2009 Aston Martin LeMans LMP1 Race Car

Aston Martin to challenge for overall Le Mans win

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of its only overall win in the Franco Enduro, Aston Martin is set to tackle the 2009 24-hours of Le Mans in this - a pair of Gulf liveried LMP1 race cars.
Racing the cars will be Jan Charouz, Tomas Enge and Stefan Mucke along with Darren Turner who was part of the team that raced the DBR9 GT1 crew in 2007 and 2008. Harold Primat is the newest addition to the team and one other driver will be announced shortly. Unfortunately, Aston won’t be campaigning in the GT1 class in bid to focus all its efforts on its LM

The new car which is based on the 2008 Charouz Racing System Lola will be powered by the same production-based Aston Martin V12 engine which, last year, helped Aston Martin secure its second successive Le Mans GT1 title with the DBR9. It also powered the Charouz car to a new La Sarthe lap record for a petrol car.

Aston Martin Racing is developing the car in conjunction with Lola, Michelin, Koni and BBS and continues its relationship with major partner Gulf Oil and official clothing partner Hackett.
In 2009, the ACO is introducing new regulations aimed at balancing the performance of petrol and diesel engined prototypes making the LMP1 category more appealing and relevant to Aston Martin.

To focus maximum energy on the LMP1 programme, the Works team will not defend its GT1 title at Le Mans. However, Aston Martin Racing will support any of its official partner teams and customers competing at the race.

The Le Mans 24 hour race will be held over the weekend of 13-14 June.

Audi A4 Allroad spy photos of winter testing in the day / night

The new model will go head to head with Saab's new 9-3X which also launches this year as well as facing competition from other small crossovers and wagons, including Audi's own A4 Avant and Q5. While pricing information has yet to be released, expect the new A4 Allroad Avant to be priced slightly higher than the regular A4 Avant Quattro.


Wearing many of the same exterior accessories as its larger brother, the A6 Allroad Avant, the new model has black plastic exterior trim, wider fenders, unique front and rear bumpers, and will become the first member of the A4 family to be equipped with LED rear lights. The biggest change is the Allroad's increased ride height which leads to a more aggressive appearance that signifies the vehicle's all-weather capability.


Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system will come standard and engine options should mirror that of those offered in more mainstream A4 wagons.


Audi's upcoming 2009 A4 Allroad Avant has once again been spotting undergoing winter testing ahead of its unveiling later this year.
via:World Car Fans




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BMW 730Ld Launched in the UK

Powering the 730Ld is a 3.0-litre straight six turbo diesel motor producing 245hp (180kW) and 540Nm of torque. A 6-speed automatic gearbox accompanies this engine and helps the car achieve a 0 - 62mph time of 7.3 seconds as well as a top speed of 153mph. It registers a 194g/km emissions figure and a 38.7mpg combined consumption figure.


Buyers of the 730d require certain levels of luxury specification and BMW is delivering on that expectation. Features like a self-leveling rear suspension, an electrically-powered rear window sunblind, individually heated and air-conditioned seats, and 9-inch twin flat adjustable monitor screens come either standard or as options depending on the package selected.
Read More



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Cadillac CTS Coupe delayed until summer of 2010

The production 2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe was scheduled to make its debut at the 2008 LA Auto Show after which it was delayed until the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Well, both auto shows have come and gone and GM has yet to release the much anticipated model.

According to Joanne Krell, a GM spokeswoman that spoke with Automotive News, the 2010 CTS Coupe had been scheduled to go into production later this summer but has now been delayed until the summer of 2010.



“We made a few changes to the overall portfolio,” said Krell. “Obviously we are in a challenging economic time, and one of the changes is to move the coupe back a year. Instead of coming out this summer, it will come out next summer.”

The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is on schedule for spring along with the 2010 Cadillac SRX.
via egmcartech




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UK Garage Presents Lotus Extrema

The importer UK Garage, known in Italy for the management of brands such as TVR, Noble and Radical, has submitted a new project-based Lotus, the Extrema. This is essentially a Exige Mk1 distinguishable for some cosmetic changes, such as car headlights and enlarged in the second series.

The aluminum chassis has undergone, as well as a slight widening of roadways to mount tires increased, a significant lengthening of the pitch (20 cm), required for the new transaxle of power (in this case longitudinal)-exchange. The transmission can be manually or alternatively sequentially.


The alloy rims, very light, are available with the attack on 5 bolts that with monodado and in the body, you can choose between the fiberglass and kevlar-carbon composite. The most powerful engine available are Chevrolet V8 Origin: two LS3 420 or 500 HP (total dry mass of 970 kg), the 513 HP LS7 from the Corvette Z06 ol'LS9 by the 647 hp ZR1 (in this case the mass reaches 1,000 kg). The outstanding performance is an inevitable consequence: 2,8 s on 0-100, 0-200 on 7 s and maximum speed of over 320 km / h.
Source: autoblog.it



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LusoMotors LM 23

The Portuguese designer Ernesto Freitas we include the Voisin Concept, Hansen GT and the Ferrari Dino look-a-like. Two weeks ago he showed his first motion type of the LM23 the Autosport International Show in Birmingham.


The LM 23, the ultimate lightweight car. The space frame chassis is made of steel tubes and the body consists of two aluminum plates. If power is used January 1 liter Honda CBR1000 engine, accounting for about 150 hp. The total weight is around 400 pounds! That is really bizarre and I am very curious about the performance numbers ...

Source: autoblog.nl




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Tokyo Motor Show: Mazda RE-Amemiya Genki 7

RE-Amemiya is a well-known name in Mazda circuits. The company was founded in 1974 by Isami Amemiya and has since been almost exclusively with the tune of rotary engines involved. The knowledge that we now have five years to build has been applied to this concept, the Genki 7.

Although you would expect that a new concept car is a new (read: RX-8) is nothing less true. The ideal base for a high-performance concept of an RX-7 seems to be. Although the RX-8 certainly more practical in terms of looks and not lagging behind, the RX-7 has always been a sports car. The model was simply positioned higher and more speed made. Perhaps the explanation for the conversion choice.


Unfortunately, there are no specifications known. May notify the site of RE-Amemiya more news about the Genki-7, tucked away somewhere deep behind all strange links. My Japanese is not very flexible at the moment. It is expected that the line of the Genki-7 within a short number of records to his name it.

A nice detail is that Amemiya on most project cars' headlights of other brands assembled. A good example is the video to see. In the video, the lights on a Porsche clearly off, the headlights on the Genki are more difficult to place. Find a picture where these lights on the original model / brand are mounted and receive a bit timeless autoblog-fame!
via autoblog.nl

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