Sent over by Señor Chris Harris from EVO were these tasty videos featuring an "unauthorized comparo" between Ferrari's 458 Italia and Porsche's GT3 RS. According to Mr. Harris, "I'm probably banned from Maranello for life. Hey-ho. At least I got to rinse a 458 and a GT3 RS."
HEY-HO indeed.
For an interesting run-through and comparison of these two track-day supercars (Ferrari isn't releasing the 458 Scuderia/track model for a while), check out the vids after the jump. Don't forget, we over here aren't afraid of no stinkin' Ferrari. I'm watching you, Montezemolo.
Fiat has chosen a unusual way to celebrate the production of the 500,000th 500 mini just 31 months after its launch. The Italian automaker is going to create a special edition version of the 500 entirely covered by 1,500 photos displaying the faces of Fiat 500 customers, celebrities and fans.
Starting from next week (May 3), those interested can book a place on the car by logging on to www.fiat500.com and using the special application showing a plan view of the Fiat 500. They can then book one of the free spaces online by sending a photograph.
Fiat said that seventy per cent of the places are reserved for Fiat 500 owners.
The special "Fiat 500 Thousandth" is expected to be ready three weeks after the booking stage is concluded and will be featured by the Italian carmaker in forthcoming events and international motor shows.
In a continuation of the Porsche-Volkswagen takeover/stock controversy, 18 hedge funds added their names to a list of people taking Porsche to court in a $2 Billion lawsuit here in the States.
Porsche, Wendelin Wiedeking (former CEO), and Holger Härter (former CFO) are said to have committed fraud and "manipulated the market" over a four-year period in order to keep the company out of bankruptcy.
The alleged shady dealings were "an attempt to recoup large losses suffered by [Porsche, Wiedeking, and Härter] after a VW share price surge in 2008 triggered by Porsche's takeover attempt on Europe's largest carmaker."
Porsche is said to have taken advantage of "a special type of options" which can be hidden (or not disclosed) according to laws in the Fatherland, in order to prevent the public from seeing exactly how much it had invested in VW.
In a statement, Porsche said: "We are currently examining the charges made in the lawsuit's amended version and if necessary we will defend ourselves against those charges."
People in contact with the various funds taking Porsche to court say damages claimed could be as high as $10 Billion. Ouch.
Honda Motors' Acura division is recalling 167,255 of its 2004 - 2008 MY TSX sedans with the 2.4-liter inline-four in the U.S. because the power steering hose can potentially deteriorate prematurely and leak fluids causing a fire hazard.
"Oil leaking onto a hot exhaust pipe will generate smoke and a burning smell, and could potentially result in an under hood fire," Honda said in a notice on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
This latest recall comes only two weeks after Honda recalled approximately 1,850 Acura ZDX crossovers for a potential air-bag problem.
The Japanese automaker said that it will notify TSX owners and dealers will repair the affected vehicles free of charge. The repair involves installing a new power steering hose, o-ring gasket and fluid. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about May 28, 2010.
For more information, TSX owners can contact Acura directly at 1-800-382-2238.
Atomik Cars wants to make an electric Abarth 500, which is a good idea from the start.
Claimed to have "supercar performance in a city car's size", Atomik's 500 features a bunch of fancy tech under its carbon fiber skin: "high performance LiFePO4 batteries", brushless synchronous motors, two new transmissions (resulting in permanent AWD), a ceramic heater, and a carbon/Nomex rear chassis (by the way, Nomex is what Batman's suit is made out of).
Power at the front comes in at 80 kW and a very electric 840 Nm (619 lb-ft), while the rear engine makes the same power and a silly 1,710 Nm (1,261 lb-ft). Combined, that's good for 160 kW (215 hp) and an unadjusted 2,550 Nm (1,880 lb-ft) split 33/67 front to rear.
Atomik says the electrified 500 should hit 100 km/h in under 5 seconds with a top speed of around 200 km/h (electric cutoff is at 180 km/h), while providing a range of 200 km (124 miles).
The city of Boston, Massachusetts has become the first city in America to officially approve of Ford's Transit Connect (2010 North American Truck of the Year) as a taxi.
