Sunday, April 13, 2008

NEW CITROEN C4 SEDAN

Citroën will bring the Citroen C4 Sedan to market in several European countries from the last quarter of 2007.



This vehicle expands the existing C4 range, made up of a 5-door hatchback and a coupe. The sedan, based on the C4 platform, features a longer wheelbase to maximise space at the rear, along with a large and roomy boot.
A vehicle of sophisticated styling, the C4 Sedan maintains the many qualities of the C4 in terms of equipment, driving pleasure and safety. It reflects Citroën's objective of bringing its customers vehicles designed for a more relaxed drive.
The C4 Sedan features an ergonomic driver's position designed to share information with its fixed-centred controls steering wheel and main driving parameters displayed in the centre of the dashboard.
It is also an exceptionally roomy vehicle (2.71 m wheelbase) whose user-friendly design provides each passenger with individual space.

With its impeccable road manners and well matched engines (1.6i 16V petrol engine and HDi 110 DPFS diesel), the C4 Sedan delivers real driving pleasure.
Onboard comfort is further enhanced by a wide range of driving aids (including cruise control and a speed limiter as standard, and Xenon dual-function directional headlamps) along with generous safety equipment.

The C4 Sedan is produced in Argentina, where it went on sale in April 2007. The Palomar plant, located near Buenos Aires, supplies South American markets. This model will be available in Spain from the last quarter of 2007.

Friday, April 11, 2008

MITSUBISHI GALANT 2009

Mitsubishi will show off the facelifted 2009 Mitsubishi Galant at this year's Chicago Auto Show. In addition to the mildly revised sheet metal, the car also gets new taillights and a new grille. The Galant will come in four-cylinder ES and Sport editions, V6 Sport edition and line-topping Ralliart. The Ralliart V6 is of the 3.8-liter MIVEC variety and is good for 258 horsepower. The V6 in the V6 Sport (pictured) is good for 230 horsepower and the four-cylinder model is the 2.5-liter MIVEC that produces approximately 160 horsepower.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

MAYBACH LANDAULET 2009-1.35 MILLION $


The Landaulet 2009 first debuted as a concept variant at the Dubai auto show last year, and earlier on this year Maybach made the announcement of the production model. The Landaulet convertiblelike four-door will go on sale in America starting December at a cost of $1.35 million!

"The Landaulet is for a superrich individual who wants something that is extremely extraordinary and enjoys being driven in a car with acres of sky above them," said Hans-Dieter Multhaupt, the vice president of the program management for Maybach.

The Landaulet unit is designed as some chauffeur-driven limousine. The partial soft convertible top above the rear-seat passengers opens up from the B-pillar back so the passengers on the rear seat can be now seen and enjoy the weather, the sunshine.

The rear doors and side windows of the Maybach remain intact. The compartment of the driver is covered by nonremovable hard top. Multhaupt affirmed many of the Maybach Landaulet units "will be fitted with a glass panel that separates the driver and the passenger, like the cars of the past".

NEW BMW X6

Despite the rising fuel prices, BMW sees America as the largest market for the X6 crossover models. The newly-announced X6 will be made at the Spartanburg, SC assembly BMW's factory, with 40,000 vehicles rolling out in its first production year. The car`s second largest markets, Germany and the United Kingdom, will account for ten percent of the auto`s sales.



The news comes right from Friedrich Eichiner, the BMW board member for brand development and corporate, in a report Automotive News.

"The U.S. is still the world's biggest SUV market. This is why we are confident the X6 will be a success," he affirmed.

A hybrid variant of the X6 will run with a 407 horsepower V8 4.4 liter mixed with an electric motor, promising on delivering 20 percent better economy of fuel than the equivalent of 400hp, win-turbo, gas-powered auto.

The same report unveiled BMW plans of bringing an X5 diesel later this year to the United States to measure the potential market, which could be leading to a diesel X6 sold right here. Europeans will have the two diesel engine options.

This X6 unit will be on sale at the end of May, in the U.S. and will begin at $52,500.

