Aston Martin Zagato

Just as Daniel Craig has too much brawn and not enough brains to be James Bond, this Aston is simply too outrageous but for that I love it. Powered by a V12, performance figures should be on par if not surpassing that of the V12 Vantage on which the Zagato is based off. However reports suggest that the car will sell for 330,000 pounds or for us burger chompers that’s in the neighborhood of 530,000 dollars. That means this car is twice as expensive as the range topping Aston DBS. Oh, and don’t worry there will be 150 examples built so you’ll definitely be able to get your hands on one, not. (Borat voice)

Now that the bad news is out of the way and you’ve lost all interest in this car let me rekindle your spirits. We begin with a history lesson; Aston and the Zagato design house have been working together for 5 decades as of this year. In 1961 the first Zagato was built from a DB4. Its purpose was to turn the Ferrari 250 into a wet nosed child that’s crying for its mommy. The mission was a success and since then the original Zagato has been a coveted jewel among those of us who eat asphalt and drink petrol.

The first thing you notice on this baby is the strong use of straight lines. Typically the Aston should have a curvy elegant body that makes a man tingle at the fingertips touch, and a face that God himself carved of marble…. oh sorry I started thinking about Megan Fox again, but you get the idea. So this car in contrast is much like Kierra Knightly, still beautiful but angular and sharp, somehow feeling more purposeful when you recall that the Zagato was designed as a GT racer. Massive air ducts behind the front wheels and on the hood complement the angles and creases. A rather large carbon fiber rear diffuser brings the car together at the ass end. If you’re still unsure about this car here is some awesome Nurburgring footage.


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ZL1 Camaro: Stepping Up to Shelby.

After years of ultimate muscle car dominance, Ford and Shelby finally have a reason to look over their shoulders. That reason is the up and coming Chevy Camaro ZL1. Powered by the same engine as the Cadillac CTS-V this car will have some sort of maniacal horsepower rating usually reserved for cars which fall under the coveted class known as the "super car". It is rumored that this engine will make a substantially higher output than it does in the Cadillac. In order to to make use of this power the Camaro needs to be able to break hard in corners as well as get around them fluidly, something muscle cars have not been known to do. Enter the Corvette ZR1 magnetic dampers, traction control system, and don't ruin your underwear but yes, carbon ceramic breaks.
This Camaro also has the looks. The wheels are massive, at 20 inches were talking huge on a galactic scale. The five spoke wheels are handsome and compliment the cars over-all aggressive stance which carries on to the front of the car with functioning hood scoop and re-worked front fascia. What I, your fearless leader am wondering is in its quest to beef up the Camaro in order to take down the GT500 will this new Chevy cannibalize Corvette sales?
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The Aventador.

When Lamborghini announced that the Murcielago would grace pavement no longer it was a bit like watching your Dads pickup truck pull out of the driveway for the last time. However with the introduction of the Aventador it was like Pops came back with…well a Lamborghini and that’s awesome. The LP 700 4 Aventador is a 691 horsepower ballistic missile that will reach 60 mph estimated at less than 3 seconds. That’s not fast, that’s Bugatti Veyron fast, although I wouldn’t get my hopes up for seeing a Veyron killer just yet.

The company of the bull has foregone verbal descriptions of this car and instead created this epic film. The Lambo braves the apocalypse with blistering speed and menacing screams as lurks towards the end of time. Can’t do that in a Prius can you? Sure a Prius wont pollute the environment but when the end of days draws near I’m turning to the Aventador.

This Lamborghini is a looker as well, making the Murcielago look like an old dog this modern Lambo looks hunkered down and its lines suggest perpetual motion. Lamborghini says this car is a relentless force, I’m inclined to agree.

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This is Mopar: If You Are Listenthing Then You Are The Resistance.

Concerning the New Dodge Commercial:
The year is 3000 and things have gone horribly wrong. We can no longer choose what we eat and our abilities to dress ourselves have failed. Doors no longer wait to be opened but rather we wait for them. This is the world of the future and it is bleak. Robots run our world and I do not like it, not one stinking little bit. The time for revolution is near but who will our brave John Connor be? The possibilities are endless. Chuck Norris perhaps but I fear that even he has moved on by the time that this distant future arrives. Who then will save us, who will take back what’s ours, who will destroy the robots.

