Volkswagen Polo named 2010 European Car of the Year

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/PxmlC)
Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Volkswagen

2010 Volkswagen Polo - Click above for high-res image gallery

It can be a bit overwhelming when every magazine and their various editions pick their own Car of the Year each annum. Fortunately, the Europeans have it together. Literally.

Every year, seven of the continent's biggest car mags - each from a different country and in a different language - get together and jointly choose the European Car of the Year. The process is exhaustive, first identifying the candidates in the summer, then whittling it down to a shortlist of nominees in the fall before selecting their one winner for the year in the winter. And with temperatures dropping everywhere on this side of the equator and the new year fast approaching, the time has come once again.

For 2010, the jurists have selected the new Volkswagen Polo as their Car of the Year. The fifth-gen VW hatch beat out some stiff competition from the Citroen C3 Picaso, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Opel/Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 3008, Skoda Yeti and Toyota iQ. It was a close race, the Toyota coming in a narrow second with 337 points to the Polo's 347. The Astra took third place by a wide margin at 221 points.

It's the first time a Volkswagen has won the award in some 17 years and only the second time Wolfsburg's taken the prize home in the forty-five years since the jury first sat. Sister company Audi has also won the award twice (for the 1973 Audi 80 and 1983 Audi 100), and Porsche once (for the 1978 Porsche 928).

Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Polo

[Source: CarOfTheYear.org]

Volkswagen Polo named 2010 European Car of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST.





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Geiger continues excessive use of bright paint, boost with 790-horsepower Ford GT

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/inEx6)
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Ford

Geiger Ford GT HP790 - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Geiger, the German tuner with a fascination with American performance cars, generally produces modified vehicles in not-so-subtle and "look at me!" variations. This Ford GT encompasses both varietys, with plenty of performance upgrades to boot. Geiger has previously modified the Blue Oval's retro supercar and ended up with impressive results - 701 horsepower, 617 lb-ft torque, and 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds.

This latest version takes it one step further, and the 5.4-liter V8 now produces 790 horsepower and 637 lb-ft torque thanks to a larger 4.0-liter supercharger that replaces the stock 2.3-liter unit as well as a larger throttle body and a new air filter. Geiger claims the same 0-100 km/h time of 3.5 seconds, probably limited by traction, but top speed has been stretched to 223 mph. Hit the jump for more details on this lime green beast and browse through the high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: Geiger Ford GT HP790

[Source: GeigerCars.de]

Continue reading Geiger continues excessive use of bright paint, boost with 790-horsepower Ford GT

Geiger continues excessive use of bright paint, boost with 790-horsepower Ford GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:58:00 EST.



Vogtland Suspension USA features high quality products manufactured by Vogtland, such as Audio Spring Kits, Audio Suspension Kits, Height Adjustable Coilovers, Sport Spring Kits, Sport Suspension Kits, Junior Suspension Kits and DONK Lift Kits. In addition they are paired up with Koni Sport Dampers, Koni Sport Valving, TokicoD-spec Dampers and Tokico HTS Dampers for the ultimate suspension product on the market today. Visit our store for great deals and savings from an Authorized Vogtland Dealer.

Brabus tweaks the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Ig06n)
Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Misc. Auto Shows

Don't have enough money for Brabus to swap out the V8 in your E63 AMG for a V12? Not to worry. Today at the Essen Motor Show, the German tuner officially launched its B63 S performance package for 6.2-liter V8 in the four-door Benz. The upgrade consists of dual "sport" air filters, high-flow catalytic converters, and revised program for the engine and results in a 30 horsepower increase.

Brabus is also offering other modifications for the E63 AMG as well, including a carbon fiber aero kit, wheels in 18 to 20-inch sizes, and various interior trim pieces like stainless-steel scuff plates, a new 225 mph speedometer, and wood or carbon fiber inlays. For the most part ,we'd skip the visual bits and stick with the engine upgrades. Hit the jump for full details in press release, or check out the high-res gallery below courtesy of Brabus.

Gallery: 2010 Brabus B63 S

[Source: Brabus]

Continue reading Essen 2009: Brabus tweaks the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

Essen 2009: Brabus tweaks the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:44:00 EST.

