2011 Jaguar XFR-S Rendered for your Delight

At last year's 2008 Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar revealed a limited production version of the XKR called the XKR-S that featured subtle chassis alterations and a series of visual enhancements. While the British firm has not announced any plans for the introduction of a similar version of the new XFR sport saloon that was unveiled at the Detroit Show earlier this month, chances are that Jaguar will most likely give the green light (if it hasn't already) for the development of the XFR-S.

With this in mind, the crew over at Jaguarmania came up with a series of renderings depicting the XFR-S. In their opinion, the 'S' model will gain a set of unique 20-inch alloy wheels, different side sills and a new rear-diffuser incorporating larger tailpipes. We're guessing that if Jaguar goes ahead with the XFR-S, it will most likely get an even more aggressive look with a new front spoiler, blacked-out chrome effects, a larger wing and a lowered suspension.

2010 Toyota Sequoia

Base Price: $39,155 - $58,905

Body Style: SUV

Performance & Efficiency: 5,663 cc 5.7 liters V 8 front engine with 94.0 mm bore, 102.1 mm stroke, 10.2 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder 3UR-FE. Unleaded fuel 87.

Rebates & Incentives:
36 Month Finance Rate: N/A; 48 Month Finance Rate: N/A

1967 Plymouth Barracuda Floor Restoration - Floor It

Project B3 Bomber Gets Floored

By Dave Young

Photography by Dave Young, Amy Coleman

Complete article 

Chrysler Hemi engine

A Chrysler Hemi engine, known by the trademark Hemi, is an internal combustion engine built by Chrysler that utilizes a hemispherical combustion chamber. Chrysler built three generations of hemi engines for automobiles: the first (known as the Chrysler FirePower engine) from 1951 - 1958, the second from 1964 - 1971, and the third beginning in 2003.
A hemispherical (i.e., bowl-shaped) combustion chamber allows the valves of a two valve-per-cylinder engine to be angled rather than side-by-side. This creates more space in the combustion chamber roof for the use of larger valves and also straightens the airflow passages through the cylinder head. These features significantly improve the engine's airflow ("breathing") capacity, which can result in relatively high power output from a given piston displacement. With a hemi combustion chamber, there is minimal quench and swirl to burn the fuel-air mix thoroughly and quickly; the spark plug is frequently located at or near the centroid of the chamber to facilitate complete combustion. Engines with hemispherical combustion chambers often use dome-topped pistons to attain the desired compression ratio.
The hemi head requires intake and exhaust valve stems that point in different directions, requiring a large cylinder head and complex rocker arm geometry in both cam-in-block and overhead cam engines. Hemipsherical combustion chambers lack the quench area found in wedge combustion chamber designs, making the hemi more sensitive to fuel octane; a given compression ratio will require higher octane to avoid ping in a hemi engine than in a wedge engine.

Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car.^[1] Production began in Dearborn, Michigan on March 9, 1964 and the car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York World's Fair. It is Ford's second oldest nameplate currently in production next to the F-Series pickup truck line. However the F-series pickup truck has undergone major nameplate changes over the years. The Mustang was Ford's most successful launch since the Model A.^[2]
Executive stylist John Najjar, who was a fan of the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane, suggested the name.^[3][4] An alternative view was that the Mustang name was first suggested by Robert J. Eggert, Ford Division market research manager. Eggert, a breeder of quarterhorses, received a birthday present from his wife of the book, The Mustangs by J. Frank Dobie in 1960. Later, the book’s title gave him the idea of adding the “Mustang” name for Ford’s new concept car. As the person responsible for Ford’s research on potential names, Eggert added “Mustang” to the list to be tested by focus groups; “Mustang,” by a wide margin, ” came out on top under the heading: “Suitability as Name for the Special Car.” ^[5][6][7]
The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobile — sports car-like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks^[8] — and gave rise to competitors such as GM's Chevrolet Camaro,^[9] AMC's Javelin,^[10] and Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda.^[11] It also inspired coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were exported to America.
Mustangs grew larger and heavier with each model year until, in response to the 1971-1973 models, fans of the original 1964 design wrote to Ford urging a return to its size and concept.
Although some other pony cars have seen a revival, the Mustang is the only original pony car that has remained in production without interruption after four decades of development and revision.^[12]

