Posted by Peter on
September 30, 2009
Da Streetz: McMerc in Vienna Edition
Welcome back to another edition of Da Streetz, where we chronicle the various automotive wonders on the streets of Edmonton, Canada. Well, that’s what we normally do, but today we’re taking a trip to the one of the former capitals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna (Budapest was the other capital of the Dual Monarchy).
Along the bustling Kärntner Ring road, one of the many ring roads in the expansive and sprawling metropolis, lies the luxurious Bristol Hotel. In front of the Starwood-allianced hotspot, one would expect to see a 1012hp hand-built Bristol Fighter T. Sadly, there were none to be found. Instead, all I could find was a convertible SLR McLaren. Disappointing, I know. So disappointing in fact, that I just had to take some pictures with my iPhone. Check them out below. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Peter on
September 30, 2009
Pixelklinik’s Flikr Treasure Chest
Apparently, Germany is a hotspot for both high-quality photographers and high-quality automobiles with which to photograph. Dusseldorf, in particular, is some kind of hidden gem. I’ve never been to DDorf but now a trip may be in order.
Follow the link to check out a Flikr account from a gentleman who goes by the moniker “Pixelklinik”. He has amassed a collection of exotic car photographs that crippled my legs with admiration.
I mean seriously, how is it fair that one man has seen an Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, DBS Volante, Bugatti EB110, Veyron Grand Sport, Diablo VT 6.0 SE, Ultima GTR, Koenigsegg CCXR, Porsche 959, Farbio GTS, and a Mosler MT900 GTR?
[Flikr]
Posted by Janaki on
September 29, 2009
Infiniti Art Car: Everything Old Suddenly New Again
On September 24th, the 14th annual Canadian Art Gallery Hop GALA took place. What has this got to do with the wonderful world of cars, you ask? As though having automotive installations in the MoMA wasn’t enough, Infiniti decided to revive an old tradition to celebrate their 20th anniversary. More information and a gallery after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Peter on
September 29, 2009
Tesla S Platform To Be Diversified, Vanified?
Remember the Tesla S sedan with all of its awesome and unabashed vapourware? With today’s leak/announcement, the S sedan has gained a little more credulity in my book. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Peter on
September 29, 2009
Where’s Stig? The Game
Are you a Top Gear fan with some time on your hands, waiting for November’s Season 13 to kick off? Try this. It’s like Where’s Waldo, but with over a dozen items to find. And all are TG themed!
Follow the link and see if you can beat my personal best of 9:37. Post your times in the comments! [Where's Stig]
Posted by Peter on
September 28, 2009
Leaked: Aptera 2e Looks Shockingly Like Prototype
The future of motoring? Maybe a three-wheeled electric car could be common-place in 50 years and maybe Aptera will be considered one of North America’s Big 4. But neither is terribly likely. Just don’t tell Aptera, the Californian company that is producing a 1500lb Wall-E inspired space pod you see to your left. While prototypes have been floating around Silicon Valley for a couple of year, production looks like it’s finally going to happen.
The 2e model is expected to come in 3 different models, eventually. The key word for everything to do with Aptera is “eventually”, though, so this isn’t much of a surprise. These models will be a plug-in hybrid model, a gas-powered model, and an all-electric model.
There is also word that electronics retailer Best Buy may be interested in selling the Aptera 2e at its stores. Strange, but true. Is this an expansionist effort that is meant to rival Future Shop’s push into guitars?
Now we wait for final specs, more pics, and whether the 2e will be classified as a motorcycle or a car.
Posted by Peter on
September 28, 2009
CarEnvy.ca Semantics: Sports/Super/Hypercars
When CAR Magazine Editor LJK Setright claimed to coin the term “supercar” in the mid-1960’s, he was referring to the Lamborghini Miura. At the time, a supercar was defined as a car that was mid-engined, outlandishly expensive, rare, and supremely quick.
Today, cars like the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and the Nissan GT-R blur the lines. For starters, both are front-engined and only the Ferrari is outlandishly expensive and rare. And yet, few would deny them access to the supercar “club”.
But if you start letting in $90,000 cars in the supercar club, that doesn’t make it quite exclusive enough, now, does it?
So let’s delve into the sea of semantics and try to rectify some of the confusion surrounding sportscars, supercars, and the more recently coined hypercars. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Peter on
September 28, 2009
F1 Singapore GP: Hamilton Boosted To Victory
Get it? Boosted? Because Hamilton’s McLaren uses KERS? Knee-slapping, I know.
Winning from the pole position by a triumphant 9.634 second margin over Toyota’s Timo Glock and 16.624 seconds over Renault’s Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton won for the second time this season and is now in 6th place in this season’s Driver Standings. Speaking of Driver Standings, let’s take a look at how Button, Barichello, and Vettel are standing now that the night-race dust has settled over the Pacific island city-state. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Peter on
September 27, 2009
Review: Audi A8L vs. BMW 750i – 2009
by Mark Atkinson
The launch of a new brand-topping luxury car doesn’t happen every day. In fact, it probably happens less often than most since product cycles are greatly extended at this end of the market. The last time BMW launched a new 7-Series, Jean Chrétien was still living on 24 Sussex Drive. Audi isn’t much better since its A8 was born in 2003. Both have received mid-life facelifts along the way – the BMW to try and erase as much Bangle Butt as possible, and the Audi to adopt a big, gaping corporate maw.
BMW solved this for 2009 by offering a completely redesigned 7-Series, but the question is whether it remains the Ultimate Driving Machine or whether it’s so loaded with useless technology that it’s become the Ghost in the Machine.
I had both of these beasts for extended amounts of time – a week with the Bimmer spent in Toronto with a road trip to St. Jacobs, ON, and the A8 L for nearly two weeks on a trip out to New Brunswick for a wedding. Both experiences gave plenty of in-town and highway driving, along with curvier back-road driving as well. So why not compare the two?
Posted by Stirling on
September 26, 2009
Alfa Romeo 169 To Be Built in Ontario, Maybe
Alfa Romeo hasn’t made a mid-size executive sedan in a couple years now, and now is the perfect time to resume doing so. Alfa is coming back to North America, where the executive sedan is king. While it has been confirmed that the 169 is to be built in North America, Inside Line expects the production to happen in Brampton, Ontario along side the Chinese Rolls-Royce knock-off Chrysler 300. The 169 won’t just be a pretty 169 though. Hit the jump for a summary of the rumour mill. Read the rest of this entry »