Vogtland Suspension USA features high quality products manufactured by Vogtland, such as Audio Spring Kits, Audio Suspension Kits, Height Adjustable Coilovers, Sport Spring Kits, Sport Suspension Kits, Junior Suspension Kits and DONK Lift Kits. In addition they are paired up with Koni Sport Dampers, Koni Sport Valving, TokicoD-spec Dampers and Tokico HTS Dampers for the ultimate suspension product on the market today. Visit our store for great deals and savings from an Authorized Vogtland Dealer.

Chevron staging a comeback with new GR8

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/woqie)
Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, UK, Specialty, MISC

The history of the British automobile is littered with dozens upon dozens of small, independent cottage-industry automakers. Names like Lotus, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Land Rover have stood the test of time. And in recent years companies like Ascari, McLaren Automotive and Ariel have sprung up to join the fold. (Heck, Lee Noble's been responsible for half of them.) But for every new automaker that sets up shop in the UK, there are dozens more that have faded into the night: carmakers like Triumph, Sunbeam, AC, Austin-Healey and TVR. But one is making a comeback.

Founded by Derek Bennett in 1965, Chevron Cars produced more than 60 distinct racing cars over the course of its history. But the Lancaster-based automaker has long since faded into obscurity. The marque now belongs to Westfield Sportscars, purveyors of Lotus 7 continuation cars, which is now preparing to bring back the Chevron with the design you see here.

The new Chevron GR8 is being developed as the spiritual successor to the original G8, a lightweight mid-engine race car built in the late '60s. The new car follows the same formula: a fiberglass body over a steel spaceframe with a 255hp 2.0-liter Cosworth engine mounted right in the middle. That might not sound like a lot of power, but the target curb weight of 1,322 pounds promises to keep the power to weight ratio on the fun side.

Chevron is planning an initial run of 20 examples, each to be sold for £49,500 (about $82k). They'll all be earmarked towards the GR8 Challenge, a new one-make racing series. After that, Chevron plans to turn the GR8 into a track-day special available for public consumption, but does not plan to make a road-going version. Which is a shame, because as many that spring up every so many years, we never get tired of British sportscars.

[Source: Chevron via PistonHeads]

Chevron staging a comeback with new GR8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:01:00 EST.

Vogtland Suspension USA features high quality products manufactured by Vogtland, such as Audio Spring Kits, Audio Suspension Kits, Height Adjustable Coilovers, Sport Spring Kits, Sport Suspension Kits, Junior Suspension Kits and DONK Lift Kits. In addition they are paired up with Koni Sport Dampers, Koni Sport Valving, TokicoD-spec Dampers and Tokico HTS Dampers for the ultimate suspension product on the market today. Visit our store for great deals and savings from an Authorized Vogtland Dealer.

BMW continues curtailing racing programs

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/TCKQw)
Filed under: Motorsports, BMW

BMW 320si WTCC, BMW-Sauber F1.07 and Formula BMW FB02 - Click above for high-res image gallery

What would BMW be without racing? We could be about to find out if recent developments are any indication. The Bavarian automaker competed in F1, the World Touring Car Championship and various sportscar series, while running its own Formula BMW feeder series that has helped breed such talents as Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. The automaker announced its withdrawal from Formula One at the end of this year, and reports now indicate that they'll be severely curtailing their participation in the World Touring Car Championship as well.

BMW mounted a concerted comeback effort in the WTCC this year, only to narrowly lose out again to SEAT. Whether the decision is directly related to the upset or not is unclear, but reports out of Europe say that BMW will be reducing the number of its cars in the championship next year from five to two. That means eliminating the national teams system it had in place, consolidating and putting its WTCC-spec 320si in the hands of Team Schnitzer (the erstwhile BMW Team Germany), which gains triple champion Andy Priaulx from BMW Team UK to partner with multiple race winner Augusto Farfus. Two-time CART champion and double amputee Alex Zanardi, who was racing for BMW Team Italy-Spain, is moving to the Superstars Series. (Touring car fans should also note that SEAT's 2008 champion Yvan Muller is moving to Chevrolet to replace the retiring former F1 driver Nicola Larini.)

