car Head 2 Head Hybrids

With the announcement made today that Jaguar will be putting the C-X75 into production for an initital run of around 250 vehicles, it instantly made me think of a great head 2 head. The Jaguar C-X75 vs. Porsche 918 Spyder.

	Porsche 918 Spyder	Jaguar C-X75
4WD	Yes	Yes
Horsepower (bhp)	700something	800
0 to 100km/h (seconds)	3.2	3
Top Speed (km/h)	320	320

Looks wise, I think you will agree with me that the jag takes it hands down. Those seriously aggressive lines and much better looking wheels wraps it together very nicely. The Porsche front looks very much like the older Koenigsegg's and the wheels look horrendous. The front of the Jag has the new "wide-mouthed" grille similar to the Pagani Huayra. Price wise, the Porsche is a whole lot cheaper which could ultimately sway your decision. My choice... even though I love Porsche, I am afraid it is not my cup-of-tea and would definitely choose the Jag. Plus you get to say "I drive a JAGGGG..." as Clarkson likes to say. Let me know your take on the 2?

Porsche 918 Spyder

Jag C-X75

Crash of The Week - 09th May 2011

So, another Mansory car has been wrecked. This time a highly tuned Porsche Panamera. The car is worth over R3 million. and produces around 690 HP. It was inloved in a head on collision with and Audi A4 in Poland and only had just over 5000 km on the odometer. Ouch! Both drivers sustained minor injuries and had to be taken to the hospital. A broken windshield on the Porsche driver's side suggests he didn't have his seat belt on. If you ask me, the world is a better place with this Mansory model out of the window. It is hideous...

Source

Used to look like this...

Most expensive Gulf Themed Car

I have come across quite a few modern cars sporting the Gulf Oil colour theme but this is the most expensive one ever done. The still almighty Bugatti Veyron. I think they have done a superb job and as you all know the ridiculous stats on this car, I am not going to share them with you again. Just have a look...

Looks fantastic!

Check out this R8 GT in the gulf colours too...

car Hot GTI... but not the Hottest

So VW have released their anniversary edition of the Golf GTI. Basically it is identical to the Golf 6 GTI but with an additional 25 horses and a 'R' sticker. This takes it up to 232bhp. It will be slightly quicker than the standard GTI but slower than the Golf R. The interior and door sills features some 35 lettering just let people know you have the 'special' edition. Is it worth the extra money? I would say yes because not every person will be able to get their hands on one of these and could become a collectors item one day. Plus I think the interior looks awesome...

green Crash of The Week - 16th May 2011

Magnificent Lambo Photoshoot

I stumbled across a site that showcased a photo shoot of a Lambo Gallardo LP560-4 and could not resist the urge to share it with all of you. The photo's are spectacular... See a couple below. For the rest from the album, click here or visit Webb Bland website to view other brilliant car photo shoots.

What I would do for a Lambo in this colour.... hmmmm!

Crash of The Week - 16th May 2011 car

Right so we have seen a couple of insane vehicles transformed into Police cars such as a Lambo Gallardo, Porsche 911, Caparo T1 and even a Nissan GTR but now they have come up with an ambulance. A really fast one.. Merc has developed a concept based on the top of the range SLS AMG. The only additions so far are the "liquid metal" paint job and the gullwing doors equipped with explosive charges to blow them off their hinges if there's a rollover. Seems pretty drastic but sounds blady awesome! Haha...

car Crash of The Week - 16th May 2011

Unfortunately another one of the most beautiful Ferrari's, the 458 Italia, has been destroyed. This time it had nothing to do with the wheel arches catching fire and burning the car to a crisp but rather a misjudgment of braking and ended up rear ending a truck. Well seeing as the truck has such great ground clearance, the Italia slipped underneath the truck peeling the roof off. Apparently the driver did survive miraculously considering their head would have been where the roof was destroyed. This is 458 number 16 to be wrecked.

car 'M'ean BMW 1 Series...

Finally the official BMW 1 Series M Coupe has surfaced its head and wow does it compliment the superb Motorsport range from BMW.

What makes this car what it is? Let's start with the enormous amount of components that come straight off the extremely successful M3. Things like major suspension components, brake rotors and calipers, huge alloy wheels, exterior mirrors and the M variable diff lock. The M3 is a larger base and thus the engineers flared all 4 wheel arches by a very significant amount. It is now about 50mm wider than the standard 135i. The team at BMW decided to keep it basic with regards to customization options with black leather being the only interior colour choice and Alpine White, Black Sapphire Metallic and Valencia Orange Metallic your only options for the paint job.

