James Martinez, Author
Articles
-
The next 12 months are shaping up to be the most successful period ever, in terms of sales, for legendary British marque Aston Martin. Analysts expect sales to top 6,500 units this year following...
-
An interview with the boss of AMGIt’s rare to get an interview with the crazy people that run Mercedes’ performance division, but Edmunds recently sat down with Volker Mornhinweg, who is chairman of the board of management. He’s a true engineer, having started as a trainee and working his way up the ranks. In...
James Martinez -
Ever wanted to contact the cute girl who just drove by?Have you ever been driving and you spot an attractive woman pass by in a hot convertible? You share a glance or a smile and then she’s off, never to be seen again. Now thanks to the website, SearchPlates.com, you can send her a message outlining your full intentions. All you need to know is...
James Martinez -
Attack of the Clones: Chinese copies of the Honda CR-VHonda has done very well with the CRV. So well, in fact, that Chinese companies are now copying the car almost verbatim and selling the fakes at less than half the price of the original. Despite appearances, the models are actually inferior to the original. The Huabei RV, for example, only has a...
James Martinez -
One Of A Kind Pagani Zonda Monza Up For SaleUp for sale is this rare Pagani Zonda, which is the only one of its kind in the world. As far as supercars go, the Pagani Zonda Monza edition is about as rare as they get. Debuting back at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, the Zonda C12 S Monza is a full ready-to-race version of the already hard-edged...
James Martinez -
Eating or drinking while driving is as dangerous as using a cellphoneAlthough it seems obvious that you’re more likely to be involved in an accident if you’re attempting to eat or drink while driving, we now have test figures that show you’re chance of crashing is actually double that of normal driving. This is usually because of slower reaction...
James Martinez -
A rebadged version of the old Morris Series II and III has been selling under the Hindustan Motors Ambassador name for 50 years. That makes it the oldest car still in production, and there are no... -
2007 MINI Cooper Mk II Official DetailsAfter the massive sales success that was the first-generation MINI, BMW wasn't going to muck around too much with the basic formula. Many believed that BMW got it right the first time, including some of the designers, so changes to the new car’s styling are very subtle. Most of the...
James Martinez -
Peugeot’s sexy 908 RC concept revealedCombining the French love affair of big noses and high-tech diesels engines, Peugeot have created a stunning luxury sedan concept labelled the 908 RC. Due to make an official appearance at this year's Paris Auto Show, the 908 RC concept will showcase design trends that will filter down across new...
James Martinez -
2007 BMW X5 previewWe finally have official images of the new BMW X5 which arrives on the market as a 2007 model. The latest version will be bigger than the outgoing X5, growing in both length and width and no doubt adding extra weight as well. Power will come from two new petrol engines, a 3.0-litre inline six with...
James Martinez -
Safety of electric cars in questionLately there have been many well documented cases of notebook computers exploding. These computers use Lithium-Ion batteries, the exact same technology used in batteries in many electric cars. MIT’s Technology Review puts forward the question: If one battery exploding in a laptop can cause so...
James Martinez -
Official images of the Gold BoxsterThese are the first official photos of the Gold Porsche, created by a small company in Germany. It's gilded out of 22 carat beaten gold at the hands of artists rather than factory workers. Rather than looking totally over the top, we're actually quite liking the gold finish, though its hard to tell...
James Martinez -
Spy photos are the hottest property in the auto news market. If you’re first to market with early pictures of next years hottest model, you can expect interest from all over the world. The spy... -
F1 to become enviro-friendlyLooks like there’s no end to the list of changes that’s occurring in the world of Formula One. If motorsport boss Max Mosley had his way, engine manufacturers would be focusing on increasing fuel efficiency rather than going for out-right power. F1 has always been a leader in developing...
James Martinez -
Car customization, AMG styleYou may remember our earlier post about the future plans of AMG; well it looks like they've already released their first model under the new structure. These are images of the SLK55 AMG Black Series, which has undergone weight reduction and some engine work and now puts out 400hp. The German tuner...
James Martinez -
Barabus unveils 1,000-hp supercarJust when you thought the horsepower race was starting to settle, along comes another 1,000-horsepower supercar. In this case it’s from the tiny automaker Barabus Sports Car of the United Kingdom. Finally unveiled at an auto show in the U.K. after a 10-year gestation, the 6.0-liter...
James Martinez -
Tesla Roadster Electric Sports Car UnveiledTesla Motors' [NSDQ:TSLA] new electric car is a cyborg cross between a Toyota Prius and a Lotus Elise, and we like it. The Roadster is capable of a Ferrari-beating 0-60 time of 4 seconds, and it has a reasonable top speed of 130 mph. Being an electric car, it has no emissions and requires charging...
James Martinez -
25 M5s make you wanna go MMMMMMMM25 Swedish M5 owners recently met up at a racetrack to show off their cars and get a little track time. They were met by regional BMW directors and professional drivers competing in the Swedish Touring Car Championship to get tips on driving and information about their cars. One of the slides shows...
James Martinez -
The United States can finally taste what the rest of the world has been enjoying for the past decade. Alfa Romeo has been improving their cars to a degree where they’re now a worthy alternative...
-
Robot Racers
It seems race cars these days have ever increasing computer wizardry to control functions that formerly the driver would have to manage. So it’s no surprise that we now have a race with no driver whatsoever. The defence agency DARPA has created an Annual Autonomous Robot Race up Pikes Peak, a...
James Martinez -
Shock: Juan Pablo Montoya going to NASCARMontoya, known as the temperamental Columbian, has decided to quit his career in F1 to join his former employer, Chip Ganassi, in NASCAR for next year’s season. Let’s face it, he was never quite comfortable racing with Mercedes McLaren and when they decided not to renew his contract for...
James Martinez -
A look in to the design and development process
Here's a fantastic article that follows the process of developing a car concept from sketch to clay model. The designer is 23 year old Ross McSherry, who creates a 2+2 design for Alfa Romeo. The attention to detail is amazing, with this car being designed around a Maserati Quattroporte steel...
James Martinez -
Porsche's giant killer gets betterThe fastest selling Porsche in history is not the iconic 911 but instead the humble Boxster, and for good reason. No longer considered the poor man's Porsche, the 2007 Boxster and Boxster S mid-engined sports cars gain increases in both power and torque with introduction of new engines equipped...
James Martinez