Archives: May 2006 - Newswheel.com

VW preps batshit 272mph Bug

Newswheel staff :: 31 May 2006 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Bugatti, Bugatti Veyron, Europe & UK, US

Zero to 60mph in 2.5 seconds, 100 in 5.5 seconds, a top speed of 253mph and 1,000bhp apparently isn’t enough. So says French supercar outfit and VW subsidiary Bugatti. That’s right, Bugatti is working on an even more powerful version of the already ludicrously rapid Veyron hypercar. The result is reportedly a 1,232bhp quad-turbo behemoth capable of 272mph. In the words of the late, great Graham Chapman, stop that, it’s silly…

Maserati MC12 Corsa

Newswheel staff :: 31 May 2006 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Maserati, Maserati MC12, Europe & UK,

In the market for a built-to-order, track-prepped supercar that can’t be driven on public roads and won’t homologated for any racing activity whatsoever? Then look no further than Maserati’s new MC12 Corsa, a €1,000,000 (that’s before tax, folks) track toy that pulls off the impressive trick of making the Bugatti Veyron look both sensible and cheap…

911 GT3 RS: available in orange…

Newswheel staff :: 31 May 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Mid / rear engine sportscar, Porsche, Porsche 911, Europe & UK

Porsche has whipped the wraps off the new 911 GT3 RS. As expected, it’s a track-biased makeover of the already pretty taut ‘n toned 997-vintage GT3. The ultimate Teutonic track day tool? Until the next ninja-spec 911 comes along, at least…

First drive: VW Eos

Newswheel staff :: 28 May 2006 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Coupe, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Eos, Europe & UK,

Folding hardtops. They’re heavier, more complex, more expensive to engineer and manufacture and rob you of more luggage space when stowed than a conventional fabric roof. That’s not terribly clever. But sod the intellectual argument: a folding hard top is sexier than a swarm of silicone-enchanced C-list celebs, right? Possibly. And there are at least security and safety advantages. More importantly, however, coupe-cabriolets are simply what Joe Punter wants. And who is VW to deny him? Give it up, therefore, for the Eos, VW’s first folding hardtop model…

Hot Zafira bags ‘Ring record

Newswheel staff :: 26 May 2006 :: Filed under Mini MPV / People carrier, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Astra Zafira, Europe & UK

Eight minutes, 54.38 seconds. That’s how long it took former Le Mans winner Manuel Reuter to drag the Opel Zafira OPC (a.k.a. the Vauxhall Zafira VXR in Blighty) around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife track in Germany. Which makes it the quickest people carrier in town. For your reference, that’s about the same as John Surtees managed in a Cooper Maserati, back in 1966 (oh, OK, the Nordschleife was a couple of Ks longer in those days, but let’s not allow facts to get in the way of a good segway)…

Rangie gets diesel upgrade, next Freelander outed

Newswheel staff :: 25 May 2006 :: Filed under SUV, Land Rover, Land Rover Freelander / LR2, Land Rover Range Rover, Europe & UK, US

With just 174bhp on tap and a colossal kerb weight of 2,570kg, the best you can say about the Range Rover TD6’s performance is that it accumulates speed in graceful manner. A typically effortless turbodiesel performer it most certainly ain’t. A warm welcome, therefore, to the TDV8, brand new V8 oil burning lump for the good old Rangie. Power is up by a fulsome 54 per cent, while torque leaps by an even more staggering 64 per cent over the outgoing six-cylinder TD6 engine. Meanwhile, images of the new Freelander are circulating on the internet, courtesy of a leaked brochure…

New UK speed cameras to identify drivers

Newswheel staff :: 25 May 2006

Passing off speeding points. It’s a national pastime and hardly a surprise given the current volume of UK speed camera offences (approximately 2 million for both 2004 and 2005). But a new generation of speed cameras designed to take images of the driver’s face is being trialled in the UK. No more fobbing off the Filth with foreign friends, then?

Dodgy value from cut-price Cayman?

Newswheel staff :: 24 May 2006 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Porsche, Porsche Cayman, Europe & UK, US,

Five brake horse power. And a grand total of 2 lb/ft of torque. That’s what you get for the roughly £4,000 extra Porsche demands for the new entry-level Cayman coupe, announced this week, compared to the base Boxster. That’s right folks, just like the cheapest Boxster, the new Cayman non-S packs a 2.7-litre version of Porsche’s classic flat-six mill. If you thought the price premium for the tin-top Cayman S looked a little dubious, this latest variant makes Porsche’s confusing cabriolet-vs-coupe pricing structure more baffling than ever.

