Archive for the ‘car’ Category
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 |
Havana is a potent mixture of the old and the new. Modern office buildings punctuate the skyline alongside deteriorating Eastern European residential towers. Ancient vehicles, some with more rust than paint, share the road with newer, shinier models, while horse-drawn carts mingle with motorcycles. Flea markets display Cuba holiday mementos - wooden models of cars built in the 1950s, which are still seen on Cuban streets.
‘Yank tank’, ‘máquina’ ‘cacharro’ and ‘bartavia’ are all words used to describe the American classic Exotic cars in Cuba. It is the only place where history and circumstance have combined to enable a whole society to preserve these amazing vehicles and turn them into a national treasure.
About 150,000 classic cars existed at the time of the 1959 Cuban Revolution when the U.S. imposed a trade embargo on Cuba. After this, international trade was made very difficult, so the cars that were present at the time have been nurtured and cared for ever since.
Of the 60,000 classic cars in Cuba, about half are from the 50s, another 25 percent from the 40s and a similar number from the 30s. Brands include Chevrolet, Ford car, Cadillac car, Buick car, Plymouth car, Chrysler car, Dodge car, Willy’s, Oldsmobile and De Soto – vintage models of all of these can be seen on Cuba’s roads today.
Care & Attention
While classic cars are still used for daily transportation, often as taxis, they have also become cherished heirlooms handed down from generation to generation within families, in some cases going all the way back to the 30s.
Most owners of classic cars spend hours applying waxes and polishes and basking in the praise and admiration of passers-by. Some even reminisce about a time when their cars were new, and life itself seemed brighter and as inviting as an open highway.
To own one of these vintages defines who you are, how you spend your time and how you wish to be known, and Cubans will go to incredible lengths to keep their classic cars running. 1950’s bumpers and tailpipes are recreated and myriad other parts are adapted. Steering wheels carved from wood, hub cabs made from aluminum cans and plastic sheets for windows are common. While such shortcuts would be frowned upon in the United States, classic car lovers admire the Cubans’ ingenuity and their ability to keep the cars running.
The Future for Classic Cars in Cuba
Each day these cars get closer to extinction. They are now outnumbered by boxy Russian Ladas, Volga sedans and more recent Eastern European and Japanese imports. But the biggest threats to Cuba’s classic cars are the scarcity of parts and lack of original factory literature to maintain them with uniform standards.
Hopefully they will still be preserved for years to come, even if they become increasingly temperamental with all the alterations they go through. If you’re thinking of hiring a classic car on your Cuba holiday make sure to make a ceremonial splash of rum on the car’s floorboard for good luck!
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Thursday, November 13th, 2008 |
The brand new DB9 is the embodiment of the future of Aston Martin. It is a two-seater sports car which sets a new benchmark with its outstanding mixture of dexterity, power, refinement, styling and craftsmanship.
With its extraordinary new aluminium-bound frame, the DB9 is widely regarded as amongst the most advanced and technologically intricate sports cars in existence. It houses the latest incarnation of Aston Martin’s 6.0 litre, V12 engine, boasting an output of 450 bhp and a maximum speed of 186 mph. The DB9, however, has much more significance than its position as a leading sports car. It signifies a new phase in the history of Aston car, being the first car to be constructed by hand at the company’s new facility in Warwickshire in the United Kingdom. This is where all future Aston Martin models will be designed and developed.
Construction
Every panel on the DB9’s bodywork is made from either aluminium or featherweight composites, and the steering column and interior door frames are made of magnesium. The use of state-of-the-art materials even extends to the gearshift paddles, which are made from magnesium alloy. This technology means that the DB9 weighs in at just 1710 kg – extraordinarily light for a prestige sports car equipped with a myriad of luxuriant features. The effect of this weight on the DB9’s performance is noticeable, allowing the manual version to reach a top speed of 186 mph, and producing a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 4.9 seconds.
Transmission
A ZF “drive-by-wire” 6-speed automatic transmission is available, doing away with a standard gear lever. In its place, the drive, park, reverse and neutral functions of the gearbox are controlled by buttons.
The automatic model also comes with a Touchtronic manual setting, whereby the driver is able to carry out gearshifts using paddles which can be found behind the steering wheel. Automatic gear changing has been designed to give perfect equilibrium between speed of operation and smoothness of gear changes. There is also a traditional, 6-speed manual transmission system available.
