ultimate Archives | Page 2 of 3

Geneva 2011: BMW ActiveE looking to become the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine

Filed under: Coupe, Geneva Motor Show, BMW, Electric

BMW ActiveE at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

BMW ActiveE – Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW showed us the ActiveE Concept back at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Now the automaker is using the Geneva Motor Show floor to roll out the latest version of its electrified 1-Series. The BMW ActiveE, following in the footsteps of the Mini E before it, will begin rolling out to select markets in the Fall of 2011.

Mini utilized a fleet of 600 electric Coopers for field tests, but BMW is upping the ante by producing 1,000 vehicles. The ActiveE will make its North American debut at the New York Auto Show in April. After that, it will roll its way into the driveways and garages of residents in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, New York, Boston and parts of Connecticut.

Powering the BMW ActiveE are a plethora of liquid-cooled SB LiMotive batteries. They provide enough juice to generate 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The ActiveE uses that energy to run from 0-60 miles per hour in about nine seconds and the juiced-up 1-Series has a range of 100 miles. Check it out in the galleries below and read more about the car in BMW’s official release after the jump.

Gallery: BMW ActiveE: Geneva 2011

Gallery: BMW ActiveE

Continue reading Geneva 2011: BMW ActiveE looking to become the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine

Geneva 2011: BMW ActiveE looking to become the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Geneva 2011: BMW ActiveE looking to become the Ultimate Electric Driving Machine”

Geneva 2011: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition takes its place as king of the hill

Filed under: SUV, Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover, Luxury, Off-Road

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in the days before every luxury automaker and its sister (company) got into SUVs, there was one name in the premium off-roading game: Range Rover. And keen to prove it’s still at the top, Land Rover unveiled the Ultimate incarnation of its premier line at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

Called, appropriately enough, the Ultimate Edition, this top-of-the-line Range Rover is based on the already luxed-up Autobiography trim. Sure to be the new must-have item among oligarchs and oil barons, the Ultimate Edition is kitted out like a Rolls-Royce Phantom but with the added distinction of being able to take its pampered occupants anywhere a mountain goat can go.

There are individual rear bucket seats and tray tables like the first-class cabin on an airliner, a drink cooler, a teak-deck cargo area and – in what’s billed as an industry first – a pair of Apple iPad tablets mounted to the front seat-backs (for the use by rear passengers). Journalists and VIPs alike were clamoring for a chance to sit in the ultra-luxurious sport-ute, but we managed to capture the salient points for your viewing enjoyment with the gallery of high-resolution images below, and can tell you first-hand that it’s every bit as posh as Land Rover says it is. High-res galleries of all the sybaritic luxury below, official press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition: Geneva 2011

Gallery: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition takes its place as king of the hill

Geneva 2011: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition takes its place as king of the hill originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Geneva 2011: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition takes its place as king of the hill”

Canadian BMW dealer holding contest to find ultimate blogger, $65K job up for grabs

2011 BMW 335is – Click above for high-res image gallery

Endras BMW in Ajax, Ontario has a sweet blogging gig open. The winner of the dealership’s Ultimate Blogger contest gets a free condo for a year, a new Bimmer every six months and a $65K a year starting salary.

Endras is looking for someone to represent it online, a job that includes attending press events, junkets and auto shows, as well as handling the outfit’s social media efforts.

To enter, write and submit a 200-word blog post on anything BMW-related. After Endras BMW management weeds out the entries that fail to impress, 20 semifinalists be asked to produce a video proving their obsession with performance.

In the last round of eliminations, the 10 finalists will get face-to-face interviews at Endras. After that, someone’s got a new job. If you want a shot at it, hop over to EndrasBMW.com and fire up your writing skills.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 BMW 335is

[Source: EndrasBMW]

Canadian BMW dealer holding contest to find ultimate blogger, $65K job up for grabs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Canadian BMW dealer holding contest to find ultimate blogger, $65K job up for grabs”

Land Rover to unveil Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition in Geneva

Filed under: SUV, Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover, Luxury

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you look at the very pinnacle of the automotive market, you’ll mostly find exotic sportscars and luxury sedans. There are plenty of high-end SUVs out there too, but not quite at the same level. But demand for luxury sport-utes continues to rise in “developing” luxury markets like Russia and the Persian Gulf, prompting automakers to dial up their high-riding game time and time again. And the latest ne plus ultra comes courtesy of Land Rover.

