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Friday, May 25, 2012

BMW Zagato Coupe

BMW has made a habit of unveiling a new and usually daring concept car at the Concorso d'Eleganza, a classic car gathering for Europe's crustiest upper crust on the shores of Italy's Lake Como. Here, first seen in Yahoo! Autos' Motoramic, are live shots of its latest, the BMW Zagato Coupe, a first-time pairing with the Zagato design house that suggests what could be.

The Zagato name conjures images of fleet Alfa Romeos and Aston Martins among collectors, and the family has managed to maintain an independent business building limited-edition automotive bodywork while most competitors were either sold to corporations or went out of business. While BMW has called on Italian designers in the past to breathe new life into its cars -- namely in the '70s and '80s, with models such as the original M1 -- it has never worked with Zagato.

Built mostly by hand, the BMW Zagato isn't meant to suggest a production car and the two companies have no plans to build more -- but the one they did bolt together isn't a designer's dream confined to the turntable, but a coupe that can be legally driven. There's several features that hearken more to Zagatos past than any BMW, especially the glass rear hatch and faint double-bubble roof common to all racing Zagatos, but the overall effect suggests a upper-class successor to the Z4 coupe.

Previous BMW show cars like the 328 Homage and GINA concept were never meant for production, and some BMW execs say the Zagato isn't either. Yet why build a road-ready, realistic concept only to confine it to an Italian lakeside resort once a year?

Exteririor BMW Zagato Coupe

Interirior BMW Zagato Coupe

Sunday, May 13, 2012

New 2013 Chevrolet Corvette C7

New 2013 Chevrolet Corvette C7,We know more about the next Vette than we did just a few months ago. Gone are thoughts of a split rear window, a turbocharged V-6, or a midengine design. It now appears that the C7 will debut at this coming winter's North American auto show in Detroit with a 5.5-liter V-8 that still uses pushrods. However, thanks to direct injection and higher compression, it's reasonable to expect the new Corvette to put out 440 hp, so it could match or best the outgoing 6.0-liter.

The car will be visually arresting for certain. Inspiration will come at least in part from the present Camaro. One sure bet—GM will finally, praise heaven, give its $50,000 Ferrari slayer an interior that's gorgeous, and with seats that hold the driver comfortably on track day.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

New McLaren P12 Coming in 2013

The new February 2012 issue of AUTOBLITZ Magazine leads on our exclusive inside story on the new McLaren P12 - Woking's spiritual successor to the F1.

We'll see the new hypercar within the next 12 months, but CAR has compiled a scoop dossier on the P12. Buy the new February issue to see the full set of three artist's impressions, compiled with the help of sources within McLaren who have seen the clay styling buck.

McLaren P12: the artist's impressions

The P12 looks 'like something out of iRobot,' according to our insider – way more dramatic than the supercar-by-numbers MP4-12C.

This is McLaren design chief Frank Stephenson's first clean-sheet design; he could only influence minor details on the 12C, like the front bumper. Hence the double-bubble roof and a canopy-style glasshouse which is said to dominate the front of the P12.

The tech powering the 800bhp McLaren P12

Our eight-page magazine feature reveals plenty of detail about the new McLaren supercar, codenamed P12. It follows in the footsteps of the P11, the project codename which begat the MP4-12C (and also comprehensively scooped by AUTOBLITZ Magazine – four years before it went on sale!).

The P12 will use a similar carbon Monocell structure as the MP4-12C, but with less budgetary restraint – the P12 will cost a reputed €750,000 – there is even more carbon in the bodyshell and structure, to trim weight to the absolute minimum.

The MP4-12C's 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 will be used in the P12, but it will be paired with a KERS energy storage system to provide bursts of electric power for overtaking. Our story reveals how early styling mock-ups of the P12's cabin had F1-style pistol grip steering wheels with big red boost buttons to deploy the KERS overtaking boost.

Unlike the original F1, the P12 will have a two-seat cabin, this time; McLaren Automotive managing director Anthony Sherrif told CAR they experimented with a three-seat layout like before, but it messed with the dimensions too much.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

2012 New York auto show

All Show Car in USA,The 2012 Detroit auto show was so busy that the near lack of debuts at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show may have given everyone a false sense that no new cars were coming to the 2012 New York auto show. Not true. Apparently, the Chicago auto show was just the eye of the storm as automakers unleashed a deluge of cool new vehicles that they've been holding back for the Big Apple. More than 20 new vehicles debuted at the show today, with more headed on our way on Day 2. Learn about all the models you may have missed below:

New 2013 SRT Viper at the 2012 New York Auto Show

The SRT Viper fits the bill with a radical new take on its iconic design, but this Viper only returns to the market thanks to Chrysler merger with Fiat and studying that brand's own muscle car, the Alfa Romeo 8c.

