It was on July 20, 1969 when the NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped out of their Apollo 11 lunar capsule and onto that desolate wasteland becoming the first men on the moon, more importantly, they became the first men to drive on the crater ridden surface.
This historic anniversary of man reaching out into the galaxy fits perfectly with the special edition MOONLANDER based on the European Chevrolet Captiva prepared by the German manufacturer, fahrmitgas.de. Not only does the Rödermark based company create unique limited edition vehicles, they are also the largest LPG supplier for Chevrolet, so it is only fitting that the MOONLANDER can run on either gasoline or autogas, more commonly referred to as liquid petrolium gas; the fuel has the added benefits of a more affordable cost and lower emissions.
The first version of the MOONLANDER will be offered with a 2.4 Liter four cylinder that sends 136 HP to the front wheels while the upscale MOONLANDER 3.2 has a powerful V6 combined with an all wheel drive unit that sends the 230 HP wherever the Captiva needs it most. The exterior of the MOONLANDER is covered with a unique Universe White/Orbiter Black color scheme that is reminiscent of the original Saturn V rocket. The Captivas also feature "MANNED MISSION LUNAR VEHICLE" decals and the names of the Apollo 11 crewmembers on the silver-mirrored rear side windows.
Continued with press release after the jump.> More
There are a host of things you can find under a body of water and while they range from the absolutely meaningless to the downright priceless, the possibilities of what you can find underwater are endless.
In the Swiss city of Ascona, a diving club that goes by the name, Centro sport subacquei salvataggio Ascona (CSSS), went on a routine dive on the Verbano Lake last July 5 found something that none of them were expecting, a Brescia Bugatti.
Nobody knows how the classic car ended up 50m deep on the lake or how long it’s been there. Nevertheless, the team of divers who found it are scheduled to bring the century-old vehicle back up to dry land. Whether or not there’s still value on the submerged vehicle remains to be seen, but we’re quite sure that the question of whether it still works or not has been answered a long time ago.
Citroen has recently revealed the C-Cactus concept a couple of years ago at the 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Due to this funky looking compact car’s warm reception from the public, the French automaker is seriously considering turning the concept car into full fledged production vehicle.
The C-Cactus is powered by a 70 HP HDi diesel engine combined with a particulate filter to clean the noxious gasses and an electric motor for additional propulsion, to the tune of 30 HP. The C-Cactus consumes slightly over 69 miles per gallon of diesel over a combined driving cycle; while emitting a very Euro important 78 g/km of CO2. If the U.S. can ever learn to accept the benefits of clean diesel technology we too could benefit from these efficient little machines.
The American automaker Dodge has announced that its models might be sold wearing Alfa Romeo badges in Europe. Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said that all Dodge models might be sold as Alfa Romeos in Europe, and all Alfa Romeo models as Dodges in the U.S. The cross breeding of cutures would certainly make for an interesting lineup. It makes sense after all, if an automaker is going to invest the amount of money it takes to produce a vehicle, why limit yourself to just one market.
According to Marchionne: "Dodge is the American muscle car, while Alfa Romeo is the European muscle car. How we dovetail these two brands is very important. The level of competition between these two brands is tremendous because they are both going after the same customer." The man from across the Atlantic had some pretty bold words to say, but it would be nice to have Vipers allowed in the Targa Florio.
Audi is offering new entry-level engines for both the Audi Q5 and Audi A4 Allroad. The Q5 gets the 2.0 TDI and the 2.0-liter TFSI, both in conjunction with the 6-speed manual transmission. The diesel engine is also available for the A4 Allroad.
Both engines are in-line four-cylinder engines with direct injection, with the diesel version developing 143 hp and the gasoline one 180 hp.
There is no sight as beautiful as a group of Italian super cars lining up on the grid all wearing enormous GT wings. While we all wish to be in the driving shoes of the individuals who are lucky enough to have the opportunity to compete in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Check out the video for more of a behind the scenes look at what it takes to get the cars ready off track and competitive on it.
The next generation Alfa Romeo Milano has been caught testing on the streets and the race racetrack by our friends at World Car Fans. If the production model is offered with those rally inspired O.Z. style multispoke rims, the Italian automaker will have something very fashionable bringing car shoppers into their showrooms.
Despite the amount of automotive camouflage, the inverted triangle grill is a signature of the Alfa Romeo and a dead giveaway to this 147 replacement. At first the bright round taillights make the FIAT five door look like something else, but at the end of the video, when the light hits the hatch just right, you can see the rest of the lamp.
The future Milano will share its platform with the future Alfa 159 (or Giulia as it is more commonly known). The platform, called C-Evo, will be available in both front and four wheel drive layouts. With the 4WD version reserved for future GTA models. With the way that things are looking between Chrysler and FIAT, we might just see a Milano on the streets of the U.S. sometime soon.
The current economic crisis has resulted in the partnership of a number of unlikely car manufacturers. First there was Fiat and Chrysler. Then it was Saab and Koenigsegg
And now we have Toyota and Aston Martin.
While Toyota and Aston Martin’s alliance is not on the level of the other two, the Japanese auto giant is in the process of producing its iQ model for its more upscale colleague in the United Kingdom.
The partnership of the two manufacturers comes at a time when both are in desperate need for bold and revolutionary moves that can jumpstart a floundering industry that’s in dire need of some fresh blood.
As part of the agreement, Toyota will supply iQ cars, which, as a matter of fact, are built in Japan, to Aston Martin, which, in turn, will sell these vehicles under the brand under a pseudonym: the Cygnet.
BMW is reshaping the way they make cars; the German automaker is planning on selling lots and lots of BMW 1 Series hatchbacks and has just revealed details about the all-new car for 2010. Starting this September the luxury carmaker will add four new models to their compact lineup: Starting off with the BMW 120i Coupé and the BMW 118d Coupé and then the Lifestyle and Sport Editions of the BMW 1 Series three and five-door body styles.
The new BMW 120i Coupe is powered by a 2.0 Liter four cylinder engine with BMW High Precision Injection (direct gasoline injection) with piezoelectric fuel injectors. The engine makes 170 HP and 155 lb-ft of torque, allowing the BMW 120i Coupé to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in 7.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 149 MPH. The new diesel powered BMW 118d Coupe has the same engine displacement, except this one is developing 143 HP and 221 lb-ft of torque. It can go from a standstill to 60 mph in 9.0 seconds and reaching a top speed of 130 MPH.
In today’s fragile economy, a compact luxury hatchback may just be what new car buyers in the U.S. are looking for. The European influence on drivers here in the States seems to e looking like more of a certainty.
What is it about supercars and fire that makes them so attracted to each other?
It was only a couple of weeks ago when we reported a McLaren F1 unexpectedly bursting into flames in California – prior to that, it was a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti in Moscow – that we have another exotic being engulfed in flames in the streets of Athens, Greece.
The cursed vehicle this time around is a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo that caught fire for no apparent reason. The people – a couple, to be exact - inside to the car were fortunate to have escaped unscathed. Their precious Gallardo, however, was left charred to the ground.
Now, if you’re a car lover, then we strongly caution you on looking at the pictures because, well, they’re beyond gruesome. Unlike the McLaren F1, the Gallardo was completely burnt so bad you’d be hard-pressed to recognize it, even after firefighters were able to control the flames shooting out of the vehicle. It’s like one of those CSI episodes you watch where you see a victim mutilated so bad, forensics have to rely on dental records to identify the person.
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