Car News
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Inspired as young boy by the CanAm racing series and driving hero Bruce McLaren, a man who was successful in both designing race cars and winning races during the 60’s and 70’s, Dick Bear decided he’d build his own "replica" racer, simply because he could. The first step involved researching and gathering all the necessary equipment, a process that took almost three years. Called the McBearen, in honour of the aforementioned racer, Bear’s car is powered by a Honda Vtec 2.0L Si engine and will ride on a full custom chassis. The car’s primary use will be as...
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Hennessey's Viper Venom 800RHennessey has taken the already menacing Dodge Viper and turned it into a 585-cubic inch (9.5-liter) monster, just in time for Halloween. You’d expect that this much displacement would deliver a mountain of torque, and thankfully the Venom 800R, as its known, doesn’t disappoint. Claimed...
Siddarth Raja -
GM taking the fuel efficiency fight to ToyotaThe latest news coming out of Detroit is that General Motors is planning to launch a range of fuel efficient vehicles to take back the market share that it has lost to Toyota. GM will use part of the expected $9 billion in savings from its extensive cost cutting to invest in technologies including...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford slashing production in 2007Ford will slash its North American production by as much as 12% for the first six months of next year, but hopes to bounce back in the second half. Ford’s CFO Don Leclair told Automotive News that the company would cut vehicle production by 8 to 12% next year, and will raise inventory levels...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
New Audi A2 could be based on next-gen SEAT IbizaAudi wants to make good on its previous failed attempt at delivering a small car positioned below its A3 hatch. Audi sold the original A2 supermini up until 2005, and managed only average sales results. Total production numbers are estimated at only 175,000 units, which pales in comparison with its...
Ralph Hanson -
US may get CLK DTM road-going racerThe original CLK DTM from AMG was basically a racecar built for the road, and it looked almost identical to Mercedes’ entrant in the German Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters racing series. Sadly, the road-going version was released for sale in Europe only of which there were 100 coupes and 80...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
There’s always been an unofficial gentlemen’s agreement between the mainstream German automakers to limit the top speed of their cars to 155 mph (250 kmh), even the high-performance models from Mercedes-AMG and BMW’s M division as well as Audi’s potent RS range (many of these cars have a factory option to remove the limiter, though). The agreement was made back in 1988 with the launch of BMW’s V-12-powered 750i, which was limited to 155 mph even though it could theoretically pass that point. However, the new Audi R8 will change all that. The 420-horsepower...
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DCX opens its UK brand experience centreDaimlerChrysler Group has opened the doors to its latest and biggest brand experience centre located next to the world’s oldest purpose built racetrack in Weybridge, England. The UK centre is the sixth complex of its kind from DCX and is the largest and most unique thanks to the historic...
Ralph Hanson -
Laser sensors coming to a car near youFor the next DARPA Grand Challenge, an event where cars compete in a rally with no human input whatsoever, Team-LUX will be contending with its latest VW Passat 2.0 TDI race car. Run by laser technology company, Sick AG, and its subsidiary, Ibeo Automobile Sensor GmbH, Team-LUX will demonstrate...
Kenneth Hall -
Mitsubishi launches the Delica D:5Mitsubishi’s Delica has always been an odd vehicle, probably the only MPV we’ve ever liked thanks to its bubble shape, range of turbodiesel engines and AWD configurations. Sounding more like a Japanese sports car than people mover, the new Delica D:5 combines full off-road capability...
Ralph Hanson -
Nissan considers joining F1 in 2008The allure of Formula One is simply too hard to resist for most successful car manufacturers. Latest rumours suggest that Nissan might be joining the ranks, and according to an article in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, the Japanese auto maker might do a deal with former team owner Alain...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mitsubishi Oz reveals the TMR 380 conceptHigh performance sedans seem to be all the rage down in Australia, with all four of the country’s resident car manufacturers releasing kitted up family haulers with a little extra go. Most of the limelight went to Toyota and its Aurion Sports Concept plus Ford with its Force Falcon range...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The management shakeup over at Ferrari is almost complete, with the company ending speculation by announcing that Michael Schumacher would stay on as a special assistant to Jean Todt who reigns in as the new CEO. Todt replaces outgoing CEO Luca di Montezemolo who has moved on to become the chairman of Fiat. However, he’s also going to fill in for Ross Brawn as team principal, while Brawn is away on leave. As for the seven-time World champion, he mentioned that he would take his time before making any decision about his future role. "I will take a break in the coming months and then I...
