NY Motor Show- Dodge Viper

The new Dodge SRT Viper has been revealed at the New York Motor Show. The new American performance icon is lighter, more powerful. The 8.4-litre V10 engine is 13kg lighter than that of the old Viper's. Peak power is improved to 631bhp at 6150rpm, up 59bhp, and peak torque is boosted to 600lb ft at 4950rpm, up 40lb ft and available 150rpm lower. Two versions of the SRT Viper will be offered, including a base model and a pluckier GTS variant. A racing version of the Viper was also shown, which will compete in the American le Mans Series. 

New York- Fisker Atlantic

The Fisker Atlantic luxury saloon will rival the BMW 5 Series. Fisker is promising that the Atlantic’s interior will be “really special”. Three differently themed interior trim levels will be offered, from a sports-styled layout to a luxurious one aimed at female buyers. The Atlantic is likely to go on sale before the Surf, which is the shooting brake variant of the Karma.

F1 2012- Australian GP

The F1 season kicked off today in Melbourne at the Australian GP. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) secured pole position in yesterday's qualifying session. But the winner of todays race was Lewis Hamiltion's team mate, Jenson Button (GBR). Germany's Sebastien Vettel came second followed by Lewis Hamiltom. Hamilton said after the race that he was "dissapointed".

Results
1 Jenson Button (GBR), McLaren-Mercedes
2 Sebastian Vettel (GER), Red Bull-Renault
3 Lewis Hamilton (GBR), McLaren-Mercedes
4 Mark Webber (AUS), Red Bull-Renault
5 Fernando Alonso (ESP), Ferrari
6 Kamui Kobayashi (JPN), Sauber-Ferrari
7 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN), Lotus-Renault
8 Sergio Perez (MEX), Sauber-Ferrari
9 Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), Toro Rosso-Ferrari
10 Paul Di Resta (GBR), Force India-Mercedes

Weird and Wonderful- Tyrrell P34

The Tyrrell P34 was one of the only 6 wheeled Formula 1 cars. The first prototype P34 was actually a standard Tyrrell 007 with a new front from the cockpit down. The car was met with a similar reaction when it was officially unveiled to a room full of motor sport journalists later that month, many didn't know weather to laugh at the P34 or accept it as a radical F1 concept. Driven by Patrick Depailler, the lone P34 was fast and qualified third, while his team mate, Jody Scheckter in a 007 could only manage to qualify in 14th position. In reality, the P34 was still suffering from the two main problems of the 1976 season, in that it's front tyres were now far behind in terms of development and the front brakes would regularly overheat.


 

Brooklands Motor Museum, Surrey

Not that long ago, I went on a trip to the Brooklands Motor Museum in Weybridge, Surrey. Some of you might of heard of Brooklands as is was one of the most famous racing tracks in the early 20th century. Only some of the track is here now, some has been knocked down and housing has been built there. There is still some of the banking remaning (and it is steeper than you think). When I visited it was a special Bus event. there were old Routemasters and vintage buses from the 1920's. Sadly, I didnt go for a ride seen as though there were hundrerds of people waiting when I arrived and still lots when I exited. Now for the cars. There were many cars there including a beautiful Jaguar D Type in green, a blue Porsche 356. There was also a 4 1/2 Litre Bentley Open Sports Tourer and a Morgan 3 Wheeler. Sadly, on that day you couldnt get a ride on the banking in a classic car but luckily I went previously and got a ride in a beautiful MG around the famous banking. It was overall a great day out and I would reccomend you to go there.

Brooklands Motor Museum
Opening Times: Summer: 10am-5pm
                         Winter: 10am-4pm
Prices: Adult: £11.00
           Senior Citizen/ Student: £9.90
           Children (5-16): £6.05
           Children under 5: FREE
           Family (2 adults and up to 3 children): £27.90

Brooklands Museum Trust Limited
Brooklands Road, Weybridge,
Surrey KT13 0QN

New! Feature- My times with cars

I think this blog is not really a blog. It is not about the personal things that I do. From now, I will produce a post about MY experiencies with cars, not just the latest news. I hope you enjo that and feel free to comment.

Geneva 2012: Range Rover Special Editions

Range Rover is celebrating 10 year of its current model with three specials. The Range Rover Westminster edition  replaces the 4.4 TDV8 Vogue and Vogue SE models. The model will go on sale in March, priced from £69,995.  4.4 TDV8 Autobiography and 5.0 V8 Supercharged Autobiography specials get the Range Rover Design Pack as standard. The TDV8 version of this special edition costs from £84,295. These specials will be the last before the current car gets replaced in the summer.



P.S: Would you pay extra for a special edition? Comment

Geneva 2012- VW Golf GTI Cabrio

Volskwagen has revealed its GTI version of the Golf Cabrio at this weeks Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The hydraulically opening roof takes 9.5 seconds to open at speeds of up to 18mph. It has 207bhp and 207lb ft of torque (as mentioned in a previous post). It has a class leading boot space of 250 litres and will be priced around £27,000 in the UK.

Geneva 2012: VW Cross Coupe Concept

A frugal version of the VW Cross Coupe concept has been shown at this week's Geneva Motor Show. The concept preview the next Tiguan. It is a plug in diesel electric capable of 157mpg and 47g/km of CO2 and a range of up to 800miles. It has 380bhp in total and has a top speed of 137mph. In full electric mode it is capable of 28 miles and a limited top speed of 80mph.