Chevrolet Camaro

The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors, commonly classified as a pony car.^[1][2][3] It went on sale on September 29, 1966 for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang. The car shared its platform and major components with the Pontiac Firebird, also introduced for 1967. Four distinct generations of the car were developed before production ended in 2002. The nameplate was revived again on a concept vehicle that evolved into the fifth-generation Camaro, production started on March 16, 2009.^[4]

Before any official announcement, reports began running in April 1965 within the automotive press that Chevrolet was preparing a competitor to the Ford Mustang, code-named Panther.^[5] On June 21, 1966, around 200 automotive journalists received a telegram from General Motors stating, "...Please save noon of June 28 for important SEPAW meeting. Hope you can be on hand to help scratch a cat. Details will follow...(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet Public Relations – SEPAW Secretary." The following day, the same journalists received another General Motors telegram stating, "Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World will hold first and last meeting on June 28...(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet Public Relations SEPAW Secretary." These telegrams puzzled the industry.
On June 28, 1966, General Motors held a live press conference in Detroit’s Statler-Hilton Hotel. It would be the first time in history that 14 cities were hooked up in real time for a press conference via telephone lines. Chevrolet General Manager Pete Estes started the news conference stating that all attendees of the conference were charter members of the Society for the Elimination of Panthers from the Automotive World and that this would be the first and last meeting of SEPAW. Estes then announced a new car line, project designation XP-836, with a name that Chevrolet chose in keeping with other car names beginning with the letter C such as the Corvair, Chevelle, Chevy II, and Corvette. He claimed the name, "suggests the comradeship of good friends as a personal car should be to its owner" and that "to us, the name means just what we think the car will do... Go!" The new Camaro name was then unveiled. Automotive press asked Chevrolet product managers, "What is a Camaro?" and were told it was "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs."^[6]
The Camaro was first shown at a press preview in Detroit, Michigan on September 12, 1966 and then later in Los Angeles, California on September 19, 1966. The Camaro officially went on sale in dealerships on September 29, 1966 for the 1967 model year.

Hybrid vehicle

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle.^[1] The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.

Stunt Guys - DUBAI

The guys who living in gulf countries, especially the DUBAI guys will rocks in the automobile stunts. They guys are basically interested in two things, one is girls and other is automobiles. Dubai is surrounded by deserts, so 4x4(4 wheel drive cars) cars are the awe-inspiring in the gulf countries. They will extremely take risk on car stunts, these stunts are not for currencies. I have enclosed some photos below…. It’s really astonishing to view. This stunt can do only in 4 wheel drive cars, for example; Toyota Land cruiser, Land rover, Nissan path finder, bmw x5, Nissan x-trial, hummer etc… These are the high performing 4 wheel drive cars in the gulf countries. Look at the images, hope you will enjoy…….

The DeLorean DMC-12 is a sports car that was manufactured in Northern Ireland by the DeLorean Motor Company for the American market in 1981-1982. It is most commonly known simply as the DeLorean, as it was the only model ever produced by the company. The DMC-12 featured gull-wing doors with a fiberglass "underbody", to which non-structural brushed stainless steel panels were affixed. A modified DeLorean was featured as a time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy.

3 intresting and rare super cars you need to know about

The motive behind this article is not bemusing. Its predominant purpose is not to enlighten you on the boring 0-60 times or the number of superchargers but to highlight the turn of events that unfolded during the planning and development stages of these extreme machines.

Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR

We kick start today's special with the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR. In the year 1998, what could a sum of 1.1 million pounds get you? A medium-sized yacht, yup;a grand apartment in central London, hmm...maybe; a CLK-GTR ?, Obviously!

The CLK-GTR was the same car that helped Mercedes win two consecutive 24 hr Le Mans races in the 90's. Instead of building one unit as per the regulations to contest in the races, Mercedes made 25 examples. The CLK-GTR wasn't sold in showrooms. Twenty five numbers meant they were 'offered' to the extra-ordinarily exclusive bunch of their 'clients.'


