Fast Cars

For those of you who want an eco-friendly car for your conscience, but a superfast car for the cool factor, you no longer have to be conflicted.

Yes we know that you’re all very excited to see the Nissan GT-R next month at the Tokyo Motor Show. But while you guys are focused on the GT-R, Nissan has ideas for another sports car on the table. They just haven’t decided on which one.

So should we ban cars? SUV’s? Maybe just ban “assault automobiles” since there is no legitimate need for souped-up engines, rear spoilers, wide tires, or any other characteristic of scary looking sports cars.

Truth Eight: The mid-life crisis is a myth--sort of. The authors state that a man goes through a mid-life crisis only when his wife does, running out to buy a red sports car or whatever because he is trying to attract younger women to further his reproductive destiny.

“The 2008 Ford Shelby GT will be pretty much a carry over from 2007 with a few small twists, it will be available in coupe and convertible form in Vista Blue with Silver Le Mans and side stripes only. For 2008 around 2,300 units will be produced to keep exclusivity for the owners. The Shelby GT includes a Ford Racing Performance Pack to pump horsepower to 319 and torque to 330 lb.-ft of torque.

After the BMW show I headed back up to San Marcos, since I had the day off, to check out the monthly show at Dalton’s Roadhouse Grill. When I arrived the parking lot was already full, summer has officially started and I can not wait because this show gets better every month as summer progresses. A huge collection of hot rods, muscle cars, woodies, led sleds, and sports cars.

Ford & Shelby Automobiles are at it again - this time it’s the incredibly intense GT500 Super Snake they plan to release late in 2007.

Carver One What is it? Car-meets-bike- meets-fighter jet Price 27,500, carver-worldwide.com Engine 659cc turbo, 68bhp Top speed 115mph Seats 2 They might both have three wheels, but the radical new Carver has more in common with the Eurofighter than Del Boy’s yellow Reliant Robin. Like a fighter jet it banks into turns, the rear section staying level but the body and front wheel leaning into the bend. And just like a jet, it’s expensive; the 27,500 youll need to buy one would also fetch you a very nice sports car from BMW or Audi, or several superbikes.

Nevertheless, I do like cars. I like old cars and fast cars. I love muscle cars. Big luxury cars don’t really catch my eye but show me a 68 Camaro, 69 Charger or a 72 Nova and I’m all over it. I keep hoping one of my sons shows an interest in auto body and car mechanics so I can get one of these classics and have someone to work on it for me.

I have direct contact with a company that's looking for someone seasoned with both Panoz and Porsche strong mechanical experience, who would manage and also transport a small fleet of exotic cars from place to place for special events. You've gotta be able to drive 'em, fix 'em, take 'em apart, put 'em back together, baby 'em, and keep 'em healthy.

Now back to my car design addicted fase, the Saab Aero X, is like dreaming of making a Jetsons (the cartoon) type car but for now, instead of the future, all the coolness minus the flying.But with the name Aero you never know, and Saab being born from jets its not exactly out of the question, or is it. No matter if it can fly or not the Saab Aero X is now on my top to get this for sports cars, its a car like this that will cause any person who can see to stop in their tracks, shit it may cause the blind to see.

Flush with cash from strong sales of its Cayenne SUV, Porsche is looking to expand beyond its sports car roots yet again with an all-new sedan. Revealed here in our exclusive spy video, this 2009 Porsche Panamera prototype was caught while undergoing early development tests prior to its launch in mid-2009.

Since we reviewed the Ferrari 4000 last year, Acer has released a fleet of Ferrari-themed laptops in all sizes. The ultraportable of the bunch, the Ferrari 1000, has a compact chassis worthy of the sports car maker’s logo, and its speedy performance on our benchmarks would likewise make the Italian engineers proud. Unfortunately, its battery life came up short of what we’d expect from a machine that’s designed for maximum mobility. If you’re looking for a wide-screen ultraportable with stamina, check out the Fujitsu LifeBook Q2010 or the Dell Latitude D420. But if battery life can take a backseat to performance, the Acer Ferrari 1000 is a stylish speed racer.

