Car hybrid

Car hybrid

A prototype of the future Toyota Prius Plug-in

With all of these new hybrids and plug-in cars hitting the market in 2010, what’s going to happen to the quintessential hybrid model, the Toyota Prius? After a spate of complaints in late 2009 about poor braking, Toyota can’t afford to rest on its laurels—even though the company continues to sell more Priuses than all other hybrid combined. Therefore, expect the Prius to continue to evolve.

With the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf threatening to steal the green car halo, the company isaccelerating its plans for a plug-in version of the Prius It won’t become available until 2011, but expect news about its trial run of 500 plug-in Priuses to continue to gain attention. At the same time, rumors of an entire Prius family of cars—from a subcompact hybrid to a crossover—will continue to percolate. We suspect those rumors to turn into real product announcement as early as the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January. By the time a family of Priuses hit the market, the automotive world will be well on its way to offering 30 or 40 hybrids of all shapes and sizes, from low-cost to high-horsepower, from vehicles that barely save any fuel to ones that run almost exclusively on electric power.

BMW X6 Hybrid

·         BMW’s High-Horsepower Hybrids: X6 Hybrid and Active 7 Hybrid

The BMW X6 is a crossover SUV that has crossed over into sports car territory. The company calls the vehicle a “sport activity coupe.” Its chief characteristics are a sleek profile, sloping roofline, low-slung stance, short front overhang, long rear overhang, long wheelbase, muscular wheel arches, large wheels, four-wheel drive, stability control, and lots of performance. The X6 will probably get an unhybrid-like 480-horsepower 4.8-liter V8 engine—yielding acceleration from a standstill to 60 mph in about 5 seconds. The 20 percent improvement compares to the conventional X6 is less impressive. But if luxury and high horsepower—with a smidgen of fuel efficiency restraint—is your thing, you might also consider the BMW ActiveHybrid 7, also due in 2010. It’s the fastest-accelerating hybrid sedan in the world, according to BMW. Expect fuel economy about 15 percent better than the 750i, which gets 15 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.

·         Dodge Ram Hybrid

Despite its problems, Chrysler still plans to roll out a hybrid version of the Dodge Ram pickup in 2010. Pickups continue to be the largest segment of vehicles sold in the US, so maybe an advanced technology high-mpg Ram will improve Chrysler’s fortunes? That’s unlikely. GM’s hybrid pickup, the Chevy Silverado Hybrid developed in the same collaborative program that produced the Ram Hybrid, is selling about 200 units per month. Rising gas prices could conceivably convince Chrysler to produce the Ram Hybrid in bigger numbers, but pickup buyers shouldn’t hold their breath. Nonetheless, the technology is impressive: a multi-displacement 5.7-liter pushrod HEMI V8 gas engine mated to two 60kW electric motors allows the truck to use electricity, four-cylinder, eight-cylinders, or a combination 

the car covered in gold

                              the car covered in gold

Nothing’s more luxe than a gold-covered car, but Chinese police did not react with ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ to a gold Infiniti G-37 parked curbside. Instead, the shiny, eye-catching vehicle was towed.

China has a rising class of luxury lovers and a yellow-gold covered Infiniti G-37 is definitely symbolic of that. Impressive and stunning, the unique car drew plenty of onlookers and, unfortunately for the owners, police attention.On Tuesday, March 29, in Nanjing, China in a crowded street, a super shiny gold covered Infiniti G-37 pulled up to the curb. As a crowd began to gather, a very well dressed man and woman got out of the car and headed to the sidewalk. Once on the sidewalk, the couple waited.

As the crowd grew in size, the couple continued to stand there silently, until the police took notice. First, the couple was slapped with a fine. Then the police noticed that the car had no license plates, so they decided to tow it away.Amidst the camera flashes of the ever-growing crowd, the police managed to bring in a tow truck. While the towing was taking place, and even as the gold-colored car was vanishing into traffic, the couple continued to remain silent.

Apparently the incident was as completely random as it sounds – although the custom made gold car was evidently the product of a nearby auto shop, so it could have been all for the publicity. After all, it’s not every day that a precious metal-colored car appears and disappears.  Source

the heaviest car in the world

the heavie

st car in the world

The Brass Van is the unique art car ever on Earth which is completely covered with brass items. The van, also known as “California Fantasy Van”, takes almost 22 years to get into its current state.

