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SpaceRider
10/19/2007 2:37:26 AM
quote:
ORIGINAL: Twisted_Metal
looks like a spaceship 
It sure cost as much as a spaceship
Enlarge image
Enlarge image
Road & Track Alfa Romeo has been teasing us ever since it showed the 8C as a concept car way back in 2003 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Since then, the concept has been a fixture at every important international gathering, finally appearing in production form at Paris last fall and at Geneva in March.
The limited 500-unit run of the $200,000 supercar is reportedly spoken for, although Alfa has promised that it will sell a handful in the U.S. in anticipation of its return to the American market in time for the 2010 model year. So, it will be some time before anyone will catch a glimpse of this sleek 2-seat coupe in the States anytime soon.
But, if you have a hankering to see an 8C up close, you might camp out on the north loop of Germany's Nürburgring, where near-production-ready cars are being tested before the first 8Cs are delivered to European customers in September.
Riding on a 102.2-in. wheelbase, the 8C promises blistering performance from its Maserati-derived 4.7-liter V-8, which is said to produce 450 bhp and 347 lb.-ft. of torque with maximum revs in the 7000-rpm range. The 8C should be relatively light, using a tubular aluminum chassis and a carbon-fiber body — it should tip the scales somewhere around 3300 lb. The manual gearbox features an electronically controlled, pedal-less clutch, and the 6-speed offers five different shift programs through its steering-wheel-mounted paddles — Normal and Sport modes with manual shift, Normal and Sport modes with automatic shift and an ice mode for winter driving.
The 8C rides on a fully independent wishbone suspension and 20in. wheels shod with P245/35R-20 rubber. Since there are so few of this expensive, stylish and wickedly fast coupe available for U.S. buyers, it is an interesting calling card for Alfa's return to America, to say the least.
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Cowboy6622
10/19/2007 6:22:01 PM
i think i would take all of that money and invest it into making my monte just as fast..... have a nice sleeper :) maybe convert to RWD, put a nice V12 or so in it, maybe a 6 or 7 speed.... ah, I dare to dream....
FlynhghR
10/20/2007 6:46:19 PM
Despite being a Chevy guy, I would probably be ok in being seen in that Demon, especially if it's in the mid teens! Seriously... rwd... u know it's gonna have potential. Like start base with the 4cyl SRT-4 motor w/turbo.
Alas... I'm just WAAY to happy with my Monte!
SpaceRider
10/22/2007 5:44:58 AM
Vette Heaven: Corvette Funfest is annual love-in for America's Sports Car
By Rory Jurnecka
Photography by the author
SpaceRider
10/22/2007 5:47:38 AM
Newcomers: 2008 Porsche 911 GT2
The cure for jet lag: Try a therapeutic workout at 180 mph It's not commonly known, but jet lag is cured by high-speed injections of German autobahn, a volksremedium we discovered long ago, at 180 mph in a Porsche 928 S4.
And it still works. Better than melatonin, mile-high liaisons, or other familiar folk remedies, there's no surer cure for jet lag than redlining a Porsche on an unrestricted autobahn-as we're about to reaffirm in the 2008 911 GT2, the best Porsche ever unleashed on an undeserving everyman. (Don't even think about owning one if you can't handle full opposite lock or payments on an MSRP of $191,700.)
Driving the 530-horsepower two-seater at 180 mph doesn't cure our jet lag as much as expel it violently from the car, but heavy rain means reaching the GT2's top speed of 205 mph is out of the question. Even with double the previous GT2's downforce from the new Le Mans racer-inspired body and rear wing, and excellent grip from the 19-inch Pirellis, the GT2 is too much car for the conditions. We also keep Porsche's spectacularly efficient stability-management systems, suitably modified for the GT2's higher limits, on full alert, leaving it to others to find out what happens when the driver is let loose in the most powerful, fastest, and costliest 911 ever.
That part of the test is conducted on an unused airport's runways by Walter Rohrl, former rally champ and current Porsche test driver, who, in perilously slippery conditions, dispensed a pure dose of GT2.
