VIDEO: Mark Higgins' Awesome Save at 150MPH at the Isle of Man TT

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We’ve already told you about former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins’ record lap on the famous Isle of Man TT Mountain Course driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI in a previous article here, but today, we stumbled upon two in-car video clips, courtesy of Road & Track magazine.

Aside from smashing the late Tony Pond’s long-standing record in a Rover 827 Vitesse from 1990 by more than two minutes, Higgins also displayed some amazing driving skills saving the day when the WRX STI started swerving at 150mph (241km/h) after he hit a small bump on the road. In the video you can hear Higgins saying "Biggest moment of my life there...".

Commenting on the incident, Dominick Infante, National Manager, Product Communications, Subaru of America, said: “The WRX STI performed incredibly well at near flat out speeds and Mark drove impeccably. His save at Bray Hill at 150 MPH was some of the best driving any of us have ever seen." Buckle up and watch the two in-car-videos after the break.

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Post Title → VIDEO: Mark Higgins' Awesome Save at 150MPH at the Isle of Man TT

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Subaru Sets New Isle of Man Lap Record with Standard Impreza WRX STI

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Subaru has managed to break the long-standing lap record for a production vehicle at the Isle of Man TT circuit set 21 years ago on June 6, 1990, by the late Tony Pond in a Rover 827 Vitesse, with a production-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI saloon driven by former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins. Read more »

Post Title → Subaru Sets New Isle of Man Lap Record with Standard Impreza WRX STI

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Too Close for Comfort: Subaru Impreza WRX Flips Over Right in Front of Spectators in Canada

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A fun track day at the Toronto Motorsports Park near the town of Cayuga in Ontario, Canada, almost turned tragic for both the driver and many of the spectators gathered behind the safety wall when an older generation Subaru Impreza WRX flipped over after exiting a corner.

From the video, it looks like the driver of the Impreza took the corner wider and faster than he was ready for and as a result crashed into, or rather ran over, the safety haystack near the wall, which acted as a launching ramp lifting the car into the air only inches away from the spectators. The car then landed on its rooftop several feet away.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the Subaru, who was wearing a helmet, was shaken but...not stirred. But enough talking already. Follow the break to watch both the incident as it happened and the aftermath.

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Post Title → Too Close for Comfort: Subaru Impreza WRX Flips Over Right in Front of Spectators in Canada

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U.S. Government Focusing in on Web Gadgets that Distract Drivers

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We are all living in an age of networked information. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, smartphones and public internet access are making the world smaller every day. Unfortunately, in some instances all this information can distract us from the important things, such as focusing on driving. And no one agrees with this more than U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood:

“We know people are hooked on cellphones and texting devices. But there's absolutely no reason for any person to download their Facebook into the car. It's not necessary. "

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Post Title → U.S. Government Focusing in on Web Gadgets that Distract Drivers

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Forza Motorsport 4: Here’s how they Record Car Engine Sounds

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Long gone are the days when video game developers used simple electronic instruments to emulate car engine sounds for their racing games. Now, thanks to a dramatic increase in video games sales, which of course resulted in huge budgets, developers can justify the costs of recording the actual sounds of each car featured in their games.

For those of you wondering how it’s done, the tech-savvy crew over at Electricpig were invited to Redmond, Seattle by the creator of the Forza Motorsport gaming series, Turn 10 Studios, to witness the recording of a previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

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Post Title → Forza Motorsport 4: Here’s how they Record Car Engine Sounds

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Toyota Sales Plunge More than 33% in May, Chrysler Group up by 10%

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The numbers for U.S. auto sales for the month of May are out and as expected, Japanese automakers continue to be hit hard by the ongoing production disruptions caused by the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in their home market. As a result, Toyota’s sales plunged 33.4% over the year-ago month to 108,387 units, while rivaling Honda saw its sales fall 22.5% to 90,773 vehicles, Nissan recorded a 9.1% drop to 76,148 units and Mazda 17,875 vehicles, down 20.9%.

General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 221,192 vehicles in May posting a decline of 1%, while the Ford Motor Co. said its sales decreased by 0.1% to 192,253 cars, trucks and SUVs.

