Monday, August 16, 2010

Lamborghini confirms production of four-door supercar


According to reports online, Lamborghini has confirmed its intentions to build a four-door supercar, seen here as the Estoque concept that was shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann told US reporters that "a third model would fit Lamborghini very well", and "four-door car would be a very feasible approach".

This is not the first time that Lamborghini has spoken about its desire to build the Estoque, but the idea was shelved last year due to the global financial crisis, but now it may be revised to help Lamborghini's falling sales.

First half sales this year were down 18 per cent on 2009. Winkelmann said a third model would need to provide “a real leap” in sales.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

General Motors smokes mid-engine Vette’ rumours


Although a mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette has been constantly churned out of the rumourmill, there was a decent amount of credibility added to that recipe recently with news from Saab that their engineers had been tinkering around on a dual-clutch wet gearbox for a mid-engined configuration.

General Motors has been quick to put out that fire before it spread to far and wide, with Karl Stracke, GM’s Vice President of Global Engineering, downright denying that the next-gen Vette’ will have its engine aft of the driver. Now will it be swapping cogs with a wet-dual-clutch tranny.

Although there have been many concepts wearing the Corvette moniker with their engines behind the cockpit, the actual production versions have always had their powerplants at the traditional end.

Furthermore, GM tore up the wet-dual-clutch gearbox story by explaining that most manufacturers were moving towards the dry clutch setup as it was more efficient and cheaper to produce. It’s interesting to note though that Stracke made it very clear that just the wet-clutch setup was out of the question, not a dual-clutch system entirely.

He also confirmed that the next generation Corvette will still have a small-block V8 under its hood, albeit with direct injection for improved emissions. However, a hybrid is very much on the cards as Stracke mentioned that a number of competitors are going the same way, such as the Porsche 918 that was recently cleared for production.

The Most Popular Singer 2010 Justin Bieber Gallery




Wednesday, August 11, 2010

BMW enters the four-door coupe arena with the Gran Coupe



Having made its public debut at the without much fanfare at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year, BMW’s Gran Coupe has finally been confirmed for production and is ready to give its premium peers a run for their high dollars.



Slated be launched in 2012, the Gran Coupe will follow a year after the next-gen 6 Series is launched, on which much of its architecture will be based upon. BMW development chief Klaus Draeger, confirmed the Gran Coupe’s production plans while mentioning that it will be “closely aligned” with the new 6 Series.



The biggest guessing game is the nomenclature to be used on the model. The most consistent rumours indicate that a 6 prefix will adorn the badging on the rear but with an additional moniker, much like the 5 Series GT.

As for engine options, expect to see similar line-ups of BMW’s straight six and V8 engines under the hood. A Hybrid version will surely be offered as well, along the lines of offering the 5 and 7 Series with such power plants too.



For the power hungry, an ‘M’ version will surely hit dealers a year or so after the initial launch with the upcoming M5’s twin turbo’ed V8 under the hood and flirting with the 600hp mark.

So as for the Porsche Panamera, Mercedes-Benz CLS, Aston Martin Rapide and the newly launched Audi A7, be afraid… be very afraid.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Cayenne Hybrid gets a power bump but maintains green touch



Hybrid vehicles in general were designed from the offset to conserve more fuel by means of an electric engine or such. Therefore, tuning a hybrid for more power totally contradicts the original purpose. Nonetheless, when the hybrid in question is a Porsche, or a Cayenne Hybrid to be specific, you really can’t be blamed for wanting a little more oomph can you?



With that in mind, SpeedART have bumped up the power from the Cayenne Hybrid but without affecting the hybrid system’s capability to run on zero emission and zero fuel consumption mode.

The first mod done by the German tuning firm was to increase power from the 3.3-liter supercharged V6 engine from 333hp to a more brisk 407hp. By doing so, the combined output from the petrol and electric engine rises to 450hp from 380hp. Even the century sprint is quicker, 6-seconds over 6.5-seconds while top speed goes up to 252km/h.



An exhaust system with a sound switch keeps the soundtrack enjoyable. New 22-inch wheels that the company claims weighs the same as the original 21-inchers fill the four corners. Tyre sizes measure 275/30 ZR22 on the front and a whopping 315/30 ZR22 at the rears.



If you still need to stand out even more, a decal layout in light-blue can be arranged. A lowering kit module for the air-ride system is available with traditional springs for the normal suspension models.

