2011
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Tuners of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your taste! That seems to be rallying cry of a large segment of those of us that, in one way or another, center our lives around cars. Here's a list of ways to know if you're one of them. We hope you're not, but we understand, and forgive you, if you are. Say hi to The Fonz for us. 1) Your car has more exposed carbon than paint, yet it's never seen a track. (Mansory Chopster pictured). 2) Your car was customized by Mansory. See above. Or here. Or here. Or here. OK, the Mansory bashing is over. Time to vent our frustrations on one (other)...
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Aston Martin Auctioning Rapide To Aid JapanIt’s been two months since the Japan earthquake disaster but the effects, especially on the auto industry, are still being felt all around the world. Aston Martin is showing its full support for the island nation, with its CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez announcing plans to auction his Rapide company car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Star Of Honda Ad Gets Lousy Deal From A Honda DealerWe tend to think that company spokespeople get a better deal in showrooms than the rest of us. For example, GM gave Tiger Woods a free ride -- many of them, in fact -- when he was Buick's shill. And although we can't say for sure, we have to believe that Mike Rowe gets more than a firm handshake...
Richard Read -
End Of The Road For The Cadillac STSThe very last Cadillac STS has rolled off the production line at the car’s plant in Lansing, Michigan earlier this month, paving the way for the plant to be retooled for the upcoming ATS compact sedan due to hit the streets late next year. As we’ve known for some time, Cadillac is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
David Beckham Crashes Cadillac Escalade On California’s 405 FreewayCelebrity soccer player David Beckham is no stranger to this site, having turned up in reports surrounding his ever-changing collection of luxury and performance cars since 2007. Now the Los Angeles Galaxy star has suffered a crash, managing to rear end another driver on one of the country’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Hennessey V650 2011 CTS-V Sport Wagon Is Badass: VideoThere's no point mincing words here. The Hennessey V650 builds on the already brutally effective CTS-V Wagon with another 100 horsepower, an electronic exhaust dump, and more. Yes, that's right: 658 horsepower, 661 pound-feet of torque. Those stats enable some other impressive figures: 0-60 mph in...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi is at the forefront of LED lighting on road cars, and the German maker is now ready to reap the benefits in racing too. The company has announced that it intends to use LED lighting technology on its 2011 Le Mans contender, the R18 TDI. The new closed-cockpit racer, designed with the intention of continuing Audi's staggering Le Mans success, will take lighting to the next level with a full LED lens unit. Last year's R15 TDI racer used a combination of Xenon and LED lights. There are several reasons that Audi wants to use LEDs. The first is reliability. LED lights last much longer than...
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This Saturday, Chevrolet Celebrates Corvettes & AstronautsMost of the past week's headlines have been dominated by news about disastrous storms in the Deep South, flooding in the Midwest, and of course, the death of Osama bin Laden. But in the middle of all that, there's another important story that's been overlooked by many media outlets: yesterday...
Richard Read -
2011 Porsche Cayman S Black Edition PreviewJust as it did with the 911 and Boxster models, Porsche has released a new special edition of its Cayman S dubbed the Cayman S Black Edition. Marking the end of the Cayman line before the arrival of the next-generation 2012 Porsche Boxster and Cayman arrives, the latest special edition coupe will...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Rick Hendrick Hand-Builds A Corvette Z06 EngineBuyers of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 or ZR1 can hand-build their engines by participating in what Chevy calls the Corvette Engine Build Experience. NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick--he of the eponymous Hendrick Motorsports team--chose to do just that when he bought his Z06 Carbon Edition. We have...
Tim Healey -
Mansory Porsche Panamera Crashes, World Is Better OffOkay, that title may be a little harsh. In the world of high-end car modification, there's extreme, there's insane, and then there's Mansory. But anyone that's actually been inside a Mansory vehicle knows the attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes into the firm’s over-the-top...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Previewed Ahead Of Frankfurt DebutThe 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster has been of the worst kept secrets of the year, perhaps purposely so, as we’ve not only seen barely disguised prototypes but also leaked patent drawings and even a Super Bowl ad appearance. Now Mercedes-Benz has released some preview shots of the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
At March’s 2011 Geneva Motor Show, a rejuvenated De Tomaso, now run by former Fiat exec Gian Mario Rossignolo and his family, presented the controversial SLS luxury crossover concept and announced production of not just one but three distinct new models. These were to include a new crossover, previewed by the SLS, as well as a sedan and a sports model destined to be the successor to the legendary De Tomaso Pantera. Now, spotted outside De Tomaso’s plant in Grugliasco, just outside of Turin, Italy, is this mysterious prototype of a sports car with mid-engine proportions and a...