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Post Title → Toyota Sales Plunge More than 33% in May, Chrysler Group up by 10%

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More Screaming Passengers from the 2011 Red Bull Car Drift Event in Lebanon

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We don’t know about you, but we certainly enjoyed watching the video of a male passenger freaking out during a ride around a drift course, so we decided to do a little bit of online research to find out what it was all about. We discovered that the joy ride was part of the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2011 event and it took place in Lebanon.

The man behind the steering wheel of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI is 34-year-old Abdo Feghali from Lebanon. He is a professional rally driver who also participates in drift contests and events such as the one organized by Red Bull.

If you liked the first video we showed you, then follow the jump to watch the reactions of the same male passenger, this time sitting at the back between two women (oddly enough no one was wearing seat belts…), as well as some new footage of other people that took a ride including the beautiful lady you see pictured above.

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Post Title → More Screaming Passengers from the 2011 Red Bull Car Drift Event in Lebanon

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Subaru Targets Young Asian American Buyers with New Sweet Tomorrow Campaign

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Subaru’s American division is taking audience segmentation a step further with the release of a new advertising campaign for the 2011 Legacy that specifically targets the Chinese-American market. The campaign has been produced in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and can be seen across a wide variety of media placements including TV, print, online and out-of-home running.

The television spot is called “Sweet Tomorrow” and it shows a young Chinese American couple preparing for the birth of their first child. The advert is scheduled to air through October 2011.

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Post Title → Subaru Targets Young Asian American Buyers with New Sweet Tomorrow Campaign

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Mazda6 and Subaru Tribeca to be Axed, According to Report from Japan

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Mazda and Subaru may soon be forced to axe two of their models in the US market, the Mazda6 mid-size vehicle and the Subaru Tribeca SUV, due to low volumes that undermine the efficiency of the U.S. plants that they are built in, according to a newspaper report from Japan’s business daily Nikkan Kogyo. It should be noted though that spokesmen for both companies declined to comment on the report.

Nikkan Kogyo wrote that Mazda is planning to discontinue production of the Mazda6 at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant, which it operates as a joint venture together with Ford Motor Co., as sales missed expectations. When Mazda introduce the latest generation of the mid-size model in 2008, the company expected an annual production of around 100,000 units, but last year, the plant churned out just 45,168 Mazda6s. In April, Mazda6 posted an increase of 7.8 percent but sales reached just 2,734 vehicles.

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Post Title → Mazda6 and Subaru Tribeca to be Axed, According to Report from Japan

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Toyota Confirms 2.0-liter Boxer Engine, Six-Speed Gearboxes and LSD for 2012 FT-86

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In keeping enthusiasts on their toes, Toyota’s European division came out with a new release today on its upcoming FT-86 sports coupe. The Japanese automaker confirmed that the production version will go on sale in 2012 with power coming from by Subaru's new 2.0-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine fitted with Toyota's D-4S technology. The latter consists of direct injection combined with port injection.

We still don’t get any output numbers although Toyota says the D4-S technology “results in increased horsepower and torque without sacrificing fuel consumption and environmental performance.” Subaru's latest 2.0-liter horizontally opposed gasoline engine, which is offered on the all-new Impreza, develops 148 horsepower and 145 lb-ft (197 Nm) of torque, but in the case of the FT-86, output is expected to increase significantly.

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Post Title → Toyota Confirms 2.0-liter Boxer Engine, Six-Speed Gearboxes and LSD for 2012 FT-86

