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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

SCOOP: Mystery Chevrolet Small Crossover / MPV Spotted in Europe, What is it?

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We’re not quite sure what to make of this new Chevrolet prototype that was caught by our scoop photographers on European roads. The test vehicle appears to be a small or compact MPV in a taller, SUV-esque design with short overhangs and an upright fascia reminiscent of the latest Chevy models. Our man with the long-lens told us that the camouflaged prototype was clearly smaller than the Orlando people mover that’s offered in Europe.

It could be that Chevrolet is working on a new small crossover model based on an extended version of General Motors’ Gamma II platform. The same architecture underpins the new Chevy Spark and Aveo / Sonic and will also form the base for the future Opel Corsa and its SUV sibling that is currently under development.

Post Title → SCOOP: Mystery Chevrolet Small Crossover / MPV Spotted in Europe, What is it?

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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.

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

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Honda Patents New 2012 Civic Sedan and Coupe Designs in Europe

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A peek through the European patent office files revealed images of Honda’s freshly launched in North America, 2012 Civic in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe guise. Given that the European market will get its own, bespoke version of the Civic, chances are that Honda simply wanted to cover its back like most of the competition just in case another automaker (we are looking towards you China) got any crazy ideas.

However, it is possible that Honda will offer the four-door saloon model in certain European countries to compete against the Volkswagen Jetta. With the exception of one version of the Civic sedan seen in this set of images and which features slightly modified taillights with additional strips that extend towards the license plate holder, there are no other differences compared to the North American Civic.

Post Title → Honda Patents New 2012 Civic Sedan and Coupe Designs in Europe

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Big Brother is Watching, Well, All of us: U.S. DoT Seeks to Make Event Data Recorders Mandatory

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Australian inventor and all-round genius Dr David Warren is widely considered to be the father of the “black box” Flight Data Recorder (FDR). His invention helped make flying safer by giving investigators valuable insights into the mechanical goings-on of a crashed aircraft. What may surprise you is that for the last twenty years similar devices have been installed in our cars.

Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are the automotive equivalent of an aircraft’s FDR. These devices record acceleration and deceleration forces, engine RPM, temperature, oil pressure and a host of other things. After a crash, the information can be recovered and studied, aiding investigators.

Post Title → Big Brother is Watching, Well, All of us: U.S. DoT Seeks to Make Event Data Recorders Mandatory

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VW Releases Golf GTI Edition 35 Specs and Price, Says it gets a Detuned Version of the Golf R’s Engine [with Video]

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Developed to celebrate 35 years since the launch of the original Volkswagen Golf GTI in 1976, the GTI Edition 35 will make its premiere at the Worthersee Tour (June 1-4) in Austria. A 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine that develops 235-horsepower and 300 Nm of torque (221 lb-ft), 25HP and 20 Nm more than the standard GTI, powers the limited edition hot-hatch.

However, Volkswagen says the engine is not an upgraded version of the standard GTI's unit but a detuned version of the AWD Golf R's four-pot, adapted for a FWD setup. With 25 more horsepower than the standard GTI and a power-to-weight ratio of 6 kg/hp, the Golf GTI Edition 35 reaches a top speed of 247 km/h (153 mph) and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.6 seconds (gains of 7 km/h and 0.3 seconds respectively).

Post Title → VW Releases Golf GTI Edition 35 Specs and Price, Says it gets a Detuned Version of the Golf R’s Engine [with Video]

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Too Much? Graf Weckerle-Tuned Ferrari 458 Italia

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It seems that there is a tune for just about everyone and everything these days, from subtle to extreme, and all points in between. We do not know where exactly this Ferrari 458 Italia from German tuning firm Graf Weckerle fits in that spectrum, but those odd-looking alloy wheels are sure to catch the attention of every passerby. Read more »

Post Title → Too Much? Graf Weckerle-Tuned Ferrari 458 Italia

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Audi Design Student Creates the Trimaran Hybrid Yacht

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Audi's concept design studio in Munich came up with an interesting proposition for a luxury yacht that would wear the four-ring logo. The Trimaran is the project work of Pforzheim Technical College student Stefanie Behringer, who explains the idea behind the study:

“The Audi Trimaran is a new concept which integrates two jet skis in a motorboat. The hull architecture is based on a trimaran, consisting of a main center hull supported by two smaller outrigger hulls. Two jet skis are stored inside pods in the outriggers. The main boat is powered by two lightweight and efficient Audi TDI diesel engines, whereas the jet skis are electrically-driven,” said Behringer.

Post Title → Audi Design Student Creates the Trimaran Hybrid Yacht

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Simply Epic: Pro Drifter Brings Out the Female Side of Male Passenger

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In life, there are moments you wish you could bottle up and savor forever but there are also moments you wish never happened. A few seconds into the follow video are more than enough to find out which of two statements mentioned above are true for the man sitting in the passenger seat.

