Audi S5 deserves being called GT Jan 2, 2009
Lots of cars are called GTs, but only a rare few fit the definition of a grand tourer -- a two-seat or two-plus-two coupe with a powerful engine, luxurious yet capable suspension and a stunning shape that is almost, but not quite, an all-out sports car. Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Maserati GranTurismo -- they all fit the bill, as do a handful of other modern coupes. (The Augusta Chronicle)
Bugatti Atalante Car, One of 17 Made, Found in U.K. Garage, Times Reports Jan 2, 2009
Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante sports car, one of only 17 built, was found covered in dust and intact in a lock-up garage in the northern English city of Newcastle, the London-based Times reported ... The Bugatti was owned by a local doctor, Harold Carr, who left the garage and its contents to his nephews and nieces, who had been unaware of the rare two-seater coupe's existence until they opened the garage doors; the Bugatti was parked alongside a Jaguar E-type... (Bloomberg -- UK)
Tesla Downshifts Dec 30, 2008
Elon Musk's electric sports car company, Tesla Motors, said in September that it would build a factory in San Jose to produce its new sedan ... Elon Musk's electric sports car company, Tesla Motors, said in September that it would build a factory in San Jose to produce its new sedan. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
Squeezing More Miles Out of That Hybrid Dec 30, 2008
On the waiting list for an $85,000 Audi sports car, he decided to buy a Prius instead and got it converted to a plug-in car for about $10,000. He figures he has a green car for less than half what the Audi would have cost. (Wall Street Journal)
Margie Boule writes about Marc Acito's quest of doing something new each day for a year Dec 30, 2008
Then, too, the recession had begun to set in, "and because Floyd and I had invested in real estate, we felt it immediately. There would be no sports car for this midlife crisis, no redecorating, no glamorous vacation.". Just before Christmas '07 a possible solution came to Marc: "I couldn't do anything dramatic, but maybe I could reinvigorate each day. And then it just hit me: I should do something new every single day." For a year. (OregonLive, OR -- Living)
1) Bleacher Report: Christopher Falvello on the 100th anniversary of the first black heavyweight champion Dec 30, 2008
The original "baddest man on the planet" Johnson served time in Leavenworth prison and ended his life driving a speeding sports car near Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1946, after racing angrily from a diner that refused to serve him. He was 68. (Guardian Unlimited -- Sport)
Restorations rev up business Dec 30, 2008
Known for restoring hot rods and sports cars using custom fabrication and construction, Coachworks plans to expand by 7,000 square feet on a floor just below its current shop ... Bennett restored a 1971 Italian sports car for LaMotte. (Milwaukee Business Journal, WI)
Hyundai Genesis Coupe to Debut in Race-Inspired Super Bowl Advertisement Dec 30, 2008
Sports Car Will Dance to Music Performed by Grammy Award-winning Cellist Yo-Yo Ma ... HYUNDAI GENESIS COUPE HIGHLIGHTS -- Hyundai's first rear-wheel drive sports car -- 306-horsepower from enhanced 3. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Notebook PC Sales Outpace Desktops: Good News For Apple Dec 26, 2008
With the new 911 Targa 4S, Porsche upgrades the most iconic sports car with a bevy of technical treats. Company. (CNNMoney.com)
Fuji Heavy to Cut Full-Year Profit Forecast on Falling Sales, Strong Yen Dec 26, 2008
Mori reiterated the companys plan to build a factory in Japan to make a sports car developed with Toyota. Still, the two companies may make a minor adjustment to its original plan to start production by the end of 2011, he said. (Bloomberg -- Japan)
Living in car in memory of fourth wife Dec 25, 2008
People used to call me a P. Ramlee carbon copy back then as I was among the few people who owned a sports car then, he quipped. I used to date my first three wives with the Morris. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Porsche Cayman makes an excellent gift Dec 25, 2008
Care for floor mats on your high-dollar German sports car ... And Porsche gets away with all this because it knows that the Cayman offers the purest, and arguably most responsive, driving manners of any Porsche sports car, which qualifies the Cayman as one of the best handling vehicles on the planet, even if it's far from the quickest. (Globe and Mail)
Audi announces special pricing, offers for India Dec 25, 2008