The car was put together in batches of 3 at Mercedes' AMG facility near Stuttgart, Germany. Each batch taking a time period of up to 4 weeks to finish, engineers played craftsmen and toiled to attain precision of the highest order. Modifications included a body shell made of Kevlar, a modified suspension to increase ride height for road use. Similarly sports seats, 3-pointed seat belts and dual airbags were the additions which assisted in making the car fit for the road.

A carbon fiber monocoque kept weight under check and housed a mammoth 6.8-liter engine developed by Ilmor engineering. Power was sent through a 6-speed manual gearbox which could be controlled by the driver via paddles placed behind the steering wheel.

There were key differences between the Mclaren F1 and the CLK-GTR. In fact, the purposes behind these car shared little in common. Both the cars had big engines that developed a million horsepower and both were aerodynamically efficient and used advanced technology, but that's were the similarities terminated. The Mclaren F1 was a road car built borrowing race car technology while the CLK-GTR was a race car which was tamed for use on the motorways. Power brakes, power steering and traction control aided the cause, which the Mclaren F1 lacked.


Jaguar XJ220

Jaguars are visually stunning and sensational in terms of performance. Leave alone the fact that their ownership changed several hands and were monetarily challenged on multiple occasions, Jags have shown how beautiful cars can be.

For three straight years, the Jaguar XJ220 wore the crown of the world's fastest production car before being tipped by none other than the Mclaren F1. The interesting story began one fine day in the year 1984 when Jag's director of engineering Jim Randle, hit upon a creative idea of creating a 500 bhp supercar. In the mid-80's, Jaguar was deeply engrossed in the work cut out for them and a supercar wasn't in any way associated to their agenda. After a few discussions, Jag planned to get together on Saturday mornings to work on this dream project and it took four long years to realize it.




The car was put together in batches of 3 at Mercedes' AMG facility near Stuttgart, Germany. Each batch taking a time period of up to 4 weeks to finish, engineers played craftsmen and toiled to attain precision of the highest order. Modifications included a body shell made of Kevlar, a modified suspension to increase ride height for road use. Similarly sports seats, 3-pointed seat belts and dual airbags were the additions which assisted in making the car fit for the road.

A carbon fiber monocoque kept weight under check and housed a mammoth 6.8-liter engine developed by Ilmor engineering. Power was sent through a 6-speed manual gearbox which could be controlled by the driver via paddles placed behind the steering wheel.

There were key differences between the Mclaren F1 and the CLK-GTR. In fact, the purposes behind these car shared little in common. Both the cars had big engines that developed a million horsepower and both were aerodynamically efficient and used advanced technology, but that's were the similarities terminated. The Mclaren F1 was a road car built borrowing race car technology while the CLK-GTR was a race car which was tamed for use on the motorways. Power brakes, power steering and traction control aided the cause, which the Mclaren F1 lacked.


Jaguar XJ220

Jaguars are visually stunning and sensational in terms of performance. Leave alone the fact that their ownership changed several hands and were monetarily challenged on multiple occasions, Jags have shown how beautiful cars can be.

For three straight years, the Jaguar XJ220 wore the crown of the world's fastest production car before being tipped by none other than the Mclaren F1. The interesting story began one fine day in the year 1984 when Jag's director of engineering Jim Randle, hit upon a creative idea of creating a 500 bhp supercar. In the mid-80's, Jaguar was deeply engrossed in the work cut out for them and a supercar wasn't in any way associated to their agenda. After a few discussions, Jag planned to get together on Saturday mornings to work on this dream project and it took four long years to realize it.



The mid-engined 6.2-liter V12 supercar was displayed for the first time at the Birmingham Motor show in 1988. Sporting a stylish design and a much hyped scissor doors, its top speed was estimated to be well over the 200 mph mark.

Ford acquired Jaguar in 1989 but nevertheless, they too found this idea interesting and set out to produce it. But the production version had its differences to the concept car. It was eight inches shorter and the V12 was stripped and instead, a twin turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 filled the void. With that said, there was no compromise on power. The engine was powerful enough to generate 524 bhp which could take the beast to a record shattering 213 mph. 0-100 mph came in an eye-blinking 8 seconds! (Let's remind ourselves that we are in 1991)

Customers and motoring journalists adored the new supercar which was quite comfortable too. The only bad bit was the exhaust note which sounded a little non-supercarish (we made up that word). The XJ220 costed the earth. At 403,000 pounds it wasn't cheap. Sadly a lot of controversy surrounded this supercar after they sold a few and production was halted right after the 275th model was put together in 1994. 350 numbers were proposed initially.

