Let us start the last day of the working week by watching a video featuring Captain Slow and the first supercar, the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing.
Author: yoann besnard
Let’s start the week with a video
Close-up pictures of Nissan GT-R
The British weekly car magazine Autocar has released close-up pictures of the long-awaited Nissan GT-R that will be officially launched at the next Tokyo motor show in October. Nissan had the audacity to show a disguised GT-R at Goodwood Festival of Speed officialy sponsored by none other than Toyota.Thanks to Autocar we can have a look on the inside. Do not expect any fun from this interior. Like its predecessors, the GT-R is best described as a body around a terrific engine sitting on a very efficient platform. The only thing unusual about the car’s interior is the speedometer’s needle, which starts on the right. On it, the speed limit is displayed as 211mph/340 km/h. Like its target competitor, the Porsche 911 Turbo, a large rev counter dominates the instrument panel.
According to the Japanese car magazine Best Car, customers will have a choice of three versions which will all share the same engine: a turbocharged version of Nissan’s new 3.7-litre V6. The standard version will have around 450 bhp and will cost £27,700/€41,000/$56,000 on the Japanese market; the V Spec will get 480 bhp and will cost around £33,800/€50,000/$68,000; the most powerful, called Evolution, will be sold at £50,700/€75,000/$102,300 and will offer 530 bhp like the Porsche 911 GT2.
Mazda 2 MPS
MPS is for Mazda what AMG is for Mercedes: a label for sporty models. It is thus no surprise that Mazda engineers are currently working on a Mazda 2 MPS. The current biggest engine, 1.5 litres, will be replaced by a turbocharged 2 litre. The power output will be 230 bhp and torque will reach 231 lb-ft.Being sold from today in Japan, the carmaker has big expectations for its new baby that will share the global platform B2e with the next Ford Fiesta. It expects to sell 130,000 cars per year, of which 60,000 wil be sold in Japan.
The cumulative sales for the previous model launched in 1996 and redesigned in 2002 reached 1.04 million units.
Peugeot comes back to the USA?
The success of the C-Crosser on the British market has caused the media to speculate on further cooperations between Mitsubishi and PSA. While some rumours concern a Citroën pick up based on the Mitsubishi L200, other insiders report the possible return of Peugeot saloons on the American market thanks to Mitsubishi’s presence there.This is not the first time that such a rumour has circulated. In 2000, it was said that Peugeot was thinking of exporting the Peugeot 607 onto American soil. Even though Jean-Martin Folz, PSA CEO denied the rumour at the time, Peugeot was conducting many surveys on how and what to launch in the USA. In 2004 Peugeot took a further step by launching a redesigned 607 that satisfied American regulations.
The first car that could be launched is the future 408 that will succeed the current 407 around 2011-2012. The saloon could be produced in the Mitsubishi’s Illinois plant but only sold in South America according to insiders. This is hard to believe when Peugeot already has a plant in Argentina. It makes sense to sell the future 408 in the USA if the car is being built there.
However, instead of the Peugeot cars PSA should sell Citroën, which still has a strong brand image thanks to iconic models like the DS or SM. The Citroën even won a design award in New York in 2005.
Insiders also say that PSA is reluctant to enter the US market due to the poor image of France in America, linked to the former’s refusal to support the US-led invasion of Iraq.
C63 AMG: it is official.
Here are the first official picture of the C63 AMG and the least you can say is that it is a naughty car! With the C Class, Mercedes makes its revolution, more so than with any past models. The C63 AMG is aggressive and straight to the point, making use of the V8 6.2 litre already used in the bigger AMGs.
But, like good German girl, the C 63 AMG respects the hierarchy and offers less power than her elder sisters. Instead of 500 bhp/507 hp, the atmospheric engine produces 450 bhp/457 hp at 6800 rpm. That is still 30 bhp/30 hp more than the Audi RS4 and Bmw M3. The torque is in the same vein with 442 lb ft/600 Nm at 6000 rpm.