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Auto makers find it hard selling efficient carsRising oil prices haven’t deterred US buyers from purchasing full-size pickups despite numerous reports stating that buyers were moving away from such vehicles in droves. Full-size pickups continue to be the most popular vehicles in America for the first nine months of the year, although...
Alex Kaufmann -
Race-Inspired Vertu Mobile PhonesNokia’s luxurious Vertu series of mobile phones has added another two units to its range of Ascent high-end mobile phones that celebrate the classic racetracks of the world by featuring a small map of the track on the outer casing. The latest two tracks include the Le Mans and Indianapolis...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Dual-speed supercharger for HUMMER H3Europe’s Antonov, a specialist in automotive technology, has developed a two-speed gearbox that it’ll showcase at next week’s SEMA show in a Hummer H3 and Ford Mustang GT. Providing a massive boost to power and torque during mid-range rpm levels, the system will be tested and...
Ralph Hanson -
Marc Ecko designed Nissans break coverNissan and Marc Ecko have joined forces to release fully customized versions of the Japanese car maker’s Pathfinder and Armada SUVs. Revealed recently at New York's Splashlight Studios, the first of the two vehicles, the Pathfinder, follows the lines of ecko unltd.'s street-smart theme...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Japanese fashion turns the Veyron pinkIf owning the fastest production car on the planet is not enough, you can always deck it out in some outrageous paint scheme just like this one. Somehow, we think that this car won’t be getting the kind of attention that most people would like, we’re thinking along the lines of more...
James Martinez -
It’s rare to see a supercar that can compete in both the fuel economy stakes as well as race track performance. Featuring a modified General Motors diesel 6.6L twin-turbo diesel engine and a unique eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, the Iceni R can reach a top speed of 230mph and accelerates to 60mph from rest in under four seconds. However, unlike many of its rivals, this supercar runs on homemade biodiesel fuel and achieves mileage rates of 70mpg when driven at a constant speed of 56mph. The creation of Trident Performance Vehicles, based in England, the Iceni R...
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Tata plans $2,200 Minicar by 2008
India’s largest car maker, Tata Motors, is planning to launch a new Minicar in 2008 priced at just over $2,000. Production numbers are estimated at close to a million units per year to satisfy demand in India, but the company hasn’t ruled out exports to global markets including the US...
Alex Kaufmann -
Funkmaster Flex tricks out Expedition for SEMAFord has called upon hip-hop star Funkmaster Flex once again to help trick out its 2007 Ford Expedition for next week’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. Flex, who previously worked on projects involving Ford’s Fusion, F-150 and Mustang, will apply his talents to the big SUV to help improve its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2008 Audi A5 Spy ShotsAudi’s upcoming A5 coupe is just around the corner and should give the recently launched BMW 3-Series Coupe some serious competition upon its release. Latest images of the sleek new coupe undergoing testing on the busy streets of Paris have turned up, with latest rumors suggesting that the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Ford Shelby GT500 review by Fifth GearHere’s an interesting video that explores the British take on the latest iteration of one of America’s most iconic muscle cars, Ford’s Shelby GT500. The Mustang has never been regarded as slow, in V8 guise anyway, but the GT500 is an altogether different beast.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ethanol injection improves vehicle efficiencyScientists have found that injecting small amounts of ethanol fuel into a regular gasoline engine during moments of peak demand, such as accelerating hard or climbing a steep hill, could actually improve fuel efficiency by between 20 and 30 percent. Work is being carried at the Massachusetts...
Ralph Hanson