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Ferrari FXX evo 277

Ferrari Models Reviewed

Ferrari was founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari and first produced cars in 1947. Today, the parent company for Ferrari is Fiat. The Ferraris engines are famous for their engine displacement technology. The V6 and the V8 are built in total displacement, while the V12 used a displacement of one cylinder. Some of the latest Ferrari models include the Ferrari 550, the 575 M Maranello, 599 GTB Fiorano, the 612 Scaglietti, the F355, the Ferrari 360, the F430, the Enzo Ferrari and the Ferrari FXX.

The 599 GTB Fiorano was started to be produced in 2007, and it is a Gran Turismo two seat berlinetta with a FR layout. The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is a follower of the Ferrari 456 and it is a 2+2 coupe Gran Turismo. It was first launched in 2004 and is still being manufactured. Another car also launched in 2004 is the Ferrari F430. It is a sports car and it is available as a two seat Berlinetta and as a two seat Spider. The F430 has a MR layout and can be purchased with a 6 manual or semi automatic speed.

The Enzo Ferrari is a super car/ ultra car manufactured between 2002 and 2004 and was launched in the memory of the founder of the Ferrari company. The Enzo was manufactured in only 400 copies so it was a highly expensive item. It had a Berlinetta body style and a MR layout. The follower model of the Enzo Ferrari was the FXX, which is also a super car. The FXX was released in 2005, and is said to be an improved Enzo Ferrari with the same MR layout and Berlinetta body style. The FXX keeps many of the Enzo's features but has also new cool features that are singular to the FXX. The car is highly expensive and it may be driven on special tracks only. The last FXX, the 30th was given to Michael Schumacher. A similar super car is the Maserati MC12 Corsa.

Ferrari si also responsilble for some concept models, which include among others the Ferrari P5, the Ferrari Pininfarina 512S Berlinetta Speciale, the Pininfarina Modulo, the Ferrari Mythos, the Ferrari GG50, the Ferrari P4/5 and the Ferrari Zagato 575 GTZ.

By : Michael Rad

Falcon 50th anniversary

June marks fifty years since production of the Falcon began, and to celebrate Ford Australia has announced a range of anniversary models.



Available across both saloon and Ute body styles, the six variants on offer are based on the G6E, G6E Turbo, Falcon XR6, Falcon XR6 Turbo, Falcon XR6 Ute and Falcon XR6 Turbo Ute. Conspicuous by its absence is an anniversary edition of the range-topping XR8, with its 389 bhp V8 engine.

G Series 50th Anniversary models feature ‘Medium Stealth’ (whatever that means) accents on its front grilles and rear bumper insert, while the fog lamp bezels and 19” 10-spoke alloy wheels benefit from ‘Light Stealth’ accents. On the inside, there’s new leather seat upholstery with embroidered ‘50th Anniversary’ logos, a 50th Anniversary badge, carpet floor mats, special interior trim and a satellite navigation system.

All Falcon XR 50th Anniversary models get ‘Dark Stealth’ accents on the grilles, fog lamp bezels and rear bumper insert, along with ‘Medium Stealth’ accents on the 18” alloy wheels (19” on the XR6 Turbo). Also included in the specification are high series side mirrors with integrated indicators and G6-type tail lights.

It’ll be hard to not notice the XR6 anniversary models, as there’s XR50 badging, XR50 body stripes and a ‘50th Anniversary’ fender feature on the outside. Meanwhile, the theme continues on the interior with an embroidered XR50 logo on the seats, XR50 carpet mats and door scuff plates, and ‘50th Anniversary’ graphics on the instrument cluster.

As well as special interior trim, dual zone climate control, a premium audio system and a sports leather steering wheel, the Falcon XR6 50th Anniversary models also feature new partial leather for the seats. The Falcon XR6 Turbo 50th Anniversary additionally receives new leather-detailed seat trim and a reverse sensing system.



The anniversary models are launched at a time when the future of the Falcon as a distinct Australian product is in doubt. Already Ford has confirmed that the Falcon Wagon will be discontinued after June, its role assumed by the Mondeo Wagon and Falcon-based Territory SUV. The ‘One Ford’ plan, which puts a global focus on the product range, may mean the Falcon is eventually replaced by a version of the North American Taurus.