Aggressive styling on the front

So the power is from the direct-injected 3.0-liter all-aluminum engine that we would find in the 335i and Z4 sDrive35is. This produces a 0 to 100 sprint in 4.7s and to a limited 250km/h which is conveniently Identical to the M3? In a recent comparive review done by AutoBlog, they claim that the M1 can pull harder immediately from standstill but does not hit the "sweet spot" like the V8 does. Due to the weight difference, they could dive harder into the corners than the M3 but the understeer was worsened by the shorter wheelbase of the M1. Would I buy one?

Unfortunately I am a huge M3 Fan and would thus save up that bit more to have the ever populer Beemer with one of the best engines around.

Typical motorsport Rear with the 2 twin exhausts... Grrrrr

Aventador LP760-2 car

So you reading the title of this post and thinking immediately that I have made a mistake. Wrong. British tuner company (Oakley Design) have already taken the latest and greatest raging bull and given it a tweak. Nothing too outrageous but a few exterior tweaks to make it more unique than it already is and upped the power from 700hp to 760hp. This is absolutely mad seeing as the all wheel drive system will be sacked and every bit of power slammed onto the rear wheels.

This upgraded Lambo also has wider side sills, larger side vents, a deeper rear diffuser and carbon fiber on the side mirrors, roof and engine bay. I think it looks fantastic and if you want to stand out even more than you already will in the standard Aventador then this is the buy but be careful with the power all at rear wheels, it will very quickly try to kill you.

Light Titanium Exhaust...

458 Italia done by Oakley Design

TinTek Wraps...

TinTek has developed some seriously in-your-face wraps for cars. It is a cost effective solution for those who temporarily want to change the colour of their cars. Go have a look at their album on Facebook for some regular cars in outrageous outfits. Here are some of the chrome ones and an AWESOME lime green R8...

Gold Chrome GTR

Chrome TT

Chrome Camaro

Lime Green R8

car Passenger Riding Shotgun Has Control...

Citroen's C3 Picasso has been recalled due to the ability of the passenger to hit the brakes. This takes the concept of being a back-seat driver or in this case a passenger driver to w new level. The Picasso is offered in both left and right hand drive versions but when converting them, Citroen has decided to leave the components in the foot-well and if the passenger manages to push in the right spot, the car's brakes will activate. This could prove fairly dangerous... or funny (in the right circumstances...)

cAR New Aston Zagato Collaboration

Another collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato has been produced which was unveiled at the Villa D’Este Concours. The basis of the car is the iconic V12 Vantage and is set to be another showstopper at various car shows around the world. The power platform will be Aston Martin's top of the range 6 litre V12. This monster will produce 510bhp and a whopping 570Nm of torque. We all know the incredible exhaust note of the V12 to look forward to as well. There is not much else to say about the car so I will let you feast your eyes on the latest collaboration.

VERY Aston looking front with massive wheels

Seriously angry rear-end

car Kanye Being Kanye

The infamous Kanye West has stirred up some controversy yet again. This time by arriving to the AIDS charity (keyword) gala in Cannes France in a Merc McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. This multi million Rand machine is an extremely rare exotic and must be said that he looks like a complete chop arriving at a charity event in this set of wheels. Lets not mention that the chances of him actually owning it are VERY slim. Idiot!

Lexus LFA Touches Down in SA

Finally this 4.8litre V10 monster developed by Lexus has arrived in Sunny South Africa. If any of you have seen the videos and pictures of this thing, you know it is a force to be reckoned with. This Lexus powers from 0 to 100 in a mere 3.7seconds and will continue to about 325km/h. Only 500 people in the world will be able to own one and this makes it rather unique and highly sought after. Visit Lexus for more information and some detailed specs.

Lamborghini "Everyday" Car Confirmed

When the Estoque was shown off at the Paris Auto Show back in 2008, it made many people wonder if we were going to see a new model from Lamborghini that would lend itself to me more of an everyday car. Well the company CEO Stephan Winkelmann has now confirmed a third model to fall under the raging bull. He did not comment on which segment the car would fit into but one can assume that it would have to be a direct competitor to the new Ferrari FF and so I would not be very surprised to see a VERY Estoque looking model surface. Let us wait and see...

car Lexus LFA Speeding Fine

Some of us who follow NASCAR will know that Kyle Busch does all his speeding on the track and is currently ranked 3rd in the Sprint Cup but recently he was caught pushing the limit slightly. He clocked 128mph in a 45mph zone. The vehicle that he was caught in was non other than the Lexus LFA Supercar in 'Budgie Yellow', not exactly subtle. “I apologize to the public, my fans, sponsors, and race teams for my lack of judgment,” said Busch in a statement.

