Aston Martin One-77 does the ‘Ring again – Click above to watch video
Today’s word from the audio dictionary is “Bellow,” one of whose verb forms is defined as “alouddeepsound,asofpainoranger.” We’re going to be on the side of angry today.
But you can’t really understand those words until you watch, and listen to, the latest video of an Aston Martin One-77 (the infamous , perhaps?) testing its chops and its pipes at the Nürburgring. Along the way it runs down other ‘Ring runners like an and a , but it’s likely all they registered was a blur and a bawl. Perhaps even a bellow, if you will. for the aural treat.
Here’s a match made in heaven. According to The Deadline, NBC is currently hard at work on a reality TV series focused on the inner workings of a NASCAR family. While we likely won’t be pointing our remotes toward the Peacock because of the news, the show does pack some pretty serious talent behind it. Joe Pokaski, of Heroes writer-producer fame, and Scott Stuber are behind the project. The show will supposedly revolve around a pair of racing brothers with very different styles that race for the same team. The show will also spend plenty of time on behind-the-scenes family drama, too.
Sounds riveting.
NBC is currently doing its best to secure rights for everything from tracks to sponsor logos and even the NASCAR name itself. The show wants to use in-race footage as well. Given the recent decline in attendance at stock car races these days as well as NBC’s lackluster fall lineup, the show could be a boon for both. There’s even some word that Stuber, a Universal producer, is trying to get the OK for a full-length feature directed by Gary Ross. So far there’s no word on when the show could hit the air.
Confession time: I spend an inordinate amount of time in the autos section of Craigslist. That site is like Krispy Kreme doughnuts dipped in crack cocaine for any connoisseur of bad ideas, and I, loyal readers, am the world’s foremost authority on poor decisions.
This is the 2011Dodge Avenger. It has a new interior, better powertrain choices and more aggressive suspension, which were greatly needed, especially since it is perhaps the most frequently overlooked vehicle in the entry-level mid-size sedan segment. But Very minor adjustments have been made to the Avenger’s exterior.
I-TEC believes it can built around 100 cars per year for around $80,000 apiece.
2009 Nissan Cube S – Click above for high-res image gallery
At one time there were high hopes in the UK for the current generation . But in the year since its entry into the market, the quirky little box on wheels has experienced putrid sales. We’re talking a reported 686 units sold. In a year. And with no diesel version on the way.
Auto Express reports that the Cube has been so unsuccessful on the Island Nation that dealers won’t be required to have a Cube on site for demonstration purposes. And if dealers can sell twice as many copies of the also-quirky in one month (1,617 were wold in September alone) as the Cube in an entire year, we can’t see to many dealers asking for a Cube if they don’t need one.
Does this news mean anything for the future of the Cube in the U.S.? Nearly 20,000 copies of the boxy little runabout have been sold so far this year; probably not a poor enough showing for the Cube to be shown the door, but nothing much worth bragging about, either.
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Photos Copyright (C)2009 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.
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For most people, the 6.2-liter V8 with 411 horsepower in the is plenty. Others, like our own Jeremy Korzenewski, who said as much in his , think that it still needs more power. The solution? ProCharger, a Kansas-based company that has been adding forced induction to just about everything under the sun for the last 16 years, has developed a range of centrifugal supercharger systems for the good for up to 600 horsepower on pump gas. The 5.4 guys haven’t been left out either, with a 505-horsepower system available for the smaller V8.
Each of the packages includes ProCharger’s self-contained supercharger, a front-mounted air-to-air intercooler, larger fuel injectors and new programming for the engine’s computer. ProCharger says that the engine bay maintains an OEM appearance (it actually looks quite a bit better in our opinion), and that the blower easily fits underneath the stock hood. Pricing starts $5,446 for a tune-it-yourself kit for the 5.4-liter V8 while the full system for the 6.2-liter V8 will run you $6,496. for official details in the press release.
Motorcycle-mounted Mythbusters versus the tablecloth – Click above to watch the video
Remember that viral video of the ? Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, better known as the Mythbusters, took a liking to the clip and decided it needed to be put to the test.
The premise is simple: Can a near-200-horsepower motorcycle muster up enough acceleration from a dead stop to pull the tablecloth from under 24 full place settings without sending them all toppling to the ground? And if not, what would it require to make that feat a reality? 100 mph and a quarter-mile of rope?
Instead of using the German machine, Jamie pressed his very own Erik Buell Racing 1125R. No worries about whether or not this bike is powerful enough for the test… it is. And then again, it isn’t. You’ll just have to for the three-part video series to see what we mean. Oh, and feel free to fast forward through the parts you care less about, though it’s all pretty interesting to us.