The dexterity and handling of the DB9 are supported by its perfect 50/50 weight distribution between front and rear. Such precision has been achieved in part by the decision to locate the gearbox at the rear of the vehicle. This is facilitated by a shaft made of carbon fibre, contained in an aluminium tube, which transfers torque to the gearbox from the engine. The aluminium wishbone suspension and dampers also improve the DB9’s handling.
Interior Styling
The cabin of Aston Martin’s latest sports model is constructed by hand, using top quality materials. This gives the interior an understated, practical character. Aluminium is used here too, making it the most abundant material in the car’s body and structure. The use of the lightweight metal extends even as far as the instrument panel dials. Top quality Bridge of Weir leather trim is used in the DB9’s cabin, and the Aston Martin’s audio system has been specially designed by UK audio experts Linn.
The DB9 went on sale in spring 2004 as a replacement for the DB7. Its predecessor was the most successful Aston Martin ever built.
In co-operation with Martin Hemmings and Rod Brito there is another Aston Martin DB9 review on the web. This article’s author Jan Hvizdak also wrote review on Mercedes-Benz car.
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Monday, October 27th, 2008 |
you’ve decided to take the plunge and learn how to build a electric car. The good news is that it’s not as hard as you think. Personally done by own electric car conversion and have helped four of my friends build a electric car. It took us roughly two weekends to do each conversion. We got a great set of plans which explained the whole process in crystal clear steps.
To start out with we needed Toyota car. we decided to used toyota corolla to start out with. The guide said we could find the motor we needed . So found the motor needed within 10 minutes of searching! It cost me roughly $65 (including shipping and handling). After reading the plans We was supposed to go out and find 12 deep cycle 12 volt batteries. If I was to buy them brand new they would have cost me in excess of $1000, but the guide offers two ways to find free batteries. Let me tell you… free batteries for your electric car really do exist and they’re not that hard to find either! After getting the batteries and the motor for the electric car all we had to do was pick up some assorted nuts and bolts as well as some electronics.
After we got the motor out (not as hard as you think, the guide shows you how) we had to hook up the electric motor to the driveshaft and mount the motor.This part was really cool, because it was starting to look like an electric car. After the motor was mounted it was time to put the batteries in the car.We managed to fit all 12 batteries under the hood so still had trunk space left.
Hooking up the electronics wasn’t that hard either. All that really needed to do was hook up a potentiometer (this controls how much electricity flows to your motor) to the gas pedal. You can also hook up an amp meter on the dashboard of your car so you can see how much of a charge you have left.
Love electric car. Instead of costing us $150 a month on gas it costs us less than $20 per month to drive our electric cars… and they don’t make a sound! You can’t get much better than that.
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Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 |
General Motors has recently divested their Pontiac Grand Car division of minivans and crossovers and decided to remake its image as a performance-oriented brand.
Not only have some of the stodgier vehicles in the previous lineup been jettisoned, but exciting new vehicles like the Solstice and the G8 sport sedan have been added.
With a focus on rear-wheel drive and sportier driving dynamics, Pontiac has been looking to take the next step to show the auto world that it is serious about its new philosophy.
That step was recently revealed at the 2008 New York auto show.
Pontiac took the wraps off of the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP.
Based on the already quick G8 sedan, the GXP follows in the footsteps of previous Pontiac performance models like the GTP, offering an upgraded motor and suspension over the standard model.
In this case, the G8 GXP borrows the 6.2 liter V8 from the Chevrolet Camaro and tunes it to make 402 horsepower and 400 lb-feet of torque. In a move that has most muscle car junkies salivating, in addition to the standard 6 speed automatic buyers can opt for a 6 speed Tremec manual transmission.
This makes the GXP only the second performance sedan in the entire General Motors lineup with a manual transmission option, with the other being the Cadillac CTS-V. This option also elevates the Pontiac into the more rarified air of the luxury/sport market with BMW car for sale and Cadillac car for sale.
The G8 GXP rides on 19 inch wheels and has an upgraded suspension over the standard G8 model, designed to better handle the extra power from the rear wheels. The exterior of the car is similar to the G8 but the front end has been revised to have a more aggressive appearance and to accent the more aerodynamic look of the sports model.
The vehicle is almost a full second faster in the sprint to 60 miles per hour, posting a time of only 4.7 seconds. The GXP comes equipped with electronic StabiliTrak stability control but unlike other domestic competitors the system can be completely switched off for those who desire more heroic driving.
