BMW, Old Models

BMW X5 Security model can with-hold a .44 Magnum

If you happen to be the Head of State of a controversial nation, have a lot of enemies, or you are just plain paranoid, BMW's latest X5 variation may be just right for you. It's called the BMW X5 Security, and it has been armored by the factory to protect its occupants against some serious firepower (BMW claims safety class "VR4" to resist the penetration from a .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum, or a nine-millimeter Luger). While BMW is understandably silent about specifics, we do know that the body panels (including the roof and trunk) have been reinforced with a ballistic-resistant armored fiber developed in the Netherlands. The windows are upgraded to laminated 22-mm thick security glass, and a camera system with intercom keeps the passengers informed of what's happening outside their isolated cocoon. To handle the extra mass (you know its packing some weight) the Security package is bundled to the X5 4.8i model with its 4.8-liter 350-hp V-8. Nearly indistinguishable from the regular model, BMW has reportedly attempted to maintain the X5's driving dynamics with upgraded suspension and brakes. It's apparently no slouch, but we have yet to see any armored car that is considered exceptionally nimble.

2009 Subaru Impreza WRX: Sorry About Last Year's 'WRX'

The 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX is a bold statement from the Japanese sport compact maker: We admit our mistakes with the WRX, and we at Subaru are listening to you.

When Subaru unleashed a completely redesigned Impreza and Impreza WRX line for 2008, the reaction from their cult-like following, the Subaru tuner community and the general public was mixed at best. The new Subaru WRX, with its softened suspension, better road manners and smoother power delivery was an attempt to bring in fresh faces to the sport compact scene, those who thought the loud, snarly, outgoing 2007 Impreza WRX was for high school kids only.
Sounds great, right? Not so fast. The die-hard Subaru WRX community gave it a big thumbs down. They did not want a budget BMW, or a glorified Toyota Corolla.

They wanted the evolution of the legendary Impreza line they knew and loved. They saw the old Subaru WRX as much more than the sum of its parts, a ready-and-willing canvass for the thousands of aftermarket parts Subaru AWD sport compacts tend to attract. What they got was a larger, bulkier Impreza chassis that was called all kinds of bad names by the automotive press. The word "Corolla" comes to mind.

The Subaru Impreza sport compact sedan in all its variations, ever in competition with AWD offerings from Mitsubishi and losing market share to the likes of the Mazdaspeed 3 and Volkswagen GTI, needed a shot in the arm. Reaching into the Subaru parts bin, the Japanese company that has become synonomous with all-wheel-drive has given the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX a larger turbocharger and an entirely redesigned Subaru exhaust system, resulting in a huge boost in horsepower for a total of 265.

The other area of attention is in the handling department. Last year's Subaru WRX couldn't even manage the same skidpad and laptime numbers as its predecessor, so for 2009 the Impreza WRX has received some much-needed handling tweaks. The Subaru parts department has made big increases in the rigidity of the suspension, with spring rates tightning up by large factors. Larger stabilizer bars should give the 2009 WRX better composure on the road and on the track.

An all-new standard Subaru WRX bodykit rounds out the package, and while it still looks a little bloated, the new 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX should do more to please fans of the most respected name in AWD sport compacts.

The official Subaru press release, reprinted in its entirety below, makes countless references to each and every way in which the 2009 Impreza WRX is better than the outgoing model. At least they've learned from their mistakes...

Engine

Power bhp: 265

Torque lb-ft: 244

Type: Turbo Intercooled Engine

The Golden Roller: Rolls-Royce Golden Drophead Coupe

It's a truth universally acknowledged that the most extravagant examples of over-blinged, taste-deprived millionaire-mobiles tend to come from aftermarket tuning houses.

But, as proof that a reputation for taste and class doesn't preclude the occasional dalliance into ghastly over-the-topness, this delicious little number, this golden Drophead Coupe, comes straight from Rolls-Royce.

It was created as part of the Rolls-Royce 'Bespoke Programme', which allows customers to have pretty much any colour scheme and interior choice, no matter how hideous. Surely there are laws against this sort of thing.

As you've probably guessed, this golden Roller is headed for the Middle East: Abu Dhabi to be precise.

Our favourite touch? The gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy on the bonnet. How long do you reckon that's going to last?

The Golden Roller: Rolls-Royce Golden Drophead Coupe

It's a truth universally acknowledged that the most extravagant examples of over-blinged, taste-deprived millionaire-mobiles tend to come from aftermarket tuning houses.