Beijing 2010: BAIC (Saab) C60 and C71 and swappable batteries

It didn't take long for Beijing Automotive Industries Company (BAIC) to start making use of the old 9-3 and 9-5 tooling it bought from Saab last fall. After grafting on a new nose and taillights, both have been reborn as the C60 and C71.

It's not clear what's propelling the regular versions of these two reworked Saabs, however, there was a second ex-9-5 on display dubbed the C71EV. That version had a battery pack inserted into the floor and featured what BAIC was labeling as a fast battery switch system (ala Better Place).

The sign next to car claims a 90-mile range, but we think that's highly optimistic given the size of the sedan and the comparatively small battery pack. Of course, that's assuming this is actually a functional car.

Beijing 2010: Honda Li Nisn Everus sedan concept

The Beijing Motor Show is well under way, and Honda is showing off a new concept slated for the Chinese market. Called the Li Nian Everus, the car is the fruit of a partnership between the Japanese automaker and its Chinese partner, Guangqi Honda Automobile. We don't have too many details on the sedan other than the fact that at this point, it's nothing more than a concept.

Judging by the renderings, we're tempted to guess this thing has more than a little Civic DNA swimming around in its blood stream, though it looks like Honda raided the Acura design department for the car's less-than-traditional nose and rear-end.

Speaking of the Civic, it would make some sense if Honda swapped a little sheet metal and called it a day. Honda's compact is sold under the Dongfeng Honda banner, leaving Guangqi Honda Automobile without a comparable model. Our guess is that when the Everus comes to market, it will be slightly more upscale and boast more standard niceties than its sibling.

Beijing 2010: 2011 Audi A8 L W12 stretches onto the stage

Measuring approximately 17.5 feet long, the 2011 Audi A8 L W12 is certainly quite grandioso. And while the 500-horsepower 12-cylinder engine and new eight-speed automatic transmission are certainly nothing to sneeze at, what's most impressive about the long-wheelbase A8 is the rear seat accommodations. Holy mackerel.

You want gobs of leather, a full-length center console, heated and cooled seats that massage you as well as a folding ottoman for premium comfort? You got it. The A8 L's 122.9-inch wheelbase means there's tons of legroom (duh), and we're seriously eager to get some R&R time in the back of this luxury barge.

Beijing 2010: 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton ups the luxe

As impressive of a vehicle as the seminal Volkswagen Phaeton may have been, the uber-luxe German sedan was an unqualified flop of an experiment here in the United States. In some other parts of the world, though, VW's BMW and Mercedes-Benz (not to mention VW-owned Audi) competitor is still going strong.

Hence, VW has seen fit to give the Phaeton a mild update for the 2011 model year, and it tellingly used the Beijing Motor Show as the platform to reveal its top-shelf sedan. In case you missed the exterior changes, take a closer look at the front and rear fascias, where you'll find tighter lines and new LED lighting.

It's inside the cabin where the Phaeton gets the bulk of its improvements. Included in the refresh is VW's latest navigation technology, along with a helpful seeing-eye camera that can monitor speed limit and no passing signs and inform lazy drivers of the data. There is also a lane-departure system that keeps the car between the proper lines and Dynamic Light Assist that adjusts the headlights to keep from blinding oncoming traffic.

Powertrain options remain the same as before, with a 450-horsepower 6.0-liter W12 engine taking top billing over a 335-hp 4.2-liter V8 and a 3.6-liter V6 that puts out 280 ponies. Finally, those looking to save a few bucks at the pump can opt for a 3.0-liter diesel V6.

2011 WRC calendar

The FIA has announced the event calendar for the 2011 World Rally Championship season:



13 Feb - Sweden

06 Mar - Mexico

27 Mar - Portugal

17 Apr - Jordan

08 May - Italy

29 May - Argentina

19 Jun - Greece

31 Jul - Finland

21 Aug - Germany

11 Sep - Australia

02 Oct - France

23 Oct - Spain

13 Nov - Great Britain



Compared to 2010, the rounds in Turkey, New Zealand, Bulgaria and Japan have been dropped. Italy, Argentina, Greece and Australia replace them.



