Saturday, February 28, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio

Mansory, car tuner from Germany, has revealed its second appearance kit for the Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio with a two-tone, black and white, color scheme.




The Black and White Mansory Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio is equipped with lighter components such as the ultra-light forged wheels and lighter carbon fiber body parts to reduce the weight.


The front apron was designed to channel air to the intercoolers while the rear apron with an integrated diffuser provides additional downforce. The car is also equipped with new side skirts and rear wheel arch extensions.


Inside, the car receives leather and carbon fiber trim and new aluminum pedals and illuminated door tread plates. The Black and White Mansory Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio is powered by a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 engine that produces 700 hp (522 kW) and 650 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque. The power increase is made possible with the installation of Mansory custom supercharger, high flow exhaust system and a reprogrammed ECU.

With the power increase, the Renovatio is two tenths faster than the stock model from 0 to 100 km/h with the top speed of 340 km/h.

Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio

Mansory, car tuner from Germany, has revealed its second appearance kit for the Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio with a two-tone, black and white, color scheme.




The Black and White Mansory Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio is equipped with lighter components such as the ultra-light forged wheels and lighter carbon fiber body parts to reduce the weight.


The front apron was designed to channel air to the intercoolers while the rear apron with an integrated diffuser provides additional downforce. The car is also equipped with new side skirts and rear wheel arch extensions.


Inside, the car receives leather and carbon fiber trim and new aluminum pedals and illuminated door tread plates. The Black and White Mansory Mercedes-McLaren SLR Renovatio is powered by a supercharged 5.5-liter V8 engine that produces 700 hp (522 kW) and 650 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque. The power increase is made possible with the installation of Mansory custom supercharger, high flow exhaust system and a reprogrammed ECU.

With the power increase, the Renovatio is two tenths faster than the stock model from 0 to 100 km/h with the top speed of 340 km/h.

Top 5 Motoring Days Out in the UK

There is more to motoring than just driving to and from work and renewing your car insurance. England has a proud motoring heritage and therefore boasts one of the most comprehensive ranges of interesting motor experiences that are great for days out with friends and family. Here are my top five:

5. Military Tank Driving
Ask yourself the following: is your Renault Clio still exciting you? Aren’t you sick of the lack of turning circle that your Volvo estate can manage?

Well then, why not try a day out driving an actual 15 tonne tank?! Also included in this thrilling day out in Surrey are such activities as quad biking, 4x4ing, and even a bacon sandwich when you arrive in the morning.

Visit Action Days Out for Tank Driving

4. Beaulieu
Beaulieu is situated in the heart of the New Forest in Southern England.

Alongside the abbey and the James Bond museum, it is also home to the National Motor Museum which features a replica 1930s garage, an exhibition of Ducati motorbikes, and a ride that takes you on a journey from the birth of the wheel, and on into the future of motoring.

Visit the Beaulieu website

3. Coventry Transport Museum
Similarly, Coventry Transport Museum boasts a huge collection including over 200 cars, commercial vehicles and buses. Exhibitions change frequently with the focus currently being on custom bikes, including those owned by Charley Boorman.

In March, the museum will be hosting a Doctor Who exhibition.

Visit the Coventry Transport Museum website

2. Superdriver Experience
This experience gives the wannabe 4x4 driver the opportunity to let rip in a variety of vehicles over a huge terrain that has been purpose-built. You need your wits about you as you navigate through mud splashes, down vertical drops, and into huge craters.

There is also an award ceremony at the end of the day and the skills you learn are said to stay with you for the rest of your life.

1. Supercar Driving Experience

A day out driving supercars is a truly special experience. Try out such beautiful machines as the Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Aston Martin at high speed round the lap. Later, take the passenger seat with a professional who will really push the vehicle to its limit!

Top 5 Motoring Days Out in the UK

There is more to motoring than just driving to and from work and renewing your car insurance. England has a proud motoring heritage and therefore boasts one of the most comprehensive ranges of interesting motor experiences that are great for days out with friends and family. Here are my top five:

5. Military Tank Driving
Ask yourself the following: is your Renault Clio still exciting you? Aren’t you sick of the lack of turning circle that your Volvo estate can manage?

Well then, why not try a day out driving an actual 15 tonne tank?! Also included in this thrilling day out in Surrey are such activities as quad biking, 4x4ing, and even a bacon sandwich when you arrive in the morning.

Visit Action Days Out for Tank Driving

4. Beaulieu
Beaulieu is situated in the heart of the New Forest in Southern England.

Alongside the abbey and the James Bond museum, it is also home to the National Motor Museum which features a replica 1930s garage, an exhibition of Ducati motorbikes, and a ride that takes you on a journey from the birth of the wheel, and on into the future of motoring.

Visit the Beaulieu website

3. Coventry Transport Museum
Similarly, Coventry Transport Museum boasts a huge collection including over 200 cars, commercial vehicles and buses. Exhibitions change frequently with the focus currently being on custom bikes, including those owned by Charley Boorman.

