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BBC: At nearly $7.30/gal and climbing, UK gas prices hit record high

Filed under: UK

UK Gas

Think fuel prices are high in the United States? What Yanks pay is nothing to what our former colonial masters are forced to shell out at the pumps, as reports come in of record-high prices in the UK.

According to the BBC, prices have hit an all-time high of 121.76p per liter in the United Kingdom. The numbers work out to $7.27 per gallon in American terminology, but the record doesn’t take inflation into account. To put the current British petrol prices into perspective, consider that it will now cost English soccer moms in Chelsea over $163 (!) to fill up their BMW X5s.

The worst news for British motorists is that this isn’t even the end of it: with both the Value Added Tax (VAT) and fuel duties scheduled to rise again in the new year, next month is anticipated to go even higher. As Edmund King, head of the UK’s Automobile Association put it, “for those people dependent on road transport, it’s not looking like a very happy Christmas or indeed New Year.” Indeed.

[Source: BBC News | Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty]

BBC: At nearly $7.30/gal and climbing, UK gas prices hit record high originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chevrolet considering new high-end Silverado

Filed under: Truck, Chevrolet, GM

Pickup truck sales are on the rise in the U.S., and that’s good news for Detroit since trucks tend to come with big price tags and hefty margins. Truck owners can be a different breed, often padding their bedded beauties with high trim levels and copious quantities of options. Ford has made this task easy with F-150 variants like the Platinum and King Ranch, while Chrysler has upped their game with the Dodge Ram Laramie Longhorn. If you want a high-end General Motors truck, right now the best bet is to opt for the GMC Sierra Denali, while Bow Tie-branded trucks top out at the LTZ model.

Pickuptrucks.com is quoting GM sources who claim that a higher end Silverado is on the way. The new model would build on the high levels of standard equipment already present and accounted for in the LTZ, and we’re betting that likely additions would include upgraded interior materials and unique wheels and trim. The rumored branding for this top Silverado trim is the Scottsdale; a name that hit the scene in 1975 before it was discontinued in the 1990s.

[Source: Pickuptrucks]

Report: Chevrolet considering new high-end Silverado originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Simbol Design’s Lavazza GTX-R looks like a high-speed Enzo-Zonda mashup

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Europe

Simbol Design Lavazza GTX-R – Click above for high-res image gallery

Simbol Design’s Lavazza GTX-R slaps a Lego-ized version of the Ferrari Enzo’s snout on an otherwise Pagani Zonda-like body made of carbon-Kevlar built atop a tubular steel frame. And since German powerplants have emerged as the new crate engine of choice for niche manufacturers from Spyker and Wiesmann to Gumpert and Pagani, the Lavazza packs a BMW-sourced 5.4-liter V12, picking up Lamborghini’s tractor-origins mantle with an electro-pneumatic transmission reportedly sourced from a bus. Sources differ on the engine’s output – alternately claiming 489 horsepower or 620 – but either way, 0-60 mph times quoted around the four-and-a-half second sound conservative.

Both coupe and roadster bodystyles are apparently in the works, though there’s no word on availability or pricing just yet. Either way, check out the high-resolution images in the gallery below and a video of this supercar mashup after the jump.

Gallery: Lavazza GTX-R by Simbol Design

[Source: Simbol Design via Carscoop]

Continue reading Simbol Design’s Lavazza GTX-R looks like a high-speed Enzo-Zonda mashup

Simbol Design’s Lavazza GTX-R looks like a high-speed Enzo-Zonda mashup originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avera Motors teases high-efficiency prototype

Filed under: Concept Cars, Technology

Avera Motors Teaser

Florida-based Avera Motors is beginning to part the veil of secrecy surrounding what the company has been up to for the past few years. The KGB is a downright chatty bunch compared to the start-up automaker, and until now, we’ve only had one very info-light web site and a handful of rumors to give us an idea of what to expect from Avera. We knew that CEO RJ Scaringe had assembled a team of engineers who had worked on projects like the Ford GT, Dodge Viper and Koenigsegg CCX and that the company was planning to build a new take on the efficient automobile, but beyond that, it was anyone’s guess.

Now the company has released a teaser of its first operational prototype – a yet-unnamed, rear-wheel-drive hatch (?) powered by a direct-injection, turbocharged gasoline engine mounted amidships. Scaringe and the rest of the Avera Motors crew are hoping that the vehicle will be able to best every hybrid in the game in terms of fuel economy and driving fun simply by reducing weight as much as possible. We were able to spend a few quick minutes with Scaringe to find out a little more about the vehicle and his company as a whole. Hit the jump to see what we learned.

[Source: Avera Motors]

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Avera Motors teases high-efficiency prototype originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Moscow motorcyclist’s crazy high-speed commute

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Motorcycle, Russia

Russian commute on Yamaha R1

Morning commute in Russia on a Yamaha R1 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Driving to work in the morning can be a tedious and annoying affair. At least, we imagine it is, since we are chained to the wall of a basement staring at a computer screen for 23.5 hours per day. One vehicle that can make any commute quicker is a motorcycle… perhaps even a stupid-fast literbike like the Yamaha R1.

Combine a rider with a need for ~~death~~ speed, a 25-mile commute through Russian traffic and a powerful two-wheeled samurai sword, and you get a video showing the “quick” way to work. Sometimes this two-wheeler even becomes a one-wheeler as rare empty stretches of road disappear when the nose goes skyward.

