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Report: A. Kahn owner turns down $9M offer for his Veyron’s ‘F1’ license plate

Filed under: Etc., Earnings/Financials, UK, Humor

Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4

Afzal Khan has a lot of money. This is, after all, the guy that spent $870,000 for the United Kingdom vanity plate F1. Now, as further proof of the high-end tuner’s wealth, he’s turned down a 6-million quid offer for the rare license plate. Who offers $9.3 million for a pair of rectangular pieces of metal? And… more importantly, who turns it down?

According to The Daily Mail, Khan rejected the offer, with a spokesman explaining that, “Mr. Kahn has no interest in selling F1, which is his favorite plate.” As The Mail points out, Khan’s move to snap up F1 when it went on the market in 2008 was a prudent financial move if he’s getting multi-million-pound offers for it.

F1, which spends most of its time on Khan’s Bugatti Veyron, isn’t the only rare plate in Khan’s garage – he also counts 4HRH and NO1 as part of his collection, although it doesn’t sound like either one is quite as valuable.

A. Kahn owner turns down $9M offer for his Veyron’s ‘F1’ license plate originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Volkswagen Passat turns 40

Filed under: Sedan, Wagon, Hatchback, Volkswagen

Seven generations of Passat have graced streets around the world, and today is the long-running Volkswagen’s 40th birthday. Looking at the car today, it’s hard to imagine that it was offered as a hatchback in its first and second generations, in addition to the sedan and wagon body styles. But there’s no question Volkswagen has sold a lot of Passats over the years, with over 20 million produced.

VW started delivering the B1-generation Passat on July 25, 1973, and sold it until 1980, when the second generation came out. The B2, which went by many names in different markets, was produced from 1980-87 (longer in some markets, such as China, where it was produced until 2012) and featured technology you might recognize in many of today’s VWs, such as a turbo-diesel engine option. The B3 generation was produced from 1987-93 and, styled with aerodynamics in mind, starts looking more like a Passat in this writers opinion. The B4, produced from 1993-97, was safer and had a stiffer body but followed the same formula as the previous generation.

The B5 Passat stepped up the quality quite a bit from the previous model, and it came with a wide range of four-, five-, six- and eight-cylinder engines. It was produced from 1996-2005. The sixth-gen Passat was produced from 2006-09 and could be had with a double-clutch transmission for the first time. It even spawned the good-looking Passat CC, which became its own model in 2010, when the current B7 Passat was released.

The B7 is a curious model. While Rest of World markets all get the same car, the US produces a unique Passat for its own market, and China makes a derivative that VW sells there called the New Midsize Sedan.

Give in to nostalgia and check out the gallery we’ve included to see how the Passat has evolved over the years.

Volkswagen Passat turns 40 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Burnout turns Holden HSV Clubsport into epic fireball

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Holden

Michael ‘Gup’ Gilbert is the Australian owner of Powercruise. The cruising car show is for those who like to “beat on their cars rather than look at them from their lawn chair,” touts the company’s web site. Understandably, the mastermind behind the event has build some very impressive street cars, including the heavily modified Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) making a rather abbreviated appearance in the video below.

Not happy with the factory stock 6.2-liter LS3 under the hood of his daily driver HSV Clubsport, Gup replaced it with a 727-cubic-inch V8 (do the math – its displacement is more than 11.9-liters!) from Sonny’s Racing Components. The $55,900 crate engine makes a whopping 1,275 horsepower on standard 91 octane pump gas, thanks in part to a massive 3,500-cfm throttle body perched on top. Custom-mounted in the nose of his Holden, Gup chose to send all of the power rearward through a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission working through a nine-inch differential. The numbers speak for themselves – late last year, the car ran the quarter in 10.5 at 140 miles per hour.

But all good things, including this right-hand-drive Holden, will eventually come to an end. We don’t know exactly what gave out during the demonstration at Powercruise USA held at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota this past weekend, but it sure expired in spectacular fashion. See for yourself below.

Continue reading Burnout turns Holden HSV Clubsport into epic fireball

Burnout turns Holden HSV Clubsport into epic fireball originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Jaguar turns down offers to join V8 Supercars, questions AMG, Volvo participation

Filed under: Motorsports, Sedan, Performance, Jaguar, Australia, Luxury, Racing

2014 Jaguar XFR-S

Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Jaguar may be the next manufacturer to join the V8 Supercars racing series, made popular in Australia but now well-known in other parts of the world as well. Sadly, Jag’s participation is not to be. In fact, it would be “insane,” according to Jaguar Land Rover Asia Pacific Managing Director David Blackhall, for it to accept either of the two offers it has received to bring Jaguar into V8 Supercars.

