2009 LA Auto Show Coverage by Autoblog

Stuart Waterman

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Formula 1 Fans get a new e-zine

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on May 19th, 2007 at 12:26PM



Dubbed "the world's fastest Formula 1 magazine" by its publisher, auto racing's newest publication, Grand Prix +, aims to combine the visual sophistication of a print magazine with the speed of an online news source, with an issue delivered to your email in-box by 9 a.m. (UK time) the day after each Grand Prix.

The new venture by Morienval Press, a sister company of GrandPrix.com, Grand Prix + combines the in-depth race reporting of grandprix.com with feature articles and news about the sport, as well as the stunning photography of Paul-Henri Cahier. The Spanish Grand Prix issue is available for free download here.

A quick review of the Barcelona edition suggests that the Grand Prix + team still has a few bugs to work out, and the design and typography are a bit uneven, but Cahier's photography from the Barcelona race weekend more than makes up for the shortcomings. Another free issue is promised after the Monaco GP, before the e-zine shifts into profit making mode, with an annual subscription of £19.99 or a per-issue price of £1.99.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Hartley Enterprises' Haybusa-derived 2.8L V8

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on May 19th, 2007 at 11:16AM

If four's good, then eight must be better - that's the idea behind this jewel-like V8 engine built by Hartley Enterprises from two Suzuki Hayabusa four-cylinder powerplants.

The 75-degree V8 displaces 2.8 liters, weighs only 200 lb and puts out 400 hp at a window-rattling 10,000 rpm. Torque peaks at respectable 245 ft-lbs (at 7500 rpm!), although dyno runs for a 2.6 liter version show a fairly flat curve. Aside from boring out the 'busa block from 81mm to 83mm, none of the wide variety of performance enhancements available for the bike version have been applied to the HE V8, so it's safe to say we're nowhere near the performance limits of the design.

Hartley's diminutive V8 is produced to order, with the 2.8 liter version priced under $30,000, depending on options. Check out the Hartley Enterprises website for more details, including video of a dyno run with the engine installed in a Caterham 7.

Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: Hartley Enterprises]

Spy Shots: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione caught at the 'Ring

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on May 16th, 2007 at 2:56PM

Alfa Romeo's voluptuous 8C Competizione is currently undergoing the now obligatory rite of passage for any new performance car - hot-lapping the Nurburgring - and World Car Fans has spy shots of the event.

Artfully camouflaged with duct tape, the test mule carries larger wing mirrors and a front fascia with noticeably larger openings than the show car version.

The limited production coupe is slated to lead Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S. market. Trivia types will recall that the Nurburgring holds a special place in the hearts of Alfa fans as the site of Tazio Nuvolari's epic victory over Mercedes and Auto Union in the 1935 German Grand Prix. (Bonus points if you knew that Nuvolari's Alfa Romeo P3 was campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari.)

More spy shots can be seen here.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Wild Fiat concept car debuts at Istanbul Auto Show

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on Nov 9th, 2006 at 3:21PM



A star of Fiat's display at the Istanbul International Auto Show this week is this extreme show car version of its popular Grande Punto, appropriately named the Grande Punto "Radicale." Looking for all the world like a cross between a World Rally Championship contender and a DTM racecar, the Radicale exhibits every aero-tweak known to man, including a coffee table-sized front splitter, huge vented fender flares, a rooftop air intake, and a massive rear diffuser - all topped off with a huge roof-mounted wing.

More pictures here.

[Source: Italiaspeed]


Saab retro-racer takes on Mexico

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on Nov 9th, 2006 at 11:02AM


Saab is sending this classic 1960 Saab 96 rally car to Mexico to compete in the upcoming 19th running of La Carrera Panamericana, the legendary '50s open road race, since evolved into a more genteel (and less deadly) vintage car rally.

The forty-six year-old Saab, dubbed "The Pearl," will be piloted by Nicolina Hubert and Anna Sorensson (pictured), who will unleash the three-cylinder, two-stroke Saab on the Mexican roads this Friday, when the road race begins in Veracruz. You can follow their exploits here.

The diminutive Saab 96 was a rally superstar in the early '60s, winning the Monte Carlo rally outright in 1962 and 1963. In race trim, the 850 cc, 38 hp three-banger was bored out to 1000 cc and put out 90 hp, enough to motivate the 1,800 lb FWD classic at race-winning speeds back in the day.

[Source: GM]

Did Porsche, Piech punt VW CEO?

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on Nov 9th, 2006 at 7:54AM

The surprise resignation of Volkswagen CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder may have been orchestrated by VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech (grandson of Ferdinand Porsche) and major VW shareholder, Porsche.

