We used to watch movies like James Bond and Batman and turn green with envy at all of the gadgets and gizmos these extravagant men ran around with. Then, in the blink of an eye, here we are with a device that is turning out some very cool applications left and right. This next automotive application for the famed iPhone has to do with the much-overlooked issue of correct tire pressure. iPhone users in the UK can now rest assure that they are inflating their tires to the correct pressure with the use of the FREE TyreSafe iPhone app. Users simply input their vehicle registration details and the app provides the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure settings in both psi and bar. The app has been launched by TyreSafe, the UK’s leading tire safety organization, as part of October’s tire safety month.
“Many drivers tell us that they don’t check their tire pressures because they are unsure of the correct settings,” explains Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe. “The new TyreSafe iPhone app completely removes this problem and instantly provides drivers with their car’s tire pressure information. So whether they’re on their driveway at home, the supermarket filling station or at the services on the motorway, iPhone users can be sure of having the correct information to hand.”
Okay, so it’s not exactly James Bond’s explosive keychain or his Walther PPK. It’s not even as cool as Batman’s utility belt, but it does take us just one step closer to our full superhero spy potential.
Hit the jump for some of our tire pressure tips as well as some useful links.
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We love automotive shows and there isn’t a better place in the world to have one than Paris, France. Geneva would be a close second, but we’re pretty sure Paris wins. The bright lights of the city, the wonderful concept cars and the gorgeous European models. There isn’t a whole lot in this world that is better than that.
This years Paris Motor Show was brilliant in mostly every way. We had concepts from Jaguar and a few other companies. There were new models from Land Rover, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and even Italian exotic sports car makers Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Below, we have detailed nearly every one of the cars that was shown at the auto show, including the new Ford Focus ST, Land Rover Evoque and the new Mercedes-Benz CLS, the car that started the four-door coupe range. Some were very interesting, while others were normal is mostly every way.
Hit the jump to see the list of production cars,
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It’s that time of year again, the biggest and the most exciting event is close upon us. No, it’s not a holiday or anything of that sort, but it’s just as good for people who love the automotive industry and the cars that the companies produce. The 2010 Paris Motor Show is just months away and TopSpeed has all the bases covered.
Over the next few months we will update you on every piece of automotive news that involves the motor show in France. So far we have plenty to look forward to, including a few Citroens, Mercedes-Benz cars, and, of course, a bevy of supercars.
The official show starts on October 2nd in Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles and it will run until the 17th.
We have all the information you will need to prepare for the festivity that is the Paris Motor Show below, so hit the jump to read on and enjoy.
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Who can say they don’t listen to music while they’re driving? If you raised your hand as if we could see you, then there is no need for you to read on. But if you love the sound of your favorite tunes coming out of the car’s stereo like we do, then, thanks to Matt Kirsch, we have some songs to test out those speakers.
Kirsh, a former General Motors audio engineer has published a list of songs that tests the capabilities of your stereo. And no, they are not sings that will bust your eardrums. It should be interesting to see how many think of their systems after going through this ten song list.
The list is varied between every sort of genre and artist and should give those tweeters, subwoofers, and mid-range units a real test. If you don’t want to search for all those songs, Kirsh has put them for download on iTunes.
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Ranking the best cars is fun, but ranking the worst is like frolicking on a perfect beach, it just never gets old. Taking into consideration that the year is almost complete, we wanted to rank the worst vehicles of the decade and seeing as how there were so many, ten just wasn’t enough.
Some weren’t very hard to think of, stuff like the Chevrolet Aveo and the Smart ForTwo were obviously going to be on the list, but there were a few that will shock you. If one sentence can sum up our thought process during this evaluation it would be this, ’high sales don’t mean anything’.
Look at the Chevrolet Impala and the Jeep Wrangler. Both sell fairly well, but both are awful. The Impala is fat and drives like a boat and the Wrangler is an off-road machine that most won’t take in their yard, leaving it hard and uncompromising on the road. Despite these two perfect examples of automotive incompetence, both didn’t make the list.
Find out what did by hitting the jump.
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When you get into this category, it’s hard to say if one is better than the other. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and McLaren are all wonderful products, but is one better than the other one in the real world? Probably not, but there are a few things we can look at to try and determine a solid list.
