Archive for September, 2011
Tire Tread Scanners The Next Wave Of Traffic Enforcement Tech?
Posted on 30. Sep, 2011 by admin.
Officials in the UK are currently investigating the benefits of new tire tread scanners built into the road and designed to detect illegal tread depths as vehicles pass over it. The technology, which relies on a series of high-speed cameras and leasers, was developed by German firm ProContour and costs about $67,000 a piece. The scanner can…
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2012 Toyota Tacoma TRD T/X Baja Series Preview
Posted on 30. Sep, 2011 by admin.
Looks like the 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor isn’t the only highlight of this week’s 2011 Texas State Fair. Toyota has rolled out a similar performance-themed pickup based on the Tacoma, which for now is only a concept but has already been confirmed for production. Described as a “pre-production” concept, which basically means…
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Alfa Romeo Revives Plans For Rear-Wheel Drive Flagship: Report
Posted on 30. Sep, 2011 by admin.
The last we heard, Alfa Romeo was coming to the U.S. in late 2012 with a host of new models including a new Spider sports car, Giulia mid-size sedan, and a pair of SUVs. Earlier plans for an Alfa Romeo rear-wheel drive flagship to be jointly developed with Maserati and based on Chrysler 300 underpinnings were apparently shelved by Chrysler-Fiat…
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GM First With Front Center Airbag
Posted on 30. Sep, 2011 by admin.
GM has announced plans to launch the industry’s first front center airbag, designed to help protect drivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes where the affected occupant is on the opposite, non-struck side of the vehicle. The tubular airbag is also designed to provide restraint when the driver is the only front occupant, and…
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Review: 2012 Hyundai Veloster
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by admin.
Recently a video surfaced from the Frankfurt Auto Show, depicting Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn puzzling over the remarkable quality of Hyundai’s latest Golf competitor, the European-market i30. But if Herr Professor Dr. Winterkorn seemed perturbed, and he certainly did, it wasn’t simply because of one car, even one aimed at the heart of his empire. [...]
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2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5 Preview
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by admin.
The BMW 5-Series is still quite new, having just received its M5 variant this summer. Today, the ActiveHybrid 5 joins the ranks, though it won’t be available for purchase until March 2012. Based on the 535i, the ActiveHybrid 5 marks the third production hybrid from BMW, though it will be one of only two on sale (the other being the ActiveHybrid 7)…
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‘Rally-Ready’ 2012 Hyundai Veloster Headed To SEMA
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by admin.
The crew at Hyundai have put their heads together with ARK Performance for the upcoming 2011 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show, and this is what resulted: a rally-bred 210-horsepower 2012 Veloster with a boatload of upgrades and a funky paintjob. For those that think rally cars require all-wheel drive, we can confirm that…
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Ferrari 599 GTB Vs. Ferrari F40: Video
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by admin.
Ferrari’s idea of what makes a supercar has changed dramatically over the years, with the two cars in this video at the polar extremes: the raw, race-ready F40 and the refined, grand-touring 599 GTB. Despite Ferrari calling this a “fictional” race, it looks to have very much occurred in real life–and it is excellent. From the sounds to the…
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Indy 500 Winner Al Unser Jr. Arrested For Street Racing While Drunk
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by admin.
Racing drivers, for all their other talents and skills, are often a rather dramatic bunch. Sometimes, that drama extends throughout their personal lives, as has been the case with Al Unser Jr. The latest of his escapades involves street racing his Suburban while allegedly intoxicated. Unser Jr. has had problems with alcohol for years, as…