Analysts have long speculated that Piech was grooming Audi CEO Martin Winterkorn as Pischetsrieder's replacement, while Porsche's 20-percent holding in VW saw Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking gain a seat on the VW supervisory board, alongside Porsche's CFO.

Tuesday's move has analysts speculating that Porsche may expand its influence over VW by increasing its stake enough to gain a third board seat, with some investment bankers going so far as to suggest that Porsche may attempt to buy VW outright, or to swap its stake in VW for control of Audi.

[Source: Automotive News - reg. required]

Sedan sales slump in Europe as crossovers catch buyers' eyes

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on Oct 19th, 2006 at 6:49PM

DaimlerChrysler may be a little out of step with the European market, launching its D-segment Chrysler Sebring in Europe just as the D-segment is facing an exodus of buyers. According to The Car Connection, mid-sized sedan sales in Western Europe are slumping as buyers are drawn to more versatile alternatives, particularly compact MPVs and crossover SUVs.

The Western Europe market share for sedans and hatchbacks stood at 80 percent in 1990, but by last year it had fallen to just 55 percent. In Britain, the trend is even more striking with sedan sales in the first nine months of 2006 down nearly 31 percent from the same period last year.

How bad is it? TCC reports that Nissan, which has stopped production of the D-segment Primera sedan (pictured) for the U.K. market, may not bother replacing it with a new model, steering buyers to its crossovers - the Qashqai, X-trail and Murano.

[Source: TheCarConnection.com]

Baldwin-Motion SuperSpeedster teases before SEMA

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on Oct 19th, 2006 at 8:08AM



Baldwin-Motion, long-time keepers of the Camaro flame and winners of the 2005 SEMA show's design award for Best GM Vehicle with their Camaro SuperCoupe, will be displaying a new variation on the '69 Camaro at this year's show - the SuperSpeedster.

Inside Line has a couple of teaser shots of the car, which sounds a lot like a Speedster variant of Baldwin-Motion's Phase III Camaro (the current SS-427 Speedster model is pictured above), complete with the Phase III's standard 540 cu.in. big-block and its optional Kinsler fuel-injection. With 600 hp of motivation and full independent suspension, you can expect performance to be, um, adequate. We're guessing the price to be at least the equal of the Phase III's $189,000.

Nothing official for the SuperSpeedster on Baldwin-Motion's website yet, but the full specs for the current SS-427 and Phase III models will give you a good idea of what to expect.

[Source: Inside Line]

How to sell 50 BMWs in 92 seconds

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on Oct 19th, 2006 at 7:32AM

The BMW M6 convertible may be capable of 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, but luxury retailer Neiman Marcus found out Wednesday that the German drop-top is nearly as quick off the showroom floor, as it sold its entire stock of 50 limited edition M6 convertibles in a record-breaking 92 seconds.

The Neiman Marcus edition M6, the star of NM's 2006 Christmas Book, features a custom Ruby Black exterior finish accented with Piano Black trim elements, and power sports seats wrapped in a custom Gold Brown shade of supple BMW Individual Merino leather.

At $139,000 each, the ever-so-special BMWs rang the register at a rate of $75,543 per second, if only for a minute and a half.

[Source: BMW]

Nuccio Bertone inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame

by Stuart Waterman (RSS feed) on Oct 18th, 2006 at 7:47PM



Legendary designer Nuccio Bertone (1914-1997) has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit, taking his place alongside other automotive icons, including Henry Ford, Giovanni Agnelli, Louis Renault and the Michelin brothers.

The Hall of Fame citation accompanying the award reads, in part, "For the influence he has had on car design, for having discovered and encouraged some of the world's best designers, for having contributed to the car industry for decades and for having created some of the best cars around, the Automotive Hall of Fame is proud to include Nuccio Bertone among its members." His tremendous impact on the design community has been honored by many other awards, including honorary doctorates from the Art Center College of Design and Turin Polytechnic, and induction into the European Automotive Hall of Fame in Geneva.

The Bertone Group traces its roots back to 1912, when Giovanni Bertone, then aged 28, opened a workshop specialising in the construction and repair of horse-drawn carriages. In 1914 Giuseppe, the second son in the Bertone family, was born. Everyone took to calling him Nuccio, a nickname which stayed with him for the rest of his life, and become synonymous with Italian style throughout the world. After his death in 1997, Nuccio Bertone was described by Fulvio Cinti, motoring journalist and automotive historian, as "one of the greatest coachbuilders of the century, and international Maestro of Italian style." One of the many seminal designs originating from Stile Bertone was the famous Lancia Stratos 0, shown above. Incredibly, the Stratos 0, which Bertone originally named the Stratoline, debuted nearly four decades ago in 1970.

[Source: Bertone via Car Body Design]

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