Written On November 22, 2011 – 11:56 pm
by Carl
A new 911 and yep, no change in the design. That has been the trend for the 911 for aslong as we can remember.
With its German rivals barking up its tree and coming closer and closer to the 911 benchmark, you would of thought that Porsche would have made a bold statement with this model however it seems like Porsche has played it safe yet again.
But who can blame them, at the end of the day, if its one thing German manufacturers abide by – especially Porsche, its that if it aint broke, dont fix it and that philosophy has certainly served them well for the best part of half of century.
Porsche fans will scream this is Porsche at its finest however their detractors will scream that it wont be long now before the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes will release a rival that matches it in every department, it could be argued already with the Audi R8 looking unstoppable in its class, however, Porsche are no fools and you can bet your bottom euro that they wont be losing any nights sleep over their golden child anytime soon.
Written On September 30, 2011 – 5:37 pm
by Carl
To begin this article, we feel it is only right to discuss the movie franchise first and then the cars.
When a low-budget Australian movie called Mad Max starring a then unknown actor – Mel Gibson, was released in 1979, it flopped on the big screen. It was only until the advent of video did it realise its full potential and go on to be a big hit spawning 2 more sequels, the last one starring Tina Turner.
Now for the cars. For those of you who have seen the first two films, the undeniable star of those films was Mel’s police car, which was a modified Ford Falcon XBGT installed with ‘the last of the V8 interceptors’ (see picture below).
Now however, with the franchise in the final stages of producing the fourth film, and with the stage set to be in a futuristic environment, Ford were once again asked to come up with a concept idea which would bring one of Hollywood’s most iconic cars, upto date (see picture below).
Little details are known about this new concept car except that it has a Batman style rocket thruster on the back and it also has a taser like electric feature on the front.
Either way, it remains to be seen if this new concept will have as much impact on the Hollywood A-List of cars like its predecessor did or whether it will be laid to rest, much like all the other cars and motorcycles which Mad Max destroyed in the movies.
P.S: If you would like to see the unveiling of the new Mad Max concept car at the recent Melbourne Motor Show, click the link below.
Ford Mad Max concept car at the Melbourne Motor Show 2011
Written On September 20, 2011 – 10:08 pm
by Carl
When you mention the car manufacturer ‘Infiniti’ to people, you could be forgiven if people give you blank looks back.
However, Guinness World Records have confirmed that this relatively unknown manufacturer have recently took the record for the fastest production hybrid car in the world.
The Infiniti M35h (which looks like a cross between a Lexus and a Jaguar) recorded a standing quarter mile (400m) in 13.9031 seconds.
Its official 0-62mph sprint time is 5.5 seconds which is the fastest hybrid listed in the UK – yet it emits just 162g/km of CO2 and averages fuel consumption of 40.4mpg.
The M35h has just been launched in the UK and there is no better publicity when a car that has just been launched, breaks a world record.
Written On September 20, 2011 – 9:45 pm
by Carl
It looks like Jensen have decided to take a leaf out of Jaguar’s book when they decided they will be re-launching their most famous model, the E-Type (as reported on our blog).
It has been confirmed that Jensen are too looking to re-launch their most iconic model – the Interceptor and it is due to hit showrooms in 2014.
Last produced back in 1976, the Interceptor was the star of all the British police television shows of the time.
The 21st century model is due to be built in Britain in the old famous Coventry plant under new owners CPP.
Brendan O’Toole, founder and co-owner of CPP had this to say:
‘I started my career by restoring bodies and components for classic British sports cars, so for CPP to take the lead role in reviving this iconic brand is very exciting for the business, and for me personally. The Jensen design team has respected and honoured the great heritage and attributes of the original Interceptor, while injecting a contemporary edge and advanced technologies that will ensure it appeals to the passionate, discerning motoring enthusiast of today.’
So it looks like the Interceptor has been raised from the dead and is back in good hands. No prices have been confirmed but with a name like ‘Interceptor’ it will surely gain some attention.
Written On September 20, 2011 – 9:30 pm
by Carl
Its has been recently announced that Volkswagen are intending to launch a joint-venture with the market leader in outdoor equipment and clothing – Berghaus, to spruce up its iconic camper van range and provide the ultimate machine for budding outdoor enthusiasts.
So far, only 80 have been designated for the UK market however it looks like that number will increase if the demand is right.
This new super-camper van will include a special rucksack, a pair of sleeping bags, gloves, hats, mugs, water bottle, flask and more, all from the experts at Berghaus.
The camper van will run on Valkswagen’s super-sturdy 2.0 litre diesel engine which will mean it is sure to get to those awkward places where outdoor enthusiasts like.