The Brass Van currently belongs to Hunter Mann, but the original idea was from its previous owner Ernie Steingold. Ernie Steingold, the repairman, first created the van by brass in the early 1980s. The work continues until more than 20 years later. Three brass elephants were attached to the hood as decoration first, and then Steingold came up with the thought to cover the 1975 GMC van with brass coins (almost $15,000 worth of coins). At this time, there are around 5,000 pieces of brass attached to the vehicle, which helps to make the weight up to 10,000 pounds.

 The Brass Van is the unique art car ever on Earth which is completely covered with brass items. The van, also known as “California Fantasy Van”, takes almost 22 years to get into its current state.

The Brass Van currently belongs to Hunter Mann, but the original idea was from its previous owner Ernie Steingold. Ernie Steingold, the repairman, first created the van by brass in the early 1980s. The work continues until more than 20 years later. Three brass elephants were attached to the hood as decoration first, and then Steingold came up with the thought to cover the 1975 GMC van with brass coins (almost $15,000 worth of coins). At this time, there are around 5,000 pieces of brass attached to the vehicle, which helps to make the weight up to 10,000 pounds.

         

When it’s not on tour, the Brass Van can be found at ArtCar World, a museum for art cars, in Douglas, Arizona. Just in case you were wondering about how much such a unique vehicle costs, the Brass van was appraised at $350,000.

                       

the oldest car in the world

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A steam-powered car, billed as the oldest car in the world that still runs, was sold at a Hershey, Pa. auction late Friday for $4.6 million.

The auction company, RM Auctions, had estimated that the car would sell for about half that much. It represents the highest price ever paid for an early automobile at auction. The price includes a 10% "buyer's premium" which goes to the auction company.

The name of the buyer has not been made public.

The car was built in France in 1884, about a year before Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz of Germany, who went on to found the carmakers that would become Daimler (DDAIF, maker of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars, built their first experimental gasoline-powered cars. (The two were working independently of one another.) Henry Ford finished his first garage-built car 12 years after this one. He later went on to found the Ford Motor Company (F Fortune 500 and incidentally, he also founded the carmaker that would ultimately become the Cadillac division of General Motors (GM, Fortune 500

The four-wheeled De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, nicknamed "La Marquise," was originally built for the French Count De Dion, one of the founders of the company that built it.

Fueled by coal, wood and bits of paper, the car takes about a half-hour to work up enough steam to drive. Top speed is 38 miles per hour. The car came close to that speed during what has been billed as the world's first automobile race in 1887, according to RM Auctions.

The car had last been sold in 2007 for about $3.5 million at a Pebble Beach, Calif. auction. 

the most expensive car in the world´

            Lamborghini sesto Elemento $2.2M

blockbuster Furious 7, where the Lebanese supercar crashed through not one, not two, but three skyscrapers in Dubai. In a franchise filled with high-end exotics and one-off custom creations, the fact that the Hypersport got so much focus is a testament to its magnetism.

Let’s start with the styling, which includes jewel-encrusted headlights, scissor doors, and an interior ripped straight from science fiction. It looks like a pissed off armored car from the future, and its performance is right on par You may recall the Lykan Hypersport from its starring role in the with its image. The Hypersport boasts a 3.7-liter, twin-turbo flat-six that yields 770 hp and 708 lb-ft.

It’s not just Dominic Toretto who benefits from this level of performance though, as the Abu Dhabi police force has drafted the Hypersport into patrol duty. Although it’s mainly used for marketing and public relations purposes, the high-flying stunner assures that the authorities can keep up with any baddie that tries to get cute on the freeway. Pedal to the floor, 0 to 62 mph is accomplished in just 2.8 seconds, and top speed is a downright scary 240 mph.

2. Lamborghini Veneno ($4.5M)

                                  Laferrari fxk $2.7M

Poison. That’s the name Lamborghini chose for the modified Aventador you see above — translated from Italian of course — built to celebrate the automaker’s 50th birthday. We can’t speak for the company’s motivations, but the name is fitting for a vehicle that looks so positively deadly, so undeniably venomous.

The car is absolutely stunning from every angle, and to this day, we’re not convinced it isn’t an alien spacecraft surveying our planet for eventual takeover. It just doesn’t seem real. The only thing more remarkable than the look is the price — a whopping $4.5 million.

The Veneno is fast, and that should come as no surprise. Its 6.5-liter V12 spins all the way up to 8,400 rpm to deliver 740 hp and 507 lb-ft, surging the car to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds.