Enter the Dodge Charger and its commander, the everyman. One man has had enough of this future world upon entering his super future mobile transport device, thing. Oddly enough though this vehicle resembles a Charger if you look closely at the front fascia. You see as the door opens there is a robot in the drivers seat and that is just too far. Never should the cold heartless metal ass of a robot grace the supple leather of a drivers seat and never shall the icy death grip smother a steering wheel.

Our hero takes matters into his own hands when he decapitates the robot leaving its cold lifeless body in the car park .The Charger roars to life and bounds mercilessly forward to lead the rebellion of mankind against the machines. You may take our lives, hell maybe our freedom. But. You. Will. Never. Take. Our. Cars. This is Mopar, if you’re listening then you are the resistance.

Does anyone find it odd that there is no manual Charger? If I cant select my own gears have the robots already won?



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New York Auto Show: Fiat 500

This year at the New York Auto show, the smallest car there may have made the biggest splash. Yes the Fiat 500 display was over-run by excited soon to be Fiat owners who hopped out of one display car only to slide into the well upholstered leather seats of another 500. Europe has enjoyed the 500 for years now and its over seas success is likely to be matched when it finally goes on sale in America.

What the Fiat 500 does very well is give the feeling of character. As soon as you slide into the surprisingly spacious cockpit you are instantly given a feeling of invigoration. It is almost as if the car is whispering in your ear that it doesn’t want to be cooped up in a convention center. It wants to rev up and squirm its way through the crowd onto the busy streets of New York, which it is perfectly adapted to.With its tiny size and high visibility this car is designed for tight situations and nimble driving. I like to think of it as a mouse on steroids with a stick of dynamite strapped to its back.

It is being marketed to a younger active crowd as it is displayed with ski racks and bike racks but considering a large portion of the crowd was older, I think a large portion of sales will come from former owners searching for nostalgia. At least until the Abarth edition comes over the pond. Think of it as that same mouse with 3 sticks of dynamite, steroids and of course protein shakes in the cup holder.



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Scion FR S Concept

It appears the rear wheeled love child of Toyota and Subaru will also become the bastard some of Scion. Yup the automaker that has brought you the Tc and other front drive oddities is taking its crack at a rear wheel coupe. Let me say this car is something to stare at. Scion has released two videos revealing the car and to the car freaks such as I it leaves you feeling a bit dirty afterward. The camera follows the each and every curve of the car smooth as molasses. As far as specs go for this car little is known but I can guess figures with be similar to that of the Ft-86.


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2012, End of Days and maybe the Civic Si

Where to begin with the 2012 Civic Si? Well first off with only four more horsepower it isn’t going to be any faster than the outgoing 2011 model. However it has 170 torques that will pack a higher mid range punch. There may be more to speed than horsepower, a full test will be needed to confirm this. You may be thinking that so far this Si sounds quite nice, who wouldn’t mind more torque lower down in the rev range? But wait, a 7,000-rpm redline? Oh dear friends something it seems has gone terribly awry.

Civic Si’s have always been about revving the piss out of a small engine that had a redline of galactic altitudes. The problem is the new Si has a redline roughly where the last Si would hit its Vtec mark. What does this mean for the new Civic? I'm not certain I can answer that question. To me it seems as though the entire Honda ideology has shifted since its brutal execution of the S2000. The Civic was Honda’s Vtec golden boy ever since and now its future looks bleak. Obviously the Civic will be around long after the extinction of the human race, but will it still be the Civic we know and love? Or will it go the way of so many other small racers, a slow death at the hands of those who would rather plant a tree than plant the accelerator to the floor.


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B spec Racing: Story of the small car revolution in America.

Americans like their cars the same way Burger King likes its customers. Huge. A car in America is a status symbol used to show wealth, or to compensate for “inadequacies”. In the 80’s and 90’s this obsession reached its pinnacle when American car companies began designing cars with etcher-sketches leading to results that looked similar to school buses.