Brembo brakes bring things back under control in a hurry, with 14 inch 4 piston front brakes significantly decreasing the 112 foot 60 mile per hour stopping distance of the GT model.
General Motors is targeting two specific markets with the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP. The first is the domestic muscle sedan scene, where Dodge car for sale and Chrysler car for sale have dominated with the SRT versions of their Charger and 300C.
Pontiac hopes to gain the advantage over these competitors by offering a manual transmission, unique in that category.
The second group of buyers that Pontiac is looking to lure into their showrooms are those people who are considering one of the BMW M-cars. While it might seem out of place to compare the G8 GXP to the BMW M3 or M5, the performance levels are similar and the price is radically lower.
Given the current tightening of the economy, its entirely possible that those looking to get their high-speed thrills might not care too much about the badge on the front of their car if they can save $20 0000 and still do 150 miles per hour on the track.
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Sunday, October 12th, 2008 |
BMW is a status car that comes with a stereotype that comes with a stereotype attached, but it also happens to be one of the oldest and best-known names in automotive history.
That’s the stereotype, but BMW is a lot more than an extension. it also happens to be one of the oldest and best-known auto manufacturers in the world.
Although BMW is best known for its cars, its first business involved the designing and building of aircraft engines in 1913, BMW is not only manufacturer of car but also of motorcycle.
BMW Car extended its global reach by acquiring smaller auto manufacturing companies. They bought the rights to British auto company Rover in 1994 and then sold it to Ford six years later after it yielded poor performance figures.
BMW still retains the rights to build the Mini Cooper series today, the first of which appeared seven years ago. It is also the parent company to luxury car manufacturers Rolls Royce car for sale.
BMW’s current ranges include the 1-series, the 3-series, the 5-series, the 6-series and the 7-series. It also boasts a roadster Z-range, as well as a set of sports utility vehicles known as the X-range.BMW car have many models like M5 Sedan, 325Ci, 325i, 740iL etc.
This range is now enjoyed by BMW fans who want a little extra, but Ms were actually first developed for BMW’s racing team. After its launch, the M3 was considered a road-ready race car, and at one point, the beefier M5 was named the world’s fastest production vehicle.
This kind of success comes from a legacy of engineering competition machines that outstripped the competition every time.
BMW was successful on the world’s racing circuits in the 60s and 70s, and continues to reign supreme on the touring events circuits around the world. In fact, BMW took top honors at the World Touring Car Championship for the last three years and back in 1987. Similarly, their motorcycles proved unbeatable at the Paris Dakar Rally where they placed first six times.
Left and right-hand BMW vehicles are produced in four countries outside of Germany, namely South Africa, Australia, the UK and the United States.As one of the world’s leading car manufacturers of the past, the present and the future, BMW is also environmentally-conscious: last year they released a dual-mode vehicle running on hydrogen and gasoline, the BMW Hydrogen 7.
Year after year, car critics the world over agree that BMW is the leader when it comes to creating vehicles that combine reliability, luxury, Comfortable performance and real value-for-money.
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Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 |
There are so many different cars around these days,these car is also new launched car and used car for sale. and the general public only really knows about half of them. Everyone knows about the regular car companies. general public know regular car, stanadard car, they only know cars name and not much about car. what makes them a quality vehicle.. but only a half of the population would ever have the finances to own one of their cars.
After those two groups of cars,one group is normal people never be able to afford and also don’t know lot of think about the car. In fact, some people may not even know that some of these cars even exist. The car talking about are more than luxury cars, more than sports cars, and more money than four or five “regular” cars put together! Here are the top five most expensive cars in the world.
Ferrari Enzo - This sports car costs 1,000,000, and is also known as the Enzo Ferrari or the F60. It was built with Formula One Technology in 2003. This car and its brand name basically speaks for itself in the racing world.Ferrari Car For Sale.
Porsche Carrera GT - This car has a price tag of $484,000. Labeled as a super car, this German made sports car has a 5.7 liter, V10 engine. It also boasts a 612 SAE horsepower.
Rolls-Royce Phantom car for sale - This luxury car costs $320,00, and it is one of he most well known brand names of the luxury car business. The Phantom was made in 2003, and it was the first to be made under the BMW name.