Still missing from the calendar is Monaco, although the FIA is saying an as yet unnamed 14th event could be added later. The World Motor Sport Council will have to decide on that by 23 June 2010 at the latest.

Beijing 2010: MG Zero Concept

MG has its eyes set on the juicy Chinese small hatch segment, and the company's first crack at the market debuted in the form of Zero Concept at this year's Beijing Motor Show. At shave over 13 feet long, the pint-sized five-door is designed to offer up more style than space. MG says the vehicle was penned by Anthony Williams, the brand's British director of design, and offers drivers a unique interior loaded with your standard concept-tech. The Zero boasts a floating center console, complete with touch screen controls, as well as some kind of communication system on the rear of the vehicle. Yeah, we don't get that part, either.

MG hasn't said much about the vehicle's details, including powerplant options, fuel economy or when we might expect to see a production version crop up. While we aren't exactly smitten with the car's nose, the rest of the design would do well in a segment dominated by the drab. Though concrete information is suspiciously absent at the moment, the company says the Zero should be a clear indication of where the brand is headed in the coming years.

Beijing 2010: Geely's London Taxi-aping Englon TXN

As promised, Geely brought its Englon TXN to this year's Beijing Motor Show. In the flesh, the intended successor to London's black cab throne looks more than capable of hauling drunken tourists from place to place. The car appears to have stuck pretty close to the renderings we saw earlier this month, though we have to say the exterior looks quite a bit better under the show lights than it did photoshopped among England's various landmarks.

The company also displayed its TX4 – a more spacious version also built just for taxi duty. Both cars are motivated by either a 2.4-liter gasoline engine mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox or a 2.5-liter diesel powerplant that can be had with a five-speed manual transmission. So far Geely hasn't released any power numbers.

We do know that the cars will command a price tag that should fall in the $30,500 range at current exchange rates – not exactly cheap by anyone's standards. Will British taxi companies will be willing to give up their old rides for these new, Chinese-built examples? Hard telling, but at least they look the part.

Beijing 2010: Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Break concept is the four-door coupe of wagons

The shooting break (yes, it's 'break,' not 'brake', according to M-B's marketers) design isn't something new – we've seen it before in smaller vehicles like the original BMW Z3 M Coupe. Today, though, Mercedes-Benz takes the shooting break concept one step further with the addition of two rear doors and a healthy dose of next-generation style. It's the CLS Shooting Break Concept, folks. Think of this as the four-door coupe for the wagon segment.

The exterior design is awash with swoopy shapes that mimic both coupe and hatchback/wagon elements. Full LED headlamps and sharp 20-inch wheels round off the whole outside package, and if we're honest, we really like it.

Under the hood lies a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 capable of producing 306 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque (the exact same output as a Cadillac CTS, for what it's worth). Mercedes-Benz hasn't released estimates, but the automaker says that the concept car "sets new standards among the competition in terms of fuel consumption."

Beijing 2010: Chevrolet Volt MPV5 concept, HHR goes future tech

While Chrysler has failed to find a way to update or replace the retro-styled PT Cruiser, we can definitely see this as a forthcoming replacement to the Chevrolet HHR. The Volt MPV5 is slightly larger than HHR, but fills a similar market niche. While Chevrolet hasn't announced a firm production commitment, it wouldn't be surprising to see the MPV5 built in both conventional and ER-EV forms to help jack up GM's light truck CAFE numbers. The roomy interior will likely find a bigger audience than the smaller Volt while still yielding a 32 mile electric range, and if we had to guess, we'd see the Orlando-inspired plug-in EV hit the market by 2013.

Beijing 2010: Ford Start concept

As we were checking out the new Ford Start concept at the Beijing Motor Show, we ran into the head of Ford's advanced studio in California, Freeman Thomas, and the mini car's lead exterior designer, Jeff Nield.

According to Nield, he wanted to create a vehicle that retained elements of Ford's "Kinetic Design" language while at the same time create something more subdued, able to stand apart from the noise surrounding the show. Thus the Start has a cleaner simpler shape that's slightly more serious than past concepts. Nield mentioned the Mini and how it's always had a cute, happy demeanor about it. He wanted to create something different – a thing of beauty injected with very natural, organic elements.