The entire Audi model range in India consisting of the Audi A8, Audi Q7, Audi A6, the new Audi A4, Audi TT and the recently launched super sports car Audi R8 is available at twelve dealerships across the country: in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ludhiana, Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata. AUDI AG develops and produces cars for the luxury car segment worldwide. (Webnewswire.com)
What Do You Really Want for Christmas? Dec 25, 2008
Skip the sports car; "a radar detector" tops the list for a young man in San Antonio, Texas. Good reason: Fifteen mph over the limit on I-35 will get you a $190 ticket, holiday or not. (ABC News)
50 mln yuan sports car makes debut in Beijing Dec 25, 2008
50 million yuan sports car makes its debut in Beijing ... 50 million yuan sports car makes its debut in Beijing ... The Bugatti Veyron, a sports car priced at incredible 43 million yuan, recently made its debut in Beijing. (People's Daily Online, China)
Leave a bit for later, Pup Dec 23, 2008
Then there was the $300,000 he splashed on her own Aston Martin sports car. Phew. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Red buses go green Dec 23, 2008
The new Routemaster buses could also feature the sleek lines of an Aston Martin, after the sports car maker jointly won a competition to design them along with top architecture firm Foster and Partners. The Aston Martin-Fosters proposal will go forward with a design by a British bus maker, Capoco, as the basis for the final shape of the new generation of the world-famous bus. (iAfrica.com)
More luxury cars on menu Dec 22, 2008
Audi has confirmed it will introduce new fuel-miser diesel versions of its A4 mid-size sedan and larger A6 sedan, while other cars likely to get diesel engines include the A5, TT sports car and the Q5 soft-roader. But the German manufacturer also has current models that just creep over the 7. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Ferrari cash in on threat to leave Dec 22, 2008
After Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo accused Ecclestone of not running F1 in a normal, transparent manner, the 78-year-old billionaire told The Times of London how much the famous Italian sports car manufacturer received from the sport. "Ferrari get so much more money than everyone else," Ecclestone reportedly said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Auto Racing Supplies Dec 22, 2008
Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs Equipment Fund Donor. Each time you place an on-line order, you'll be entered into our $5,000. (Yahoo News -- Auto Racing)
Collector cars of the future Dec 20, 2008
This is a high-performance version of the stock S2000 that is regarded as Honda's only true sports car. 9. (CNN)
Porsche, bikes 'top 220kmh' Dec 20, 2008
THE drivers of a Porsche sports car and two motorcycles had their vehicles confiscated yesterday after reaching speeds of more than 220kmh in an alleged road race. Police said the three men were racing in a 100kmh zone on the Pacific Highway on the Far North Coast of NSW about 10. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Toyota in Talks With Fuji Heavy on Timing to Start Sports Car Production Dec 20, 2008
Toyota in Talks With Fuji Heavy on Sports Car Output (Update1) ... Dec. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Japans largest automaker, is in talks with on when to start building a sports car after the Nikkei reported the two carmakers may delay the project ... Toyota decided to postpone until 2012 or later its plan to have Fuji Heavy build the sports car as the domestic auto market keeps shrinking, the Nikkei reported, without saying where it got the information. (Bloomberg -- Japan)
Maestro of Motorcycle Racing Dec 19, 2008
Interspersed with motorcycle racing, Duke made a foray into driving for Aston Martin in sports car races. It was an unhappy episode in his career, due mainly to resentment from other drivers; in particular his teammate Peter Collins. (Suite101.com)
Porsche slams on the brakes Dec 19, 2008
Porsche, maker of the 911 sports car, reiterated a forecast of a "clear" decline in full-year sales after four-month deliveries dropped 19% amid the global recession. Porsche sold 25,016 cars and sport-utility vehicles in the four months through November, while revenue declined 9. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
NAIT XS Integrated Amplifier: New Performance-upgradeable NAIT Joins The Family Dec 19, 2008
Overall the circuitry - the minimum switching and relays are, for example, like a sports car stripped back to essentials for the track - delivers a performance that's exciting and full on. The performance of the NAIT XS hasn't just been achieved by simplifying the signal path; it includes some true innovations. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Auto plants to shut down Dec 19, 2008
