Autos Magazine Online

A blog dedicated to autos reviewing and latest happenings in automotive.

Faster Farbio GTS 400 on its way

Posted November 30th, 2008 at 06:11 pm by admin
Filed under: Supercars
CAR just tested the newly updated Farbio GTS 400 and they seem to have enjoyed it. The original Farbio GTS was already available in normally ...
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Black Friday Blowout! Maserati of Palm Beach offer...

Posted November 30th, 2008 at 06:11 pm by admin
Filed under: Maserati, Sedans/Saloons
If you've been eying that gorgeous new Maserati Quattroporte but the current economic malaise has you thinking twice before signing on the dotted line, now ...
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2009 BMW Z4 rumored to debut next month, Z2 on the...

Posted November 26th, 2008 at 06:11 am by admin
Filed under: BMW, Convertibles, Coupes
One of the vehicles that was teased in the run-up to the LA Auto Show, but never made it to the floor, was the redesigned ...
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Biggie MINI could use Fiat platform

Posted July 21st, 2008 at 05:07 pm by admin
Filed under: Alfa Romeo, BMW, Crossovers/CUVs, FIAT, Hatchbacks, MINI
BMW and Fiat have already announced their intentions to collaborate on a new small car platform that will underpin the next MINI, due in 2012 ...
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Faster Farbio GTS 400 on its way

CAR just tested the newly updated Farbio GTS 400 and they seem to have enjoyed it. The original Farbio GTS was already available in normally aspirated or supercharged form, but the old engine put out just 384 hp with the blower. This year’s new GTS 400 flagship puts ot 410 hp thanks to new pistons and connecting rods, among other things. Former Marcos and Invicta head Chris Marsh is the man behind this V6-powered carbon fiber-bodied supercar. He bought Farboud from its founder Arash Farboud and restructured the company, renamed it Farbio, and moved it to the Cotswolds near Bath.

He has stuck with off-the-rack, treid-and-true components wherever possible to make this lightweight supercar somewhat affordable, reliable and workable. Still, at £94,000 or 110,000 Euro, it’s no Hyundai Accent. Some will say that’s way too much for a little-known brand, especially when that amount could get you something like an Audi R8, but where’s the fun in that? These cars appeal to the person who wants something different. If this sounds like your cup of tea, know that the GTS 400 will now do the the sprint from zero to 100km/h in just 3.7sec while charging to a top speed of 180 mph. The force-fed V6 is also said to be good for 24 mpg imperial. While many of the details remind us of other supercars on the market, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Knowing these cottage builders still exist is one of the things we are most thankful for this time of year.

[Source: Car Magazine via Caradisiac]

Black Friday Blowout! Maserati of Palm Beach offers $35K off ‘08 Quattroporte

If you’ve been eying that gorgeous new Maserati Quattroporte but the current economic malaise has you thinking twice before signing on the dotted line, now is the time to act. Maserati of Palm Beach, Florida is offering a Black Friday blowout this weekend on leftover 2008 model Maserati sedans. You can get up to $35,000 off the list price of a Quattroporte until Sunday November 30. The south Florida dealership has a pair of factory demonstrators for just over $90,000. The automatic transmission Q’Porte starts at $115K quickly heads north from there as you tick off the option list. There’s no indication on the web-site of how many miles are on the cars, but if you’re looking for something nice for special someone for Christmas, this might be just the deal you need. Thanks to Mike for the tip!

 

ABT Scirocco heads to Essen


So, the Essen Motor Show is coming up. For those of you unaware, it’s basically a Euro SEMA. All the tuners will be there, showing off stuff that’s both decent and dreadful, proving that yes, Europeans can do bad taste as well as anyone this side of the Atlantic. ABT is entirely capable of serving up either dish, but in the case of their Scirocco, they manage to stay on the better side of decent. You know the drill: body kit, wheels, suspension, brakes. They have power upgrades, too — bumping the wee 1.4 TSI to 200 horses, and the 2.0 TSI to 240. Unfortunately, a look ’round back indicates that this whole stacked-tailpipes thing recently adopted by Lexus and Ferrari is on its way to becoming a fad. We love this shade of green, which looks to be the same as that used on the original VW IROC concept, but ABT’s car wins because it doesn’t have a face that looks like it was inspired by something on a Pokemon card.

Audi TT-RS headed to Geneva Motor Show

Audi-philes have even more reason to rejoice now that news comes in of an imminent TT-RS launch next March at the Geneva Motor Show. The standard-fare TT offers plenty of punch, and the TT-S spices things up a bit with a high-pressure version of Audi/VW’s 2.0L forced-induction four banger. Sometimes, way too much is, ya know… just enough, and for speed freaks, Audi has apparently green-lighted an ultra-hot version as well.

The RS will bring the vaunted inline-five engine configuration back under the hood of an Audi, and it’s a turbocharged unit derived from the mill that normally sees duty in Jettas and Golfs. If that doesn’t sound like a good enough bloodline, think of it as half of Lamborghini’s V10. With as much as 340 ponies corraled through a six-speed gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive, expect the TT-RS to be hottest four-ringer this side of an R8.

