Specialty cars Archives - Page 8 of 11

Tata Motors plans 'luxury' Nano Plus for 2011

The Nano, predicted to be available in 2011, with feature a 1,000 cc engine instead of the 623 cc engine of the current Nano model. It will also include ABS brakes, alloy wheels, and integrated music system and an improved interior. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION Auto Shipping Quote–Car Financing–Car Insurance Quotes–Car Loans–Online Car Insurance–Rental Cars–Used Cars Tata hopes the Nano Plus, for which reservations recently began, will compete with the Maruti Alto and Chevrolet Spark, but its price has not been announced. Tata Motor is also expected to fix the safety problems that caused numerous 2010 Nano models from catching fire. The Nano is projected to come in at the No. 2 spot in 2011 after Tata raises production. According

Specialty cars

Eric Clapton’s rare Ferrari 250GT for sale via Hot Wheels replica

Hot Wheels Elite, a division of Mattel, will issue a limited edition 1:18 scale diecast model of Eric Clapton’s Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso later this year as part of its “Ferrari in Music” line of replica cars. In an interview with ferrari.com earlier this year, Eric said that even as a small boy he was crazy about motor racing, and that the car he’s always most fancied is Ferrari. The replica of Clapton’s silver 250GT Berlinetta Lusso will be a “faithful” reproduction. Limited to 5,000 individually numbered pieces, it will come in a dedicated package featuring pictures, EC’s facsimile signature and Ferrari‘s logo. It’s definitely not a child’s toy, but aimed at adult collectors as the Hot Wheels Elite

Specialty cars

Rare Mercedes Benz, purchased new by Elvis Presley, set for Bonham's auction

The article details that Presley kept the car for two years before giving it to a friend, James Leroy Robertson. The car also had another owner but was auctioned at the Important Motor Cars and Fine Automobilia sale at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey, England, last December. The restored Mercedes has an estimated value of $230-$300,000, and is among only a handful of vehicles Presley registered in his name. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif.,

Specialty cars

Mercedes-Benz plans debut of electric sedan at Paris auto show

Blog author Jim Motavalli said the electric Mercedes will be available early in 2011. According to a manufacturer spokesman, the E-Cell will have a range of 124 miles and produce 214 pound-feet of torque. To read the complete article, visit: New York Times/Mercedes James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online

Specialty cars

Kansas City high school kids build 307 mpg equivalent electric car

Working in the Automobile Design Studio at DeLaSalle School, the students believe they have the ultimate in efficiency. Testing on the 7.7 mile oval of Bridgestone’s Texas Proving Ground the newfangled car tested at the equivalent of 307 miles per gallon equivalent. According to the site, greenautoblog.com, the students, instructor Steve Rees and other collaborators, began the project with a 2000 Lola Indy Car chassis. They developed an electric drivetrain, covered the racer in a clear shell and outfitted it with a set of low rolling resistance Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 tires. The Guinness Book of Records editors have been asked to assess the car’s impressive efficiency and potential record-setting numbers. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than

Specialty cars

Tata Motors has new luxury plans for Jaguar, Land Rover

Tata Motors is planning to introduce new fuel efficient cars and hybrid vehicles in emerging markets and is seeking to raise sales of luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover in China and India. The company plans to launch in India, a new cross-over vehicle, two new passenger vehicles and a new range of heavy trucks, according to Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Tata said the company is also considering widening the range of Jaguar cars by introducing a station wagon, a new entry-level Jaguar, and a new roadster. China’s demand for cars has fueled a rise in bottom lines of many

Specialty cars, Sports Cars

Rare Bugatti sold to California museum for record $30-40 million

A blog report by the newspaper detailed that in late May, the estate of Dr. Peter D. Williamson sold the late car collector’s prized vehicle to the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California. If the sale price is accurate, it would shatter the previous record, the $12.2 million paid in May 2009 at public auction in Maranello, Italy, for a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars The Bugatti sale was brokered by Gooding & Company, the automotive auction house based in Santa Monica, Ca., and has reportedly been in progress for a while. The 57SC Atlantic was based on the Aerolithe Electron

Automotive News, Luxury cars, Specialty cars

Bugatti Veyron tops top-10 list of world’s most expensive cars

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is only four years old, but its reputation has quickly spread around the globe among elite automobile enthusiasts. It tops the list of the world’s top-10 most expensive cars. Here’s the list: Bugatti Veyron, $1,700,000 The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph). It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the legendary Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original

