Future Car Trends

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Greek Tragedy: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Goes Down in Athens

Any sort of accident that involves expensive sports cars always draws the attention of the media and car aficionados alike. This Ferrari mishap that occurred somewhere in the capitol of Greece, Athens, is no exception as these pictures made the round of the world. Details are scarce but what really amazes us is that, despite the ferocity of the crash, the powertrain of the 599 GTB Fiorano remained relatively intact. Hopefully, the same goes for the driver of the Italian supercar.

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Source: WreckedExotics , Via: Jalopnik

Pontiac to Debut G8 ST Pickup Truck Concept at SEMA

Since the Holden-based Pontiac G8 ST -where ST stands for Sport Truck- isn't due to arrive in dealers' showrooms before late 2009, General Motors decided to keep up the excitement with the introduction of a so-called concept version loaded with factory accessories at this week's SEMA Show. Highlights of GM-accessorized Pontiac G8 ST Concept include a custom red paint job with enhanced clear coat, lowered ride height, chunky 20-inch alloy wheels, leather-trimmed seats with red inserts, custom interior trim kit, G8 GXP steering wheel and shift knob with red inserts and a hard tonneau cover.

There are no changes under the hood as the Pontiac G8 ST Concept retains the production model's 6.0-liter small-block V8, rated at 361HP and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (522 Nm). The V8 unit features GM's Active Fuel Management technology, which allows the engine to switch from eight-cylinder to four-cylinder operation during light-load driving conditions, enhancing fuel economy. The transmission is a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic. According to Pontiac, the production model has a 0-to-60 time of 5.4 sec.

Car News:High Drama as Last Corner Crowns Hamilton F1 Champion

Nov.2 - Timo Glock and Sebastian Vettel played a vital role in the outcome of the 2008 world championship, played out over a dramatic Brazilian grand prix where emotions ran high.

In the drizzly confusion on the last lap, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton lost his necessary fifth place to Toro Rosso's Vettel, only to win it back again at the final corner of the 71-lap race when Glock, who drives for Toyota, could not hold the Briton at bay on his unsuitable dry tyres. more detail. ...

What's in a Name: Chilean and Brazilian Chevy Vectras

In the beginning we wanted to write about the new Chilean market Chevrolet Vectra but for no particular reason we decided to spend some time looking into GM's global crate of nameplates. Now, pay attention because you may get lost in translation: in Europe, GM's execs scraped the Vectra name as it was considered synonymous with "boring" in favor for the more snazzy "Insignia". In Chili, the current Chevy Vectra which is the same car as the outgoing European Opel / Vauxhall Vectra will be physically replaced by the Insignia but for some reason, the new mid-size sedan will retain the same name as before.

Moving east to Brazil and Argentina, GM thought it would be a good idea to patch the Vectra nameplate on the Chevy branded, third-generation Opel Astra sedan and hatchback models. However, in the same two South American countries, Chevrolet continues to sell Opel's previous, second-generation subcompact model as the Astra! And just for the record, the Omega nameplate that once decorated Opel's last, range-topping RWD sedan, is now used on Chevrolet's Brazilian market Holden Commodore aka the Pontiac G8... Don't you just love GM's name-sharing bin; nothing ever goes wasted!

Porsche Panamera Interior Spied Undisguised

The first unofficial but bare-naked shots of the Porsche Panamera's interior have hit the web revealing the four-door sports sedan's dashboard in detail. All in all, Porsche's DNA is clearly visible in the design - though somewhat more upscale when compared to the German automaker's other vehicles. Aside from the "loaded" instrument panel what really caught our attention is the elevated lower part of the center console that houses more buttons than a Klingon starship. Maybe it's only us, but the center console's design seems to be inspired from the products of high-end cell phone maker Vertu - you can compare the photos after the jump and decided for yourself if we're right or not.

Up until now, Porsche has released one teaser picture as well as a video containing footage shot during the development of the Panamera, but more pictures and details are expected to be revealed by the end of the November. The four-seater sports sedan will go on sale worldwide during the second quarter of 2009 with a hybrid version using a VW Group V6 engine and an electric motor following in mid-2010.

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Via: Autoblog.it , Source: Xcar

Busted: Aston Martin Vantage Owner Discovers Volvo Logo on Key Fob!

It's a common secret that in order to cut costs, manufacturers share parts among their brands and vehicles. Most of the times though, these parts are hidden from the judgmental eyes of their customers. But accidents do happen as is the case of a Rio Prestige hire customer in the UK that somehow managed to scuff the leather-wrapped key fob of his rental Aston Martin V8 Vantage only to discover a big fat "Volvo" logo lying underneath!

We all know that even after the sale of Aston Martin from Ford to a consortium led by Prodrive boss Dave Richards (though Ford still maintains a stake in the company), the British sport marque continues to make use of the Blue Oval's spare parts bin and especially from Volvo.

But you would have imagined that when it comes to vehicles like the V8 Vantage which cost a small fortune, Aston Martin would have the decency to take the time to remove any decals or logos from parts that are derived from significantly cheaper and less upscale models. If anything else, the price tag on these cars would more than cover the expense and save them from the embarrassment...

Via: Car

Lincoln - Muscle car

Lincoln, originally uploaded by kodgerd.