                                      McLaren P1 ($1.15M)

McLaren has its roots in racing, originating as a dominant Formula One team before expanding into mass-production. Those racing roots poke through in their cars, marvels of carbon and steel that showcase British engineering at its best. McLaren’s design philosophy is embodied in the P1, a lightweight speedster that can easily break speed limits and the bank. The first thing one might notice about the P1 is just how slight it is. The svelte body is designed to be aerodynamic, with the ornamental trappings of typical cars removed for the sake of speed. Titanium and carbon fiber are used throughout to keep the P1 lightweight, part of McLaren’s singular desire for performance.

The P1 looks impressive, but how does it drive? Quite fast, it turns out. The P1 can go from 0 to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds. It has both a twin-turbo V8 engine and an electric motor, which can be used in conjunction. Front and rear wings adjust automatically to changes in speed and downforce, reducing drag to keep the P1 gliding. A rocket on wheels, the McLaren P1 is a dream for anyone who wants to feel the power of a Formula One car in a street-legal package. It’s a shame that it’s completely sold out.

                         Rolls-Royce Phantom Serenity ($1.1M)

It used to be that owning a particular make or model car was a sufficient display of wealth. Today, however, it seems like every Youtube rap sensation or Saudi Prince can afford a Maybach. Rare models just don’t seem rare any more. Enter the bespoke car. Luxury manufacturers have begun to emphasize customization, creating unique takes on high-end models that are as much pieces of art as they are automobiles. Case in point: the Rolls-Royce Phantom Serenity, a unique version of the well-known Phantom coupe with a tranquil pearl paint job and an interior that draws on Japanese artwork.

While the outside of the car is the very portrait of austerity, the interior is a temple to opulence, with silk upholstery inspired by the textiles of imperial China. Blossoms drawn in classic Japanese style adorn the walls of the Serenity, emphasizing the zen aesthetic. The technical aspects of the Phantom are well-documented; it handles well and can go from 0 to 60 mph in under 6.0 seconds. What makes the Serenity unique is its singular aesthetic, a commitment to luxury that makes it seem more like a royal litter than a car. Rolls-Royce is banking on the Serenity as a harbinger of things to come in the luxury car market, of a future where the wealthy commission bespoke cars just as the princes of Italy funded renaissance paintings. Those who want this rare beast may be out of luck; so far, only one exists.

CHOLMONDELEY Power and Speed.

CHOLMONDELEY Power and Speed. It might sound like the world’s poshest brand of energy drink but it’s actually a vow to bring three days of high octane fun right here to the North West.

Chances are you’ll already know it by its not that dissimilarly named predecessor, the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power. It’s long been a good idea; give the grounds of a stately pile in deepest Cheshire over to some car nuts for three days, flood the grounds with every Jaguar XJ220, Noble M600 and Ariel Atom you can find and see what happens.

For the past eight years the Pageant of Power’s managed to win over folk who don’t normally go to car shows. Don’t me get me wrong, I love wandering around parks looking at rows of Ford Anglias but I fully understand if it’s not your thing. Cholmondeley, on the other hand, offers you the chance to see Ferraris being raced against the clock and to hear the anarchic growl of Group B rally cars being driven in anger. It’s got a thrill factor that pulls in people with even the faintest interest in cars.

Yet – even as one of the event’s biggest fans – I’ll freely admit the same thing every year was beginning to feel a bit staid, which is why I’m glad the people behind it are vowing it’s not just a case of Opal Fruits being rebranded as Starburst.

For starters all the car clubs, who for years have been relegated to the edge of the public car park, an eternity away from all the exciting stuff, are being moved somewhere visitors will actually find them. That’s great news because they always bring along scores of wonderful cars – think TVRs, Audi Quattros and Nissan Skylines – and now you won’t have to walk miles out of your way to see them.

The renamed event also has more in the way of tie-ups with car manufacturers – including the chance to drive some of them for yourself on the opening day – as well as a renewed focus on having lots of supercars being put through their paces at this year’s event. It’s also telling that while the organisers could have picked somewhere in the North West to announce everything, they did it in London instead. Yes, that London, all the way down there in the South. The new Cholmondeley will be so good that people ‘daahn saaf’ will want to join us!

The one thing I’m keeping my fingers crossed for is Cholmondeley resisting the rather obvious path of becoming the North’s answer to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Having been to both I actually prefer what we’ve got because it’s friendlier, less corporate and – crucially – you see cars rather than the back of people’s heads. Whatever happens, make a date for June 10-12.

Just when I was going to give Cholmondeley a miss this year because I’ve seen it all before they go and shake things up a bit. Even if it does sound like a posh energy drink.