Automotive News

Filed under: Coupes, Videos, Supercars, BMW, Bugatti, Driving

The all-new, V8-powered BMW M3 is one hot ride, and 414 HP can leave a lot of rubber behind. Yet while the M3 is one of the most highly anticipated vehicles on the road, it doesn’t even hold a candle to the quad-turbo, 16-cylinder, 1,001 HP Bugatti Veyron. The Veyron is a true supercar that costs a cool $1.4 million, hits 60 mph in less than three seconds, and has a limited production run of a few hundred copies. Regardless of the obvious disparity between the two cars, someone just had to pit the two against one another in a race and put the video on YouTube. The video starts with the M3 understeering through a corner and doing a series of figure eights, and it ends with the Bimmer taking its medicine. The driver of the Veyron even gave the poor sap in the M3 a head start, yet the margin of victory was wide. If you’re like us and interested in seeing the carnage even when you know the outcome, check out the short video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Veyron races BMW M3… guess who wins

 

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Filed under: Motorsports

F1 panjandrums have been working all year on a suitable definition of the term “non-constructor.” If they can get that done soon, and then figure out how to split F1 income among constructors and non, then Prodrive will officially join the 2008 F1 circus.

McLaren and Prodrive have recently signed a “detailed commercial agreement.” However, it is being held up due to a lawsuit initiated by Spyker (and supported by Williams) that is now in arbitration. Spyker, an independent full constructor, has argued that allocation of income should be different for Toro Rosso and Super Aguri, since they essentially “buy” cars from other teams. The outcome of that will affect this year’s income disbursements as well as next year’s.

It isn’t revealed yet just how much collaboration there will be between McLaren and Spyker on the chassis-engine package. Regardless, one just hopes McLaren will have a better experience with them than Red Bull and Honda have had with their respective “junior” teams.

[Source: Motor Authority]

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, Time Warp, Etc., Rolls Royce, Driving

Picture this - you’re screaming around the Nurburgring in a not-insubstantial Rolls Royce Phantom, hammer down, stereo on, trying to complete a circuit of the 14-mile course before the woofers go still. Driving on the ‘Ring certainly requires concentration, but for a drummer, sometimes you’ve just got to find the beat. So, when the drums come in, you’re going to be compelled to tap along on the rim of the steering wheel, no matter what. Nick Mason impressed his passenger, a reporter from the Times of London, with his ability to multitask like this. Mason, the man on traps for Pink Floyd and noted car nut, had taken to the German racetrack to test himself. The challenge was to complete a single lap of the Nurburgring in the time it takes for half of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” to play. While he didn’t quite make it, a good time was likely had by all. We would like to know, however, if the accelerator pedal in his V12 Phantom has been replaced with a Speed King.

[Source: Inside Line]

 

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Filed under: Videos

In addition to hosting the world’s most popular car show, authoring a library of books and writing regular columns for a variety of magazines and newspapers, celebrity automotive journalist Jeremy Clarkson has turned out a tall stack of DVD specials.

The video after the jump is a trailer of his latest video, called Supercar Showdown. In the new special, scheduled for a November 5 release, Clarkson takes to the road and the track in some of the most mouth-watering and earth-shattering supercars, including the Ferrari 430 Spider and 599 GTB Fiorano, Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago Roadsters, Bugatti Veyron, Audi R8, Porsche 911 GT3, Radical SR3, Aston Martin V8 Roadster and Ascari A10. Sabine Schmitz and The Stig also feature in a head-to-head in what looks to be a jaw-dropping orgy of Octane.

Click through to catch a sneak preview.

Kudos to Mike for the tip.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jeremy Clarkson’s Supercar Showdown trailer

 

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Filed under: Safety, Nissan

Carmakers like Volvo and Mercedes-Benz are usually the pioneers of vehicle safety in this industry, but lately more and more companies are developing their own safety innovations and gadgets. Nissan’s new safety technologies include a pop-up engine hood for the Skyline and now it has announced the development of a “slip-hazard warning system,” which it’s prepping for commercial use. The new system can detect slippery road conditions and alert the driver depending on how severe it is using “real-time voice alerts”.

The set-up works by relaying information from the antilock brakes through Nissan’s Intelligent Transport System, a new feature that links the vehicle with third-party traffic data gathered from other motorists and local police as well as “historical records of the slippery points”.

Initial testing is being conducted in the northern parts of Japan where it’s common for roads to get covered in ice. This seems like one case of technology giving drivers an extra edge in safety without nannying them with useless safety gadgets.

[Source: Edmunds]

 

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Filed under: Gadgets, Marketing/Advertising, Porsche

In a perfect world, everyone who wanted a car like the Porsche 911 Turbo S would get one. In the real world, sadly, not everyone can afford the six-figure price of admission. Fortunately there’s virtual reality in between, where enthusiasts can toy with cars like the Turbo S in video games. To bridge that ever-narrowing gap for game-playing Porschephiles, Stuttgart has licensed this super-realistic force-feedback gaming wheel package.

