According to Inside Line, Skoda is jumping into the minicar game with a little help from parent company . The Czech automaker is set to introduce a new model based on the same platform as the VW Up, with production gearing up toward the fall of 2011.
The vehicle doesn’t have a name as of yet, but according to the report, the pint-sized machine is slated to be built at Volkswagen’s Bratislava manufacturing facility. When it rolls off the production line, it will come packing an efficient 65-horsepower 1.0-liter gasoline engine, though a 75-horsepower 1.2-liter diesel mill will also be available at the time of launch.
Later down the line, there’s word that Skoda will bring an all-electric version to the party as well. The baby Skoda is being designed to lock horns with the Toyota iQ and Peugeot 107, and Inside Line is reporting that it will likely carry a price tag of around $9,300 when it debuts.
2000 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R – Click above for high-res image gallery
In the world of Hot Wheels collecting, there are two types of people: those who open and those who don’t. We tend to fall into the third, more populous category of those who demolition derby.
Clearly, we could never have demonstrated the kind of self-restraint it takes to purchase a brand-new 2000 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R and leave it in its original factory wrapping. Fortunately, there are people out there like the seller of this particular machine. According to the , there are a mere 11 miles on the odometer, and the plastic you see on the hood and fenders is the same garb that the mean wore off the production line.
Even the front splitter and brake cooling ducts are in their original bubble wrap in the trunk, and the interior is swaddled in plenty of FoMoCo plastic. That means that this pony is as close to a factory-new Cobra R that you could possibly buy today.
Ford famously minted a mere 300 examples of the Cobra R in 2000. The cars were bare bones, street-legal racers, and while the 5.4-liter V8 under the hood was supposed to churn out 385 ponies, owners typically found the engine to return those numbers at the wheels, not the crank. When launched, Motor Trend found the car capable of 0-60 mph runs in the 4.4 second range and a skid pad effort of over 1.0 g.
So, what’s it worth? Hard to say, but the auction has a , though the seller is also entertaining offers. Check out the auction . Thanks for the tip, Brent!
Subaru Outback Motor Trend road trip – Click above to watch the video
Manufacturers can get pretty cocky when it comes to naming their products. We can say with near-certainty that a Chrysler Sebring never turned a tire in anger at the legendary Floridian track and that we’d be surprised if a Pontiac Le Mans ever went fender to fender in France. Motor Trend has set about putting the Subaru Outback up against its Australian namesake in a 30-minute long web special hosted by none other than Editor-in-Chief Angus MacKenzie. This isn’t your typical man-against-nature flick, though. Instead, Motor Trend has gone about creating an in-depth travel video that would be right at home on the Discovery Channel.
MacKenzie and his crew seem to trek across Australia’s wild bits with relative ease despite large mud holes and plenty of soft sand, and we’re left to enjoy the vast scenery of one of our planet’s most beautiful continents. The finished product is less about power figures and 0-60 times and more about the actual trip. It’s well worth taking some time during your lunch break for a quick watch. to take a look for yourself.
2012 Mazda5 – Click above for high-res image gallery
has officially announced that it will supply the minivan to beginning in May of this year. But before you go dreaming of a Nissan micro-minivan here in the United States, know that this will be a Japan-only affair. As of this writing, mum’s the word on what the Nissan-badged Mazda will be called in the automaker’s home market. The Mazda5, or Premacy as it’s known in Japan, will “enrich [Nissan's] minivan lineup in the Japanese market” – a place where small MPVs are sold in great volume.
This is not the only collaboration between Mazda and Nissan in Japan. Currently, Mazda provides its Bongo Van/Truck to Nissan under the name Vanette. Likewise, Nissan supplies its AD/AD Expert to Mazda, sold under the name Familia Van. for the official press release.
Countaches, a Testarossa, Pontiac’s Fiero and Trans Am in multiple shapes and sizes, more than you can shake a stick at and even a . No, we’re not talking about the posters plastered on the walls of our bedrooms when we were 12, we’re talking . Specifically, the original cartoon series that aired from 1984 to 1987.
Yes, the majority of us who man the Autoblog HQ are very much children of the 1980s, so we know ourselves some Transformers folklore. And so you’d think an infographic like the one seen after the jump would really get our blood pumping… and it did, for a moment. Then we noticed how many errors and inconsistencies were present and that pumping turned into something more like boiling. Here are just a few of the many errors:
Optimus Prime, the most famous of all Autobots, was a cab-over truck. Michael Bay turned him into a traditional semi for the more recent movie franchise.
Note the number of vehicles shown that were built after the show ended in 1987, including a 1994 Volkswagen New Beetle.
Hound was an American Army Jeep, not a Japanese “Jeep”.
Chromedome… what the heck is that thing?
