveco Mastiff

With Massif, the new 4x4, the Italian company breaks into a completely new professional transport segment, harking back to the memory of a glorious ancestor that won Fiat Group a prominent place in the history of off-road vehicles: the Fiat Campagnola.



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Wednesday 26 March 2008

Abt Sportsline Golf R32

German tuner Abt Sportsline have gone to town on Volkswagen's fastest Golf model. The Abt R32 is the ultimate expression in performance for the everyday. Compact Golf dimensions and the R32's renowned sporting setup, the model is an 'ideal basis' for the tuner. "Whoever wants such a Golf wants an extremely fast compact car," says Hans-Juergen Abt. And it's evident the clientele won't go disappointed.

Horsepower raises from a leisurely 250 hp in production form to a rather more Abt 370 hp, the 120 hp hike achieved via a modified motor management system and the introduction of an Abt compressor kit with supercharger and air cooling system. The upgrades power a hike in top speed to over 270 kph (or 168 mph), while acceleration to 100 kph or 62 mph decreases from 6.2 seconds in production form to just 5.0 seconds.

The same dynamic performance is delivered both on the Autobahn and on winding country roads thanks to Abt's sports suspension kit, 'perfectly harmonising' with all 370 horses of the Abt R32's V6 engine.

Source: worldcarfans


Tuesday 25 March 2008

Another wrecked Nissan GT-R

The latest incident does a decent job of demonstrating the integrity of the Nissan GT-R's safety cage. Too bad it's at the expense of supercar carnage. Are we the only ones who think this Nissan GT-R bloodshed is getting out of hand?



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Friday 21 March 2008

Mazda2 is World Car of the Year

Mazda2, aka Demio in Japan, is now parked on the World Car of the Year throne for 2008. New king of the world Mazda2 won its crown over other top-three finalists Ford Mondeo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. So dominant was the Mazda2 this time that it also came in for a podium finish when results were released for the top three design awards where it was in the company of the Audi R8 and Volvo C30. In total there were 39 initial contenders on the list.



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Thursday 20 March 2008

Forklift Flips Maserati

Former Miss New Zealand Rachel Huljich parked her Maserati in a construction zone after 7am so a bold forklift operator decided to attempt move the car himself. It does not go well and he is now facing legal charges.

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http://view.break.com/385617 - Watch more free videos

2009 Nissan Maxima Unveiled in New York

Nissan will offer two models of the Maxima, the S and SV, each with a 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 as standard. This petrol-burner has a bump of 35 horsepower over last year, with estimated ratings of 290 hp and 261 ft-lb of torque. The '09 shows a modest 9 ft-lb increase over the '08 model year. Engine is mated to a redesigned Xtronic CVT with available paddle-shifters, to replicate the feel of total control. This is a blow to the Maxima, as it might be necessary to have a full manual transmission if they want to compete with the Impreza and Lancer. 18-inch and 19-inch wheels are available as well. The Maxima gets 19mpg in the city, and 26mpg on the highway. This figure is slightly worse than the current model Honda Accord V6



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Monday 17 March 2008

Toyota Supra rendering

BestCar magazine has provided a rendering of what may become the 2010 version of Toyota’s Supra. Three years ago a Japanese Toyota executive working on foreign assignment confirmed to us that indeed Toyota had investigated the Nissan 350Z thoroughly and decided it was time to offer a Toyota alternative. What is currently unknown is whether this alternative is the Supra itself or the next Celica, though Celica would be more than likely since Toyota probably does not want to canibalise potential buyers of the new Lexus LF-A.


8C Spider video released by Alfa Romeo

Friday 14 March 2008

Alfa Romeo Mi.To First official images





This little contender has been called many (good) names, such as Junior, Furiosa (furious) and, lately, MiTo, an acronym for Milano (Milan), Alfa’s headquarter and the place where the little car has been designed, and Torino (Turin), Fiat’s headquarters, where the car will be built. And this is the name chosen for the new car, only with a dot in the middle (Mi.To), with the meaning we have already told you. It could also stand for “Mini Torturer”, but Alfa would elegantly not admit it (only wish for it). It will rather say Mi.To could also be understood as Myth (Mito, in Italian). And this is also something Alfa wishes the new car to become.

With its official presentation for the international press members scheduled for June, and sales little after it, in July, the Mi.To is based on the Fiat Grande Punto’s platform (hence Turin as its manufacturing site) and is 4.06 m long, 1.72 m wide and 1.44 m high. Wheelbase has not been informed, but it will quite likely be the same one that its Fiat counterpart holds: 2.52 m.

