best-cars-wallpaper88: Agustus 2012

Jumat, 24 Agustus 2012

Are Nürburgring Lap Times the Best Way for Carmakers to Flaunt Their Performance Credentials?

If you’re reading this, chances are that you’ve at least heard of a place called the Nürburgring. Constructed in 1927, the Nordschleife, which translates to North Circuit in English, is located in Germany about 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Frankfurt in the heart of the Eifel Mountains.

Three-time world Formula 1 champion Jackie Stewart gave it its “Green Hell” nickname. Niki Lauda nearly lost his life in a fiery accident at the 1976 Grand Prix. The Austrian, however, was lucky as 68 drivers perished in accidents during those years. The Nordschleife was subsequently banned from the F1 calendar.

The track stretches across 12.9 miles (20.8 km) and incorporates 73 corners, most of which call for experienced drivers. If you get it wrong, you’re more likely than not to end up in the Armco, in which case, not only will you have to fork out money to repair your vehicle, but also to fix any damages you may have caused to the circuit.

Our Russian tipster tells us that in this video we see a student getting way over his (or her) head during a driving lesson in a Lada 112 liftback in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny.

Though we cannot verify if it was the teacher or the student controlling the wheel, fact is that the driver was going much faster that he or she should have, especially given the traffic on the road.

These are teaser drawings of Kahn Design's upcoming 2012 Concept 17 Defender project that will be revealed within the next couple of months.

The exterior components of the package will comprise "a four piece arch kit", by which we assume Kahn Design means the front and rear fender attachments, along with an exhaust system, spare wheel cover, mud flaps, optional bullet proof, a unique paint job and new 18-inch wheels.

Here's an audio quiz for you: do you think that the Jaguar F-Type prototype filmed here testing on the Nordschleife is sporting one of the two versions of the brand's 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engines or the 5.0-liter supercharged V8?

Before we let you hear the sounds in the spy video below, we'll remind you that the 3.0-liter six-cylinder unit will be offered in two guises, with 335hp (340PS) and 375hp (380PS), while Jaguar has still not told us how much power will be generated by the V8 unit found in the flagship 'R' version.

It was only in July that Honda gave us a second look at the European specification version of its new CR-V, but the Japanese carmaker wants us to take a better and closer glimpse at the compact crossover with a new batch of high-resolution images – 95 to be precise.

The new gallery also includes shots of the available range of genuine accessories such as the two-tone alloy wheels, aero kits (as pictured above), chrome trim parts and more.

It's been a while since Ford debuted the new 2013 Explorer Sport at this year's New York Auto Show, and even though the company released pricing in June, we still didn't know how strong the SUV's 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine was with the Blue Oval simply stating that "it makes at least 350hp".

On Friday, Ford announced that the performance version of its new Explorer series is certified at 365-horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, the same as the Taurus SHO, which is motivated by the same 3.5-liter turbocharged V6.

Yes, it's another police incident from Florida – it seems we're having a lot of those lately. This time, we have a Sarasota Sheriff Deputy who was convinced that the passengers of an older generation Jaguar XJ were smoking pot -and lots of it- while driving on the road.

This incident took place on a Friday night in May, but the dash-cam footage from the patrol car was released this week.

In the police report, Sarasota Sheriff's Deputy Dominic Fornal noted that he was following the 2003 Jaguar on the highway at speeds of around 30-35mph (49-56km/h) and that with his patrol car's windows rolled down, he could smell "strong and distinct odor of unburned cannabis" coming out of the British sedan.

The race-liveried 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium sedan pictured above will serve as the official pace car during the NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend that takes place in Homestead, Florida, at the Miami Speedway, from November 16 to 18. Read more »

Steve Sutcliffe Tries to Find out if the Ferrari FF will Drift

Normally, there would be no point in asking if a Ferrari model can drift, but then again, Maranello brand's new FF supercar isn't your typical Ferrari.

For starters, it comes with standard four-wheel drive (a first for a Ferrari model), which isn't an ideal setup for powerslides, and then there's the fact that the four-seater, shooting brake-style Ferrari weighs in at close to two tonnes.

Cue the ominous music; one of the most highly anticipated new models to make its way from Detroit, the upcoming 2014MY Chevrolet C7 Corvette, will soon enter production.

Although we’ve seen it speculatively animated and spied, Chevrolet has been tight lipped on any details regarding the future model before what we expect to be a 2013 Detroit Auto Show revealing.

The Lexus CT 200h premium compact model has only been in the market in the U.S. since March of 2011, so the Japanese automaker has applied minimal changes to the hybrid hatchback for the new model year.

These include the addition of two new exterior colors, Silver Lining Metallic and the Ultra White that is available in combination with the F SPORT package.