What remains to be seen is whether BMW will continue cutting its racing activities in other series as well, or if they'll have cut enough expenditures from their F1 and WTCC programs to let its sportscar programs and Formula BMW survive the cutbacks.

Gallery: BMW 320si WTCC

[Source: OmniAuto.it]

BMW continues curtailing racing programs originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:02:00 EST.




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Spy Shots: New BMW 6 Series cabrio caught, reveals no more flying buttresses

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Rw6SU)
Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, BMW, Luxury

It looks like the lakes around Arvidsjaur Sweden have frozen early this year and the engineers from Munich have hit the ice already. The current generation BMW 6 Series has been one of the company's more controversial designs of the past decade, along with the previous-generation 7 Series and Z4. Like most of the rest of the lineup, it will be getting a re-work in the not-too-distant future, and judging from some new photos, it will be following a similar design direction to other recent introductions.

It looks like the bustle back trunk lid (a.k.a. "The Bangle Butt") is being given the heave-ho, although the convertible that was spotted looks like it might be sporting a two-piece rear lid similar to the 5 Series Gran Turismo. It also appears as though there are two cut-lines, the lower one being the one that goes along the side to open for the top to go up and down. The second smaller one higher up might be just for cargo access.

Another element that some will be to see go are the flying buttresses on the top. Thankfully, it appears that BMW has decided to avoid the unnaturally long rear deck that would come with a hard top and retained the fabric variety. At the front, the 6 gets a more vertical grille and headlights that look much like the Z4.

Underhood, the current 4.8-liter V8 will probably be replaced by the newer 4.4-liter twin-turbo and the six-cylinder will probably be the new 300-horsepower single turbo unit just announced for the 5 Series.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Spy Shots: New BMW 6 Series cabrio caught, reveals no more flying buttresses originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:56:00 EST.




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Spy Shots: Elise, Exige, Esprit? Lotus tests new model

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/Wgozf)
Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Lotus, Luxury

When it comes to the successor to the Lotus Esprit, the specs -- and even the name -- are still up in the air. There is, however, a mule undergoing testing on the ground. Autocar has pics of an Exige with a seriously modified rear end, leading to speculation that the new Esprit's powertrain lives underneath.

This time engine talk centers on "a version of" the Lexus lump in the IS F, but with 275-325 bhp per ton as the goal, that could mean an engine which is quite close or quite far from its source material. Knowing Lotus, we won't doubt the power -- what we really can't wait to see are the looks. The Esprit V8 was the last of the gee-willikers rip-snorters from the house of Chapman, but it was the design of the earlier s4s that made us go "Oh yeah." Please, Lotus, give us that lovin' feelin' again...

[Source: Autocar]

Spy Shots: Elise, Exige, Esprit? Lotus tests new model originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:03:00 EST.

Vogtland Suspension USA features high quality products manufactured by Vogtland, such as Audio Spring Kits, Audio Suspension Kits, Height Adjustable Coilovers, Sport Spring Kits, Sport Suspension Kits, Junior Suspension Kits and DONK Lift Kits. In addition they are paired up with Koni Sport Dampers, Koni Sport Valving, TokicoD-spec Dampers and Tokico HTS Dampers for the ultimate suspension product on the market today. Visit our store for great deals and savings from an Authorized Vogtland Dealer.

Gah! MEC Design fantasizes over tuned Mercedes SLS AMG

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/oPYxu)
Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Mercedes-Benz

Say what you will about the retro design of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Some call it a contemporary take on a classic shape, others may deride the lack of originality. But at least it's consistent. Which is a heck of a lot more than we can say for what MEC Design has done to it.

The Berlin-based tuner has been dreaming up how it could butcher the gullwing's lines, and from the looks of things, they've done a bang-up job. First thing you notice is the nose - you could hardly miss it - that apparently attempts to bring the preceding SLR McLaren's F1-inspired treatment back. But MEC hasn't stopped there. The full aero kit includes side skirts with integrated exterior lighting. The rear end fits in a spoiler, chrome tailpipes and a new diffuser. There are comically oversized and blinged-out rims. And they've theoretically fitted a carbon and Alcantara steering wheel.