On the inside, it remains very factory except for a new turbo pressure gauge and a grey finish on the meter cluster.

Next-gen Vette’ could get forced induction


The classic American sports car turns 60 in 2013 and the Chevrolet Corvette originally left the assembly floor with a six-banger under its hood.

With its diamond jubilee on the horizon, reports are indicating that the next generation Vette’ could have a throw back to its yesteryears by having a V6 lump under the hood of the C7. However, forced induction will be employed to keep the power hungry happy and the lap figured down.

Of course, these reports have been whispering in the wind for ages now but with the recent revelation that Saab engineers had been working on a twin-clutch transmission for a turbocharged V6 Vette’ there might be more weight to these reports now.

Furthermore, the Bowtie boys are trying to get the C7 out in production by 2013 to kick off the 60th anniversary celebrations in true style.

Sexy Naomi Watts Hot Bikini Pictures


Naomi Watts Hot Bikini PicNaomi Watts Hot Bikini Pic

Sexy Naomi Watts Hot PictureSexy Naomi Watts Hot Picture

Naomi Watts Sexy Bikini WallpaperNaomi Watts Sexy Bikini Wallpaper

Monday, August 9, 2010

New details emerge on Subaru's version of the Toyota FT-86


Every once in a while we hear news of Toyota's FT-86 and it's yet unnamed Subaru twin. The FT-86 was close to being launched but then Toyota decided to delay it till 2013 to work on the fuel consumption of the engine.

The FT-86 is powered by a retuned version of Subaru’s naturally aspirated 2.0-litre flat four, using a revised head to produce around 200bhp. And though both the Subaru and Toyota are supposed to be very similar, Subaru seems to have plans of its own.

Reports are suggesting that the Subaru will be more powerful and more aggressive than its Toyota brethren. It will feature a revised version of the Impreza STI's turbocharged powerplant good for about 260hp, 60 up on the Toyota. However both cars will use a variant of Subaru’s six-speed manual gearbox, similar body panels and also share a modified platform from the Subaru Legacy.

Sadly for hardcore Suby fans though, the Subaru version won't feature all-wheel-drive because of the simple reason of the added complexity factor like weight and price.

Testing of the rear-wheel-drive Subaru has already started at the Nurburgring and it is said that Subaru's engineers are also working on the initial stages of the FT-86 because their test drivers are more familiar with it's Subaru underpinnings like the Legacy platform and Impreza rear suspension.

Expect the Subaru to take another two years or so to make it's debut and cost way over a quarter of a million ringgit.

The Most Successful Celebrity Autors Part 1


Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen
These Full House alums are now breaking into the fashion world, and their coffee table book Influence highlights that, and how they got there. It boasts never-before-seen photos of the girls from their private collections, letters they've written, and a bunch of pretty pictures. They've definitely grown up.

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
Now here's a couple out to make a buck. Speidi penned the book How to Be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press, and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture, and it wasn't exactly a bestseller, but it did reiterate just how much these two love the spotlight. So, that's a success in our eyes.

Alicia Silverstone
Signing copies of her new book 'The Kind Diet' at Book Soup, West Hollywood, CA.

Dita Von Teese
This woman practically has her own empire. Dita's got her own line or burlesque workout videos, designs a collection of Wonderbras, and is the author of a flip book called Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese. Her latest book Dita: Stripteese is a coffee table book filled with gorgeous images of the glamor gal.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Austrian tuner gets their hands on the GT-R



We can’t be faulted if the only reference ‘Austria’ and ‘motorsports’ brings to mind is the Formula One races held at the now-defunct A1-Ring but a tuner in the birthplace of Adolf Hitler has waved their wands on the Nissan GT-R and conjured up a respectable performance and styling kit.



Königseder has revised the ECU, added a sports air filter and a titanium Akrapovic exhaust for a bark every bit as nasty as its bite. With just these minor tweaks, the GT-R now pushes almost 100hp more, 572hp as compared to the factory 485hp.



There are no sprint figures for the century mark but the double century is dealt with in a mere 9.8-seconds courtesy of the mods.



Königseder has also designed an aero kit for the GT-R that compromises of a ludicrous front splitter that gives the car a double-chin effect and side skirts. The handling department benefits from a KW suspension with 21-inch rollers wrapped in Yokohama Advan Sport shoes.

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