Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'europe'.
-
The Motor Sports Association (MSA) was delighted to welcome more than 2,500 visitors to the inaugural Go Motorsport Live! at Silverstone, and can confirm the event will return in 2014. Staged at Silverstone last Sunday, Go Motorsport Live! was created to demonstrate just how easy it can be for people to get involved in motor sport. Visitors from all over the country attended the free six-hour show featuring a wide range of over 50 displays from motor clubs, teams, championships, manufacturers and other organisations. Most areas of the sport were represented from circuit racing and karting to drag racing and rallying, among others. Exhibitors reported excellent interest and engagement from the attendees. For example, one Oxford Motor Club staged an AutoSolo to showcase this entry-level discipline's huge appeal and more than 500 free passenger rides were provided during the day in a selection of unmodified road cars. Marshalling clubs were busy showcasing their expertise, performing extrications from a damaged saloon car, advising newcomers how to volunteer and highlighting the MSA
-
[extract] SEAT will lead its presence at this year
-
[extract] Most of us think lottery tickets are only good as long as the ticket bought by us wins a prize. Well, I suggest you think again. It turns out that used lottery tickets aren
-
It seems that neither is there a perfect automaker or a perfect car. As the saying goes, "Nobody is perfect". You see, even such a huge and highly reputable automaker as Toyota can sometime overlook things while manufacturing its cars. The Japanese automaker has made an announcement in which it states its plan to recall 185,000 cars in total globally. Yes, that means that some of the Toyota cars on our shores will be affected by the recall as well. The recall is said to involve the Toyota Yaris (also known as the Vitz in some regions) from the 2010 to 2012 model years. In addition to those, the Ractis and Verso-S from the 2010 to 2011 model years will also be recalled. It is said that this global recall is due to a power steering failure. Toyota mentions that in case water happens to reach the inside of the power steering module, a short circuit could take place and the power steering will fail, forcing the driver to give more efforts while trying to turn the steering wheel. The Japanese automaker also mentions that when the failure emerges, the cars in question will switch on the Electronic Power Steering warning indicator as well as give out a buzzing sound. The recall affects 130,000 Toyota cars in Japan itself, 22,450 cars in Europe, 74 cars in the U.S., and the remaining 32476 cars in other parts of the world. So, if you own a Toyota, prepare yourself for the recall as the Japanese automaker will mail you (besides other Toyota owners, of course) and your dealer will be more than happy (well, they should, anyway) to replace your power steering module. While most automakers will normally recall their cars due to some safety issues, it's nice to see that Toyota recalls its cars due to some issues that are more likely comfort-oriented, as a power steering system is not absolutely needed to drive a car. You see, in the old days, cars didn't have this particular feature at all. But of course, most of us will feel like something's missing if we drive a car without a power steering feature these days.
-
Jaguar C-X75's twincharged 1.6-litre engine may enter production
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Although the Jaguar C-X75 did not receive the green light for production, its twincharged 1.6-litre engine is still being developed and could make it to production. The power plant, developed by Cosworth, is conceived initially as an F1 engine. On the adaptation of the engine for a road-going model, Cosworth's principal engineer, Andy Ball, said, "We've being doing development engines. We're still partnering on this. As a road-going engine it could have similar specific power as a Formula One engine of 300bhp per litre -
Italian firm Icona will make its U.K. debut at Salon Prive
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Here is a new supercar maker to take note of - Icona from Italy. Well they are not exactly new, having been around since 2010, with the launch of the electric concept car - the Fuselage. The Fuselage was a finalist at the 27th Festival Automobile International in Paris in the World's Most Beautiful Concept Car competition. The Italian firm was founded by Italian members and is led by an Italian director. The headquarters for the automaker is in Shanghai while the car is made in Italy. Icona has recently developed their second car - the pretty wicked looking Vulcano - which will make its U.K. debut in September at Salon Prive. The Vulcano coupe seats two and was unveiled in Shanghai earlier this year. The one-off is powered by a V12 Hybrid reaching up to 950bhp, capable of a top speed of 350km/h and a quick century sprint timing of nine seconds. The Vulcano was engineered by world famous former Scuderia Ferrari technical director Claudio Lombardi. Sales Director, David Bagley commented, "Icona is a very exciting new brand and we are delighted that it has chosen Salon Priv -
[extract] Volvo
-
If you are planning to buy a car, I recommend that you also plan to buy a car insurance policy that you see fit. Just don't take the car insurance policy for granted. As you know, in Singapore, it is compulsory that every car is covered by a car insurance policy. In addition to that, you need to make sure that you renew it every year as the policy will only be valid for one single year. The same also applies in the U.K., it seems. Just recently, London police officers managed to seize a customised Lamborghini Aventador. As it turned out, the car belongs to Nasser Al Thani, a member of the Qatar Royal Family. For your information, this guy is well known for his fondness of showing his supercars to the public in London, the capital city of the Great Britain. The tuned Aventador got impounded because Al Thani didn't have a proper insurance to cover his Italian supercar. While impounding the car, though, the officers seemed to get a little problem at first, due to the limited headroom and low ground clearance that comes as a result of installing aftermarket carbon fibre splitters. So, after all being said, if you love your car and don't want it to get seized by the police, you better start thinking about a suitable and proper car insurance policy.