The California Air Resources Board has given a green rating to the , the (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle). That’s below the SULEV and PZEV ratings of cars you might not expect to beat the Volt, such as the four-cylinder and and . Also on the list as being cleaner than the Volt are the , and . for some interesting comparative charts.
The issue is that CARB performs its testing with the engine running – it has no electric-power-only test. When the Volt’s engine runs, it emits 1.3 g/km, which puts it 0.3 grams beyond the allowance for a SULEV vehicle. What’s more, since it can’t get the PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) rating of the Prius and Leaf, it can’t get carpool lane stickers in California. One of the biggest boons of buying a green car, at least in California, is the extra time you get to enjoy your life because you can use the carpool lane and don’t need to haul around Frank and Bob from sales in order to to it.
Will any of this affect the Volt’s reception? In most places, wherever a sticker can’t get you in the VIP line, probably not. And it doesn’t affect what the Volt can do. This is really a reflection of the Volt paying the price for an outdated testing regime and an engine connected to the wheels in a three-mile-per-hour speed band. But in the green space where everyone is counting every feather in every cap, we imagine is ruing having missed out on this particular one. Perhaps the tagline “” is here proved a little too true…
has managed to make a lot out of one model line. From the Continental has emerged coupe, convertible and sedan bodystyles, in standard, Speed and Supersports engine specs, with a smattering of special editions along the way. But that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg compared to what the Flying B marque has in store for the new model, according to reports from across The Pond.
What Bentley appears to have in its sights for the diversification of the freshly-unveiled new Continental is similar to what we’ve seen over at . The Stuttgart-based automaker rolls out different variants of the on a regular basis, to the point that the current-generation model has over a dozen derivatives on the market. The addition of a to slot in under the current W12 will have a multiplier effect on the Continental’s catalog, but beyond that, Crewe is reportedly planning further special editions.
The aim of the broadening range would be, according to reports, to maintain interest in the Continental and help even out peaks and valleys in the company’s sales charts. One way or another, we’re looking at a future filled with machine-turned aluminum and quilted leather, and those are two things of which we can never get quite enough.
has announced that the will make the ‘trip’ to its homeland next year and will start at €20,900 ($28,941 U.S.) in Germany. Promising to inject “a new dimension of quality to the saloons of the compact class,” that opening gambit price will get you the 103-horsepower, 1.2 TSI model in Trendline trim. Big spenders can get in at the top of the pile by choosing the Highline trim with the 2.0 TDI DSG for €29,950 ($41,473 U.S.).
Trendline is the lowest of three trims on offer, yet while it sits on 16-inch steel wheels the rest of the car isn’t totally spartan: climate control, heated outside mirrors, Hill Climb Assist and trailer stabilization. Next up is Comfortline, starting at €22,600 ($31,296 U.S.) with the same 1.2-liter engine, and adding chrome accents up front and 16-inch, five-spoke Mambo alloys, plus 8-way seats, an upgraded stereo, leather trimming on the steering wheel, gearshift knob and parking brake, and Park Pilot. The top tier is called Highline, and that starts at €24,575 ($34,031 U.S.) with a 120-hp, 1.4-liter TSI. It gets 17-inch, ten-spoke Porto wheels, more chrome, fog lights and a headlight cleaning system.
Five engines are available throughout, three gas and two diesels, all of which can be paired with either a manual or DSG dual clutch transmission except for the 103-hp 1.2-liter gas. VW is also touting its BlueMotion Technology (BMT) tech available on one of the gas and two of the diesel lumps, such as the 1.6 TDI BMT that sips 4.2 l/100 km, or 56 miles per gallon in U.S. parlance. You’ll find all the info on the Euro-spec Jettas in the press release after the jump.
Driverless electric van expedition arrives in China – Click above for high-res image gallery
Back in July, a team of researchers from the European Research Council set out on from Italy to China through the Gobi desert. If that weren’t daunting enough, the crew braved the trek in a pair of driverless electric vans. Believe it or not, the team just finished up their drive, and while researchers on board had to intervene a few times to handle traffic and toll booths, by and large the vehicles navigated to their destination without any help from human hands. Instead, they use a system called generic obstacle and lane detector, or GOLD, along with a series of solar-powered laser sensors to determine the van’s proximity to surrounding traffic.
The vans ran at a top speed of 38 mph to maximize battery life, but the real reason that the trip took so long is that the vehicles had to be charged eight hours for every two hours of driving. The researchers say that the data they collected over the trek could be used in everything from mining to construction to augmenting driver abilities.
