All About Car's: August 2008

The Wonder Car - 2008 Ferrari F430 Spider

The Ferrari F430 Spider is an exotic convertible with top-shelf performance, stunning styling and a price tag that encourages double-takes. It is the soft-top version of the F430 Coupe.
Like many exotic sports cars, the Ferrari F430 Spider is as much a rolling work of automotive art as it is a high-performance car. As with many Ferraris over the years, the car’s seductively aerodynamic design comes courtesy of the noted Italian design house Pininfarina. A compact, power-operated fabric roof lowers or raises at the push of a button.
The Ferrari F430 Spider offers a six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. A Formula One racing-derived, six-speed automatic gearbox with manual-shift capability is optional. Operated via steering wheel-mounted paddles, Ferrari claims this transmission cuts shifting times down to just 150 milliseconds to maximize the car’s blazing acceleration.
As expected for a $200,000-plus sports car, the Ferrari F430 Spider delivers race car-like driving dynamics. It rides on a lightweight aluminum space frame and electronically controlled Skyhook suspension. The F430 Spider’s handling is further enhanced by Ferrari’s E-Diff system, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential originally developed for racing. It optimizes traction based on a variety of factors, including the steering angle and lateral acceleration.

The Wonder Car - 2008 Ferrari F430 Spider

Top Ten Bargain Cars For 2008

According to cnbc.com here is the list of 10 cars that are the best value for money:
1.Honda Fit : 4 door hatchback $14620
2.Hyundai Elantra GLS :4 door sedan $14245
3.Suzuki Reno :4 door hatchback $14224
4.Nissan Versa : 4 door sedan $13540
5.Kia Spectra :4 door sedan $13520
6.Smart Fortwo : 2 door pure hatchback coupe $12235
7.Toyota Yaris : 2 door hatchback $12210
8.Kia Rio :4 door sedan $11515
9.Hyundai Accent GS : 3 door hatchback $11425
10.Chevrolet Aveo 5 SVM : 4 door hatchback $10895

Top Ten Bargain Cars For 2008

Pirelli Is Rolling Out The Intelligent "Cyber" Tyre

Pirelli has announced a further innovation in the ongoing quest to remove the driving from driving. Sensors have been stashed in tires already for the hasty implementation of TPMS, but Pirelli has taken it a step further, putting a sensor package on the tire carcass itself. One implementation of the "Cyber Tire" is the "Lean," which harnesses power from the vibrations of the vehicle and beams information including tire pressure, temperature, and load to the vehicle's computer.

Cyber Tire Lean is setting things rolling for the eventual trotting out of full-blown Cyber Tire, which will be built into the tire. The high tech rubber will be more sophisticated and capable of communicating directly with stability control and anti-lock brakes to improve the effectiveness of dynamic safety systems. Cyber Tire will also carry a three-axis accelerometer that will facilitate real-time calculations of friction coefficients, contact force, and load. Pirelli is most proud of the edge the Cyber Tire will give the nanny systems to catch and correct idiotic driving faster than ever before.

p.s. Pirelli tires are the best tires I have ever bought for my car.

Source: Auto Channel

2010 Lotus Europa i6 concept

The Europa i6 concept study is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car inspired in terms of design by the classic Europa and Elite as well as by the latest Lotus models. The independent designer supports that ideally, the Europa i6 would weigh in at about 2,030 lbs (920 kg) with power coming from a 2.0-liter supercharged inline six-cylinder engine.

In theory, he says that the sports car would sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 7 sec (kind of slow...) and on to a top speed of 165 mph or 265 km/h. Leaving aside the theoretical technical specs, Idries’ take on a compact mid-engined Lotus sports coupe hits the spot. Too bad it exists only in the digital world, but I would really be surprised to see it on the streets someday.

Cars of Tennis Stars

Do you know which car is favourite with your favourite tennis players.With millions in the bank and automakers lining up to sign sponsorship deals, getting cars isn't the problem for top tennis pros, it's finding time to drive them.
Here is a list of the cars owned by famous tennis stars :
1.Ana Ivanovic - 2007 Peugeot 207
2.James Blake - 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo,2007 Lincoln Navigator,2004 Cadillac Escalade
3.Pam Shriver - 2005 Toyota Sienna
4.Maria Sharapova - 2008 Land Rover Range Rover,2008 Jaguar XK
5.Andre Agassi - Kia
6.Rafael Nadal - Kia
7.Roger Federer - Mercedes-Benz
8.Jennifer Capriati - Ferrari 360 Modena
9.Agnes Szavay - Audi A3 Cabriolet TDI
10.Jelena Jankovic - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe,2007 Porsche 911
11.Shahar Pe'er - 2008 Dodge Nitro,2006 Toyota Land Cruiser
12.Daniela Hantuchova - 2008 Porsche Cayenne,2002 Porsche Boxster,2005 Land
Rover Range Rover

Cars of Tennis Stars

2008 Cadillac CTS

2003 Cadillac Cien Concept Car

1939 La Salle Convertible

Coming Soon: The Mind Blasting Corvette ZR-1

The Corvette ZR-1 raises, at best, a polite eyebrow of interest on this side of the Atlantic. The Americans, on the other hand, have gone potty for it.