-
This is a review of the brand new Audi A3 sedan, which replaces the A4 as the new entry level saloon for the Ingolstadt carmaker. The variant reviewed is the 1.4 TFSI which features COD (cylinder on demand), direct injection and turbocharging technologies. It produces 140bhp with 250Nm of torque and sends the small German sedan from 0 to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds. There are other engine options for the A3 sedan at launch which include a 2.0 TDI and 1.8 TFSI. The 1.4 TFSI variant reviewed should be the volume seller when it touches down in Singapore. The review is quite positive. The cabin is said to feel a lot more expensive than its price tag and the driving experience also matches a much more expensive car as the refinement is fantastic. At the end of the review, the reviewer even commented that the A3 sedan is a pretty good alternative to the Audi A4.
-
Land Rover bags three awards at Auto Express editorial awards
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] Land Rover vehicles have scooped up three top prizes at the annual Auto Express Awards. The all new Range Rover was voted 'Best Luxury Car' by the judging panel, which consists of the magazine -
[extract] Volkswagen has retained two awards at this year's Auto Express New Car Awards - for the Beetle Cabriolet and the Amarok under the Best Convertible and Best Pick-up category. The awards, presented at a ceremony in London, recognise the best cars on sale today as judged by the editorial team at Auto Express - Britain
-
VW introduces 'Side Assist' technology in a rather strange way
RchLuvSlly posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
If driving a car is one of your daily routines, I suppose that you know how it feels to be surprised by a vehicle that just comes out of nowhere every now and then. The vehicle seems to have come out of nowhere because each and every single car out there has a blind spot. In fact, due to the blind spot, automakers are now equipping their cars with technologies that can help drivers with the blind spot issue. One automaker to do this is Volkswagen (VW). The German automaker is now equipping its cars with what it calls 'Side Assist' technology. Taking advantage of two rear radars, this technology is capable of scanning the areas behind the car for as far as 50 metres and also in the blind spots at the sides of the car. This technology will light an indicator at the side mirrors when a vehicle is in the blind spot. So, if there's a vehicle in the blind spot of the left side, VW's side assist technology will light the indicator at the left side mirror. To introduce its side assist feature, Volkswagen has come up with something that may turn out quite strange, or somehow amusing. The German automaker creates a video advertisement showing a man cleaning himself up in front of the mirror when, all of a sudden, a rather chunky, bearded man stares at him from behind the back. Afterwards, a message is displayed saying, "Beware of the biker that comes from nowhere." -
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we're gathered here to watch a lesson carefully by Audi regarding the magic hidden atop the powerful engine of our cars. Right, it's the bonnet and it's very kind of Audi to teach us how to open it! Well, as a matter of fact, the German automaker is even more kind to also teach us how to close the bonnet again properly. This is to enable us to keep our cars in excellent condition, at least that's what the company claims. Well, it seems that we can go through an awful lot of pages just to figure out the proper ways of opening and closing the bonnet but no, don't worry, we aren't going to do that. However, I have to admit that sometimes automakers place bonnet releasing switches at pretty strange and unexpected places, especially when it comes to super cars. Thanks to that, some drivers end up making a fool of themselves for not knowing where to find the right switch for popping up the hood, especially when their car is still brand new. Well, for now, I guess we're better off watching this video carefully, especially if any of us owns an Audi and let's not make a fool of ourselves as well, shall we?
