Event Alert: March Calendar of Automotive Events

Besides the gradual thawing of most of the country, March means the beginning of the Formula One season as well as Sebring, the Geneva Motor Show, the Amelia Island Concours, and NASCAR ramping up to full speed.

Those events alone would be enough to sate even the healthiest automotive appetites, but there's plenty more going on in the motoring world. As always, we tried to list the highlights as well as a few smaller events that we hope will be of interest to you. Feel free to use the comments section to add or modify listings.
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More on TAC Motors' Stark raving awesome Brazilian bomber in Video

It's not the love child of a Smart Fortwo and a Jeep Wrangler -- it's the TAC Motors Stark 4X4. While we're not entirely sold on the looks of its four-piece composite shell, this off-roader is now aequipped to handle whatever terrain you might happen to encounter.

Previously available with an ethanol-burning Volkswagen engine, power now comes from a 2.3-liter turbodiesel making 220 lb-ft of torque. It's mated to a five-speed synchronized transmission that sends power through a Borg Warner transfer case back to a stout Dana 44 rear axle. A set of skidplates looks to keep it all protected.
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First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Once again, this time-honored dictum is proving true as pickup trucks regain their rightful place at the top of the U.S. sales charts following a precipitous fall from grace last summer.

As you've undoubtedly noticed, the cost of gasoline has dropped to a more manageable level, with an average gallon of regular-grade fuel going for half the price it was less than a year ago. So is it back to business as usual? Not quite. As we found out (again) in 2008, the volatile nature of gasoline stocks means that the market price for a barrel of crude can and will change on a whim. Does anyone really think fuel is going to stay cheaper than bottled water forever? Not likely.

However, America's love affair with the pickup truck will continue to burn bright even though the status quo is changing. All vehicles, regardless of type, must travel more miles on each gallon of gasoline. Enter GM's latest duo of fuel-saving pickups: the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrids.


These two workhorses were first announced at the LA Auto Show in late 2007, though the 2009 editions are just now beginning to show up at dealerships across the country. For the new model year, GM has made a few tweaks to its range of heavy haulers, most notably switching to a new set of hydraulic body mounts to compensate for the extra weight of the large battery pack. Are there any good reasons to consider these hybrid trucks over their highly-respected standard siblings? To find out, we strapped ourselves behind the wheel of each, followed a route through the streets of San Antonio, Texas, and recorded our mileage along the way.
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Geneva Debut: Sportec SPR1 M with 858hp

Sportec with an update on the above SPR1: the SPR1M. This car is 3 seconds from 0 to 100!


The sprint from 0-200 is perhaps even more impressive, it does the SPR1 in 8.6 seconds! Perhaps the SPR1M that take? The available power is 858 hp with a max torque of 880 Nm. Sportec will next week unveil the car at the Geneva car show, then it will also be shown the Autorai (April). The SPR1M is based on the 997 Turbo and completely rebuilt by hand using a lot of carbon. To ensure exclusivity, only 10 copies made.


The Sportec SPR1 continued in 2007 the second time down to Nardo, there was achieved a top speed of 378 km / h. The SPR1M this should increase to 390 km / h.
via autoblog



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Hot News: GM Would Sell Opel to Save it

General Motors is willing to give up as much 50 per cent of its stake in Opel if it helps its subsidiary to agree a rescue deal with the German government.
Opel needs €3.3bn (£2.9bn) in aid and loans to stay in business, according to company boss Carl-Peter Forster. Reports say that Opel is talking to the Spanish and UK governments, as well as the German Federal government, about aid.
Opel’s management has concluded that it needs to become semi-detached from GM in order to convince EU governments to underwrite bailout loans.
GM has owned Opel since 1929 but reports suggest that if the firm does become semi-independent, it may have to start paying license fees to GM for the use of the new Epsilon 2 and Delta platforms, as well as engine technology.
Opel says it can begin repaying the loans by 2014, after returning to profitability in 2011. The company cannot survive without funds from owner General Motors, but these have come to a halt as the US giant struggles to stay solvent. American government loans to GM cannot be used to prop up its overseas operations.
Opel is also submitting its business plan to the four different German states in which it has factories. Sources say that the car maker hopes that one of them might take a stake in Opel in the same way that the state of Lower Saxony owns a 20 per cent stake in VW.
Opel did not make an official comment on plant closures this afternoon, though they are under consideration, particularly the Eisenach (which it has offered to Daimler) and Bochum plants in Germany, and a factory in Antwerp.

