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| Volkswagen planning two-seater coupe/roadster Posted: 22 Jul 2008 08:34 AM CDT  Built on an aluminum spaceframe developed by Audi (which also points out that the rumors about Audi building the R4 are not only rumors), the car will weight under 1000 kg and power will come from VW’s 168 hp 1.4 liter TSI and from a new 1.6 liter TDI engine developing 125 hp. The new Volkswagen roadster is described as being a cut-priced alternative to the Lotus Elise, designed to be stylish and lightweight while offering genuine performance and class-leading fuel economy.  | ||||
| Lambo LP640 featured in The Dark Knight Posted: 22 Jul 2008 08:18 AM CDT  “The Murcielago LP640 Coupe is a natural choice of car for Bruce Wayne. We are proud to be associated with one of the greatest movies in history”, said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini CEO. This isn’t the first collaboration between Lamborghini and this series of movie, the prequel, Batman Begins, has also been graced by the appearance of the Murcielago Roadster . The Dark Knight is right now the best selling movie in the US, based on the sales during the first weekend of release. Source: Lamborghini (Read the full press release here)  | ||||
| Barack Obama endorses $4 billion aid for GM, Ford and Chrysler Posted: 22 Jul 2008 03:59 AM CDT  While the Bush administration still doesn’t favour the idea of supporting the Detroit car companies, in a letter sent to UAW workers on Friday, Sen. Barack Obama endorsed Michigan’s congressional Democrats are pushing for $4 billion in aid to the U.S. auto industry as part of a second economic stimulus bill. According to Detroit Free Press, Obama and other congressional Democrats have said they even consider a second stimulus plan in September that could reach $50 billion. “America cannot truly prosper unless Michigan prospers [..] By providing tax credits and loan guarantees for our automakers and by expanding consumer tax incentives for ultraefficient vehicles, I will provide real solutions necessary to help this industry compete and win in the global economy,” Obama said in the letter to UAW members released by his campaign. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Michigan’s two Democratic senators urged Reid to include $3.75 billion in funding for loans, which could provide up to $25 billion that automakers and parts suppliers could use for revamping old factories and engineering new models. The loans would be made directly from the U.S. Treasury to automakers at below-market interest rates. The funding would cover the government’s borrowing costs. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin also asked Reid to include $250 million for research into advanced batteries. Sen. John McCain on the other hand, is against this loan program, as his campaign says his proposals, which include $5,000 consumer tax credit for buying efficient vehicles, $300-million prize for electric vehicle batteries and strict goals for building flexible-fuel models, would accomplish the same thing. The UAW, which has endorsed Obama, has pushed the loan program for some time as a way to give Detroit automakers aid without the specter of a government bailout. Last year’s energy bill authorized the loans, but provided no funding for them after Republicans blocked a tax measure that would have paid for the program. Automakers have been lukewarm to the idea in the past, but as all three face the worst market in decades, they’ve warmed to the idea.  | ||||
| Live Sporty: Audi partners with St. Anton ski resort Posted: 21 Jul 2008 03:06 PM CDT  To mark the launch of the alliance between Audi and the Austrian ski resort St. Anton, three Audi Q7 models were presented to resort’s representatives: "We are very much looking forward to cooperating together, and hope to inspire our visitors with our common passion for winter sport," remarks tourism board director Martin Ebster. The Audi models will in future form the official St. Anton fleet that will take the town's representatives to trade shows and accompany them at local crowd-pulling events. In return, St. Anton will strengthen Audi's presence in the province with advertising space as well as an interactive installation in the heart of the town. Over the coming months, community and sponsor have a host of events in store. There is the "Legends on the Arlberg" series, for example, in which celebrities whose roots are in St. Anton will meet key figures from Audi's past. This will include the proprietor of the "Arlberg Hospiz" and hotelier extraordinaire Adi Werner encountering with Audi motor racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck. "St. Anton is a winter sports mecca that attracts visitors from all over the world. The World Cup races clearly demonstrated the immense passion for the sport that is shared by Audi and the people of St. Anton," explains Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG Marketing and Sales.  | ||||
| Posted: 21 Jul 2008 02:53 PM CDT  The guy in the photo is the second luckiest guy to get his Foose Coupe. The car is built by Chip Foose in a 50 units limited run and so far there were four cars created (two for the 2006 SEMA Show, one which was sold for $330,000 to a private collector at a 2007 Barrett-Jackson auction and this one). The rear wheel drive mid-engine car features a dry carbon fiber monocoque (the car weights only 2,300lbs/1,050kg) and customers can choose between a 500 hp 6.4 liter Hemi V8 producing 480 lb-ft torque and a Ford 5.4 liter V8, both engines mated to a 5-speed manual transaxle. The Foose Coupe also features plush leather seating, carbon fiber trim, 14-inch brake discs with six-piston Baer calipers and 20-inch polished alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero tires. Also, the flames lining the car's exterior were hand-painted by Chip Foose himself. The car is fully customizable, this model, for example, featuring a pistol grip shifter for the five-speed manual. To be honest, I love the car, because it reminds me of one of my favorite cars, the Prowler. Still, the pricing on this one is pretty restrictive. Check out more photos after the jump.