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Jaguar Land Rover, BlackBerry Join In Smartphone IntegrationIntegrating smartphones with in-car vehicle technology is nothing new. Bluetooth connection for making calls, and playing music and plugging in via USB has been around for years. Full integration of smartphones into a car's systems hasn't really been seen yet beyond the concept stage. One of the...
Antony Ingram -
This Week In DUIs: Rick Springfield Isn't So Hard To Hold (In Jail)First, they called him Bruce, now they call him jailbird: the former pop star and soap star known as Rick Springfield was pulled over in Malibu, California Monday night and hauled in for driving under the influence. Law enforcement agents saw Springfield speeding down the Pacific Coast Highway...
Richard Read -
Experts Predict All-Wheel Drive To Feature On 30 Percent Of New Cars By 2015More and more cars are being offered with the added safety and performance of all-wheel drive, with the luxury segments in particular benefiting most from increased demand for the feature. Luxury brands typically offer rear-wheel drive as standard but in colder climates, such as in the Northern...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Electric Mercedes-Benz S-Class Possible: ReportMercedes-Benz already has a number of electric prototypes out and about including the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, which is already available for lease and soon sale, as well as the SLS AMG E-Cell supercar, which has been confirmed for sale in 2013. Not only that but the automaker’s parent...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Volvo C70: Quick DriveIt's spring, and what could be more pleasant than putting the top down in a stylish European four-seat convertible? We got the chance to drive the 2011 Volvo C70 recently, rediscovering the joys (and smells) of open-air travel in the spring sunshine. The C70 is a bit of an oddball in the Volvo...
John Voelcker -
If you spend a lot of time driving you won't have failed to notice the distinctive shape of high intensity LED daytime running lights on some modern vehicles. As for LED tail-lights, those are even more common. Only a small selection of vehicles features entirely LED-based headlights though, including models like the Audi A8, A7 and A6 and the R8 supercar, the Lexus LS 600h and some Toyota Prius models. LED headlights are expensive, but allow makers to create much more efficient and adaptable headlights, as demonstrated by companies like Audi with its adaptive headlight technology. Cost and...
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GM Planning $100 Million Upgrade To Chevrolet Corvette Factory: ReportGeneral Motors is expected to announce a $100 million upgrade plan for its Chevrolet Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which like many of the automaker’s facilities across the country has fallen by the wayside due to recent bankruptcy proceedings. The information was revealed by...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Is BMW's 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' Slogan Back?For reasons that still remain unclear, BMW chose to drop its hugely successful ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ slogan and replace it with the new ‘JOY’ campaign when it launched its latest generation Z4 Roadster last year. In fairness, BMW never formally stated that it was...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Ram Long-Hauler Concept Truck Makes DebutThey don’t get much bigger, have more range or more pulling power than the 2011 Ram Long-Hauler Concept Truck, which was rolled out by Chrysler this week and scheduled to make an appearance at a string of commercial vehicle events throughout the year. The vehicle is based on a Class 5 Ram...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MINI To Use Goodwood Label For Bespoke Range Of Models: ReportMost readers would recognize the Goodwood name as either being the home of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, an annual event in the UK that draws the latest in supercars and British motorsport personalities, or the home of luxury automaker Rolls-Royce. Soon the Goodwood name may be recognized for...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fast Five Cars Visit Jay Leno’s Garage: VideoThe fifth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, Fast Five, is now screening in cinemas all across the country so what better time than to see a couple of the film’s stars pay a visit to Jay Leno’s Garage. No, we’re not talking about the likes of Vin Diesel or Paul...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran