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The ZAP-X Electric Crossover - 155mph, 644 bhp, AWD, 10 minute recharge, 350 Mile Range
By Mike Hanlon
February 2, 2007 In a marriage seemingly well matched, electric automobile pioneer ZAP has chosen Lotus Engineering’s platform and body structure design as the basis for the development of the high performance electric ZAP-X. The car is based on the advanced APX (Aluminium Performance Crossover ) concept car and will be shown for the first time at the North American Dealers Association (NADA) exhibition which opens tomorrow (February 3). A combination of the lightweight aluminium vehicle architecture, a new efficient drive and advanced battery management systems is intended to enable a range of up to 350 miles between charges, with a rapid 10-minute recharging time. An auxiliary power unit is planned to support longer distance journeys. The good news for sports enthusiasts is the performance courtesy of a killer power-to- weight ratio. - four in-hub electric motors, deliver 161 bhp apiece, which add together for 644 horsepower in all wheel drive mode, and capable of powering the ZAP-X to a top speed of 155mph. Read More
The 205 mph 1939 Auto Union Type D could set price record
By Mike Hanlon
February 2, 2007 What could become the most expensive car ever to be sold in the history of the prestigious auction house Christie's is due to go under the hammer at the international vintage car fair Retromobile in Paris later on February 17. The ultra-rare 1939 Auto Union Type D Grand Prix car was driven by the likes of Nuvolari (pictured in car) and is one of just two remaining examples of the Auto Union which won the 1939 French Grand Prix and 1939 Yugoslavian Grand prix and could fetch as much as UKP8 million (12 million euros). Its 12-cylinder supercharged engine produces 460PS output, giving the beautiful silver bullet a top speed of 205mph. Formed in the Thirties through the amalgamation of four German automotive marques, Auto Union was a precursor to the modern day Audi brand. The car was made in Zwickau in eastern Germany, was taken back to the former Soviet Union after World War II by the Soviet occupation forces as spoils of war and was purchased from Russie before undergoing a full restoration with Audi’s assistance. Read More
The world’s most practical sports car
By Mike Hanlon
January 30, 2007 BMW doesn’t like the term station wagon, which originated in the age of train travel when all-purpose vehicles with specialised bodies worked around train stations to carry people and luggage to local destinations. The term “hack” was also used to describe these utilitarian vehicles, so we kinda understand why BMW doesn’t want anyone calling its M5 Touring, the world’s fastest station wagon or something equally gauche, as its sporting and technological credentials set it far apart from the ordinary. It’s 5.0-litre V-10 engine has won back-to-back International Engine of the Year awards, and runs through a seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox to offer 507 bhp and 520 Nm of torque. The main difference between this vehicle and the legendary M5 is the 1,650 liters of boot space. This is a vehicle for owners needing to move sizable loads … very quickly. Without the 155mph electronic limiter the new M5 Touring would be capable of achieving 200mph while still transporting the largest of loads. All other facets of the vehicle put it in the luxury class, so perhaps a better term for the M5 Touring might be a “shooting break.” With the previous M5 Touring (E34) only available in left-hand drive, the arrival of the new M5 Touring marks the first time the high-performance estate has been offered to right-hand-drive customers. Read More
The Brabus turbodeisel Sprinter - brutal torque and frugality
By Mike Hanlon
January 29, 2007 Much effort is currently being made using the inherent advantages of next generation turbodiesel engine technology to create economical yet very powerful luxury cars in a variety of body shapes, from sports to SUV to Grand Tourers, but little effort has been made in the area of commercial vehicles. Now German automotive design house Brabus has produced a performance package that turns a Mercedes- Benz Sprinter carrier van into a flexible base vehicle that could be the basis for either a powerful luxury van or an economical delivery vehicle. Possessed with bullish 480 Nm torque from 1,600 to 2,600 rpm, the van offers relaxed driving without the constant gearbox-pedaling often required of vehicles of this form factor, particularly when they are fully loaded. Despite the massive power increases, the engine tuning kit comes with a100,000 kilometre warranty and can be installed by any Mercedes- Benz dealer in about 30 minutes, turning the common-rail turbodiesel engine into a high- torque power pack. The PowerXtra performance kits are designed to harmonize perfectly with the standard diesel particulate filters, and to achieve exhaust emissions at the same (very low) levels as the production vehicles.Apart from the engine tuning, the company also offers an extensive program for refining the new Mercedes Sprinter’s exterior and interior, including fully functional mobile offices with sumptuous leather interiors and a playground on wheels with all the latest entertainment technologies. With such economy, the van would also make a wonderful and comfortable mobile observation platform for travelers. Read More