Looking for a parking spot in a crowded city can be a nightmare, and even though this problem can be solved by buying or renting a space for your car, one upscale apartment building in Singapore is really stepping up the ante by offering buyers a special treat with garages connected to their homes.

Enter the pricey world of Singapore's Hamilton Scotts 'Sky Garage Apartments', which includes one elevator for residents and another for their vehicles.

Following the events of Pebble Beach, Lamborghini of Newport Beach, California, took hold of the world's only Sesto Elemento in order to ring in the grand opening of their brand new showroom.

The Sesto Elemento, as you may remember, is a concept that previews a forthcoming production model that will cost around $2.2 million (€1.75 million) with only 20 examples to be built.

Subaru's British arm is feeling generous these days as the company has just slashed the price of the base WRX STI model by a whopping £6,000 (€7,600 or US$9,500) to £26,995 (€34,200 or US$42,700).

At this price point, the 296bhp (300PS) 2.5-liter turbocharged WRX STI costs £2,000 more than the base trim-level BRZ SE and only £500 more than BRZ Lux edition with a manual gearbox.

The redesigned for the 2013 model year Ram 1500 pickup truck now claims to be the most fuel-efficient model in the full-size segment when fitted with the base 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine coupled to a new (and standard) 8-speed automatic transmission.

With this setup, the lighter and more aerodynamic 2013 Ram 1500 is said to return 18mpg (13.1 lt/100km) in the city and 25mpg (9.4lt/100km) in highway driving.

If you take a close look at these pictures, you will probably conclude that the only things that separate this Nissan Micra from the regular model are the "ELLE" magazine badges and the beautiful models (not included in the package) posing around the car – and for the most part, you will be right. Read more »

Kamis, 23 Agustus 2012

2013 Honda Accord Filmed Rolling Down the Road, Plus Details on Trim Levels and Standard Features

The 2013 Honda Accord is on its way to North American dealerships as the Japanese carmaker started series production of the mid-size model at its Ohio assembly plant on Monday, August 20.

In fact, one of the first 2013 Accord sedans has already arrived at the Hagerstown Honda dealership in Maryland, which not only released a video with photos of a beige example filled with balloons to hide the interior, but also announced specific details on the available trim levels and the standard features that you can check out after the jump.

The countdown for the unveiling of the all-important seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf officially started this week with a media presentation in Germany where the automaker outlined the most important features of the compact model.

While we've already reported on the highlights of the Golf Mk7, we now have several high-resolution photos that were released during the presentation and which include a teaser sketch of the car (unfortunately still) under covers, its new MQB platform / body structure and some images from VW's factory that will produce the car.

We also discovered a video on YouTube with some additional screen shots including one that shows all seven generations of the Golf with bullet points emphasizing the most important new features introduced by each model.

Common sense says that if you must perform a motorcycle wheelie, you should at least avoid placing yourself or any other person in danger, which means stay away from public roads and places.

While this rider showed complete disregard about the safety of the people standing on the road only a short distance in front of him, he got what he deserved when the wheelie he tried to pull off went sour and he crashed down from the bike.

The Soul has proved to be a major sales success for Kia, especially in the U.S. where it's the South Korean automaker's second bestselling model with 73,698 deliveries in the first seven months of the year (up 13.2 % from the same period in 2011), trailing only the Optima, which sold 86,475 cars.

One of the Soul's main selling points is its boxy looks, and that's a recipe Kia is willing to change as proved by these fresh spy shots of the next generation of the compact model.

These images suggest that while the new Soul likely rides on a slightly longer wheelbase and has grown in length, the basic shape and styling characteristics of the urban crossover remain unchanged.

Some things that stand out on this prototype is the re-sculptured profile and the updated front and rear ends that appear to borrow certain design cues from the Track'ster Concept shown at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year.

It was only back in June when we saw the 1,000 wheel-horsepower R1KX Nissan GT-R by Switzer make its initial debut as an “everyday” driver.

More recently, an all-new R1KX draped in a candy apple paint job completed an impressive 8.97 second, 163 mph (262km/h) quarter mile run at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

These are the first official images of the new Renault Scala, a compact-sized saloon aimed at the Indian market.

In exactly the same way that the Renault Pulse supermini is a re-badged version of the Nissan Micra, the Scala is a Renault-faced iteration of the Nissan Sunny, which is sold in North America as the Nissan Versa sedan.

Life is smiling at you when you’re dating a reality show TV star and driving a sparkling Rosso Corsa Ferrari 458 Spider at the age of 28. But all this doesn’t mean that you’re above the law.

Unfortunately, Julien Chabbott thought otherwise, since he was caught on camera driving said Ferrari over an NYPD officer’s foot while being handed a parking ticket.

Now Felix Recio, the officer who was run over by Chabbott, has hired lawyer Sal Strazzullo and is upping the stakes. “Chabbott clearly had no regard for officer Recio’s life”, Strazzullo told The New York Post. “Hitting him with his Ferrari could have caused serious injuries or death”, he added.

