Camaro ZL1 Revealed

Chevy took the wraps off it's new Mustang GT500 killer, the 2012 Camaro ZL1, today at the Chicago Auto Show.  Many had speculated that the car would wear the Z/28 moniker but instead Chevy decided to resurrect one of the most iconic names in Camaro history.   Does the new car live up to the name?

They've stuffed the supercharged LSA V8 from the Cadillac CTS-V under the bulging hood which should be good for at least 550HP in this super Camaro.  The standard rear tires are huge 330 series Goodyears which should help getting all that power to the ground.  Initial estimates indicate that the 6 speed manual equipped ZL1 should be able to rip off 0-60 runs in under 4 seconds.  All that forward momentum is halted by huge two piece Brembo brakes and handling is aided by GM's latest magnetic shock setup.




The ZL1 will also look the part with a larger opening in the front fascia as well as four fog lights and a large splitter.  That bulging hood I mentioned will have a carbon fiber center while the rear gets a set of four exhaust tips and a larger trunk spoiler.

The car is set to go on sale in February of next year, so we still have a while to wait.

So far so good.  Let the battle begin.

Here is a bonus video from youtube.

2012 Dodge Charger SRT8

The Chicago Auto Show is going on this week and there have been some cool introductions.  The first of which is the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8.  Based on the newly redesigned Charger, this Hemi powered beast sports the new 6.4L V8 producing 465HP/465TQ but with better fuel economy due to a cylinder deactivation feature that will allow the big motor to run as a 4 cylinder when not under load.

Top speed is estimated at around 175 and 0-60 should fly by in less than 5 seconds with a 1/4 mile time in the 12s.



The suspension setup is comprised of active dampers that can change as needed and the brakes are big 14.2 inch in front and 13.8 in the rear. A new front fascia, 20 inch wheels, LED taillights, and huge dual exhausts take care of the visual excitement.  Inside, the car sports a new flat bottom steering wheel, nice seats and the requisite monster stereo/entertainment system.

10 Years Since Dale Earnhardt's Death

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the death of NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt.  Now, I'm not a very big NASCAR fan anymore and I had already lost interest back then, but I was an Earnhardt fan.  He was a throwback to the early days of NASCAR and it's Southern roots and he was loved for it.

I can't believe it's been 10 years.

There is a great article on Automobile Magazine's website about the 10th anniversary of Earnhardt's death and it's affect on NASCAR.  It's a good read.

Check it out here: 10 Years After

Cutting-Edge Design Brett Patterson, Eric Gallina Richard Jenkinson

Cutting-Edge Design

Brett Patterson, Eric Gallina

Richard Jenkinson

On the other side of the spectrum, Richard Jenkinson devised 'Edo', a bio-inspired sports motorcycle. Taking cues from Japanese material science and Origami, the ethanol-powered sport bike proves it is possible to design a high-powered vehicle whilst remaining environmentally aware. Aspects of the design that stand out include the rear fan-like creations on the tail that move up and down depending on the speed at which the bike travels. "The wings accentuate the visual impact by extending fully upwards," Jenkinson described, "Exaggerating the design like a sculpture."

Provided by:

Sports Motorcycle Exhausts

Ducati 916 with custom Pipemaster motorcycle exhaust system. Ducati 916 mufflers nicely tucked up under the tail.

CSX Suzuki fitted with custom Pipemasters exhaust system.

	Honda VTR with custom Pipemaster motorcycle exhaust system.

Kawasaki ZX9 with custom motorcycle exhaust.

TRX Yamaha custom motorcycle exhaust.

Top Five Cars of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Check out my latest article for Yahoo.

Top Five Cars of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Pagani Huayra Revealed

Pagani's Zonda replacement had been code named C9 until a few weeks ago when the name Huayra surfaced.  At that time there were still just photos of disguised test mules running around but now the official images and specs of this amazing car have been revealed.

Sporting a set of gullwing doors, the Huayra looks to be about the same dimensions as the Zonda it replaces but with much different bodywork sporting aerodynamic and cooling doodads everywhere.  Power will come from a twin-turbocharged 6.0L Mercedes AMG V12 producing over 700 horsepower and 740 pound feet of torque.  That should be enough to propel the under 3,000 pound Huayra to a projected top speed of close to 230MPH.  All that power will get to the rear wheels via a new seven speed dual clutch gearbox.

