Paris Auto Show Teaser Video: BMW Concept X1

BMW X1 Spy Shot [Source: Motorbang.com]

Looking to generate some hype for the BMW Concept X1 that’s scheduled to premiere at the 2008 Paris Auto Show next week, BMW-web.tv uploaded video footage giving us a sneak peak of the new BMW Concept X1 that is strangely reminiscent of those 90’s-era slightly instructional videos I used to sit through in French class that always fell just short of identifying with the American teenage demographic.

At any rate, according to BMWblog, the BMW X1 will be available with either a rear- or front-wheel drivetrain, and its optional 4 or 6 cylinder engine offerings will be equipped to run on either diesel or standard fuel. Slated to make its first debut in the European market, the X1 is expected to be placed and priced somewhere between the BMW 3 Series Wagon and the BMW X3 - no word yet on how that would translate for a North American introduction.

Video after the jump

[Video Source: BMW-web.tv]

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Citroen wins in New Zealand

1-2 win for Citroen

Oh how harshly we misjudge cars.  If anyone is under the impression that smaller, economical cars don’t have guts or aren’t “lustable” (whatever that means), you need to check out the attached pictures of last Sunday’s Rally race in New Zealand.  Fans of WRC and the cars that they inspire certainly had to be pleased with the race which lived up to WRC’s reputation for providing some of the most exciting motorsport racing on the planet. 

Suzuki SX4-WRC

World Champion Sebastien Loeb won for the third time in as many races to win Rally New Zealand by 17.5 seconds last Sunday at the expense of Mikko Hirvonen who lost controland spun out on the second-to-last stage.  The win increased his lead over Hirvonen the in the World Rally Championship.  The win was Loeb’s 42nd in WRC rallies, aftervictories in Finland and Germany and his second in New Zealand, where he last one in 2005.  Loeb’s one-two finish with teammate Dani Sordo of Spain also increased Citroen’s grip on the manufacturers’ championship.

Mitsubishi Taking Flight

Taking a look at both the manufacturer and driver results (listed below), it’s a shame not to see a single American in the list.  Sure, this is the land of NASCAR and INDY (at least once a year), but you would still think Rally Racing would be a bigger hit in the States.  Even as heavily modified as the cars are, they are certainly more closely related to actual production cars than anything from the previously mentioned racing leagues.  And what could be more American than tearing ass around off-road?  I mean the Dukes of Hazzard was basically a Rally Race with a couple of Good ‘Ole Boys in a Dodge!  I can almost picture some kid from Alabama named Skeeter hoisting a trophy, surrounded by the Beck’s bikini team.

RESULTS FROM THE WRC RALLY OF NEW ZEALAND:

Final results and standings Sunday after the 18-stage Rally of New Zealand, 11th event in the World Championship: (After 18 special stages)

1. Sebastien Loeb, France, Citroen, 3 hours, 59 minutes, 18.9 seconds.

2. Dani Sordo, Spain, Citroen, 17.5 seconds behind.

3. Mikko Hirvonen, Finland, Ford, 41.5.

4. Petter Solberg, Norway, Subaru, 2:48.9.

5. Urmo Aava, Estonia, Citroen, 3:30.7.

6. Per-Gunnar Andersson, Sweden, Suzuki, 7:37.4.

7. Toni Gardemeister, Finland, Suzuki, 7:54.9.

8. Federico Villagra, Argentina, Ford, 8:35.0.

9. Henning Solberg, Norway, Ford, 9:15.2.

10. Martin Prokop, Czech Republic, Mitsubishi, 13:49.0.

Overall drivers’ championship standings after 11 of 15 rallies:

1. Sebastien Loeb, France, Citroen, 86 points.

2. Mikko Hirvonen, Finland, Ford, 78.

3. Dani Sordon, Spain, Citroen, 51.

4. Chris Atkinson, Australia, Subaru, 40.

5. Jari-Matti Latvala, Finland, Ford, 34.

6. Petter Solberg, Norway, Subaru, 32.

7. Henning Solberg, Norway, Ford, 22.

8. Gianluigi Galli, Italy, Ford, 17.

9. Matthew Wilson, Britain, Ford, 12.

10. Francois Duval, Belgium, Ford, and Urmo Aava, Estonia, Citroen, 11.

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Reader Ride Lust Of The Week: Dan’s Cherry ‘73 Corvette

At RideLust, we have a healthy respect for fellow motorheads, which is why we give you the chance to show off your pride and joy in our reader gallery. I check out the submissions daily because I’ve got a definite weakness for really babied rides, and I’m always impressed with what I see. Usually, we leave the rides in the reader gallery to stand alone as individual showcases, but I’ve seen so many that deserve an extra mention I wanted to start bringing them into the spotlight. This week, I wanted to show off the 1973 Corvette submitted by Dan Mavridis - it’s got me so blinded with ride lust I can’t see straight.