When you have this kind of money, performance is expected out of these machines and that is a key thing to remember. Every car on this list is fast enough for most people. Many will begin to point out numbers and statistics to prove that their car should be ranked higher up. What they fail to understand is that most of the people who buy these machines will never get close to those numbers. For them, it’s more about the car. With that in mind, we will look at styling, prestige, luxury, and the sensations that you get when you sit behind the wheel.
There is a never a right answer when comparing these machines. Everybody has their own opinion and everybody will think they’re correct. We really had to think about this one long and hard because, well, we had no idea how to rank most of these machines. The top ten supercars for 2010 is just one of life’s great mysteries.
Nonetheless, we persevered on your behalf to try and rank today’s best supercars. We would also like to point out price was not considered in this ranking. If you can afford any one of these cars, most of the time price isn’t going to be a big deal.
Hit the jump to see the list.
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In the world of classic cars, the Woodward Dream Cruise is the cream of the crop. The event is held annually on the third Saturday of August and it takes place in the former home of mostly all American car production, Michigan. The drive starts on Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, through Ferndale in Oakland County, and goes all the way to the State Fair Grounds inside the Detroit city limits, just south of 8 Mile Road. It might not be a Los Angeles beach cruise, as it’s Detroit, but for lovers of all the old days, it’s as good as it gets.
The event isn’t just big for the fans, it’s big for the city of Detroit as well. It is now the largest single day classic car event in the world, and brings in over $56 million annually for the Metro Detroit economy. It is, without a doubt, the world’s largest one-day automotive event, drawing about 1.5 million people and 40,000 classic cars each year.
After the jump, we have assembled numerous photos of the events. If you have photos of your own, feel free to share them with us.
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With the real World Cup far behind us, we thought we would host our own world challenge, minus the annoying horns. Okay, yes, the cars do have horns in them, but none of them could be worse than those vuvuzelas.
We took four cars from four different countries in a serious attempt to see which country produced the best performance machine, and to give some self esteem back to the countries that were knocked out of the football tournament. We gave it our all to get four vehicles that were similar in mostly every way. Performance, power, styling, driving dynamics, and build quality inside and out were all examined with a fine tooth comb.
So, it was off to the car dealers to grab our wheels for the test. From the good old United States we have the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, America’s most powerful and most ostentatious sports car. From the fatherland, we have the classic Porsche 911, but this one has a turbo up its backside. From the land of the rising sun, we have the technical wonder, the Nissan GTR. Finally, from our home land, the United Kingdom, we have James Bond’s preferred choice, the Aston Martin DBS.
Let the games begin.
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What is a high-end sports car? Are they Italian performance machines like the Ferrari 458 and the Lamborghini Gallardo, or are they more sensible vehicles like the BMW M5 and the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG? We think they’re the latter.
For this top ten, we are going to set the price cap at $120,000, if you can call that a cap. That should eliminate most of the extreme vehicles, but keep the basic Porsches and so on within the limits.
What kinds of things are we looking for with high-end sports cars? Obviously, they need to be fast with agile handling and excellent driving dynamics. The car needs to look stunning with a functional yet stylish interior. It would also be great if it could stand the test of time, so reliability is also a factor.
Let’s review the previous winners of our sports car test. The Volkswagen GTI took the top spot in the entry-level test due to its excellent performance, build quality, and versatility. There were numerous winners of the mid-level test, as we had multiple categories. We chose the Audi S4, the BMW M3, and the Ford Mustang GT500 as the top cars in their classes.
Hit the jump to see the list.
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When most people think of Pebble Beach they think of hitting a little while ball with a club next to the most beautiful scenery in the United States. We don’t think of those sort of things though. We think of the automotive festivities that take place on the coast.
This year, we had many cars that were shown. There were new cars like the new Ford Mustang Boss 302, and there were old cars like the Ferrari F40 birthday collection. In total, 2010 was a spectacular year at the beach for petrol heads.
With all the new car introductions and high-end auctions, automotive lovers of any age will love the extravaganza that was the Pebble Beach Week in California.
We have compiled a list of every new car that was shown in Cali, and some of them are truly amazing. There is even a F1 looking car.
Hit the jump to read on.
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