Specialty cars

Flying car on the horizon? It's a Lamborghini with wings

“It’s a $200,000 vehicle, like a Lamborghini, but in this case it flies.” says Carl Dietrich, CEO and CTO of Terrafugia. Dietrich says his company has many buyers lined up and that vehicle is ready for commercial use. But whether potential consumers embrace the machine is anyone’s guess. Dietrich also needs financial support for his proposed debut in 2011. View the Reuters’ video here: Flying Car James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly

News Service, Specialty cars

Red Ferrari GTO offered for private sale, all-time record price feasible

The 250 GTO model won its division of the World Sports Car Championship in 1962, 1963 and 1964 and was voted by Motor Trend Classic magazine the “Greatest Ferrari of All Time.” The privately-sold Ferrari GTO featured the original Series I bodywork, while the RM example has the slightly later, less desirable Series II design. A U.K. collector recently privately sold a 1930s Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 sports car for 12 million pounds ($17.9 million). A Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, sold by RM Auctions for $12.2 million in May 2009, holds the record for any car offered in a public salesroom. The current owner acquired the car in 1996 and is selling it because he’s no longer racing. For additional

Specialty cars

Ford Mustang to Dodge Charger: America's top-10 muscle cars

WeirdWorm.com is a “weird” web site that likes lists as much as The Weekly Driver. It has lists of lists, best-looking cowgirls to wacky technology innovations. Here are 10 of WeirdWorm.com’s favorite muscle cars: 1969 Chevy Camaro, 1969 Dodge Challenger, 1969 Dodge Charger, 1969 Chevy Chevelle, 1970 Ford Torino, 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger, 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda, 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge, 1965 Ford Mustang, 1969 Ford Thunderbird. Here’s what the site said about the 1969 Chevy Camaro: “With the meaner look of this car compared to the softer look of the years prior, this car was a high seller. You had your choice of either a big block or a small block V8 engine and that just depended on how much

News Service, Specialty cars

Mercury rising: Rachel Veitch and her 600,000-mile love affair with a ’64 Comet Caliente

Veitch, who turned 91 in August 2009, is still driving the car she’s owned for more than 45 years and driven nearly 600,000 miles. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Veitch of Orlando, Fla., who has has been married three times, now largely drives her car to volunteer work. A retired nurse, she’s an expert on Robert’s Rules of Order, which she also still teaches. Veitch’s driving is now limited to daylight driving because of her difficulty with night vision. She last took a driver’s license test in 2003. In the three years since she was “discovered,” Veitch’s story has provided keen feature material for automotive journalists

News Service, Specialty cars

New Hot Wheels for Danica Patrick called Danicar

Patrick is credited as a co-designer of the new Hot Wheels and will be available as part of the basic 1:64 scale rather than on limited edition. Patrick recently crashed out her NASCAR debut early in a 12-car pile up at Daytona International Speedway. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and

Specialty cars

Best dirt cheap collectible cars, BMW to Ford, Buick to Volkswagen

In conjunction with Hagerty Insurance, which specializes in covering collectible cars, here are 10 vehicles presented as “Collectibles: Best of the Dirt Cheap.” The first on the list, with text written by Peter Valdes-Dapen, a CNNMoney.com senior editor, is the V8-powered Ford Mustang. “With demands for fuel economy rising, performance took a back seat in most late 1970s and early 80s cars,” writes Valdes-Dapen. “That made the 205 horsepower Mustang 5.0 HO a particularly desirable model for performance fans. Starting next year, Ford is bringing out a new 5.0-liter displacement V8 for the Mustang, which will bring more attention to the original.” AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used

News Service, Specialty cars, Sports Cars

Corvette ZHZ (2008) in auction for Haiti and children's music charity

Proceeds from the sale of the Corvette will benefit two charities: OxFam International and the Music for America Project. OxFam International works in more than 100 countries to overcome poverty and injustice (currently a part of our Heal Haiti Auction). The Music for America Project provides avenues for children to achieve their musical dreams. Additional details: Estimated value, $45,000; Current bid (increments of $2,500), $27,500.01; Mileage 24,717; Model Year, 2008; Location Orlando, Fla.; Warranty, Limited for first 60 Days or 2,000 Miles. For additional information or to bid, visit: CharityBuzz/Corvette James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this

Electric and Hybrid, Specialty cars

Tesla Roadstar Sport tests the Rocky Mountains (Video)

But that’s what Roman Mica, editor at-large of The Weekly Driver had in mind. and he had only question: Can you take an electric car across country and across the great Continental Divide in the winter and not be worried that it will run out of juice before you get home? Mica’s answer? Yes and no. To view for new car reviews and video content, visit: www.tflcar.com. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and

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