And you know what? This time, they're right.

In a nutshell, here's the deal. The ZR-1 has a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 doing 638bhp, and it weighs just 1518kg. It does 0-60 in 3.4, 0-125 in 10.3 seconds.

It tops out at 205. It has carbon brakes as standard. And it's not just a point and squirt machine. It has the current Nurburgring production-car lap record. Yup, faster than a GT-R or any Porsche. See why the Americans are excited?

We on the other hand have allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked by the fact that this is a supercar disguised as a regular £46-grand Corvette - a car with a steel frame and fibreglass panels.

This one costs £100,000 (about $120,000 in the U.S.) but for that you get an entirely different and very trick car: aluminium and magnesium frame, carbonfibre panels, magnetorheological adaptive suspension, the blower, titanium conrods, head-up display et cetera et cetera.

The performance is just sensational. The one gizmo it does without is a semi-auto box, and you have to cope with a mildly clunky manual shift. But you don't have to use it often because this engine is a hallucinogenic wall of torque.

The handling and grip do nothing to let the side down. In as much as a car so fiery can be amenable to a mutt like me, this one is. And anyway, you've got the well-tuned safety net of StabiliTrak (aren't the Americans great at hype? That's their name for what the boring Germans call ESP.)

I am very excited for the ZR-1, I can't wait to test one.

Rolls-Royce Phantom II

The famous Rolls-Royce Phantom II 'Star of India' dating 1934 is ornamented with models in appropriate dresses at the oldtimer trade fair 'Retro Classics' in Stuttgart, Germany. The luxury vehicle that was manufactured to be the state carriage for the Maharaja of Rajkot is worth an estimated double-digit millions sum.

Rolls-Royce Phantom II

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

Dashboard of the car

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe has a lightweight, but highly rigid all-aluminum spaceframe chassis. Its classic looks are due in part to a long hood, large-diameter wheels, and short front and long rear overhangs. Especially striking is its brushed steel hood and teak decking for the rear hood cover. Power is from a V12 engine, delivering 0-to-60 mile per hour acceleration of 5.7 seconds.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

Dashboard of the car

2008 Rolls Royce Phantom

Rolls-Royce of course means luxury, but it also means superlative engineering, witness the 2008 Rolls Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase. For example, while the suspension is tuned to deliver an extremely comfortable ride, it is also capable of providing taut, responsive handling. Rolls-Royce uses a complex double wishbone front suspension and sophisticated multi-link rear suspension with air springs and continuous electronic damping control. Driver-selectable ride-height adjustment insures plenty of clearance even on poorly surfaced roads.

2008 Rolls Royce Phantom

Bugati of Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes arriving by Bugati at the Los Angeles Fan Screening of "Mission Impossible III" held at Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Bugati of Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes arriving by Bugati at the Los Angeles Fan Screening of "Mission Impossible III" held at Grauman's Chinese Theater.

2006 BMW Sinister Six Show Car by Alpine

Take a look at the future, via this spectacular multi-media 2006 BMW Sinister Six Show Car. A super powerful Alpine car stereo with a 4 LCD screen interior insures a spectacular ride, even sitting still.

2006 BMW Sinister Six Show Car by Alpine

1938 BMW 328

1949 BMW Veritas Rennsport

Red and White BMW Mini Car

Nicely Modded Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X

It’s amazing what the right set of rims combined with a lower suspension can do to the appearance of a car. And although the owner of the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X, Ryan Gates, is actually setting the car up for track use and in particular, for the NASA TT-A class and the Street AWD class at select Redline Time Attacks, those absolutely stunning black-colored 18-inch rims could make any EVO X look totally sick.

See the rest of the pics here ---> Car Scoop

Insane Chinese Speed Block

The most simple and cost effective way to force drivers to slow down their pace is to add a speed bump on the road. An alternative solution is 3-dimensional speed bump images like the ones used in the city of Philadelphia –see here. But in the case of the local government in China’s ShanXi province, neither solution was good enough. Instead of using a speed bumps like the rest of the world, authorities decided to build a miniature version of the “Great Wall” in the form of a 30 meter (about 100 ft) long and 2.7 meter wide (approx 9 ft) ‘S’ shaped road barricaded with a 60 mm tall cement wall (around 2 ft).