MYTHICAL: LAMBORGINI COUNTACH

The Lamborghini Countach was a mid engined sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. The design of the Countach popularized, but did not pioneer, the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance supercars. The "cabin-forward" design concept, which pushes the passenger compartment forward in order to accommodate a larger engine, was also popularized by the Countach.

The word countach (pronounced ˈkun.tɑʃ) is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language - generally used by men on seeing an extremely beautiful woman. While the term is often considered untranslatable into English, it is essentially equivalent to the British lager lout verbalization "Fwwaaaa", or it can also be considered the verbal equivalent of aWolf Whistle.

The Countach name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw "Project 112" in his studio. The prototype was introduced to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Most previous Lamborghini car names were associated with bulls and bullfighting.

In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number three on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and it was listed as number ten on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

The Countach has been discontinued for 18 years and still enjoys a massive fan appreciation.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

2008 Lexus LF-A Roadster

The Lexus supercar, the LF-A, is going topless. In one of the rare surprises to sneak past our auto show spies, TheCarConnection.com has learned Toyota 's luxury division will be rolling out a roadster version of the carbon-fiber and aluminum sports car concept vehicle.
PHOTO:


Like the concept coupe, that debuted last year, the LF-A Roadster will be powered by a high-revving, 5.0-liter V-10 reportedly producing in excess of 500 horsepower, and pushing either version of the LF-A to somewhere in excess of 200 mph.


The front-mid engine configuration is used to drive the rear wheels. The V-10 is connected to a manually shiftable automatic.


The basic styling cues of the LF-A Coupe remain, and reflect the new L-Finesse styling philosophy that's influenced recent production Lexus models. On the supercar roadster, that translates into a low-slung, aerodynamic front end. With the top up, the roadster stands just 48-inches tall.

NEW: CADILLAC PROVOQ CONCEPT CAR

Cadillac's Provoq hydrogen fuel-cell powered concept goes on display next week at the 2008 Detroit auto show, as General Motors mounts a systemic blitz of PR ranging from the introduction of the Provoq and and Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid, to the perhaps somewhat less earth-friendly Corvette ZR1.



The Provoq concept looks like that same 2008 Saturn Vue on glamour steroids. And that's not a bad thing. Its lines are smooth, and it looks fall within the realm of believability, even if its propulsion technology is not yet ready for volume production.

Styling is one of this concept's strong points, and its face certainly looks to be a member of the Cadillac family. With a wheelbase of 110 inches (3.4 inches longer than the Vue) and an overall length of 190 inches (ten inches longer than the Vue), the concept Caddy is a true mid-size SUV. In essence it's a thinly disguised look at GM's new compact crossover architecture, with versions being slated for Cadillac and Saab and perhaps other GM divisions.

Optimized for low aerodynamic drag (a key to the future success of electrically-powered hybrids), the nose of the hybrid features a computer-controlled grille that opens as cooling is needed for the powertrain. The undercarriage features a wind-tunnel designed belly pan, and the function rear spoiler helps reduce drag by enabling a smooth release of air off the SUV's roof

MYTHICAL: LANCIA STRATOS HF

The Lancia Stratos HF, widely known as Lancia Stratos was an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.

The Stratos was a very successful rallying car during the 1970s and early 1980s. It started a new era in rallying as it was the first car designed from scratch for this kind of competition.[2] The three leading men behind the entire rallying project were Lancia team manager Cesare Fiorio, British racer/engineer Mike Parkes and factory rally driver Sandro Munari.

The bodywork was designed by Marcello Gandini, head designer at Bertone, and the technical layout was loosely based on a (Lancia Fulvia V4 powered) concept car called Stratos Zero first shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1970. The body was wedge-shaped, and unusually short and wide, providing maximum traction.

In 1971 Lancia presented the Lancia Stratos HF prototype. The Stratos prototype (Chassis 1240) was fluorescent red in colour and featured a distinctive crescent-shaped-wrap-around windshield providing maximum forward visibility with almost no rear visibility (which was unnecessary for rallying anyway). The prototype had three different engines in its early development life: the Lancia Fulvia engine, the Lancia Beta engine and finally the mid-mounted 190 bhp (140 kW) 2418 cc Dino Ferrari V6.

