The third installment of the new Ferrari 458 Italia prerelease extravaganza entitled Performance is an up close look at what will make the future Ferrari excel as a driver’s car. Considering that the last installment, Design, was narrated by Paolo Pininfarina, the heir to the historic Italian design studio it is only fitting that the latest member of the Formula One elite and the man who brought the Italian racing team back to greatness in the sport throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium.
Wearing a very casual outfit, Michael Schumacher candidly talks about the new sports car’s suspension that is comfortable to drive and sporty when it needs to be, the car’s previously unseen braking performance and the 458’s tremendous acceleration is due to the refined gearbox. The Ferrari design team has also incorporated more of the car’s controls onto the steering wheel, a move learned from F1 increasing both the Italia’s precision and accuracy.
Ever since Michael Schumacher retired from the activity that awarded him seven world championships, five of which came behind the wheel of a Ferrari, he has been hanging around Maranello conducting new product testing and participating in their high performance sports cars development at the Fiorano circuit; Schumi has even been spotted from time to time hanging around the Scuderia’s paddock on grand prix weekends so he would be the man to talk to about what the new Ferrari 458 Italia is like from the driver’s seat.
The first of Lotus’ latest creation, the 2010 Evora, has been delivered to one Matthew Melling of Twickenham in the U.K. and it is a Storm Titanium beauty. Along with the honor of picking the car up at the factory in Norfolk, where the Lotus team has already constructed a five month’s supply of the new hand built mid engine 2+2, Mr. Melling was presented the keys to his new car by the Director of Lotus Cars Limited, Luke Bennett, who had this to say, “It is quite an emotional time to deliver the first Lotus Evora to Mr. Melling. The whole team has worked incredibly hard to design, engineer and produce such a stunning and high performing sports car and [this] is a great feeling… I am sure that each customer who receives their car will be delighted with their purchase.”
The man who gets the title of first garage to house a Lotus Evora, Matthew Melling, said that he “was determined to be the first in the world to get my hands on an Evora so with Stratton Motor Company’s help, I laid down my deposit within seconds of the order books being opened last year. I have read all the press reviews of the Evora and am so excited about getting behind the wheel – what a great start to September!” A happy September indeed considering that he can now enjoy his 2600 pound 280 HP 3.5 Liter V6 powered plaything that can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5 seconds and reach a top speed of 161 MPH, while bringing three friends along for the ride.
That is a very bold move, going down to a dealership and forking over a hefty chunk of change for something that doesn’t even exist and that you won’t see for quite some time, however there are such objects that make men do crazy things. That’s why they call them dream cars, and the lightweight Lotus Evora super car definitely qualifies in that category.
We recently received an all new 2010 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited into the Top Speed test fleet. Our Camellia Red Pearl small SUV was completely redesigned back in 2008 and from what we can see, the improvements keep on coming into 2010. Like all Subarus, the Forester comes from the factory with all wheel drive, the cabin is quite roomy thanks to the boxy design and there is plenty of storage space in the back. The new touch screen navigation unit has Bluetooth built in and the infotainment system is made up of an AM/FM/XM radio with an in dash CD player and auxiliary audio and video inputs thanks to the popular Option package number 10, which for an extra $1,800 over the $25,995 MSRP gives you all those electronic goodies.
The interior of our brand new Subaru is upholstered in grey leather, covering everything from the seats to the steering wheel. The design team has incorporated the same metallic swatches into the dash of the Forester that we liked so much on the Impreza. We like the climate controls; three straight forward knobs control everything as opposed to a host of buttons and LCD displays. Our 2.5X also had power door locks and a one touch driver’s window that add a bit of convenience to the package. However the best part of the Forester’s interior is the ridiculously oversized panoramic sunroof, it is so large that the amount of light allowed inside rivals that of a convertible.
Just like the name suggests, our Forester is powered by a 2.5 Liter flat four engine cranking out 175 HP and still gets 20 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway. Our Subaru rode on a set of 17 inch rims that looked extremely strong and sturdy thanks to their thick spokes while the raised body makes the Forester look like it can go anywhere. Thanks to safety features like a host of air bags, ABS, disk brakes, a Subaru designed chassis and a whole bunch of top notch safety ratings is making us look forward to getting behind the wheel.
The Japanese automaker Honda has just reveled the first details on their all new crossover variant based on the popular Accord sedan, the Accord Crosstour, as it will be known will be placed at the top of the Honda Accord family and is slated to go on sale this Fall after today’s online debut.
The new Accord Crosstour’s design is inspired by the Accord’s familiar body lines and adds a bolder front grille that is complemented by a bolder and more muscular front bumper giving the Crosstour an aggressive stance while the wedge shaped C pillars add a bit of a fastback appeal to the sporty CUV. The flowing roofline narrows smoothly into the rear of the vehicle to create an attractive set of hips, which also makes for a rather large cargo area that can fit a bit more than the traditional sedan.
With the Honda Accord Crosstour, the world’s largest engine manufacturer is getting into the game of plus sized luxury sedans that offer the practicality of a wagon while at the same time giving the owner the appearance of driving an SUV. It should only be a matter of time before we see an Acura badged variant to compete with other high end crossovers.
At last year’s Paris Motor Show, the English automaker Mini showed the world the Mini Crossover concept that took the cute Cooper and beefed it up with some off road attitude, and everyone expected to see the production version this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. however Mini has announced that the crossover’s official launch has been delayed until 2010 at the earliest.
