2011 Fiat Freemont

The 2011 Fiat Freemont will be one of the first models to roll out from the Fiat-Chrysler partnership and it will be officially unveiled in March at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. Based on the Dodge Journey, the Freemont will be manufactured at Fiat's plant in Toluca, Mexico where they also make the tiny 500 model.

The car is 489 cm long, 188 cm wide and 172 cm high. With a wheelbase of 289 cm, the 2011 Fiat Freemont is being advertised as a genuine crossover which will offer plenty of space inside the cabin to complement its distinctive exterior design. Speaking of, it has an aggressive front end and an appealing bumper. In the back, it doesn't look that much like older brother, the Journey, as it has a redesigned bumper and LED taillights.

The biggest advantage of the crossover will be in the cabin as the customers will get a great package. First of all, there will be plenty of room thanks to the standard seven seats and the easy to access third row. These seats can be easily folded down, disappearing below the car's floor and making a regular load platform if you need it. The second row of the Fiat can be equipped with the innovative child booster system.

The cabin benefits from an updated design that complements the very nice soft touch materials that include a brand-new instrument panel, a wrap-around dashboard with chrome inserts and an infotainment system that features a generous color touchscreen. Other inside goodies include the triple-zone automatic climate control system, fog lights, touchscreen radio with controls on the steering wheel, tire pressure monitoring system, advanced trip computer, cruise control and keyless entry system. The highest trim level of this crossover will also pack rear parking sensors, automatic headlight activation, fold-down door mirrors, roof bars, darkened rear windows and Bluetooth support.

2011 Fiat Freemont

When it will be launched, the 2011 Fiat Freemont will be available with many engine options, including two variants of the 2.0-liter MutliJet turbo diesels that output either 140 or 170 hp. Later on, Fiat will introduce a more powerful V6 3.6-liter engine that produces 276 hp. At first, the crossover will only be available with a front-wheel drive system and later on the Italian automaker will introduce the four-wheel drive system.

Up until this moment, Fiat hasn't revealed any information about the price tag of the 2011 Freemont, but looking at the $20,845 (SE model) – $27,995 (R/T 7-Passenger model) price range of the Dodge Journey, it should be somewhere around those figures.

When it will be launched it will have to face up some serious competition coming from the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Ford Edge, the Nissan Murano and the Mazda CX-7. From all of these cars, the first one would have to be the most important competitor for the upcoming Freemont. The Santa Fe offers engine options that start with the 2.4-liter DOHC Theta II 4-cylinder that outputs 175 hp and end with the more powerful 3.5-liter DOHC Lambda II V6 that outputs 276 hp. The Freemont will most likely have the most spacious cabin in its class, we'll have to wait and see a production model before we jump ahead to any conclusions.

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2011 Fiat Freemont Announced

Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe

In my opinion, the Mercedes SL 300 is one of the most beautiful cars ever produced along with the Peugeot 607 and the Citroen DS. Built from 1954 to 1957, the Gullwing was a very stylish car that was very fast for the mid 50s and featured some very important technological developments. Add to this the fact that it was very well-crafted and you got one of the most important cars in all automotive history.

Like most of the cars that made history, the SL 300's roots lie in auto racing. In the following years after WW II, Mercedes wasn't very present in the automobile world and they were known only for their very luxurious and solid cars. To put the company back on the map and relive the pre-WW II glory, the company brought a new chief development engineer by the name of Rudolf Ulhenhaut. He took a straight-6 3.0-liter engine and stuffed into a very elegant space frame that was made out of hundreds of steel tubs. He rounded up this configuration with a four-wheel independent suspension and a drop-dead gorgeous low-drag aluminum skin. The consequence of his actions? The W194-chassis 300 SL where the "300" stands for 3 liters and "SL" for Sport Leicht (sport light).

They made several W194s in both coupe and roadster configurations. The latter were pretty nice, but the coupes had those imposing vertically swinging doors which made the car a real delight. Mercedes decided to take the car to some serious racing and in '52 they managed to grab the first and second place of the 24 Hours Le Mans race. They also won the first, second and third place at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring and the number one spot at the Carrera Panamericana.

W194 Coupe

Due to the fact that it still was a race car it had a rather short life. Why? Because the vast majority of the machines are short-lived and ethereal, designed to be competitive and relevant for a very short period of time and then put to sleep. This is what happened to the W194 as the technology evolved and soon appeared in other race cars.

The production model was launched in 1954 and it wasn't a W194 as you might have thought. It was a W198 with a tubular chassis and a 3.0-liter engine that produced 220 hp which was inspired from the W194, but some of its key features were completely different.

It had a curb weight of 2,855 pounds and the body of the car was largely made out of steel, with aluminum doors, trunk lid and hood. As an optional feature, the car could have been fitted with an aluminum body but it was very expensive as only 29 customers bought it over the three years of production. With the aluminum body, the car's weight was lowered by 176 pounds. The engine was linked to a 4-speed manual gearbox and it used Bosch direct-mechanical fuel injection and a dry sump.

The production model got those exciting gullwing doors with fixed windows. What most people don't know is that the Mercedes 300 SL was the first production car in the world to get direct fuel injection and it injected the gasoline directly into the cylinders, not the throttle bodies or the intake ports. This provided greater power across the rev range and a more efficient burn. With this engine, the 300 SL was able to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) in 10 seconds, onto a top speed of 160 mph which was pretty amazing in the 50s.