2011Honda CBR250R – Click above for high-res image gallery
Entry-level sport bike riders look to get another solid choice for 2011 in the form of the new CBR250R. Naturally, it’s most direct competitor is the , and the two match up pretty well, at least on paper.
Maximum horsepower for the single-cylinder CBR250R’s quarter-liter mill is 26 ponies at 8,500 rpm. Yes, that’s a little behind the Kawi’s 32 hp, but the Honda critically has more torque at 17 pound-feet and weighs 359 pounds (368 lbs with optional ABS!), which is a non-trivial 14 pounds less than the Ninja.
We’re also pretty keen on the littlest CBR’s (littlest in America, at least) styling and color scheme. We think the multi-tiered styling language that debuted on the latest is better suited to smaller packages like the CBR250R, and the red, white and blue color palette is vintage Honda and, though it’s not currently on the U.S. options list, certainly appropriate for the American market.
And yes, the new CBR250R is headed Stateside. Check out our high-res image gallery below and for a video. And Honda, please rethink the omission of the red, white and blue. Trust us.
Sebastian Vettel pilots the Red Bull X1 prototype – Click above to watch video
Red Bull has put Sebastian Vettel into Gran Turismo 5’s virtual cockpit of the , and the results are predictably smashing. After taking roughly 19 seconds off his time around the Suzuka track, Vettel in his own words takes another 20 seconds off his best lap at the ‘Ring’s GP course his first time out. It looks like a handful in the beginning – he uses all the runoff while coming to grip with the car’s grip and 400 km/hr top speed – but when he gets the hang of it, ah yes…
Forget about GT5. Build. This. Car. for the action and check out our high-res gallery below.
From the likes of the to the Cortina, has had its fingers in all of the Big Three’s pies. But its strongest relationship has historically been with . The British engineering firm helped develop the engine in the original ZR-1, engineered the Vauxhall VX220/Opel Speedster, re-engineered the Vauxhall into ones of its own, and has undertaken a variety of projects for the General over the years. Now the latest reports have Lotus teaming up with GM’s European subsidiaries for a new hot hatch.
Much as it did with , Lotus is reportedly hard at work tuning the chassis on the next generation of the model. Previewed by the , the new Astra VXR is tipped to ditch the current model’s electronic differential for a more traditional mechanical one. The engine is rumored to produce in the neighborhood of 280-300 horsepower, with Lotus reportedly brought in to help minimize the torque steer inevitable with that much power channeled through the front wheels.
The Hyperstrut front suspension set-up developed for the is tipped to port over to the smaller hatchback, expected to hit European markets towards the end of next year to do battle with the likes of the and . We can only hope that GM finds space in the lineup of one of its remaining brands to bring the new Astra VXR to American shores.
Toyota Prius Generation X – Click above for high-res image gallery
It seems rather incongruous with the overall mission statement of the , but the Japanese automaker’s UK division has gone ahead and created a somewhat more sinister version of the hybrid hatchback all the same. It’s meant to celebrate the Prius’ 10-year anniversary in the UK and will be limited to just 1,000 examples for £26,150 apiece.
That’s right, Jeremy Clarkson’s favorite car (just so long as Cameron Diaz is driving, of course) is now available across the pond with a full body kit that includes front, rear and side skits along with 17-inch smoked-finish alloy wheels. Topping off the darker theme is dark-tinted privacy glass.
Want to more? (Really?) Feel free to peruse a couple of high-res shots below and for the press release.
The Center for Auto Safety, a group founded by Ralph Nader and the Consumers Union, have reportedly filed a 69-page grievance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requesting they investigate the 1993-2004 . The Center maintains that in a rear-end collision, the placement of the fuel tank below and just ahead of the rear bumper has made the SUV more prone to fires. According to the Center’s figures, that model Grand Cherokee suffers six times more fires than more recent models, and five times more fires than the competition’s SUVs.
NHTSA has already begun its inquiry, so far finding that the SUV’s fire incident rate is about the same as with its competition. However, NHTSA is now said to be seeking information on the 1993-2004 Blazer, 1993-2004 Ford Explorer and 1993-2004 hoping to get a better look at defect and warranty claims and lawsuits. None of the other companies, , or , has commented on NHTSA’s request for information. moved the gas tank on the Grand Cherokee inside the frame on the 2005 model, and says it is cooperating with the government’s probe.
has just announced a series of actions intended to improve its financial position and make it more attractive to investors ahead of its Initial Public Offering. Perhaps the most intriguing is word that it plans to purchase $2.1 billion of Preferred Stock from the United Stated Department of the Treasury at a sum that is $700 million more than the recorded value of those stocks.