-
The radical Jaguar C-X75 unfortunately did not make it to production due to the ongoing global economic crisis. However, a few working prototypes were built. Up to three of these will be auctioned off, while one will go into a future Jaguar museum and the other will be kept by Jaguar for running demonstrations. Autocar U.K. was fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of one of these and did a review of the supercar that suffered from stillborn. The review was very positive and the reviewer commented that it is a shame that nobody will really get a chance to own one. The hybrid drivetrain consists of a turbocharged/supercharged 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors mounted at either end of the car, driving transaxles and powered by a liquid/air-cooled battery pack. The hybrid drivetrain is rated at 888bhp with a combined torque of 800Nm. The C-X75 could travel from 0 to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds. The C-X75's carbon fibre chassis was developed with the Williams F1 team.
-
Radical will be attending the Salon Prive this September and for the first time, they will display the new Radical RXC. The RXC is Radical's first ever enclosed car and marks an exciting new step in the development of the marque, by bringing genuine Le Mans engineering and aerodynamics to the road in a package that delivers incredible performance whilst remaining easy to own. The V6 engine and seven-speed gearbox configuration has been developed specifically for the RXC under the guidance of Radical's Managing Director Phil Abbott as well as Chief Designer Nick Walford and his development team. The Ford Mustang sourced engine is a 3.7-litre 24-valve V6 unit with twin-independent variable cam timing and sequential multi-port electronic injection, controlled by a bespoke Radical/AER Life engine management system as employed successfully on the SR3 SL roadster. The six-cylinder develops 380bhp and 434Nm of torque. Since the RXC only weighs 900kg, the power-to-weight ratio of the car is 422bhp/ton, which will provide a century sprint of 2.8 seconds before climbing to a top speed of 281km/h. The car's striking design elements include gullwing doors, with Radical saying the RXC has the most complex body it has ever produced, as it includes both composite and carbon fibre sections. "It's the car we've always wanted to make, and by applying our extensive knowledge and understanding we have produced a GT car that - just like our other products - will outperform machinery costing many times more. But more important than that it's going to be incredibly thrilling to drive," said Radical's Managing Director Phil Abbott.
-
Like the Aston Martin Vanquish but prefers to enjoy some open-air motoring? Your dream has come true as the British supercar maker has unveiled the convertible version of the Vanquish called the Volante, successor to the DBS Volante. Like the Vanquish, the Vanquish Volante (VV) is powered by the 6.0-litre 'AM11' V12 producing an identical 565bhp and 620Nm of torque. The engine is coupled to a 'Touchtronic 2' six-speed automatic gearbox with power sent to the rear wheels. The convertible will accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds before hitting a top speed of 295km/h. Every body panel of the VV is made of carbon fibre, which is a first for an Aston Martin convertible. The triple-skinned lightweight fabric roof will fold in just 14 seconds, sitting beneath a tonneau and deck lid. As a result of the weight-saving measures, the new model is only nine kilograms heavier than the Vanquish, weighing at 1,845 kg. The car is also 14 percent stiffer than the DBS Volante. To keep the VV on its intended course, it is loaded with features such as stability control, positive torque control and adaptive damping. Brake force is provided by 398mm Brembo carbon ceramic brakes at the front and 360mm discs at the back.