According to reports from the Chinese media, the speed block has surpassed the local government’s expectations as not only did it slow down drivers, but it has actually created massive traffic jams on a daily basis… And if that isn’t enough of a problem, due to the fact that the road is so narrow and twisty, a large number of drivers have ended up scrapping their vehicles on the cement wall.

2006 BMW X3 Recall

GM has announced that they will be recalling certain models of the 2008 C Series Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick trucks equipped with caterpillar C9 diesel engines. They stated that the fuel pump pipe impede hype may be cracked which could trigger fuel to spray and leak. Fuel seepage, in the poise of an ignition fund, could findings in a fire. General Motors is running with Caterpillar. Caterpillar will swap the fuel pump section unbound of indict. Owners may link Caterpillar at 1-800-447-4986, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463 or GM landlord highlight at.

2008 HONDA ELEMENT Recall

Honda has announced that they will recalling certain models of the 2008 Honda Element. They avowed the, the front bushing rank of the left trailing arm of the rear suspension may have been improperly welded and could detach from the trailing arm. A separated bushing bracket could cause the suspension to delivery the junior portion of the controls hub, causing a failure of influence and harm to the brake technique which could pilot to a fail. Owners will be contacted by telephone and advised to hinder lashing their vehicle awaiting they have full their vehicle to a dealer for inspection. Dealers will inspect the left rear trailing arm and, if needed, trade it gratis of price. The withdraw is likely to arise during July 2008.

2005 DODGE RAM 3500 Recall

Chrysler has announced that they will be recalling certain models of the 2005 Dodge Ram 3500. They avowed that on certain restart trucks equipped with diesel engines and routine transmissions, in a stab to exit the vehicle hurriedly lacking closing off the engine and removing the key, the driver may inadvertently defer the routine spell manage in showed undo. This error is an unintended action that may product in a need of transmission square pawl engagement and probably delayed backward travel of the vehicle. Dealers will preform a software modification to equip these vehicles with an out of commons dread.

2007 HONDA VT600C SHADOW VLX Recall

Honda has announced that they will be recalling certain models of the 2007 Honda VT600C Shadow VLX. They avowed that on certain passenger vehicles and motorcycles, the owners manuals delimit imprecise information for the native highway travel security administrations (NHTSA) vehicle wellbeing hot line. The idiom in the owners manuals is not in accordance with the stream mandatory requirements. Honda will hurl a postcard to dealers and owners with the truthful NHTSA vehicle wellbeing hot line information and with instructions to enclosure the license into the “exposure safety defects” divide of the owners manual. Owners may friend Honda at 1-800-999-1009, Acura at 1-800-382-2238 or Honda motorcycles at 1-866-784-1870.

Team HUMMER driver Emily Miller is an Ironwoman

Last weekend, Emily Miller of Rod Hall Racing was out to become the first Ironwoman in the history of the TSCO Vegas to Reno off-street rush to finish the rough competition solo. To do so, she'd have to maneuver the, her H2 the complete 457-mile separate. She did it in a time of 16:40.30 after having stumped the front passenger sweep at mile 80 and having to rebuild the front end. And she still came in third in the routine-inclusive hall. Teammate Chad Hall took first in a H3 Alpha, and was the first production vehicle to intersect the line. The other Halls -- Rod and Josh -- also took first in their respective module. Congratulations to Emily, -- and if you're looking for her at hope races, she'll maybe be the one bearing a wrap. Thanks for the tip, 4x4 King!

2009 Ford Falcon could go front-wheel drive

"You guys are obsessed with rear controls appeal," Alan Mulally mused to the Australian prosecute after a browbeating about which pair of wheels might thrust the Falcon into the coming. Try as they might, the Ford Chief would not be pinned down about the skeleton architecture of impending Falcons, aphorism only that the option would be buyer ambitious, and plugging front and all-circle send vehicles as "cute spectacular." Mulally is right that Ford's worldwide boost to put exceptional small cars in showrooms is what the automaker's focus is and should be. The Falcon has long fallen off its sales acme from the quiet time of two decades ago, and while Mulally agrees that it's "an absolutely destroy vehicle," small cars in the hope will crutch up the more function-y vehicles like the FG Falcon. Mulally went onto say that Australia will serve as an engineering and significance development station for Ford, and the big-vehicle aptitude in Oz will be practical regardless of present. As Ford pulls its total platforms together, the Ranger and Focus will come at us from Australia, too.

