Mad About Cars

Europe’s largest car manufacturer has been taken over – Yes, VolksWagen! And by who? You’d never guess? Porsche!!!!

We ask why? Why would this small run family business want a stake in a company like VW? Well, it must bedue to VW’s manufacturing capabilities and technological know-how?

Porsche is currently occupying roughly 50% of the shares in VolksWagen but are looking to increase that to 75% having full financial control. Not bad going considering VW is one of largest companies in the world.

The only bad news for Porsche is that oddly, VW own shares in truck maker ‘Scania’ which Porsche will have to take over says the Sweedish Law, but they are not interested at all, and will therefore only put in a minimum bid, and who blames them!

2009 and Norway sees its first rally stages accompanied by the phenomenal Sebastien Loeb and crew…

8 stages to complete and its looking promising – lots of snow, the sun is shining, and the stages are beautiful.

This really is a Super-Rally! Not like Sweden where its slush on muddy roads with stones emerging, here its -30’c degrees, blazing sun and a complete white-out everywhere! Perfect conditions for a winter Rally!

The first leg was always going to be a tackler with narrow stages and unpacked snow. They were expecting to lag behind here until…

The second leg, he attacked this morning with no mistakes, staying ahead despite of their position as the opening car…

And by the third, Sebastien had smashed it! – what a pleasure to win this kind of race where he was not the favourite to win for once. A real challenge and paid off!

This is how the next generation C-Max will look! Yes its the Losis Max! The new concept car that will give us, especially ‘familys’ an idea of whats to come, if you live in a C-Max or a Focus, this is the future!!!….

As it makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the model shows off a new front with a six-bar lower grille and long stretched back headlights. It has a split tail-gate much like the Skoda Superb, and a full length glass roof with spoiler! Other ailments include sliding rear doors, no B-pillars! and floating seats!

Well we sure want to see them!!!

The concept car, being smaller than the current C-Max, is purposed just to give a glance at what is in production. In actual fact, the full 5 seat specification will be available similar to the sporty concept version and for the first time ever – will be available in a seven seater trim too! ooohhhh!!!!

Geneva has seen the launch of the new version Lamborghini Mercielago….

The fearsome LP670-4 SuperVeloce, meaning “Super Fast”, is the most elegant, and potent version to date!!!

Its record time of 3.2 seconds 0-60mph and top speed of 212mph is a breakthrough, beating its early sister edition LP640 by 0.2 seconds…!

A new aero package differentuates it from the standard car, the V12 engine maximises the power to 8000rpm with a peak torque of 487lb ft at 6500rpm. It is 100kg lighter and has a 30mph power boost!!!

A large spoiler sits at the rear after a complete re-design to the front and rear, with a transparent engine cover and a ‘noble’, extremely wide but flat exhaust sitting central at the rear… Oh the noise!!…..

The carmaker is calling it an ‘exceptionally purist and even more extreme’ version of the mighty LP640.

Inside, to minimise weight, Lamborghini have used Carbon Fibre and precious Alcantara, and fitted bespoke carbon bucket seats, also to reduce weight ratios..

There are said to be only 350 Super Veloce’s set to be built, and according to Lamborghini, production will span from May 09 to April 2010!….

So then, Better get ya orders in fast! Er, … Super Veloce Fast!!!….

The Aston Martin DB9.

A thoroughbred sports car with unique character.

The DB9 is born, “a synthesis of traditional craftsmanship using the finest materials in the world.”

A full-bodied sports car in Coupe or Volante form.
The Austin Martin DB9 offers driver involvement, luxury, character, and most of all, refinement……

Beautifully styled, a DB9 has unique power, sound and performance. Its beauty signifies aerodynamics at their best efficiency, power by weight, and devastatingly straight-line performance coupled with exquisite handling.

All great sports cars around the world strive to balance these qualities, yet the DB9 creates has these qualities. What the driver hears, see’s and feels is together in harmony, rewarding total involvement, uprooting the senses, and igniting passion for drive.

The Aston has a 6.0-litre V12 engine, organic electroluminescent displays (OEL) in the instrument pack and centre console, as well as LED (light-emitting diode) rear lamps to project further. Inside is trimmed with handmade natural materials, and everything is kept to a minimum for simplicity and style, with no distraction. Every bit of interior is hand-made by a skilled craftsman.

Great cars of the world handle superbly and should respond quickly and predictably to any driver commands, should be very nimble and very agile. So, the DB9’s components are made from either aluminium, magnesium alloy or lightweight advanced composite materials.
The front-to-rear weight is a perfectly even ratio – 50:50, with 85% of the car’s mass sitting between front and rear axles.

This technologically is extremely sophisticated. A development programme boasts rigorous testing in locations across the border as diverse as Nardo, (Italy), Death Valley in the USA and inside the Arctic Circle, Sweden. Here more than one million testing miles have been covered in total.