Any fan of the exclusive Italian marquee, Maserati, would definitely love to have this in their stockings come Christmas day.
Where comprehensive histories on automakers are concerned, the Italian automaker’s new ‘Maserati Classiche’ series is the perfect present to give diehard fans of Ferrari’s sister company. Compiled and edited by the company itself, this new-age, virtual encyclopedia features anything and everything you need to know about the brand and its specific models. Each issue deals with one model and provided uniquely detailed and certified technical information on that car. Just about every individual car that represents the history of the brand is featured in these issues.
The history of the company is definitely fascinating, to say the least. And with the Classiche series, you’ll get to know exactly how that history has shaped the brand’s 90 years of existence. For example, the marquee’s three major models – the GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and the Quattroporte - each represent one prong of the famous Maserati trident. A lot of the models that have been blessed with this badge have become icons in the automotive industry, while others have become classics in their own right. This book will serve as a comprehensive history lesson on the brand and its models, one where you’ll even get some advice and lessons from noted automotive historians.
You think Dimitri Mendeleev had something like this in mind when he created his greatest contribution to mankind? Probably not, but given his gift of foresight and how incredibly famous he became for creating the Periodic Table of Elements, it probably dawned on him that one day, an auto magazine named Car and Driver would use his work as a basis for creating their own periodic table.
Only this time, it consists of sports cars instead of elements.
Tongue and cheekiness aside, the ‘scientists’ over at Car and Driver have devised a pretty cool chart that categorizes sports cars according to their properties and laying them out to create a cool and colorful table.
Take a good look at it and you’ll notice how extensive the list is, from the Lotus 7 (Element 1) to the Saleen S7 (Element 103) and everything else in between. Car and Driver has a PDF version of their ‘Periodic Table of Sports Cars’ that you can download at their website.
By the way, here’s a nice little idea for those of you in a rut on what to get your car-loving buddy for Christmas: download the PDF, have it framed, and make it your present!
It was a busy week, but we managed to cover SEMA from one end to the other without having a nervous breakdown. Now, after numerous looks at each of these vehicles, we compiled a small recap of what was shown at the auto event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There were a plethora of tuned vehicles, from Mercedes-Benz to Ford, and even a Ferrari. Each had their own unique style, with some wanting to make you sick, while others were visual masterpieces. Just imagine Fast and the Furious designs and you’ll get an idea of what some of these machines looked like.
Below is a list of most of the vehicles that were shown at the event. Take a look at all the vehicles and let us know which ones you thought were the creme de la creme.
There are certain items out there that are marketed to automotive lovers, such as shirts, caps, lighters, wallets, and books. While we don’t recommend wearing a Ferrari polo shirt when you don’t have a Ferrari in your garage, you get the idea.
One of our favorite automotive themed items are pieces of jewelry that you wear on your wrist; watches. We are huge watch fans here and we have had our share of expensive Swiss timepieces and are always happy to share our knowledge with our readers, especially if those readers are big petrol heads like us.
There are many different watch companies that have partnered with automakers, which in return, have created gorgeous masterpieces, some that can cost as much as a new car or even a house. Below we have listed our ten favorite automotive themed watches from Rolex, Breitling, and Panerai.
Just imagine yourself on a date with somebody that you really care about and want to impress with your gorgeous car. You’ve spent the day cleaning it up in preparation for the event. As you’re driving down the highway, going to that fancy restaurant, the engine begins to smoke and you realize that this date may be spent at the repair shop.
Cars break down, it’s a fact of life, but it’s how you prepare for it that matters. There are many different options that can cover this sort of event, but it’s all on how you’ve prepared that will determine if your night will be saved, or if it will be spent getting a taxi to take that date of yours home.
There are two options when it comes to extended warranties. The first option is to purchase it from the manufacturer and the second is from a third party. There are benefits to both and below, we can given you a little information that might make the choice a bit easier.
It’s an automotive show like no other that takes place in the city of lights, Las Vegas, Nevada. The show itself is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world and is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Usually, SEMA draws around 100,000 people from 100 different countries around the world, just to see new products, tuned performance cars, and some gorgeous women.
The SEMA displays are spread out around two million square feet of floor space. That massive zone is separated by 12 sections, with the largest section consisting of newly introduced parts, tools, and other various components.
Of course, the reason why we love the event so much is the unique vehicles that come out. There will be products from Hyundai, Ford, and many other car manufacturers, all tuned to high heaven and given a sick paint job.
The event will take place on November 2nd through November 5th.
UPDATE 10/27/2010: We’ve added some more vehicles headed to Las Vegas for SEMA. Check out the additions after the jump!
Hit the jump to see the list of cars prepared to sparkle on the show floor.
How do they work? What are the differences between them? Which is better and why? Because we’ve been asked these questions only a gazillion times, we figured we might as well put this down in writing. Giving someone a link is much easier than explaining it over and over again. So here goes…
Both Superchargers and Turbochargers have their fans (no pun intended) and the following should give you an indication why. Let’s start with the basics. Both superchargers and turbos belong to the forced induction family, meaning they force more air into an engine. Ramming in more air means you can add more fuel. More air and fuel means a bigger bang and hence more power - simple. They have their fundamental differences which we will explore later, but essentially do the same thing. Before going any further let’s get one thing straight, neither is actually better than the other. What it basically comes down to is what you are trying to achieve, what your budget is, and which works better for your intended application.
Slogans such as "fifteen minutes can save you fifteen percent on auto insurance", Flo and her Progressive shop, and the long haired man who talks about State Farm are just a few of the many automotive insurance companies that are after your business, so in order to find the right company for you it’s going to take some serious work.
It seems that too many people are listening to the commercials they see on television and basing their opinions on what the little characters have to say. We understand that shopping for car insurance is pretty dull, but it’s something that needs to be done in order to ensure that you and your car are protected in the event of an accident.
Automotive insurance is one of the most important things in the auto world because, let’s face it, there are plenty of drivers out there that don’t need to be on the road, and when they hit your car, you better be covered.
Hit the jump for our tips of buying car insurance.
Just imagine that your favorite car, the vehicle that has been with you for years, has just died. Whether it be a transmission failure or an engine issue, the vehicle that you need to run your life is now broken and might cost you.
Well, if you have an extended warranty on your vehicle, these situations many not be so bad. Sure, you’re going to be stuck at an auto garage for a few hours, but at least you won’t be broke when it’s all said and done.
While some might call these warranties a waste of money, those people haven’t thought that statement through. Extended warranties are like insurance. Most of the time you’ll never need it, but when you do it comes in handy.
A broken down vehicle is nothing new, as it happens to all of us. So, how can we make the experience less stressful and far less expensive? Extended warranties are usually the way to go.
Jaguar Design Director, Ian Callum, is a genius. Maybe not literally, but in the design world, the man can’t be beat. With great results, Callum has redesigned the Jaguar product line for the new millennium. One can tell that the XF was simply the beginning of a grand reshaping that has taken over the company. The new XJ and XK are just some examples for the XF’s revolutionary design.
It took a team three years to create the car you see in the photo above. At the time, the launch of the car was overshadowed by the worrisome future of the company itself. That meant that the XF was important for more reasons than one might think. If the car was a hit - which it was bound to be - it could save the brand and give the business a new value.
There is no need to get into the company’s business plans. We all know that once Ford let them go, an Indian company bought them. The company is called Tata and although it’s not a very flattering name, they have helped turn Jaguar into the company you see today.