According to company representatives it will be named Typhoon and will be equipped with all-aluminum engine by the name “Speed Six” already widely featured in other TVR creations like Tuscan, Cerbera, Tamora and Sagaris. To be original this time they have decided to stick a big supercharger to it and raise the power output from 350-400hp found in the previously mentioned model to a more inspiring herd of 600 ponies.

For her part, Marianne Donahue spent this morning fighting vicious rumors that she had become visibly anorexic since the Herald piece catapulted her into the limelight. And when it rains it pours: she and her husband Andrew began to feud over her lavish new tastes in sports cars and fitness trainers, and they separated, divorced, remarried, and are now — at a little before lunch time — again deliriously happy.

I really don’t know if these cars are for real they’re so tiny. Fun to look at and I’m sure they’re even more fun to drive except for the fact that I would probably choke on the steering wheel. Other than that it would be a good time zipping around in one of these tiny cars. What do you think…real or not?

I’m not going to beat around the bush here: I like sports cars and I like pushing them to the limit! As you might expect, I’ve had more than my share of run-ins with the police. But even though I’ve been pulled over for speeding more times than I care to admit, I can’t seem to let up on the gas pedal. After all, it’s no fun having 300 horses under the hood if I’m not going to use them! So I decided that it might be a wise investment to learn how to fight traffic tickets.

The new car was thrilling to behold from the very first moment – and now this thrilling encounter is confirmed in full by the actual driving experience: The BMW Z4 Coupé is setting out to give the friends and aficionados of two-seater sports cars a truly unique experience on the road.

I have to say, I am not a big dodge man, but the Challenger has everyone turning their heads. The specs that I have seen show the Challenger with a 6.1 liter Hemi V8 with 425 horse power at 6000 rpm and 420 lb-ft torque at 4800 rpm.

General Motors hit a home run with the Pontiac Solstice - a small convertible with an attitude! This is a sporty little 4 cylinder car that handles like a high end sports car.

Based on the all-new 997-based GT3, the RS shares its sibling's power numbers (its 3.6 liter six-cylinder produces the same 415 normally-aspirated horsepower), but ups the ante by shaving 20kg off its overall weight and leveraging an RS-exclusive six-speed transmission featuring closer gear ratios and a different flywheel.

Ford sent a fairly emphatic message to GM and Chrysler on Monday as it announced that the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 officially produces 500 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers put the new Shelby on the same playing field as the Corvette Z06 and Dodge Viper, and set the stage for the inevitable King of the Hill comparison tests from all the big magazines later this summer.

The Aston Martin folks have pulled the Wraps off the Aston Martin DBS, the car specifically created for the upcoming James Bond film, Casino Royale.

Such a beautiful car.

Even though it's only a concept vehicle (for now), Camaro makes all the right noises. The idle was a guttural rumble that made me want to hear what it sounded like under real acceleration. One guy next to me wondered aloud how much money it'd take to have the driver "light 'em up."

Last Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show, Ford's Mark Fields brought out the 2007 Shelby GT-H Mustang (with Carroll Shelby riding 'gun), saying it represented two tiers of Ford's new performance strategy: personalized performance and Ford Racing Parts.

Honestly, I look at these photos and can't believe I'm looking at a Saturn. That's how significant these changes are. This is better than anything that has ever worn the little red planet badge, and by a significant margin.

The picture Gizmodo is running of that 399 rare Ferrari Enzo that Ericksson trashed is worth the clickthru alone.

In my opinion when it comes to pure and raw sexyness, lambo > ferrari

American Suzuki has made four show cars out of product currently on the market, and they've been showing them at various auto shows around the country. They are the Grand Vitara "Blizzard", Grand Vitara "Dune", Grand Vitara "Wave" and Forenza "Sea."

It’s 1,320 feet long, straight, with 2 tracks. Just your car, side-by-side with another one, ripping down the drag strip. A brief shot at glory before returning to your day job. That’s what makes the Sportsman (non-professional) drag events so much fun; regular people on the world-class proving grounds of Gainesville Raceway, trying to see what their car can do. During the Gatornationals, a pair of them is launched down the strip about every 40 seconds, all day long.

The speculation is over. The 2007 Audi TT has been unveiled for the world to see, and you know what? It looks good.

