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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

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

Apple Patents a Remote Control, Apparently for Cars

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:14:46 +0000

An iCar? Not yet. But a steering-wheel-mounted remote control was among the 21 patents granted to Apple this week. We don’t typically track patent applications and grants for the Cupertino-based tech company—it holds or has filed for thousands of them—and came to this one through PatentlyApple.com . The device, as Apple describes it in its paperwork, is pretty simple: A disc with traditional iPod controls can be clamped to the steering wheel rim. It could then, we take it, remotely operate an iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Read full story »

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Apple Patents a Remote Control, Apparently for Cars

Volkswagen Apprentices Build 360-hp Golf GTI Black Dynamic for Wörthersee Festival

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:41:01 +0000

Volkswagen is showing a factory-apprentice-tuned GTI at the annual Wörthersee festival in Austria, an annual celebration of the GTI and all things VW. The GTI Black Dynamic is mostly SEMA-esque fare, so don’t expect to see any of its mods on a factory-built production car. Read full story »

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Volkswagen Apprentices Build 360-hp Golf GTI Black Dynamic for Wörthersee Festival

Production of the Lexus HS250h Hybrid Comes to a Whimpering Halt

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:03:51 +0000

According to Lexus, the last examples of the maker’s HS250h luxury hybrid sedan rolled off the assembly line in January 2012. Based on the Euro-market Toyota Avensis, the HS250h debuted in 2009 as the luxury maker’s entry-level hybrid offering. Read full story »

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Production of the Lexus HS250h Hybrid Comes to a Whimpering Halt

Toyota to field GT 86 and Lexus LFA at 24 Hours of Nürburgring

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:23:56 +0000

Toyota’s Gazoo Racing is entering a pair of race-prepped GT 86s (the Toyota-badged sibling of the Scion FR-S) in the 24 Hours Nürburgring endurance race, in addition to its successful LFA race car . Read full story »

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Toyota to field GT 86 and Lexus LFA at 24 Hours of Nürburgring

LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Mazda RX-2 Exhumed From Collapsed Barn, Stuffed With 13B

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:56:21 +0000

When you hear about a “barn find” car, you imagine it being removed from the barn. In the case of the Sensory Assault Mazda RX-2, the barn was removed from the car. Read full story »

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LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Mazda RX-2 Exhumed From Collapsed Barn, Stuffed With 13B

2013 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Gets Two Special Editions, New Options

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:48:16 +0000

Land Rover is giving the Range Rover Sport a few minor updates for 2013, as well as introducing two new special-edition models: the Sport Supercharged Limited Edition and the Sport GT Limited Edition. The updates to the regular Sport include a fresh wheel design for the Supercharged model; a new optional towing package for all trim levels; and some new interior color combinations. Also, Supercharged customers now get red-painted Brembo brake calipers standard, with the option to switch back to non-Brembo brake calipers at no extra cost. Read full story »

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2013 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Gets Two Special Editions, New Options