Ultra Magnus, like Optimus Prime, was a cab-over Freightliner, not a Mac truck.
Check out the entire infographic and let us know in the comments if you find any more errors. We will say the infographic’s last section where it shows which automakers the Autobots tended to favor is pretty cool.
Cadillac CTS-V Coupe racer car at Sebring – Click above to watch the video
has just unleashed a video of its going through some shakedown runs at Sebring Raceway in preparation for the first race of the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge GT.
In this video, titled 60 Seconds at Sebring (though it’s actually a second longer…) the real Caddy that Zigs burbles and pops just like GM’s racers, but in our humble opinions, looks even meaner than those all-conquering machines ever did. Seriously, get a load of that over-the-top rear wing!
Do yourself a favor and check out the video , and stay tuned for the car’s first official outing on March 25 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
It’s no secret that we love ourselves some wagons, and it goes without saying that we like our wagons with more than a little dose of performance baked inside. And so it’s with bated breath that we tell you the latest tantalizing tidbit swirling aorund the internet rumormill: may be considering an Sportswagon.
If the BMW-obsessive folks from Bimmerfile are to be believed, such a machine was considered at the outset of the E9X car’s development, and at least one test machine was built. So why wasn’t it offered from the beginning? Naturally, an M3 wagon would be a small-volume proposition, which means it would likely carry a fairly large sticker price and would be tough for the automaker to justify. Bimmerfile estimates a base price of around $65,000.
Then again, , and, more recently, have all put performance-minded wagons on the market, so who knows?
There have been some iconic racing liveries over the course of motorsport history. Martini, Marlboro, JPS… we could go on, but none carry the enthusiasm of the classic Gulf color combo. Maybe it’s because of Steve McQueen’s cult classic Le Mans. Maybe it’s the irony of the pastel colors on brutal racing machines. Whatever it is, it’s an all-time favorite. But would you want your daily driver painted in the baby-blue and orange scheme, complete with sponsor logos?
For most it’s not a tough decision to make, unless they’re driving an or buying a . But customers in Luxembourg now have the rare opportunity to get their hands on an officially sanctioned Gulf-liveried hot hatch.
The special edition was initially planned as a one-off contest giveaway, created in celebration of Gulf oil’s 10th anniversary in the principality. In the end they set on making a limited run of ten examples, which are available from Fiat’s importer for BeNeLux for 25,000 euros (about $35k). It features the Gulf livery both inside and out – even the have their seatbacks painted in the classic scheme.
Those 10 examples are likely to sell out fast, even in a country as small as Luxembourg. The question for the rest of us is, if you had the option, would you buy one?
Volkswagen Formula XL1 Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Well, what do you know? When decided to show off the of its so-called one-liter car, the , at the Qatar Motor Show, we wondered out loud whether or not the German automaker would actually manage to put it into production. As it turns out, that’s the plan, albeit at a very small scale.
According to (sub. req’d, via ), Volkswagen will build 100 XL1s as a small batch of regular production machines… meaning they’ll actually be offered for sale to the general populace. No word on what will power the production models, but the concept features a two-cylinder TDI engine, electric motor, lithium-ion battery pack and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. All that fuel-sipping goodness is enough to achieve an astonishing 0.9L/100 km – just over 261 mpg.
Germany will reportedly get first crack at the XL1, followed by the United States and China. Color us surprised that VW actually plans to produce a nearly 300-mpg machine, going to the trouble of putting it through safety and emissions tests and all that goes along with making it legal, for such a small batch of vehicles. Surprised, but pleased, while also a bit skeptical it will ultimately happen. Projects like these are usually the first to get cut when the global economy forces belts to be tightened.
The is an exciting piece of machinery for a variety of reasons. It puts the Focus on equal footing across the globe, along with being a stylish and well-equipped compact that should be an entertaining steer. On that last bit, Ford is hyping some of the new driver-centric technologies under the Focus’ skin, beginning with the PowerShift dry-clutch six-speed automatic with its Torque Hole Filling Technology (THF). What’s that? Ford’s glad you asked…
When you’re driving along in a car equipped with a traditional automatic transmission, you get a momentary lag after an upshift. This is known as the torque hole. wanted to find a way to fill this gap, so with some trick computer modeling and enough math to last a lifetime, the Blue Oval engineers created a system where the engine and transmission talk to each other and prepare for potential torque holes. Additional torque is supplied to fill the hole and the resulting shifts are more seamless to both driver and passengers.
If you want even more geeky details, for Ford’s complete release.