-
The first works Jaguar D-Type, OKV 1, which finished second at the 1954 Le Mans, returned to the circuit for the 90th anniversary of Le Mans last weekend in a bid to pay homage to all Jaguars that have competed in the famous event. OKV 1 was invited by the Automobile Club de l
-
Three nights stay at Conrad Tokyo comes with Lamborghini
RchLuvSlly posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] This year seems to be a really special one for the Conrad Hotel in Tokyo - which is currently commemorating its 50th anniversary. However, it seems that the executives and staff of the hotel don -
Caterham delighted by completing maiden Le Mans entry despite few hiccups
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Caterham Motorsport celebrated the completion of its maiden Le Mans 24 Hours at the La Sarthe circuit by finishing 11th place (out of 22 entries in its class) in the LMP2 category. The team came in 24th in the overall standings. Drivers Alexander Rossi, Tom Kimber-Smith and Eric Lux delivered behind the wheel of the Caterham Motorsport Zytek Z11SN-Nissan despite suspension failure and a puncture. From the lights, Kimber-Smith took the Caterham LMP2 as high as fifth place in class, before handing over to Caterham F1 reserve driver, Alexander Rossi, in his first ever Le Mans race. The American driver -
Autocar UK has taken the hot new CLA 45 AMG for a spin a few days after reviewing its cousin, the A 45 AMG. Both cars share the same all-wheel drive platform, engine and transmission. The CLA 45 AMG measures 4,630mm long, which is a significant 338mm longer than the A 45 AMG. It also carries an extra 30kg of mass as compared to the hatchback. Despite all these, Mercedes claims that the CLA 45 AMG shares the same century sprint timing and top speed as the A 45 AMG. On paper, the four-door coupe seemed as fun to drive as the A 45 AMG. So, let's hear what reviewer Steve Sutcliffe has to say from his driving experience. The CLA 45 AMG is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine which is good for 360bhp and 450Nm of max torque, making it the most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in production in the world. The engine is mated to a SPEEDSHIFT DCT seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The sprint from 0 to 100km/h takes a mere 4.6 seconds.
-
Making Formula One accessible to the general population
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
The Formula One circus will be back to outwit and outlast each other this weekend at the British Grand Prix - to take place at the iconic Silverstone circuit. But just seven days after - certain teams will return to lend their support to the Motor Sports Association's inaugural Go Motorsport Live! on the July 7th - which also happens to be the German Grand Prix. With free public access, Go Motorsport Live! has been introduced as part of National Motorsport Week (U.K.) to encourage more people to get involved in all areas of motorsport. A wide range of enthusiast motor clubs, championships, teams and other organisations will provide displays and offer advice to help newcomers get started in the sport, whether as a competitor, volunteer or spectator. So essentially it sounds like one of those open houses we have here by the Air Force or Home Team only this time its all about high octane and two pairs of wheels. Visitors to Go Motorsport Live! will not only be able to see one of the Marussia F1 Team's cars up close but they will also have the chance to win factory visits to both the Sahara Force India and Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One teams. Sahara Force India is situated opposite the entrance to Silverstone and will be offering 50 lucky visitors a unique opportunity to visit the F1 team's headquarters. There will also be a chance for four Go Motorsport Live! visitors to win a factory tour at Mercedes AMG F1 at a later date. As a further attraction to Formula One fans, Silverstone will be offering hot laps on the southern section of its Grand Prix circuit as well as tours of its imposing new Wing pits. Visitors will even be offered the chance to stand on the F1 podium. -
The garage or workshop as we know it, is usually run by men. It's a different case if you pay a visit to the garage 'Caroline's Car'. Situated in Norwich, England, this is an all-women garage (probably the first in the world, too!) that is owned and run by women. It was established a decade ago and has now received hundreds of loyal female customers. Yet, what attracts me more is how this garage started in the first place. Well, after performing some research, I figured out that the owner, Caroline Lake, 42, used to work as an intern at a common garage. She worked at the garage for four sad years during which she didn't get paid. Can you imagine it, four straight years without being paid? That sucks! However, her hard work eventually paid off as she became the first British woman to receive a legitimate tester certificate from the U.K.'s Ministry of Transport. It was the increasing number of women who complained about their experiences at the garage she was working at that inspired Lake to start her own garage. According to her, most of the time, women were deceived by men who were supposedly more knowledgeable when it comes to cars. She said that it was common for women to be told that their cars needed huge fees in order to get it repaired. Heck, even worse, male mechanics at some automotive garage even tend to try and buy longer, yet unnecessary, time in repairing a woman's car just so that they can discuss about - not the car but the woman instead - sorry, my apology in advance if what I said may have offended you. While it's discouraging, it's the truth that Lake found out. With that being said, Lake was determined to start her own garage where women will no longer be deceived and that they can have real and convenient car service experiences. Thanks to her determination and guarantee that there'll be no female customers deceived, plenty of women in her area preferred to have their car serviced at Lake's. Quite amusingly, Lake's garage, Caroline's Car, has one typical characteristic. It is mandatory that every single employee wears a pink uniform. I'll tell you what, Lake has also recruited a male mechanic who is meant to help with heavy-duty tasks that women are unlikely to carry out themselves and this male mechanic has to wear a pink uniform too. Having seen quite a huge success with her garage, Caroline Lake is now considering the possibility of offering her business as a franchise. She claims to be interested in expanding her business, at least in her home country. In fact, she has even started offering special courses and opening mechanical test centres to attract more women into the odds and ends of the automotive world.
