Ford brought along a gaggle of tricked out Fiestas the LA Auto Show for the car’s unveiling. Though the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and its 119 horsepower may not seem all that exciting, Ford is shipping the car with your choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. That means there may be some sporting tendencies in this 40 mpg car’s future. For the tricked versions, Ford swapped in bits from H&R Springs, Ford’s own racing catalog and 3dCarbon. Check the gallery for a look at the finished products
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Vote for Internet Car and Truck of the Year
Vote for Internet Car and Truck of the YearThis is the absolute last week of voting for the freshly-minted Internet Car and Truck of the Year Award. Polls close on December 11, and once the votes are all tallied, the winners in each respective category will be named at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. So far, finalists in the Car category include the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and the 2010 Mazda3. Truck finalists include the 2009 Audi Q7 TDI, 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, 2010 Ford F-150 Raptor SVT and 2010 Volvo XC60. Hop over to the award’s site to cast your vote.
This is the absolute last week of voting for the freshly-minted Internet Car and Truck of the Year Award. Polls close on December 11, and once the votes are all tallied, the winners in each respective category will be named at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. So far, finalists in the Car category include the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and the 2010 Mazda3. Truck finalists include the 2009 Audi Q7 TDI, 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, 2010 Ford F-150 Raptor SVT and 2010 Volvo XC60. Hop over to the award’s site to cast your vote.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Desert Gold
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Desert GoldAh, the Abu Dhabi Auto Show. It’s like the Disney Land of high-end autos. Mercedes-Benz chose the occasion to show off a special edition version of the company’s brand spanking new SLS AMG. Usually, a manufacturer will wait a few years before gussying up a model with the special edition treatment, but evidently the Abu Dhabi event warrants a golden gullwing. Aside from the new paint, the car gets unique 19 inch wheels in the front and 20 inch rollers out back. Also, all the brightwork gets dipped in gloss black paint. We’ve got to say, it looks good. Check out the gallery.
RoundAbout Episode 19
The Detroit Auto Show is done and gone for another year, and the RoundAbout crew (myself included) has culled through the wreckage to bring you the highlights and low downs. This week we discuss everything from the new Ford Focus to Honda’s less than thrilling CR-Z and everything else in between. Listen to the show here. If you dig on the podcast, hop over to iTunes or Zune Marketplace and subscribe. It’s free!
RoundAbout Episode 19Underground Racing’s Twin-Turbo Gallardo
Most of us approach the Lamborghini Gallardo as one of the pinnacles of automotive engineering. The car is built with one purpose – to go fast – so it takes something special to demand more of one of Italy’s finest. The guys at Underground Racing have made a name for themselves by building flawless turbo systems for high-end metal, and their latest project is one of their most ambitious. Built for a client named Jonah, the car makes use of two turbochargers and develops an insane 1,500 hp at the wheels. Hop the jump for a look at the car
Exotics Go All Out on Florida Runway
Thanks to good friend of AutoGuide, Chris Grosser, we have quite a gallery of exotic cars from an ultra-exclusive event held in Florida.
Just over a week ago several dozen exotic car owners got together and rented out a two-mile-long aviation runway in Ochopee, FL, to see just how fast these cars could go… and just how big their owners’ cajones are.
Included in the long list of exotics was a twin-turbo 1000 hp+ Lamborghini Murcielago and several “Underground Racing”twin-turbo Gallardos. A stunning Saleen S7 also made an appearance.
“It’s not an everyday occurrence to view such cars in the wild,” says Grosser, “much less out on an endlessly long runway being pushed to their limits. It’s a thing of sheer beauty to view a car like the S7 being run to its full potential and not just sitting near a glass showcase or behind velvet ropes like a coveted piece of art.”
Amen to that!
Grosser, a student and photographer, obviously wasn’t out running his own hyper-car but did manager a 175mph ride in a friends Bentley Continental GT.
Grosser reports that many of the “tens of millions of cars” in attendance surpassed the 200mph mark, including those Lambos, the Saleen, and a Ford GT.
Underground Racing Twin-Turbo Lamborghini Gallardo Gets Respect
The Underground Racing Lamborghini Gallardo has it all. On display at the Mobil 1 booth, the Italian exotic not only sports a matte-black paint job, but it’s what’s under the glass engine cover out back that will really get your attention.There you will find what Underground Racing has become famous for, a twin-turbo kit. The North Carolina tuner builds each twin-turbo application specifically to the needs wants of the customer, with output ranging from 1,000-hp to 1,500-hp. And don’t think it’s as simple as two big turbos and some shiny metal piping either, the team at UR will tear down and rebuild an engine to ensure maximum performance and longevity, with new cylinder heads, CP Race Pistons, Carrillo billet con rods and lots of other hard core parts.
The result, claims UR, is a 0-60 mph time of just 2.5 seconds, with a quarter mile pass taking just 9.1 seconds at 169 mph! The company also claims a speed of 241 mph in a mile, with a top speed of 257 mph.
Not only was the UR matte-black twin-turbo Gallardo getting respect with a huge draw at the Mobil 1 booth, but according to Jesse Poole at Mobil 1’s PR agency Theory PR, the car was also nominated in the Gran Turismo awards, where the Best of Show car gets digitized and immortalized in an upcoming Gran Turismo video game.
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