Mark Cohen, Boston PD Licensing Division director, says this about the Transit Connect: "It's the closest thing to a purpose-built vehicle for taxi use that I've seen in 25 years." I guess he's never been to the UK...
For many places, the issue with replacing the large, Panther-based Crown Victorias has been the regulation of vehicles that are allowed to perform taxi duties. A successor would have to meet various size/measurement/cargo/safety standards before approval, and the city of Boston has deemed the TC Taxi worthy of the job.
Why is it a good follow-up? "Its open architecture provides excellent interior headroom and passenger visibility and, with 6.5 inches of ground clearance, passengers step easily through the sliding doors."
So it's roomy and ingress/egress are a cinch. That's important, but another factor has been on everyone's mind when it comes to purchasing fleet vehicles: efficiency.
The TC Taxis come standard engine with a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder and an automatic transmission, which are said to return up to 30% improved fuel economy. Other options include packages that can convert the taxis to run on either compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied propane gas (LPG), which will take cleanliness, efficiency, and cost savings to an even higher level.
"According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CNG is less expensive and burns cleaner than gasoline, resulting in 30 to 40 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. Propane also burns cleaner than gasoline."
CNG tanks can be stored behind the rear seats and there's still enough room for luggage, says Ford.
Other factory-installed fleet-vehicle necessities (or bonuses) include vinyl flooring, third-row windows, and a "wiring upfit" package. The rear seat (available in vinyl for durability and late-night clean-ups) was also moved back 3 inches for improved legroom, and a heating/cooling system was added for second-row passenger comfort.
When it comes to future tech, Ford is working with CMT (Creative Mobile Technologies) "to integrate premier payment processing and passenger information technologies in the taxi, including an 8.4-inch electronic infotainment and navigation screen that shows cab fares, news, weather, sports scores and stock ticker."
Congratulations, Boston, on becoming Test Market #1. Let's hope this works, because those Crown Vics are getting ratty.
AutoTrader Classics' Michael Boulton snagged the very first photos of the finished BRE Edition Nissan 370Z racer that was revealed on Thursday during the Brock Racing Enterprises reunion dinner honoring Peter Brock (not to be confused with the famous Australian racing driver who passed away in 2006) and crew.
Built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Brock Racing Enterprises' (BRE) win at the SCCA National Championship at Road Atlanta with a 240Z in 1970, the specially modified Nismo 370Z racer features the classic vintage red, white, and blue BRE paint scheme.
The new BRE 370Z is not just a show car as it was built to current SCCA T2 racecar regulations and will see track duty later this year. Nissan said that it the car will also be on display at multiple 'Z Club' events around the country, including ZCon 2010, the annual Z convention, from July 28 to August 1 in Nashville.
Following a teaser announcement back in early March, French carmaker Peugeot has fully revealed the Hoggar, a new pint-sized pickup truck designed and developed in Brazil for the domestic market.
Borrowing a name from a two-seater buggy concept from 2003, the Hoggar pickup makes use of a hybrid platform developed from the rear end of the Partner van and the front end of the Brazilian-market 207 supermini, which itself is derived from the older Peugeot 206 and not the latest 207 hatch sold in Europe and other parts of the world.
As a result, the Hoggar pickup is the longest member of the 207 family beating the hatchback by 653 mm, the SW by 453 mm and the sedan Passion by 290 mm.
The Hoggar has a load capacity of up to 742kg or 1,636 pounds and a volume of 1,151 liters. It also features a detachable tailgate that can hold up to 300kg or 661 pounds in weight.
Peugeot's small pickup truck will be launched in Brazil on 15th May, in three equipment levels and two Flex Fuel engine options, an entry-level 1.4-liter unit developing maximum output of 82HP when running on alcohol and 80HP on petrol, and a 1.6-liter version that produces 113HP on alcohol and 110HP on gasoline.
For an interesting run-through and comparison of these two track-day supercars (Ferrari isn't releasing the 458 Scuderia/track model for a while), check out the vids after the jump. Don't forget, we over here aren't afraid of no stinkin' Ferrari. I'm watching you, Montezemolo.