Models affected by Ford's production halt include the Taurus and Town Car sedans, Mustang sports car, Explorer sport- utility vehicle, Ranger small pickup truck and Focus compact. Ford, whose sales are down 19 percent this year, has said it isn't seeking emergency loans. (Honolulu Advertiser)
The Jaguar, the Audi and the Land Rover Dec 19, 2008
300 horsepower plus a design that blends both sports car and luxury sedan. AUDI TT COUPE With 250 horsepower, the Audi TT Coupe cruises from zero to sixty in 5. (Desert Entertainer, CA)
Summer's here! Dec 19, 2008
Without getting into tedious detail, they all look the sports car part thanks to styling kits typical of the performance divisions they originate from. But whats most surprising is how the Audi is still favoured by so many despite its age. (iAfrica.com)
Need to know: Pound sinks further... Dec 19, 2008
Porsche: The German luxury sports car maker said that sales in the first four months of its fiscal year had slid by 9. 7 per cent to 2. (New York Post -- Business)
The Best Flyfishing DVDs make Grea... Dec 18, 2008
In Search of a Rising Tide takes viewers into the world of Bahamas bonefish guides who have spent their entire lives chasing spooky, almost invisible fish that have the acceleration of a sports car. The viewer is right there with world-famous guides as they share stories, cast, hook and release bonefish. (Suite101.com)
Car stylists: Slowing down Dec 17, 2008
MANY men dream of owning a flame-red Italian sports car: a Ferrari, a Maserati or an open-topped Alfa Romeo, like those that appear in the films of the 1960s. These cars owe their elegant lines to the teams of designers at Pininfarina, Bertone and Italdesign, the styling houses based in Turin, in north-west Italy. (The Economist)
Motoring : Fast times in a body to die for Dec 17, 2008
The GranTurismo is a big, luxury coupe with sports car looks ... So it's easy to understand why the GranTurismo drives more like a luxury car than a sports car that's likely to pitch your briefcase across the back seat. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Linden joining exclusive club Dec 17, 2008
Only it won't be in a vintage sports car at hugely different points in their careers. Tonight, Linden will be just the second Canuck to have his sweater retired, as No. 16 joins Smyl's lonely No. 12 in the General Motors Place rafters. (Globe and Mail)
Twitter Chooses Google, Not Facebook Dec 16, 2008
With the new 911 Targa 4S, Porsche upgrades the most iconic sports car with a bevy of technical treats. CEO Bill McComb has remade the apparel company from frumpy to fresh. (CNNMoney.com)
MX-5 refreshed Dec 15, 2008
Mazda's iconic lightweight, open-top sports car has been updated ... The MX-5 was certified by Guinness World Records as the world's highest production two-seat open-top sports car when production passed 500000 units in 2000. (iAfrica.com)
Audi R10 powers up Dec 14, 2008
The lump in the production sports car will be almost identical in construction to the one in the racing version ... When in motion, this Audi high-performance sports car creates a downforce that keeps it in firm contact with the road thanks to a rear spoiler which deploys automatically at 100km/h and the fully enclosed underbody, which terminates in a sharply upward-curved diffuser ... The body of a sports car must be especially lightweight and rigid. (iAfrica.com)
Porsche's 911 GT2 satisfies the need for speed Dec 13, 2008
But if that weren't enough, the iconic German sports car manufacturer went and upped the benchmark with yet another incredible 911 that surpasses both of the aforementioned vehicles - the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2. This latest iteration in the fabled 911 series builds and improves upon both the GT3 RS and Turbo Coupe, delivering better driving dynamics and power. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Watkins Glen seeks sponsor for Cup race Dec 13, 2008
Rust said sponsors for the IRL's Camping World Grand Prix in July, and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen in June were intact. 2008 The Associated Press. (MSNBC -- Sports)
False economy: E10 fuel isn't cheaper or greener Dec 13, 2008
But the head of engine development for Porsche's Cayman sports car, Jurgen Kapfer, says there is no doubt E10 is less efficient. Kapfer should know. (The Age, Australia)
Watkins Glen seeks sponsor after old one exits Dec 13, 2008