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All-New 2012 Subaru Impreza

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The New York auto show hosts the world premiere of the fourth generation Subaru Impreza, showcased in both 4-door and 5-door body styles. Developed under the Subaru’s concept of “Redefining Value, Redefining Class”, the new Impreza is allegedly more fuel-efficient and fun to drive, while offerings better interior space, despite having the same exterior dimensions as the outgoing model.
The wheelbase has been enlarged by 25 mm, the bottom end of the A-pillar has been extended 200 mm toward the front and the door structure has been redesigned, with all these changes resulting in increased shoulder and elbow space, extra foot room for the rear passengers and an improved field of vision for the driver. Naturally, cargo space is larger in the sedan with Subaru claiming that it can transport four golf bags, while the hatchback can accommodate three.
Mechanically, the base U.S. models feature Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system and the third generation 2.0-liter boxer engine, mated either to a 5-speed manual, either to the new Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission.
Rated at 148 horsepower (22 less than the outgoing model’s 2.5-liter unit) and 145 lb-ft (197 Nm) of torque, the smaller engine achieved a preliminary in-house fuel consumption rating of 36 mpg (6.5 liters/100 km), a record for a U.S.-market AWD production car. This is also due to the vehicle's low weight (1,320 kg/2,910 lbs), the optimized aerodynamics and the standard low-rolling resistance tires.
Subaru says the exterior design follows the “Smart & Classy” concept, with the result being an elegant but somewhat understated look. The car's styling highlights include the hexagon grille with spread wings in the center, “hawk eye” headlights and bulged wheel arches, with the latter being a reference to all-wheel drive capability.
The new Impreza's interior appears to be inspired by German cars, with ergonomically placed controls and a classic setup. The three-spoke steering wheel and the round speedometer and rev counter add a hint of sportiness, but nothing to get excited about. Subaru didn't offer any details on pricing and launch dates.

GALLERY

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Post Title → All-New 2012 Subaru Impreza

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2011 Dodge Challenger SE Concept

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Post Title → 2011 Dodge Challenger SE Concept

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2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Clas Black Edition

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2012 Mercedes Benz C Class Front Angle Side View 2012 Mercedes Benz C Clas Black Edition.Mercedes-Benz presented the 2012 Class C this year, AOS North American International Auto Show. A face-lift of the current C-Class, which carries most of the body panels for the new model year cars, AS. It is speculated that a coupe is to be unveiled in Geneva in March.
As a direct competitor to the BMW 3, Class C has three offers engines for the U.S. market. A four-cylinder turbo engine with gasoline direct injection of energy will be the C250. There C300
powered by a 3.0L V6 engine, available as a luxury model or Sport or 4Matic (Mercedes-Benz, AT all-wheel drive). The C300 models will compete against the 328i and the equivalent new C350 V6 with direct injection will
roughly equivalent to the 335i. A C-Class AMG tweaked to go head-to-head against the M3, possibly using the Black Label Series (not to be confused with the Black Label, which comes from a Scottish company).
2012 Mercedes Benz C Class At 2011 Detroit Auto Show View 2012 Mercedes Benz C Clas Black Edition
2012 Mercedes Benz C Class Luxury Car View 2012 Mercedes Benz C Clas Black Edition
2012 Mercedes Benz C Class Interior Side View 2012 Mercedes Benz C Clas Black Edition
The return of a four-cylinder model to the lineup C-Class can entice new buyers to the three-pointed star sometimes. The turbo four Ehud DI is good for 229 lb-ft of torque, which is decent grunt to the city. The maximum number is 201 while the C250 and HP won, AOT win a lot of racing traffic lights will be an attractive alternative for non-premium four-cylinder midsize sedans from Honda and Toyota. If you want to know when a four-cylinder BMW 3 Series will make its way to the NA market.
2012 Mercedes Benz C Class Exterior Side View1 2012 Mercedes Benz C Clas Black Edition
2012 Mercedes Benz C Class Rear Angle Side View 2012 Mercedes Benz C Clas Black Edition
Mercedes-Benz has also shown an SLS AMG Roadster. Complementing the SLS AMG Coupe in the same way as the 200SL roadster and coupe, 1950 Mercedes-Benz has added to its offering of high-level sports cars.
Note also, the S350 4Matic BlueTEC was shown. This reintroduces the diesel S-Class, a segment of programming much revered Mercedes-Benz. BMW 7 Series To this market lacks a supply of diesel. It will be interesting to see if the S350 BlueTEC rekindle the passion for enthusiasts of large, high-mileage, highway cruisers.

Post Title → 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Clas Black Edition

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