That doesn’t mean that the Mini booth will be empty in Frankfurt, the automobile manufacturer will be unveiling the Mini Coupe concept and the Mini Roadster concept at the German auto show, a fitting move considering that their parent company BMW is from the region.
The crossover model, reportedly called Crossman, is almost certain to make an appearance at the Geneva motor show next spring. According to a BMW Mini spokesman, "The Crossover launch has been pushed back as we wish to first explore differentiation within future Mini smaller models and get feedback." Hopefully we don’t face any more financial crisis before then.
The upcoming Ferrari 458 Italia not only easy on the eyes, but it is also a delight to the ears. Being fully aware of this, the Italian automaker has now made it easier to bring both the sights and sounds of the F-430 replacement with you on your iPhone. Just by visiting the new mid engine supercar’s mini site you can gain access to all sorts of multimedia goodies for your intelligent mobile device. Aside from the high resolution backgrounds and screen savers, Ferrari is also offering five different sound files that will make for some very memorable ringtones.
The first audio file is entitled overtaking and it delivers the sound’s of the new 458’s 4.5 Liter V8 screaming all the way to redline along with the sounds of lesser vehicles on the circuit. The on the track file offers perhaps the best mix of what the future Italia is capable of, mixing in a healthy amount of engine noise, tire squeal and speed. The other ring tones being offered are entitled: acceleration, off the mark and on board. So if you can’t wait until Frankfurt to see the car undisguised and hear the all new V8 officially fired up for the first time then now you have something to hold you over, and the best part is that it’s free.
Click the link below to visit the Ferrari 458 Italia mini site.
The English automaker Mini had announced that in addition to the Mini Roadster, the new Mini Coupe Concept that is scheduled to go into production by 2011 will also be making it auto show debut at the Frankfurt International Motor Show next month. However there aren’t the only two new cars that will be built atop the compact platform, because Mini’s parent company BMW is currently talking o the Japanese manufacturer Toyota about a future collaboration to produce more compact and fuel efficient vehicles, and it turns out that the new Mini platform is the perfect fit.
While it appears that Toyota’s design team will have access to the new platform, the German automaker BMW will also be able to use the new iQ platform for the return of the Isetta mini-car and it is also a possible candidate for the new Z2 Roadster as well as the future BMW 1-Series.
According to BMW’s newest design director, Adrian Von Hooydonk: "The Coupe and Roadster models could conceivably stand on their own within BMW Group, but there is certainly a chance for BMW to share in it."
Either way, it the automakers can combine the build quality of a BMW with the reliability of a Toyota, it won’t matter what platform it is based on because both teams have a knack for what they do, and when they work together the sky is the limit.
Top Speed was invited to a special showing for an up close look at two new Subarus for 2010, the redesigned Legacy sport sedan and Outback wagon. According to the sales sheets more and more new car customers are being handed the keys to a Subaru because they had the fortune of being one of the few automobile manufacturers to turn a profit last year. Cash For Clunkers certainly didn’t hurt either, doubling their sales last month alone. Although the Japanese automaker’s market share in the U.S. may not be that big of a slice of the pie, rising from 2.2% to 2.5% this year, with a few anticipated improvements they expect to keep that momentum going by offering the right car to the right customer. Subaru plans on doing this by offering a range of new vehicles that meet the right: size, equipment and price requirements of the consumer.
Over the course of the afternoon we learned that Fuji Heavy Industries, the automaker’s parent company considers Subaru to be a luxury brand around the world and they are sold at a premium over other Japanese automobiles like Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans in Europe. However the general public doesn’t feel the a same way in this market. In the U.S. Subaru is seen as a niche brand reserved for the rugged duties of snowy northeast winters, but what shoppers fail to realize is that from rainy South Florida summers to the constantly wet Northwest where precipitation is an issue, these are also perfect places for Subaru’s symmetrical all wheel drive to shine.
There has been a lot of hype and speculation surrounding the upcoming Ferrari 458 Italia well at least the dream makers from Maranello have put one of those rest by confirming that the F-430’s replacement will make its international auto show debut this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. However the Italia’s official unveiling won’t be limited to the German auto show because on September 15th, the first press day of the festivities in Frankfurt, the 458 Italia will also be on display at the Galleria Ferrari.
The Galleria Ferrari is a museum dedicated to the Italian sports car builder and is located only about 1000 feet from the factory floor in Maranello. We are pretty sure that if good old Enzo were still around, the 15th would be declared a national holiday so that the craftsmen and women who are responsible for the new 458 can enjoy a little automotive art as well.
After yesterday’s Ferrari 458 feature entitled Stile with Paolo Pininfarina, the automaker has announced that the next video installment will be released on September 2nd and it titled Performance with Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, perhaps this video will answer a few more of our questions about what will make the Italia so great.
We don’t have any new updates regarding the sale of Saab to Koenigsegg but we do know that it hasn’t stopped the former from working tirelessly in developing their latest flagship sedan, the 2010 Saab 9-5.
Now we have news that the 9-5 - turbocharged powertrain and all – has finally been released.
It doesn’t come as any surprise to us that the new 9-5 has somewhat veered away from all other previous 9-5 incarnations and while GM may have still had a hand in the car’s development, the striking changes attributed to the car can be traced back to its new – or incoming – owners.
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