Inside, the level of craftsmanship and luxury Pagani has been noted for continues with lots of leather, aluminum and carbon fiber.  A new instrument cluster with blue gauges and a multi function display that controls audio, nav, and communications sit ready for the pilot of this land missile.

No word on pricing but expect it to be way up there.

More pictures can be found at the Pagani website - http://www.paganiautomobili.it/huayra/default.aspx

Here is a video from EVO Magazine.

High Tech Car Theft

I just read an article on Yahoo Autos outlining how a couple of ingenious car thieves with the right amount of equipment can make off with your expensive push to start car.  Basically, the thieves just need some equipment and two antennas.

Here is how it works.  One person follows the car owner to pickup the signal from their in-pocket key fob and he then transmits the signal to the second thief who is outside standing next to the car.  He then broadcasts the signal to the car making it think that the owner with the key fob is standing there thus unlocking the cars and allowing them to drive away in the car.

Pretty scary.

You can read the article here -

Keyless entry systems vulnerable to high-tech car thieves

The New Ferrari FF

Ferrari has taken the wraps off their new four seat flagship, the FF, and it's quite interesting.  It's Ferrari's first attempt at an four wheel drive model and the first fastback, or shooting brake, design since the iconic 250 Breadvan.

This replacement for the 612 Scaglietti features a 6.3L V12 with 651HP/504TQ and can accelerate from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds despite its 3,946lb weight.  That acceleration is no doubt aided by the new Ferrari part time four wheel drive system called 4M.  According to Ferrari, the FF should hit a top speed of 208MPH.

Thanks to the shooting brake body style, there should be ample room for four people with good headroom in the rear.  Folding down the rear seats turns it into a decent hauler with about as much cargo space as a small sized wagon.

Here is a youtube video of the car during testing.

Mission R, Motor Racing Electric engine

IN the event the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show last weekend, seen apparitions Mission R, electric motors made by Mission Motors from the United States.

This is the motor that combines elements of racing with an electric motor. Tim Prentice of designing trusted Motonium body motor. Aggressive visible impression of the 1198 Ducati-style fairing body combined with a small tail, similar to Aprilia RSV4.

Sasi turbular golden draft James Parker, looks harmonious and thick with the feel of racing. Although the dimensions of this motor is slightly smaller than the 600cc motor racing in general.

With a weight of 247.2 kg, the motor is equipped with batteries that are placed behind the carbon fairing fibernya. Mission Motors claims its product is ready to compete in the arena racing TTXGP North American Championship in 2011 this.

With a speed of 250 km / h, Mission R grafting of type AC electric motor capable of liquid-cooled power to gush
141 hp at 6500 rpm.

Advanced Electric Motor racing engine in the World

LOS ANGELES-electric motorcycle technology will now allow the construction of an electric-powered vehicles but have the power like a conventional motorcycle engine.

As recently conducted U.S. Zero Emission who launched their latest electric motors Mission R.

"Mission R is the electric motorcycle racing's most sophisticated in the world," said the company was quoted as Visordown on Monday (20/12/2010).

What companies might not just be claimed figment. Given the distorted line motor fed on an iron horse is capable of spraying power to 140 bhp with peak torque reached 115 lb-gt.

From the results of the testing companies, motor without exhaust emissions can be run with the highest speed reached 257.5 km / hr. A note that during this speed can be obtained from the 1,000 cc engined superbike upward.

In addition to an incredible speed, this motor has a control system Vehicle Management System which can be accessed through WiFi or 3G connection. This control system can regulate the mechanism of regenerative braking, throttle maps, and much more related to the mechanism of the motor itself.

Using liquid cooling system with 3 phase AC induction, electric motor only has a single gear.

Bodi motors that use aluminum legs supported with Ohlins FGR-000 Gas TTX25 Carged Adjustable preload on the front and single-sided TTX36 Ohlins adjustable preload on the back.

Typical motor racing suspension that binds tightly to the rim 17-inch 10-spoke magnesium using tires sized 120/70 and 190/60.

