Posted by Peter on
March 11, 2010
Fiat Heir Lapo Elkann and IASIP’s Charlie Day Hate Canada
The electron microscope of the media has been firmly fixed on Lapo Elkann, heir to the Fiat car company fortune, since Tuesday night when Elkann tipped the basketball away from the Toronto Raptors’ Jose Calderon. The tip prevented Calderon from keeping the ball in-bounds and thwarted Toronto’s defence of its lead against Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers. Kobe went on to make a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win, despite being double-teamed. On a slightly unrelated note, Kobe Bryant is so amazing that Aston Martin is making a USD$550 limited edition shoe in collaboration with the all-star.
But wait, who is that to the right of Calderon? And why does he hate Canada’s only NBA team, and the whole country by association?
Posted by Peter on
March 3, 2010
2010 Chicago Auto Show: Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing
With doors agape, the 2011 SLS greeted visitors at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. This is the car that Mercedes is using to ignite our memories of the 1955 Mille Miglia and Stirling Moss. But wait, didn’t they just do that with the McLaren SLR Stirling Moss?. In person, it’s clear to see that the driver sits acres away from the nose of the car, much like the SLR McLaren this car effectively replaces as well as the BMW Z4 we drove in 2009. And although both the SLS and the baby BMW are rear-wheel drive two-seaters, the similarities end there. Whereas the Merc has a 6.2L V8 and pedestrian-arresting gullwing doors, the BMW is more conventional with its normal doors and straight-six engine. There’s also the matter of the $200,000 difference in price between the two, but no one said that a sense of occasion was cheap. In fact, it most assuredly isn’t. The SLS had a presence that had people flocking to its rotating stand, despite the lack of professional female accoutrement.
But why should you bother with a plane ticket to Chicago when you have CarEnvy.ca to do that for you? With our ever-expanding collection of 360˚ videos, it’s just like you’re there. Except you’re in the warmth of your home or office and not under the migraine-inducing lights of McCormick Hall. The things we do for our readers…
[author via YouTube]
Posted by Peter on
March 2, 2010
2010 Chicago Auto Show: Toyota FT-CH Concept
Toyota’s FT series of concepts first rolled out with the splendiferous 2007 FT-HS, a look at what a 21st century Supra might look like, hybrid powertrain and all. Unfortunately, that little experiment was ill-timed with the economic forces to which Toyota swayed. The second FT was the FT-86, so named because it is meant to recall the affordability and rear-driven wheels of the AE86 Corolla. This was a preview of the 2012 Celica that Toyota hopes will bring a pulse back to the brand. Now, the third FT concept is here with the “CH” moniker, likely referring to “compact hybrid”, but that’s just a wild guess. The styling was executed at Toyota’s European Design Centre in France and the design cues are targeted at the “8-bit generation” who grew up playing 8-bit video games, the company claims. Uh, so I guess that’s me. And what could go better with an 8-bit design philosophy but an 8-bit soundtrack. Sure, it’s kinda annoying, but so are the hipsters that my generation has created.
If such a car were to reach production, it would likely do so as an expansion of the Prius brand. After all, if consumers and manufacturers have learned nothing in the last few years, it’s that the “Prius” badge sells cars, not the “Hybrid” badge. The FT-CH is a smaller car than the mid-size Prius, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it came to market with the Prius Urban nameplate, or some such marketing drivel. Enjoy this 360˚ preview of the mini-Prius because it could be exactly what the market ordered, minus the unintended acceleration and hipster luxury nameplate.
[author via YouTube]
Posted by Peter on
March 1, 2010
2010 Chicago Auto Show: Audi R8 5.2 FSI (and Spyder) in 360˚
Is it brown or bronze? The colour is debatable, but the twin R8s in attendence were lovingly laid with carbon fibre packages that made them sparkle and fizz under the fluorescent McCormick Hall lights. But still pictures don’t do the twins justice, especially not the decapitated sibling named Spyder.
Posted by Peter on
February 24, 2010
Video: HTC Pléthore LC-750 – The Canadian McLaren F1
With the centrally-mounted driving position, this is the first supercar since Gordon Murray’s McLaren F1 to utilize this style. I emphasize supercar because Gordon Murray’s T.25 city car will employ a similar set-up. This driving position only adds to the mystique of the first truly Canadian car of any type since the ill-fated Bricklin SV-1. That, and the fact that this is a full-on supercar with a GM small block providing the power and a body as wide and seductive as an open stretch of unrestricted Autobahn.
And don’t worry about the weak economy crushing this car’s potential, rumour has it that 8 of them have already been sold to eager European buyers. The Pléthore will also be in Geneva next week for their 80th International Motor Show.
[GTspirit via Facebook]
Posted by Peter on
February 23, 2010
What Do Hyundai and Volkswagen Have That Toyota Doesn’t? Quality!