2012 New York Auto Show

Italian heritage in a sports car can't be a bad thing, but first let's focus on what makes this American car great: 640 horsepower through a normally aspirated V-10 engine with 600 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers almost make you forget that it's still the same basic engine as the last Viper, which was phased out in 2010.

Zero to 60 mph times for the new model weren't listed in the press materials, but the previous-generation Viper had a remarkable 3.8-second figure. We expect the 2013 SRT version to top it.

That's due in part to the added horsepower and torque — torque is up from 560 pounds-feet and Chrysler says it's the most torque from any naturally aspirated engine — as well as weight savings.

This snake's skin — sorry — is made out of lighter-weight materials with carbon fiber making up the roof for the first time and the rest of the body and chassis using materials like aluminum, magnesium as well as carbon fiber to keep weight to a minimum. The base Viper's weight is 3,354 pounds and lightens to 3,297 with an SRT Track Package. That's 105 pounds lighter than the previous model.

There will also be a Viper GTS for owners who are serious about taking it on the track.

What no one will likely be marveling at is the six-speed manual transmission. It's a Tremec TR6060, which is used in other high-powered cars like the Chevy Corvette ZR1, and it's not known for the smoothest or lightest of shifts. It's often used in these applications because it can handle all that power, but automakers like Nissan, with its GT-R, have foregone the manual transmission altogether to make their cars even faster.

Not being able to shift a new Viper yourself with a stick and left pedal would likely turn off the loyal Viper owner community, but the Viper does have cruise control ... for the first time.

Tires are vitally important to keeping this beast on the road while owners try to shift through the gears. Pirelli P-Zero tires are standard, with P295/30ZR18 in front and P355/30ZR19 in the back. Maybe this will inspire Chevy and other muscle-car makers putting 20-inch wheels on as many trims as possible. The Rattler wheels are available in either polished aluminum or painted Hyper Black or low-gloss black. Who's not picking one of the black options?

The interior will likely be welcome by previous owners who were treated to the most bargain basement of surroundings as the Viper aged. At what will likely be near six-digit prices, the interior should be covered in leather, and the SRT team says it is with accent stitching standard, too. The seats focus on racing so we expect they won't be too comfortable, but the company says it is the most spacious interior of the line.

There's also a 7-inch digital gauge cluster that is fully customizable. In the center stack, there's a standard 8.4-inch touch-screen with two available levels of multimedia options as we've seen in other Chrysler vehicles with the Uconnect system. There will also be a range of Harmon Kardon stereos from which to choose.

The SRT Viper is a special vehicle with only one distinct purpose: Go fast. Secondarily, it may be to look menacing. It seems it will achieve both.

Interior New 2013 SRT Viper

New Fisker Atlantic Concept at the 2012 New York Auto Show

Fisker Automotive, the company behind the Karma range-extended electric car, has finally given shape and a name to the more affordable car heretofore known as Project Nina: The Atlantic appeared on the eve of the 2012 New York auto show as a concept. The company's co-founder and designer Henrik Fisker said the model is 90% into its development cycle. If the Karma is any indication, the real thing will look almost exactly like this concept, though Fisker says the interior will be changed substantially.

2012 New York Auto Show

From its front-end design to its 22-inch wheels, the Atlantic is an obvious Karma sibling, though the company says it doesn't share the $102,000 luxury car's platform. Lighter and roughly the size of an Audi A6, the Atlantic is meant to be more affordable and mass-marketable, though the company is mum on a timetable and pricing. Originally, Project Nina was expected to go on sale in 2013 priced at around $50,000 to $60,000, a reasonable range to compete with the Tesla Model S, for which competitor Tesla has similar goals.

Fisker has revealed little about this model's drivetrain except to say it mirrors the Karma in principle; it's a series hybrid that provides a limited electric-only range before a gas-powered generator fires up to keep the car going. The rear-wheel-drive car also adds an all-wheel-drive option. Fisker says this second-generation powertrain will drive its generator with a four-cylinder gas engine from BMW.

While this four-door is noticeably smaller than the Karma, the roofline is higher, and "spider" cross-bracing leaves only a glass roof above the rear passengers for more headroom. Its backseat is said to be roomier, and the battery pack that runs through the middle of the cabin appears to be a bit lower. The trunk is also larger, and the rear seats fold forward — a rarity among hybrid and battery-powered sedans.

