Barbara Woodhouse Car Blog

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Porsche

We know when it happened, we just don't know why it happened. Autoblog reader Joshua Silverman sent in some cellphone pictures of a Panamera he drove by in Denver, Colorado. And all of a sudden -- like the Grinch's heart growing three sizes -- we liked it. Or at least, we got it.

Just to make sure, we had a look at the last set of Panamera spy shots, the ones that this very blogger lambasted as "still ugly," and, well, we kinda liked those, too. We could see possibilities. When the car is given the S and Turbo treatment, we could even imagine, incredibly, beauty. Have a look at the photos below for yourself, and tell us if we should take a bow for discovering the vision, or take a nap. Thanks for the tip, Joshua!

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Contests, Government/Legal, Green, Chevrolet, GM

Now that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has an agreement with General Motors regarding how to measure the fuel mileage of the 2011 Chevy Volt, our attention turns to the EPA, which now has to decide what official mileage rating will appear on the new car's window sticker and how to determine what that number will be. The first recommendation comes from the Automotive X-Prize, the foundation of which will award $10 million from Progressive Insurance to the winner of its competition to design a production-viable car that people would want to drive that gets 100 MPGe or more.

What's with that little 'e' after the familiar miles per gallon? Basically, the X-Prize crew wants to convert all units of energy to a figure that's equivalent to the power from a gallon of gas. That way, a car's powerplant - regardless of where it gets that energy from - earns a rating that can be easily compared with everything else. So, EPA, the ball's in your court... still.

Psst - GM, maybe you should enter the Volt in the X-Prize competition. Just a thought.


[Source: Automotive X-Prize via AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading Automotive X-Prize recommends EPA adopt MGEe rating

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Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Chrysler, LLC., Ford

Engineer Bob Kearns had been granted a patent for a design of intermittent windshield wipers in 1967, two years before Ford introduced them in production. Unfortunately for Kearns, Ford had "developed" its own system rather than licensing Kearns' design. Needless to say, litigation ensued and it took until 1995 for the U.S. Supreme Court to finally rule against Ford and Chrysler and award Kearns $30 million. That story has now been turned into a major motion picture being released this week called Flash of Genius, and Ford wants you to know that the facts of the matter are much less dramatic than what the movie portrays.

While reminding people that the facts have been dramatized, Ford also mentions that a jury ruled it did not "willfully" infringe on Kearns' patent. That's not to say Ford and Chrysler didn't infringe - juries ruled that they did. It just wasn't "willful." Did Kearns ultimately win? That's hard to say considering how his life turned out, but he was vindicated. On the other hand, many owners of older English cars would argue that Joseph Lucas invented the intermittent windshield wiper, although again not willfully.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford reminds world that it didn't "willfully" violate wiper patent

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Filed under: Supercars, Ferrari, Rendered Speculation

Since everyone else is getting in on the four-door supercar game, Ferrari might as well give one of its cars the taffy pull treatment. Rather than wait for one of the design houses classically associated with the Prancing Horse to apply masterstrokes of design, Russian enthusiast Krasnov Igor came up with his own quad portal thoroughbred. We're not thrilled with the results, but we'll bestow an A for effort. Looking like a Scaglietti that got tossed in the blender with an Elise's roof and a Lamborghini tail, the wheelbase and proportions just don't look quite right. Perhaps the Lambo tail is a nod to the car's intended role as a competitor to the Lamborghini Urus/Estoque/whatevertheywannacallit, but we're thinking that car's styling will be far more cohesive. Thanks for the tip, Greg!


[Source Cardesign.ru]

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Filed under: SEMA, Trucks/Pickups, Ford

If the super-tuned F-350 Striker diesel dually doesn't float your boat, the specialty tuners at Performance West will have a tire shredder of smaller proportions for you at SEMA next month. The F-150 Striker R will be unleashed on attendees of the Las Vegas tuner spectacular with Shelby GT500KR-inspired styling similar to its big brother and a power story all its own. Our friend Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com gave us the low-down on the Striker R's power numbers, and they're pretty impressive. It gains motivation from Ford's 5.4L V8 mated to a massive 2.4L Kenne Bell Blowzilla supercharger and intercooler, giving it a healthy 500 ponies. Other power enhancers include a cold air intake, Boost-a-Pump, Optimizer II electronic engine management system and a Corsa Cat-Back exhaust.

The Sriker R will be kept pinned to the pavement with a Bell Tech suspension package, and the rear differential will receive a Striker R alloy cover. Stopping force for this powerful pickup comes via 15-inch Big Bite cross-drilled rotors. A vehicle isn't SEMA-worthy without great-looking wheels and tires, and Performance West went to Pirelli for the proper equipment - stylish 22-inch alloy wheels and Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico ultra-high-performance tires.

