Ford Displays Healing Heroes Network Shelby...

Motor Authority - blog Tag: auto

  • Bugatti Veyron Complete With F1 Numberplate Makes Debut

    Bugatti Veyron Complete With F1 Numberplate Makes Debut October 20th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, October 20th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 7 Comments

    Bugatti Veyron Complete With F1 Numberplate Makes Debut

    The worlds most expensive Bugatti Veyron, complete with F1 numberplate, is destined to be one of the highlights of next month's MPH prestige and performance auto show in the UK.

    The car belongs to Afzal Kahn, the figure behind bespoke tuning firm Project Kahn and the same man who bought the exclusive F1 numberplate last year for the princely sum of £440,625 ($721,743).

    If ever the phrase if you need to ask the price, you cant afford it was appropriate its now, but at the right price the car could be up for sale, according to Kahn.

    Kahn is hoping that his soft white 253 mph supercar catches the eye of newly crowned Formula One champion...

    The worlds most expensive Bugatti Veyron, complete with F1 numberplate, is destined to be one of the highlights of next month's MPH prestige and performance auto show in the UK. The car belongs to Afzal Kahn, the figure behind bespoke tuning firm Project Kahn and the same man who bought the exclusive F1 numberplate last year for the princely sum of £440,625 ($721,743). If ever the phrase if you need to ask the price, you cant afford it was appropriate its now, but at the right price the car could be up for sale, according to Kahn. Kahn is hoping that his soft white 253 mph supercar catches the eye of newly crowned Formula One champion Jenson Button since it features the most expensive number plate sold in the UK. Capable of catapulting the driver to 62 mph from rest in less than three seconds, past 100 mph in 5.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 253 mph, this particular Bugatti Veyron has no close modern rivals in terms of price tags. Other cars that come close and are also set to appear at the MPH event include the unique GTbyCitroen concept car, several models from Pagani and Koenigsegg, as well as a Ferrari FXX. Read More

  • Driving Shoes For Life In The Fast Lane

    Driving Shoes For Life In The Fast Lane September 30th, 2009 By Robert Dillman Robert Dillman, September 30th, 2009 Robert Dillman 2 Comments

    Driving Shoes For Life In The Fast Lane

    The art of driving has been around since before the days of alcohol bootleggers and even the first Le Mans race. To some, it’s a sacred skill passed down from prior generations, while to a rare few it just comes naturally.

    For the average auto enthusiast, there are many modifications that can be made to your car and driving skills--all the way down to your feet. Special driving shoes have become quite popular amongst the car community. From rally drivers to morning commuters and everyone in between, almost everybody has their favorite shoes for driving.

    In fact, today there are shoe companies that specialize only in driving shoes and...

    The art of driving has been around since before the days of alcohol bootleggers and even the first Le Mans race. To some, it’s a sacred skill passed down from prior generations, while to a rare few it just comes naturally. For the average auto enthusiast, there are many modifications that can be made to your car and driving skills--all the way down to your feet. Special driving shoes have become quite popular amongst the car community. From rally drivers to morning commuters and everyone in between, almost everybody has their favorite shoes for driving. In fact, today there are shoe companies that specialize only in driving shoes and apparel. Companies like Piloti, Sparco, G-Force, Simpson, and even skateboard brand D.C. are all cranking out different styles and colors of racing-type shoes. So why are these shoes so popular and what do they offer? For starters, they look great. Most are made from stylish leather, suede, Alcantara and even carbon-fiber. Also, the manufacturers provide many color schemes and designs to match any vehicle. The biggest luxury that driving shoes offer is their light weight, slim design and comfort--huge details for somebody that uses heel to toe downshifting on a regular basis, or constantly needs to throw down those left-footed braking techniques. To meet these needs, most driving shoes are constructed with rounded heels and springy toes to help drivers better maneuver through the pedals. The arch and heels are also reinforced with plastics so your feet won’t get tired during long drives. Don’t worry though, these things are actually pretty comfortable and can be worn outside of the car. The only downside to specialized driving shoes is the cost. While there are some bargains in the $50 range (for older or discontinued styles), most will set you back $80 to $200 for a pair. If you take care of them, however, they should last the lifetime of your car. For a complete list of different styles and prices of driving shoes, do a quick internet search or you can check out SafeRacer (www.saferacer.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com) for some specials. Read More