View Gallery After Jump

To be fair, classic ‘Vette’s always make me drool, but Dan’s is especially yummy thanks to the interior he refinished to match the Mille Magalia Red paint job.

According to Dan, his Corvette has over 250,000 and is still purring along with its original engine.

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Chrysler LLC Does The Electric Boogaloo

Chrysler Firepower Concept

Later this month, Chrysler will offer a preview of the three electric car prototypes it plans to produce over the course of the next decade. Currently working with battery suppliers both at home and abroad, Chrysler’s primary focus is developing an electric plug-in hybrid vehicle capable of averaging 300 miles per charge. “Fuel cells are in the future, ” said Chrysler co-president Jim Press, “but probably more in my kids’ future than my own.”

Jeep Hurricane Concept

Full Chrysler Concept Gallery After Jump

Riding high on the crest of the temporary success of the new Dodge Ram 1500, Press said Chrysler intends to continue producing fuel drinking titans like the Ram and Dakota regardless of the sales figures, and he doesn’t expect Chrysler to generate a positive cash flow for 2008. Press views the current hardships in the industry as merely temporary and with sights set firmly on the future, fully expects the market to right itself by 2010 - just in time for Chrysler’s anticipated release of 8 brand new models.

[News Source: Auto News]

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Bad Gas Angers Drivers, Damages Cars in Seattle

It’s bad enough that we have to pay high gas prices. What’s even worse is when you pay high gas prices only to find out that the gas has caused your car to breakdown. All the more reason to go hybrid, or even better electric.

Three gas stations were shut down temporarily on Sunday after at least 11 vehicles were damaged by bad gas the drivers had just pumped.

“I filled the tank up and as soon as I pulled away from the pump my car died,” said Mary Anne Trengove, who stopped at the Shell station on 2nd Street in Snohomish.

“When I got out of the car there was a gentleman who was putting gas in his lawnmower and noticed the gas was brown,” she said. “The guy right next to him had just filled up his motorhome and the motorhome did the same thing — started but didn’t pull away.

“While we were there people just kept wandering up to the station and saying their car had broken down.”

Officials said tanker trucks that filled up at the Shell Terminal on Harbor Island in Seattle at about 5 p.m. Sunday received a sludgy gas that may have been mixed with water.

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The Polish City of Lodz Gives Street Racers a Legal Sanction

The Polish city of Lodz, weary of its losing efforts in fighting illegal street racers, has capitulated if you will by legalizing street racing in a cordoned off section of the city. In cooperation with local street racing organizers the city will permit racing on the chosen section of town as long as they can help to prevent any non-sanctioned street racing in the rest of the city.

The city’s hope is that by providing a secured area in which street racers can get their fix they will be less likely to take their challenges to the other parts of town. To many, particularly street racers, the efforts of the city leaders in Lodz may be preferable to  the legal actions elsewhere in the world. While cities in California and Australia are making examples of seized street racing vehicles by crushing them or crashing them for educational films, Lodz, Poland is reaching out to them. The effectiveness of Lodz efforts will truly be determined by the street racers themselves.

There are other parts of the US where organizers have worked with local leaders and drag strip owners to provide alternatives to illegal street racing. By having venues open to racers you help cater to the crowd of racers who love the speed, but not the risk of getting busted or of causing others harm. Hopefully Lodz and other cities like them can set the example for other municipalities to follow.

Source[Anavona via Jalopnik]

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Nissan makes it all Official with the GT-R Press Release and unveiling in Tokyo

The teasers are officially over as Nissan makes public its worse kept secret with an official Press Release and in person unveiling of the GT-R at the Tokyo Auto Show. It is almost sad to see the speculation depart like this, but it is nice to see the real thing just as Nissan intended it to be. The GT-R goes on sale in Japan on December 6th of this year and will be supported by the newly created Nissan High Performance Center. So much is riding on the GT-R that Nissan has created a maintenance group around the car.