In our humble opinion, the GT500KR treatment translates better to the F-150 than the F-350, as the Striker R incorporates big upper and lower front air dams and two imposing hood scoops to keep the air flowing. No GT500KR look-alike would be worth its weight in spit without dual racing stripes, and the Striker R uses the Badass Blue variety with contrasting silver paint directly from the Shelby Mustang concept.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossovers/CUVs, Saab

The Saab 9-4X has been caught in these new spy shots without the Keith Haring tape job it was wearing the last time we saw it. Features like the converging window lines on the side, the rear lights, and the Saab grille, give away its lineage. From the side, especially from the A-pillar back, you could be forgiven for confusing the Saab with a lot of other CUVs, while lines that are quite distinctive on the smaller 9-3 and 9-5 look to have been stretched into rather bland expanses on the 9-4X. It's still early, so we look forward to seeing the fully Saab-ified retail version. If Saab's managing director is to be believed, what won't be bland is one of the engine choices: a diesel with 250 hp and 406 lb-ft. That's the kind of quirky we can get behind.

[Source: Left Lane News]

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Filed under: Safety, Toyota

Safety technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few decades, and just about every automaker now knows how to score a five star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota is looking to keep the stars coming by developing a new rear window airbag that will be standard equipment on its upcoming iQ micro car. A quick glance at micro-vehicles like the iQ shows that there is very little space between the back seat and the rear window, which means there won't be as much metal to absorb the impact of a rear collision. With Toyota's new rear window airbag, the rear air bag is ejected from the roof lining during a fender bender. Toyota says it will help protect the heads and necks back seat passengers, which is all the more important in smaller vehicles like the iQ. In addition to this new bag, Toyota wants to improve its safety reputation by making side curtain and shield airbags standard for all of itsmodels.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota develops new rear window airbag for small cars

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, China, Buick, Misc. Auto Shows

Click above for more images of the 2010 Buick Regal

Two weeks ago we showed you spy shots of a 2010 Buick Regal caught testing in China that appeared to be nothing more than a rebadged Opel Insignia. (As you may recall, we'll be getting the 2010 Buick LaCrosse in the States.) All three of those cars are based on GM's Epsilon II platform, which we will also likely see under future vehicles from Saab, Saturn and Chevrolet. The Buick brand, and the popular Regal, are doing very well in China. As such, it's no surprise to see these latest spy shots of the barely disguised four-door Regal dipped in red, and it looks great despite being a badge job. The production version is expected to debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November. Thanks for the tip, Jason!

[Source: China Car Times]

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Filed under: Coupes, Supercars, Nissan, Toys

We were pretty excited when we saw the first shots of a transforming Nissan GT-R toy in 1:24 scale, but after seeing the final product, it looks as if the supercar makes a pretty poor Transformer. If only it morphed into Godzilla, maybe that would be an improvement. Take a look for yourself at the pictures in our gallery in both regular and transformed versions. While in its hidden alt-car-mode, the 'bot has quite a few ill-placed seams, and when in native robot form the GT-R looks like it has insect wings. Still, it's pretty cool to see a Transformer made from the R35, and we wish we could see it do its transforming in the upcoming movie, but not in this form. Convoy is what they call Optimus Prime in Japan, and to our eyes, Prime can only be a Big Rig. Thanks for the tip, 94 Taurus owner!


[Source: Transformers News]

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Filed under: Etc., Supercars, Audi

Ever wonder what an Audi R8 would look like if it were to transform into a speedboat? Neither had we, but maybe it would look a bit like this machine, developed by a Swedish company named Vizualtech. The most notable styling element of the R8 are its contrasting blades of color just aft of the doors, and these make the transition to Vizualtech's catamaran along with the integrated fuel-filler. At the rear are large openings with strakes that mimic the look of the R8's hind-end nicely. One thing that the Audi doesn't have are this catamaran's gull-wing doors. We expect Audi to drop a V10 engine in the R8's engine bay soon enough, and this sea worthy ship will feature one of its own, though powered by biodiesel and making about 320-horsepower. Top speed falls a bit behind the vehicle that inspired its design at 110 miles per hour, but that's supercar speed on the water.


