Auto Unleashed |
| 420hp Audi S5 Evo tested in Spain Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:29 PM CDT  The Audi A5 si definitely one of our favorite cars over here at Auto Unleashed and we are happy to report some really interesting stuff. The guys from Infomotori had the chance to test drive an experimental car from Audi, based on the S5. Dubbed ‘Evo’, the car was powered by a modified version of the 4.2 liter V8 engine, which developed 420 hp and was equipped with Audi's new seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. Of course, the first conclusions were that Audi is probably trying to fill the gap between the S5 (354 hp/260kw) and the upcoming RS5, which is expected to be powered by the same V8, but which will develop around 450hp (335kW). Rumors also say that the RS5 might be powered by the 500 hp 5.2 liter V8 from the Gallardo. Besides the more powerful engine and the new gearbox, Infomotori reports that the four cars presented by Audi were having the same specs as the S5, but Audi refused to make more details available on the car and its future. Infomotori (Via eGMCarTech)  | ||||
| Dog dies because of stubborn policeman Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:14 PM CDT  I love pets, especially dogs, so this story really made me sad and angry at the same time. Here’s what happened. Michael Gonzales and his girlfriend, from Texas, were really in a hurry to take their poodle, Missy, which was very sick, to the vet. However, they were clocked doing 100 mph and were pulled over by San Marcos police officer Paul Stephens who began writing Michael a ticket. Meanwhile, the dog was chocking on the backseat, but that didn’t impress the cop, who began talking about how driving at that speed puts people lives in danger. Of course, we don’t agree with speeding on public roads but that doesn’t mean we are insensitive to situations like this. While the couple was almost begging the Stephens to let at least one of them drive with Missy to the vet, he replied “It’s a dog. You can get another one. Relax.” Unfortunately, all this arguing did not help the poodle at all, Missy dying right under their owners’ eyes. Police Chief Howard Williams agreed that Stephens’ behaviour was not one the most appropriate, but probably no measures will be taken against the stubborn cop. Source: Car Domain  | ||||
| ABT tuning program for the new Audi Q5 Posted: 21 Aug 2008 06:53 PM CDT  Audi hasn’t even started delivering the new Audi Q5 and the German tuner ABT already came up with a tuning program for the latest crossover from Ingolstadt. The package features a bodykit including fender extensions and more aggressive front skirt and grille, restyled side skirts, roof spoiler and rear skirt incorporating a 4-pipe-rear muffler, plus new 20 inch alloys. Handing upgrades include ABT Level Control (electronic lowering for the CDC air suspension), new sport springs that decrease the car’s ride height and a new set of 380mm diameter brake discs. Power upgrade kits are available for all the engines: the 2.0 TFSI’s power output has been increased to 240hp/177kW (211hp/155kW on the factory version), the 2.0 TDI to 190hp/140kW (170hp/125kW) and for the 3.0 TDI there are two levels of power upgrades, the ABT Power, which increases the power output from 240 hp (177kW) to 282 hp (207kW) and the ABT Power S, which takes the engine up to 310hp (228kW). Check out one more photo after the jump.  Via Carscoop  | ||||
| Posted: 21 Aug 2008 06:28 PM CDT  To be honest, I was so amazed when I stumbled upon this news, that I didn’t even know how to start the post. This thing you see in this photo and in the video below is the work of Claes Gustafson and the crew at Classe’s Garage and it was created for a Swedish TV show. Because no body kit is available for the Toyota Prius, the crew modified a Volvo XC90. The back doors were removed and a pair of custom made knife doors were used for the front, the back window was removed, the side ones were reshaped, a carbon fiber wind splitter was placed under the front bumper and under the door sills and the rear end got a carbon fiber venturi. The car rides on an air suspension and 20-inch wheels brought to a halt with over-sized front brakes. The interior is also crazy, with a custom dashboard and a center console, racing seats and a 4,400-watt stereo system (five subwoofers and eight speakers) plus 15 LCD screens and a tablet PC with wireless internet access. All these equipment is powered by four batteries keep it all going. “The goal … was to give the viewer a great show and, second, to show that a Toyota isn’t a boring and anonymous car,” Claes Gustafson told Wired. According to him, the whole idea was “to show that every car can be styled.” And if the car’s look don’t leave you wordless, then you must know how much this cost. Exactly $184,275! Was it worth it? Well, we don’t really know whether to hate or love the car, but it definitely is one of a kind. And it also won some awards at the Bilsport Custom and Performance Show, where it took top honors in the eco-car division and also won the John D’Agsostino Kustom Kars of California Special Award. You really need to see the video, after the jump.  | ||||