Audi fleshes out its future: Q5 SUV, A5 coupe and S3 superhatch on the cards

Newswheel staff :: 21 May 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Hatchback, SUV, Audi, Audi A3, Audi A5, Audi Nuvolari, Audi Q5, Europe & UK, US

Audi has announced the latest salvo in its ongoing new product assault. Following the impressive new alloy chassis TT and monstrous Q7 SUV comes official confirmation that the Q5 mid-sized SUV/crossover vehicle will be built at Audi’s Ingolstadt facility starting in 2008. But if news of yet another fancy four-wheel driver is enough to foster suicidal tendencies, take a deep breath and remove the pencil from your nose. Because Audi has also come clean on the upcoming A5 coupe and S3 superhatch.

Ethanol push from big US three

Newswheel staff :: 19 May 2006 :: Filed under Chrysler, Ford, GM,

Tom LaSorda, Rick Wagoner, and Bill Ford – head honchos of Chrysler, GM and Ford, respectively – have been up on Capitol Hill for a pow-wow with America’s law makers. The main aim of this unholy alliance? To place pots of ethanol fuel under the noses of legislators. Is corn-based fuel the answer to America’s (and by implication, Europe’s) fuel dependence and security problems?

BMW’s new X5: if it ain’t broke…

Newswheel staff :: 15 May 2006 :: Filed under SUV, BMW, Europe & UK, US

Recent spy shots of the all-new X5, expected around February next year, have suggested that BMW is playing it safe with its mud-plugging cash cow. But with these latest snaps from US motorsports blog Killboy the case for the prosecution rests: the new X5 is an extremely conservative update…

GX3 trike gives VW the fear

Newswheel staff :: 15 May 2006 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Volkswagen, Volkswagen GX3, Europe & UK, US

Whether Volkswagen’s self-consciously zany GX3 three-wheel concept car ever had any real chance of making it into production, we shall probably never know. It was originally thought the vehicle could be classified as a motorcycle in its North American target market, with obvious implications with regard to meeting safety regulations (no airbags, anti-lock brakes or impact protection of almost any kind required…). However, it’s now being reported that the suits at VW have experienced a coffee-smelling epiphany courtesy of their in-house legal team: the GX3 might be a recipe for enormous legal bills in the litigation-crazy US of A…

Aston Martin DBS revealed: manual gearbox for back-to-basics Bond?

Newswheel staff :: 08 May 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Front engine sportscar, Aston Martin, Aston Martin DBS, Europe & UK, US,

Better late than never: Aston Martin fired off the first salvo of its DBS marketing assault last week with images of the upcoming Bond-branded coupe. Belatedly, and in the interests of completeness, we present them to you. Just don’t get too excited. The car appears to be a wide-bodied rehash of the existing DB9 model…

Renta-Stang, Stateside

Newswheel staff :: 03 May 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Ford, Ford Mustang, US

We’ve no idea how Hertz makes the numbers add up. But long may it continue. A pifling $149.99 per day is all it will cost you to rent a unique Ford Mustang Shelby GT-H from Hertz in the US. And that’s the headline weekday rate. Stack your coupons, membership plans and other special-offer deals and the $100 dollar a day Shelby could well be yours. That’s Renault Megane money back in Euroland…

Mercedes SLK facelift: goodbye mini-SLR

Newswheel staff :: 03 May 2006 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Coupe, Roadster, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz SLK, Europe & UK, US

Love it or loathe it, it seems the end is nigh for the SLK’s F1-inspired, SLR-derived bonnet and grille treatment. Word comes down today from Germany’s Auto Strassenverkehr magazine that MB has decided to take the laser to the roadster’s protruding nasal implement in favour of a new treatment more in keeping with MB’s recent offerings…

Alfa Romeo 8C Spider bags awards, production prospects grow

Newswheel staff :: 02 May 2006 :: Filed under Front engine sportscar, Alfa Romeo, Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, Europe & UK

First shown back in the mists of 2003 at the Frankfurt motor show, Alfa’s swoopy carbon-fibre coupe, the 8C Competizione has never been short of admirers. And in drop top format it’s picking up even more, including the judges at this year’s Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance on the banks of Lake Como in Italy. The 8C Spider swiped the “Villa d’Este Design Award” and the “BMW Group Design Award”, both for concept cars…

Di Montezemolo buries Ferrari Dino hopes

Newswheel staff :: 02 May 2006 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Ferrari, Europe & UK, US

A modern day Dino with vaguely affordable pricing? Sounds almost too good to be true. And that’s exactly what it is, according to Ferrari grand fromage and all-round international man of mystery, Luca di Montezemolo…

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