Two of the most talked about Lexus-branded sports cars of recent years came together for a unique photo shoot that was also captured on film by the Japanese carmaker for our enjoyment.

The LFA, Lexus' first ever attempt in the supercar segment, boasts a high-revving 4.8-liter V10 engine mounted up front that generates 552bhp in standard trim and 562-horses for the Nürburgring Edition model. Lexus built only 500 examples of the LFA.

The saga with Consumer Reports’ ongoing hatred with the MyFord touch control system present in most new Fords continues.

Beginning back in 2011 with the Ford Edge, Consumer Reports (CR) decided against their “recommended buy” status claiming responsibility to the then all-new MyFord Touch system.

Now, in a latest article entitled “Why the MyFord touch control system stinks,” CR author Eric Evarts describes the less than simple to use touch screen control systems now present in most 2013 Ford and Lincoln models.

It's no secret that Ferrari has banned auto journalist Chris Harris from driving its press cars after a rant back in 2011 where he revealed, among other things, that the Italian company "custom-tunes" its vehicles for track tests and media purposes.

However, just because Harris is pissed off with the way Ferrari's people try to manipulate the motoring press doesn't mean he has a beef with Maranello's cars – at least not with the regular models.

The last time we saw Volkswagen engineers testing the Golf R Cabriolet, they were trying out a prototype that used the GTI's body.

Now, our man with the long lens snagged a prototype wearing its production-ready body complete with the distinctive "R" style front bumper and alloy wheels, and even the "R" logos on the front grille and the lower part of the trunk.

Everyone’s favorite little roadster, the Mazda MX-5, is now available with an all new race-spec model as a customer car for the base price of GBP 125,000 (€157,800 or US$198,300).

The MX-5 GT4 is the track only version of the standard MX-5. Developed in partnership with Jota Sport, the special edition pays homage to the overall success of the GT4 racer in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship.

A police officer from Pensacola, Florida, was fired and arrested this week following a violent incident in which he slammed a female driver into her latest generation Chevrolet Camaro.

The video footage from Officer Christopher Geraci's vehicle shows the 33-year-old cop talking to Abbi Bonds, 29, who he had found on the side of the road talking on her cell phone.

Geraci approached the woman on suspicion of being involved in two hit-and-run incidents that occurred in the early-morning hours of August 2, according to her arrest report.

Technically, the current generation of the Chevrolet Cruze went on sale in the United States and Canada in the fall of 2010 as a 2011 model, but the compact sedan model was first introduced as the Daewoo Lacetti in South Korea in 2008 before GM discarded the Daewoo nameplate and replaced it worldwide with the bow-tie brand.

Therefore, for General Motors, the Cruze has essentially entered its fourth year in production, which means the company has already started work on its replacement.

The new Impreza-based Subaru XV Crosstrek will soon go on sale in the United States with a starting MSRP of $21,995 for the Premium and $24,495 for the better equipped Limited edition, excluding a destination fee (*) that will cost you an additional $795. Read more »

Toyota GT 86 Comes Face-to-Face with its 1980s AE86 Predecessor

The Toyota GT 86 and its Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ siblings are all the talk these days with video comparisons popping left and right every week, sometimes even more often.

While Chris Harris recently tested the GT 86 against the closely priced Nissan 370Z and a used Porsche Cayman S, Autoexpress magazine's Owen Mildenhall took a different approach by comparing the rear-wheel drive sports coupe against its forefather and the car that inspired its creation, the Corolla Levin AE86 from the 1980s.

Back in March, we reported that Mazda would be giving the boot to their awkwardly positioned CX-7 crossover in the U.S. in order to bring the CX-5 to the market.

The CX-7, pitted between the CX-5 and CX-9 in the Mazda lineup, fell short of projected sales throughout its lifetime ringing in only about 2,000 units per month for 2012 in the U.S., and only about 800-1,000 units per year in the UK.

The collaboration between the Daimler and the Renault-Nissan groups that began in spring of 2010 seems to be working better than expected, as the two automotive companies are now reportedly getting ready to add new projects to their partnership.

According to a news report from German business daily Financial Times Deutschland (FTD), Daimler is mulling building compact Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with partner Renault-Nissan from 2016 in Eastern Europe to further reduce development costs and increase production volumes.

Earlier this month, we brought you the first spy shots of the soon-to-be revealed Opel Astra-based convertible model (to be sold as a Vauxhall in the UK) wearing its production body while undergoing hot weather testing in Southern Europe with its top closed.

If you happen to be wondering what the prototype version of the new Opel model will look like with its traditional fabric roof tucked neatly away under a tonneau cover behind the rear seats, we have good news for you as our scoopsters spotted the firm's engineers enjoying the summer weather on the Nürburgring.