Vauxhall’s plant in Ellesmere Port appears to be safe as long as the rescue deal can be pulled off.
However, one source told Autocar that Opel management had calculated the potential savings that would come from using the Opel brand across the whole of Europe. Although these savings were described as "substantial", dropping the Vauxhall badge is not currently on the agenda.

Thanks to: Autocar

Hot News: Ferrari Readies Two New 599 XX and 599 HGTE

In a surprise move, Ferrari will reveal not one but two modified versions of the front-engined 599 GTB Fiorano at Geneva. To sharpen up the V12 super-coupe’s responses further, a Handling GT Evoluzione (HGTE) package will be offered as an aftermarket addition or a factory-fit option.Details are scarce at this point but enhancements are likely to include more track-focused rubber, lighter alloys, stiffened suspension and lashings of carbon-fibre in the cabin. A new triple-layer metallic Rosso paint job will help mark it out from the standard model, although the monster 612bhp engine should remain untouched.Even more intriguing though is the 599XX – an experimental prototype stuffed with Ferrari’s latest F1 technology. Unfortunately only a handful of select customers will be invited to drive the vehicle, designed to help research future road-cars. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

New Car: 2010 Vauxhall Astra and Corsa VX Racing SE

Vauxhall is revving up for the 2009 BTCC season with a pair of race-inspired special editions. Both the Corsa and Astra VXR have received a makeover in celebration of Vauxhall’s unprecedented success in the 2008 championship, where it scooped the drivers’, manufacturers’ and team trophies.Known as the Corsa and Astra VX Racing Editions, each is finished in red and black – Vauxhall’s team colours – and gain full leather Recaros as standard. Other additions include tinted rear glass, black rear diffusers and VX Racing logos on the B-pillars and scuff plates. To finish the look off there’s a set of gloss black alloys – 18-inch for the Corsa, 19-inch for the Astra.And finally, to ensure they don’t just look like touring cars, but sound like them too, an optional Remus exhaust system can be added for £410 on the Corsa and £720 on the Astra – boosting power by up to 19bhp. A combined run of just 888 models will be produced – coinciding with the name of Triple Eight Engineering, who build and prepare all the VX Racing Cars. You can order your Corsa or Astra VX Racing Edition now for £17,425 and £21,445 respectively. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

New Concept Car: Magna Steyr Mila

Adding another economical vehicle to the long line forming at the Geneva Motor Show, Magna Steyr will debut its Mila EV concept, Automotive News reports. The Austrian parts supplier and automobile manufacturer doesn’t plan to sell the vehicle as shown, but intends to use the Mila as a sales piece for its technology expertise.
Magna, which produces the BMW X3 and Chrysler 300C, designed the Mila with flexibility in mind. As a result, the chassis allows for multiple powertrains and drive configurations. In Geneva trim, a 67-hp electric motor powers the four-door hatchback to a range of just below 100 miles. Its lithium-ion battery recharges in just 2.5 hours.

Spied: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Relax, Cadillac fans. As we surmised, General Motors’ decision to shutter its High-Performance Vehicle Operations will not leave the highly anticipated V-badged CTS coupe stillborn. While the Detroit automaker’s financial problems have pushed the shapely two-door CTS’s rollout back a year to 2010, as well as prompted the discontinuation of the XLR roadster, these spy images reveal that the car’s development has progressed substantially since we last saw a camouflaged mule running around last summer.
Photographed in near-production form (notice the tape over the V-series badges), this CTS-V coupe clearly displays the bulging bodywork, wire mesh grille, bigger brakes, and larger wheels and tires of the current V-series CTS sedan. Also visible are dual center-exiting exhaust pipes, which are expected to expel gases from the same 556-hp, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 found in the four-door. Six-speed manual and automatic transmissions and a more-sporting interior will be part of the package as well, with the upgrades allowing the vehicle to take over the brand’s high-performance-flagship role from the XLR-V.
Production of the CTS-V coupe in Lansing, Michigan, should start next summer shortly after that of the regular V-6 model, with pricing expected to be in the $65K neighborhood. It’s unclear if the coupe will introduce any new features to the CTS-V range, but Cadillac officials have said before that an adjustable traction-control system—developed in conjunction with the Speed World Challenge CTS-V race car—might be added in the future. What’s also unclear is if this vehicle will be the last of the V-badged Cadillacs, as the HPVO team that nurtured the beast—and numerous other tire-melting GM cars—has been reassigned to other GM projects more focused on fuel economy and turning a healthy profit.

