Now this is cool. The crew from Unit9 has joined forces with to create a heinously addictive Facebook flash game. Using data from Google Maps and real-time weather, the game allows players to challenge friends and strangers to races through the virtual streets of Europe. Awesome? You bet your Union Jack it is.
Fans of the Grand Theft Auto franchise will recognize the overhead view, and real engine and tire sounds from genuine Mini racers adds a little something extra to the gameplay. You can chose the length of race you want to participate in as well as whether you want to run it during the day or at night.
Players are also afforded the opportunity to choose from a number of custom models with different colors and roof designs. Check out the preview video and head over to to start knocking fenders with the rest of the world.
Maps and Facebook to let you race digitally on any road in the world
Aston Martin V12 Zagato at the Nürburgring – Click above for high-res image gallery
Sure, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato may have won top honors upon its unveiling at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. But it’s not just a pretty face. is keen to highlight that point, taking the V12 Zagato straight from the shores of Lake Como to the tarmac of the Nürburgring.
The racing version of the show car has already had two outings on the Ring in the past month or so, but those campaigns were merely in preparation for what’s in store this weekend, when a pair of Zagatos – dubbed “Zig” and “Zag” – will take on the grueling ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours.
A red example (Zag) will be piloted by the company’s CEO and Nürburgring test center director along with a pair of European automotive journalists, joining the previously-seen green car (Zig) driven by one of Aston’s top engineers, a pair of experienced race car drivers and another British fourth-estatesman. Both can be seen in the video .
We’re not clear on where that leaves the rather more attractive white and red livery depicted in the high-resolution photographs, then, but that shouldn’t stop you from checking it out in the gallery, along with the full press release .
HRE talks with Rhys Millen and Monster Tajima – Click above to watch video
A twisting, climbing road in Colorado is attracting the attention of autophiles this week as the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb begins to ramp up. Teams have arrived to begin their practice sessions, and for many there could be a multitude of goals. For drivers in the Unlimited Class, there is but one goal; to reach the finish line in less than 10 minutes.
HRE Wheels sponsors a few of the Unlimited Class drivers, and recently sat down with two of them to talk Pikes. Rhys Millen is a , and Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima runs , while both vehicles wear a set of HRE rollers. It’s not about the wheels, however, as both drivers take a few moments to talk about the race ahead of them. to watch the video.
2012 Corvette Z06 on the ‘Ring – Click above to watch the video
The may be the bees’ knees, but there’s certainly a lot to be said about the mid-range . For 2012, the Z06 gets a host of updates, and in order to prove the car’s performance prowess, engineer Jim Mero took a brand new Z06 fitted with the Z07 chassis package to Germany’s Nürburgring, only to find out that it’s capable of ripping off a 7:22.68 lap time.
For those keeping track, that’s 20 seconds faster than the last Z06 record lap (set in 2005), and only three seconds slower than the . Color us impressed.
Do yourself a favor and to watch Mero flogging the Z06 around the ‘Ring. General Motors’ official press blast is yours for the reading after the jump, as well.
I saw an advanced screening of CARS 2 last weekend with my friend Chris and his four-year-old son Noah. This was the little guy’s first time seeing a movie in a theater, and his father told me it was all he could talk about in the days leading up to our play date.
“Are you excited to see the movie, Noah?” I asked as we pulled out of their driveway at 9:00 AM, a time that I considered obnoxiously early to be heading out for a movie, but Noah was already on hour four of being awake. He screamed an affirmative back at me from his car seat, to which I quickly replied, “Bet you’re not as excited as me!” This is how I interact with kids: one-upping them.
His dad piped up then, “Are you wearing CARS underwear?” Damn.
And that right there is the amazing thing about the CARS franchise: It’s equally appealing to four-year-olds and forty-year-olds. Oh, and anything emblazoned with its V-shaped hood ornament logo or the likes of its lead character Lightning McQueen will sell by the truck load, including Underoos.
That morning I knew it wasn’t going to be a question of whether or not Noah and I liked CARS 2, but rather did we like it like it or totally love it, and would that affection eventually blossom into the purchase of branded undergarments.
