Tag: straight

Ferrari to skip 599M and go straight for all-new model?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ferrari

Ferrari 599 GTO

Ferrari 599 GTO – Click above for high-res image gallery

Typically, Ferrari works its products in two phases. First comes the all-new model, then a number of years later comes a substantially updated version that carries it through until the next all-new model comes along. Think 360 Modena to F430, 456 GT to 456M, 550 Maranello to 575M… noticing a pattern here?

That’s what Ferrari was originally planning to do with the 599 GTB Fiorano, but the latest reports indicate that the company has opted to skip the updated 599 and go straight to an all-new model. Which may make perfect sense, considering how many derivatives the existing 599 has spawned, from the HGTE to the latest GTO (pictured above).

The decision is reportedly spurred by the radical step forward which the company has taken from the 612 Scaglietti to the new FF. The 599’s successor won’t pack the FF’s all-wheel-drive system, or its shooting brake body style, but is likely to take advantage of its direct-injection 6.3-liter V12 to the tune of some 700 horsepower.

Sources expect the next front-engine/rear-drive V12 supercar to come roaring out of the gates at Maranello sometime late next year.

Ferrari to skip 599M and go straight for all-new model? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 May 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Australian Grand Prix comes straight from a land Down Under [Spoilers]

Filed under: Motorsports, Australia

2011 Australian Grand Prix

2011 Australian Grand Prix – Click above for high-res image gallery

And they’re off, ladies and gentlemen. After a tumultuous offseason that saw Robert Kubica sidelined from a rally crash, two Lotus-Renault teams embroiled in a naming rights dispute, the arrival of Pirelli tires to replace Bridgestone and the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to political unrest, the 2011 Formula One World Championship has kicked off in earnest with the Australian Grand Prix.

Heading down under to Albert Park, both titles are Red Bull’s to defend. But preseason testing showed strong competition coming from the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes GP. Would reigning champion Vettel and company be able to hold them back to start off their defense as strong as last year? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2011 Australian Grand Prix

[Images: Clive Mason, Paul Gilham, Vladimir Rys/Getty | Rob Griffith, Andrew Brownbill, Vincent Thian, David Callow, Daniel Munoz/AP]

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2011 Australian Grand Prix comes straight from a land Down Under [Spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Translogic proves funky Tango isn’t just on the straight and narrow

Filed under: Videos, Electric, MISC

tango ev

Translogic hits the streets in a Tango EV – Click above to watch video after the jump

The Tango electric vehicle looks like a cross between a G-Wiz and Goldmember’s Corbin Sparrow. However, it has a hidden talent buried underneath its tandem seating configuration: It’s quick – very quick. What does that mean exactly? Bradley Hasemeyer and the AOL Translogic crew decided to trek to Spokane, Washington and talk to the man behind the machine, to find out.

The brainchild of Rick Woodbury, the Tango EV is an electric two-passenger car capable of sub-four-second 0-60 mile per hour bursts. At just 39-inches wide, the Tango is narrower than a Honda Goldwing motorcycle. It’s no cream-puff piece of plastic, either. Woodbury says you ought to be quite safe behind the wheel of the Tango thanks to its FIA-certified roll-cage and reinforced doors.

It’s a tire-smoking electric two-door that looks as odd as it does fun. Whir past the jump to watch Translogic take the Tango EV for a spin.

[Source: Translogic]

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Video: Translogic proves funky Tango isn’t just on the straight and narrow originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Aston Martin mulling return to straight-six engines?

Filed under: Aston Martin, Rumormill

Aston Martin logo

Aston Martin boss Dr. Ulrich Bez let the cat out of the bag this week, revealing that the automaker is seriously contemplating bringing back the straight-six engine. Up through the most recent DB7, Aston’s silky inline-sixes defined the brand.

According to Bez, if Aston decides to go back to its old standby, the engine would likely be a 2.5-liter unit sporting direct injection and a turbocharger. Dr. Bez’s thoughts have turned to engines since Aston’s universal VH platform won’t need updating for a few more years. According to Bez, getting a six-pot in the current architecture won’t be an issue, since V12s already slide in nicely.

We wouldn’t look for a six-cylinder Aston for at least another five years, but the idea of a turbocharged, six-cylinder Vantage-style baby Aston does pique our interest.

[Source: Piston Heads | Image: Drew Phillips/AOL]

Report: Aston Martin mulling return to straight-six engines? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Toyota Prius has been Japan’s top-selling car for 18 straight months

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Japan, Hatchback, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Toyota Prius has been the top-selling vehicle in its home market of Japan since its redesign in 2009 for the 2010 model year, due partly to a series of incentives created by the Japanese government to promote fuel efficient vehicles – more specifically, hybrids. Those incentives ended in September, leading many to wonder if Toyota’s hybrid hatchback could maintain its stranglehold atop the sales board.

Apparently, the answer is yes. According to data provided by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association, Toyota managed to sell 21,400 Prius hybrids in November, more than enough to earn the fuel-sipper the top sales spot over the second-place Honda Fit (16,677 units).

It seems that the end of hybrid vehicle subsidies did take something of a toll on Prius sales, however. Though still on top, sales of Toyota’s hybrid hatchback were down by just over 20 percent when compared to the same period one year ago, when the Japanese government’s incentives were in full effect. Still, Toyota’s green jellybean has enjoyed 18 months at the top and still has quite a few carlengths on the Fit, and that’s nothing to be sneezed at.

Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius

[Source: The Mainichi Daily News]

PSA: Toyota Prius has been Japan’s top-selling car for 18 straight months originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Straight to the Finnish line: Kimi Raikkonen wins his first rally

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Citroën

Kimi's Raikkonen's rally car

Okay, so it wasn’t a championship-level international stage, but just the same, Kimi Raikkonen has won his first rally. The event in question, called Rallye Vosgien, forms part of the French national series, and was contested by Kimi’s Citroën Junior Team as practice ahead of the WRC Rally of France.

The former F1 world champion and his co-pilot, Kaj Lindstrom, took their Citroën C4 to the finish line over three minutes ahead of the nearest competitor, Quentin Gilbert, driving a Renault Clio Maxi. Given the similar conditions – and that Citroën Junior Team had used up all its allotted test time – Vosgien proved an ideal warm-up to the main event set to take place at the end of the month.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty]

Straight to the Finnish line: Kimi Raikkonen wins his first rally originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Sep 2010 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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