Lancia did extensive testing with the Stratos and raced the car in several racing events where Group 5 prototypes were allowed during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Production of the 400 cars required for homologation in Group 4 were launched in 1973 and the car was homologated for the 1974 World Championship.[3] The Dino V6 was phased out in 1974, but 500 engines among the last built were delivered to Lancia.


For racing, the engine was tuned up to 280 hp (209 kW) and even to 560 hp (418 kW) with a single KKK turbocharger. However, turbocharged versions were only allowed to compete in Group 5 and were never as reliable as their naturally aspirated counterparts.

The car won the 1974, 1975 and 1976 championships in the hands of Sandro Munari, and might have gone on to win more had not internal politics within the Fiat group placed rallying responsibility on the Fiat 131 Abarths. The Stratos won the Monte Carlo Rally with the private Chardonnet Team as late as 1979.[2]

MYTHICAL:LANCIA DELTA HF

The Lancia Delta is a small family car produced by Italian automaker Lancia with the first generation being produced between 1979 and 1994, the second generation running from 1993 until 1999, and the third generation Delta entering production in 2008. It was first shown in Frankfurt Motor Show in 1979.[1] The Delta is best known for its World Rally Championship career in the late 80s and early 90s, when it dominated rallying. Lancia offered road-going versions of these competition cars - the Lancia Delta HF4WD and Integrale.



Integrale 8v(RALLY)
1989 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 8V at the Birmingham MotorshowTaking the all-conquering Delta HF 4WD that decimated its rivals on tarmac, snow, ice and loose surfaces throughout the 1987 season, Lancia designed the HF Integrale to incorporate all the advanced technical features of the rally car enhanced by the lessons learned in one of the world's toughest motor sport arena. The result is a stylish, luxurious yet utterly practical five door hatchback with impeccable road manners, but capable of a blistering 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration in just 6.6 seconds and a maximum speed of 133 mph (214 km/h).

At the heart of the 8-valve HF Integrale is a 2-litre 4-cylinder fuel injected twin cam engine, fitted with contra-rotating balancing shafts. This version, of what is surely one of the world's most competition proven power units, incorporated the following improvements over the HF 4WD: New valves, valve seats and water pump, larger water and oil radiators, more powerful cooling fan and bigger air cleaner. A larger capacity Garrett T3 turbocharger with improved air flow and bigger inter-cooler to aid volumetric efficiency, together with revised settings for the electronic injection/ignition control unit and a knock sensor, boost power output to 185 bhp (DIN) (136 kW) at 5300 rpm and maximum torque of 31 m·kgf (304 N·m, 224 lbf·ft) at 3500 rpm.

MYTHICAL:PEUGEOT 205 GTi

Peugeot produced some limited edition 205 GTI models over the car's life.

In 1990, 600 GTIs were made in the then new colours of Miami blue (see photo above) and Sorrento Green (a very dark metallic green). The cars were made in an equal mix of 150 blue 1.6, 150 green 1.6, 150 blue 1.9 and 150 green 1.9. The cars had power steering and full grey leather interior as standard, together with grey carpets. These paint colours were then added to the list of available colours for ordinary models.

The Gentry was a limited edition with all-leather interior, 105 bhp (78 kW) 1.9 engine and some other extras. Gentries came in the color Sorrento Green and Aztech Gold (sometimes called Beige Mayfair).

The Griffe was a special edition for mainland Europe, and was sold in France, Germany and the Netherlands. It was bright green ('Laser' Green)[1], and had grey carpet, ABS, dark grey anodised alloy wheels with a silver rim, and full black leather interior. Approximately 3,000 Griffes were made, and though never officially sold there, two to three are believed to have made it to the UK.

The 1FM was produced in 1992 to coincide with the 25th birthday of BBC Radio 1. Only 25 were made and each car was individually numbered with a small brass plate.[1] Every one was black and had dark grey anodised alloy wheels with a silver rim. The car had every extra as standard including ABS, air conditioning, catalytic converter, full black leather interior, power steering and remote central locking. A special stereo system including a CD changer and an acoustic rear shelf was designed by Clarion especially for this car. The car had unique 'Radio 1' badging, and Radio 1 ran a competition on air to win one.