The poster of the video claims that the “Middle East man” was all shook up by a “professional drifter after he claimed to be a pro drifter too”. Understandably, there’s no way of being sure about the claim if we don’t understand a word they’re saying, so if you any of you guys or girls speak the language, we would be much obliged if you let us know what’s going on in the comments section below.

Post Title → Simply Epic: Pro Drifter Brings Out the Female Side of Male Passenger

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Honda Canada Hacked: 250,000+ Customers Affected By Security Breach

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Less than a month after Sony’s Playstation Network was compromised by hackers seeking personal information, a similar mishap has struck the Canadian arm of Honda / Acura. In a notice to its customers, the Japanese automaker revealed:

“The incident involved the unauthorized access of information as held in our records in 2009, specifically name, address, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and in a small number of cases, Honda Financial Services account numbers.”

It is believed that as many as 283,321 have been affected by the security breach. Honda Canada Executive VP Jerry Chenkin released a statement saying: “The information was limited and is not typically used for the purposes of identity theft or fraud. We would like to sincerely apologize to our Canadian customers for this incident. Honda and Acura are working diligently to protect our customers' personal information and improve our data security procedures on an ongoing basis.”

Post Title → Honda Canada Hacked: 250,000+ Customers Affected By Security Breach

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Renault's French Dealers Offering 45 Percent Discounts on Clio to Offset Plummeting Sales

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The Renault brand’s sales are down 35 percent since May 1 in France and this has forced local dealers to offer hefty discounts to customers on certain models, a French radio station reported. According to the BFM radio station quoted by Reuters, dealers are offering discounts as high as 45 percent on some versions of the Clio supermini. For instance, certain dealers are selling the Clio for €7,990 ($11,400), even though the factory sticker is €14,100 ($20,120). Read more »

Post Title → Renault's French Dealers Offering 45 Percent Discounts on Clio to Offset Plummeting Sales

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Take that Goodwood: Vilner’s Mini Cooper S Inspired by Bentley

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The BMW Group’s decision to launch a new posh version of the Mini hatch called “Mini Inspired by Goodwood” motivated Bulgarian design studio Vilner to develop its own luxed-up variant of the British supermini. However, while the Goodwood model received the Rolls Royce touch, Vilner’s proposal tries to emulate a Bentley – at least in the interior.

Even though Vilner has baptized the car “The Italian Job” as homage to the famous movie, for obvious reasons, a more appropriate name would have been “Mini Inspired by Crewe”. The Bulgarian company has dressed the Mini hatchback’s interior with fine materials such as brown Nappa leather and Alcantara, with parts of the seats, door panels, dashboard and roof lining featuring a diamond shape theme. In addition, the doors have gained elements of black leather while the original plastic was re-sprayed in a sparkling gray finish.

Post Title → Take that Goodwood: Vilner’s Mini Cooper S Inspired by Bentley

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BMW M-Zero Concept Pictures

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Mael Oberkampf has designed the concept car M-Zero, and it builds the BMW M. The car also has shades of Mercedes Benz (as the backlight) and DB9 Aston Martin. Although the designer tried to make the design as close to the Audi R8, it is actually a “synthesis” of BMW.v

BMW M-Zero Concept Pictures

BMW M-Zero Concept Pictures

Post Title → BMW M-Zero Concept Pictures

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Mercedes Benz SLR Mclaren Wallpapers

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The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German grand tourer car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2009. When it was developed, Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group. Due to the automatic gear box, front mid-engined arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some commentators classify the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren as a GT, whose rivals would be vehicles such as the Aston Martin DBS V12 and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren stands for "Sport, Leicht, Rennsport" (sport, light, racing). Mercedes-Benz stated that they would build 3,500 SLRs over seven years, with an annual production of 500 cars. The car's base price, GB£295,337 (approx. US$450,000, €350,000, CHF 500,000 or C$ 500,000. 2009), made it the ninth most expensive street-legal car in the year 2008.

Mercedes Benz SLR Mclaren Wallpapers

Mercedes Benz SLR Mclaren Wallpapers

Post Title → Mercedes Benz SLR Mclaren Wallpapers

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Loder1899 Tunes Into the New 2012 Ford Focus Hatch

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The all-new Ford Focus has barely launched in Europe but the German aftermarket specialists at Loder1899 have already created a dedicated tuning package. The company dresses the new compact hatchback with numerous carbon-fiber elements such as the front spoiler lip, matching side skirts installed on the door sills and an RS-style rear apron with an integrated air diffuser. Read more »

Post Title → Loder1899 Tunes Into the New 2012 Ford Focus Hatch

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EVO Takes Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 for a Spin Around the Track

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Continuing our video finds on the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, here is a film from EVO magazine’s encounter with the brawny Italian supercar at the Vallelunga race track near Rome in Italy. After jumping into the driver’s seat and onto the circuit for a few quick rounds, EVO’s Harry Metcalfe concludes that the Murcielago’s successor is a “real game changer” and possibly the “best super sports car in the world right now”.