All that, is about to change. The new B-spec racing series in America looks to make the small car “cool”, and yes I think its working. Car and Driver entered two cars into 25 hrs of Thunderhill Endurance race. One a Mazda 2 and the other a Honda Fit. What makes these cars special is that aside from being gutted of an interior and tuned for racing (suspension roll cages ect.) these cars, mechanically are mostly stock. The point being illustrated by these cars is that a small cheap car can be a fun capable road warrior as well. Think of this type of car as a wolf in a baby’s footy-pajamas… except a very loud wolf that sounds as though its gargling nails. Through a blender. Spitting them up again as fire. Yes, that works. The most impressive part is these little terrors did quite well with the Fit placing under 20th in a line up of over 60 cars. Some would shrink the testes on your stock Mustang GT.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q4/the_25_hours_of_thunderhill_in_the_b-spec_mazda_2_and_honda_fit-video

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VW Beetle: A Cinderella Man Story

A friend of mine once referred to the woman he spent the night with as having “The same profile as a VW Beetle if you lay her on her back”. As of today, my large woman-loving friend, you can say that no more. You see, gone are the flower power ways of the NEW Beetle and VW has asserted this motion by dropping the "NEW" moniker from the title of the car. The new car looks as though the original Beetle had never died but instead has been hitting the gym for the past 70 years and at last emerged the mean Civic-fighting machine we all so dearly wished it were.

VW has announced today that there will be a 2.5-liter engine as well as a spritely 2.0 Turbo that will likely sell to the male driver oriented crowd. Car and Driver has also reported that a Beetle R will likely hit our shores in the future to join such peaches as the Golf R and Passat CC R. Should this happen, it is very likely that your MazdaSpeed will be shrinking away quickly in the rear view of VW Beetles across the country.

The car now looks aggressive with 19-inch alloys and a rear spoiler; this is not your little sisters high school car. Instead, the new car is both longer and wider allowing for a more performance foced ride. In addition, the lower vertical height adds to the menacing appearance, as the Beetle now looks hunkered down and purposeful. Ill have mine in Black please.


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Fast Five Dodge Charger is Jive.

The muscle car. Where to begin other than by drooling words all over the page describing in provocative detail what the credentials for such a title are. A muscle car must be bulging with style, oozing with menace and snarl like a wolf with a stick up its behind. Oh yes a muscle car must be many things including affordable, loud, fun and most importantly the engine must be the size of Montana and require enough fuel to drown an elephant. These factors have caused people to rally behind their particular poison with a devotion that the Catholic Church should be jealous of. This is exactly where the nineteen–seventy-something-or-other Dodge Charger from Fast Five falls flat on its face.

I’m going to get it out of the way now, no you wont find a Hemi under that bonnet. In fact you wont find anything with a Mopar symbol, what you will find is heresy, a Chevy small block. The problem has nothing to do with Chevy or Dodge products, the problem is that there is a Chevy product in a Dodge product. You wouldn’t order a Frosty with a Big Mac. You order a Mcflurry. Aside from the engine swap, the front portion of the car is made in a mold designed to mimic no specific Charger, but rather roughly imitate a Charger between the model years of 1968 to 1970. Oh, if you were wondering, the blower is fake too.

What’s the Scoop on the Subaru Sports Coupe.

The world received its first glimpse of what the Subaru Coupe, code name FT-86, would look like when it was clad pornographically with a clear exterior, bearing image to the internal structure of the car, at the Geneva Auto Convention. It debuted alongside the sister car from Toyota, which seems to be inspired by the boy racer community that so devoutly supported the Supra. This leads yours truly to speculate that Toyota may brand the new car as such.

Subaru has claimed that the exterior of their version will appeal to a more mature audience and be tweaked with both different front and rear fascias. Apparently, Subaru plans to distance itself even more from its rallying heritage with the FT-86, claiming that it is a car to fit into the brands “premium” image.