Rust said sponsors for the IRL's Camping World Grand Prix in July, and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen in June were intact. Copyright 2008. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- Racing)
ESCONDIDO: Couple put sports car up for sale to thank a children's hospital Dec 13, 2008
Hospital spokesman Ben Metcalf praised the couple's decision to sell their sports car to help the neonatal unit, a 38-bed facility he described as "bursting at the seams." He said the unit will be expanded as part of construction now under way of a new addition to the hospital. "Especially in these economic times, it makes such a generous gift," Metcalf said. (North County Times)
Snail Mail iPhone Review Dec 13, 2008
What a strange situation that a snail controls better than a sports car. However, if the tilt controls are bizarrely not your bag, Snail mail does have touch steering where you sliding your finger across the screen to make Turbo move. (IGN Wireless Games)
Audi buys Superbowl ad time Dec 13, 2008
The Herndon-based company s minute-long Super Bowl ad last year about its R8 sports car, a parody of the Godfather movies, was the first in nearly two decades for the company. In the months following the game, traffic to its Web site skyrocketed 200 percent and the Audi R8 became the top search term on right after the commercial aired, the company said. (Washington Business Journal, DC)
Road Test: 2009 Mazda6 GS Dec 12, 2008
Sports car dynamics, at least at first blush, are a simple case of Grade 3 mathematics. More power is always good. (The Gazette (Montreal))
BMW, Continental AG, TUI Shares May Move: German Equity Market Preview Dec 11, 2008
(PAH3 GY): Morgan Stanley downgraded the maker of the 911 sports car to underweight from equal-weight. Separately, UBS AG raised its recommendation on the stock to neutral from sell. (Bloomberg -- Germany)
Jeremy Cato explains what cars turn women's crank Dec 11, 2008
" And that's what they can afford on their own incomes. According to Statistics Canada, up to age 50, women earn less than 70 per cent of what men of a similar age are paid. "Sure, the economic issue has, I think, quite an impact" on the new-car purchasing decisions of women, says Travell. Women, because of income constraints, tend to shop for compact and subcompact cars and now, with so much more emphasis on making small cars both fun and affordable, women are saying they want more of both. So... (Globe and Mail)
Pruett rides to top racing honor Dec 11, 2008
Pruett, now 48, won the Daytona Prototype class in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series for the second time in 2008 in the five-year history of the top level of the Rolex series ... In the Road Racing category, drivers racing as teammates in the same car are voted on as a single entity resulting in pairs from both the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series being chosen to the team ... The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series is the season-opener for Mazda... (Yahoo News -- Auto Racing)
European Stocks, U.S. Futures Drop on Concern Carmaker Bailout Will Fail Dec 11, 2008
Porsche SE, maker of the 911 sports car, retreated 1. 9 percent to 49. (Bloomberg -- Europe)
BMW, Daimler to Benefit Along With Detroit From U.S. Auto Industry Bailout Dec 10, 2008
Stuttgart, Germany-based , maker of the iconic 911 sports car, also counts the U.S. as its largest market, while , the biggest European carmaker, is building its second North American plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Daimler of Stuttgart and Wolfsburg-based VW declined to comment on the U.S. bailout. (Bloomberg -- Germany)
Tesla Motors sells 100th electric roadster Dec 10, 2008
"You can have something that's sexy and fast and fun, and that's also environmentally responsible," Musk said of the sports car. The Roadster, launched in early 2008, costs between $2. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Nummi plans 12-day shutdown over two months Dec 9, 2008
Point of order: Contrary to a New York Times column, which I cited last week, Tesla insists that none of the $400 million, taxpayer-funded loan it's seeking will be going toward any operating expenses connected to its premium-priced sports car or existing power train supply business. It will go, instead, toward its more affordable sedan. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
More power for Nissan GT-R Dec 9, 2008
After years of research and development the company reckoned it had the ultimate sports car ready for production, only to find room for some additional tweaks as the first models rolled off the assembly line. The result is that new GT-Rs ordered now for delivery after the first batch next April will have an extra five horsepower from the electronically-enhanced 3. (Perthshire Advertiser)