A disguised version of the XJ220, the XJ220-C was a lighter car which emerged the winner at Le Mans in 1994 but was later disqualified due to a technicality. All in all, the XJ220 was the best supercar Jag made and the best ever made, some say. It had to bite the dust due to controversies and problems, a death that can be described unfortunate.


Ford GT40

Ford has always been conceived as a brand that makes cars for the average man. The reason for this has been their racing background which is nothing to write home about. The same problem plagued them in the 60's and when they were looking at seriously contending in the Le Mans 24 hr races, they had nothing but a clean sheet of paper at the design table.

To gather pace, Ford acquired rights to the Lola 63, a car that a had a poor showing in the earlier years at Le Mans. Using this car as a platform, Ford developed a very successful race car - a car that dominated the 24 hr races for 4 straight years. Yes, we are talking about the Ford GT40.

40 years later in 2002, Bill Ford unveiled the Ford GT concept car at the American Motorshow and a mere 45 days later, they announced that a production model was heading right to the showrooms in a short while. The new car was similar in appearance to the original car and the performance figures weren't too far off either.



Taller and longer than the original, the Ford GT was what one would term as a charming hooligan. The performance figures would leave one with a wide open mouth. Powered by Ford's biggest V8, the all-aluminium 5.4-liter engine produced a whopping 540 bhp pushing it into the league of engines with 100 or more bhp per liter.

An Eaton screw-type supercharger was the culprit behind the mountain of power and all of it was transferred to the rear wheels through an advanced six-speed trans-axle and a helical limited slip differential, the sort of stuff that would make an automobile engineer jump up and down with
joy.

The advanced technology wasn't restricted to the inner mechanicals. Superplastic-formed aluminium body panels reduced overall weight while simultaneously enhancing looks. The underbody design was new which took care of the rear-end lift, a problem that troubled the 60's GT.

These machines are special and unique. They give a whole new identity to the term 'Supercars,' while showcasing how much technology has affected performance figures which is at present in a new level altogether.

Bologna-Raticosa Hillclimb (430 pics!)

 

Lamborghini Reventón

The Reventón is named after a fighting bull in keeping with Lamborghini tradition. The bull, raised by the don Heriberto Rodríguez family, was best known for killing famed bullfighter Félix Guzmán in 1943.Reventón means "explosion" or "burst" in Spanish, when used as a noun. In the vernacular, it is also used to define a very large party or a night on the town. It's commonly said "vámonos de reventón", which means "let's go party tonight." In automotive terms, it means "blowout, flat tire" when used as a noun. When it was used as the name of a bull, however, it was intended to be interpreted as an adjective, a quality or property of that bull in particular. In this last sense, Reventón means "he who seems to be about to burst".

Performance

The Reventón's engine was a slightly tuned version of the Murciélago LP640's 6.5 L V-12, rated at 640 hp (480 kW). According to the official release, the Reventón accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in the same time as the Murciélago LP640 (3.4 seconds), and is capable of reaching a maximum speed of over 340 km/h (210 mph). Using the internal speedometer, the recorded top speed was displayed as 356 km/h (221 mph).

Interior

The instrument panel in the Reventón comprises three TFT liquid crystal displays (LCDs) with two different display modes. The instruments are housed in a structure milled from a solid aluminium block, protected by a carbon fiber casing. The G-Force-Meter is completely new and it is one of the talking points of the Reventón. It displays the dynamic drive forces, longitudinal acceleration during acceleration and braking, as well as transversal acceleration around bends. These forces are represented by the movement of an indicator on a graduated 3D grid depending on the direction and intensity of the acceleration. Formula One teams also use a similar device to analyze dynamic forces. The seats of the Reventón are black leather and brown Alcantara.
By simply pressing a button, the driver can switch to the second, quasi-analog display, where there are the usual circular instruments; speedometer and tachometer. The G-Force-Meter still remains at the center of this display mode.