Not only is Jaguar not interested in entering V8 Supercars, says Blackhall, it also fails to understand the recent entries from AMG and Volvo. “I don’t know what it does for AMG to get flogged by a V8 Commodore week after week, but it’s their brand, their issue. And the same thing will happen to Volvo to be honest.”

Judging by Blackhall’s statements to motoring.com.au, after not-so-serious consideration, the automaker decided the monetary commitment it would take to compete for wins would be more than any potential exposure would be worth, despite the fact that Jaguar has a 5.0-liter V8 to go along with what would seem to be a tailor-made rear-wheel-drive chassis. For what it’s worth, one offer would have had Jaguar putting its name across an engine made by someone else, an option that was flatly turned down.

In related news, don’t expect to see Jaguar make a return to Formula 1, either. “We’ve been there. And the fizzy drink that took over [Jaguar’s F1 team] is not doing too bad. But we wouldn’t go back again,” said Jag’s head honcho Adrian Hallmark.

Jaguar turns down offers to join V8 Supercars, questions AMG, Volvo participation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeep JK-8 Independence kit finally turns your Wrangler into a pickup truck

Filed under: Truck, Chrysler, Jeep

Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence pickup truck

Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence pickup truck – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve seen Jeep Wrangler pickup trucks before that never had a chance at production. They’re the kind of teasing that many die-hard Wrangler lovers just can’t handle, so the folks at Mopar are giving owners of the four-door Unlimited a chance to make their own Jeep pickup.

Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence pickup truck bed The Wrangler JK-8 Independence is a new Mopar kit that provides a 50-inch pickup truck bed with 44 inches of width between the wheel wells. The folks at Mopar aren’t ready to talk price just yet, but they promised two variants of the kit. One is a weld-free bolt-on setup that mechanically inclined Jeep owners can put together “over a weekend.” The second is a show-ready kit that can be fitted at the dealership or a specialty body shop. The parts for both kits will reportedly cost about the same, but labor costs for the show truck version will cost extra. The kit will reportedly be available in every color that you can currently get the Wrangler Unlimited.

In all, Mopar tells us the kit includes a bed floor, all the necessary body panels, the fiberglass cap and a new bulkhead. To build your own JK-8 Independence, you’ll need to remove all the interior parts behind the front seats. The new body panels will cover the second row entrance, and a short fiberglass cap provides enough covered space for your gear.

The bright yellow JK-8 show truck, which is based off of a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, features a Mopar/Dynatrac ProRock 44 front axle and a stock 44 rear axle with 4.88 gears. Thirty-seven inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2 tires and a 4.5-inch long-arm suspension kit make sure this makeshift truck doesn’t get stuck even in the most inhospitable terrain. Special off-road capable bumpers round out the modifications, and all of the above modifications are available straight from the Mopar catalog.

Click on the gallery below to check out the official Jeep Wrangler pickup truck that you’ve all been waiting for.

Gallery: Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence pickup truck kit

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Jeep JK-8 Independence kit finally turns your Wrangler into a pickup truck

Jeep JK-8 Independence kit finally turns your Wrangler into a pickup truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Tata Pixel Concept turns on itself

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Geneva Motor Show, Technology, Hatchback, Tata, Diesel

Tata Pixel Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Tata has revealed its Euro city car concept in Geneva today and it’s a trick little piece. First off, Tata says it is the most efficiently-packaged four-seater in the world, comfortably seating four regulation-size adults in a car just 10 feet long.

Even more trick is the car’s zero turning radius system, which, in simple terms, rotates the rear wheels in separate directions to make parking as easy as possible in tight spaces. According to Tata, the system works with the help of something called a “Zero Turn turoidal traction-drive Infinitely Variable Transmission. Right. The effect is that the outside rear wheel spins forward while the inside wheels spins backward, creating a pivot point.

In keeping with the modern microcar trend, Tata claims that the Pixel will return more than 60 mpg and only releases 89 grams of C02 per kilometer. The efficiency comes by way of a 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbodiesel, which, though it isn’t a full hybrid, employs stop-start technology and regenerative battery charging.

Could we be looking at a blueprint for a future Nano? Perhaps more in form factor than in specific technologies, but either way, this is a nifty looking little space egg.

Gallery: Tata Pixel Concept: Geneva 2011

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL
[Source: Tata]

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Tata Pixel Concept turns on itself

Geneva 2011: Tata Pixel Concept turns on itself originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Creative man turns Ford Taurus Wagon into reverse snowplow

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Humor

Ford Taurus Wagon snow plow

2000 Ford Taurus Wagon snow plow – Click above to watch the video after the break

Some may call it lazy; we call it resourceful. Tired of shoveling snow and apparently unable (or unwilling) to purchase a truck-mounted plow or walk-behind snow blower, Jeff Schneider of Minnesota did the only logical thing he could: mount a blade to the back bumper of his Ford Taurus Wagon. Ingenuity – It’s the American way, no?