Pontiac has released images of the G6 GXP coupe show car that will get its official unveiling next week at the New York International Auto Show. In remarks I made earlier, I stated that Pontiac should give the GXP treatment to the sedan or the convertible.

If you be a-wondering whatever happened to that California Swedish ex-convict, Stefan Erikssen, the last I read is that he was cruising around Mexico on the missing yacht and that no one, including the police, was particularly concerned with his whereabouts, saying that his normal habitat ranges from Sweden to the UK to California, according to Pepperdine University’s “Graphic”. Erikssen is the fabulously rich playboy whose red Enzo sports car spectacularly split in two on the Coastal Highway near Malibu. The driver and suspected Ferrari Enzo murderer, mysteriously ran off into the Malibu hills, leaving Erikssen, the owner of the car who just so happened to be a “passenger”, virtually uninjured.

BMW has long been linked to neuromarketing - the 2003 Forbes article, In Search of the Buy Button, noted that the BMW Z8 generated one of the strongest brain responses of 66 cars shown to subjects in an fMRI scanner. A little over a month ago, neuroscientist Stephen Rose did a radio interview with the BBC (listen) in which he mentioned that BMW had set up a neuromarketing lab.

4. Ok, I have to add a fourth. As I am typing this I turned on the heat in our building and now I am practically high from the smell. We rent our office from some guys who keep this building as a auto shop for their sports cars. They apparently have been doing some painting lately because the smell in here is overwhelming.

Yeah well timeshares have grown up since then, in fact one of the more interesting one's these days is with Classic Cars. Club Sportiva out of San Francisco (with a satellite office in San Jose) advertises itself as the nation's largest and most established sports car share company. They also have a line of classic and exotic cars as well including a hot 1962 Corvette Convertible or a 1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster. You can learn more about them or see their collection of cars at: Club Sportiva

2) The 1964 Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe. This car was title “A young people’s sports car”. Perfect for riding, picking up girls, and swinging out. Also during this year the Economic Opportunity Act was passed by congress.

The first team did the last stunt and they did really well. The moms had to drive a little sports car (sons were in the passenger seat) under a semi and get their car locked in under the semi. Then they both climb out of the car and up into the semi, grab a set of flags each, climb out of the semi and hang all of their flags along the side of the semi. Still with me? It looked like quite a crazy stunt and having been in several accidents I don't think you could have gotten me to do it so it's a good thing I wasn't participating. But the first team did it no problem so it looked a lot easier than I had expected. They did the whole stunt in 2minutes 20seconds.

According to a fun little test, "Which Sports Car Are You?" -- which I found while catching up with Laura Lee's blogging at The Wide Awake Cafe, and couldn't resist -- this is my automotive alter ego.

Anyway, I've hastened the moment by going and buying a sports car. I'm not really a car nut but I do a lot of driving up and down from London so I feel justified in having a decent car.

GermanCarFans.com as always has the latest pics of what Porsche is up to.

This new GT racing car, which is based on the latest Aston Martin production sports car, DB9, is being prepared by Aston Martin Racing’s partners, Prodrive, based at Banbury, UK. Prodrive is responsible for the design, development and management of the DBR9 racing programme.

It's the noise they make, too. They sound like there's two rhinos under the bonnet having their bollocks mashed up by a mallet. None of this high-pitched 'Waa-Waa' crap you get with sports cars, but a deep, rumbling noise that just makes your guts shake. You can tell there's one coming because all the buildings around you fall down like a Japanese suburb. Oh, man, they're just fucking beautiful.

And it doesn't take much to see when all the things I love are being threatened: for instance, when Tim Allen's excellent comedy routine on being a man was reduced to a that stupid sitcom Home Improvement. The show should have been called Man Improvement, because that's what every single plotline entailed: turning a man into a "better" person, instead of just leaving him alone to work on restoring the vintage sports car in his garage. I stopped watching the show after about four episodes.