-
For BMW fans, the highly anticipated BMW 4 Series Coupe has been revealed. The 4 Series is the successor to the current 3 Series Coupe. In the U.S.A, the 4 Series is available with two variants, namely the 428i and the 435i. Both models have an all wheel drive setup. The 420d will be available only in Europe at the moment. The 428i is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four that churns out 245bhp. With an eight-speed automatic transmission, it takes 5.8 seconds to go from 0 to 100km/h before hitting an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h. The higher-spec 435i comes with the 306bhp N55 3.0-litre engine and reaches 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds with the eight-speed automatic gearbox. The 420d will be fitted with the 184bhp four-cylinder diesel and is paired exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. The century sprint takes around 7.3 to 7.5 seconds. BMW offers three different styling packages which includes a sport package with gloss black accents, sport-tuned suspension and 18-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels; a luxury package with chrome accents, leather seats and high-gloss wood trim; an M Sport package with an aerodynamic body kit, 18-inch M-style wheels, sports suspension, high-performance brakes and M-spec interior. Before we get to see the handsome coupe live in Singapore, here are a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure.
-
Motorcyclists can finally have a navigation system too!
RchLuvSlly posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
A comprehensive navigation system has become a standard for most, if not all, of today's cars. However, the same can't be said of motorcycles, at least not yet. With that being said, a motorcyclist will have to go through all the difficulties in reading a paper map if he wants to get the right direction to where he's heading. But now, things are about to change, thanks to a Russian company. This company is planning to come up with a solution known as the LiveMap. Featuring an earphone, a microphone, a light sensor, and - the best part - a micro display, this navigation system will project directions in the form of a heads-up display, just like what we can find featured in today's fighter jets. How cool does that sound? Unlike Google Glass - which projects images on the upper right hand side, the LiveMap will project directions right on the centre of the visor of the helmet the motorcyclist is wearing. And, thanks to the light sensor, the directions on the visor will remain transparent regardless of whether it is in the day or night. I would say that this is absolutely important as it ensures safety. A digital compass and an integrated gyroscope are also in place to make sure that the motorcyclist gets the correct orientation of the projection displayed on his visor, even if he's leaning the bike or tilting his head. Wow, this is yet another cool feature to anticipate, isn't it? But then, there's another problem, what about the power supply the helmet is going to need? Well, counting on a couple of lithium-ion batteries, the Russian company behind the solution claims that the helmet is likely to last a day. However, a USB charge plug will also come in handy should the motorcyclist require extra juice. How does this augmented-reality helmet sound? Well, if you're interested, you may want to help make it become a reality as the company is currently trying to raise US$150,000 (S$191,235) via Indiegogo. That amount is required to build a prototype that should work as expected. Then, if everything goes well, one of this LiveMap helmets may demand around US$2,000 (S$2,550) from any motorcyclist interested in it. Of course, there're always chances that prices may go down, even if we may have to wait for another decade. -
2013 Skoda Octavia bags overall 2013 "Tow Car of the Year" award
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
The brand new Octavia III has won the overall 2013 "Tow Car of the Year award" in the UK. It also bagged the award for the "up to 1,424kg" category. Before I carry on, we are not talking about towing a broken-down car to the workshop but pulling a caravan. Caravanning is hugely popular in Britain. Auto Express teamed up with The Caravan Club and put 23 new cars through a series of tests to name the "Tow Car of the Year 2013". The award started just seven years ago. The Octavia that won the award is fitted with a 2.0-litre TDI that pumps out 150bhp with 320Nm of torque. Tipping the scale at 1,330kg (kerb weight), the Czech sedan is the lightest overall winner ever. The judges commented that the Skoda tows brilliantly and is extremely practical with a cargo space of 590 litres. It is good to drive and not costly to own. Most importantly, it proves that a great tow car doesn't need to be heavy, thirsty or expensive. There is no news regarding the Octavia III's availability in Singapore at the moment.