Why the Corvette Z1’s Nurburgring Time Shouldn't be Compared with the Nissan GT-R

We’ll give GM plenty of kudos for creating a sports car that officially lapped the famous Nurburgring in a mere 7 minutes and 26.4 seconds as it puts plenty of supercars costing double its price to shame, but ultimately, its somewhat unfair to compare the Corvette ZR1 with the Nissan GT-R. True, in our article on the ZR1’s Nurburgring time we mentioned that GM’s sports car beat the Nissan GT-R (7 minutes and 29.03 seconds), but we only did it to give you a comparable example of how good the Corvette is.

However, we must put things into perspective. The 640Hp Corvette ZR1 is priced from $103,300, the 480Hp Nissan GT-R from $69,850. That’s a huge price difference -$33,450 or nearly 50% more. Practically, the GT-R should be compared with the 505Hp Corvette Z06 that starts from $72,125. Although this is not an official time, various sites (including Motortrend) have stated that the Z06 lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 42 seconds or 13 seconds more than the GT-R. -Continued

But to be totally honest, a sportscar’s Nurburgring time would be the last thing that would matter if we were in the market to buy one. Well before that we’d take into consideration a variety of factors including the emotional impact that the car has on us, the way it communicates with us on the road -maybe even on the track, and of course, the price tag. (Pic: Auto Cars 2011)

Lotus Eagle Teaser Picture – Official Debut at British Motor Show

The first all-new model to come out of the Lotus factory in 13 years, the Eagle, will be revealed on July 22 when the British Motor Show in London opens its doors to the members of the press. However, we managed to discover an official teaser image of the mid-engined 2+2 sports car that is rumored to be powered by a modified version of the Toyota Camry’s 3.5 V6 engine that in stock form produces 268Hp at 6,200 rpm and 248 lb.-ft. at 4,700 rpm.

Inside sources told Auto Cars 2011 that the Japanese V6 engine will be offered in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions. The Eagle will essentially replace the top-of-the-line Esprit that went out of production in 2004 as Lotus will market the 2+2 lightweight coupe above the Elise, Exige and Europa. -Continued

Talking about lightweight construction, the Eagle will utilize the proven technology used in the Elise family of vehicles as well as the Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) shown as the APX (Aluminium Performance Crossover) Concept Vehicle.

At the Geneva Salon in March, Lotus showcased the front module of the Eagle’s chassis which consist of three distinct parts, with the centre occupant section being the largest. Bolted to this centre section are the rear sub frame to which the engine and rear suspension are attached and the front module that incorporates the bumper beam and side members.

Seat Ibiza SportCoupe: New Image Gallery

The SportCoupe is the three-door variant of the new Seat Ibiza hatchback that will make its first public appearance at next month’s British Motor Show in London. While these new pictures aren’t of the best quality, they do give us more views of the 3door Spanish hatchback, the first official images of which were released earlier this month.

The Seat Ibiza SportCoupe will be initially offered with two petrol engines, a 105Hp 1.6-liter and an 85Hp 1.4-liter along with a 90Hp 1.9-liter turbo diesel unit. Not exactly the sporty engine range we were expecting from Seat. Hopefully, the Spanish carmaker will not make the mistake and wait a couple of years before it starts offering the VW Group’s 1.4 TSi turbocharged petrol engine line-up. -More pics after the jump

Thanks for the pics Adam!






2009 Chevrolet Traverse Crossover Priced from $28,990

The newest addition to GM’s line-up of crossovers, the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse that will go on sale in the U.S. this fall, will carry a base MSRP of $28,990, including a $735 destination charge, for the 2WD LS model. Chevrolet will offer the Traverse in LS, LT and LTZ models in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations, however detailed pricing will be announced at a later date. -Continued

The Traverese that can fit up to eight passengers in three rows of seats (2+3+3) is powered by a direct injection 3.6-liter V6 engine with 288Hp that’s matted to a six-speed automatic gearbox.


Bell Aurens Longnose: Custom Made Land Rover with 235 to… 1,500+ Hp!

The Bell Aurens Longnose is the byproduct of two German Land Rover enthusiasts, Thomas Bell and Holger Kalvelage who got together through an online forum creating this one-of-a-kind off-roadster version of the classic Landie. Under the Bell Aurens Longnose’s never-ending bonnet lies a choice of two Rover V8 engines, a 4.6-litre with 235 Hp and a 5.0-litre delivering 280 Hp.

The German duo is also working on a V16 engine created by joining two Rover V8 engines. If the latter meets German MOT standards, it will be offered as 8.0-liter producing 420 Hp and a 10.0-liter with 700 Hp. However, the ultimate version (and probably the company’s ultimate promotional vehicle) will be powered by a 27.0-litre supercharged V12 engine, the Merlin, produced by Rolls-Royce to power an airplane, with a little over… 1,500Hp! -Continued

The basic price of a Bell Aurens Longnose with standard tail and a 4.6-liter V8 engine will be around €125,000 (plus tax). The German company will hand-build 10 cars a year with each model taking about 4 to 6 months to be delivered.

Via: WFC , Source: Bell Aurens












Tres Chic VW Beetle Trailer

When a person has taste, even a trailer can become a piece of art. Created from a chopped classic VW Beetle, the elegantly styled motorcycle/scooter trailer was apparently spotted somewhere in France.

Thanks for the tip Pete! , Via: Motorbiker

Hamann Porsche 911 Turbo Stallion with 630Hp & 359km/h Top Speed

The Porsche 911 Turbo Based Stallion is the latest development to come out from the German tuning house Hamann Motorsports. The thoroughbred is equipped with a modified version of the 911 Turbo’s twin turbocharged 3.6-liter boxer engine producing an impressive 630Hp (from 480Hp). The result is a staggering 3.3 seconds for the 0-100km/h (62 mph) sprint which is six tenths of a second faster than its serial counterpart while its top speed is a whopping 359 km/h or 223 MPH.

Of course, Hamann couldn’t resist upgrading the 911 Turbo’s appearance. The Stallion’s most prominent features are of course its gull-wing doors and the chopped roofline that has been lowered by 80mm or 3.4-inches. Moreover, Hamann added an aggressive bodykit combined with 20-inch rims in 245/30ZR20 tires in front and 325/25ZR20 tires at the back. -Continued


















Via: Motorpasion

1967 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 ELEANOR: Original Movie Car up for Sale

One of the original 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 Eleanor that starred in the 2000 action hit movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” starring Nicolas Cage is up for sale on eBay. According to the current owner of the Eleanor, the producers of the film used a total of 11 Mustang GT500s. Of those 8 were shell cars and only 3 were actual running and driving examples and this is one of them. The current bid for the car (Friday June 26) is $45,000 but there’s still a week left on the listing. -Image after the jump
















Link: eBay