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| 2010 Ford Mustang shows up at Road America Posted: 21 Jul 2008 02:34 PM CDT  With the production-ready Chevrolet Camaro presented a few minutes ago, the competition is getting tough for the Ford Mustang. But Ford doesn’t want to lose attention, so they gave a sneak peak of its 2010 Mustang facelift at this past weekend's leg of the 2008 Road America vintage car show. The car served as the pace car for the vintage race, however, the Mustang was outfitted with heavy camo, keeping its key design cues hidden until its official reveal scheduled for the Los Angeles Auto Show this November. The Mustang showed up at this event because Ford marketing manager Robert Parker explained that these events provide an opportunity for customers to get behind the wheel and for Ford to show off its new and future product lines. Video after the jump.  | ||||
| Vauxhall Insignia lands in London Posted: 21 Jul 2008 02:33 PM CDT  Nope, that’s not figurative talking, the new Vauxhall Insignia actually landed in London. The 4.7 metre-diameter orb containing the Insignia was suspended by a crane high above Potters Fields Park, 45 metres to earth and then was let fall down in only 6 seconds (pretty impressive stunt). The event featured 300 guests and Alain Visser, Chief Marketing Officer for GM Europe, who drove the Insignia onto the stage after it landed safely on the ground, said: “We are very proud of the Insignia and decided that an extraordinary car needed an extraordinary entrance, that’s why we chose to drop in at one of London’s most frequented and iconic locations - Tower Bridge just next to the London Assembly.” The Insignia debuts tomorrow, 22 July, at the British International Motor Show, where Vauxhall will announce the vehicle’s price in the UK. Sales begin immediately in the UK for both the hatchback and notchback versions and there is a range of five engines. All meet Euro 5 emissions standards and come with six-speed transmissions, either manual or automatic. Check out the video after the jump.  | ||||
| Posted: 21 Jul 2008 01:45 PM CDT You must remember that last week we told you about the new Jaguar XF-R making an appearance at the Goodward Festival of Speed (click here to read that post). Well, apparently some of those present at the event manage to catch the XF-R on video and give us the chance to feast our eyes on this beautiful car. Enjoy! One more video after the jump.  | ||||
| Custom made 1040 hp Rolls Royce Silver Shadow Posted: 21 Jul 2008 01:37 PM CDT  Ok, so what we’ve got here is a Rolls Royce Sliver Shadow and, as you might suspect from the engine coming out of the front hood, it’s not really an ordinary Rolls. Because, powered by the 592 hemi V8 engine and with a dual stage kit on it, the car’s power output is 1040 hp. Yup, no typos here, 1040 hp! Pretty impressive, huh? And we’re not the only ones thinking that, because this weekend the car won coolest clasic at Florida show, out of 7000 cars. More photos after the jump.
SouthFloridaStangs (Via Carscoop)  | ||||
| Top Gear Magazine damages the Nissan GT-R Posted: 21 Jul 2008 11:19 AM CDT  We just wrote about the Nissan GT-R showing up again in yesterday’s episode of Top Gear and we saw the car managing to injure Jeremy (if you don’t know what we’re talking about, check out the video here). And now, apparently, the guys from the Top Gear Magazine wanted to avenge Jeremy’s injury and managed to damage the car’s rear, as you can see in the pic above. It’s the same car used in the TV episode and it was driven by the magazine’s crew on the Isle of Man, when an Audi R8 couldn’t stop in time to avoid the crash. No photos of the R8, but the GT-R looks pretty banged up.  |
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