Called the Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition, this top-of-the-line SUV is exactly that: the ultimate. It’s billed as the most luxurious Range Rover ever, and that’s no mean feat. To get there, Land Rover has outfitted the SUV with a veritable first-class cabin that includes four individual buckets, separated front and back by middle console with aluminum tray tables and a drinks cooler in the back. The rear-seat passengers also get the use of a pair of Apple iPads docked into the front seatbacks, and the cargo area gets a yacht-inspired teak deck. Of course the leather is top notch, offset by Kalahari wood veneers.

Outside, prospective owners will find a dark grille, color-keyed door handles (which are available with a couple of new paint options), along with the requisite special badging and unique 20-inch alloys. Buyers can choose from either the 4.4-liter V8 turbodiesel or the 5.0-liter supercharged V8, both mated to ZF’s eight-speed automatic transmission and capable of catapulting the truck to sixty in 7.5 or 5.1 seconds respectively.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the Autobiography Ultimate Edition is set to be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, now just weeks away, but you can read all about it now in the press release after the jump and soak up the opulence in the high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition

[Source: Land Rover]

Continue reading Land Rover to unveil Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition in Geneva

Land Rover to unveil Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition in Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Land Rover to unveil Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition in Geneva”

Ducati and Elizabeth Raab team up for ultimate garage art

Filed under: Etc., Motorcycle, Design/Style

Ducati Desmo set by Elizabeth Raab

Ducati Desmo Photography Collection by Elizabeth Raab – Click above for high-res image gallery

Designers have been coaxing organic shapes out of cold metal and composites for generations, and while few are so bold as to recreate the bombshell lines that we saw on display in the early ’50s, the tradition doesn’t show signs of slowing up any time soon.

Nowhere is that more true than the realm of motorcycles. Unburdened by cumbersome safety regulations, motorcycle artists are able to bend tanks and frames to whatever shape they so desire. More often than not, those lines are lifted straight from the human body.

Ducati has just partnered with fine-art photographer Elizabeth Raab to explore that relationship a little further. Raab set about combining some of the manufacturer’s more lust-worthy creations with the arching forms of beautiful models. The parallels between the two are absolutely stunning, especially as viewed through Raab’s lens work.

Ducati is offering limited-edition, individually numbered prints for sale in a variety of sizes, so if you like what you see as much as we do, head on over to the Duc site and get while the getting’s good. Just be warned, not all of the shots are exactly safe for work.

Gallery: Ducati Desmo Photography Collection by Elizabeth Raab

[Source: Ducati]

Ducati and Elizabeth Raab team up for ultimate garage art originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Ducati and Elizabeth Raab team up for ultimate garage art”

Video: BMW – The Ultimate Meerkat Stalking Machine?

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Videos, BMW

BMW unscripted Meerkat Man

BMW unscripted meets Grant the Meerkat Man – Click above to watch video after the jump

BMW has sat down with a handful of notable Bimmer aficionados, ranging from Sabine Schmitz to Murray Fowler, the lone owner of a 1969 BMW 2800 CS. Now BMW has brought its cameras down to South Africa to speak to Grant McIlrath… who also goes by Meerkat Man.

Grant runs the Meerkat Magic Conservation Project and he does so with the help of his BMW 525i. The Meerkats have grown used to the sight of Grant’s white 5er and the car helps him get closer to the animals. Previously, attempts to see the Meerkats in a 4×4 or off-road vehicle resulted in them immediately scurrying into their tunnels.

It’s an odd choice for a unique man working a very different kind of job. However, you don’t get the nickname Meerkat Man by making conventional decisions. Hop the jump to watch Grant and his E34 in action.
[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: BMW – The Ultimate Meerkat Stalking Machine?