MYTHICAL:RENAULT R5 TURBO

The Renault 5 Turbo or R5 Turbo is a high-performance hatchback automobile that was produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the early 1980s. The car was designed for rallying, but was also sold in road-going guise



All the racing derivatives were based on the Turbo 1. The factory pushed the engine output up to 180 hp (134 kW) for the Cévennes, 210 hp (157 kW) for the Tour de Corse, and possibly as much as 350 hp (261 kW) in the Maxi 5 Turbo. These kits featured stronger engine internals and more efficient intercoolers.

Driven by Jean Ragnotti the R5 Turbo won the Monte Carlo Rally on its first outing in the World Rally Championship. The 2WD R5 turbo soon faced the competition of new four-wheel drive cars that proved faster on dirt. However, it remained among the fastest of its era on tarmac where it was highly successful.

In 2004, Sports Car International named the R5 Turbo number nine on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

MYTHICAL:RENAULT ALPINE A110

The Alpine A110 also known as the "Berlinette" was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines.

The Alpine A110 was introduced in 1961 as an evolution of the A108. Like other road-going Alpines the A110 made heavy use of mass-produced Renault parts. But while the A108 was designed around Dauphine components, the A110 was updated to use R8 parts. Like the A108 available first as a cabriolet and later as a Coupé, the A110 was delivered first with "Berlinetta" bodyworks and then as a cabriolet. The main visible difference with the A108 Coupé was a restyling of the rear body to fit the bigger engines, and that gave the car a more aggressive look. Like the A108, the A110 featured a steel backbone chassis with fiberglass body. This design was influenced by the Lotus Elan, Colin Chapman being a major source of inspiration for Alpine designers at that time. The A110 was originally available with 1.1 L R8 Major or R8 Gordini engines. The Gordini engine delivered 95 hp SAE at 6500 rpm.



Manufacturer Alpine
Parent company Renault
Production 1961-1973
Predecessor Alpine A108
Successor Alpine A310
Class Sports car
Body style(s) 2-door coupé
Layout RR layout
Engine(s) 1.1 L, 1.2 L, and 1.3 L R8 Major/Gordini I4
1.5 L Lotus Europa I4
1.3 L and 1.6 L Renault I4
Transmission(s) 5-speed manual
Wheelbase (2.271 m) 89.4 in
Length (4.05 m) 159 in
Width (1.50 m) 59.1 in
Curb weight 806 kg (1,777 lb)

MYTHICAL: AUDI QUATTRO

The Audi Quattro is a famous and historically significant road and rally car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi. Notably, it was the first four-wheel drive grand tourer (GT) since the Jensen FF of 1966 ("quattro" means "Four" in Italian).

It is considered one of the most significant rally cars of all time, and was one of the first to take advantage of the then-recently changed rules which allowed the use of all-wheel-drive in competition racing. Many critics doubted the viability of all-wheel drive racers, thinking them to be too heavy and complex, yet the Quattro was an instant success, winning a rally on its first outing. It won competition after competition for the next two years. To commemorate the original vehicle, all future Audi Quattros were badged with a lower case Q. The original car with the upper case Q is highly sought after as a collector's piece.

The Audi Quattro shared many components and the core of its body style with the Audi Coupé, which was a member of the Audi 80 (B2 model) range.



Manufacturer Audi AG
Parent company Volkswagen Group
Also called quattro
Production 1980–1991
Successor Audi S2
Class Coupé, rally car
Body style(s) 2-door coupé
Layout Front engine, quattro four-wheel drive
Engine(s) 2.1 L SOHC 10v I5 (1980–87)
2.2 L SOHC 10v I5 (1987–89)
2.2 L DOHC 20v I5 (1989–91)
Wheelbase 2522 mm (99.3 in)
Length 4404 mm (173.4 in)
Width 1722 mm (67.8 in)
Height 1346 mm (53 in)
Curb weight 1,290 to 1,350 kg (2,840 to 2,980 lb)
Fuel capacity 94 L (25 US gal/21 imp gal)
Related Audi 80 (B2)
Designer Jörg Bensinger
Walter Treser
Dr. Ferdinand Piëch