"This car was ninety-percent done before I ever drove it," shouts Rohrl over the roar of the biturbo's new titanium exhaust, one of the strategies to lighten up a platform that began life in the same gene pool as the "standard" all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo. "It was that good, but the final 10 percent can be learned only by driving."
And what did he learn?
"This is the best 911 ever," he pronounces, left hand and right foot executing a perfect power slide. "Race car, street car, the best."
Much of Rohrl's opinion, and the GT2's final suspension tuning, was formulated on the Nurburgring's Nordschleife, where he set a time of 7:32, faster than the previous GT2's 7:46, the fastest for any production-series 911 and comparable with the Carrera GT. "It has the power and stability of a good race car, but it drives more easily," he continues, shifting do
SpaceRider
10/23/2007 4:55:04 AM
While the recently concluded Frankfurt Motor Show claimed to be all about environmentally friendly green cars, there were notable exceptions on hand including but certainly not limited to the decidedly environmentally unfriendly Lamborghini Reventon. For this year's SEMA Show, General Motors will attempt to combine these two diametrically opposed ideas of green and mean. At least, that's the tagline revealed in GM's press release after the jump that lists every single one of the 28 vehicles that the automaker plans to have on hand next week in Las Vegas.
Highlights of the list include a 600 HP E85-powered Chevy Corvette owned by Jay Leno and a Pontiac G8 built by 50 Cent and Unique Autosports. Unfortunately, GM released only this single image of the unique Pontiac Solstice SD-290 Concept. The Solstice features a cover over the passenger compartment that evokes vintage single-seat racers of yore and even includes a new windscreen and separate review mirror mounted in the middle. It's likely powered by something that's green and... umm... mean (sigh).
Check out the complete list of vehicles after the jump and stay tuned for our exhaustive SEMA coverage that begins next week.
[Source: GM]PRESS RELEASE:General Motors Flexes Muscle With A Message At The 2007 SEMA ShowPerformance With an Environmental Twist Shines in the GM Display with Jay Leno's E85-Powered Corvette Z06 and FlexFuel Chevy Hot RodLAS VEGAS – A diverse array of customized and high-performance cars, trucks and SUVs again dominates the General Motors display at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, but this time there is an underlying message: Green goes with mean.Many of the 28 vehicles GM will bring to the annual convention of the automotive aftermarket performance and appearance industry either run on alternative fuels, such as E85 ethanol, or feature fuel-efficient performance without compromise. The lineup is headlined by an E85-powered Corvette Z06 owned by Jay Leno. The "Tonight Show" host's new supercar boasts a custom, 500-cubic-inch engine that generates approximately 600 horsepower and is fueled solely by E85.Another mean, green Chevy at SEMA is FlexFuel Chevy Hot Rod, built by GM Performance Division – a re-creation of the hot rods that competed at early drag strips and land-speed venues of the late 1940s and 1950s. With bodywork inspired by a 1934 Chevy and period styling touches, FlexFuel Chevy Hot Rod mixes vintage style with contemporary technology; it's powered by a 500-horse FlexFuel version of the turbocharged Ecotec engine. It runs on E85, gasoline or any combination of the two.In addition to the alternative-fueled performers in the display, GM will also use the SEMA platform to introduce some influential concepts and production models, including the Pontiac Solstice SD-290 concept, which showcases a unique passenger compartment closeout evoking the spirit of vintage racecars, and a tuner-inspired version of the upcoming 2008 Saturn Astra. Chevy will make a couple of sport compact production announcements on Monday, Oct. 29, that will surely please the tuner crowd.Celebrity endorsements will be in full force all over the SEMA show floor as three urban-inspired Enclaves customized by a trio of the industry's most influential designers, including Rick Bottom, former NBA star Jerome Williams' Automotive Street Style, and Mitek will be on display, along with a new Pontiac G8 GT built by rapper 50 Cent and Unique Autosports.Additional conce
SpaceRider
10/23/2007 6:04:48 AM
Corvette ZR1 at Laguna Seca
The ZR-1 is coming back to the Roads : )
Click for the high-res version
God_Bot
10/23/2007 11:30:23 AM
quote:
ORIGINAL: BLACK ATTACK
I don't know how you missed it Space:
Let me present the Shelby Super Car "SSC Aero!" Puts out a peer 1024-HP with a top speed of 273-MPH. 0-60 in 3.0 seconds. This vehicle is known for its stability and endurance at high speed of over 250-MPH. All yours for a little more than $650,000.00... at this price ya'll can afford to have two!!!
