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2010- AC Cobra MK VI Preview
The UK's oldest car marque has announced that it is building its new AC MkVI in Germany. The AC MkVI will be launched at the Top Marques car show in Monaco on April 16.
The AC MkVI, a faithful recreation of the ultimate sports car icon - the AC Cobra, is now being produced in Germany for worldwide sales. AC has entered into a long term strategic alliance with Gullwing GmbH in Heyda, Germany. The AC MkVI is being produced in a modern facility and AC is extremely proud of the quality of the finished product which is due to the skills of the craftsmen at the Heyda facility.
AC's Chairman Alan Lubinsky summarised the main specification of the new AC MkVI:
• "The car has fully triangulated, jig welded roundtube spaceframe chassis, with racecar derived suspension, suitably adapted to be road compliant.
• 4-pot Porsche brake callipers with vented discs, 332 mm front-298 mm rear.
• Differential with variable powerlock.
• Corvette V-8 engine, 6.2 Litre, 437 bhp for the GT and 647 bhp for GTS version, both compliant to current emission laws.
• Handmade aluminium-hybrid bodies, handmade to last forever, with increased, air conditioned cabin size for taller drivers.
• Finest German carpets and leather hides, craftsman made to create a luxurious and comfortable interior".AC is one of the most admired and respected marques in the world," stated Juergen Mohr, CEO of Gullwing GmbH. "Their sports cars ignited a passion that still burns inside enthusiasts today. For over a century, the company has built cars with superb engineering, old world craftsmanship and classic designs. We feel extremely honoured that we can now be part of the future of the brand."
Alan Lubinsky added: "There are two major new features on the AC MkVI. We are especially excited about the new aluminium-hybrid body construction on the AC MkVI. This provides the AC MkVI with a traditional aluminium bodyshell, reinforced with a strong composite structure. Gullwing GmbH is currently the only company in the world using this technology which has been developed in house. In addition to this, the AC MkVI will have as standard equipment a light weight gullwing hardtop, with coupled to the standard air conditioning, will provide drivers with total all weather motoring.
The AC MkVI is an open-top sports car based on the design of the Le Mans winning AC Cobra with many of the original car's characteristics while incorporating modern technology. The cars are not imitations - they are new generation of AC Cobra incorporating relevant advanced technology.
"Every year approximately 1,500 copies of the cars AC built in the 1960s are sold in America," says Alan Lubinsky. "Why would anyone buy a replica when they can own an authentic AC roadster that is lighter and better and has been engineered and built to such demanding standards?"
Weighing only about 1,025 kg, the lightweight AC MkVI GTS sports car can hit 100 kph in approximately 3.3 seconds.
"The AC MkVI is wickedly addictive," says Gullwing's Juergen Mohr. "One drive in this scorchingly fast sports car creates an adrenalin rush that will last a lifetime. The AC MkVI offers heritage, performance and timeless styling that stirs the soul."
The AC chassis has been at the heart of some of the most legendary cars in history. Texan Carroll Shelby imported a number of rolling chassis from AC in the 1960s to build the legendary "Cobras" that dominated international sports car racing. The Shelby American team inserted a performance tuned Ford V8 and gearbox into a chassis and body supplied by AC for the North American market. Since then AC has manufactured a car that has been imitated by numerous companies.
AC expects to appoint a distribution network in Europe in the coming months to sell and maintain the AC MkVI.
Source: AC Cars Press Releases
2010 -JE Design Volkswagen Scirocco Cars Photo Galleries. The refiner located in Leingarten, Germany enhances the performance of the already agile turbo diesel in the VW Scirocco with an additional control unit by more than twenty-five percent from 140 hp (103 kW) to 180 hp (133 kW). Also the maximum torque increases from 320 to 400 Newton metres at 1,750 to 2,500 r.p.m. respectively. The maximum speed thereby rises from 207 km/h to 213 km/h, and the acceleration from zero to hundred is reduced by 0.9 seconds to 8.4 seconds.Also for the new 2.0 TDI CR, JE DESIGN offers a performance enhancement of 170 hp (125 kW) to 205 hp (171 kW). With that, the Scirocco then renders a top speed of 229 km/h (serial model: 222 km/h) and accelerates from zero to hundred in 7.1 seconds (serial model: 7.8 seconds). The torque rises to 410 Newton metres (serial model: 350 Nm).
