Friday, June 29, 2012

BMW 1-Series Coupe Mistakes a Pedestrian Walkway for a Bridge…


If our Google translation of the video uploader's description is correct, a woman driving this BMW 1-Series Coupe (we could be wrong about the model though as the clip is of low quality) wanted to change direction and head towards the city of Santiago in Chile.

In the process, she confused a pedestrian-only walkway for a regular bridge, and well, she quickly found out that it wasn’t… Video and original description from YouTube follows below the break.

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New Jaguar XJ_e Plug-in Hybrid Study Returns up to 73.4mpg US or 3.2lt/100km


Jaguar chose the Goodwood Festival of Speed that runs from June 28 to July 1 for the world premiere of a new technology study based on the XJ limousine.

The new XJ_e was created to exhibit Jaguar-Land Rover's (JLR) capabilities and future plans as in theory, the concept's plug-in hybrid drivetrain can be used in most of the group's models. The study follows other hybrid research demonstrators from JLR including the Limo Green and Range_e vehicles.

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Audi R8 e-tron Quietly Sets a New Nürburgring Record for Production EVs at 8:09 [w/Video]


For the time being, Toyota may hold the overall world record for electric vehicles at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with the road-legal EV P001 prototype at 7:47.794, but Audi claims to have earned the bragging rights for the fastest lap in a series production model with the R8 e-tron.

The soon-to-be launched electric-powered R8 completed the 20.8-kilometer (12.92-mile) long Nürburgring circuit in the hands of racing driver Markus Winkelhock in 8:09.099 minutes.

By comparison, German magazine Sport Auto has recorded a time of 7:44 with the R8 V10 in 2009 and 8:04 with the R8 V8 in 2007.

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McLaren Drops Official Teaser of New Open Top MP4-12C Spider


Only 12 months after the newly formed McLaren Automotive launched its first model, the well-received MP4-12C, the British company is now getting ready for its second product in the form of the open-roofed 12C Spider.

McLaren will fully reveal the new Spider on July 3, but to whet our appetites, the automaker released a single cropped image showing part of the car with the roof open along with a video of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 driver, Jenson Button talking about the sensation of having an unobstructed view of the sky.

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BMW and Toyota to Jointly Develop New Sports Car and Numerous Technologies


Last December, the BMW Group and Toyota entered a mid-to-long-term partnership on the sharing of hybrid systems and diesel engines, which was enhanced this past March with an agreement on the development of lithium-ion battery cell technology.

Now, the two companies have announced a significant expansion of their existing cooperation that will include the joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle together with fuel cell, powertrain electrification and lightweight technologies.

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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Crazy MINI with a 170HP Yamaha R1 Engine Swap Taunts a Lamborghini Gallardo


If you are looking for a truly unique Mini model to knock you off your socks, forget about the official John Cooper Works variants and the numerous projects presented over the years by the mainstream tuning industry, and check out this 1970's Austin Mini by Pro-Motive.

What makes this car fascinating is not the fact that it has a different engine, but the type of engine as it is fitted with a rev-crazy, 170HP 1.0-liter inline-four sourced from a 2003 Yamaha YZF-R1 sports bike!

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Toyota Debuts TRD GT86 at Goodwood, Confirms UK Launch for Early 2013


Not to rest on its laurels, Toyota presented a tuned up version of its GT86 sports coupe (the Scion FR-S' European doppelganger) prepared by Toyota Racing Development, or TRD for short, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that runs from June 28 to July 1.

Toyota originally revealed the TRD accessories for the Japanese market 86 at the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon this past January, however, this is the first time it showed a complete model in Britain. The company also confirmed the launch of a special TRD edition of the GT86 that will go on sale in the UK in early 2013.

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