The EDAG Luxury Utility Vehicle (LUV) concept car for Geneva Motor Show
By Mike Hanlon
January 25, 2007 The latest concept car from EDAG Engineering + Design AG, has a distinct nautical flair, with oiled teak used on the bonnet, inside as the floor covering , and again on the elegant loading platform behind the five seat cabin which gives it the air of a quarterdeck. Conceived as a niche vehicle, the Luxury Utility Vehicle (LUV) presents a maritime appearance from its bows to its stern, and is targeted at customers who are not looking for just an ordinary car, and who appreciate something more distinctive. The dimensions of the vehcile are also imposing - an impressive overall length of 5.7 metres, over 2 metres wide and 1.8 metres high, the EDAG LUV is a real eye-catcher which will be seen for the first time in public at the Geneva Motor Show on March 7, 2007. Read More
A three wheeler from Audi
By Mike Hanlon
January 25, 2007 This interesting three wheeler is apparently work from within the Audi Design Centre, but we can’t comment any more than that because we don’t know any more. The images surfaced this week when Stefan Sielaff was appointed head of design for AUDI AG, with the three-wheeler model in the foreground. Sielaff reports to Walter de'Silva, who is responsible for design in the entire Audi brand group including SEAT and Lamborghini. Read More
Mitsubishi to launch flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) in 2007
By Mike Hanlon
January 22, 2007 Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today announced plans to launch a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) in the Brazil market within fiscal 2007. The Company also announced that models are in development for the US market for a fiscal 2009 launch. One of MMC's design objectives is to create vehicles that meet the requirements of the Century of the Environment. This can be seen in the MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative electric vehicle - pictured), a next generation electric car that is a core element in the company's environmental technology strategy, and can also be seen in the next generation diesel engine that is now under development. In addition to these initiatives, MMC and its local manufacturing and sales unit, MMC Automotores do Brasil Ltda (MMCB) have been developing a flexible fuel vehicle for the Brazil market. The FFV can run on gasoline, ethanol, or a mixture of the two, and will be launched in the Brazil market within fiscal 2007. Practical FFV solutions are also in development for the US market, where a fiscal 2009 launch is planned. Read More
Mitsubishi claims seventh successive Dakar Rally Victory
By Mike Hanlon
January 22, 2007 Given that Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart had won the last six Dakar Rallies, it was logical to expect the seventh consecutive victory which came about on Sunday with the top two placings on the podium, but that would not have paid the respect due to the fleet of VW 285-hp 2.5-litre TDI turbodiesel Race Touareg and the massive effort of the Volkswagen factory team. As it was, the Volkswagen team led the event for the first eight days and won ten of 14 possible stage victories, and but for one catastrophic day where the team’s two best placed drivers suffered valve-train failure, the results might have been different. The success was a record-breaking 12th win in the team's 25-year history of competing in the world's toughest and most famous off-road rally. The French crew of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret won the event for the third time in four years in their Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution and beat their team mates and defending champions Luc Alphand and Gilles Picard by a margin of just seven minutes 26 seconds, after 15 days of bruising competition across Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal. Read More
Suzuki’s Flix Concept - Movie-theater-style concept vehicle
By Mike Hanlon