Exterior

Rear view of the Lamborghini Reventón.

The Reventón features an all new carbon fiber exterior. All Reventóns have the same exterior color, described as "mid opaque grey without the usual shine."
Lamborghini has also picked up some of parent company Audi's design language. Its is the first Lamborghini to incorporate daylight running lights into the headlamps. Seven Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) at each headlamp flank the Bi-Xenon main beam and stay lit whenever the car is in movement. Due to the high temperatures in the rear lower part of the car, special heatproof LEDs are used for the indicator and hazard lights, stoplights and rear lights with a triple arrow optical effect.

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept: 100 High-Res Photos and Video of 356HP Diesel-Electric Hybrid

This is BMW's vision of the sports car of the future; a lightweight 2+2 coupe with plug-in hybrid drive technology that promises to offer 'M' car-level performance and driving dynamics with Toyota Prius-like fuel economy and emissions figures. Set to take center stage at the Bavarian automaker's stand at the 2009 Frankfurt Show in September, the Vision EfficientDynamcis showcases an array of technologies many of which are said to be planned for use on upcoming BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce models.

At the heart of the concept is a high-performance diesel-electric hybrid system that combines a small diesel engine with two electric motors and a newly-developed version of BMW's double-clutch transmission (DCT) with six speeds.

Mounted in front of the rear axle (behind the back seats), the 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbo diesel engine that drives the rear wheels delivers an output of 163HP and 214 lb-ft of torque. The compact-sized electric motor that is positioned between the diesel engine and the DCT produces 33HP and 214 lb-ft but can supply momentarily up to 51HP.

The second electric motor is situated on the front axle offering continuous output of 80HP and peak torque of 162 lb-ft but it can produce 112HP for a period of up to 30 seconds, and, for a 10-second "burst," 139HP.

The overall system output is 356 horsepower and 800Nm or 590 lb-ft of peak torque. The arrangement of the two motors and diesel engine allows all-wheel drive when driving in all-electric mode.

BMW says that the Vision EfficientDynamics concept can accelerate to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.8 seconds and has an electronically governed top speed of 250km/h or 155mph. The Bavarian automaker claims that average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle is a mere 3.76 lt/100 km which is equal to 62.6 mpg US, and the CO2 emission rating are just 99 grams per kilometer - however, let's not forget that we're talking about a concept car...

The electric motors are powered by a lithium-polymer battery pack that collects energy either from regenerative braking or by plugging the car into the mains. When connected to a standard EU power outlet (220 V, 16 Amps), the system requires a maximum of 2 and-a-half hours to fully charge and 44 minutes if there's a source with higher voltage and amperage (380 V, 32 Amps).

The concept can run completely under electric power, with the turbodiesel engine alone, or a combination of both power sources. The diesel engine offers a range of around 650 km or 430 miles while in all-electric mode, the range is 50 km or 31 miles. The overall range is close to 700 km or 431 miles.

As a technological showcase, the Vision EfficientDynamics concept car features an array of innovations including a thermo-electric generator in the exhaust system that converts thermal energy contained in the exhaust emissions into electrical energy which is then used to power features such as the steering and air conditioning.

The chassis and suspension of the 2+2 coupe are made out of aluminum while the roof and the outer skin on the Gullwing-style doors are made almost completely of a special polycarbonate glass that automatically darkens as a function of the light shining on the car.

The overall weight of the coupe that measures 4.60m (181.1-in.) in length, 1.90m (74.8-in.) in width and 1.24m (48.8-in.) in height, is 1,395kg or 3,076 pounds. BMW says that the car can carry a maximum load of 445kg or 981 pounds and has a luggage capacity of 150 liters or 5.3 cu ft.

Created under BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, the concept's shape was largely dictated by aerodynamics with the company claiming a drag coefficient of just 0.22. As for the interior, BMW says that the focus was likewise on both the "fascinating driving experience" and, in particular, "on transparent, hands-on technology and maximum reduction of weight."

Understandably, the Vision EfficentDynamics overly futuristic styling does not point to a specific model, but expect to see some ideas such as the design of the front end which is reminiscent of the M1 Hommage to influence BMW's future cars.