Thomas explained that the designers wanted to experiment with a hybrid construction consisting of a mix of aluminum, high strenght steel and composites. This allowed the creation of a very open, airy cockpit, with thin pillars for good visibility, while also providing occupants a feeling of safety with the high belt line.

One of the more interesting interior details is the monorail front seat tracks that have the thrones on a central pedestal, thus increasing foot room for rear passengers. There are no production plans for any of this right now, but some of the ideas could shine a light on where to go next – and that turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder is definitely finding its way to market.

Beijing 2010: BMW surprises with Concept Gran Coupé

Four-door coupes are nothing new these days, what with vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Volkswagen CC proving that these stylish sedans do, in fact, have a place in the automotive world. What's more, Audi's swoopy A7 is nearing its final stages of development, and higher-end coupe-sedans like the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera have indeed caught our attention in recent months. BMW is now jumping on that train, and the automaker has officially debuted its Concept Gran Coupé at this year's Beijing Motor Show.

Strip away the rear doors, and the design of the Gran Coupé is awfully close to what we'll see on the next-generation 6 Series. The sporty, flat design of the concept is really stunning, and BMW points out that the Gran Coupé is actually 100 millimeters (four inches) flatter than both the 5 and 7 Series sedans. Combine that with frameless doors and LED lighting all around and what we have here is a rather stunning design.

BMW is one of the only luxury automakers not currently participating in the four-door coupe niche market, and we won't be surprised if a production version of the Gran Coupé hits the streets within the next couple of years. Even so, we're interested to see how this new design language influences the rest of the automaker's portfolio, even beyond the 6 Series.


[Source: BMW]

Beijing 2010: 2011 Hyundai Accent debuts as Verna across the Pacific

Hyundai's fluidic sculpture design language has now spread to the smallest vehicle in its lineup, and the new sub-compact slated to take the place of the aging Accent was unwrapped on the floor of the Beijing Motor Show. We've been seeing spy shots of the next generation Accent for some time and it very clearly follows the same design path as its big brother the Sonata.

The little sedan, badged the Verna outside the U.S., has the same rounded coupe-like greenhouse and rising crease up the sides. Inside the Verna/Accent definitely has a more attractive, higher-quality feel than the current model, although calling it up-scale would be slightly disingenuous. We'll have to wait and see what kind materials the North American model gets before making a decision.

Power is slated to come from either a 1.4- or 1.6-liter inline-four, producing 106 horsepower and 120 hp, respectively, with a standard five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic. Expect the U.S. version to come packing the larger four-pot when it goes on sale early next year.

Beijing 2010: Chevrolet Volt MPV5 crossover revealed

The rumored extended range electric crossover we saw revealed in General Motors' design patent drawings is now a reality. The Chevrolet Volt MPV5 concept will make its debut tomorrow at the Beijing Motor Show, and just as we suspected from seeing Volt design chief Bob Boniface's name on the patent, this five-passenger crossover rides on the same Voltec architecture as the Volt.

The new Chevrolet concept integrates design elements from the Volt, including the headlight, taillamps and grille, with a five-door hatch body style very similar to the larger Orlando and a length about four inches longer than the current HHR.

Propulsion comes from the same 150 horsepower engine and 16 kilowatt-hour battery used in the Volt. However, its larger frontal area and increased drag mean that this one only has a 32-mile electric range as opposed to the Volt's 40 miles. The Crossover has full seating for five and 30.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats. The dashboard appears to be lifted directly from the Volt, including the dual LCD displays. We wouldn't be at all surprised to see this as the second Voltec product in the GM North American lineup. If built, this would likely be classed as a light truck and do wonders for GM's CAFE numbers on that side of the business.


[Source: General Motors]

The conrod - hot rod. More uses for used up conrods than we're likely to see ever again, and the coolest rat rod I've seen in a while. Awesome!

In the above photo, if you look under the headlight you'll see one, and then the obvious one that appears to be used as a friction shock

In the above photo you can see one under the steering column

I've never seen an old gas can used as a door panel, but I applaud the idea

Using a really old military seat belt, probably from an aircraft, for the tank securing strap looks very cool