| Top Scots Award For Jaguar XK | | Posted Monday, October 30, 2006 6:47:01 AM by Blog57 Team | | HORSHAM, England - October 28, 2006: JAGUAR's new XK Coup has leapt in front of more than 50 new models launched during the past 12 months to scoop the coveted Scottish Car of the Year title for 2006. The stunning Jaguar sports GT, penned by Scots design genius Ian Callum, was crowned in front of more than 200 motor industry representatives and Scottish motoring journalists who attended a gala dinner at the five-star Fairmont St Andrews resort. Now in its ninth year, the awards recognise the achievements of new cars launched during the past 12 months across eight categories – Small, Family, Luxury, Drop Top, Sporting, Diesel, MPV and SUV. Judged by members of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW), more than 50 new models were in contention for the 2006 accolade.... | |
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| | | Audi's R8 Enters Production | | Posted Saturday, October 07, 2006 6:47:57 AM by Blog57 Team | | Audi is marking "100 Years of Automotive Engineering in Neckarsulm" by officially putting its new R8 sports car into production. At a ceremony held at the Neckarsulm plant in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Chairman of the Board of AUDI AG, Prof. Martin Winterkorn, was joined by state premier Günther Oettinger to launch production of this new range-topping model, which is to be built in Neckarsulm. The R8 had received its world premiere just three days previously at the Paris Motor Show. Read Article .... | |
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| | | SPEED TC Spotlight: Chip Herr ''Destiny s Child'' | | Posted Thursday, September 14, 2006 2:46:22 AM by Blog57 Team | | Its hard to make the call on what ones first impression of Chip Herr leaves behind. Just a few months ago, it would have been baby-faced up and comer. Today hed look no different, but up and comer would be replaced with three-time winner. Before hes done in SPEED TC, hed like that to read thirty-time winner. Dont bet against him on that one. For Herr, the new face of SPEED Touring Cars future, its been a long journey to find his place and fill the shoes he was seemingly destined for. I watched touring car racing on TV as a kid and my dad raced a Corvette in the old Corvette Challenge series all over the country. He was a big help for me to get started the right way and learn the ropes in my profession. I guess its no mistake Im the next Herr in the family line to be racingits really helped to have positive support from close family and friends to get to where I am.... | |
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| | | Audi 2.7 turbodiesel joins A6 line-up | | Posted Friday, September 08, 2006 4:46:22 PM by Blog57 Team | | South African interest in diesels as performance cars picked up after an Audi R10 TDI became the first diesel car to win the Le Mans 24 Hours. Diesel engines make up more than half of Audi sales in Europe; now increased demand here for diesel power in C segment cars has prompted Audi SA to introduce a 2.7-litre diesel A6. The new A6 2.7 TDI V6 costs R398000, including a five-year or 100000km full-maintenance plan; Audi says it's the most affordable six-cylinder diesel sedan in its segment. Its common-rail engine is derived from the three-litre V6 TDI found in other A6 models and also has two intercoolers and piezo-electronic in-line injectors .... | |
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| | | Aston Martin DB5 makes `top 100 cars that changed motoring` list | | Posted Monday, August 14, 2006 4:45:46 PM by Blog57 Team | | Everyone has a favourite car. It could be their first car, or the car they took on their first date, or the car they always wanted to own but could never afford. Looking around today's new-car showrooms, there is plenty of dream machinery, from the Ferrari Enzo to the Porsche 911 Turbo and even the all-new VE Commodore which is just about to hit the road - reports News.com We are genuinely living in a golden age, despite the price of petrol as modern technology has made all cars safe and reliable and relatively economical, forcing companies to put the focus on performance and style and comfort and luxury. The cars of 2006 stand up to any comparison. But they are not the all-time stars. How can a Ford Falcon compare with a 1960s Mustang, or a BMW-built Mini Cooper threaten the swinging '60s original from BMC? Modern four-wheel drives are perfect for shopping and school runs, but it was the original Land Rover and the Willya Jeep which put off-roading on the map.... | |
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| | | Audi to top 100,000 U.S. sales in 2007 | | Posted Sunday, August 13, 2006 6:45:49 AM by Blog57 Team | | Audi to top 100,000 U.S. sales in 2007Audi plans for the first time ever to sell more than 100,000 vehicles in the United States in 2007, chief financial officer Rupert Stadler told the Germany's Financial Times. The milestone will then be built upon with an additional 10,000 units per year afterwards, Mr. Stadler said. For calendar 2007, the new TT, R8 and A5 are expected to provide a sizable boost in volume. Further variants thereof — plus new models like the Q5 crossover — should keep growth steady over the coming years. Read Article .... | |
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| | | New Abt Supercharger for VW/Audi V8 Models | | Posted Saturday, July 22, 2006 4:46:05 PM by Blog57 Team | | The performance data is very impressing: With the newly developed Abt supercharger for the V8 gasoline Audi A6 and A8 as well as S4 and VW Touareg, the engine now performs 450 HP (331 kW). Compared with the original eight cylinder engine this is an increase of up to 140 HP or 103 kW. With a torque of 520 Nm at 5100 rpm (original 410 Nm at 3500 rpm) the engine offers maximum drive in every situation. The engine also guarantees extremely sporty acceleration data. The acceleration from zero to 100 km/h depends on the respective vehicle but all models have one thing in common: Acceleration is always incredible. The Abt Audi AS4-R only takes 5.2 seconds for the sprint, the AS6-R 5.7 seconds and the larger Abt VW Touareg VS8-R and AS8-R 5.9 seconds. The same goes for the top speed data: The Touareg reaches 260 km/h and the AS-models even race to 280 or 290 km/h.... | |
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| | | The road to Damascus is paved with risk | | Posted Friday, July 21, 2006 6:45:58 AM by Blog57 Team | | "You need a lot of everything if you are heading to or from Syria," was one taxi driver's advice to the tens of thousands of evacuees of various nationalities who flocked and clogged the Lebanese-Syrian border yet again on Wednesday."You must pray, be patient and have a lot of cash to get through to Damascus," said Yousif Shamas, a Lebanese taxi driver who has been transporting people from Lebanon to Syria almost three times a day since the onset of war in Lebanon.Syrian officials said that more than 100,000 persons have passed into Syria over the past two days, 30,000 of them Lebanese - and most paying a hefty price for this passage."While it depends on how many persons, I charge between $500 to $1,000 for the ride between Lebanon and Syria," said Shamas, echoing similar fares offered by other cross-border taxi drivers.Syrian taxi drivers are not crossing into Lebanon, but are picking up the evacuees once they arrive at the border and transporting them to the airport and hotels in Damascus at a minimum cost of $150."We are risking our lives, so why not charge high fares?" said Shamas, who salutes his "comrade" taxi drivers each time he crosses their path, as "now it is a battle to drive between Syria and Lebanon." Israeli warplanes have repeatedly hit the main highways between Lebanon and Syria, with one of the main routes, Chtoura, sustaining heavy damage, forcing it to shut down.... | |
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| | | Foreign Investors See Northern Iraq as Gateway to Rest of Country | | Posted Sunday, July 09, 2006 10:11:45 PM by Blog57 Team | | Iraq is struggling to rebuild after years of economic sanctions and conflict. But the lack of security in much of the country has scared away potential investors and slowed reconstruction. But in the relatively quiet Kurdish area of northern Iraq, stability is paving the way for prosperity as the region works to attract foreign investment. .... | |
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