In a nutshell, it remains to be seen if there is sufficient demand however there is no more excuses if all-terrain outdoor pursuits are your thing.
Written On September 15, 2011 – 3:47 pm
by Carl
When Jaguar launched the very first E-Type’s back in the 60′s, it prompted Enzo Ferrari to claim that it was “the most beautiful car ever made”.
Now however, at the recent Frankfurt Motorshow, Jaguar gave viewers a glimpse at what it thinks its most iconic model will look like in the 21st century.
The last E-Type to roll off Jaguar’s production line was way back in 1975 and the model has since become a firm favourite of classic car collectors across the globe. It was also a symbol of 1960′s style and it seems this has not been forgotten by the current crop of designers at Jaguar.
Judging from the picture above, one can assume that the main purpose of this new car is to compete with its German rivals.
However, one thing which hasn’t been lost over the years is that cool, British styling which made the original stand head and shoulders above its competition all those years ago.
But don’t for one minute think its all beauty and no brains, this new version comes with a supercharged V6 engine backed up by electrical motors which was seen earlier in the year on Jaguar’s new supercar, the C-X75 (also reviewed on our blog).
On the whole, it remains to be seen if this car actually goes into production but one thing is for sure, if it does go into production, its German rivals will be keeping a close eye on it.
Written On September 14, 2011 – 11:13 pm
by Carl
If its one thing Rolls Royce are renowned for, its making incredibly luxurious and beautiful cars. So how, when your company only makes the most beautiful cars in the world, can you create a car that beats the lot of them. Simple, make it a coupe!
And that is exactly what Rolls Royce have done. They have taken their already mind-boggingly beautiful Phantom and turned it into one of the most luxurious sports cars ever.
Some people have even gone to the lengths in saying that it was the one car that saved the recent Frankfurt Motor show and judging from the picture above, you can probably understand why.
The car is also due to star in the forth-coming sequel movie of Rowan Atkinson’s ‘Johnny English’ and from what Rowan Atkinson had to say (bearing in mind he is known to own a few of the worlds best supercars, the McLaren F1 for instance) he too has fallen in love with it.
From our perspective, Rolls Royce have done something which is common in the motor industry, turn one of your flag-ship models into a coupe, however, in this case, Rolls Royce have one again created a masterpiece.
Written On September 8, 2011 – 10:50 pm
by Carl
When you think of Bugatti, you automatically think, pedigree, speed, madness and luxury however it is being reported that Bugatti executives are considering pulling their latest addition to its portfolio, the Galibier, because its not well, all of the above.
As you will see from the picture below, we cannot for the life of us think why Bugatti executives are thinking like this because we feel Bugatti may have hit gold with this monster.
Apparently, the reason behind this thought process is because Bugatti feel the car is not ready as it needs more power and luxury before it can be seen as the real deal.
According to inside sources at Bugatti, the fate of the Galibier will be decided later this year but if they wanted our opinion, they should seriously reconsider their position as they can be rest assured, as soon as one of these rolls off their production line, every other car within a zillion miles would become second best.
Written On September 8, 2011 – 2:30 am
by Carl
When you think of Lexus, you think nice, good quality luxury cars at affordable prices. Now though, Lexus have decided they want to compete with the big guys and have created their very own beast, the LFA.
Not much is known about the LFA except that Lexus has been testing and refining this beast since 2004.
Now though, it has been recently confirmed as the new record holder for road-legal production cars round the Nurburgring.
Lexus have confirmed that the LFA went round the Nurburgring in a spine-chillingly 7 minutes 14 seconds and this a statement of intent directed at both Ferrari and Lamborghini.
To view the lap from the cockpit of the car, just click the Youtube link below.
Lexus LFA Nurburgring Record Lap
Written On September 7, 2011 – 3:23 pm
by Carl
For those of you who have never heard of Koenigsegg, they are a relatively small Swedish manufacturer who have recently entered the supercar market in the last few years and have today stated that they have broken 7 records for production cars.
This is a pretty bold statement and a slap in the face to global giants Ferrari and Lamborghini who have been producing supercars for well over 75 years.
According to Koenigsegg, the following records were broken by the Agera R:
0-300kmh: 14.53 seconds
0-200mph: 17.68 seconds
300-0kmh: 6.66 seconds
200-0mph: 7.28 seconds
0-300-0kmh: 21.19 seconds
0-200-0mph: 24.96 seconds
Koenigsegg released the statement saying that the data was collected and verified by independent parties and that the record data will be formally submitted to the Guiness Book of Records shortly.
If the data is to be proven accurate and included in the Guinness Book of Records, then expect a fierce response from their Italian and British neighbours.