Geneva Preview: Porsche Cayenne Diesel gets the TechArt Treatment

For some reason, Porsche tuner TechArt has decided to release an exclusive aerokit for the recently introduced Cayenne diesel used Audi-derived, 240-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 TDI engine. Although less extreme than the company's other adjustment package, accessorized Cayenne diesel certainly come to the fore.

TechaArt the Aero package includes a pre-spoiler with additional lights, side skirts, roof spoiler, a tailgate on the proliferation and integrated headlights / tail light decoration. All the components are from high quality polyurethane RIM Corporation.


Package to be complemented by a set of 21 inch alloy wheels 295/35 tires continental tires, but buyers can also choose 22-inch alloys. If your pockets can handle it, TechArt also provides a wide range of internal upgrades, including a new steering wheel, alloy pedals, and the full leather treatment.





via:carscoop



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Report: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-class convertible unveiled at Frankfurt

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-class coupe and convertible enough to clearly indicate that these two cars close to a statement. The coupe will bow next month in Geneva, according to Edmonds' inside the roadster will debut this autumn in Frankfurt, in line with market expectations.


It's official: E-class coupe and convertible models will replace the clock. Tire specifications convertible is still a possibility on the basis of the test found in the prototype, but the soft-top was inevitable. By a modified two door sedan version of the chassis, longer wheelbase and more interior space than the outgoing clock. The roadster is expected to share the same power system can be in sports.


What are these? Ah, Mercedes's first direct injection four-cylinder engine is based on power, 1.8 liters turbocharged unit of decision-making 204 horsepower. Ah four common-rail diesel power can also be, but neither the four-cylinder (designated E250 CGI and ignition of gasoline and diesel models, respectively) is expected to make it to North America. American will have to content with the E350 Coupe and Cabriolet 231 hp 3.0 liters V6 engine. V8 engine provides the E500. Of course, the high power of the AMG version are inevitable; expected 500-horsepower AMG or if shoehorns its 6.2 liters V8 engine, the engine E-Class sedans Bay.


Other progress will be found a similar high-tech E - Class sedan, including revised Command System PRE - SAFE braking and a driver assist system detects drowsiness attention.

Please note: Photos are included in this article was originally published February 11, 2009.
Source:World Car Fans



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New rules do not halt F1 innovation

F1's new bodywork rules may have brought an end to a lot of the cars' overt aerodynamic detail, but it has not halted the innovation of the teams

At the winter test tracks so far, plenty of clever features are on display, including Williams and Toyota's controversial rear diffuser designs

Sam Michael, Williams, technical director, said on Thursday he expects "50 per cent of the grid" to have honed-in on the idea by the time late March and the Australian grand prix roll around

Also spotted recently is a new design of carbon-fibre front wheel covers on the 2009 McLaren

Described as a sort of "snorkel" by the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the innovation is expected to be fitted to the MP4-24 in Australia

Meanwhile, on Williams' 2009-spec FW31 at the Grove factory on Thursday, reporters could not miss the addition of new fins on the cockpit

"They're called 'skate fins' because they're similar to what you see on a surfboard," Australian Michael said
Source: GMM



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Mercedes-Benz Extends G-Class Production Until 2015

The "Highlander" of the automobile industry, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class that has been in production since the spring of 1979, will continue to live on for at least six more years as Daimler AG has signed an agreement with Magna Steyr to produce the robust off-roader at the company's plant in Graz, Austria until 2015. In the 30 years that the G-Class has been in production, Mercedes-Benz has sold around 200,000 examples of the vehicle worldwide.


To celebrate the G-Class' 30-th anniversary, Mercedes-Benz recently launched two special edition versions of the rugged off-roader called EDITION30 and EDITION30.PUR



via:carscoop




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Button agrees to slash 2009 retainer

Jenson Button has agreed to cut his 2009 retainer in half as the Honda team survives the withdrawal of the Japanese manufacturer.

A management buyout headed by Ross Brawn has apparently been green-lighted by the carmaker's Tokyo board, but it will mean a drastically reduced budget this season.

The Daily Telegraph in Britain claims up to 300 of the 700 Brackley based staff will be shed, while 29-year-old Button voluntarily cuts his contracted $15m salary for this season in two.