Most people would secretly like to believe that there's a little Superman hiding inside us. Take this driver, for example, who tried to stop a runaway bus from rolling into the road (allegedly somewhere in Russia) by holding on to the windscreen wipers.

As it turns out, there's not much your average human can do to stop a 15-ton vehicle when it’s on a roll.

Alfa Romeo is expanding its MiTo and Giulietta offerings in Britain with the addition of a new trim grade named "Sportiva".

In the MiTo supermini, the Sportiva builds on the Distinctive trim adding a host of features with Alfa Romeo claiming that customers benefit from £1,500 worth of option upgrades for just £750 more OTR.

Some six years after the market introduction of the Freelander 2, which is called the LR2 in North America, and two years since its previous facelift, Land Rover has once again refined its compact SUV with a discreet nip and tuck and the presentation of a new turbocharged petrol engine for select markets.

The exterior makeover for the Freelander 2 / LR2 brings more contemporary-looking lights with LED technology on both ends, a new finish for the front grille and fog lights, plus new alloy wheel designs and an available body styling package.

Land Rover has also added three new colors to the range of the 2013 model named 'Aintree Green', 'Havana' and 'Mauritius Blue'.

There's a lot more going inside where Land Rover redesigned the center console that now hosts a new 7-inch color touch-screen that controls a series of functions including an available navigation system and a premium Meridian audio system offered with a choice of 380W or 825W.

New Ferrari F70 V12 Hybrid Hypercar Through the Eyes of David Williams

No thanks to the extensive efforts of Ferrari's engineers to keep all prototypes of the Enzo's replacement (codenamed F70) safe from prying eyes, there's a lot of speculation about what Maranello's next top model will look like.

Independent artist David Williams from Sydney, Australia, whom we first heard about this past June through his Ferrari 365 Turin design concept, took a good look at Ferrari's test cars and put his imagination to work to create his own vision of the F70.

Before we let you check out Williams' well-executed renderings in the gallery below, we'll remind you that the new F70 is slated to debut before the end of the year and go on sale in 2013.

The rear wheel-drive flagship from Maranello will sport a hybrid powerplant linking a mid-mounted 7.3-liter V12 naturally aspirated V12 rated at around 800-horses to a dual-clutch transmission and a pair of electric motors with about 120hp for a total system output in excess of 900 ponies.

Like the rest of the motoring press, experienced road test editor Chris Harris has already driven the Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S in the US) during its official launch in Spain. To say he came out all-enthusiastic would probably be an understatement; Harris was raving.

Cars, however, are not only judged on their own but against their rivals as well. Harris decided to test the GT86 on English roads to see if it feels as good as it did at the Spanish track six months ago. He also brought some stiff competition for good measure.

With all the commotion and news going around about the regular versions of the seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf that will premiere at the Paris Motor Show next month, it's easy to forget that the Germans are also working on several other variants including a flagship sports model with the 'R' moniker.

Our spies didn't forget and kept a lookout for any suspicious looking Golf prototypes. Their diligence paid off this week as they snagged the first photos of a Golf R prototype while testing in Europe.

Something tells us that even if the driver featured in the above screen shot and the first video after the break tried to repeat this feat, he probably wouldn't succeed.

The man in the white sedan looks like he wasn't paying attention to the road and clipped the black Opel Astra in front him, which pushed the car on its two wheels on the driver's side for a few seconds before it landed safely on the ground.

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk says he wants to shift 5,000 examples of the new Model S electric saloon this year and four times that in 2013. It's a very ambitious target so, naturally, any endorsement is more than welcome; especially if it comes from the nation’s largest auto retailer.

Labeling it, “a first-rate car” and “the best electric car I've ever driven", does the job nicely, thank you. That’s exactly what AutoNation Inc. CEO Mike Jackson said after driving the car during his visit to a showroom near Tesla’s HQ on August 15, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Norwich-based firm Trident Performance Vehicles isn't your usual car manufacturer and its new Iceni Grand Tourer is far from being a normal sports car, not only because of its strange looks but mostly due to the company's decision to pack a 6.6-litre turbo-diesel under its hood.

The Iceni Grand Tourer is a newer development of the regular Iceni and it will make its debut at the UK's Salon Privé 2012, which is held at West London’s Syon Park from September 5 to 7.

The sportier looking 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS equipped with GM's 1.4-liter Ecotec turbocharged gasoline engine will begin production in U.S. this October and arrive in dealerships shortly after with a starting price of $20,995 when equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox.

If you prefer not to press a clutch to change gears, there's also a six-speed automatic transmission version priced at $22,280. In both cases, the price includes destination charges.

Jumat, 24 Agustus 2012

Kamis, 23 Agustus 2012

Rabu, 22 Agustus 2012