Odds and ends
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There's slow-selling and then there's Maybach. Moving a paltry 200 cars from its factories last year, the Maybach brand is still failing to achieve the reach and appeal of the established classic ultra-luxury brands Bentley and Rolls-Royce. The truth remains that Maybach’s sales are far below capacity, as the company’s assembly plant in Germany has the capability to churn out up to 2,000 vehicles per year, but bosses at Maybach’s parent company Daimler are determined to keep the brand alive. Fortunately, Maybach has found a new way to earn cash; by expanding its accessories range with...
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Lamborghini Murcielago Fire Caused By Cheap Stereo Install
Last week’s report of a stolen and burnt Lamborghini Murcielago may have been a little premature as news today confirms that the car wasn’t in fact stolen and wasn’t burnt because of a manufacturer fault. Believe it or not, but the $350,000 supercar went up in flames because of faulty wiring...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Audi A1 Flips On Halfpipe During Promo Stunt
In the past Audi has driven cars up slippery ski ramps to demonstrate the prowess of its engineering skills, and for its latest A1 “premium compact” the stunt driving keeps coming. This time around Audi decided to take the new A1 on a skateboard halfpipe in Brussels to show off the car’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Rendered: 2010 Saab Custom 1968 Envisaged By Vizualtech
Vizualtech, a Swedish design firm that specializes in constructing virtual 3D models of cars and boats, has just released this set of five images depicting a modern version of the 1968 Saab 96. While the original model from which it draws its lines can hardly be called sporty, the 2010 version of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bentley Supersport Skis: For The Friend Who Has Everything
If you’re the type who hates buying presents for annoying friends that think they have everything, a new ski set dubbed the “Zai for Bentley Supersport Skis” may be just what you’re looking for. The special skis are the result of a collaboration between Bentley’s own...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Seasons Greetings From MotorAuthority
With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year from MotorAuthority
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
A total of 22 designers have been involved in Bentley’s project, including digital designers and clay modellers.
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Video: British Team Breaks Land Speed Record For Steam Car
The team has been working on the project for more than eight years.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW hands out flyers to employees telling them to buy its cars
BMW may be topping the luxury sales charts here in the U.S. but over in Germany things aren’t so peachy and the automaker is resorting to some drastic actions to help boost its sales. At a number of its German factory parking lots, the automaker has attached more than 7,000 cards requesting...
Alex Kaufmann -
Role reversal: China bans four Renault models for safety concerns
In an odd and somewhat comical reversal of the usual state of things, China has today announced the halt of import of four Renault models on the back of 'serious safety risks' and non-compliance with regulations. The models affected include the Laguna, Scenic, Megane and Megane Coupe-Cabriolet - in...
Nelson Ireson -
Mercedes Benz launches high-end bicycle range
Before the invention of the automobile, cycling was a popular way to get around and even today many developing countries feature far greater numbers of cyclists then motorists. That at least goes some way into explaining this new range of bicycles from Mercedes Benz, which the automaker claims...
Alex Kaufmann -
Flying cash stops traffic in Germany
In a new case of a driver having more dollars than sense, or in this instance more Euros, a 23-year old man in Germany managed to shutdown a highway when an envelope full of cash he was carrying sprayed all over the road. The man was out testing an Audi A3 Cabrio and carelessly left the envelope of...
Alex Kaufmann -
In Miami, the thrill of racing down a strip of asphalt with police sirens blaring behind you was an experience once reserved for escaping criminals or the extremely brave. In a recent development, however, this experience will soon be available to all, with police officers now giving motorists the chance to take them on in a monthly drag racing competition - held on a proper drag strip, rather than public roads. The 'Beat the Heat' program allows anyone over the age of 18 to drag race a police car, as long as they pay the nominal $25 fee for the privilege. To make the experience as thrilling...
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2009 Race of Champions heading to Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium
Undoubtedly one of the most unique motorsports events out there, the annual Race of Champions (ROC) event sees drivers from usually incompatible forms of motorsport take each other on in a single race format - last year we got to see rallying legend Sebastien Loeb beat out champion F1 drivers...
Kenneth Hall -
British team edge closer to breaking steam-powered world speed record
It seems the people of Britain have a healthy obsession with breaking world speed records - just last week we reported on a British engineer who had broken the world wind-powered car speed record. In this same spirit, another team of Brits are working on breaking a record that has not been broken...
Kenneth Hall -
Toyota renting ships to store unsold cars
Strange times are on the car industry, perhaps none stranger than what's facing Toyota right now with its European inventory backlog. Short of storage space for cars that are unsold in the EU, Toyota has taken to floating the cars just off the shore of Sweden in a rented container ship. The...
Alex Kaufmann -
Touchless Car Cover keeps your vehicle rust-free and clean anywhere
You've just spent four hours washing, stripping, waxing and polishing your baby, and now you're faced with a choice: shove her under a $15 elastic tarp where water can get trapped against the metal and the fabric can scratch at the paint, or leave her exposed to the elements where dust is already...
Ralph Hanson -
100mpg Axon Automotive X Prize entry gets funding
Last year Axon Automotive, creators of 2007’s Eco-M super lightweight speedster, entered the $10 million Automotive X Prize with a new hatchback aimed at city dwellers. The vehicle features a full carbon-fiber chassis and will likely be powered by a compact turbodiesel engine. Today the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Three famous Italian automotive firms have joined forces to bring a new “Cyber Tire” to the market. While tire pressure monitoring systems have become commonplace on all but the most entry-level cars, these companies are working on a self-powered microchip-based system that reports temperature, pressure and load wirelessly to the car's computer. Pirelli will work with Magneti Marelli on the electronic control systems and Brembo for the brakes on the new tire. The goal will be to develop a complete solution for car companies that will reduce their engineering costs and be easy to...
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Sebastien Loeb wins 2008 Race of Champions
Five-time World Rally Championship (WRC) winner Sebastien Loeb won today’s 'Race of Champions', held in London's Wembley Stadium. Loeb managed to beat out a veritable who's who of motorsport drivers to come away with the trophy, including seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher. While...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Prototype carbon fiber child seat takes inspiration from racing
The Art Center College of Design has turned out some of the most highly regarded designers in the automotive industry, including Chip Foose, Chris Bangle, Henrik Fisker and Frank Stephenson. One of the college's current students has now unveiled a prototype carbon fiber child seat modeled after a...
Ralph Hanson -
Elfin Type 5 debuts at Sydney Motor Show
Elfin sports cars has unveiled its Type 5 Clubman roadster at today’s Sydney Motor Show, using the event to confirm that the final production version will be almost identical to the show car. The Type 5 replaces the Type 3, the last four-cylinder car by Elfin, which ceased production in 2006...
Nelson Ireson -
Iran working on female-specific car
There's no doubt that the gender values of the West often clash with those of other cultures, and vice versa, and the newest project at Iran's state-funded carmaker, Khodro, illustrates that point well. Building a car specifically and exclusively for women may seem like a progressive viewpoint, but...
Ralph Hanson -
2009 European Car of the Year finalists revealed
Europe’s annual Car of the Year awards are on again and the finalists have been revealed. Whittled down to just seven front-runners from a field of 38 candidates, the competition is expected to be exceptionally close - there is no run-away favorite. Last year’s winner - the Fiat 500 minicar -...
Ralph Hanson