With such an engine, the C63 AMG runs 0-60mph in 4.5s, 0.3s less than its rivals but like them is still limited at 155 mph. The eight-cylinder is coupled with a seven speed automatic gearbox, dubbed AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic. The gearbox has three driving modes: Sport, Comfort and Manual.Other photos
Despite a gloomy future, Jaguar is continuing to develop its unique new model, the XF, previewed at the last Detroit motor show. With the new XF, Jaguar gives the old British empire image up in order to adopt a German sporty spirit that meets with success in the biggest markets in the world. So, is there any better way to woe the public than offering a XFR that will produce 500 bhp/507 hp?Under the hood this hot feline will have a supercharged 5 litre V8 unit that will produce 500 bhp/507 hp and a torque close to 500 lb ft/678 Nm. The engine will be shared with the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport SUVs. With such an engine, the XFR will probably run the 0-60mph in less than 5 seconds, a good figure to declare war to the German clique! Unfortunately, if we take into account the power escalation led by Audi, perhaps 493 bhp/500 hp will not be enough.
Officially launched at the next Frankfurt motor show in September, the XF will be available with a choice of 2.7-litre V6 diesel, 3.0-litre V6 petrol, 4.2-litre V8 petrol and supercharged 4.2-litre V8 power. No information has been given regarding the rumoured 4 cylinder engine.
2009 Mercedes E Class
Here are some renderings of the next Mercedes E-Class due to be launched in 2009, made by Auto Motor und Sport magazine. Known internally as the W212, the saloon will be revealed at the 2009 Geneva motor show while the estate will be launched at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.For Mercedes the challenge is to make the E-Class more appealing than the current model without encroaching upon the CLS battlefield, the four door coupé segment. The car will probably be a mix of a Mercedes C-Class and Mercedes CLS. Like the CLS , it will have a curved roof and will draw inspiration from the C-Class’ general design. However it will differentiate itself from both models by adopting unique headlamps. Say goodbye to the circular headlamps used by the curent model and say hello to new angular headlamps.
On the inside, it is reported that the C-Class will inherit a dashboard that mixes the luxury of the S-Class and the sportiness of the C-Class.
Under the hood, the car will get the usual family engine range made up of V6 and V8 engines. Expect to see the future E63 AMG reach 542 bhp/550 hp.
Twingo 2 CC
According to the weekly French car magazine Auto Plus, Renault will display a Twingo II convertible at the next Geneva Motorshow in March 2008. The car will be sold a few months later at the competitive price of around £10,000/€15,000/$20,000.
Based on the idea of the Wind Concept car introduced at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show, the Twingo II CC will be a two-seater convertible and will compete with the tiny Daihatsu Copen and the Opel Tigra TwinTop. Unlike the latter, which a retractable hardtop, the Twingo will have a folding roof like Fioravanti’s concept cars and the Ferrari 575 Superamerica.
The car will not be built on the Twingo’s assembly lines in Slovenia, but in Renault Sport factory based in Dieppe, Northern France, where Renault usually assembles small volume cars.
According to Auto Plus, Renault could put? the small 1.2 litre engine that produces 99 bhp/100 hp under the hood but in a boosted form that will produce 118 bhp/120 hp.Source: Auto Plus
Chrysler recalls 80,894 Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro
Chrysler announced it will recall 80,894 Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro models in the USA to correct a defect that could cause the engine to stall. Chrysler said the recall would allow dealers to reprogram the power module. This will eliminate the potential for a brief interruption of electrical power to the instrument panel and the engine.According to the carmaker, power interruption could lead to an engine stall, but the engine would restart if the vehicle was running. Chrysler decided to recall the cars after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started an investigation in May. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had received 180 complaints regarding an engine stall occuring on the Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro models.
Passat CC
In its last issue, the German weekly magazine Automobilwoche provides further information regarding the mysterious and long-awaited Passat CC. Internally known as the CC or I/O 511, the 4 doors coupé will be sold in May 2008 after a preview at the next Detroit motor show.According to Automobilwoche, the saloon will have a large engine range from the 1.8 TSI engine producing 160 hp/158 bhp to the powerful V6 FSI 3.6 litre with all-wheel-drive producing 300 hp/296 bhp. The entry level will be sold at £20,000/€30,000/$41,000 whereas the top of the range will cost £27,000/€40,000/$54,000. A diesel engine will also be available and take the form of a 2 litre TDi producing 140 hp/138 bhp. It will start at £22,000/€32,000/$46,000. The prices may appear low but the Phaeton’s failure taught Volkswagen that it cannot sell a car at just any price. Furthermore, it does not want its new saloon to compete with the future Audi A7.
Unlike the Passat, the new Saloon is not based on the Golf VI platform but on that of the Audi A6. Therefore, it will be longer than the Passat at 193”/4.90 m.