JE DESIGN offers the entire performance pack with assembly for 1,249 euros (180 hp) and 1,449 euros (205 hp) including VAT and adds a 12-month warranty.
The kit for 919 euros including VAT includes a front spoiler with a centre sword in carbon look which already renders a racy glance when the car is still parked. The side skirts with air inlets and a rear skirt attachment which is perfectly adjusted to the other component parts and which is also available in carbon-look renders a powerful profile. A refining kit for gull-wing doors (1,549 euros) completes the body modification.
The muffler made of stainless steel with two central oval end pipes (899 euros) renders an earthy sound and an impressive appearance. The muffler comes with an EU-operating license. The lowering springs (299 euros) which were especially designed for the VW Scirocco, lower the car by 30 millimetres and are combined with serial shock absorbers. In order to fill the wheelhouses adequately, JE DESIGN offers the elegant wheel design Multispoke as a complete wheel set. The wheels are available in the size 8×19 inches in shadow silver (2,810 euros), or graphite matt / with polished edges (2,930 euros), both with 235/35 R 19 tyres.
source : Volkswagen
2009-Mercedes-Benz A-Class, image and pictures. Stuttgart – With more than 500,000 units produced within three and a half years, the A-Class is among the bestsellers in the Mercedes-Benz passenger car range. Now the latest generation of this compact car is showing itself to be more youthful, attractive and environmentally compatible than ever before.The updates fall far short of a full redesign, but the exterior of the A-Class in both five- and three-door models gets tweaked with new headlamps, bumpers and front grille (is it smiling at us?). The side-view mirrors have also been made larger, and body-colored door handles are standard across the lineup. The interior gets a swath of new fabrics, and also a larger stowage compartment in the center console with new cup holders. We know, exciting stuff. Hardware-wise, the A-Class does benefit from the availability of an engine start/stop function on two of its petrol-powered models, the A 150 BlueEFFICIENCY and A 170 BlueEFFICIENCY. The A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY has also been upgraded and is even easier on fuel than before.
Finallty, The rest of the A-Class updates can be found in the Mercedes-Benz press release after the jump, which unfortunately includes no mention of new models in the lineup for now. As we said yesterday, the entire A-Class lineup will likely be revamped around 2011, so these updates announced today will bridge the gap between now and a better A-Class of tomorrow.
The Saab Aero X concept harnesses the power of Saab's aviation and Scandinavian roots to make a unique statement in performance car design. Conceived as a study to explore future design directions, its innovative features preview the development of an enhanced design language that will inspire future Saab products.As you would expect from Saab, this dynamic two-seater sports coupe breaks with automotive design convention both outside and inside.
First, there are no doors…or windshield pillars. That's because the Saab Aero X adopts a cockpit canopy, just as you would see on a jet aircraft. It offers the Aero X pilot full 180 degree vision, and also facilitates entry and exit from its low-slung cabin.Saab broke the ice when it pioneered the concept of an open-top car
providing practical, all-year-round transport. So it was clearly a cool idea to ‘freeze frame’ the latest Saab 9-3 Convertible in a garage made from ice at the hotel, near Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden, 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.
Visible at night from a kilometer away, the icy reflections of the Convertible’s illuminated bright blue paintwork give arriving guests an automotive interpretation of the Northern Lights. The installation, added to this year’s version of the ICE HOTEL, is made from 60 ice blocks, weighing 30 tonnes, all harvested from the nearby Torne river, one of Europe’s purest.
