Friday, July 29th
Four-Door Porsche is Go for 2009 Debut
Porsche announced this Wednesday of a new model line: to be called Panamera, the new car will be a premium-class sports coupe with four seats, four doors, and a choice of front-mounted engines driving the rear wheels. Scheduled to enter the market in 2009, the Panamera will join the 911, the Boxster/Cayman and the Cayenne on the brand’s volume lineup. The new car's name is derived from the legendary Carrera Panamericana long-distance race. Production of the Panamera is to be in Leipzig, where Porsche already builds the Cayenne SUV and the Carrera GT supercar. Porsche's total investment in the new...........[
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Thursday, July 28th
Marking Solution for Alloy Wheels
A portable dot marking system designed by SIC Marking has provided state-of-art traceability and wheel marking quality for Rimstock plc, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of alloy wheels. Rimstock plc produces alloy wheels for the global automotive OEM and after markets from its four purpose-built factories in the West Midlands. The range features some of the lightest, most stylish alloy wheels on the market with customers including Aston Martin, Lexus and Daimler-Chrysler. The company also manufactures the after market brands of Team Dynamics Light Alloy Wheels and the Unisport range. SIC Marking has provided Rimstock with four portable P60...........[
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Wednesday, July 27th
Heavy Metal: Chevy Cobalt SS
Spend just five seconds behind the wheel of Chevy’s new supercharged Cobalt SS and you’ll be wearing your ball cap backwards, singing along with the Goo Goo Dolls, and calling everyone “dude.” This two-door rocketship is Xbox and PlayStation2 rolled into one tire-squealin’, torque-steerin’, red-linin’ whole ball of fast ’n furious fun. It’s the kind of car that should have a sticker on the dash suggesting “Drink Two Red Bulls Before Driving.” Or the name of a good psycho-analyst to council you for the inevitable teenage angst that driving the SS will create. Trouble is, the target teen buyer has...........[
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Tuesday, July 26th
MG Rover Sold to Chinese Automaker
The long-running impasse regarding the future of MG Rover, Great Britain’s last independent volume automaker, came to an end with the announcement that China’s Nanjing Automobile group acquired the company’s remaining assets for circa $100 million. Rover was officially declared bankrupt last April. Nanjing’s bid overcame offers from another, much-larger Chinese automaker, Shanghai Automotive (SAIC), plus a British consortium known as Project Kimber. The new owners’ plan is to assemble most of the new cars in China but keep the brand’s R&D center at Longbridge, England. Nanjing is expected to kill the Rover brand in the European market, sticking just...........[
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Monday, July 25th
Platinum Equity Aquires Major Alloy Wheel Manufacturer
Platinum Equity Aquires Major Alloy Wheel Manufacturer Platinum Equity announced today that it has acquired American Racing Equipment Inc., a leading manufacturer of high performance automotive wheels to aftermarket customers in North America, from Noranda Aluminum Inc. Based in Southern California with a heritage dating back 50 years, American Racing Equipment is an industry pioneer that employs 1,400 people in manufacturing operations in Los Angeles and in Tijuana, Mexico, as well as in 44 distribution centers across the United States and Canada. "American Racing has a rich heritage and one of the industry's premier brand names for high performance, custom...........[
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Friday, July 22nd
Podium Finish for Greer
Glasgow driver Colin Greer recorded his best Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge result of the season on round five, the Jim Clark International Rally at the weekend. Colin and co-driver Neil Ewing crossed the finish ramp in second place, although the event did not go as smoothly as they may have hoped. The Innovation Motorsports backed driver had a steady run through the opening stage of the event to acclimatise himself on only his second event on a tarmac surface. A second fastest Evo Challenge time through stage two displayed great potential, however it was not to last. An engine fault...........[
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Thursday, July 21st
Still Hope for MG Rover
A former Maserati and Ford of Europe boss, Martin Leach, has entered the frame for the bids that could save bankrupt British automaker MG Rover from going into oblivion. Leach’s idea is to rekindle the deal with the Shanghai Automotive group (SAIC), which was initially thought as Rover’s best bet for survival until the Chinese, largely due to the size of the company’s debts, backed off on the negotiation. Rover’s assembly lines are currently all stopped. According to British magazine Autocar, the insolvency and pension liabilities that stalled the deal previously have ceased to be obstacles, now that MG Rover...........[
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Wednesday, July 20th
Galleria Ferrari - the Ferrari Museum
Ferrari has opened what must the be the ultimate museum experience for any motoring or motorsport fan, the Galleria Ferrari in Ferrari's home town of Maranello in northern Italy. Expanding on the legendary company's original display, the new Galleria Ferrari has been expanded with three new display areas, a new surround sound equipped cinema and a restaurant, as well as a host of new cars and displays, many of which have never been seen before. It is also the best place to see the newest Ferrari models. As would be expected of a company that is a byword for success...........[
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Tuesday, July 19th
Jaguar XJ Diesel
Jaguar has confirmed that the 2.7-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel version of its XJ saloon will be available in three forms. In ascending order, these are the Executive, Sport Premium and Sovereign. The engine, of course, is the same one which already appears in the S-Type and, in slightly lower-powered single-turbo form, the Land Rover Discovery. With 204bhp available in this application, the engine powers the XJ to a 0-62mph time of 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 141mph. Combined fuel economy is 35mpg, and Jaguar quotes a BIK taxation rate of 29%. The company also claims that the XJ...........[