| Peugeot announces the 29 design contest finalists Posted: 21 Aug 2008 11:27 AM CDT  Peugeot has announced that the 29 finalists of its 5th edition design contest have been chosen. The 29 design were selected from more than 2,500 submissions. This year’s theme is “Imagine the Peugeot in the worldwide megalopolis of tomorrow” (Create a Concept Car which is designed to evolve within the cities of the future, whilst retaining the key values of the 21st century. The projects should bear Peugeot’s stylistic codes and must contain the following four aspects included in this design competition: environmental awareness, social harmony, interactive mobility and economic efficiency). The winner of this competition will be announced in October and, besides the €10,000 prize, will get his design created on a 1:1 scale as a design study and shown to the public at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show. The design you see pictured here is called the Peugeot Rayo and was designed by Ivan Kraljevi?, from Croatia. We really like this one. Another interesting one is the RD concept, created by Carlos Arturo Torres Tova from Colombia, you can see in the vide below. You really should check out the Peugeot contest’s website (click here) and vote on the designs, some of those are really cool. Oh yeah, and you can also win an Xbox 360 if you vote.  | ||||
| Video: Nice TV ad for the Audi TTS Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:48 AM CDT Not really much we can say about this TV ad for the new Audi TTS except that you should take a look at it, it’s really nice. Enjoy!  | ||||
| 72 Fiat 500s for Nokia’s latest campaign Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:44 AM CDT  For their latest campaign, Nokia Connectors, the Nokia UK decided to add 72 brand new Fiat 500s to their fleet. The campaing, which aims on informing people about Nokia phones’ true potential, will include 250 ‘connectors’ (students) which will roam around in UK’s most important 18 cities in the Fiat 500 and “help the British public unlock the magic in their mobiles”. Source: Carscoop  | ||||
| Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:28 AM CDT  Some time ago, we reported that Mercedes Benz is planning on dropping the A and B Classes and replace them with a range of vehicles. If details about the CLA are scarce, one thing’s for sure, a small crossover will be part of this range. What’s it gonna be called? Who knows. We wrote about the GLA, but today another option showed up. The guys over at AutoCar published a rendering of a small Merc crossover, which they call the BLK (yeah, I know, it’s getting more and more confusing). Placed below the GLK in the lineup, the BLK is planned to compete with the upcoming Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Land Rover LRX. Autocar speculates that the car will get 4WD and a possible FWD ‘Eco’ version and a range of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, sized between 1.6 litres and 2.2 litres. Source: AutoCar  | ||||
| The BMW M5 Cabrio that wasn’t meant to be Posted: 21 Aug 2008 09:23 AM CDT  Here’s an interesting one. We have a set of photos that picture a BMW M5 Convertible from 1989, which never made it into production. Why? No official info, but the Team Speed member that uploaded the photos said that the car was developed in 1989, even had a spot booked on the BMW stand at the Geneva Motor Show, but BMW decided to terminate the project only one week before the show. They’ve decided to do that because they thought a convertible M5 would probably start a demand for a regular 5 Series cabrio, which would affect the market for the 3 Series, which was their convertible at the time. To be honest, it’s a shame this car never made it into production, because it really looks great and, knowing the M5, it would have probably been really fun to drive. More photos after the jump. Photo Gallery: BMW M5 Convertible
Source: TeamSpeed Forums (Via BMWBlog)  | ||||
| Nissan inflates GT-R power for press test cars? Posted: 21 Aug 2008 08:56 AM CDT  CarandDriver has a really interesting article about the Nissan GT-R. According to them, they had the opportunity to test five GT-R versions. The first one was really impressive, blasting the Corvette. Howvere, the next two were not that fast as the first one, even considering the track and the weather changes. The last two however were the same as the first one, really fast. Surprised by these changes, they took the last two cars on a chassis dyno and measured its “wheel horspepower”, which is usually smaller than engine horsepower (15 percent for rear-wheel-drive with manual transmissions and almost 20 percent for four-wheel-drive). The results? Well, the GT-R recorded 420 hp, which, if we count the power loss, we get an engine horsepower of around 520 hp. Wow! That’s something, considering that the production GT-R develops 480 hp. When called, Nissan said that the first four cars CarandDriver tested were early-build versions that received regular engine-computer software updates, which may account for the varied results we recorded. Of course, these are only approximate numbers and speculations, however it really raises a serious question mark over the Nissan GT-R’s performance. Source: Car and Driver  |
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