Because the ability of motor racing equivalent of a conventional engine, Mission R equipped devices double the rate freeze output Brembo disc brakes front and single disc brakes at the rear tire.

The company has not announced when the electric-powered motor racing is becoming available to the public and at what price tag is pegged. (UKy)

Peter Yates Dead At 82

Director Peter Yates passed away today at the age of 82.  Yates was the director of the Steve McQueen movie, Bullitt, and was responsible for the greatest movie car chase ever filmed.

In tribute, here is that amazing scene from Bullitt.

BBS Bankrupt

I just read that for the second time in 4 years, German wheel manufacturer BBS has filed for bankruptcy.  This is not good news.  They make some of the sweetest, and seriously expensive, wheels around.  I hope they are saved by a generous benefactor again as they were in 2007.

KBB reveals 20 most researched cars of 2010

Dec 22, 2010
Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com Names 2010 Most-Researched New Vehicles, Brands With Greatest Share of Market Interest This Year

Sales Success Story Hyundai Sonata Makes Giant Leap to No. 5 on 2010's Top 20 Most-Researched New Cars List

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new car and used car information, today announces the most-researched new vehicles of 2010 on the company's top-rated website, www.kbb.com. In addition, Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com reveals the top five brands with the greatest share of market interest for 2010.

This year marks the fifth consecutive year that Kelley Blue Book saw increased visitation to its website, with nearly 24 million more visits to kbb.com in 2010 versus 2009. Because kbb.com is one of the most-trafficked automotive research sites, visitation to specific vehicles has become a leading indicator of sales patterns for manufacturers.

Kbb.com's Top 20 Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2010

1. Honda Accord
6. Nissan Altima
11. Toyota Sienna
16. Ford Escape
2. Honda Civic
7. Honda Pilot
12. Honda Odyssey
17. Toyota Prius
3. Toyota Camry
8. Ford Mustang
13. Chevrolet Equinox
18. BMW 3 Series
4. Honda CR-V
9. Toyota Highlander
14. Toyota Corolla
19. Chevrolet Camaro
5. Hyundai Sonata
10. Toyota RAV4
15. Ford Fusion
20. Volkswagen Jetta

The Honda Accord, Honda Civic and Toyota Camry (in varying orders each year) have been the top three most-researched new vehicles on kbb.com each year since 2004. However, a few vehicles made jumps into the top 20 most-researched new vehicles for 2010 that were not on the list in 2009, and many models have changed their standings among the top 20 when compared to last year.

The most noteworthy success story this year is the Hyundai Sonata, which made a giant leap up 24 positions, from number 29 last year to number five this year. Hyundai's popular all-new Sonata helped to re-shuffle the deck among the top 20 most-researched new cars of 2010, knocking a few vehicles further down on the list compared to where they were last year.

A number of popular new or redesigned models also increased their standing for 2010 versus 2009, including the Ford Mustang, up eight positions to number eight, the Toyota Sienna, up seven positions to number 11, and the Chevrolet Equinox, up seven positions to number 13. In addition, the BMW 3 Series was new to the list for 2010, making its debut at number 18.

Likewise, many vehicles that are staples on the annual kbb.com top 20 most-researched new vehicles list experienced a decline in standing for 2010 when compared to 2009. The Toyota Corolla fell nine positions to number 14 this year, and the Toyota Prius dropped nine positions to number 17. In addition, the Chevrolet Camaro was down seven positions to number 19 for 2010.

"The site traffic on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com clearly demonstrates which models are resonating with today's new-car shoppers, especially when we examine the most-researched new vehicles of 2010," said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "Hyundai's homerun Sonata was not only the darling of the industry this year, but also made a strong impression in the minds of new-car shoppers by leaping ahead to the fifth most-researched new car of 2010. In addition, two popular Toyota models, the Corolla and Prius, experienced drops on the list this year, likely due to a combination of lower fuel prices and reduced overall interest in compact and hybrid vehicles, and also possibly due to Toyota's public perception crisis during the recall saga of 2010."