Lamborghini Murcielago - This sports car costs $279,900 to buy, and is a lot more affordable than the above sports vehicles! This car will definitely turn heads and has a 6.5 liter engine.
Aston Martin Vanquish - This super car will cost you $255,000 to buy, and it was featured as the official James Bond car in one of his films. This sports car has a 5.5 liter V12 engine.
What makes these cars so expensive? A combination of things contributes to the price tags of these vehicles. One part is the years of work that went into designing and making them. Another part would be the brand name of each car. Add to that the power of the engines, and the style of the cars, and you have the reason for the expensive price tags.
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Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 |
There have been quite a few people concerned for the future of the iconic Chrysler History-of-Chrysler car brand since it was cut loose from the Daimler Chrysler organization but the first signs of genuinely radical change arrived today when it announced that it has new production-intent, advanced electric-drive technology packaged in three different vehicles – one for each of its brands, Chrysler, Jeep , Chrysler will select one electric-drive model to be produced in 2010 for consumers in North American markets, and European markets after. A new consumer web site has been created for Chrysler’s electric vehicles.
The Company said that it is well into the development of advanced, production-intent electric vehicles, and that it will apply electric-drive technology to its front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and body-on-frame four-wheel drive platforms in the next several years.
Chrysler revealed its electric-drive prototypes – Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV – and demonstrated the driving performance and capability of each today at its headquarters in Detroit.
“We have a social responsibility to our consumers to deliver environmentally friendly, fuel efficient advanced electric vehicles, and our intention is to meet that responsibility quickly and more broadly than any other car manufacturer,”“The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provides a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing electric vehicles to market.”
The development of Chrysler’s Electric Vehicles and Range-extended Electric Vehicles is led by ENVI – representing the first four letters of “environmental” – the Company’s in-house organisation that was formed to focus on electric-drive production vehicles and related advanced technologies. The development of electric-drive systems for future Chrysler car, Jeep and Dodge car vehicles is maturing quickly.
“ENVI was created just over one year ago with the strategic intent to develop electric-drive vehicles quickly for Chrysler, and it is surpassing expectations,” Chrysler is developing technology to bring Electric Vehicles and extremely fuel-efficient Range-extended Electric Vehicles to market.”
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Monday, September 22nd, 2008 |
Only in China would a car salesman refuse to sell you a big fancy foreign car.
China is increasing the tax on large luxury cars, bringing the charge up 13%-33%, depending on engine capacity.
The new tax will come into effect on September 1, and car dealers have halted sales on the vehicles in reaction to the news.
So here’s the scenario: You walk into the dealership and ask how much for the shiny red Mercedes SUV in the window. we can’t sell you that car right now. But how about this nice BMW sedan… Well, yes, you’re right. It isn’t really a foreign car. It was made by BMW Brilliance Automotive right here in China… Oh, you want a foreign car? How about this nice little South Korean number over here?”
The dealers are trying to prevent customers from “cheating” the vehicle tax in the next two weeks before it comes into effect. What? Wait a minute, they won’t sell me a car because it’s going to be more expensive next month? The logic of the situation elludes me. But there you have it.
Here in the States, car dealerships would use the next two weeks as a fabulous excuse for an ad campaign. “Buy now! Before you have to pay more!”
The new car tax was designed to encourage consumers to buy smaller cars that use less gas and, subsequently, save oil. Perhaps if the Chinese government wants the population to use less oil, it should stop subsidizing gasoline prices. A 33% hike on the taxes of a one-time charge, like a new car, could encourage people to think twice about buying a gas-guzzler, but, as U.S. citizens can tell them, paying $70-$100 everytime they fill up their gas tanks makes a much bigger dent in the national psyche.
Either way, it’s a really bad time to be a luxury carmaker. You’re losing customers in your domestic markets because of high oil prices. And your sales in emerging market countries, where you’ve had most of your growth in the last few years, are falling because of high car prices. Maybe Mercedes will introduce its first subcompact, or Audi will come out with a spunky rip-off of the MINI Cooper. In the meantime, Laura Cadden’s latest Editor’s Pic is looking better and better.
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Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 |
Smart cars are fast becoming more popular over the last 12 months. Originally considered a novelty, the smart car is on the rise as a modern fuel efficient and cheap motoring alternative.Cheap smart cars are now an excellent way to avoid the high cost of motoring.