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Monday, July 18th
Timing is everything when you're Toyota's wheels
Toyota is going to build a new plant in Woodstock, Ont., that by 2008 will employ 1,300 people assembling Toyota automobiles. The new plant also creates new jobs for Toyota suppliers: Canadian Autoparts Toyota Inc. (CAPTIN) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. in Delta, B.C., that produces aluminum wheels. As a result of the Woodstock announcement, CAPTIN will expand and add 30 jobs. This will bring cumulative investment in the facility to $232-million, and employment will exceed 260 people by 2007. Gary A. Smallenberg was appointed president and corporate secretary of CAPTIN in January, 1998. He also...........[
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Friday, July 15th
Volvo Introduces Hardtop Convertible
Volvo has unveiled its first entry in one of the fastest-growing market segments in Europe, the “Convertible Coupes” or hardtop convertibles which follow the concept pioneered by Mercedes-Benz’s SLK roadster. The all-new C70 CC will make its worldwide debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September, with European sales scheduled to begin early next year. The initial engine offerings are a base 2.4-liter pumping 170hp and a range-topping turbo-five good for 220 horses. Although the current C70 is no longer sold in America, the new car, based on Ford’s C1 platform which also underpins the new Ford Focus and Mazda...........[
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Thursday, July 14th
Lotus Sport Exige 240R
Let's face it: while the Exige is a sports car enthusiasts' dream, it is not above criticism. For example, the 1.8-litre Toyota engine has to be worked very hard to enjoy the best of its performance. And despite those track car looks, the Lotus' chassis lacks the adjustability which circuit drivers crave. Now, the firm has found a way around the foibles by fitting a supercharger, to boost power from 189bhp to 243bhp. Along with other upgrades, this is aimed at making the limited-edition 240R the ultimate trackday car. Its lowered suspension has adjustable dampers, while at the front the...........[
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Wednesday, July 13th
Former Ford man eyes MG Rover
Former Maserati and Ford of Europe boss Martin Leach is heading a bid for MG Rover that could rekindle the deal with Shanghai Automotive (SAIC). The future for the ailing MG Rover brand could be bright if a new bid for the recently deceased company is successful. The plan, reckoned to be the most credible so far, would result in using Longbridge as a research and development centre, before vehicle production restarts early next year. SAIC is said to be taking the bid ‘extremely seriously’. Former Ford and Maserati supreme Martin Leach and Ed Sabisky, a former General Motors finance...........[
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Tuesday, July 12th
Ultimate Corvette in the Works
General Motors is aiming squarely at supercars from the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini with a planned version of an “ultimate” Corvette Z06. Known so far as the “Blue Devil” by company insiders, the new car would add a supercharger to the C6 Z06’s 7.0-liter V8. The result would be an output in the vicinity of 600 horsepower, which, given the ‘Vette’s relatively low weight for supercar standards, should account for one of the market’s best power-to-weight ratios. According to British magazine Autocar, this “Corvette from hell” is already being fine-tuned at the Nurburgring, where Danish driver Jan Magnussen ...........[
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Monday, July 11th
Jazz just got more sporty
Already a space leader, Honda's likeable wee Jazz has been given a chassis and engine that can take aim at the youth market, writes Dave Moore. The Jazz set the small hatch market on its ear three years ago. Nothing before or since has quite managed to emulate its disarming ability to absorb a family's worth of bits and bobs so well within its diminutive external dimensions, and none appear to have done much work in trying to match its oily-rag frugality and hushed refinement levels. If there was something missing it was some snap and crackle in its performance...........[
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Friday, July 8th
Porsche Unveils All-Wheel-Drive 911 Convertibles
The latest generation of Porsche’s iconic 911, known as the 997 model, has added four-wheel-drive versions to its convertible lineup. The new Carrera 4 and 4S versions are powered by the same 3.6 and 3.8-liter units that motivate their coupe counterparts. The 3.6 is good for 325 horses, 30 less than its bigger brother. Like the coupes, the AWD cabriolets distribute power through a viscous multi-plate clutch, which transfers, on-demand, up to 40 percent of traction to the front wheels. The “4” models are distinguishable from the rear-wheel-drive versions by an extra two inches of rear width, courtesy of flared...........[
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Tuesday, July 5th
Honda Delivers First Fuel-Cell Car for Individual Use
The Spallinos, a Los Angeles-based family of four, are the world’s first private civilian users of a fuel cell vehicle. Jon and Sandy Spallino have signed a two-year lease of a Honda FCX, so far the only zero-emissions fuel cell vehicle certified by U.S. authorities for regular commercial use. The FCX had previously been limited to fleet and civil-services use in California. Honda now intends to lease several other FCXs to regular families, with the stated goal of providing its engineers with feedback from private users on “real-world” conditions. “American Honda is thrilled to introduce the world’s first full cell...........[
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Monday, July 4th
Roads' Tread Alert - Protect Your Tyres
Autoexpress.co.uk reports that: A lethal combination of worn-out tarmac and badly inflated tyres is putting lives at risk, according to the AA Motoring Trust. It says 17 per cent of main roads fail basic skid resistance tests, while nine of every 10 vehicles are running on incorrectly inflated rubber - and together that's a recipe for disaster. A spokesman said: "Tyres are critical car safety components, yet most people don't check them." To view the extensive range of alloy wheels and tyre packages we sell, see these pages , and feel free to check if there is a topgear depot...........[
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