Missed this post. I find it was always a shame that Honda didn't proceed with the original plan on making it a 2 litre V8. I think that would have really made it a great car.
This is a bit surprising Audi R8 R-Tronic vs Porsche 911 Carrera 2 S PDK (997 Mk II http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It9_jxLjl6U
Finally a good EVO? Barely a week after announcing the Evolution X FQ-330 SST, which features the six-speed twin-clutch SST transmission and a horsepower bump over the previous FQ-300, Mitsubishi Cars UK has announced a new flagship for the Evolution X lineup. The £49,999 EVO X FQ-400 will be the fastest roadgoing version of the Evolution lineup. Performance-flagship status is conferred by the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine under the hood, which is rated at 403bhp and 387 lb-ft of torque. The power boost comes courtesy of racing-spec high-flow fuel injectors, a new turbocharger and intercooler, and a three-inch exhaust. The ECU has been remapped to help keep the FQ-400 docile at commuting speeds. Mitsubishi reports a 3.8-second 0-62mph run, and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph (249 km/h). Mitsubishi's rally-bred Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) gets the power to the road. Active stability control, center differential and yaw control are on hand to constantly monitor and enhance the EVO X FQ-400's handling. The S-AWC system has three driver-selectable modes for a choice of three different road surfaces; tarmac, snow and gravel. The FQ-400 also has a widened track and the suspension is lowered 30mm. Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks are installed. The Alcon brakes are also modified, with floating sealed discs, lightened components and high-performance pads. The FQ-400 is set apart from the rest of the lineup visually by its lightweight 18-inch nine-spoke wheels and Toyo Proxes R1R tires. Hood vents and a composite front bumper with extra lighting and HID headlamps give the FQ-400 the look of a roadgoing rally car. The side skirts are made of composite materials. The massive exhaust exits at the center of the rear bumper's carbon fiber diffuser. The EVO's trademark roof-mounted "Vortex Generator" and a rear wing that incorporates a gurney strip are also part of the visual package. Inside, the FQ-400 sports Recaro seats, a carbon fiber shifter and a unique handbrake handle. Standard equipment includes Bluetooth phone connectivity, a 30-gig hard drive for the sound system, DVD satellite navigation and automatic headlamps. The question of whether the rest of the world will get to experience the explosive performance of the FQ-400 has not yet been answered. We can only hope! Source: Mitsubishi http://www.worldcarfans.com/9090526.012/mitsubishi-lancer-evo-x-fq-400-unleashed-in-the-uk Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The "Golden Ferrari". http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/27/pininfarina-golden-ferrari-one-off-revealed/
Daimler loses - Greek court rules in favor of Chinese smart fortwo clone There's an old saying that "justice is blind," an adage which has taken a literal meaning thanks to a Greek court's decision to dismiss Daimler's lawsuit against a Chinese copy of the Smart fortwo. This effectively ends a long legal battle which started when Daimler blocked Shuanghuan from displaying the Noble at the Bologna Motor Show in 2007. Although the car was later allowed to go on sale in Europe in early 2008, Daimler kept up the pressure which resulted in Shuanghuan marketing the Noble under the slogan "Smarter than the rest". The Greek court determined that "an informed buyer would not confuse the Noble with the Smart Fortwo." They also stated that because the two vehicles offer different technical specifications, any exterior styling similarities are irrelevant and almost inevitable because they're both mini-cars. While many of us are likely to label the court's decision as ludicrous, it follows similar legal precedents set in other European court battles against an onslaught of Chinese clones. Thankfully, many of the Chinese copies that eventually reach European markets typically fare poorly as consumers balk at their horrid questionable safety, quality and dismal reliability. Source: gasgoo.com Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Toyota Offers Genuine F1 Parts for Sale Maybe it's a bad omen. Maybe Team Toyota is trying to tell the world something. Maybe this is just paranoia, but when a Formula One team starts selling off parts of its racing cars curiosity is piqued. Team Toyota is selling pieces like T-shirts, caps and key rings on its online shop Toyota-f1-shop.com. But alongside these normal fan pieces are carbon fiber wings, light alloy wheels, brakes and engine covers. These are genuine parts from past Toyota F1 race cars. Prices for these things range from 200 to 5,000. Sadly there are no engines offered for sale. What you can get though is the engine cover for 2,500. Plain rear wings can be had for 600, a brake disc and suspension wishbone for 200 each and a front rim will set you back 200. What will get you as close to a complete car as possible is the engine cover with the underfloor and rear wing attached. All yours for 5,000. Source: Toyota would someone please show that idiot FF the calipers. they don't look single piston to me....and they're not gold. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