January 19, 2007 One of the concept vehicles at NAIAS which somehow seemed to slip below the radar was the silver-screen-inspired XL7 Flix concept. The Flix concept offers film enthusiasts the ultimate mobile movie experience, being outfitted with an in-vehicle movie system. After parking at the optimal film-viewing destination, Flix’s clamshell roof can be opened, revealing a maximum-size moonroof that serves as a 40-inch movie screen. Additionally, the XL7 concept’s front roof panel vents, giving way to a high-density digital projection system to display a family’s movie of choice. For those who prefer the traditional drive-in movie experience, Flix’s projection system can be positioned to display movies nearly anywhere – the side of a building, a billboard or almost any wall. Read More
The MINI Cooper D
By Mike Hanlon
January 19, 2007 The words Mini and Cooper go together but have traditionally been associated with powerful petrol engines – so prepare the system for a shock because the famous brand is about to have a diesel variant. The Cooper D boasts performance and fuel efficiency from an all-new 1.6-litre 110hp turbodiesel powerplant that promises to be the most fuel-efficient and cleanest MINI ever built. In comparison to the outgoing MINI One D’s combined fuel consumption of 58.9mpg, the Cooper D is capable of 64.2mpg. Read More
Clever designer wheel with replaceable flange
By Mike Hanlon
January 17, 2007 German TechArt Automobildesign has released a clever new designer rim for all current Porsche models! With the new Formula II light-alloy multi-piece wheel has a five-spoke design with stylized screws in the outer ring of the star and a highly polished exchangeable stainless-steel flange. The advantage of this design is very relevant in the real world as a wheel that is scratched by scraping the curb can be easily and inexpensively repaired by the changing of the flange. Recommended retail for the new TechArt Formula II light-alloy wheels starts at 750 Euros. Read More
Montezemolo proclaims "all-new Ferrari F1 Team"
By Mike Hanlon
January 16, 2007 It should seem strange that the unveiling of the fifty third Formula 1 single-seater built by Ferrari was also the proclamation of a new Ferrari but with the retirement of Michael Schumacher and the loss of Ross Brawn, Ferrari supremo Montezemolo underlined just that. "This is a complete new Ferrari, and I don't speak just about the car but about the whole Scuderia. There is a new driver, who is succeeding a driver that has been with us since 1996. It is a very important substitution; not only because Michael has won more races than anyone else in our history, but also because he created a personal relationship with the company and the men. It is true that Massa is here for his second year and so we can say that he is still young. But he already has some experience and he grew a lot over the last year. There are two young managers - Stefano Domenicali, Sporting Director, and Mario Almondo, Technical Director - who come from the school of Ferrari. Over all those years we put all our resources in internal growth, which is a very important fact." Read More
Musical chairs as Formula One launch season unfolds
By Mike Hanlon
January 16, 2007 Formula One is underway again for 2007 with the launch events as spectacular as ever. Toyota Panasonic was the first team out of the blocks, then followed McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari with world champion drivers champ Fernando Alonso no longer in Renault Mild Seven blue but the black and silver of McLaren. The biggest change is at Ferrari where Kimi Raikkonen now wears Ferrari (or is that Marlboro) Red and has been installed by the bookies as champion elect in the absence of Michael Schumacher, narrowly shading Alonso. Similarly, Ferrari is now favourite for the constructors title over McLaren with Renault seen as a distant third. BMW will unveil its new Sauber F1.07 later today in a live event held at its web site. Renault will trot out new R27 livery next week with the Mild Seven sponsorship leaving, and Williams will show its new Toyota-powered FW29 team in early February, followed by Honda’s RA107, Red Bull and Toro Rosso … with Dieter Mateschitz owning both teams, the party (current form here and here) can be expected to trump them all. If you’re an F1 tragic, might we suggest a new way to get amongst it is the on-line fantasy game Formula One Grand Prix Manager! which gives you the chance to become a manager of your own F1 racing team. Read More
BMW focusses supercomputer on F1 aerodynamics
By Mike Hanlon