In addition, GM will:
Contribute at least $4 billion in cash and $2 billion in GM common stock to its U.S. hourly and salaried pension plans
Repay the $2.8 billion outstanding loan to the United Auto Workers Retiree Medical Benefits Trust
Complete a $5 billion revolving line of credit
Save $500 million per year by restructuring its payment deals on vehicles in transit to dealers
The official press release, which can be found , breaks each of these actions down using appropriately difficult to decipher language designed specifically to make your head explode… but you’re free to check it all out all the same.
[Source: General Motors Image: Associated Press/Paul Sancya]
engineers working on their own time have come up with a protective coat for the ’s carbon fiber weave. The sun’s UV rays normally work their destructive magic on carbon weave, so Mark Voss, the ZR1’s senior design engineer got together with his after-hours team to come up with a coating that would fulfill Chevrolet customer demands. Check out the process itself in the video and presser .
2011Hyundai Sonata 2.0T – click above for high-res image gallery
Hyundai’s eagerly anticipated model has just begun hitting U.S. showrooms, but a small quality issue that cropped up in the first batch of cars is causing some consternation. Conversations have been popping up on internet forums about the issue, and there has been some confusion as to the nature of the problem as well as questions about whether or not a stop-sale has been ordered by the company.
A small rubber hose that feeds oil to the turbo unit in very early 2011 Sonata Turbo models was apparently built to the wrong specification and needs replacement. According to a few user forum reports, some dealers haven’t been allowing customers to test drive the vehicles until the correct part has been fitted. Additionally, at least one of the first 2.0T owners informed Autoblog that his dealer actually flat-bedded his car back for service. However, officials tell Autoblog that this issue affects very few units, and they want to make it clear that no stop-sale has been issued.
Hyundai spokesman Dan Bedore:
“In about 30 cases, we had to get with customers who already had their cars. We’re using the new hose in production and have finished retrofitting those that were built but not sold. We asked dealers to replace the hose before delivery but didn’t issue a stop sale. No lost sales, no big disruption, the customer comes first – that’s business as usual for Hyundai.
Hyundai says it only sold around 30 units before the hose problem was discovered, and the company has only built around 1,000 units in total, most of which are still in transit to dealers. All new Sonata turbos rolling off of assembly lines are being fitted with the new part, and all new models sold will have the correct hose installed.
Hyundai’s has been an extremely strong seller since its introduction earlier this year, quickly moving the Korean automaker into third place in the hotly contested family sedan segment. However, the Sonata has also suffered some early teething problems, including the over a possible door latch malfunction in March and the over steering problems in late October. Hat tip to Nic!
2010 SEMA MustangPreview – Click above for high-res image gallery
With all of Ford’s talk about their lineup of , and at SEMA this year, we were beginning to wonder if there were going to be any models at the show.
Okay, so you’re either laughing at us because you think we’re idiots or you’re laughing because you got the joke. A SEMA without Mustangs is like Christmas without Santa Claus. So don’t worry, pony car fans, there will be plenty of Mustangs in Las Vegas come next week.
In fact, there will be no less than nine custom Mustangs in Ford’s display this year with a wide range of themes and modifications featuring both V6 and GT models. Ford will have its own products represented with a Mustang customized by Ford Vehicle Personalization, joined by cars built by Mustang Racing Technologies, Muscle Mustang & Fast Fords magazine, Mobsteel, Street Scene Equipment and more. You can see each of the Mustangs in the gallery below, and check back next week for live pictures of the cars from the show floor.
will be launching its all-electric in the United States next year, though it will be substantially updated from the current model sold overseas. In addition to a slightly wider shape, we can expect better interior amenities with more creature comforts and a higher level of fit and finish.
We’ve stumbled upon one of Mitsubishi’s business plan presentations on the automaker’s , and therein lies two renderings of what the upgraded U.S.-spec car might look like. It appears that the too-cute bubbly proportions of the current i-MiEV will remain intact, albeit with a much more aggressive front fascia and wider track. As we noted in our , added width would indeed make the diminutive hatch feel more planted on the road, and while we rather like the design of the current car, the revised styling is sure to be more attractive to the vast majority of U.S. shoppers.
Look for the production U.S.-spec i-MiEV to debut sometime next year. Mitsubishi is still targeting a price of under $30,000 (not including government incentives) when the car hits dealerships at the end of 2011. Hat tip to Ryan!
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Live photos copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing / AOL
