Archive for the 'Car Shopping' Category

Fiero-renton

Published by peter August 4th, 2008 4 Comments

About the only thing crazier than actually paying for a million dollar re-bodied Lamborghini Murcielago (i.e. the Reventon) is this Canadian guy’s re-bodied Pontiac Fiero. From many angles, Woody, the creator, did a fine job of mimicking the Reventon’s proportions…until you see the profile: the back end seems a tad short. Maybe it’s the lack of a properly sized wheel in that shot.

Woody also ripped out the the stock engine and stuffed a twin-turbo, small-block V8 into the engine bay. Mad props to Woody, but unless he’s a skilled chassis engineer, that much power in an antiquated chassis sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Source: Autoblog, motorfoot

Published in the following categories: Bravery, Car Shopping, Crimes, Disaster, Idiots, News and Wikipedia.

 

That New Car Smell

Published by peter July 25th, 2008 4 Comments

Some people say they love that new car smell without realizing they’re inhaing a toxic brew of plastics bleeding off their petrochemical ingredients, chemicals used to treat leather and other fine elements such as lead, copper and mercury to produce what’s known as a volatile organic compound. A group called the Ecology Center has released a Healthy Car Report which measured the amounts toxins with portable x-ray flourescence device. Their report can be found on their website. Nissan’s Versa scored poorly while Smart’s Pure and Acura’s RDX scored well. A tip for new car owners:  leave your windows open as often as possible.

Source: TTAC
Image: Ferrari/Fragrancex.com

Published in the following categories: Car Shopping, News and Safety.

 

Lotus’ Eco Elise Offers Viable Solutions

Published by peter July 9th, 2008 1 Comment

In keeping with founder Colin Chapman’s belief that you can improve performance by "adding lightness," Lotus’ Eco Elise is 70 lbs. leaner thanks to the use of lighter, sustainable plant fibers like hemp and sisal as the main ingredient of the body panels, spoilers and seats. Does anyone smell a Cheech and Chong movie? The hemp is locally grown so the carbon miles used to produce the panels are reduced. Lotus has also employed many energy-saving and emissions-reducing practices at their factory for a 14% reduction in electricity use, a 30% reduction in gas consumption and 11% less water use. These techniques are obviously easier to implement in a smaller company like Lotus but that doesn’t mean larger can’t adopt them in the future.

Source: Motorcities.com

Published in the following categories: Car Shopping, News and Technology.

 

200 MPG or 600 HP, Which Is More Relevant?

Published by peter July 2nd, 2008 11 Comments


According to German auto industry insider, George Kacher, VW is pushing up the release date of their "One Liter" eco car. Unveiled in 2002, the company claimed the slippery, 300 kg, one-cylinder, two-passenger car could get 100km (62 miles) from a liter of gas. VW was supposedly waiting for the price of carbon fiber to come down and probably believes that the current oil crisis neccessitates the move. Meanwhile, it’s believed Chrysler will unveil a superchareged, 600 hp version of their Challenger at the SEMA show in November, this after have just seen a 36% drop in June sales. Who’s thinking ahead here?

Published in the following categories: Alex Roy, Car Shopping, News and Technology.

 

A Schnitzer With A Twist

Published by peter June 25th, 2008 3 Comments

Noted BMW tuner and racing team, AC Schnitzer, is famous for stuffing big engines into small spaces. Their latest is an M3 crammed with a modified 552hp V-10 from the M5/M6. In addition to the requisite suspenion, brake and cosmetic enhancements, AC Schnitzer’s GP3.10 has also been modified to use liquified petroleum gas (LPG), which the company sees as a "sensible alternative" to gas as it’s cheaper and produces 15% less emissions. The GP3.10 has a 70-liter tank for LPG in addition to a 60-liter petrol tank and the system is switchable. Go here for the video

Source: BMWautocar, AC Schnitzer
Photos: AC Schnitzer

Published in the following categories: Car Shopping, News and Tuning.

 

David Maher’s Italian Trinity Tour - Part 1 - Maserati

Published by Dave Maher June 4th, 2008 9 Comments

I preface the following by saying if you love cars, especially Italy’s finest, and are presented the opportunity to visit Modena, Maranello and Sant ‘Agata for a short two day tour of the Maserati, Ferrari, and Lamborghini factories…GO!!

Continue reading ‘David Maher’s Italian Trinity Tour - Part 1 - Maserati’

Published in the following categories: Car Shopping, News and Team Polizei - David Maher.

 

Drive By, Anyone?

Published by peter May 21st, 2008 13 Comments

Talk about target marketing, you’ve gotta give this dealership in Butler, Missouri, some credit for knowing their customers. They’re offering a free gun to anyone who buys a new car. So, in exchange for signing your life away for 4 or 5 years of car payments, you get a gun worth a couple hundred dollars. Makes sense (in a logically-incompatible, parallel universe). We hear the gas station down the street is offering free bullets, instead of free car washes, for customers who buy more than 10 gallons of gas. Coincidentally, or not, the city of Butler saw a rapid increase of STOP signs perforated by small arms fire shortly after the dealership announced the offer. No word yet on who’s offering bullet-proof vests.

Source:  MSNBC.MSN.com

Published in the following categories: Accidents, Bad News, Car Shopping, Disinformation, Drivers Ed, Genius, Idiots, News and Safety.

 

Forbes Names The 15 Most Overpriced Vehicles In The U.S.A.. I Name The 16th.

Published by Alex Roy January 3rd, 2008 12 Comments

 

 

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Here’s the Forbes List, and here’s their gallery. All very obvious, but based solely on incentives thrown in for models that didn’t sell. These are hardly the criteria for judging the most overpriced car of all time - a car whose cosmetic additions in no way justify an asking price of nearly $1.3 million…four times higher than the car upon which it’s based…

Continue reading ‘Forbes Names The 15 Most Overpriced Vehicles In The U.S.A.. I Name The 16th.’

Published in the following categories: Alex Roy, Car Shopping, Idiots, Media - Miscellaneous, Media - Print/Online, Vehicles and Wikipedia.

 

From The Department of Duh…

Published by Alex Roy September 18th, 2007 0 Comments

The Truth About Cars - one of my favorite car sites - just re-posted this Forbes piece, which should be required reading before anyone gets a drivers license.

Published in the following categories: Car Shopping, Media - Miscellaneous and Media - Print/Online.