It seems that the little modification did the trick… mostly. In heavy, wet snow, the two-wheel drive (we’d say front-wheel drive, but it is backwards, after all) Taurus just can’t generate the kind of traction needed to push a few hundred pounds of the fluffy white stuff any real distance. But if the snow is the soft and powdery stuff, well, look out, snow plows.

See Schneider’s ingenious solution to the Minnesota winter in the video after the break.

[Source: Associated Press]

Continue reading Video: Creative man turns Ford Taurus Wagon into reverse snowplow

Video: Creative man turns Ford Taurus Wagon into reverse snowplow originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xplore turns its attention to the Jeep Wrangler

Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Jeep, Off-Road

Stage 4 Xplore H.E.R.O. Jeep Wrangler

Xplore is on a mission to roll out more of its Adventure Series vehicles. We previously saw the Xplore FJ Cruiser, and now the company is showing off its plans for the Jeep lineup. Stage 1 packages are available for the entire Jeep family of vehicles while Stage 2, 3 and 4 upgrades are only available for two- and four-door Wranglers.

Details are light on exactly what’s being offered at with each stage, but we can speculate that Stage 1 focuses on appearance upgrades, with the supsequent stages offering actual mechanical upgrades. The Stage 4 Xplore H.E.R.O. Jeep Wrangler gets a full gamut of upgraded equipment including OME suspension, locking differentials, IPF lighting, BFGoodrich Mud Terrain T/A KM2 tires and a host of other items. Be sure to click past the jump and read the press release for the full list of Stage 4 upgrades.

[Source: Xplore]

Continue reading Xplore turns its attention to the Jeep Wrangler

Xplore turns its attention to the Jeep Wrangler originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota’s unstoppable Land Cruiser turns 60

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Japan, Toyota, UK

Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser turns 60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The year was 1951 and Toyota was hard at work creating a new all-terrain vehicle for military use. After much development, the Toyota BJ was the result of the Japanese automaker’s hard work, and the go-anywhere SUV quickly established itself as a capable workhorse. In fact, it was the first vehicle to be driven to Mt. Fuji’s sixth hill station, a climb rising 2,500 meters. After that feat, the Toyota BJ was applied to police fleets around the country. Sixty years and a name change later, the Toyota Land Cruiser is still running strong around the world.

The Land Cruiser name was applied to the BJ in 1954 and five million of these tough trucks have now been sold around the world. Evolving from the beloved FJ through the 20 Series and on to the 200 Series, the Land Cruiser has gained a level of luxury far removed from its distant BJ ancestor. However, it remains a capable off-road vehicle suited for tackling whatever this planet can throw at it.

Turning 60 is a big deal and Toyota has created two 60th anniversary models of the 2011 Land Cruiser, though these special edition models are currently being built for the UK only. Essentially, the anniversary Land Cruisers are fully-loaded versions of the well-to-do SUV sporting special badging and trim pieces. Follow the jump for Toyota’s official press release.

Gallery: Toyota Land Cruiser turns 60

Toyota Land Cruiser BJ soft top Type 25 BJ Land Cruiser Toyota Land Cruiser 20 Series Toyota Land Cruiser 50 Series Toyota Land Cruiser 60 Series

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota’s unstoppable Land Cruiser turns 60

Toyota’s unstoppable Land Cruiser turns 60 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi turns pedal car into another e-tron for German toy fair

Filed under: Etc., Audi, Toys/Games, Electric

Auto Union Type C e-tron study

“Auto Union Type C e-tron study” with electric drive – Click above to enlarge

Once again, Audi is bringing a sweet-looking electric car to the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany. While this thing is branded with the e-tron name, it’s more toy than car – but the little prototype can get going at speeds up to 18.64 miles per hour.

Called the Auto Union Type C e-tron study with electric drive, the toy is based on the limited-edition pedal car model, the Auto Union Silver Arrow Type C race car, that was shown last year. The new electric version uses a lithium-ion battery that can spin the 1.5-hp rear-wheel-drive electric motor to generate 29.5 pound-feet or torque (peak at 44.25) and has a range of just over 15 miles. Also, it has a reverse gear. Recharging from a 230-volt European socket takes around two hours. The best news: Adults up to 5’11” can fit inside. Beats the heck out of those silly toy Escalades.

[Source: Audi]

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Audi turns pedal car into another e-tron for German toy fair originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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