The is an exciting piece of machinery for a variety of reasons. It puts the Focus on equal footing across the globe, along with being a stylish and well-equipped compact that should be an entertaining steer. On that last bit, Ford is hyping some of the new driver-centric technologies under the Focus’ skin, beginning with the PowerShift dry-clutch six-speed automatic with its Torque Hole Filling Technology (THF). What’s that? Ford’s glad you asked…
When you’re driving along in a car equipped with a traditional automatic transmission, you get a momentary lag after an upshift. This is known as the torque hole. wanted to find a way to fill this gap, so with some trick computer modeling and enough math to last a lifetime, the Blue Oval engineers created a system where the engine and transmission talk to each other and prepare for potential torque holes. Additional torque is supplied to fill the hole and the resulting shifts are more seamless to both driver and passengers.
If you want even more geeky details, for Ford’s complete release.
Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 Qatar (above) and Touareg Gold Edition (below right)
Click either image for high-res image gallery
After in the famously brutal Dakar Rally, is no stranger to cresting dunes and speeding across desert terrain. And now the German automaker has rolled in to Qatar with a pair of very special .
Most enticing of the two is the Qatar. Envisioned as a street-legal version of the rally raider that recently locked out the podium at Dakar, the Race Touareg 3 Qatar looks every bit the beast it’s based on, with a few nods towards usability. It packs the same 300-horsepower 2.5-liter TDI, with the 16-inch wheels of the rally machine swapped out for gold-colored BBS wheels complimented by the “Race Touareg” wording in gold across the “Magic Morning” white flank.
Inside is where the real changes have been made, however, upgrading on the bare-bones race cabin with one designed after the cockpit on a stealth aircraft. The ergonomics and appearance of the interior have been thoroughly worked over, characterized by matte carbon-fiber trim and a Serpetino Grey Metallic role cage, with Recaro racing buckets and door panels trimmed in Nubuk and perforated Nappa leather in black, grey and red.
The Race Touareg 3 Qatar is joined on Volkswagen’s show stand in Doha by the Touareg Gold Edition. As you might have guessed, the Gold Edition is decked out in 24-karat gold trim inside and out. The shiny stuff coats the 22-inch wheels, roof rails, window frames, door mirrors, grille surround and more. The interior is likewise distinguished by gold trim, “complimenting” (as it were) the Luna trim color, Alcantara roofliner, Nappa leather seats, natural brown leather and Walnut Burr veneers.
The gold-trimmed SUV is bound to be a hit with the Persian Gulf crowd, but halfway around the world we’re hoping the Race Touareg 3 Qatar makes its way from the show floor to the showroom and onto our streets as a compelling import alternative to the Ford Raptor. Too much to wish for? Only time will tell, but you can follow the jump now for the full press release and scope out the two concept vehicles in the pair of high-resolution image galleries below.
Ford FPV Falcon GT-H spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
Word on the web is that there’s something big brewing from Ford Performance Vehicles. The Australian team responsible for building some of the meanest factory Blue Oval beasts down under has been rumored to be slaving away on a new sedan packing a potent supercharged version of the same 5.0-liter V8 found in the nose of the North American . As you may recall, FPV just recently turned out a pair of four-doors with forced-induction 5.0-liter mills under their hoods, but power on those machines was kept to a relatively tame 430 ponies.
Now it looks like FPV is keen on turning loose an unleashed version of that engine in the new Falcon GT-H. A set of twin intercoolers and more aggressive boost will likely help the car dish out close to 500 horsepower. For now, we just have a handful of spy photos to go from, but Ford is expected to unveil the Falcon GT-H at the Melbourne Motor Show later this year.
A recent workshop in Los Angeles offers something special for interested children: a class on the mechanics of car theft. Created by the non-profit organization , the workshop is entitled “The Good Kids’ Guide to Being a Bit Bad: Cars edition.” It covers the topics of hot wiring, opening a locked door and getting out of a locked trunk… and we fully support the class.
Getting kids fascinated about “how things work” is a wonderful project, and when it involves cars, well that’s just a bonus. In this modern world, it’s so easy to overlook how things work on the inside, which makes it extra important for kids to develop a basic understanding of nuts and bolts while they’re young.
The instructors for the class also didn’t simply just talk about how a car door works, they showed the children and then let them try to open a locked door themselves. The same happened when showing the kids how to escape a locked trunk. The only lesson that wasn’t hands on was the hot-wiring of a car because of the risk of being shocked, which the instructor also demonstrated by shocking himself a few times.
The kids learned about some basic mechanical functions, got a dose of humor and hopefully the class created a desire in them to learn more about how the things around them function.
As the smallest member of the line, the has had a tough time earning much credibility or respect. That could change, though, if the German automaker were able to inject a dose of stylishness and sportiness into the next design, and it appears it may be doing exactly that.
Spy photographers managed to snap off a set of images that appear to show a quarter-scale styling buck of the next-gen A-Class (codename W176), and it’s much lower and more agressive than ever before, complete with some 2012 CLS in the flanks and fascia. As you can see from the green car in the background, Mercedes-Benz appears to be using its BlueZero F-Cell Concept as a basis for the small hatchback’s overall proportions.