In my previous post, I forgot to mention that South Africa was only getting 3 of them. All 3 going to "businessmen" in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Price tag? Approx R5 million.

bentley car picture

Bentley Hire
Capital Prestige which provides Bentley hire is part of the established Import Marques prestige vehicle sales business, is a supercar hire business catering for people wanting to hire the very latest performance / luxury cars on the UK market. We have been established as a prestige new car dealer for some years now, and this experience has enabled us to acquire the very best cars for our clients to hire.

Our business ethos is to provide the very best luxury / supercar models to discerning clients who want to experience the thrill and pleasure of driving the leading automotive marques available today. We are an established Bentley Hire business and we also provide supercar hire for cars such as the Audi R8, Ferrari F430 Spider, Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

PLEASE CONTACT CAPITAL PRESTIGE ON 01753 865206 (MON-FRI 9.00 TO 5.30PM GMT) TO DISCUSS YOUR BENTLEY HIRE REQUIREMENTS.


Our prestige cars which are available for short term or long term hire are ideal for..

POTENITAL SUPERCAR OWNERS : people don't want to lose many thousands of pounds each year on high depreciation, servicing, storage and insurance costs when owning a supercar. Our Supercar hire service allows members to enjoy the very latest supercars available today without the financial burden of ownership.

For short term hire, our cars are ideal for...

WEDDINGS : our cars are perfect to compliment your cherished day.

SOCIAL EVENTS : go to Royal Ascot in style in a Ferrari or Bentley.

TEST DRIVES : why not test drive a car extensively before you buy. As we are an established prestige car dealer, we can assist you with both the hire and purchase aspect.

CORPORATE INCENTIVES : reward outstanding employee achievement with the use of one of our prestige cars. The ideal weekend treat !

GIFTS : Our Bentley hire is the ideal birthday present or gift for a friend or family member...the ultimate gift experience.

PROMOTIONAL MEDIA : whether it's for promotional film work or a glossy magazine shoot, the marques on offer are just the ticket.

luxuri launchess picture

Dripping in luxury and bedazzling us with one stunning design after another, Amosu is ready to stun us with yet another creation. The key is handset with 101 Diamonds on the Bentley famous wings with a total of 1.09 carats using Color F, VS1. Although we have seen his versions of Lamborghini, Mercedes and Ferrari keys, but I personally think this one takes the cake for being an exotic Christmas gift for your favorite gramps! Not pricy for £5,000 ($7,800).

US train industri

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Everyone knows America’s passenger train system is pathetic by international standards, so President Obama’s $13 billion commitment to build a national high-speed rail network has come as a wonderful surprise.

It also raises the question of whether a reinvigorated rail industry could, with the car industry and several airlines drifting into bankruptcy, be the next great hope for keeping people employed in this country?

Though the U.S. is the world’s largest economy, the market for passenger rail vehicles and services has shrunk dramatically over the past several decades. European and Asian countries have invested heavily in expanding their rail offerings but Washington has done little more than keep national operator Amtrak on life support. As a result, rail accounts for only 0.3% of total transportation usage in the U.S., compared to 6% in the U.K., 10% in Austria, and 27% in Japan. Because of the lack of adequate train services, automobiles and airplanes provide the only medium-to-long distance commuting choice for the majority of Americans.

This has meant that US companies have largely missed out on participating in a major global industry. The competitive market for rail manufacturing and services in Europe accounted for more than 20 billion euros in 2005. The market in the Nafta zone of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico was only one-quarter as large, even though the two areas have equivalent populations.

There has been some increased recent investment in urban rail networks in the US: there are several foreign factories that make vehicles for commuter and light rail systems in stateside facilities. But there are no plants making intercity trains, as Amtrak hasn’t ordered new rolling stock in a decade and no passenger rail manufacturers are headquartered in America.

In the world passenger rail market, three companies currently dominate: the Canadian Bombardier, the French Alstom, and the German Siemens. In Germany, railway manufacturers collectively employ 45,000 individuals who produce new trainsets for large markets in that nation and abroad. Bombardier alone provides jobs for 34,000 people in the rail industry.

But none of these companies employs the mammoth 200,000-plus person workforce of a major auto company like Ford or GM.

Even in fully-developed rail markets such as those in Europe, train production doesn’t create as many jobs as making cars. Yet rail vehicles, unlike automobiles, need a staff to operate them, and that’s where a passenger rail industry could prove its value in creating new jobs.

France’s TGV high-speed trains, which criss-cross that country, carried 100 million people in 2008, and the national rail company employs about 200,000 people (that number includes people working on commuter trains). France is 1/5th the size of the U.S. in population.