I would have to go with the Ultimate Aero, not only is it the fastest production car. But it has an American V8 in it, I've yet to hear something that sounds better than a nice V8...
Cowboy6622
10/23/2007 2:28:10 PM
Aston Martin V12 (a Ford product for a long time, mind you) is quite possibly one of the best sounding engines I have ever heard. I was at an Econo Lodge in Erie, PA when I saw one (no (@#*&, a man who could afford an Aston Martin was staying at Econo Lodge, although this Econo Lodge costed $135 a night for a 2 bed room, and it was quite a fancy room at that). So anyway, we both went out to get something at the same time. My car was on the row across from his. I was coming back with a suitcase as he opened his trunk. I commented on how I loved the Aston Martins. We talked for a couple of minutes about the styling, the speed, even fuel mileage. As the conversation was wrapping up he asked if I would like to hear how it sounds. He didn't have to ask twice. Wow, sweet sound....
SpaceRider
10/25/2007 4:37:02 AM
2008 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
I think it's a lot of Bang for the $$$'s `Space
As-tested price: $56,185
Drivetrain: 6.2-liter V8; rwd, six-speed manual
Output: 436 hp @ 5900 rpm, 428 lb-ft @ 4600 rpm
Curb weight: 3217 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 19/15.3 mpg
Options: 3LT preferred-equipment group, including AM/FM stereo, six-disc CD changer, MP3 format, Bose premium seven-speaker system, head-up display, power telescoping steering wheel, heated seats, memory package, universal home remote, side-impact airbags, adjustable sport bucket seats with perforated leather inserts, six-way power-adjustable passenger seat, luggage shade, parcel net, steering-wheel radio controls ($4,505); Z51 performance package, including larger cross-drilled brake rotors, performance-tuned tires, stabilizer bars, springs, shocks and gear ratios ($1,695); polished-aluminum wheels ($1,295); dual-mode exhaust ($1,195); removable transparent roof panel ($750); crystal red metallic paint ($750)
OUR TAKE: Not so many years ago, Chevy made a huge deal out of the Z06 hitting 405 hp. Now the base car makes 436 hp, and it’s bolted into such a well-mannered and well-built chassis (no creaks and rattles here), with such a beautiful body, that there really is no competition at this price. Sure, Vettes always have been fast, but the new one is a real stormer.
The new steering feels better than the ’07 model’s, and so does the gearbox—more direct. The interior is full of improved materials, too, though it’s kind of a bummer that Chevy charges $4,505 to get the nicer materials as they are part of the package that includes the sport buckets, side airbags, etc. And it’s disappointing that Chevy still hasn’t seen fit to junk these seats and put in some real ones.
It costs about $15k to upgrade to a 2008 Z06 from this car, optioned the way it is. For that extra money, you get an extra 69 hp, more aerodynamic bodywork, a 55-pound weight loss, a stiffer chassis, firmer suspension, bigger brakes and special rims.
However, performance from this base car is nothing to sneeze at, and it is one heck of a bargain. The extra kick from the LS3 was apparent and, as expected, the chassis handles the power really well. The car remains very neutral and easy to drive quickly, with your right foot easily scooting the back end around.
GM is doing a lot of things right lately. Not messing up the Corvette, and continuing to build its sports car mystique, is another one it nailed perfectly.