[Source: Car and Driver]

VW Pickup concept to the rescue!

If automaker-produced kitesurfer-in-distress videos are your thing, VW’s got your back. While you wait for the production version of the Concept Pickup the automaker unveiled back in September, how about checking out VW’s promo film starring the truck, a pair of lifeguards, and yes, a kitesurfer in distress. Will the guys use the in-dash GPS? Yes! Will we see the pickup drive semi-urgently through sand? Yes! Will she make it? Duh! Will we have a demonstration of how well a collapsed kite fits in the bed? Yes again! Am I alone in thinking it’s weird that the lifeguards dive into the water wearing helmets? Anyone? In all, a serviceable vanity film for the pickup. Needs more yellow, though. And Hoff.

[Source: VW via GlobalMotors.net]

GM UK takes two Top Gear awards

As much as Jeremy Clarkson complains about fat, uncool Americans and their crudely-made, overweight cars, General Motors managed to come out on top in two categories in Top Gear’s annual awards.

If you said the Corvette ZR1 was a winner, you’d be totally correct. The 638-hp supercar was a shoo-in to win over the Top Gear team, just as we guessed when they were caught driving at at the Bonneville Salt Flats earlier this year. Chevrolet’s baddest Vette ever sped off with top honors in Top Gear’s Performance Car of the Year category.

The second award winner won’t be quite as easy to guess, mostly because it’s not sold in the U.S. Top Gear’s Executive Car of the Year is the Vauxhall Insignia which is based on GM’s Epsilon II platform. The magazine likes the car’s looks and technology. We won’t bother predicting whether we’ll see it here eventually. For that to happen, Saturn will need to be around, and right now, we’ll have to wait and see what happens on that front.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

2009 BMW Z4 rumored to debut next month, Z2 on the way

One of the vehicles that was teased in the run-up to the LA Auto Show, but never made it to the floor, was the redesigned 2009 BMW Z4. Rumors of the Z4’s impending arrival have been circulating for months, and according to a source inside BMW, the automaker might reveal the restyled coupe and convertible next month.

Drivetrain choices will include either a naturally aspirated or twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, found in the 328i and 335i, respectively, with an M version packing the M3’s V8 and a carbon fiber roof. In addition to new front and rear fascias, a lower roofline and a ducktail spoiler, BMW is expected to employ a handful of stylistic differences to separate the Z4 coupe from its folding hardtop sibling. For 2009, BMW is expected to drop the soft-top Z4 and only offer the folding hardtop.

 

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Toyota iQ convertible

If the new Toyota iQ is going to compete against the smart fortwo, an open-top version is going to be a necessity. We’ve already heard rumblings of a possible roadster based on the iQ’s underpinnings, so a convertible option certainly seems possible. If renderings from Japan’s Best Car are to be believed (we’re not convinced), the Japanese automaker could mimic the fortwo’s cabriolet style by removing the front and rear roof sections, fitting an integrated roll bar and adding a set of soft-tops.

The main advantage for the iQ has over the fortwo is the city car’s extra passenger seats. Unlike the smart, Toyota’s microcar manages to cram four belts into its tiny frame and a drop-top variant would make the iQ the world’s smallest-ever four-seat convertible. While a credible contender to the fortwo cabrio is surely in the cards, we’re still waiting to see the iQ rebadged a Scion and brought to the U.S. to truly give smart a run for its money.

[Source: Best Car via Carscoop]

Chinese automakers move out of Cobo basement thanks to Detroit no-shows

With the pull out of Porsche, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Ferrari, Land Rover and Rolls-Royce, Nissan and Infiniti from this year’s Detroit Auto Show in January, there’s a lot of empty space on the show floor of Cobo Hall that needs to be filled. Chinese automakers will be the direct beneficiary of everyone’s lack of interest in Detroit, as both BYD Auto and Brilliance will be moved out of the basement, otherwise known as Michigan Hall, and onto the main floor of Cobo for the first time.
They’ll be occupying the space formerly reserved for Mitsubishi and be positioned elbow-to-elbow with mainstream manufacturers that actually do sell cars in the U.S. While Chinese automakers have displayed at the Detroit Auto Show for the past few years, the closest they ever got to the main floor was the lobby when Geely was the first Chinese automaker to exhibit there back in 2006. At this rate, we expect Cobo Hall to be fully owned by the Chinese by the end of next year.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Porsche Panamera

Thanks for the heads-up to our friends at Supercars.net, where a forum poster has uploaded more official shots of the Porsche Panamera (apparently lifted from Autoweek.nl) ahead of its official reveal extravaganza scheduled for Monday. The first photo and technical details trickled out last night, and the new batch gives you a better view of the car’s controversial rump, which is already polarizing enthusiasts the world over. It’s not so much that we think a round booty is a bad thing — it’s just that Porsche has done it better before. Or have you guys already forgotten about the awesomeness that’s spelled 9-2-8? Anyway. Have a look at the gallery, and stand by for more on Monday (or whenever the next group of pics gets leaked).

  
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