But, as proof that a reputation for taste and class doesn't preclude the occasional dalliance into ghastly over-the-topness, this delicious little number, this golden Drophead Coupe, comes straight from Rolls-Royce.

It was created as part of the Rolls-Royce 'Bespoke Programme', which allows customers to have pretty much any colour scheme and interior choice, no matter how hideous. Surely there are laws against this sort of thing.

As you've probably guessed, this golden Roller is headed for the Middle East: Abu Dhabi to be precise.

Our favourite touch? The gold-plated Spirit of Ecstasy on the bonnet. How long do you reckon that's going to last?

ROLLS ROYCE COLLECTION

3D Cars Models - Old BMW

The Limited Corvette Victory Edition

This cool automotive is a limited series of 250 Victory Edition Corvette Coupes. This sportcar is based on the Corvette C6 Coupe. This Victory Edition has the LS2 6.0L V-8 engine which can produce 297kW (404 hp) and 546 Nm of torque. This limited car only available in two colours, black or yellow. The interior has two tone leather seats, grey door spill plates and numbered Victory Edition badge.

General Specifications :

Limited : only 250 built
Produced in : 2007

Engine :

Configuration : LS2 90º V 8
Engine Location : Front, longitudinally mounted
Construction : cast-aluminum block and head
Displacement : 5.970 liter / 364.3 cu in
Bore / Stroke : 101.6 mm (4 in) / 92.0 mm (3.6 in)
Compression : 10.9:1
Valvetrain : 2 valves / cylinder, OHV
Fuel Feed : Sequential Fuel injection
Aspiration : Naturally Aspirated
Drive train : composite body panels, hydroformed steel frame with aluminum & magnesium structural and chassis components
Chassis / Body : composite body panels, hydroformed steel frame with aluminum & magnesium structural and chassis components
Suspension (fr/r) : short/long arm double wishbone, cast aluminum upper & lower control arms, transverse-mounted composite leaf spring, monotube shock absorber
Steering : rack-and-pinion, power assisted, speed sensitive
Brakes : vented discs, all round. ABS
Gearbox : Tremec T56 6 speed Manual
Drive : Rear wheel drive

Dimension :

Weight : 1470 kilo / 3240.8 lbs
Lenght : 4435 mm (174.6 in)
Width : 1844 mm (72.6 in)
Height : 1246 mm (49.1 in)
Wheelbase / Track (fr/r) : 2686 mm (105.7 in) / 1577 mm (62.1 in) / 1542 mm (60.7 in)

Performance :

Power : 400 bhp / 298 KW @ 6000 rpm
Torque : 542 Nm / 400 ft lbs @ 4400 rpm
BHP / Liter : 67 bhp / liter
Power to weight : 0.27 bhp / kg
Top Speed : 290 km/h / 180 mph
0-60 mph : 4.5 s

Coming to America: Street legal KTM X-Bow

Coming to America: Street legal KTM X-Bow

Although KTM has been making motorcycles since 1934, it's new to the car business. Evidently, no one told them that if you're going to go back on something you said in the auto business, it's supposed to be really disappointing. Instead, KTM has announced its intention to bring the X-Bow track car to the United States and make it street-legal to boot, despite previously saying that the X-Bow would only be sold in Europe and Asia and that it would be confined to the track.

The announcement was made by KTM sales and marketing chief Hubert Trunkenpolz at the recent annual gathering of KTM bike dealers from across North America in Salt Lake City, Utah. Apparently the company has received some 600+ requests from American KTM dealers for the X-Bow to make the transatlantic trip. Trunkenpolz (now we just like saying Trunkenpolz) noted that they will need cooperation from Volkswagen/Audi, who supplies the running gear, and from local authorities, but that the company "will do whatever is possible to bring the car to the U.S. – that, I promise."

Nicely Modded Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X

It’s amazing what the right set of rims combined with a lower suspension can do to the appearance of a car. And although the owner of the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X, Ryan Gates, is actually setting the car up for track use and in particular, for the NASA TT-A class and the Street AWD class at select Redline Time Attacks, those absolutely stunning black-colored 18-inch rims could make any EVO X look totally sick.

Coming Soon: The Mind Blasting Corvette ZR-1

The Corvette ZR-1 raises, at best, a polite eyebrow of interest on this side of the Atlantic. The Americans, on the other hand, have gone potty for it.

And you know what? This time, they're right.

In a nutshell, here's the deal. The ZR-1 has a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 doing 638bhp, and it weighs just 1518kg. It does 0-60 in 3.4, 0-125 in 10.3 seconds.