[Source: ZER Customs]

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Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Hatchbacks, Volvo, UK

Rumors of a new Volvo hot hatch have gotten hot again with talk of a new 300-horsepower C30 for Europe. According to reports, the new model would be powered by the same 2.5-liter inline-five cylinder turbo engine that powers the new Ford Focus RS. One difference between the two cars, which share a similar platform, is that the Swedish beauty would be offered with a Haldex all-wheel drive system in contrast to the Blue Oval's torque-steer inducing front-engine, front-drive layout. Larger 20-inch wheels ought to fill out the arches quite nicely, and a special body kit should bring the whole look closer to the tarmac. To keep demand high, Volvo may limit the new model to 4,500 units worldwide, though we have no idea where it will offer the hatch besides the U.K. Considering that the Swedish automaker has diluted its R-nameplate, we're also not certain what this performance-minded C30 will be called, but we're sure it'll be the most fun we've had in a Volvo for quite a long time.


[Source: Autocar]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossovers/CUVs, Honda

Today we get to see the updates that Honda has made for its next Element more clearly. The most noticeable action is up front as the boxy 'ute gets Honda's new corporate-look grille. Classier head lights flank the five-sided opening and circular fog lamps slot nicely below them. It's a more mature look, which is fitting since the Element has proven popular with an older crowd than Honda had originally intended. Out back some shapely new tail lights appear alongside a subtly revised rear end.

As before, the standard model's clean lines can be enhanced a bit with the SC model, which gets a factory body-kit with pronounced flares and air dams. We don't spot any real changes on the inside, except an available nav system and chill box, though there was nothing wrong with the useful guts of the Element in the first place. We're also not expecting any major powertrain changes, but we'll report back when Honda makes things official.


[Source: Carscoop]

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Etc., Volkswagen

The VW Jetta TDI has proven to be quite popular in the short time it's been on sale here in the U.S.: it has put sales of the Tiguan in the cooler and the ones that are available are very hard to get. Now the fairest Jetta of them all has set a Guinness World Record by traversing the lower 48 U.S. states while returning 58.82 mpg thanks to John and Helen Taylor.

The Taylors took 20 days to cover the 9,419 miles in a counter clockwise direction, and this wasn't a hypermiling slow-as-you-can-go affair - they stayed within 5 mph of the speed limit. Their car was completely stock as it consumed just 11 tanks of ultra low sulfur diesel and traveled 853 miles per fill up. With that kind of mileage and handling high up on the fun factor, the Jetta TDI makes an excellent case for itself if you like driving and want to lower your fuel consumption.

VW also recently told us that the go-fast Jetta TDIs in the TDI Cup Series are returning an average of 25 mpg and doing their entire 7-race series on just two tanks of gas, which includes qualifying. If that's true, there's got to be another world record in there somewhere...

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

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Filed under: Time Warp, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Misc. Auto Shows, Ferrari, Saleen

To celebrate its 26th year as Orange County's most prestigious classic car show, this year's Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance moved from its recent home in Irvine to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. Still not Newport Beach, but much closer to the ocean at least. Benefiting the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and the Assessment and Treatment Services Center, the event featured Cadillac as its honored marque to commemorate GM's 100th birthday this year. Besides the gorgeous 1931 Cadillac Sport Phaeton V16 Fleetwood poster car, there were at least a dozen other notable Caddys, as well as about 150 other beautiful classic and collector cars, of which you can see most of them in our high-res gallery below.

Although a notch below the premier events like Pebble Beach, some of the most beautiful and significant vehicles around show up for this concours. Representatives from The Petersen, The Nethercutt Collection, the William Lyon Estate, the Mercedes Classic Center, the Simon Collection, the Caballeriza Collection, and the Marconi Museum were on display, alongside some superb machinery from local collectors like David Sydorick and Peter Mullin. Altogether there were about 150 cars in 14 classes. Ferraris, Porsches, Jaguars, Aston Martins, Packards, Lincolns, Cadillacs, Delahayes, Mercedes, Rolls-Royces, Duesenbergs, Woodies, race cars and even a horseless carriage or two were visible through the fog around the links.

Personal favorites included the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Sport Coupe, 1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet, 1908 Niclausse D971B, 1961 Abarth 1000 GT Bialbero Berlinetta, 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic Berlinetta, 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Jota, 2006 Saleen S7R, 1959 Ferrari 410 Super America Series III, 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione, 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Shooting Brake Woody, 1933 Duesenberg J Speedster and the blue Ferrari 550 Barchetta in the parking lot. Another great show for a wonderful cause.


All photos copyright (C)2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Paris Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW

If the overly contrived teaser video wasn't enough for you, there's now another image of the BMW X1 for those who care. There's not much to see in the teaser, just a very dimly lit shot of the vehicle that will slot below the pugnacious X3. A little Photoshoppery doesn't shed much more light, but it does make the profile more clear. When we finally see the X1 in Paris, it will likely resemble a stubby shrunken X5. No word on whether or not it'll drive like the supersonic aircraft that originated the moniker.

[Source: 4wheelsnews]

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