You may already be familiar with smart cars. A tiny four wheeled vehicle no more than about half the length of a normal car. The smart car has a distinctive shape and look and you may well have seen them in the street.
If not you’ll recognize a smart car when you do see it. The most distinctive feature of the car, apart from the fact that the smart car is extremely short, is the steep windshield sloping down to the front of the car, with the front bumper, if you could call it that, right in front of the front wheels.
The original intention of the smart car was to be of use as a vehicle that avoided the parking headaches of larger cars by reason of the fact that it was so short it could park in parking spots so small that not much other than a motorcycle could park there. Not only that but it was also so small that it could park nose or tail in to the kerb without the other end of the car poking out into the traffic and causing a traffic hazard.
It was intended that two smart cars could park in a space which would normally be taken by one regular car, or even 3 smart cars could park in the space occupied by a large vehicle.
The smart car was the result of a joint venture between the car manufacturer .The smart cars were manufactured in a purpose built factory in France which as established and so have been around for some time. It is said that almost 1 million smart cars have been sold in over 25 countries.
smart cars became available in the US, and people started to realize that a cheap smart car was a smart motoring purchase.
Smart cars are cheap compared to average vehicles, and have many advantages over many vehicles as well. And of course they also have disadvantages. They take only 2 people, and are extremely small so it isn’t practical to spend a day shopping and expect to put your new television in the back of the car.
That being said there are some good reasons to buy a cheap smart car, particularly for city dwellers.they are cheap to buy and cheap to operate. They have a gasoline motor but because of the small size and weight of the car don’t eat as much fuel as just about any other car. They are easy to park and easy to house even in the smallest garage. They have achieved surprisingly good results in safety crash tests.
For the canny buyer there are good reasons to buy a cheap smart car. There are small numbers of used smart cars on the market and a second hand smart car is a good way to maximize your savings from a purchase of a smart car. There are a number of places where you can pick up a bargain on a used smart car online if you know where to look.
So if the price of gas is becoming an issue for you and you’d like to keep driving but at a much reduced cost then consider a cheap smart car. It’s a smart purchase and may well keep you on the road when others can no longer afford gas.
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Friday, September 12th, 2008 |
People often get somewhat sentimental when it comes to their car. And why not – car is one of the most important as well as cherished investments that we make, perhaps the second in line after a home. Therefore, buying a car is one of the most important decisions of your life and so is caring for it. The concern becomes even graver when it comes to buying and caring for luxury cars and exotic cars. Luxury cars are never absolute necessities and the primary function they serve is to add to the comfort and pleasure, which is why maintaining exotic cars demand greater care than usual.
One thing we should know before actually deciding to buy one of those luxury cars is that they need luxury maintenance and high upkeep expenses. So if we were thinking about buying exotic cars through financing, it will not be a very good idea because one instance of careless driving can actually cause a fortune. Therefore, it is sensible for opting for one of those luxury cars or exotic cars when we are sure about finances and are convinced of being able to keep up with the cars expensive maintenance costs.
Finding out what exactly constitutes luxury cars can be a very tricky task because the criteria most often vary and the options are vivid according the manufacturers, to the basic technologies that go behind these luxury cars and the features that the vehicles offer. Nowadays, the options are even more with wagons, SUVs, and compacts racing the way through along with luxury and exotic cars. Today’s luxury and exotic cars are defined by creature comfort, drivability and convenience. The criteria are evidently subjective.
Furthermore, the luxury and exotic cars are a statement of prestige. However, what primarily set luxury cars and usual utility vehicles apart are the former’s engineering, comfort and convenience. Things such quality leather seating, carpeting, quiet and stabilized ride, solid build, smooth engine, etc are crucial towards making what they are. There are more to a luxury car, such as incredible sound systems, in-dash screens, and automated technologies letting the cars parallel park themselves. The safety features of these luxury cars are also evolving slowly and steadily for making driving even safer and relaxed.
There are many manufacturers of luxury and exotic cars today, among whom BMW car, Lincoln, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz are the pioneers. While exotic sports cars occupy the pinnacle of car manufacturing industry, these cars, as already stated, are not only expensive to purchase but need high upkeep and maintenance costs. These luxury cars are extremely delicate and might cause a great deal of trouble when even the smallest of their components malfunction. These elegant beauties need extreme care and handling by experienced professionals, or their incredible power might go wrong in wrong hands. However, these cars are the ones to make legends and everyone dreams of owning them.
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