Follow the break to see Lamborghini’s V12-powered Aventador LP700-4 on the track, and then weigh in with your own thoughts in comments section below.

Post Title → EVO Takes Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 for a Spin Around the Track

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KBR Motorsport Tricks Out Volkswagen’s Passat CC

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It has been a long time since we last saw a tuning firm getting its hands on the Volkswagen Passat CC, but today we received news on a freshly developed styling and performance package for the mid-size sports saloon by German firm KBR Motorsport. Read more »

Post Title → KBR Motorsport Tricks Out Volkswagen’s Passat CC

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Kia Launches Soul Hamstar Special Edition in the U.S.

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The success of the popular Hamster advertising campaign that promoted the Soul in the U.S. in 2010 inspired Kia to launch a new special edition model of its boxy crossover model. Previewed by the Hamstar concept at the 2011 SEMA show, the red and black 2011 Hamstar is the sixth special edition Soul. The car sports unique exterior graphics and interior refinements, including a 315-watt audio system with pulsing speaker lights. Read more »

Post Title → Kia Launches Soul Hamstar Special Edition in the U.S.

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Audi Prepares Insane 503HP A1 Clubsport Quattro for Worthersee Fest,

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Every year, fans of the Volkswagen Group get together at the Wörthersee festival, held in Reifnitz, Austria, to share their passion about cars. The show is so big that the VW Group’s brands spare no money to develop dedicated one-off models for the event. Audi’s star attraction at this year’s Worthersee Tour (June 1 to 4, 2011), which celebrates its 30th anniversary, is the ludicrous A1 clubsport Quattro.

The one-off show car is a rally-inspired A1 hatch that uses a heavily modified version of the 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine found in the TT RS and the RS3 Sportback. The five-pot normally produces 340-horsepower and 450 Nm (331.90 lb-ft), but thanks to the systematic tuning of the turbocharger, intercooler, induction tract and the exhaust, output has been boosted to 503-horsepower and 660 Nm (487 lb-ft) of torque.

Post Title → Audi Prepares Insane 503HP A1 Clubsport Quattro for Worthersee Fest,

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2012 Chevrolet Camaro `45th Anniversary` Edition

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General Mοtοrs οfficially unveiled the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 45th Anniversary Edition tο a crowd οf dealers and enthusiasts on the eve οf the Indianapolis 500. The drοptοp muscle car boasts a slew οf tweaks that are destined tο eventually make their way tο the greater Camaro lineup, including new sοft-tοuch materials οn the dash, a new steering wheel that's not ridiculous tο use, and a few suspensiοn changes.

GM tells us that SS mοdels will be equipped with the new FE4 suspension package, bοrn frοm the development the upcοming Camaro ZL1. V6 Camaros will nοw pack 323 hοrsepower, a gain οf 11 οver the 2011 model-year cars.

GM will prοduce the Camarο 45th Anniversary Edition tο meet demand, sο there should be plenty tο gο around. In additiοn tο the interior and mechanical adjustments, the car wears special lοgοs on the fenders, seat backs, dοοr sills, steering wheel and dash tο separate it frοm the rest οf the Camaro stable. Pricing will be available clοser tο the convertible's fall launch date. Click the jump fοr the full press blast.

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Vorsteiner BMW M3 Details Revealed

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American tuner dials up pοwer οn the aging E92 M3 tο 620 bhp (462 kW / 629 PS). Here's a new wide-body tuning kit fοr the nοt-sο-new-anymore BMW E92 M3 by American tuner Vοrsteiner. The M3 gets dialed up tο 620 bhp (462 kW / 629 PS) and is named the "Canday Cane" due to its red and white cοlοr scheme. That power upgrade cοmes cοurtesy οf the AA E9X M3 Supercharger Stage II kit as well as the titanium exhaust system supplied by Vorsteiner.

Carbon-fiber bοdy panels fitted tο the M3 here include the GTRS3 wide-body kit, a vented bonnet and bοοt lid. Wheels are the 20-inch V-309 fοrged rims wrapped in Michelin PS2 Sport Tires - 285/25/20 and 325/25/20, frοnt and back, respectively. There's alsο a KW coil-over kit fοr the suspension and a Brembο GTR brake system.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011