And that's where the sigh of relief comes in. Thankfully, MEC Design hasn't actually gotten its hands on an actual SLS to perform these mods. And for the sake of everything we hold dear, we hope they never do.

Gallery: MEC Design Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

[Source: MEC Design]

Continue reading Gah! MEC Design fantasizes over tuned Mercedes SLS AMG

Gah! MEC Design fantasizes over tuned Mercedes SLS AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:31:00 EST.



Vogtland Suspension USA features high quality products manufactured by Vogtland, such as Audio Spring Kits, Audio Suspension Kits, Height Adjustable Coilovers, Sport Spring Kits, Sport Suspension Kits, Junior Suspension Kits and DONK Lift Kits. In addition they are paired up with Koni Sport Dampers, Koni Sport Valving, TokicoD-spec Dampers and Tokico HTS Dampers for the ultimate suspension product on the market today. Visit our store for great deals and savings from an Authorized Vogtland Dealer.

Spy Shots: Mini working on diesel "S" versions of Cooper, Clubman?

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/JcSdW)
Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Mini, Diesel



Spy shooters posted outside Mini's testing facility in Germany snagged a duo of prototypes heading out for testing, but something seemed amiss. Both models -- a standard Cooper and a mildly camo'd Clubman -- sported the tell-tale exterior elements found on the S versions, specifically a central-mounted dual exhaust on the Cooper and the twin-tips and hood scoop on the Clubman. However, the exhaust note was decidedly diesel, causing us to wonder: Is Mini working on hotted-up S versions of its oil-burners?

If they are -- and we're not convinced either way -- then a Cooper S and Clubman S diesel would need to benefit from more than a few design tweaks and an uprated suspension. Considering that the standard Mini D puts out around 90 horsepower and the Cooper D boasts another 20 bhp, then these S-ified models could be packing upwards of 140 to 150 hp and, more importantly, over 200 lb.-ft. of torque from their 1.6-liter turbodiesels. If they do make it to dealers, we'd expect them to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, with sales beginning in Europe late next year.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Mini Cooper and Clubman S Diesel

Spy Shots: Mini working on diesel "S" versions of Cooper, Clubman? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:42:00 EST.

Vogtland Suspension USA features high quality products manufactured by Vogtland, such as Audio Spring Kits, Audio Suspension Kits, Height Adjustable Coilovers, Sport Spring Kits, Sport Suspension Kits, Junior Suspension Kits and DONK Lift Kits. In addition they are paired up with Koni Sport Dampers, Koni Sport Valving, TokicoD-spec Dampers and Tokico HTS Dampers for the ultimate suspension product on the market today. Visit our store for great deals and savings from an Authorized Vogtland Dealer.

Renault introduces Twingo Gordini R.S. hot hatch

(Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/asjJL)
Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Renault



A few weeks back, Renault announced plans to revive the classic Gordini badge for its new high performance variants and now, the first model has been unveiled. Based on the automaker's smallest model, the Renault Twingo Gordini R.S. should prove to be mighty quick, with a 133 hp 1.6-liter engine to twist its 17 inch front wheels, along with an uprated suspension package and brakes.

Outside, the Twingo is coated in the historic blue hue that adorned French racing cars in the days before corporate sponsor colors took everything over, and buyers can also opt for pearlescent black to go with the white accents. Renault is displaying the car at their "Christmas in Blue" exhibit in Paris through the holidays and deliveries will start in March. Pricing hasn't been announced, but it will surely come in at a level that would make American consumers blanche for such a small car.

Gallery: Renault Twingo Gordini R.S.

[Source: Renault]

Continue reading Renault introduces Twingo Gordini R.S. hot hatch

Renault introduces Twingo Gordini R.S. hot hatch originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:58:00 EST.



Vogtland Suspension USA features high quality products manufactured by Vogtland, such as Audio Spring Kits, Audio Suspension Kits, Height Adjustable Coilovers, Sport Spring Kits, Sport Suspension Kits, Junior Suspension Kits and DONK Lift Kits. In addition they are paired up with Koni Sport Dampers, Koni Sport Valving, TokicoD-spec Dampers and Tokico HTS Dampers for the ultimate suspension product on the market today. Visit our store for great deals and savings from an Authorized Vogtland Dealer.