Hydrogen, sun and air Dec 8, 2008
The Lightning GT is an electric sports car which does 0-60 is less than four seconds ... " OUR FRIENDS ELECTRIC? Historically, electric vehicles have been seen as the slow, fiendishly uncool cousins of the gasoline car. And recent additions to the electric family, such as the REVA G-Wiz, launched in 2001, have failed to erase the rather negative connotations of going electric. Don't Miss Principal Voices: Principal Voices: Principal Voices: But the latest advances in battery technology could... (CNN -- International)
Tech.view: Even pigs can fly Dec 6, 2008
The final design flourishes came from the pen that drew the latest Nissan sports car and for good reason. Icon was founded in 2005 by Kirk Hawkins, a former F-16 fighter pilot turned businessman, and Steen Strand, a product engineer and designer with a string of successful start-ups to his credit. (The Economist)
Why electric car startups stalled Dec 6, 2008
The Wrightspeed X1, a sports car whose three-second acceleration from 0 to 60 makes it one of the fastest autos in the world, is also super-clean: It's powered by an electric motor and gets about 170 mpg. Ian Wright, the Burlingame, Calif. (CNN -- Money)
Toyo Tires® Presents the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards Dec 6, 2008
The company has created partnerships with many high profile sports and lifestyle organizations such as Ultimate Fighting Championship, the John R. Wooden Classic, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), Championship Off-Road Racing (as seen on NBC) and Sports Car Club of America. . (Pac-10.org)
Elite Chinese urged to buy, buy, buy Dec 6, 2008
When the centerpiece of the project, the Jinbao Palace mall, opens next February, Beijing's elite will be able to pick up a Bugatti sports car or that must-have Italian sofa "things that have never been seen before in China," enthuses Yao. Such conspicuous consumption, unthinkable in the austere days of Chairman Mao Zedong, would represent a huge culture shift in what has traditionally been a nation of careful savers, not big spenders. (USA Today -- Money)
2010 Mazda3 has snappy appeal for a small car Dec 5, 2008
Mazda insists that viewed head-on, the 3 looks like an exotic sports car. Reasonable people can disagree on matters of taste. (USA Today -- Autos)
With Saturn, GM failed a makeover Dec 4, 2008
Joseph Salzburg, a graphic artist from Richmond, Illinois, said he purchased a 2007 Saturn Sky sports car last year because he wanted to support the division. "I bought it because of the reputation of the company and because I only buy American cars now," Salzburg said. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
UAW moves to help struggling U.S. firms Dec 4, 2008
"We've helped them before, but it seems like they always come back to us," said Shane Colvard, chairman of Local 2164 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where GM builds the Chevrolet Corvette sports car. But a GM retiree, Frank Hammer, said looking to the union for givebacks does not resolve the automakers' problems and compounds the bad economy. (International Herald Tribune -- Money Report)
Theory of How Brain Builds Images Earns Grawemeyer Prize Dec 3, 2008
"Her theory explains why we see a red sports car driving by instead of an assortment of different features such as the color red, a shape in motion and so on," Petry said. Work by Treisman and her colleagues also has led to better understanding of some psychological and medical problems such as Balints' syndrome, in which people cannot recognize more than one object at a time. (PR Newswire)
Auto bailout consequences Dec 3, 2008
Tesla Motors, a San Carlos company with a Menlo Park retail operation, is selling an all-electric sports car. It has also designed a sedan that would extend the practicality of an all-electric vehicle to many more buyers. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
People's Choice announced Dec 2, 2008
2008 Drive Car of the Year: Peoples Choice Subaru Forester - drive. 2008 Drive Car of the Year: Peoples Choice Subaru Forester. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Aston Martin laying off 600 employees Dec 2, 2008
From splashy sports cars, to new pickups and thrifty hybrid vehicles, here are the highlights for the 2009 model year ... LONDON - Aston Martin, maker of James Bonds luxury sports car, said Monday that it is laying off as much as a third of its work force because of falling sales during the economic slump. (MSNBC -- Business)