Motorola announced today that its IHF1000 Bluetooth car kit is currently available in Aston Martin’s, Vanquish S and DB9 sports cars. Motorola’s leading in-vehicle technology, provides Aston Martin owners with a seamless communications experience that keeps them connected to their office, home, friends and family through innovative Bluetooth technology. The Motorola IHF1000 mutes the vehicle’s stereo system on receipt of an incoming call or the start of an outgoing call, so drivers can conduct hands-free and wire-free mobile phone calls. Unlike standard speaker-dependent voice recognition systems that rely on exact pronunciation of a recorded name, the IHF1000 accurately recognises voice commands, regardless of accent or articulation. A highly advanced noise reduction system ensures background noise has no affect on voice commands. This allows the driver to connect seamlessly the first time, while on the move in some of the world’s most desirable sports cars. Incoming calls, SMS messages and battery monitoring are also announced to the driver through the car’s sound system and speakers.

The Tokyo Motor Show opened this week, with a heavy emphasis on hybrids and hydrogen. Among the many reveals was the flagship Lexus LF-Sh luxury hybrid, combining a V8 with the hybrid drive. And Volkswagen presented its EcoRacer (pictured at right) —a mid-engine diesel sports car with fuel consumption as low as 3.4 liters/100km (69 mpg US) and a maximum speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).

Forget other manufacturers owning sports car companies, Porsche, the richest car company, is doing the opposite!

Unlike most men, I don’t care about automobiles, I don’t drool over car magazines or fancy sports cars I pass on the road - I just need something small and reliable, with a nice sound system. When I win the lotto however, here’s what I’ll buy…

Old men who fork out the cash for fancy ass "fast" cars and drive them like their a corolla. What the fuck? Your old and close to dying anyways. Live a little. Use the car as it was intended for. When my pansy ass Toyota mini van is sailing past you at Mach 3, and you and your fancy ass little black convertible Mercedes (I only know this cause I recognized the symbol) is puttering along a highway that is clearly marked for the Speed 80 NOT 60, you need to rethink your vehicle purchase.

It reads: “AhThBch”, and is mounted on a sports car, driven by a male in his early twenties.

Porsche company is reportedly setting up showrooms in Pakistan after anticipating a market here. It is ironic that in a country where people are struggling to make ends meet, the elite is keen on buying the most expensive sports cars.

Peugeot Company plans to officially present totally new 407 Coupe in the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, which will be held this September. Four seats, relatively big boot, road performance of a true sports car – a formula chosen by Peugeot engineers for this modern coupe.

So I just got a new car recently. I decided on a moderately priced car. Would it be a sports car like past cars I've owned for the past 2 decades:

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.

It’s about time I get a more practical car: non-neon colored, no body kit, no exhaust where you can hear the car idling alone from three blocks away… So many choices: luxury sports car, or pure sports car. Coupe or convertible. Rear wheel drive or all wheel drive. Fast and cheap, or fast and more than downpayment on a home in the Bay. Black/silver or red/yellow/big flashing lights that say “pull me over.”

In the space occupied by the regular Clio’s back seats sits a 3.0-litre V6 developing 255bhp. It’s enough for a top speed of 153mph and 0-60mph in 5.8sec - figures more usually associated with serious sports cars such as the Porsche Boxster. Renault has said only 20 Clio V6 models remain unsold at UK dealers, costing £27,100 each.

For starters, it had a story. I know that sounds like a revolutionary concept for a movie, especially in the middle of the summer blow-up-everything-and-make-it-loud mega-super-blockbuster event time that we find ourselves, but this film actually has a compelling story about a man learning the difference between vengeance and justice. It also resolved one of my first questions about Batman’s mythos: How the heck can Bruce Wayne have all of this high tech equipment show up at his place and have no one at his company ever question it? The suit is quite cool (no nipples) and the car was perfect; seriously, how can you knock over concrete barricades if you’re driving a sports car?

A businessman who bought a brand new Ferrari is demanding his money back because it only goes 175mph.

Berlin businessman Joerg Winterberg, 60, is unhappy his £111,000 Ferrari Challenge Stradale didn't reach the advertised 186mph.

i’ve got a simple philosophy on cars. drive a humble little japanese one til you can afford to upgrade to either a) a nice continental saloon, like a 5 series or b) wait a little longer til you can afford a decent sports car. or if you want a bigger car, how bout a sports saloon? say.. the BM 645 or the CLS 500.

I was expecting a few more high end sports cars to be in the lot, but I guess that it was a quiet day with only 1 Ferrari (it did have a clear glass engine cover) and about 6 Porsche's of various recent models.