One can extrapolate: an equivalent American rail network could transport 500 million passengers a year on fast rail and provide jobs for one million people operating trains, maintaining track, and serving customers. There are about as many people working in motor vehicle and part manufacturing in the U.S. today. A vibrant rail industry would mostly be a service-oriented one, rather than a manufacturing one.

The U.S. isn’t close to providing anything of the sort today: Amtrak’s 18,000 employees served only 29 million passengers in 2008. It’s hard to imagine an $8 billion dollar investment from Washington being enough to stimulate the 20-fold expansion of a transportation sector, but it’s a start.

Perhaps America should look for an example in its success in transporting freight by rail. Since 1980, the railroad industry has invested $420 billion of its own funds for locomotives, rail cars, tracks, bridges, and tunnels, and today freight companies like CSX and Norfolk Southern manage more than 140,000 miles of track and transport more goods than do truckers. More than 180,000 people work in the field.

There’s no reason equivalent success couldn’t arise from a passenger rail industry.

Yonah Freemark is an independent researcher currently working in France on comparative urban development as part of a Gordon Grand Fellowship from Yale University, from which he graduated in May 2008 with a BA in architecture. He writes about transportation and land use issues for The Transport Politic and The Infrastructurist.

train international

In an effort to continue building on five straight years of record ridership, as well as the recent publicity given to train travel by Barack Obama, Amtrak is dubbing May 10th 'National Train Day.' The day will feature events in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington D.C. and a handful of smaller cities around the country. The festivities in D.C. will be hosted by Al Roker and will include a performance by singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles. The Harlem Globetrotters will be performing in Penn Station, and several stations, including Penn and Washington's Union Station, will have "equipment displays"--giving the public the chance to walk on Amtrak's trains, particularly the plush, sleek, modern (by American standards) Acela. All this in the hopes that more people will be encouraged to give the train a try.

Amtrak will be spending $2.2 million to run and promote train day. That would be fine were it not for the fact that it is currently underfunded, and the Bush administration wants to decrease Amtrak's funding. Will train day be successful? Will record gas prices enable Amtrak to see record ridership this year?

Via: ::AP

See Also: ::Obama Appeals to Crucial Train Swing Vote, ::Amtrak Train Runs Out of Fuel, Perhaps a Wake-up Call For America?, ::Another Reason We Have Roads Instead of Rails, ::AGV: New Super-Duper-Fast Train From France, and ::Summer Train Travel: In Your Future?

car sport jerman picture

Porsche's Plan to Purchase Controlling Interest of Volkswagen Approved!

What may be the quintessential sports car maker, Porsche, announced plans to seek a controlling interest in the Wolfsburg-based automotive giant Volkswagen group last month, submitting a proposal to German anti-trust authorities to gain clearance to purchase the remaining stock required. Already owning 21.2 percent of VW (Porsche owned 18.5 percent earlier this year but it has purchased most of its 3.4 percent available options in recent months), Porsche and the Peoples Car have had a longstanding and successful relationship, dating all the way back to Ferdinand Porsches design of the Beetle.

Mercedes-Benz Readying Baby CLS and Small SUV, will Arrive in the U.S. within the next Three Years

Mercedes-Benz Readying Baby CLS and Small SUV, will Arrive in the U.S. within the next Three Years

Mercedes-Benz Readying Baby CLS and Small SUV, will Arrive in the U.S. within the next Three Years

In order to attract younger customers, Mercedes is planning to launch several new compact models, all based on the brand’s upcoming MFA (Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture) platform. These new vehicles will also be offered in North America. According to an Automotive News Europe report, the Stuttgart automaker is currently working on a 'baby' CLS four-door coupe model and an SUV, which could be joined later on by a convertible or shooting brake variant. “We will introduce the next generation of our MFA family to the U.S.”, Joachim Schmidt, Mercedes' global sales and marketing boss, told ANE in an interview. “Two variants, maybe even a third, are planned for the U.S.”, he added.
Described by company insiders as a “baby CLS”, the coupe is said to resemble the larger CLS four-door coupe and is due in summer 2013. It will be followed a year later by a BMW X1 rival with both variants to be offered in Europe three to five months ahead their U.S. debut.
The new compact car family will also replace the European A- and B-Class models, starting with the A-Class in late summer 2012. Currently, the automaker has no plans to sell these cars in America, but could do so if consumers show interest.
“The U.S. is not the typical compact hatchback market but if the demand arises, we could react very quickly and introduce these two variants in the U.S. far quicker than in the past”, the inside source said.
Furthermore, the MFA platform could be used by Mercedes’ new partner, Renault-Nissan, for a new-entry level Infiniti model, although nothing has been decided yet, Schmidt said.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: ANE

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