As you will read below and may have read before the Nissan GT-R is powered by a 3.8 Liter twin-turbo V6 “VR38″. The power coming from that engine rates 473-hp and up to 433-ft. lbs of torque. Take a look at the photo gallery below for the official photos released by Nissan and after the gallery and for further details on the GT-R read from Nissan’s Official Press Release. (more…)

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Two-in-One Luxury Camper allows you to take it all with you

Finally, the ultimate solution for those who are anxious to hit the American highways and want to take ALL the luxuries of home along the way. You will never need to lug that trailer again. No more rock chips or rocky handling to worry about. Just tuck your roadster or sport coupe beneath your camper and explore.

If you are a Nascar team of one on a limited budget maybe this is the new ultimate transport for you. Since that is an unlikely scenario then this all-in-one transport-camper is the ideal means to pack your Benz and see the sights.  The other alternative is to sell your house and live on the road with your own mini-garage.

To get a larger glimpse of what luxury camping is all about (besides caviar wishes, grey puopon and tacky gold leaf) take the leapto the site. While the site may not all be in English the pictures really do tell the whole story. And if you are really eager to get your hands on one of these campers and are looking for a driver you need look no further.   …no, really. I am right here.

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2008 Chevy HHR SS gets first reveal at Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan

 GM has chosen the Woodward Dream Cruise along the suburbs of Detroit on Woodward Ave as the appropriate location to show off the new 2008 HHR SS. With its retro-style leanings and SS badging they feel it is the appropriate place to attract the attention of the bow-tie lovers and pocket-rocket crowd. And maybe once they see that the new HHR SS is pumping out 260-hp out of a 2.0 liter engine they just might deem it worthy of a close inspection.

While a number of the retro-revisits in auto styling have been exciting to me at various times the HHR did not win me over. I appreciate the effort but without some real muscle behind it the car was mere fluff in my eyes. But now with 260-hp beneath its molded bonnet why I am reconsidering that evaluation? Amazing what a healthy dose of horsepower and badging can do.
(more…)

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The worlds first production model flying car in search for a niche

Moller International has announced that it has begun production on a flying car called the M200G Volantor. The saucer shaped car is built to launch and land vertically and to fly 10 feet off the ground with a top speed of 50mph. It is reported to be able to fly over any terrain with a flight duration of 40 to 90 minutes. If you are looking to use this to avoid that morning traffic you better have a short commute and plenty of discretionary income; say $125,000 in discretionary income.

One of the exampled uses for the M200G is a yacht scenario. If you are out on your yacht along the coast and wanted to spend some time on the beach you can simply hover your way over there. But with a weight limit of 250 pounds the car would potentially be limited to to thin girls or one average man.

Moller International reported that it has received the deposits for orders of 67 of these Jetson-esque saucers. While its shape may not scream practicality its novelty may at least yield more of that movie-stunt action people seem to enjoy so much. Ofcourse after watching the video of the car in action it might take a lot of camera or CGI work to give the car more ACTION!

Source[abcnews]
Source[wiredblognetwork]

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Another Sporting Glimpse at the Audi R8

From the very first glimpse of the Audi R8 supercar you immediately feel the impact of its “catch me if you can” design attitude. Subtlety is not its name. Unlike other auto makers toward which many a jab is made over their lack of design, Audi does not fail to impress. Even with the small V8 engine version of the R8 you are still in-store for a thrilling 415hp excursion. But fill this mid-engined car with the Lamborghini Gallardo V10 with its 610hp and you have just completed the most stylish non-jet car to spread its rubber across the road.
Watch the video test drive below to see what mean.

If watching that test drive on the Las Vegas track does not trigger the preternatural instinct within you to go buy lottery tickets (or go that long route of a solid education and a prosperous career) you might want to check for a pulse.

Source[paultanorg]

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The USA Today recently released the first glimpse photo of the famous Mach ...

The USA Today recently released the first glimpse photo of the famous Mach 5 for the Speed Racer: Demon on Wheels movie. The car will be the corner stone for the latest Wachowski brothers (movie credits include: The Matrix, V for Vendetta) movie that will begin filming this summer. The Mach 5 may be pure fiction to some, but to many it represents the first object of Automotive Lust to thrill the imagination and drive the pursuit for speed.

  Although the Mach 5 will never be available for purchase in any showrooms, and will see more CGI work in the movie production than it will asphalt or concrete, the performance of this car in the movie will leave a seed planted deep in the child’s mind of everyone who see’s it. And it is there that the future of automotive design and engineering will sprout and flourish.
Who knows? There are a number of small companies out there building street versions of the Eleanor model of the ’67 Shelby Mustang used in the Gone in 60 Seconds movie starring Nick Cage. Maybe a new market of niche builders will come out with a street version of the Mach 5.
…minus the dual circular saws emerging from underneath the nose of the car at the press of  a button, of course.

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