Engines offers will be initially limited to four options and will range from 90 cv to up to 155 cv. As in Lancia Delta, all of the, petrol and diesel, will use turbo. Alfa Romeo has not said how many are oil burners, but we would bet on a fair division of two petrol options and two other diesel ones.

Besides this, Alfa also marks that Mi.To is the first car released since the 8C Competizione. Considering this supercar is the new pattern the company intends to follow, it is natural that the cheapest Alfa also gets some styling cues from its bigger brother, such as the unframed side windows, the front bumper, the shape of the headlights and the LED taillights. It will also be natural to expect this car to be sold in the USA. Too small? Check on the new Fiesta and think again.

In order to assure great handling, Alfa has given Mi.To the DNA system, a holistic equipment that guides “engine, brakes, steering, suspension and gearbox”, very likely the dual-clutch gearbox that Fiat names DDC, for faster changes and more sportive feel. There are three modes to be used, Dynamic, for high performance, Normal, for city driving, and All Weather, for difficult weather conditions.

Thursday 13 March 2008

Renault Twingo Rs - Pocket Rocket

Dimensions : 3,61 m x 1,69 x 1,47 m
Engine : 1.598 ccm
Power : 98 kW / 133 KM at 6.750 rpm.
Torque : 160 Nm pri 4.400 vrt.


Bertone Alfa Romeo B.A.T. 11

The stunning design is a modern evolution of the intriguing Berlina Aerodynamica Technica cars of the mid to late ‘50s designed by Franco Scaglione. This latest evolution was commissioned by the American enthusiast Gary Kaberle over fifty years after the original B.A.T. series first stunned the motoring world with their futuristic designs.

Kaberle is well known as a former owner of B.A.T. 9 from 1963 to 1991. B.A.T. 9 is the third of the trio of B.A.T. cars, and which legend has it Kaberle purchased as a 16-year-old having saved money from running a popcorn stand and borrowing some extra cash from his grandparents.

Back in 2005 Kaberle outlined the new B.A.T. 11 ‘DK’ project in detail and presented the first styling proposals, prior to Bertone’s involvement, at the prestigious occasion of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. To add to the spice, all three of the original B.A.T. cars graced the lawns at this most exclusive Californian motoring event, providing the perfect backdrop for Kaberle to present his new project.

At the Concours Kaberle said, “This is 50 years to the time B.A.T. 9 was produced. There was originally a five, seven and a nine, so I'm doing an eleven - I'm trying to be Italian. I sold my car (B.A.T. 9) because my wife had breast cancer and I needed some money to pay for the treatment. Scaglione also had cancer and died a few weeks after my wife, so we're doing some things to dedicate the car to my wife and the Scaglione family, so the 'DK' is my wife's initials.”

B.A.T. 11’s flamboyant design is strongly evocative of the original B.A.T. cars with its tapered fins and faired in wheels, and like the later B.A.T. 9 also features strong Alfa Romeo DNA at the front. Similar to the Bertone Bella of 1999, the B.A.T. 11 presents a highly monolithic form, although introduces a simple dihedral bodyside section. The fins on the car begin from the front fenders and wrap tightly around the cockpit, extending to the top of the side windows. At the rear these wings are angled at nearly 45 degrees and also incorporate slim LED lighting units.

A stunning feature are the 21-inch wheels which present an intricate double layer of twisted spokes, the outer examples crafted from carbon fibre that, according to interior and wheel designer Gwen Pennarun, are a contemporary evolution of the classic Borrani knock-off wire wheels.

The unveiling was a highly emotional affair, representing quite a surprise to the many guest designers at the event. Contrary to the often blasĂ© attitude of designers, all guests at the AutoDesignNight were delighted by the B.A.T. 11 and paid a remarkable amount of respect to Bertone Chief Designer David Wilke. The Bertone B.A.T. 11 goes to prove, that despite their ongoing struggle for production contracts and finance, Bertone is still one of the world’s leading design studios of automotive haute couture.



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Tuesday 11 March 2008

Chevrolet Camaro spy photos


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Production of the new Camaro is set to begin in early 2009 with sales starting soon after. Expected engine offerings include a 3.6L V6 and 6.0L V8. In the Pontiac G8 sedan the V6 produces 256hp and 248lb-ft of torque while the V8 cranks out 361hp and 385lb-ft of torque.

source : camaro5.com

Monday 10 March 2008

Renault Megane Coupe Concept

The new Renault Megane Coupe Concept is powered by a 2.0L turbocharged petrol engine that develops 200hp and delivers 280 Nm at 2,600 rpm. It has a manual 6-speed transmission and does 0 to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds which is not bad at all. CO2 emissions are pretty low at only 154 g/km while the mixed fuel consumption is 6.5L/100km.

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