  • Your Spin: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Is No Car of the Year

    Your Spin: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Is No Car of the Year August 21st, 2009 ByKinder Essington Kinder Essington, August 21st, 2009 Kinder Essington 11 Comments

    Your Spin: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Is No Car of the Year

    Editor's note: High Gear Media wants you to write for us. Here's what happens when you do--you get published alongside the pros, if your post is smart, well-written and has the grammar goods. Congratulations to Kinder Essington for being the first-ever High Gear Media enthusiast to be published on one of our core sites--TheCarConnection, Motor Authority, GreenCarReports and CelebsandCars. Want to be the next? We have 39 sites waiting for your words--check them out, sign up, and join us in the auto world's fast lane.

    First, let's get one thing straight. The new 2010 Ford Taurus is light years ahead of the most recent model, and with its...

    Editor's note: High Gear Media wants you to write for us. Here's what happens when you do--you get published alongside the pros, if your post is smart, well-written and has the grammar goods. Congratulations to Kinder Essington for being the first-ever High Gear Media enthusiast to be published on one of our core sites--TheCarConnection, Motor Authority, GreenCarReports and CelebsandCars. Want to be the next? We have 39 sites waiting for your words--check them out, sign up, and join us in the auto world's fast lane. First, let's get one thing straight. The new 2010 Ford Taurus is light years ahead of the most recent model, and with its fresh looks and ground-breaking technologies, it is most in keeping with the spirit of the original Taurus of 1986.  But naming its EcoBoosted model the SHO indicates a total misunderstanding of the brand. The original SHO Taurus (I owned two in a row) was a visceral machine. It was powered by version of the standard 3.0 liter Vulcan V-6 re-engineered by Yamaha featuring among other things a long and a sort set of intake runners.  Below 3,500 RPM, the long runners provided good torque characteristics, which made the car very tractable around town.  But when the short runners opened up above 3,500, the whole car took on a different character...the engine howled, vibrations shot through the car and it lept toward the rev limiter.  The engine itself was good for some 8,000 RPM, but the accessories (alternator, power steering pump etc) whold have turned to road shrapnel.  This powerplant put 225 hp through a front-drive system at a time when 200 hp was considered the front-drive max. Add to this the amazing inclusion of a five-speed manual transmission, which was engineered into the original vehicle because fleet cars of the day were required to offer a four-cylinder and a manual transmission--a Taurus version that never sold to anybody. Without this fleet car feature, the original SHO would never have been the cult success it was (even though the ratios left much to be desired). (Ed. note--the manual on the SHO was different from the four-cylinder manual.) Then enter the DN101 Taurus of 1996.  The SHO name was carried over to a new, V-8-powered car with an automatic transmission.  No manual available.  I drove this car on the Dearborn track and was sorely disappointed. It was a heavier car. The performance off the line was adequate, but in the mid-range, where the old SHO did its Jekyll/Hyde act, the new car felt flat. And with no manual to play with, the new SHO was just a V-8-powered car. At the time I described the old car as a home-built hydroplane with a screaming Mercury outboard clamped to the stern, while the new car was more like a vintage mahogany speedboat...fast but stately. I pleaded with my compatriots to ask that the SHO moniker be dropped and the car sold simply as a V-8-powered Taurus (minus the effective but dorky-looking spoiler). Of course I was ignored and the DN101 Taurus was soon discontinued. The 2010 Taurus SHO is an even heavier car, the characteristics of the powerplant have been described as smooth and linear and again, no manual transmission. In other words, it's no SHO. And finally, it seems to me that the EcoBoost brand is a lot more important to Ford's future than is SHO (the EcoBoosted 2010 Ford Flex carries no SHO designation), so the emphasis should be there, not on some old promise of explosive excitement which also happens to be missing in the new car. Now a good question is, should a marketing blunder be cause for not winning the NACOTY? An overpromise or a mis-promise is as much a failure as bad brakes. These days you need great cars and insightful marketing to qualify for greatness, not one or the other. -------------------------------- Write your own car blog at High Gear Media! Sign up to write and tell car enthusiasts and shoppers what you think about your vehicle or today's car news and get published to High Gear Media sites like AllSmallCars, LexusReports, FamilyCarGuide and more! Read More