The FT-86 will be powered by a Boxer 4 cylinder engine and will run on a shortened Impreza suspension. Sources say that an STI model may follow in the future but I disagree since the FT-86 will be a rear drive coupe, something that the STI badge has never adorned. To me the decision to produce this coupe in a rear wheel drive format is a mistake. It should run in the vicinity of $25,000 dollars. Roughly 3,000 more than the Toyota counter-part. Not only is this a mistake economically, but Subaru has developed a following based on getting fantastic all-wheel drive for a bargain. I feel as though this rear wheel coupe will polarize Subaru fans and cause customers looking for a premium coupe to look elsewhere.

Ford #1

In the most recent Harris Poll results Ford was ranked as the number 1 full line automaker. Yes, an American company took the big cheese. In fact American companies took both number one and two slots with Chevorlet coming second to ford. The top five was rounded out by Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Toyota dropped from their spot in first place down to fourth. Mercedes took the luxury poll followed closely by Lexus, BMW, Infiniti and Acura.

Is the Ferrari FF THAT Important?

Lately it seems that the most exciting thing and exotic carmaker can do is make their vehicles into people carriers. It started with the Porsche Panamera and was followed by the Aston Martin Rapide. Both of these vehicles are available in rear wheel drive. The Panamera is also available in all wheel drive. Both of these cars have 4 doors. The FF oddly has only two.

The choice to make the FF a coupe is strange and in my opinion irrational. It seems as though your not getting all you pay for considering the point of these super cars is to comfortably transport your passengers. I think a Porsche 911 would do the job better and for a fraction of the price. Ferrari has also killed the shape of this car. Some people have been referring to this car as a “shooting break”. The shooting break originates back to a time when hunters would need a slightly larger car than a coupe in order to haul their guns. Your author doesn’t think the styling works, and it defiantly doesn’t look like a Ferrari.

Both Porcshe and Aston Martin have managed to transfer their iconic coupe shapes into 4 door saloon cars. Ferrari in their quest for 2 doors seems to have lost its shape. Yes the nose looks like it’s from a Scaglietti and the tail resembles a mix of 599 and 458 Italia but the profile is a mess.

Ferrari seems to be pushing to the for-front their new 4-wheel drive system, which is apparently superb. However the car feels rushed and unfinished to me. It feels like hanging a Rembrandt on the wall with a frame you bought from the dollar store. To me it seems as though the car was not designed by a single craftsman but by a cold calculated committee. Ferrari has traded its passion for logic, and logic has no place in the realm of the super car.

http://www.investor-relations.blogspot.com/

To Whom It May Concern, Keep Dreaming About That BMW M3 Pick Up Truck.

A pick –up truck is a strange thing to see on the Nurghburging. A penguin in the jungle might make more sense. But what makes this even more peculiar is the blue and white BMW logo and M badges adorning the car. To most car enthusiasts this anomaly is becoming old news, and it has been confirmed that BMW has no real intentions of putting the BMW M3 Pick-Up into production. I wonder why they bothered lapping the mighty German race track in this toy.

The only reason I can think of is to cause a stir, which is exactly what happened. Shortly after images of this M3 hit the internet the auto world went into a feeding frenzy. I can only imagine that BMW forum sites slowed to a crawl as their servers began to glow red with heat.

If it is true that this M3 will never make it into production - its what we call in the world of Public Relations a publicity stunt. Heres why: its no secret that since introduction of current BMW designer (Chris Bangle) in 2006 BMW's demographic has changed. In fact the companies new slogan “A Company of Ideas” reveals that most BMW drivers are no longer the die hard racers that so desperately believe in the “Ultimate Driving Machine”. I think this is an attempt to get attention on the M3 again. Its do or die time considering the success of rival Audi with the S5 (RS5) and the pending release of the Mercedes C63 AMG coupe. (Sedan is in production) Most would believe as yours truly does, that the M3 has always and will continue to be the benchmark for a performance saloon but with these new rivals arriving halfway through this current model's lifespan the M3 needs some way to stir the pot, and perhaps this is it.

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