March 25, 2010
Fiesta ST officially sighted
Images have leaked onto the internet that shows a ST variant of their impressive Ford Fiesta, it’s likley to be running a 180bhp 1.6 Litre EcoBoost engine first seen in the C-Max.
In the spy shots an intercooler can quite clearly be seen pointing to a turbo charged engine under the bonnet, so the ST should be able to hold it’s own against the rival Polo GTI and Skoda Fabia VRS.
The new ‘One Ford’ philosophy, which has seen the blue oval commit to making global cars instead of regional models. So thanks to economies of scale they can justify faster models.
A spokesman for Ford claimed that our spy shots are simply one the four modified US-spec Fiestas prepared for this year’s LA Motor Show, but take a closer look and there are a handful of fundamental differences that disprove that theory.
Firstly this is a European-spec car, plus rear diffuser, body kit and twin exhaust pipes are a combination that’s never been seen before.
Expect the Fiesta ST it make its debut at next year’s Geneva Motor Show , and go on sale later in 2011.
March 24, 2010
American Cops to get new cars
If you’re planning a fly-drive holiday in America you may need look out for and slow down for the new American cop cars.
For years the enforcement community have mostly drive Ford Crown Victoria, which is a crude dinosaur of a car featuring a live axel and gas-guzzling V8. Now cops have run out patience with current crop of cars and have demanded a newer, safer car that wasn’t always in the fuel station or repair shop.
The market is colossal: 60,000 police are made every year. Sensing the oppportunity, a new company, Carbon Motors, has arrived. Its bosses have decided to create a super tough, frill-free, purpose built car.
So this week they have announced a deal with BMW to supply turbodiesel engines and transmissions for the car.
Now BMW doesn’t just give have it’s name with just any flaky men-in-a-shed operation. So we can take it that the Carbon E7 police car is credible to those steely German eyes.
Purpose-bulit elements include bodywork with built-in bull bars and flashing lights, plus dent-resistant plastic panels.
Inside, the dash is built around the computers and comms gear the cops need. The front seats are big and soft and have room for the well-fed cop, his bulletproof uniform and all the accessories (i.e. weaponry) he wears on his belt.
Then there’s a protective shield between the front and the back ‘seat’ – actually just a vandal-proof hard bench. The back doors are rear-hinged and the rear seatbelts sprout from the centre so it’s easier for the cops to bundle an unwilling suspect through the door and strap ‘em in.
Meanwhile, Ford doesn’t want to be caught pants-down by this newcomer. So it too is releasing a new cop car, the Police Interceptor. It’s based on the Taurus, but heavily upgraded for 100,000 hard miles a year. Brakes and suspension are upgraded: ‘This vehicle is pursuit-ready. It’s no nonsense, through and through,’ says Ford.
It comes either as a V6 FWD or a turbo Ecoboost V6 with 4WD. If that car takes hold, powersliding movie car chases will never be the same again.
March 23, 2010
McLaren return with their new super car MP4-12C
McLaren today launched the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1 called “MP4-12c” (a terrible name we know) the car was unveiled at its Woking-based development centre, and who better to help launch it, than two of the biggest names in Formula One, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.
It’s a mid-mounted monster and will almost certainly be the fastest and best looking thing to come out of Woking for a long time.
Stats-wise it’s no slouch, clocking 0-60mph in 3 seconds, and it will certainly hit 200 mph, this all comes from the brand new 3.8-litre V8 that pumps out 600 Woking horses.
It’s the greenest supercar this side of a Telsa roadster too, boasting the highest horsepower to CO2 ratio of any engine-powered car in the market. That includes petrol or diesel Hybrids.
Featuring a whole host clever gismos they are touting “class leading handling” for both on the track and the road, This is done by the “Proactive Chasis Control System” which replaces anti-roll bars. There are 3 modes to fiddle with, normal, sport or high-performance mode.
One thing we do like the sound of is the Brake Steer – a system that use to be on 1997 Formula One car . When cornering too quickly, it automatically brakes the inside rear wheel to prevent understeer. It also controls acceleration out of the corner too.
Costing £160,000 it will share no part with any other manufacture unlike the SLR, and they are really proud of the fact it has been made from the ground up.
Funny note left on car after it was scratched
We love a bit of comedy at Autoebid and this note certainly falls in that category – the note above was left on car after it was scratched when a driver tried to park next to them.
The honest driver decided to leave a really nice note explaining how the dent and scratches came about, saying “I’m sorry I put a dent in your car I didn’t want to do this” nothing wrong there then. It went on to say “I did it when I tried to park next to you.
But the driver then went on to say “I am not leaving my information because you chose to use two spaces and I just wanted to park in one.”
He then went on to explain the scratches “The scratches are because I used a a towel that had sand on it to clean the dent and paint off.
“Beaches are fun” they really are fun but I don’t think that he will see the funny side of it.
The apologetic driver then went on to say “Please look your car over for the dents scratches and each time you see them remember not to park in two spaces.”
“Sorry”
So if you are going to park in two spaces, then be warned because you may regret you poor parking.
Public outcry over damaged roads
You may have notice the deterioration of our nations roads after the one the harshest winters on record and this has led to a dip in public satisfaction.
A recent survey found that 46% of respondents said that they were happy with the current state of the roads this is a dramatic fall from last year which was 60% according the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
Also, 49% voted roads as their first or second priority for more investment – up from 40% last autumn.