Based on what you see above, you’ll agree that this new 2011 Hyundai Sonata (no, that isn’t the Passat CC) has more inspired and engaging styling than the benchmark Toyota Camry. But what you can’t tell from the pictures is how the car feels. So let me tell you that it feels solid and well screwed together. Like, no joke. In fact, I’ll go as far to say that the new Sonata is better than the Camry, and for that matter all the other midsize sedans. I had an inkling that this statement might be true, but the Korean company’s presence at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show cemented it for me.
It was there that I saw the 2011 Sonata in the metal and had the opportunity to explore the car a bit. This car was so surprisingly adequate that I needed to compare it to Toyota, the reigning champion of North American sales. And adequacy. But I’ll get to that in a second because there were also the 2010 Tuscon, the Genesis brothers, and the Genesis Coupe drift car that some dude named Rhys Millen uses to extract smoke out of rubber. And all of these cars had a big impact on me. I know it has been said before that Toyota’s quality is slipping, but it wasn’t clear to me how badly the Koreans are now beating the Japanese titan, and therefore everyone else. But it isn’t just Hyundai that is sneaking up on the Big Two of GM and Toyota, it’s Volkswagen too. It has been well-publisized that Volkswagen plans to be the world’s largest automaker by 2018, but based on what I saw at the CAS, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the Koreans first. Either way, both brands are on the rise.
More proof and less rhetoric are below.
Posted by Peter on
February 21, 2010
Lexus LFA in 360˚ Splendour and Vivid Detail
The 2010 Chicago Auto Show has just wrapped up but our belated (but bespoke) coverage will continue to seep into these pages over the coming days. To start things off, here is a video of the venerable Lexus LFA that we took. While you’ve undoubtedly seen pictures of the LFA, or even video reviews, you haven’t seen it up close and personal. Until now.
The 360˚ video and 16-image gallery of the LFA are below. I think you’ll enjoy the fine details of Japanese engineering. A lot. Also, the matte gray that this LFA is painted is infinitely cooler than the white we keep seeing.
Posted by Jonathan on
February 12, 2010
Don’t Try This At Home: Clutch Go Bang
What do you get when you mix a 620-horsepower LS7-powered Pontiac Trans Am, a pound of youthful exuberance, a handful of yahoos, and a pinch of video camera?
Shrapnel.
Seems these fine fellows were intent on melting a set of old meats by performing a rolling burnout. Step One: rev up engine. Step Two: roll forward. Step Three: press brake pedal while burying the accelerator pedal. Good plan. Then the clutch grenaded.
“Grenaded” is a term often overused. But not here. No, three pieces of clutch pressure plate went in three different directions. One exited stage right and, after cutting through a six millimeter thick steel plate, bounced into some kid’s leg. The second went straight up through the firewall into the bottom of the dashboard. The third piece cut through the floorboard near the driver’s feet, deflected, and buried itself in the pavement.
Items broken: engine block, transmission bellhousing, headers, wiring harness. Thankfully, the clutch manufacturer warrantied the clutch. The car, however, was declared a total loss.
[ Streetfire.net ]
Posted by Peter on
February 10, 2010
Chris Harris Drives Lexus LFA, Agrees With CarEnvy
Now here’s a man who gets us. Here’s a man who gets it. Chris Harris, the man who did wonderful things at Drivers Republic and has now moved over to Evo UK, has just driven one of the first Lexus LFAs to hit UK shores. And you know what? He agrees with CarEnvy when we said that it could use a little more power to be appreciated. Now I’ll shut up so you can enjoy one of the best automotive video presenters around. Just make sure you watch it full screen.
[Evo]
Posted by Peter on
February 9, 2010
The Top Gear Winter Olympics: Like Vancouver 2010, But Better
With the Vancouver experiencing unusually warm weather, the 2010 Olympics are shaping up to be somewhat of a letdown. The Canadian media is all over the fact that snow is being flown into Cypress Mountain, the site of some of the snowboarding events. Canada is supposed to be on the world stage, but this isn’t exactly the lead-up many were hoping for. No matter, they say, because the Olympics are still on home soil and we will be vying for its first gold medal at an Olympic games in Canada.
Canadians are supposed to be hyped and excited for international competition on our home turf, but not this guy. I see the Olympics as nothing more than the exploitation of a city for the benefit of a private organization, the IOC. Cities foolishly lavish gifts upon IOC members in the hopes of being chosen, and at the end of the 10 day extravaganza, the hosting city is left with billions of dollars of infrastructure that is destined to lay dormant and unused, a symbol of the brief flash of national pride.
The Top Gear Olympics, on the other hand, couldn’t make me happier. Even more amazingly for a Top Gear aficionado, I hadn’t seen this until today. Now, I’m sharing it with you. Enjoy!
[Streetfire]