All 30 cars within 1 second (more or less) http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?31/05/2009.SYMM.Q4
Swedish Supercar Maker Koenigsegg Bids for Saab In a surprise move, Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg is making a pitch to takeover GM subsidiary Saab. This brings the total number of potential buyers to three. Koenigsegg's competition for the Swedish brand will be tough. Up until now, U.S. holding firm Renco Group was believed to be the most-likely candidate. Renco Group, run by billionaire Ira Rennert, has held various ownership in heavy vehicle maker AM General, as well as several steel companies. Renco also holds ownership of Inteva Products, a company which already designs parts for Saab through a contract with GM. Apparently, the also-ran competitor trying to get a piece of Saab is Fiat. The Italian company had also placed a bid on the rest of GM Europe operations, including Opel and Vauxhall. However, a team led by Canadian autoparts maker Magna has apparently won that deal. Saab previously won protection from creditors, making it more insulated when GM inevitably files for bankruptcy. An extension of this shielding should be approved by a Swedish court later this week. GM expects to complete a deal on Saab in the next few weeks. Source: reuters.com via carscoop.blogspot.com Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
2011 Porsche Cayenne Spied in the Mountains The new Porsche Panamera has inspired the interior of the upcoming 2011 Cayenne. These new spy pictures of the Porsche SUV driving up some mountains do not show a great deal of interior as previously spied, apart from the sporty Recaro race seats, but a previous spy video gave us a good look at the vehicle in action. This time our spies were not able to get close enough to the car to take more interior shots even though the doors were open. The exterior was more camera-friendly in this instance. The shape of the rear lights for instance, shows more detail. Porsche seems to have stuck to its evolution styling philosophy and has kept the Cayenne largely as it currently is. But the look is now sleeker and appears more aerodynamic. Engines for the 2011 Cayenne are not yet known. However, the Panamera provides some clues as to powerplants that could be shared between the two vehicles. One such motor is the 4.8-litre V8 that makes 400hp (294kW). Another is the Volkswagen Group's V6 TDI (good for emissions ratings) with 550Nm of torque. Porsche is also going into hybrids, so both Panamera and Cayenne II are primed for that powertrain. Power will be sourced from the 3.0-litre supercharged Audi engine while the electric motor will be run by a 38kW battery. http://www.worldcarfans.com/9090602.004/2011-porsche-cayenne-spied-in-the-mountains Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
McLaren F1 Destroyed by Fire 2nd of June 2009 One down, 63 to go. The McLaren F1 was limited to a total of 106 cars built. Of the 106 cars, 64 were F1 road cars. Now, there are only 63 road cars left, as one was just destroyed by fire yesterday on the Airport Boulevard. As Irv Kessler, 53, drove his $2 million rare Mclaren F1 on the boulevard, someone noticed smoke coming from the back of the car and alerted him. But by the time he exited the car to check the problem, the car was engulfed by flames. Though its owner was a Minnesota resident, the car had Oregon license plates. The Rincon Valley firefighters found the car still burning but doused it before it spread to the passenger compartment. Luckily, the car was insured for $3 million, as Kessler told the firefighters. It hadnt been driven in six months, said John Lantz, Rincon Valley assistant fire chief for The Press Democrat. They took it out yesterday and today and started having some kind of problem with it, Lantz said he was told by Kessler. According to McLarens website, the car was built as the worlds first production road car to feature an all carbon composite monocoque and body structure, using Formula One racing technology on the road. The F1 was powered by a BMW S70/2 engine, specifically designed and built for the car. The 6.1-litre, quad-cam, 48-valve V12 powerplant produced 627 horsepower, driving through a six-speed transaxle gearbox. This engine powered McLaren to victory at Le Mans on its debut in 1995 and to several FIA GT championships. The car also featured a central driving position for optimum visibility, dihedral doors for easy ingress and egress, active aerodynamics and 'ground-plane shear' suspension geometry for the vehicles dynamics. http://www.autoevolution.com/news/mclaren-f1-destroyed-by-fire-7338.html Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
......seen the dream of Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking turn into a nightmare, which one analyst warned was sending the carmaker "sliding toward disaster." http://www.reuters.com/article/innovationNews/idUSTRE5524XK20090603
