Audio Car Mobile: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

FPV’s Murdered-Out Falcon GT Concept with Supercharged Boss 5.0 V8 Debuts in Melbourne

Not to be outdone by rival Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) unleashed its first-ever concept car at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne.
Unlike HSV and its Black Edition Clubsport and Maloo R8s, FPV went for an all-blacked out look for its bespoke GT muscle car, which is based on the local market, rear-wheel drive Falcon sedan.

2011 AIMS: New HSV Black Edition Versions of Commodore Based Sedan, Station and Ute Models

General Motor’s Holden Special Vehicles unit in Australia is following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division as well as more recently, Porsche, with the presentation of a black-themed and named special edition series based on the E Series 3 range launched last September.
Making its world debut at the 2011 Australian motorshow in Melbourne, the SV Black Edition package is offered in the ClubSport R8, Maloo R8 and ClubSport R8 Tourer, which are the sports versions of the Commodore sedan, ute, and station wagon models respectively.

GM’s Holden Readies Rebadged Chevys for 2011 Melbourne Auto Show

It’s a global economy we live in and as such, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise when we see the same vehicles launched under different brands and names in various parts of the world.

Of course, it would be somewhat unfair to Holden if we didn’t mention that it has played a key role in the development and design of several GM products including the 5-door Cruze that will be show in pre-production trim at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS), which takes place in Melbourne from July to 10.

Ford to Baby Boomers: We Get that You’re Old and Feeble and Can’t Read Small Fonts

*This article has been (patronizingly) posted in a larger-than-normal font for our older readers

From next year, the fonts in Ford’s Edge and Explorer SUV models will be some 40% larger as well as thicker. The reason? Baby Boomers have poor eyesight. No, really, Ford’s done a study and everything. The bigger fonts will extend to interior display screens control and A/C controls, and will gradually be rolled out onto other models in the Ford range in coming years.

In a statement on their website, Ford expressed its desire to make it, “easier for people of all ages, particularly aging Baby Boomers, to read display fonts.” Ah, like the little boy or girl who flat-out tells his grandparents that they’re old and wrinkly, Ford has snagged upon that babying / slow and loud way anyone under the age of 30 speak to anyone over the age of 50:
“YES, MRS. JOHNSON. THE WEATHER IS NICE TODAY. DO YOU THINK YOU’LL GO DOWN TO THE PARK?”

Revised McLaren MP4-12C GT3 Racer to Debut at Goodwood

The MP4-12C GT3, McLaren’s first race car outside of Formula 1 since the legendary F1 GTR, will make its debut in front of the public at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Based on the new MP4-12C, the GT3 will appear in a revised form after McLaren’s team further honed the supercar.

Hamann Details Tuning Program for New BMW 6-Series Convertible, More to Come in Frankfurt

Earlier this year, BMW tuning specialist Hamann Motorsport teased its tuning program for the freshly launched 6-Series Convertible with the release of the first photos of the car.
Today, the German company gave out information on its initial offerings for the soft-top 6-Series and announced that it will unveil a more aggressive tune at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Aussie V8 Supercar Series Coming to America in 2013

The thundering sounds of Australia’s V8-powered racecars will soon be heard in the U.S.A. as Texas Governor Rick Perry and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, announced today a five-year agreement to bring the famed Australian V8 Supercar series to the new Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas beginning in 2013.
"The addition of V8 Supercars into our lineup at Circuit of The Americas will add to what we already know will be a rich and exhilarating fan experience," said Steve Sexton, President of Circuit of The Americas.

Missing Link Tries to Climb Tree with Honda Chopper [Video]

Take a good look at the picture posted above. Now raise your hand if you know what’s going to happen next. If the first thing that popped into your head was that the tree is going to fall down, well, let's just say that you may want to see if this cultural motorcycle club is accepting new members.
If your thoughts involved a flying chopper inflicting a lot of pain to the biker, give yourself a pat on the back and head over the jump for a few good laughs.

Fiat to Display 21.7-liter Mefistofele and 500 by Gucci at Goodwood Festival

Fiat’s major attraction in this year’s Goodwood Speed of Festival, which begins tomorrow, will be the famous Mefistofele. The record-breaking classic, which is based on a 1908 Fiat SB4 Corsa, returns after a decade to Goodwood and will be displayed in the “Cathedral Paddock” area.

Bugatti’s One-of-a-Kind “L’Or Blanc” Veyron Grand Sport Special with...Porcelain Fittings

Say hello to the world’s first car to wear fine porcelain on its body as well as in its cabin, the one-off Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport 'L'Or Blanc'. Admittedly, applying porcelain fittings on one of the fastest and most powerful production sports cars ever made doesn’t seem like a sound move, but when it comes to Bugatti, anything goes.

Created in partnership with Konigliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM), the 'L'Or Blanc' was unveiled on Thursday at the porcelain manufacturer’s workshop in Berlin, German.
“At first, it seems to be an unusual idea to use porcelain in a car, especially in the world’s fastest convertible,” comments Dr. Stefan Brungs, Director of Sales and Marketing at Bugatti Automobiles. “But this is what Bugatti stands for: the realization of exceptional ideas whilst striving for the utmost in quality and aesthetics. This allows us to continue Ettore Bugatti’s heritage, who himself loved to experiment with new materials,” Brungs added.