While we all hope we could load our driveways with a FPV GT generous Paul Stanley eye frame and Boss V8 motivation, we're not share our breath. Ford doesn't look to be next GMs advantage bringing its Australian cars stateside, and the V8s time may be numbered. Mulally acknowledged that fuel efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions are departing to be tremendously important departure onward, which will expected spur an alter to lesser four- and six-cylinder powerplants with forced induction portion as the performance option. A FG FPV with an Ecoboost four underhood? Heck, we'd still take it - it's sure to be better than the mush-tastic fleet-only Crown Victoria.

2009 BMW M-tuned X5 and X6 in Spartanburg

Despite former assertions to the divergent, all indications are now that BMW is preparing its first batch of M-tuned sport-utilities, including a X5 M and X6 M. Advancing-period examine mules for both have now been spied by an earnest photographer right here in the United States, at BMW's Performance Center suffering footprint in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The prototype X5 and X6 M have enlarged air intakes with fair LED headlamps up front and aerodynamic rear bumpers with square pipes poking out the back. The trademark M section feature gills have been camouflaged, but the exhaust remarks are a reported inert steal: the X5 M prototype sounding like a twin-turbo V8, while the X6 M sounds more like a V10 or V12. The appearance of the M-tuned crossovers on American soil instead of on the Nurburgring gives us an idea of just who BMW will be targeting with the performance sport-utes. Check out all the spy shots in our arcade below and hit up the font for two spy videos. Mad props to PalBay for the tip and the shots!

2009 Cadillac CTS-V performance test published

It's been over 60 days since the Americans have so thoroughly conquered the Germans, but Inside Line has the figures to show it. The Edmunds news overhaul had a chance to take the new Cadillac CTS-V (which we're major in minion New York as we converse) and it's supercharged V8 for a spin around GM's Milford proving reason and brought along its difficult gear. The resultant bombardment should to have the Germans thoroughly embarrassed and rebuilding for decades to come.

The CTS-V ran the part mile in a scant 12.5 seconds, besting the 12.7 it takes for either the BMW M5 or the Mercedes E63 AMG. Getting back to a standstill was another hit to the Bimmer and the Benz, with the Caddy stopping from 60-0 mph in 109 feet – five feet minus than it takes the M5 and six shorter than the AMG. And if your belief that brakes and warrant are cool to upgrade and that the Cadillac couldn't probably best the Germans on the managing course, think again: the CTS-V ran the slalom at 71.1 mph, while the M5 and E63 ran it in 68.5 and 65 mph respectively. Deutschland über alles indeed.

2008 Jeep Compass Sport 4x2

We weren't actually constant what objective Jeep course when it introduced the Compass in 2007. Building on a mutual platform with the Dodge Caliber, the Compass goes against what we usually think a Jeep should be – tough, tough, clever, and... Well... Settle. The departure from classic Jeep styling hasn't normal rave reviews, and the interior has been a well of complaints, as well. Does the Compass deserve the review it's been receiving? We designed to find out and safe a 2008 4x2 Sport brand for the Autoblog Garage.

We weren't certain what incline our Compass would be, but we indeed weren't expectant Sunburst Orange Pearl. The paint is new for 2008, and while we don't think it'll be check off very regularly on options lean, it did open to grow on us after a the being. Other upgrades for the 2008 classical year enter chromed clasp knobs, interior door handles, and radio knobs, as well as a weary anxiety monitoring practice, existing navigation logic on the Limited mold, and the AutoStick appear now comes with the CVT2 transmission. Our particular Compass was optioned with the Group "E" packet ($2,115) that adds premium cloth bucket seats, remote keyless account, carpeted flooring mats, illuminated record, and more. The Security and Convenience embalm, CVTII transmission, and all land tires brought the absolute MSRP to $22,265.

Coming to America: Street legal KTM X-Bow

Although KTM has been making motorcycles since 1934, it's new to the car business. Evidently, no one told them that if you're going to go back on something you said in the auto business, it's supposed to be really disappointing. Instead, KTM has announced its intention to bring the X-Bow track car to the United States and make it street-legal to boot, despite previously saying that the X-Bow would only be sold in Europe and Asia and that it would be confined to the track.

The announcement was made by KTM sales and marketing chief Hubert Trunkenpolz at the recent annual gathering of KTM bike dealers from across North America in Salt Lake City, Utah. Apparently the company has received some 600+ requests from American KTM dealers for the X-Bow to make the transatlantic trip. Trunkenpolz (now we just like saying Trunkenpolz) noted that they will need cooperation from Volkswagen/Audi, who supplies the running gear, and from local authorities, but that the company "will do whatever is possible to bring the car to the U.S. – that, I promise."

Source: DealerNews

Blog Archive