The Porsche 911 Turbo S Wheel from Fanatec is a proper replica of the wheel found in the actual car, complete with hand-stitched leather, authentic metal badge on the hub…the works. But while a real Porsche has one engine, this wheel has three belt-driven force feedback motors to perfect the feeling. The wheel is accompanied by a three-pedal set, gas, brake and clutch likewise calibrated for an ultra-realistic feel. Fanatec even provides two interchangeable gearsticks - six-speed manual H-gate and Tiptronic sequential. Two versions are available, for Playstation 3 or PC, the former with lap braces and the former with table clamps. It even comes with a special 1GB USB drive in the shape of a Porsche key.

In addition to the manufacturer’s online shop, the wheel package is available through Porsche dealerships and will set you back $350, who can hook you up with the only thing more realistic for about 200 times that.

[Source: Fanatec via Motorpasion]

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, BMW, Motorcycles, Paris Motorcycle Show

click above image to view gallery of the BMW HP2 Sport

Longtime BMW riders would hardly recognize the motorcycles coming from the Bavarian bike maker these days. Starting with the redesign of the R-Series models and their bump in displacement to 1200cc’s a few years ago, BMW has been making a statement that it’s going to be moving the brand up in the performance ranks. The four cylinder K1200 series has given BMW an image-bike that further cements it into the high performance race, and now the R1200S HP2 Sport will take the BMW brand back to the race track in style.

Starting with the R1200S as its base, already BMW’s sportiest model, the HP2 adds new 4-valve heads sporting dual overhead cams. Redlining at around 9,500 RPM, the power output of the engine has been increased to 128 horsepower, and the 85 ft-lb. of torque makes this engine very powerful for an air-cooled boxer-twin. Routing that muscle to the rear wheel is a six-speed gearbox featuring a quick-shifter that allows the bike to survive full-throttle up-shifts and performs quicker than what can be done using your hands and feet.

[Source: BMW, Bikes in the Fast Lane]

Continue reading BMW introduces new R1200S-based HP2 Sport

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki

Click images for high-res gallery

The Tonkalicious Suzuki X-HEAD is already one of our favorite Tokyo ‘07 concepts, and not one of us has laid eyes on it in the metal. We hear the 4x4’s a dash over 12 feet long and is powered by a 1372cc engine, but that’s about it. For the rest, it seems we’ll have to wait. The new batch of photos we’ve obtained shows us that the plucky pickup can carry at least one dirt bike in back and that its bedsides flip down to reveal additional storage compartments. The matte charcoal tailgate matches the grillework, which receives the same finish. Inside, the “X” theme is carried through in the yellow portions of the seats (which do not look comfortable) and the shape of the harnesses. The letter “X” is so prevalent, we half expect to see this thing in the motor pool at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. We’ll bring you full coverage from Tokyo later in the month.

[Source: Suzuki]

 

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Filed under: Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Subaru

click above image for more dark shots of the impending Subaru Impreza STI

It was a dark and stormy night… inside the studio where Subaru shot its first batch of Impreza STI images. Like the dutiful fanboys we are, Autoblog has already posted on each of the first two pics, a dark head-on shot and a dark rear shot. Here we have a dark 3/4 shot (check out the lightened version at left), and we don’t know if it will be the last of the bunch before the Subaru Impreza STI is officially unveiled on October 24th at the Tokyo Motor Show. Hopefully at that time we’ll be supplied with some properly lit photographs, and we’ll of course have a slew of improperly lit live shots from the unveiling, as well.

[Source: Subaru]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Acura

click above image for more spy shots of the 2009 Acura TSX

Chris Doane has finally caught the 2009 Acura TSX outside of a Honda facility in the U.S. It would appear the car is about the same size as the current model, or perhaps slightly larger. From the rear it looks like those fender blisters give the car a wider track. The design will reportedly get more aggressive, which you can already see on the nose of this test vehicle despite the liberal application of tape by Honda engineers.

We’re especially excited for the next iteration of the TSX, because along with a 20 - 30 bump in horsepower for its rev-happy 2.4L four-cylinder, we’re also expecting an S-Type model powered by a 260+ HP uprated version of the 240 HP, 2.3L turbo in the Acura RDX. We’ve sampled that mill before, and are addicted based on what it can do in a CUV. The 2009 Acura TSX S-Type, however, should be on a different level entirely. Torque steer is an issue, as the TSX is and always has been front-wheel drive. We have faith Honda engineers, some of the best in the biz, can quell it, though. (NOTE: Thanks to the astute reader who reminded us the Type-S model will have S-AWD, which should irradicate any hint of torque steer.)

Follow the jump for Brenda Priddy’s full report on the 2009 Acura TSX.

[Source: Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Co.]

Continue reading Spy Shots: 2009 Acura TSX

 

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