P.S: Do you think this is a car of the future? Comment

Geneva 2012- Lamborghini Aventador J

The Lamborghini Aventador J is a one-off, road-legal roadster. It is powered by the same 690bhp V12 as the standard car and has the same 4 wheel drive system. It is priced at 2.1m euros or £1.75million.

Geneva 2012- Audi RS4

The new Audi RS4 has been revealed at this weeks Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.  It is the successor to the original RS4 in 2000, and like that it will only be available in Estate form. Cars should arrive in the UK in autumn. It should be priced around £55,000. It has the same 4.2L V8 engine as the RS5 and produces 444bhp. Top speed is limited to 155mph but a performance pack could de-limit it to 174mph






PS: Would you buy the optional performance pack just to de-limit it? Comments please!!

Geneva 2012- Pininfarina Cambiano

Pinifarina have launched a new car at this week's Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The Cambiano has a Hyundai Veloster door layout (that is 2 doors on 1 side and 1 on the other). The range extended electric car has a 79bhp motor in every wheel. It can go from0-62mph in 4.2sec and reach a top speed of 170mph. It's all electric range is 125 miles but is extended when a generator kicks in. 





P.S: Comment if you think this car is pretty!!! I do!!

Geneva Motor Show 2012- Mercedes SL63AMG

The Mercedes SL63 AMG has been revealed at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The engine produces 530bhp at 5500rpm and 590lb ft at 2000-4500rpm. An optional AMG Performance Package increases power output to 557bhp at 5500rpm and torque goes up to 664lb ft. It has a 0-62mph time at 4.3sec – or 4.2sec with the Performance Package added.

Geneva 2012- Renault Zoe

The Renault Zoe electric supermini has been revealed in production trim at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It is priced at £13,650 OTR (with the 5k government grant). Under the bonnet there’s a 65kw (89hp) motor, which drives the front wheels directly, top speed being limited to 84mph. 

Geneva 2012- Bentley EXP 9 F Concept

The Bentley SUV concept will show what  a 180mph, £150,000 Bentley SUV would look like in production. It is powered by a revised version of the 6 litre W12 in the Continental GT. The four wheel drive car will probably include a 8 speed ZF gearbox. 

Geneva 2012- Fiat 500L

The Fiat 500L made its debut today at the Geneva Motor Show. The L stands for large and it will go on sale around the start of 2013. From launch it will be available with two petrol engines and one diesel.

New Volvo V40

The new 5 door hatchback named the Volvo V40 has been revealed ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week. It comes with six engine options three petrol and three diesel. Prices are going to start at around £19,000 for and entry level 1.6 D2 ES.

VW Golf GTI cabriolet revealed

The Volswagen Golf GTI cabrio has been revealed ahead of its debut at the Geneva Show next month. VW claims fuel consumption of 37.2mpg with emissions of 177 g/km Co2. It has 207bhp and 207lb ft of torque and can reach a top speed of 147mph. Prices are yet to be revealed but it will be around £27,000. deliveries start in the Uk in September 2012.

Mini Countryman JCW revealed

The Mini Countryman JCW has been revealed ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Powered by a 215bhp 1.6-litre turbo four, the Countryman is claimed to do 0-60 (98km/h) in 7 seconds and hit 140mph (225km/h). It is expected to go on sale in September with a price of £27,800.

Jaguar XF Sportbrake revealed

The new Jaguar XF Sportbrake has been revealed ahead of its Geneva Motor Show reveal. It is only the 2nd Jaguar estate ever and is set to compete with the likes of BMW and Audi. With the seats up, boot volume is a roomy 550 litres, but its rivals have more space. When the Sportbrake is launched it will be avaliable with four disel engines. Prices should be around £32,500 for the 2.2 diesel.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta revealed

The most powerful Ferrari road car ever has made. It produces 730bhp from it's 6.3 V12. It can go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and 0-124 in 8.5. its total torque is 509lb ft. Its maximum speed is clamied to be over 211 mph. Pricing has yet to be revealed but it is expected to be above £250,000 ($400,000, 300,000 euros). It is expected to be on sale in right hand drive in 2013.

Ferrari 599 sucessor leaked

This image is rumoured to show the ferrari 599 replacement It is due to be officially unveiled next Wednesday. Reports suggest the Ferrari might be called the F620 GT.

Citroen DS4 Racing concept

Citroën will reveal plans at Geneva to extend its hot Racing performance brand to the DS4 five-door hatch with a Citroën DS4 Racing concept powered by a 256bhp 1.6 turbo, its most powerful-ever road engine. Citroën claims an impressive 155g/km of CO2. if the production car has the same power it should do a sub-six second 0-60 time and 155mph limited top speed.

Revealed- BMW M135i Hyper-Hatch

BMW has revealed its 300bhp plus six-cylinder powered M135i model. Set to be shown at next week's Geneva Motor Show. The Audi RS3 rivaling hatchback, planned for UK sale before the end of 2012 with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine putting out around 320bhp. It will do0 -62mph in 4.9sec, 0-124mph in 17.3sec and a limited 155mph top speed.