We’ve seen some pretty extreme brand loyalty over the years. Plenty of die-hard folk stroll into a tattoo parlor and walk out with their favorite make inked into their skin, but it takes something completely different to have your home’s swimming pool crafted after an automaker’s logo. That’s exactly what this Missouri homeowner did, and if you’ve got a penchant for and a cool $6.8 million lying around, you could call the property your very own. The single-family, 18-room dwelling sits on 20 acres, boasts a tennis court, a gazebo and a carriage house in addition to the Bowtie pool.
Rumor has it that the house was owned by local Chevrolet dealer Johnny Landoff, which helps explain the preference in pool design. Head over to the to check out a few photos of the house and property for yourself. If you like what you see, pack up your bags and head to Ladue, Missouri. Thanks for the tip, Jeremy!
The Papal motorcade is packed with new cars, but the most famous of them is the Popemobile. Typically based on a sport-ute, most recent examples have been modified versions of the or M-Class (like the one pictured above).
His Holiness has for an all-electric vehicle, even a solar-powered one. But while moving all that bulletproof glass around on battery power alone might require no less a feat than an act of God, he may be about to get the next best thing.
Reports indicate that, at Benededict XVI’s request, Mercedes-Benz is preparing a hybrid Popemobile based on the new M-Class. The vehicle would allow the pontiff to be chauffeured around on electric power at parade speed for up to 16 miles before the gasoline engine would need to kick in, a benefit similar to that enjoyed by neighboring head of state .
President Obama may not have gotten his wish with a hybrid One, but we could be looking at a new trend in parade transportation for the wealthiest of public figures.
2011 Ram Truck 2500 HD – Click above for high-res image gallery
has announced that the company’s line of heavy-duty pickups will be available with a new six-speed automatic transmission for the 2012 model year.
The Ram Truck 2500 and 3500 HD models will boast the six-cog automatic along with an available 6.7-liter Cummins High Output Turbo Diesel engine with a whopping 800 pound-feet of torque at 1,500 rpm and 350 horsepower at 3,000 rpm. In 3500 trim, the combo offers a towing capacity of up to 22,750 pounds when equipped with an optional Max Tow package. Even more impressive, the Cummins oil burner manages to meet EPA emissions standards without the aggravation of having to use Diesel Exhaust Fluid.
There’s no word on what kind of fuel economy the new gearbox will bring to the big-bad Ram models or how much the six-speed automatic gearbox will set you back when it comes time to order your next pickup. We’re guessing those details will drop as we get closer to 2012. In the meantime, to check out the full press release for yourself.
BMW M6 Coupespy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
There’s a new out there. The has been released. You know what that means, boys and girls: that’s right, a new M6.
Now we’ve already seen spy shots of both the upcoming M6 coupe and convertible, but this is our best look at it yet, bearing even less camouflage than before. The overall shape, of course, is no big surprise, as it follows the more standard 6 Series, although these latest shots appear to display a new taillight treatment that moves the auxiliary light strip from the bumper up to the rear panel.
The powertrain, meanwhile, is expected to be lifted directly out of the new M5 – all 560 horsepower, eight cylinders and twin turbos of it. Couple that with more aggressive aero, upsized rolling stock and the requisite chassis mods and you’ve got a winning package.
With this much of the car revealed to our prying eyes, we can expect the new M6 to drop in short order – which is also what we expect it to make of any road you can throw at it.
If you’re like us, you probably don’t admit to watching So You Think You Can Dance, yet you quietly enjoy (and even critique) the dancers on the hit reality show. We’d probably feel better about admitting our viewership if they replaced the Quickstep with the Two-Bike Tango. It’s a brand new style just created by two motorcycle racers at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France.
To do the Two-Bike Tango, one rider needs to spill in a turn, and the now-sliding bike will take out another unsuspecting rider. The two riders clear the raceway as their bikes join throttles, and proceed to spin around each other.
It’s not as sexy or forbidden as the Lambada, but onlookers can’t turn away. to experience… the Two-Bike Tango!
2012 Jaguar XKR-S – Click above for high-res image gallery
While readies a slate of new vehicles to broaden its product portfolio, it’s doing a -esque job of making the most of the vehicles it currently has. If there’s any surprise in the XK getting more new outfits than a Ken doll, it’s that we didn’t realize there was so much that could be done with it.