Rumor has it that Mercedes-Benz will incorporate thee- and five-door models into the A-Class pipeline, along with a possible crossover to take on the likes of the . There could even be an AMG version of the little front-wheel drive machine, with as much as 270 horsepower. Reports indicate that the next will be based on the same architecture.
Tractor pull explosion – Click above to watch video
As tenants of the information superhighway’s underpass, we feast on a daily ration of bizarre automotive videos. That diet has put us in contact with some of the most heinous clips of mechanical destruction ever seen by human eyes. But today, we bring you something that completely redefines the notion of catastrophic failure.
The guys at Bang Shift managed to unearth a clip of tractor pull featuring one incredibly powerful machine by the name of Never Satisfied. Power supposedly came from an International DT466 diesel engine modified to suck down alcohol and force-fed over 200 pounds (!) of boost from four superchargers.
Now, we wouldn’t dare call ourselves mechanical experts, but judging from the considerable carnage in the video after the jump, those levels of pressure may have been a little much. After the nose of the tractor erupts into an impressive ball of flame, the entire top half of the engine is launched into sub-orbit. It eventually returns from atmosphere and plunks down into the dirt next to the driver. If you look close, you can still the coffee-can sized pistons laid over on the frame.
Messy.
to see devastation for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Aaron!
Aston Martin V8 Vantage S – Click above for high-res image gallery
has found a way to turn up the heat on its V8 Vantage with a new S model. The coupe packs the same 4.7-liter V8 under the hood as its predecessors, though the mad scientists in Gaydon have managed to wrench a full 430 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque from the eight-pot. The engine is now bolted to a tweaked version of the company’s seven-speed SportShift II transmission with even shorter ratios than before and the combined effect should be more than enough to snap your neck in style.
The engineers also bolted in a quicker steering rack, huge rotors and six-piston calipers up front to ensure this machine can take whatever level of flogging you deem appropriate.
The design crew at AM specifically lifted cues from the even mightier V12 Vantage and the race-bred Vantage GT4. That means buyers can expect to find a carbon fiber splitter low on the front fascia and a pair of wildlife-swallowing inlets designed to feed those massive stoppers. for the full press release.
The crowd at Axis of Oversteer managed to get their paws on the first BMW 1 Series M Coupes to be let loose on American soil. What did they do with the car? While we can imagine the vehicle has already suffered through a pile of hole-shot launches and some serious flinging, the AoO gang also took a spell to load the car onto a set of scales to find out what exactly the baby M weights with a full tank. In a world where manufacturers are increasingly pressed to get their vehicles under the 4,000 pound mark, the 1 Series M Coupe managed to slide in at 3,351 pounds.
That’s mighty skinny considering that the car packs a 340 horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six under hood. This particular car has a full dance card at the moment. It’s headed from New Jersey to Daytona, Florida to serve as the pace car for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Daytona. We’re guessing that the machine will be right at home among the muscle-bound bruisers going the distance down south.
An Australian man has been told by local authorities that he cannot use his custom wheelchair on public streets because its size technically lands it in the same category as a tank. The chair uses two rubber treads and a 24-volt electric motor, and it used to allow Jim Starr to go down to the beach with his family. That was before the Driver and Vehicle Licensing agency decided that the chair was too large to be classified as a typical wheelchair. Weighing in at 485 pounds, Starr’s tracked-machine weighs 110 pounds more than the legal limit for motorized wheelchairs. It’s also too wide.
As a result, Starr has been banned from riding his all-terrain chair anywhere other than private land. The hang-up is that in order to get to areas where he can legally use the device, he has to cross public roads.
Starr used to work as a landscape gardener before chronic arthritis, back and joint conditions bound him to a wheelchair in 1999. Head over to to watch the video of Starr in his Tank Chair (embedding disabled).
James May rocks the Ariel Atom V8 – Click above to watch the video
The latest Ariel Atom sports 500 horsepower from its supercharged 3.0-liter V8, yet it only weighs 1,200 pounds. That adds up to about 900 horsepower per ton; a ratio that shames anything from a to a . Sounds riveting, and Top Gear’s James May had the honor of exercising the super-fast machine in a very thorough manner.
Beyond the jump is 12 minutes of TG goodness featuring the Ariel Atom 500. Not only did May have his way with the Atom, he then put the track day superstar against a and a in a race from zero to 100 and back to zero. The super Atom then thundered around the TG test track in a one-on-one battle against the BMW S1000 RR, and of course, was handed over to The Stig for a proper power lap. to gaze upon the marriage of Top Gear and the Ariel Atom 500.
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