Video: BMW – The Ultimate Meerkat Stalking Machine? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: BMW – The Ultimate Meerkat Stalking Machine?”

Car Gifts for Christmas: Ultimate Edition

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc.

Our third and final list of car gifts for Christmas is made up of things we sadly can’t afford ourselves. These are top-notch gift ideas for those who happen to fall into the very highest tax brackets, and we are officially envious of anyone who receives anything on this list. Too rich for your blood? No problem, check out some less expensive gift ideas here and here.

See the list…

Continue reading Car Gifts for Christmas: Ultimate Edition

Car Gifts for Christmas: Ultimate Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Car Gifts for Christmas: Ultimate Edition”

SSC Ultimate Aero II: More images and info

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Design/Style

2011 SSC Ultimate Aero II

2011 SSC Ultimate Aero II – Click above for high-res image gallery

Top Gear has let loose another batch of pics showcasing the SSC Ultimate Aero II. In addition to the tantalizing imagery, we get some facts and figures. For starters, this new Ultimate Aero is powered by a 6.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that can scream up to a 9,000 rpm redline. Power? 1,350 horses, every last drop of which will be needed to hit the targeted top speed of 275 mph. Obviously, this rocketship won’t be available for short money; it’s going to cost $970,000.

SSC aims to recapture the production car speed record it initially took away from Bugatti, which responded this year by building the Veryron Supersport just to get it back. Shelby Supercars believes the Ultimate Aero II will once again allow it to take back the speed crown.

SSC team isn’t simply relying on monster power and a slick Jason Castriota-styled exterior. In a nod to Colin Chapman, the new Aero weighs much less than a Veyron thanks to a handful of engineering feats. The wheels are the world’s first one-piece carbon-fiber units and tip the scale at just under 13 pounds. In fact, there’s carbon-fiber all over the Ultimate Aero II, with the exception of some aluminum bracing for added safety in the event of a crash. Overall, the car weighs about 2,600 pounds, giving it a power-to-weight ratio nearly double that of the Bugatti Veyron. Those specs pretty much say that it isn’t so much a question of whether the SSC Ultimate Aero II car will set a record, only when it’ll finally happen.

Gallery: 2011 Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero II

2011 Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero II

[Source: Top Gear via Motor Authority]

SSC Ultimate Aero II: More images and info originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “SSC Ultimate Aero II: More images and info”

SSC Ultimate Aero II: More images and info

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Design/Style

2011 SSC Ultimate Aero II

2011 SSC Ultimate Aero II – Click above for high-res image gallery

Gallery: 2011 Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero II

2011 Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero II

[Source: Top Gear via Motor Authority]

SSC Ultimate Aero II: More images and info originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 Oct 2010 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “SSC Ultimate Aero II: More images and info”

Video: Nissan Juke – The Ultimate Donut Machine?

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Crossover, Nissan

Nissan Juke drift

Nissan Juke on a donut run – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Is the 2011 Nissan Juke a smart tool for doing donuts? It’s a fun whip, but as a front- or front-biased all-wheel driver, we’re leaning very close to ‘No.’ Is the Juke a great tool for getting donuts? After watching Nissan’s new ad for its little crossover, we might just have to say ‘Yes.’

The first Juke ad we saw went in a rather weird direction, however this new spot plays up the CUV’s sportiness. The Juke squeezes 188 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque from its 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Pair that with an available six-speed manual transmission and a curb weight that sits on the good side of 3,000 pounds (for the front-wheel drive model), and you have a tiny machine capable of a surprising amount of thrills behind the wheel.

Grab the e-brake and drift on over to the jump to see the donut-run action, along with a second bonus commercial in which the Juke takes on ‘The Dread.’ Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke: First Drive

[Source: Nissan via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Nissan Juke – The Ultimate Donut Machine?

Video: Nissan Juke – The Ultimate Donut Machine? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Nissan Juke – The Ultimate Donut Machine?”