Donning its latest new costume, the XK is transformed – via the – into the XKR-S. The fastest and most powerful U.S. legal road car Jaguar has ever made, the brief was to create a coupe that could be hellacious around a track yet remain gracious around town. Our question was whether the XK’s six-year-old underpinnings could carry that kind of load, or whether the platform is approaching a point at which cracks would begin to show? It was to the bright white daylight of Portugal for the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve and the roads around Portimao and Faro that we went for our answer…
Ford Focus EV sound clips – Click above to watch the videos
will soon roll-out its all-new Focus EV, and the silent electric sedan will be . Before the car makes it that far, however, Ford could be changing that “silent” part. The automaker has , with the hopes of gauging market opinion of what the electric Focus should sound like.
We won’t make you head to Facebook to hear the four sounds that Ford has in mind. We WILL, however, make you , and if you have a moment, click on your favorite choice in the poll below.
And before you say Ford should leave the Focus EV as quiet as possible, remember that the powers-that-be in Washington have been that would force automakers to make their EVs a bit noisier as an effort to protect the blind. Now, it’s time to meet George Jetson…
A compromise has reportedly been reached in Formula 1 that will guarantee the future participation of all the current engine suppliers, while satisfying the FIA’s drive for more fuel-efficient propulsion.
Plans were (until now) in place for F1 to switch from the current 2.4-liter V8 engines to 1.6-liter turbo fours by 2013. However, some of the current propulsion suppliers – most vocally among them – vehemently objected to the proposal. The compromise agreement arrived at by the Formula 1 Commission is to replace both formulas with new turbocharged V6 engines, also 1.6 liters in displacement, which will still allow the integration of KERS regenerative braking by 2014 – one year later and two cylinders greater than initially planned.
The proposal still needs to be approved by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, but if adopted would apparently satisfy both sides of the debate, including Ferrari’s hesitance (at one end) and Renault’s insistence (on the other) towards downsizing the current engines. What this will mean for planned newcomers like Craig Pollock’s outfit, however, which was already working on a turbo four, remains to be seen.
hasn’t been able to secure the short-term funding it needs. As a result, the Swedish automaker has been unable to pay its employees their wages, according to a statement released by the company.
Saab says that it is currently investigating ways to secure the funds necessary to continue operations, including selling all of its assets and leasing them back. That option had been discussed in the past but fell to the wayside as discussions with various Chinese partners ramped up. Even with that option back on the table, Saab says that there’s no guarantee that the company will be able to secure the necessary funding.
If that happens, Saab could go permanently dark.
The automaker has secured mid-term financing thanks to a deal with Chinese Distributor Pang Da, but if the company can’t keep its workers paid right now, that may not mean too much. to check out the brief press release.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic – Click above for high-res image gallery
The is set to being production in August, but Automotive News reports that a supplier issue could affect the launch’s timing. LINC Logistics Co., which employs about 125 workers at the Orion assembly plant that will build the Sonic, is struggling to come to an agreement with employees at the facility. The LINC workers recently agreed to join the United Auto Workers, and now the blue collar bunch is looking for more money than the reported average of about $10 per hour. UAW workers employed by commonly make between $14 and $28 per hour.
Since the UAW and LINC have yet to agree to a contract, the workers on Wednesday took a strike authorization vote. If the vote passes, the workers – who perform logistics and parts sequencing duties – could potentially disrupt production.
While a strike would most certainly be an unwelcome turn of events for The General, AN reports that GM spokesperson Kim Carpenter says the automaker doesn’t anticipate that the issue will affect the Sonic launch.
UPDATE: According to , Orion Assembly Plant workers voted to authorize a strike, meaning union leaders can call for a work stoppage during negotiations. Of the 88 workers who voted, 98 percent of them were in favor of authorizing a strike. GM spokeswoman Kim Carpenter says that the automaker still does not expect this strike to affect the Sonic launch.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic – Click above for high-res image gallery
The is set to being production in August, but Automotive News reports that a supplier issue could affect the launch’s timing. LINC Logistics Co., which employs about 125 workers at the Orion assembly plant that will build the Sonic, is struggling to come to an agreement with employees at the facility. The LINC workers recently agreed to join the United Auto Workers, and now the blue collar bunch is looking for more money than the reported average of about $10 per hour. UAW workers employed by commonly make between $14 and $28 per hour.