January 16, 2007 The seemingly endless amount of money available in Formula One is directly related to its audience size and the influence it has. Success in Formula One, the world’s most watched sporting series, is the world’s most visible gauge of automotive technological prowess, and it is so sought after because it adds value to the company brand name. With BMW entering the fray under its own name last year, it isn’t about to settle for anything less than the top step of the podium and has embarked on its quest with the aid of one of the world’s most powerful computers. The BMW Sauber F1 Team new super brain, Albert2 is Europe's fastest computer currently used in industry. It’s roughly three times faster than its predecessor and is employed solely in the study of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Rather than going with the current trend where many teams are building a second wind tunnel, BMW invested its racing budget in Albert2, which is quite a specimen. It’s main memory is 2,048 Gb – it 256 nodes with two Intel Xeon 5160 processors each, and each of these has two cores. This results in a total of 1024 cores and a maximum computing power is 12,288 GFlops. This means that Albert2 is capable of performing 12,288,000,000,000 floating-point arithmetic operations per second. Read More
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Launch
By Mike Hanlon
January 16, 2007 The launch of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team was predictably huge – with Vodafone is joining as Title Sponsor and Official Mobile Partner, the event took on gargantuan proportions on a bespoke circuit around the Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias in Spain, coincidentally the homeland of their stellar signing, newly crowned world champ Fernando Alonso. Alonso and new teammate Lewis Hamilton form one of the youngest driver line-ups in the history of the sport and Hamilton in particular must have wondered just how big F1 would be when the pair unveiled the new livery in two MP4-21 race cars in front of a crowd of more than 150,000. This was followed by the unveiling of the 2007 car, the MP4-22. Tomorrow, the 2007 challengers will conduct a shakedown test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. Vodaphone released three commemorative edition phones for the affair. Read More
Rare Mercedes-Benz 1948 Cabriolet Design Study
By Mike Hanlon
January 15, 2007 A rare and beautiful left hand drive Mercedes-Benz W142 A320 Cabriolet, believed to be the only example built, is certain to attract International interest from collectors at this year’s Melbourne International Motor Show auction on March 12. The imposing 5.5 metre long car was originally built by the factory around 1948 as a design study for a future luxury cabriolet model. The evolution of a single overhead camshaft engine and other technical developments that materialised in the A300 (Adenauer) saloon of 1950 rendered the cabriolet design study redundant and the vehicle was found in Indonesia by a travelling businessman 20 years ago. The fully-restored vehicle is expected to fetch more than US$350,000 at auction. Read More
More venom for the Viper: 600 bhp 2008 Viper SRT10
By Mike Hanlon
January 15, 2007 One of the most brutal cars on the road will become even moreso next year when the Dodge Viper SRT10 will be packing 90 extra horsepower from its new 8.4-liter Viper V-10 engine, delivering an astounding 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. The new 2008 Viper SRT10 will run from 0-60 mph in under four seconds, and deliver 0-100-0 mph performance in just over 12 seconds, braking in under 100 feet. Read More
Hydrogen-powered motorsport on the horizon
By Mike Hanlon
January 15, 2007 In what could turn out to be an historic occasion for international motor sport, a new racing entity announced its formation at the closing of the NAIAS in Detroit last week. The Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation (HERF) is a new racing organization dedicated to helping the world's leading automobile manufacturers accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric vehicles through sanctioned competition. The concept is to provide a competitive arena in which manufacturers can push the envelope of hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric vehicle technology, enabling racing to take its rightful place again as the principal conduit for the transference of advanced technologies and innovations directly to our future production vehicles. The first on-track competition for electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells will be in the United States in 2009, with international events in 2010 and 2011. Read More
New Swiss Supercar – the Beck LM 800
By Mike Hanlon
