carmax Podcast: 2011 New York Auto Show Edition

This week, we gather all four editors in one room to discuss what we liked and didn’t like at this year’s New York International Auto Show, which continues through this weekend.
We debate why we gave certain models a “winner” or “loser” designation, and there is some heated — OK, slightly animated — back-and-forth regarding a few of the cars on display.

2011 Abarth 500 "Motore Centrale R230" by Anzom

Aznom’s work on the Abarth 500 isn’t so much about the added output the little Italian hatch gets – 230 ponies for good measure – but more so on how they did it. You don’t get to wake up everyday and see an engine placed inside a clear, transparent box, do you? Yeah, we didn’t think so.

Traditionally a front-engine car, the folks over at Aznom decided to turn the Abarth hatch into a mid-engine, rear-drive vehicle, one that harkens back to the days of the original 500. Even better than rearranging the car’s overall set-up was the fact that the tuning company also tuned the car’s 1.4-liter turbo four engine all the way up to 230 horsepower and 243 lb/ft of torque. Figures may not mean much in a world littered with 300+ horsepower sports cars, but for a tiny hatch that weighs less than a ton, that’s a mighty impressive number.

Throw in other goodies like a new suspension with Bilstein dampers, upgraded brakes, and a set of Kumho tires, and you’ll have a car that’s going to make heads turn for all the right reasons. Let’s just all hope that the people over at Aznom won’t charge as hefty a price tag for the privilege of owning one in the future.

We Hit the 2011 California Mille Classic Car Rally – Part 3

The end is here. The California Mille participants have completed the four-day, 1000-mile journey, wrapping up yesterday in downtown Sonoma. All but one entry completed the challenging route—the lone exception being a stunning 1939 Jaguar SS100 that suffered a blown head gasket halfway through the journey. Unsurprisingly, none were in stock at the local Kragen. Cooling and electrical problems affected several Alfa Romeos and Jaguars, but were deftly remedied by the two master mechanics along the way.
Wednesday’s open track session at Thunderhill Raceway was a highlight of the run, with most of the participants taking to the track for spirited touring laps. This rather unlikely track session pitted the likes of a Peking-to-Paris-modified 1936 Chrysler Imperial Airflow against Alfa Romeo Giuliettas, the Airflow leaning precipitously through the off-camber corners in its attempts to match the lap times of the smaller, nimble European sports cars. Much to the dismay of some participants, the Toyota support vehicles (a Sienna and an Avalon) handily passed most of the vintage sports cars—a testament to the incredible capabilities of modern cars when compared with their decidedly less-able predecessors!
The Mille’s route culminated in a stunning scenic tour down Ridgecrest Boulevard, offering crystal-clear panoramic views of the Pacific as well as the San Francisco skyline. Photos can be found in the gallery below.

 

 

Decade of Delays: A Timeline of Alfa Romeo’s U.S. Relaunch

Fiat recently announced that the relaunch of the storied, sporting Alfa Romeo marque in the U.S. would be delayed—again—until roughly 2013. This postponement was attributed to Fiat’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, expressing dissatisfaction with the design of the upcoming Alfa Romeo models, including a new mid-size sedan.
Whether you’re an Alfista or not, though, you probably know that Alfa has been teasing, hinting at, implying, and outright confirming a return to the U.S. market ever since the brand left in 1995. That retreat was made in the face of horrendously low sales and a merited reputation for rotten quality, although, to be fair, Alfa sales have always been weak here, with the company’s high being just 8201 units in 1986.
To commemorate the latest delay, we’ve assembled a timeline of Alfa’s declarations of an American return; it begins in 2000, when the company entered into a partnership with General Motors. And for historical context, we’ve added some world events that occurred during the same time span.

 
by blog.caranddriver.com

2011 Bentley Continental GT Cabriolet by Prior Design

Anyone taking on the task of tuning a Bentley Continental GT Convertible better know what they are doing if they want to end up making the car look even more luxurious than it already is. Thankfully, Prior Design has had a little experience in this department with tuning projects such as the BMW M5 F10 and the Mercedes E-Class Coupe. Their newest project reshapes the convertible with aerodynamic pieces and some interior modifications.

The aerodynamic kit includes a new front bumper with an integrated carbon fiber bottom lip that reduces the updraft at the front axle. It also includes two air inlets on the hood, a massive sports grille with two carbon-fiber air outlets on top, a set of traditional side sills, and a new bumper with integrated diffuser for the rear. The final touch has been provided by a stainless steel sports exhaust system cleanly integrated into the tail. For the interior, the tuner jazzed it up a bit with wooden decorations and exclusive carbon fiber insertions.

Under the hood, everything remained unchanged so the customer will still get the 6 liter W12 engine that delivers a total of 567 HP and a peak torque of 516 lbs-ft. With this setup, the car sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and can hit a top speed of 198 mph.

by topspeed.com

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BMW Concept C scooter to launch in America

You would have known the Concept C which was introduced last year. It was the BMW Motorrad's vision of what a large motor scooter could look like, and now it's moved into production.

It was reported that a production version of the Concept C will be unveiled at major motorbike shows after the summer and once it's in production, it'll likely get a different name, but after that it's headed for the United States.

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