It tops out at 205. It has carbon brakes as standard. And it's not just a point and squirt machine. It has the current Nurburgring production-car lap record. Yup, faster than a GT-R or any Porsche. See why the Americans are excited?

We on the other hand have allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked by the fact that this is a supercar disguised as a regular £46-grand Corvette - a car with a steel frame and fibreglass panels.

This one costs £100,000 (about $120,000 in the U.S.) but for that you get an entirely different and very trick car: aluminium and magnesium frame, carbonfibre panels, magnetorheological adaptive suspension, the blower, titanium conrods, head-up display et cetera et cetera.

The performance is just sensational. The one gizmo it does without is a semi-auto box, and you have to cope with a mildly clunky manual shift. But you don't have to use it often because this engine is a hallucinogenic wall of torque.

The handling and grip do nothing to let the side down. In as much as a car so fiery can be amenable to a mutt like me, this one is. And anyway, you've got the well-tuned safety net of StabiliTrak (aren't the Americans great at hype? That's their name for what the boring Germans call ESP.)

I am very excited for the ZR-1, I can't wait to test one.

Nissan Рaises GT-R MSRP Бy Нearly $7,000

Nissan announced today a price increase for the 2009 GT-R, raising the MSRP nearly $7,000 from $69,850 to $76,840. The price for the Premium model has been increased even more, going from $71,900 to $79,090 in one fell swoop. Fortunately, the adjusted prices do not affect customers who placed their orders with dealers before September 5. Nissan cited increased material costs as the reason for the adjustment.

Since the GT-R is already one of the best performance bargains on the market today and customers are paying a premium to own one, we doubt that the price increase will have any effect on sales. Still, $7,000 is a serious chunk of change that could go towards aftermarket toys from Cobb Tuning or HKS.

Mitsubishi Lancer VR4 Station Wagon

A member of the Dutch ‘Galantfans’ forum came up with this rendering depicting a sporty station wagon version of the new Mitsubishi Lancer (Galant Fortis in Japan). Although it’s apparent that the ‘chop’ was made by mating the body of a… VW Passat Variant (check out the mirrors) to the front-end of the Lancer along with adding a set of tasty alloys that are housed in blown up wheel arches, the overall result looks very promising.

VW Scirocco SERIES

For some reason, the Volkswagen Scirocco hasn't really blipped on my radar.

It's just one of those cars that's sort of passed me by - despite all the hype and nostalgic musings it's generated.

Maybe that's because the Iroc concept looked so brilliant, only for VW to lose their guts and dilute it into a softer, less edgy-looking production version.

Such gutlessness caused me to lose interest. What happened to that pointy, aggressive front-end? I wanted it back.

But, sat there in the BBC's secret underground layer (just off the A40 at White City), it looked bloody brilliant.

Pictures don't do this thing justice. In white, it looks properly cool, and the wheels are unlike anything on other 'normal' cars - they're more like the turbine-style jobs you get on an SLR.
And underneath all that, it's a Golf GTI. There are worse things to have as an alter-ego...

So it's quick. And stylish. Quick, stylish and utterly appealing. I want one.

Driving around west London, it got tonnes of attention. Maybe that's 'cos it's new, but the constant flicker of 'thumbs up' from pedestrians, cabbies and truckers would suggest people really like the look of it.

The only let down is the interior - it's boring. OK so I like the ribbed leather seats, and they're the only nod to the Scirocco of old.

But the rest of it is dull, and a bit safe in a very VW sort of way. The Iroc had all sorts of sculpted surfaces, bright splashes of colour and even a racing harness. Where's all that gone?

Probably in the same dustbin as the original front-end. So if you're planning on buying a Scirocco (which you should), my advice is to go find that bin, fish out the parts and graft them back on.

2010 Lotus Europa i6 concept

The Europa i6 concept study is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car inspired in terms of design by the classic Europa and Elite as well as by the latest Lotus models. The independent designer supports that ideally, the Europa i6 would weigh in at about 2,030 lbs (920 kg) with power coming from a 2.0-liter supercharged inline six-cylinder engine.

In theory, he says that the sports car would sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 7 sec (kind of slow...) and on to a top speed of 165 mph or 265 km/h. Leaving aside the theoretical technical specs, Idries’ take on a compact mid-engined Lotus sports coupe hits the spot. Too bad it exists only in the digital world, but I would really be surprised to see it on the streets someday.