January 12, 2007 A new SuperCar joined the ranks of the world’s elite automobiles this week when the Beck LM 800 was shown to the world’s public for the first time at the luxury motor show in Vienna. Built by Beck Engineering & Composits GmbH from Muri near Berne in Switzerland , the most striking feature of the car is its weight - 900 kg with a full tank of gas and an 80 kg driver – achieved with liberal lashings of aluminium, magnesium, titanium, and the latest plastic and composite materials such as Kevlar. The chassis is an active, electronically controlled unit based on current F1 design, and lots of windtunnel development gives the car a very refined aerodynamic profile. Not surprisingly, every car is a one-off and you can order the specification of your choice, from the US$600,000 base model with a 650 bhp turbocharged 4.2 litre V8, all the way to1000 bhp. We're still trying to wrap our brain cells around the concept of 1000 bhp pushing 900 kg around. Read More
Audi shows Q7 V12 TDI with 1,000Nm of torque
By Mike Hanlon
January 10, 2007 While we love concept cars, and we’re enamoured with futuristic power train technologies, but we must admit that one of the most alluring vehicles at the Detroit (NAIAS) Motor Show was the diesel-engined, production-ready Audi Q7 V12 TDI. It’s now nearly two decades since Audi invented the TDI engine, so it’s nice to see the technology being presented it in an all-new high-tech, range-topping guise. Derived from the company’s all-conquering race car which won everything it entered in 2006, including the Le Mans 24 hour, the now production-ready version of V12 TDI engine produces 368 kW/500 bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. Read More
Kia Kue crossover concept vehicle
By Mike Hanlon
January 10, 2007 Kia showed a new concept, the Kue crossover concept vehicle, at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit yesterday. The all-wheel drive Kue is designed to deliver an exhilarating drive, both on- and off-road and is powered by a 400 hp 4.6-litre, supercharged V8 petrol engine producing 400 lbft (542 Nm) of torque. A technology-driven interface designed to adjust to driver and passenger preference is the focus of the interior functions. Touch pad and motion-sensing controls are used to adjust systems such as audio and climate control. The entire touch-pad set up is programmable so that one surface may activate the stereo for one driver and temperature for another. Rear passengers have their own, separate interface. Read More
Downloading music at the Pump
By Mike Hanlon
January 10, 2007 The gas station has always been one of those universal outlets which touches everyone in industrialised countries where every home has a car – so it was only a matter of time before the world’s smartest marketers began to take advantage of this. Now fuel dispenser manufacturer Dresser Wayne is joining with the Microsoft Automotive Business Unit to demonstrate how consumers can wirelessly transfer music to their car while pumping gas.The Dresser Wayne Ovation iX fuel dispenser is an Internet-ready, WiFi-capable gas pump with a 15-inch touchscreen and speakers, which enables the transfer of media content to other WiFi-enabled devices. Read More
Jeep Trailhawk open-air concept
By Mike Hanlon
January 9, 2007 The Jeep Trailhawk concept, unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show overnight, merges the spectrum of the Jeep brand by combining the core off-road features of the four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the refined sophistication of an all-new on-road open-air concept vehicle, providing a unique and fresh expression for Jeep. Built off the new Wrangler platform, the Jeep Trailhawk is a more refined highway cruiser without sacrificing any of Jeep’s legendary off-road capabilities. Read More
Mazda Ryuga Concept captures the spirit of motion
By Mike Hanlon
January 9, 2007 As we’ve previously mentioned, Mazda does great show cars, and the promise of the Nagare concept was more than fulfilled when the metallic manifestation of those sketches we previewed became a reality. The word Nagare is one of a hundred or more Japanese words that describe the embodiment of motion – such as how wind shapes desert sand, the way currents stir the ocean’s floor or the way waves lap at the shores of a lake. van den Acker explains, “Nagare is purposely emotional and expressive. Anyone who sees it is drawn for a closer look; they’re moved to caress surfaces inspired by nature, to understand how they could work on an automobile. Read More
Acura “Advanced Sports Car Concept” - Next Generation Exotic
By Mike Hanlon
January 7, 2007 Honda’s next generation exotic sports car was previewed for the first time last night, when the Japanese giant showed the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. The concept provides a preview of the design direction for the successor to the Acura NSX and some quite granular detail, with a front-mounted V-10 engine and a new high-performance, rear-wheel-drive based version of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). Read More
Alexis Olson
- November 9, 2009 @ 21:08 UTC