In March, the museum will be hosting a Doctor Who exhibition.

Visit the Coventry Transport Museum website

2. Superdriver Experience
This experience gives the wannabe 4x4 driver the opportunity to let rip in a variety of vehicles over a huge terrain that has been purpose-built. You need your wits about you as you navigate through mud splashes, down vertical drops, and into huge craters.

There is also an award ceremony at the end of the day and the skills you learn are said to stay with you for the rest of your life.

1. Supercar Driving Experience

A day out driving supercars is a truly special experience. Try out such beautiful machines as the Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Aston Martin at high speed round the lap. Later, take the passenger seat with a professional who will really push the vehicle to its limit!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Cool James Bond Cars

Across 46 years, 22 films and six leading actors, the James Bond film legacy has featured some of the world’s most luxurious and iconic sportscars. From the signature Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger to the Lotus Esprit Turbo in For Your Eyes Only, 007 has spared no expense in choosing his wheels. To celebrate the release of the Quantum of Solace, here’s a list of the 007 hottest cars from the James Bond Legacy…

001: the BMW Z8

In the 1999 film The World Is Not Enough, James Bond piloted this bad little Beemer before it was officially produced by BMW. Apparently, those are the kind of perks that accompany a license to kill. During filming, the crew actually used a series of working mock-ups of the Z8 that vary a bit from the official production car. After the first model rolled out of the factory, all 5,703 of the original BMW Z8’s sold out, going for a starting price of $128,000.

002: the Alfa Romeo 159
The Alfa Romeo 159 is among the latest James Bond sportscars, as featured in the 2008 Bond film Quantum of Solace. This one, however, isn’t driven by 007– but a chase scene rival pitted against Bond’s Aston Martin. During the production of the film, the set was closed down due to a third and terrible accident where a stuntman driving the 159 crashed into a wall. The stuntman was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he lay in a coma for days– the same hospital in which he was treated for injuries in shooting the same scene days prior. If you perform your own stunts and want a piece of the Bond villainy action, you can get your hands on an Alfa Romeo 159 for around $33k before import costs…

003: the 1971 Mustang Mach-1
In 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, 007 took to the streets of Las Vegas in a Ford Mustang Mach-1– in hot pursuit of the Las Vegas Police. Diamonds was Sean Connery’s last film, but also the first film in history to feature the now-famous “two-wheeled stunt”, where a car is lifted off the ground, balancing on two wheels on one side of the car. The ‘71 Mach-1 featured plenty of muscle in its 429hp V8 option, which will fetch you around $25,000 well-restored on today’s market.

004: the Aston Martin DBS
Bond’s Aston Martin finally got itself a facelift. Like the BMW Z8, the Aston Martin DBS was featured in a Bond film before it hit the public. This $265,000 Aston Martin features a 6.0L V12 pushing 510 horses to hit 62mph in 4.3 seconds. The DBS was pitted against that Alpha Romeo 159 above, and this one didn’t escape without bruises either. During filming, a stuntdriver reportedly lost control of the Aston Martin– which wound up in Lake Garda in Italy…

005: the Toyota 2000GT
Produced between 1967 and 1970, the Toyota 2000GT was built in very limited numbers, designed to show that Japanese autos could compete with the sportscars of Europe. Apparently James Bond took notice, as the 2000GT was famously featured in 1967’s You Only Live Twice. However, Bond’s 2000GT had a slight problem– Sean Connery was too tall to fit in the Toyota, so a convertible version was made to compensate. While the original 2000GT sold in the U.S. for $6,800, it can be found at auction today for as high as $200,000.

006: the Lotus Esprit
In 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me featuring Roger Moore, the Lotus Esprit became one of Q’s most impressive sportscar mods. In a long chase scene between 007 and the infamous Bond-villain Jaws, Bond’s Lotus Esprit makes a cunning escape by transforming into a fully-diveable submarine. While a submersible version featuring that bikini blonde above are not available today, a similar Lotus Esprit could be originally purchased for around $16,800 at the dealer in 1977.

007: the Aston Martin DB5
Last but certainly not least– the original Bond-mobile, the 1963 Aston Martin DB5. In the 1964 film Goldfinger, 007 was provided with a weaponized DB5 by Q Branch himself. Aston Martin, however, wasn’t so keen on the deal. After much negotiating, Aston Martin finally agreed to a product placement deal that made automotive history for the brand. The DB5 was the latest-and-greatest sportscar to be produced in the UK, initially selling for $13,000. Its inline six engine produced 282hp to hit 62mph in 8.1 seconds. Bond’s version, however, was outfitted with an array of gadgets from smokescreens to heavy machine guns. Its not the weaponry that makes the Aston Martin DB5 a legend– it is its design which symbolizes the class and cool that has made James Bond the legend he is today. If there is one car that fully explains what StyleCrave is about, you’re looking at it, front and center.