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com 2010 Top Five Brands with Greatest Share of Market Interest Among New-Car Shoppers

Toyota with 13.4 percent
Honda with 11.4 percent
Ford with 10.2 percent
Chevrolet with 8.3 percent
Nissan with 6.2 percent

Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan (respectively) are the top five brands with the highest share of market interest -- defined as the percent of new-car shopper activity for a particular brand -- on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com for 2010. While these five brands remain in the same positions as last year, Toyota has experienced a decline in share of market interest for 2010 while Ford's share of market interest continues to grow. Toyota managed to hold down its top spot for 2010, even though its share of market interest declined 2.4 percentage points from last year. While Ford remains in the number three spot, its share of market interest increased 1.5 percentage points for 2010 when compared to 2009. The remaining three (Honda, Chevrolet and Nissan) brands' share of market interest numbers remained relatively flat year-over-year.

I've been published

Well, sort of.  I signed up for Yahoo's Associated Content which allows anyone to sign up and post articles with the possibility of getting published by Yahoo or any one of their affiliates.  So I signed up figuring...what the heck.  I submitted an earlier piece I wrote for the blog about the death of the manual transmission and they decided to publish it.  Pretty cool.

Check it out here - The Manual Transmissions Slow Death Is Speeding Up

No new RS4 from Audi

According to Car and Driver 's German sources, Audi has stated that they have no current plans for a direct successor to the sweet V8 powered RS4.  They claim that the RS5 should be enough to satisfy the market niche.

Too bad.  I was hoping to see what an RS variant based on the new A4 would look and perform like.  I bet they bring it back eventually.  Probably not with a V8 though.

We're on Facebook

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Thanks for reading.

Further SBK team reshuffle at BMW

Friday, 17 December 2010 11:41

Two months after the appointment of Bernhard Gobmeier as BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, further changes are being made to key positions within the Superbike team. Rainer B�umel, formerly the team's Technical Director, takes up the newly created post of Head of Race Operations with immediate effect. Stephan Fischer becomes the new Head of Development for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, while Josef Hofmann is appointed Managing Director of the Stephanskirchen factory. All three will respond directly to Gobmaier.

In mid-January, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will be bound for Australia. The next winter tests are scheduled for 26th to 28th January in Eastern Creek, before the team behind Troy Corser and Leon Haslam resume testing on Phillip Island on 2nd and 3rd February. Immediately before the season opens there on 27th February, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will be able to measure themselves against the other World Championship contenders for the first time at the final official Infront test held at the same track on 21st and 22nd February.

BMW 1 Series M Coupe Details Released

BMW just couldn't keep it under wraps anymore.  The new 1 Series M Coupe was supposed to be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show but a couple days ago BMW released a video of the undisguised car in action and now they've gone ahead and released all the details.

The twin-turbo 3.0L straight 6 will produce 335HP and have an overboost function to up the max torque to 369lb/ft for quick bursts.  The only transmission will be a traditional 6 speed and the car will weigh 3,296lbs which is lighter, by almost 100lbs, than a 135i coupe.  All that translates to a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of 13.2.  The car's track has been widened 2.8" and it rides on 19" wheels borrowed from the M3 GTS.  Stopping power is handled by 14.2" brakes in front and 13.8" out back and the suspension is all aluminum parts from the current M3.

Sounds pretty good except there is no price info yet.  We'll have to wait and see if it's a performance bargain or not.

Volkswagen Golf R U.S. Bound

After getting screwed when it was decided that we wouldn't get the very cool new Scirocco here in the U.S., Volkswagen fans were determined to make enough noise to persuade them to bring over their new hotrod hatch, the Golf R.  Guess what....it worked!  Today Volkswagen made the announcement that the hotly anticipated 2012 Golf R will be coming to our shores.

The press release doesn't go into details on price or power but it is expected to be in the $30,000 - $35,000 price range and the Euro version, currently on sale, manages to put out 270HP/258TQ from the 2.0L turbo 4cyl.  The only transmission offered will be a standard three pedal manual transmission and that will be hooked up to the latest 4th generation Haldex all wheel drive system. Special suspension, 18" wheels, and R branded body kit and interior upgrades round out the package.

No word on when the U.S. version will debut but some suspect it may be at next month's Detroit Auto Show.