Some of the Brackley staff, however, are reportedly unhappy with the Brawn buyout and prepared to strike.

If Honda had folded the team, the manufacturer would have dished out healthy severance packages, while under the Brawn deal, many staff will still be shed but not compensated as handsomely.

Those surviving the job cuts face pay cuts, the Telegraph added.


Source: GMM

TechArt Porsche 997 Facelift Program for 2009 4S Cabriolet

TECHART has a new tuning programme for the 2009 Porsche Carrera 4S Cabriolet. These modifications can best be seen live at the Geneva Motor Show at the beginning of next week. The aero kit comprises of a front spoiler which blends in with the front bumper and side sills that widen the car's already wide stance. Moreover a rear diffuser and a wing profile add to the visual appeal.


Other decorative details are headlight and mirror trims, a carbon fiber roof spoiler and air vents that are integrated into the front apron.
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Geneva preview：TechArt Magnum based on Cayenne Turbo

Tuning firm TechArt will use the Geneva Motor Show to introduce their new Magnum, which is based on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.


In terms of performance, the Magnum features a T2.2 tuning package which increases the engine's output to 680 hp (500 kW) and 900 Nm of torque. 0-100 km/h takes just 4.2 seconds while the vehicle's top speed is a healthy 308 km/h. Other performance changes include a reworked suspension module that allows the car to sit 30mm lower than a standard Cayenne Turbo S and a variety of wheels that are available in sizes from 20 to 23 inches.


In order to help the Magnum standout, TechArt added a new front apron which features massive air intakes and plenty of chrome detailing. The company also included new fenders and sill panels, a rear apron with an integrated diffuser, two stainless steel double-flow exhaust pipes, and enough LED lighting to illuminate a small town.


Despite the rather questionable exterior, the cabin is luxurious enough to win rave reviews from just about anyone. It features an exclusive de Sede interior which covers virtually every surface in premium leather and rear passengers get individual seats that are separated by a new center console.

More Photos




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More Details and Images for Perana Z

When Basil Green squeezed a 5l Ford Windsor V8 into the venerable Capri 40 years ago he created the Perana legend. Now the name is about to make a return in dashing supercar style.

Low volume performance car enthusiasts will be well acquainted with the skills of Port Elizabeth based Hi Tech Automotive, under the leadership of Jimmy Price, renowned for building the Noble supercar range bodies.

Team Perana vision

Jimmy has always hankered after the idea of producing a home-grown supercar. At the Geneva motor show next week this dream will finally take a step closer to tangible reality with the unveiling of the Perana Z-one.


Made for real driving

Framing the otherworldly bodywork is a traditional 60s F1 car tubular and box section chassis. Suspending the Z-one, on both axles, is an unequal length double-wishbone set-up with Eibach springs and Blistein dampers controlling rebound.


Dream come true?

Jimmy Price intends the Perana Z-one to be a limited production model (as are all Zagato-inspired sports cars), with factory capacity in Port Elizabeth not to exceed 999 cars during a yearly production cycle. If they sell such numbers, Hi Tech Automotive could probably balance the Eastern Cape budget - for a change.


more detail. ...




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Geneva Debut: 2009 Renault Megane Sport Tourer...

2009 Renault Megane Sport Tourer Estate While sharing the same front-end styling with the new Megane hatchback models, the station wagon variant features a distinct rear-end design with split tail lights. Compared to the outgoing Megane estate, the new Sport Tourer features a 'swoopier' and lower roofline that offers the car a more dynamic appearance than its predecessor, but this could also mean that it is less practical.



Don't expect any surprises under the hood as the Sport Tourer will be offered with same gasoline and diesel unit as the hatchback. The petrol engine range will include 100HP and 110HP 1.6-liter units, a 140HP 2.0-liter and the turbocharged 130HP 1.4TCe and 180HP 2.0TCe. Diesel options will include 1.5 dCi 85HP, 90 HP, 105 HP and 110 HP units along with more powerful 130 HP, 150HP and 160 HP variants.


The next-generation Renault Megane Sport Tourer - you can simply call it an estate or a station wagon- has been scooped without a single trace of camouflage ahead of its world premiere at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show. Caught by our friends over at the Auto Hoje forums, the 2009 Megane Sport Tourer was discovered in the city of Lisbon in Portugal during a filming for an advertising campaign.



via carscoop



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