Drunk, Asleep and Driving a Car? The Curious Case of Dr. Donald Clegg

Donald Clegg, a 59-year old doctor from Prestwich in the UK was four times over the legal limit when he crashed his Vauxhall Zafira into a row of parked cars. He was also sleepwalking at the time and attired in a dressing gown and slippers…
Dr. Clegg pleaded guilty to driving over the limit “without due care and attention” and was sentenced to a minimum 12 month driving ban, a fine of £650 and was ordered to pay £315 in court fees and charges. The court rejected that Dr. Clegg’s sentence should be suspended due to his somnambulism (somncogoism?).

Leaked C&D Issue Spills the Beans on Brand New Porsche 911

The wall of secrecy surrounding the brand-new 2012 Porsche 911 has cracked thanks to a forum member of Teamspeed who downloaded and shared Car & Driver’s upcoming August issue in which the magazine has an exclusive first ride of the car. C&D joined the Porsche team during the new 911’s final tests in South Africa nd here’s what they found out.

The new 911 is code-named 991 and will be launched in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Compared to the 997 that it replaces, it is 2.5 inches longer and has a 4.0-inch longer wheelbase so that it can accommodate a hybrid system, presumably from the Panamera.

695 Tributo Ferrari Headlines Abarth’s Line-Up in Goodwood

Abarth is marking its return to the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the second year in a row with the 500-based 695 Tributo Ferrari. A 1.388 cc turbocharged 4-cylinder engine delivering 180 PS at 5,500 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm powers the spirited city car with the Ferrari badges.

Toyota Sports Up Prius with new PLUS Package from TRD

At last year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Toyota displayed a lightly modified version of the Prius Hybrid to inaugurate its new line of accessories under the PLUS moniker.

Now it’s time for the Japanese automaker to release the production version of its modestly sported up Prius with the commercial launch of the PLUS Performance Package that will be available for order in July in limited numbers.
The package features styling and performance upgrades, and is optionally available on all Prius models with pricing set at $3,699 for the Prius Two, Three, and Four trim levels and $2,999 for the Prius Five.

Kia Celebrates 20 Years in the UK

Today, June 30, Kia celebrates the 20th anniversary since it sold its first ever car in the UK. In 1991, the small hatchback Pride was the only Kia model on sale in Britain and in that year, the company managed to sell just only 1,786 cars.
However, two decades is a very long time in the automotive industry. Since then Kia has changed remarkably on its way to become an important player on a global scale. In 2010, Kia sold a record 56,114 cars in the UK and, for the first time ever, more than 2 million units worldwide.

Comparison of the BMW X3 First Generation and Second Generation

The first generation was launched in 2004 and has sold over 614,824 units worldwide. He is at once an SUV BMW's most lots sold. The second generation began production on 20 November 2010.

Gasoline and diesel
For the generation-2, BMW Indonesia offers two versions of the machine, namely a 3.0 liter gasoline twin-turbocharger equipped with direct injection technology. This type is called the xDrive35i and is the most luxurious version. Meanwhile, the diesel version is named xDrive20d. This version 4-cylinder engine with common rail technology, turbocharger, piezoelectric injectors and is offered in two variants, namely the Executive and Business.

It uses motion SUV AWD system (All-Wheel Drive) full-time with dynamic traction control. That is, either on a smooth road and off-road, four wheel operated directly by transmission. The typical transmission STEPTRONIC BMW X3 uses. The latest version uses a comparison of 8-gear acceleration. The operation simply by pushing the lever shifter to the front and back! Shifter model similar to that used in other BMW models, Series 5 and Series-7.

Other standard equipment is cornering brake control (CBC), dynamic brake control (DBC), rain brake support, fading compensation, Hill-start assistant, hill descent control (HDC), and electric hand brake plus monitor the distance to the object in front and rear car when parking. In addition to making this SUV a secure and comfortable when accelerated, these features also make the security level is guaranteed. In addition, these features are also very easy working drivers, including in difficult circumstances. For example, when stopped on the hill (with the use of HDC).

Exterior
At first glance, somewhat difficult to distinguish the X3 and the Gen-1 Gen-2 this. The reason, BMW does not make a revolutionary design change and remain with the transition. In fact, the exterior changes thoroughly. Changes to the front there is the grille, bumpers, headlights, side sepakbor front, and hood. At the rear, there are differences on the glass door, a combination lamp design, the rear door, bumper, and exhaust tip. Especially on the gasoline engine, the second generation there are two exhaust tip. The combination lamp design (rear) All-New X3 is the same as that used in other recent BMW models, the layered design (clearly visible when the light is on). From the side, the differences seen in the design of the wheel (wheel) and a line along the side of the vehicle. In the latest version, the side-line starting from the front sepakbor and forwarded to the front door so as to form a straight line with the center of the door handle, door, and taillights. In the first generation, the side-line of this body is above the door handle. Door handle design is also more stylish and exclusive.

New Hyundai i40 Wagon

Hyundai i40 Wagon this, said will carry the new engine 1.7-liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel with CO2 emissions of only 113 g / km. Indeed, Hyundai of Korea itself has not leaked, but Voloster 1.6-liter gasoline engine and 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with direct injection, into consideration.

Hyundai i40 i45 will complement the offer of wagons for those who need practicality. This announcement is a good news for fans of Hyundai who eagerly awaits the arrival of i40.