Though it's been knocked down a couple of times by high-profile setbacks, Fisker seems to be adept at getting back up. Battery supplier A123 Systems has taken responsibility — and is footing the bill — for a recall to replace the battery packs on 2012 models, a few of which have failed completely. In March, due to Project Nina delays, the U.S. Department of Energy froze payments to Fisker from a $529 million loan. Then, just days before the Atlantic concept's introduction, the company announced having raised $392 million in private funding. Now Fisker is re-evaluating whether the Atlantic will be built at a former GM plant in Wilmington, Del. "We're still looking at Wilmington as our primary choice right now," said Fisker's recently appointed CEO Tom LaSorda. "I always look for other options."

See more Galeri :

New Mazda Takeri Concept at the 2012 New York Auto Show

New Mazda Takeri Concept,The automaker is showing its first SkyActiv diesel concept in New York. The Takeri is an aggressively styled coupe-like sedan that uses a variety of new fuel-saving technologies, some of which the automaker expects to roll out into production vehicles.

2012 New York Auto Show Coverage

The swoopy midsize sedan rides on 20-inch satin-chrome wheels and uses what Mazda calls its Kodo ("Soul of Motion") design theme. The 2013 Mazda CX-5 was the first production vehicle to use Kodo cues, including the updated five-point grille and more sculpted body lines. "The sharp features of Takeri also could undoubtedly make their way into a future production vehicle," Mazda said in a statement. Its satin-chrome accents are carried over inside, lining the instrument panel. The cabin also features bolstered seats in Ceramic White leather.

Under the hood is a 2.2-liter diesel engine, part of the company's SkyActiv-branded powertrains. It joins other new fuel-tech equipment like a start/stop system that Mazda calls i-stop and a regenerative braking system dubbed i-ELOOP. With the former, the concept can be restarted in four-tenths of a second, which Mazda says is the world's fastest diesel engine restart time. The latter stands for Intelligent Energy Loop and is a capacitor-based regenerative braking system. The kinetic energy captured while braking is stored in a capacitor instead of in the battery; it's then used to power the vehicle's electrical equipment. Mazda says it improves fuel economy by as much as 10%.

Mazda did not confirm production plans for the Takeri, but did say that elements of the design and fuel-saving equipment will make their way into production vehicles. The i-stop system is already available in vehicles sold in Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand; i-ELOOP will be introduced into Mazda vehicles beginning in 2012.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Sexi Girl with Nissan GTR Gold in China

Sexi Girl with Nissan GTR Gold in China,This is a very fine Nissan GTR wrapped in gold, with a sweet girl all over. The pics are taken on some dark highway in the great city of Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province.

Audi diesel-hybrid race car

Audi will put its most complicated racecar ever built on a track for a race. The R18 e-tron diesel-hybrid all-wheel-drive already looks as fast as its predecessors, and could portend what kind of vehicles we'll drive later this decade -- but first, it has to at least finish a few races.

Fans of Le Mans endurance racing can't help but hope Audi has lost just a little edge in the transition to a new car, because absent that it's likely Audi will run away with the race. The e-tron combines a diesel V6 powering the rear wheels with a flywheel system that captures energy from braking and releases it through the front wheels when needed. While Toyota has its own Le Mans Prototype hybrid, that car won't be ready until Le Mans -- and Toyota winning its first race over the dominating Audis would rank as one of the all-time greatest upsets in the sport.

This may seen far afield from your garage, but the old saw about lessons learned on the track rolling into everyday cars does still apply. Audi tested its flywheel system by fitting it in the nose of a R8 supercar; if it was able to shrink it further, it could offer an alternative to battery hybrid systems. But that's something to think about after a few checkered flags fall.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Marussia B2 sports car

Marussia B2 to have dedicated assembly line.

Start of production at the niche auto maker’s plant in Uusikaupunki depends on the progress of the cooperation. “We plan this phase in the end of 2012 or during 2013,” the Finnish company says in a prepared statement.

The annual production target is several hundred cars. A dedicated assembly line will be set up for the Marussia B2 at the factory.

The B2 model, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in 2009 and shown at the auto show here, is Marussia Motor’s second sports car. It follows the less-aggressively styled B1, which is built in small volumes at the company’s facility in Moscow.

The Marussia B2 offers a choice of several Cosworth engines – a 3.5L normally aspirated V-6 with 300 hp or a turbocharged 2.8L V-6 with either 360 hp or 420 hp.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Turbocharge Acura Integra Big Block V8

Turbocharge Acura Integra Big Block V8,We always love unique tuning projects and cars like this Acura Integra will surely impress those who witness it first hand. This car was recently listed on eBay where it pulled a $19,000 bid with the 6.5-liter Chevy big block V8 sticking out of the engine bay. The GM powerplant is so large you can’t even fit a hood on the Acura Integra unless you did some extreme modifications to it. We’re just wondering how the driver can possibly see out the front of the Acura Integra after watching the video and pictures below.