Unhappy with the current state of the roads, ICE vice-president Geoff French said: “There is already an estimated £1 billion road maintenance backlog, meaning many roads have been in need of proper repair for a very long time. This backlog is not being cleared and continues to grow. On top of that we have had the worst winter for 30 years causing further deterioration and consequently, yet more pot holes.”
He went on: “We need long-term, preventative road maintenance to properly address existing defects, rather than short-term ‘quick fixes’.
“Short-term solutions fail to tackle the root of the problem and do not withstand the sorts of conditions we have seen over the past few months. Quick fixes will only lead to more maintenance work, more cost and the public becoming more frustrated.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We want local authorities to implement a system of regular, well-managed maintenance – not to leave things until they deteriorate to the point that repairs become urgent and more costly.
“That’s why the Government has more than trebled funding to local authorities for investing in their roads and has introduced new funding to help local authorities better assess the condition of their roads. This is in addition to funding provided for routine maintenence.
March 22, 2010
New Autotrader iPhone app can read car number plates
Autotrader is about to launch its new iPhone app that uses image recognition technology to read car number plates.
The new app enables users to quickly search for vital vehicle info, making car-buying decision that much easier.
The Auto Trader Mobile iPhone App can provide make and model records as well as figures around the car’s performance and economy, making it easier for customers to decide what to buy.
Additionally; the application will allow users to search for information on similar cars and dealers in the area via access to the Auto Trader listings, enabling like for like price comparisons.
Nick Gee, Director of Mobile at Auto Trader said: “We believe users will find the link between ‘real world’ and ‘digital world’ very compelling, providing a clear differentiator for mobile compared to other media. Using the iPhone users can now search for real-time digital information relating to a car sitting in front of them, a step which combined with the depth of cars listed on Auto Trader takes the car-buying process to a whole new level.”
The Auto Trader App, is available for free from the App Store on the iPhone or at www.itunes.com/appstore/
Karma strikes crazy Jaguar driver
A crazy Jaguar driver in Spain had a lucky escape last week when he lost control of his S-Type Jaguar and rolled it five times.
The amazing footage was captured by a car in the next lane and clearly show the Jag thundering along the motorway as he overtakes the other car he begins to lose control, he over compensates and crashes 30k Jag.
The car as you can imagine was totalled and the driver luckily was left unhurt, but he probably needs to come up with a decent explanation when he contacts his insurance company.
We for one would have loved to heard that phone call.
Karma Strikes Crazy Driver – Watch more Funny Videos
Disgruntled employee disables more than 100 cars remotely
In what must be one the first cyber attacks to take place on cars – a disgruntled employee of Texas Auto Centre disabled a 100 cars by hacking into a web -based immobilisation system normally used to remind people to pay their auto payments.
The high tech crime unit managed to catch the 20-year-old Omar Ramos-Lopez, who was a former Texas Auto Centre employee, he sought revenge from the company and begun to brick the cars sold from dealerships in Texas.
“We initially dismissed it as mechanical failure,” says Texas Auto Center manager Martin Garcia. “We started having a rash of up to a hundred customers at one time complaining. Some customers complained of the horns going off in the middle of the night. The only option they had was to remove the battery.”
The hacker had managed to break into a system called Webtech Plus which is used as an alternative to repossessing vehicles that haven’t been paid for.
The incident is the first time an intruder has abused the no-start system, according to Jim Krueger, co-owner of Pay Technologies. “It was a fairly straightforward situation,” says Krueger. “He had retained a password, and what happened was he went in and created a little bit of havoc.”
March 18, 2010
Amazing footage of a Lorry pushing a car on the A1
Amazing video footage of a high-speed HGV pushing a car along the A1 motorway have surfaced on the internet today.
It had been suggested the video was a fake, but the haulage company has released a statement admitting the incident and said the lorry driver is receiving councilling and the driver of the Renault Clio was left unhurt.
West Yorkshire police have said “We are investigating the video posted on YouTube which appears to show a lorry pushing a car sideways along the A1 (M).
“The haulage company responsible for the vehicle has confirmed an accident took place on January 13 2009, and we took no action, but after seeing this video we will re-open the investigation.”
The mobile phone footage was uploaded to YouTube. But you can watch it right here.
Police use criminals top-of-the-range Q7 as a cop car
A £40,000 top-of-the-range Audi Q7 has been seized from a criminal gang in Glasgow and has begun a new life as a police car for Strathclyde Police.
The top-of-the-range Audi Q7 car was seized during a operation in the north of Glasgow.
It has been emblazoned with the Stathclyde Police livery and will now be use by a specialist gangs taskforce to fight inner city crime.
Police plan to eventually sell the vehicle and use the proceeds in policing and community projects.
Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson said the seizure was a warning to gangsters in Glasgow.
He said: “I would say to the criminals that what you have this week; your houses, your cars – you might not have next week.
“The hard-working, law-abiding citizens need to know that we are hurting those involved in serious and organised crime where it matters – their pockets.
“These criminals are fast realising that they are not above the law. They may think that they are getting away with it but we are determined to make a long-term impact in this area.”
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said the seized car was “a symbol of the tide that is turning against the gangsters”.
He said: “For too long, gangsters have used flash cars as a very visible symbol of their supposed power over their communities. They are paid for with dirty money and fuelled by the blood, sweat and tears of decent people.”
« Newer Posts — Older Posts »
RSS Feed
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube