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Audi RS6 Avant Drawings Emerge From European Design Patent Database

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:59:02 +0000

It appears that a set of drawings depicting the soon-to-be-released-lots-of-places-but-probably-not-here Audi RS6 Avant have surfaced at a European design patent database. We snagged some spy photos of Audi’s RS6 über wagon testing at the Nürburgring in Germany last month, fully cloaked in a whirly-swirly camouflage pattern seemingly the product of a defective Spirograph. Let’s try and peer below that dizzying camo veneer and see just how closely the mule’s lines and features resemble those of the drawings. Read full story »

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Audi RS6 Avant Drawings Emerge From European Design Patent Database

Car insurance can cost more than a quarter of salary

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:33:00 +0000

Filed under: Consumer A study of car insurance prices has found that young drivers can pay more than a quarter of their salary for a car policy. The study, by Confused.com, reveals that the average premium for a 17-20-year-old is £2,499, while the average salary for an 18-21 year old is £13,972. That makes the average policy around 18% of the average salary – although the average premium for a young man is a massive £3,635, well over a quarter of the average salary. At the other end of the spectrum, the oldest drivers can pay as little as £1.20 per day, with the average premium for the 71-plus age group just £436. “A combination of driving experience, likelihood to travel shorter distances and owning lower-powered cars can make older and retired drivers statistically a lower risk, despite the possibility that their reactions could be slower due to age,” says a Confused.com press release. The company says that younger drivers can reduce their premiums by choosing a small and low powered car; having telematics fitted to monitor their driving; shopping around on comparison sites (such as Confused.com, natch); and taking out a higher voluntary excess.

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Car insurance can cost more than a quarter of salary

Citi wideboy: Skoda unveils Citigo WRC car

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:16:00 +0000

Filed under: Latest News Skoda has unveiled an extremely wide version of the tiny Citigo at the Worthersee show. The Citigo Rally is a concept car only, nowhere near hitting the shops – the “rally-car-inspired study” is a publicity stunt that’s come out “at a time when the Skoda Citigo makes its appearance in Europe’s premier markets.” Still, it’s awesome. Here’s how Skoda explains it: It impresses with its massive bumpers, rear wing, generous air intake in the front apron and forged 18-inch wheels with low-profile tyres promising high stability and ample traction. Other rally features include generously sized fenders and massive door sills, which add a few centimetres to each side of the Citigo. A centrally mounted exhaust end pipe dominates the car’s rear. The diffuser function is integrated into the rear bumper. The wing, which extends the car’s roofline, is designed to increase downforce during driving. Skoda’s Worthersee stand also included a Citigo ‘DJ Car’, featuring a set of decks and the ability to “retract” from the B-pillars back, so it becomes a mobile stage. The Worthersee show is an annual celebration of all things Volkswagen and fast. This was the 31st show.

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Citi wideboy: Skoda unveils Citigo WRC car

Mini JCW Lineup to Adopt Revised 1.6-Liter Four and Available Six-Speed Automatic

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:02:08 +0000

The entire line of John Cooper Works Minis— Countryman , hatchback, Clubman, Convertible , Coupe , and Roadster —will be equipped with a slightly revised version of the 1.6-liter powerplant found in the previous generation of JCW models. Those revisions result in an output of 208 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, the same as the last JCW powerplant. Read full story »

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Mini JCW Lineup to Adopt Revised 1.6-Liter Four and Available Six-Speed Automatic

Tech Dept.: The Latest on the Airless Tire-and-Wheel Combo

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:50:14 +0000

When Robert Thomson invented the pneumatic tire a century and a half ago, a rubber doughnut inflated with air was only one of several ideas the Scotsman proposed for softening the ride and reducing the power required to propel the carriages of his day. Thomson also suggested filling what he called his “aerial wheel” with sponges, springs, and/or horsehair to avoid flats caused by “concussion between the wheel and the roadway.” (more…)

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Tech Dept.: The Latest on the Airless Tire-and-Wheel Combo

We Interview IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard: Revolutionizing the Sport Won’t Be Easy in the Wake of Dan Wheldon Tragedy

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:38:03 +0000

C/D: Your first official appearance as CEO of IndyCar was at the Chicago auto show in 2010 . You seemed so cheerful and innocent then. RB: “Naïve” might be a better word. C/D: You had never been to an IndyCar race then and had zero experience in motorsports when you took over a troubled organization. Good decision? RB: I expected it to be challenging. When you make changes, there are always going to be people who don’t like it. My job is to look forward, to take the sport into the future, and I know I will ruffle feathers. But the past two years, we’ve had significant success in viewership, and sponsorship has increased. (more…)

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We Interview IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard: Revolutionizing the Sport Won’t Be Easy in the Wake of Dan Wheldon Tragedy

2013 SRT Viper GTS: In-Depth with the Men Who Made It Happen

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:21:44 +0000

Russ Ruedisueli, 53, is sitting in his office at Chrysler’s Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, although he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t sit so much as crouch, muscles tensed and twitching, as if he’s attached to a pair of unseen jumper cables beneath his desk. You’d figure the guy was in pain except for his perpetual smile. (more…)

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2013 SRT Viper GTS: In-Depth with the Men Who Made It Happen

2013 Subaru BRZ Tested, Tackles France’s Route Napoléon

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:43:58 +0000

This is a story of unlikely scenarios. The first concerns the Subaru BRZ, a rear-wheel-drive sports car from the company famous for making all-wheel-drive station wagons pretending to be SUVs. It’s equally unlikely that this Japanese car finds itself on southern France’s Route Napoléon, one of ?Europe’s best driving roads and the main link between swanky Cannes and the base of ?the French Alps in Grenoble. (more…)

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2013 Subaru BRZ Tested, Tackles France’s Route Napoléon

2012 Chrysler 300C Update One: Miles, Smiles, and Some Minor Confusion With the Dials

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:06:30 +0000

As we spent January and February preparing for a winter that never quite did arrive, our 300C continued to consume miles at a steady pace. In the seven months since the sparkly gray Chrysler arrived on our doorstep, we’ve managed to push the odometer a few ticks beyond the 20,000-mile mark, largely via trips close to home. One staffer did test the 300C’s reputation as a capable highway cruiser with a 2600-plus-mile trek to Florida and back, the car’s longest journey to date. (more…)

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2012 Chrysler 300C Update One: Miles, Smiles, and Some Minor Confusion With the Dials

LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Consistent Contenders; Or, A Look at Teams to Watch

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:27:47 +0000

While LeMons organizers make no secret of the fact that their hearts are with the cars that never belonged in the same time zone as a race track and machines that aren’t even cars at all , there’s still a contingent of hard-core racers bent on getting the most laps in the race and spraying $1.99 bottles of “champagne” on their teammates in the winners’ circle. As any driver who has competed in a LeMons race will tell you, taking the overall win is tough as hell; make even one small mistake in a typical race and you’ll lose the lead forever. I’d say that we have perhaps a dozen teams across the country that have the requisite combination of professional-grade drivers, reliable car, and crew discipline to contend in every race they enter. Here’s a selection of some teams to watch this year. Read full story »

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LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Consistent Contenders; Or, A Look at Teams to Watch