Since the UAW and LINC have yet to agree to a contract, the workers on Wednesday took a strike authorization vote. If the vote passes, the workers – who perform logistics and parts sequencing duties – could potentially disrupt production.
While a strike would most certainly be an unwelcome turn of events for The General, AN reports that GM spokesperson Kim Carpenter says the automaker doesn’t anticipate that the issue will affect the Sonic launch.
We’re used to seeing chassis numbers on collector cars go on for several digits. But not this one. This one is chassis number 3. That’s it. And that’s because this is the oldest production in existence.
Following EXP 1 and EXP 2 – the former of which is no longer with us, the latter kept in Bentley’s corporate collection – this 1921 Bentley 3-Litre was the first production model to leave the factory. And it’s in immaculate condition, despite having been raced through much of its life. In fact, while Bentley’s own EXP 2 has had many parts replaced by now, Chassis No. 3 here is all original, down to the aluminum coachwork, brass brightwork, engine and gearbox.
This extremely rare example of automotive history is going up on the auction block at Pebble Beach in August under the auspices of Gooding & Company, along with an exceptional motorcycle we’ll be bringing you shortly. So stay tuned and don’t forget to check out the high-resolution images in the gallery for a closer look.
Blind auto mechanic Bart Hickey – Click above to watch the video
The world is full of enigmas. How else would you explain a composer like Ludwig van Beethoven, who continued to compose and perform even after he went deaf? Chances are you’ve heard of Beethoven, but you probably haven’t heard of Bart Hickey.
Bart, tragically, is blind. Which sadly enough means he can’t do a wide variety of things we all take for granted. Like driving, for example. But he probably knows his way around a car better than most. That’s because Bart is a mechanic, and runs his own garage in Alsip, Illinois. Not the service department of a dealership, but that didn’t deter the German automaker from sending a film crew down to the Chicago suburb for a brief video profile, which you can watch . Then wonder out loud why, if Bart can do all he does, most of the rest of the population doesn’t know to change their own spark plugs.
Lotus Hethel circuit – Click above for high-res image gallery
There are a great many things that does well. The company’s own sports cars are some of the best-handling machines money can buy, and Lotus also performs magic on other automakers’ chassis on a consultational basis. Turns out, it lays out some pretty serious race tracks, too.
The Top Geartest track, for one, was designed by Lotus. And now the Hethel-based automaker has built its own on-site test track.
Not unlike the Nürburgring, the 2.2-mile circuit is split into two loops: the 1.3-mile north loop with two long straights connected by a hairpin, and the 0.8-mile south loop, packed with curves and elevation changes named after famous racing drivers who’ve piloted for Lotus. There’s also a skid pad near the center, and a pit lane complex with 12 two-car garages.
The kicker, though, is that the circuit is fully FIA-certified, meaning that it’s capable of hosting a wide variety of races on premises, from GT racing to F1 test sessions. The facility’s proximity to the Snetterton circuit, however, might limit those prospects. Check out the layout and shots of the track in the high-res image gallery.
Volkswagen Golf24 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The day is almost upon us when will unleash the ferocious on the Green Hell. The hatchback endurance racer, which helps celebrate the ’s 35 anniversary, was first revealed back in February, and is finally set to take on the Nürburgring race this weekend.
As you may recall, the Golf24 packs the turbocharged five-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive of the Audi TT RS, but tuned up to 450 horsepower and nearly 400 pound-feet of torque with a six-speed sequential gearbox, all mounted underneath some heavily revised competition-spec sheetmetal.
Volkswagen has lined up a star-studded roster of drivers to pilot the three cars around the clock, including former F1 drivers Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell, as well as Ringmeisters Peter Terting and Patrick Simon. The company’s three-time Dakar winners Nasser Al-Attiyah, Carlos Sainz and Giniel de Villiers will also be making their Nürburgring debut, piloting one of two at the event.
for the latest press release, and scope out the images in the thoroughly updated high-res gallery for a closer look.