According to our tipster Andy (Thanks!), the title translates to “A couple minutes of my life could be more interesting than the whole life of the other people.” It’s certainly interesting, but we prefer pushing vehicles to our limit on a track. Regardless, the music choice is excellent and the riding would make Trinity jealous. We don’t condone this type of action, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all check out the video, which you can watch after the jump.

Gallery: 2009 Yamaha R1

[Source: The Insider – (Russian language site)]

Continue reading Video: Moscow motorcyclist’s crazy high-speed commute

Video: Moscow motorcyclist’s crazy high-speed commute originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: ‘Ode to Salt’ is high speed in glorious slow motion

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Videos

Bonneville salt flats crusing

Ode to Salt – Click above to watch video after the jump

Josh Clayson visited Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats and walked away smitten. Not only that, he walked away with some stunning high-definition footage of machines encrusted in and racing over the sodium chloride expanse. Set to a little music and some subtle editing, it’s as poetic as the Pablo Neruda poem that accompanies it. You’ll find it after the jump.

[Source: Jalopy Journal]

Continue reading Video: ‘Ode to Salt’ is high speed in glorious slow motion

Video: ‘Ode to Salt’ is high speed in glorious slow motion originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Callaway working on high-performance Silverado

Filed under: Aftermarket, Budget, Performance, Truck, Chevrolet

Callaway emblem

The power-driven minds at Callaway are looking to sink their teeth into the performance pickup truck market. According to PickupTrucks.com, the company has already laid its hands on a new Chevrolet Silverado 1500, complete with a 6.2-liter V8 cranking out 403 horsepower and 417 lb-ft of torque, and has begun exploring potential performance enhancements. We’re guessing that means there will be a crap ton more power coming from that mill by the time all is said and done, but there’s indication that the final product will be more than a truck with a blower.

Callaway has a reputation for turning mild-mannered Chevrolet vehicles into all-out supercars, complete with a host of suspension upgrades. Whether the company decides to put a Silverado on the ground in the same vein as the old Ford F-150 SVT Lightening or rework the springs for off-road domination in aims of toppling the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor remains to be seen. We’re personally hoping for the latter, but the truth is anything with the Callaway name on it tends to point our imaginations in the fun direction.

Report: Callaway working on high-performance Silverado originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #192 – Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity

Filed under: Concept Cars, Podcasts, Etc., Ford, GM, Hyundai, Jaguar, Toyota, Electric

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Chris, Sam and Dan return for Episode #192 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the reinstatement of GM’s high performance division and its new focus on small cars, the Ford Edge Sport being out-dragged by its lesser SEL sibling, and the BMW Megacity electric car. It’s an hour and eleven minutes, bookended by what’s in our respective garages and your questions/comments. See you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #192 – Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity

In the Autoblog Garage:

Toyota Sienna LE
Jaguar XFR
Hyundai Azera

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 71:11

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #192 – Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: GM high performance division put back to work, focus on small cars

Filed under: Performance, GM

Chevrolet Aveo RS concept

Chevrolet Aveo RS concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

In early 2009, General Motors announced it would be putting all high-performance vehicle projects on indefinite hold, citing that the engineering team responsible for these power-happy cars would be moved to different areas within the company. Since then, the only new performance models to come out of GM have been the CTS-V Coupe and Sport Wagon, leaving a huge void in the General’s affordable small performance portfolio. The Chevrolet Cobalt SS and HHR SS were discontinued, and the demise of Pontiac and Saturn did away with any GXP and Red Line products.

However, all of this may change in the not-too-distant future. Automotive News reports that Jim Campbell, GM’s vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports, has said his company has a tremendous opportunity for new performance entries in the small and compact car markets. This means we should expect higher-output versions of the new Chevrolet Cruze, as well as the upcoming redesigned Aveo – and not just trims that look quick, but go quick too.

We already got a taste of a hotter Aveo in concept form (pictured), and we certainly wouldn’t mind a more enthusiastic Cruze, especially since GM still has that 260-horsepower 2.0-liter Ecotec turbocharged four-cylinder engine laying around. We certainly didn’t hate the Cobalt SS (far from it), and we think this mill could do wonders in the larger Cruze. What’s your vision of the next small performance car from GM? Let us know in the comments.

Gallery: Chevrolet Aveo RS concept

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: GM high performance division put back to work, focus on small cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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X Games 16 Rally offers up plenty of high, lows, and double gold

Filed under: Motorsports

X Games 16 SuperRally – Click above for high-res image gallery

Race day for the X Games rally car action started out much like the practice sessions had begun the day before – with plenty of frustration. The drivers finally figured out how to deal with the steep drop-off in the dirt portion of the track that led back into the L.A. Coliseum, but a new challenge presented itself. The course layout for the rally racing portion of the event was designed with some very tight turns. So tight, in fact, that after a few practice laps only a handful of drivers could actually make it around the course without having to execute a three-point turn.

Much of the morning saw drivers working with course officials to create a course that the cars could actually drive on. After a few different configurations were tried, one was found, but at that point there wasn’t any time left for practice. Essentially, the drivers would be competing on a course that they had never driven on. Would that result in excitement, chaos or both? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: X Games 16 Rally Car Racing

Gallery: X Games 16 SuperRally

Continue reading X Games 16 Rally offers up plenty of high, lows, and double gold

X Games 16 Rally offers up plenty of high, lows, and double gold originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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