Naked Mercedes-Benz W196 Racer

However, the car was far from perfect. First, due to the reason that the fuel pump was driven by the power unit and didn't have an ignition cutout, it kept injecting gasoline until the engine was shut down and stopped rotating. The fuel wasn't burned and had the tendency to flow into the power unit's sump, thus diluting the oil. In other words, the owner of a 300 SL had to change the oil frequently (at 1,000 miles or so). If the oil wasn't changed, it would have resulted in a premature engine wear.

Second, the oiling system which featured a whopping 2.6-gallon capacity and the industrial-strength oil cooler were designed for high speeds and racing purposes which means that the vast majority of the drivers weren't able to get the temperature of the oil up to an optimum level. As a consequence, the oil (again) had to be changed on a very regular basis.

Looking at the owner's manual you would think that the 300 SL was a four-wheel hazard as it had plenty of precautions. One of them was the following: "turn the ignition key to the left while idling. Do not on any account try to stop the engine at a higher speed." Why? Because of what we just said before, regarding the excess fuel.

Due to the reason that the gullwing doors were curvy and shallow, the windows of the 300 SL did not retract. However, they were removable but you needed to put some serious effort into it. The car didn't have any air conditioning and the ventilation was almost unnoticeable. For this reason, the owners of the car tended to sweat a lot and drove the car with the doors up.

Mercedes SL 300

How much is such a car worth these days? A lot. A run-of-the mill 300 SL in a good shape with no history of competition or celebrity ownership will set you back around $500,000. The roadsters are a little bit more affordable, but not by much. After you get the car of your dreams, you need to save some money for parts, here is an example – the aluminum brake drums will cost you $2,000 each. To rebuild the gearbox you must pay $35,000 and a full brake job will empty your bank account with another $14,000.

Despite its flaws, the Mercedes 300 SL "Gullwing" made history with its gorgeous design and the direct fuel injection system.

Source: Wired.com

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A Blast From The Past – Mercedes SL 300 Gullwing

Click here to view the embedded video.

What would you do if the engine of your '86 3-Series would blow up? Here is an idea – throw out the engine and install an electric motor! That is what Mate Rimac did after the engine of his bimmer blew during a difficult day on the track in Croatia. Most of us would have installed a new power unit or sold the car for parts, he found a third alternative, way better than the first two.

What started as a lark became a serious two-year project for Mate Rimac, whose company – VST Conversions – has brought this 1986 BMW 3-Series through four generations of electrifying improvements, literally.

The latest generation of his car comes with 300 lithium iron phosphate cells gathered in a battery pack that can provide a very impressive range of 110 miles which should be enough for a full day of drifting or drag racing.

The propulsion of this very special BMW comes from a DC motor developed and manufactured by VST that outputs an incredible number of 900 ponies which is enough for a Tesla-beating 0-60 sprint time of only 3.3 seconds! The car can reach a very impressive to speed of 174 mph, pretty good for a car that is 35 years old, wouldn't you say so? This figure is pretty similar with what you find in today's sports cars and makes this electric 3-Series a serious rival for high-end electric cars like the Audi eTron.

Rimac will not stop here as he plans to install new upgrades to the car. Pretty soon he will equip the BMW with a "small, light and efficient liquid-cooled AC motor with permanent magnets." He added that the car is far from "finished" as there is plenty of space remaining for some serious improvements.

Next year he hopes to launch a production car that will output 1,088 hp! This vehicle is supposed to have proprietary liquid-cooled AC motors for all four wheels and each one of them will be fully capable of a quick response that will outperform the torque vectoring possible from a traditional drivetrain that is linked to a regular internal combustion power unit.

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Special – 1986 Electric BMW 3-Series

Noble M600

The supercar manufacturer Noble has released this week some preliminary info about their upcoming M600 supercar, along with a couple of photos where we see this beast wearing a carbon fiber body. The Noble M600 will come with a powerful 4.4-liter twin-turbo Yamaha V8 engine that produces 650 hp @ 6,800 rpm and 640 lb.-ft of torque @ 3,800 rpm. The supercar has a mid-longitudinal power unit, RWD architecture and the engine is fitted with a 6-speed manual gearbox developed by Graziano.

Noble M600

The car has a length of 4360 mm, a 1578 mm wide track and a wheelbase that measures 2540 mm. With a curb weight of only 1250 kg, the Noble M600 offers a very good power-to-weight ratio of 520 hp / tone which allows the supercar to do the 0-120 mph sprint in 8.9 seconds (according to AutoCar) and has a top speed of 225 mph.

Noble M600

The car will feature a tubular space frame chassis with stainless steel tubes along with a carbon fiber composite body. The M600 promises to deliver excellent control and handling thanks to the power assisted rack and pinion steering system. In addition, it will sport an independent double wishbone suspension with coil-over Multimac shock absorbers for both the front and rear roll bars.

Noble M600

To stop this beast, the engineers at Noble have fitted the car with Alcon brakes that measure 380 mm discs in the front (with 6-piston calipers) and 350 mm discs out in the back (with 4-piston calipers).

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Noble Launches M600 Supercar

Volvo V60 Hybrid

The Swedish automaker Volvo announced this week that it will be unveiling the hybrid version of the curvy V60 station wagon model this year in March at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. The Volvo S60 Hybrid will feature a 5-cylinder 2.4-liter D5 turbo diesel power unit for the front axle and an electric motor in the back.

The engine will output 215 hp and 440 Nm of torque while the ERAD – Electric Rear Axle Drive will churn an addition number of 70 ponies. The V60 Hybrid will receive the necessary electricity from the 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The engine will be linked to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

This hybrid model from Volvo will be able to have a 150 mpg fuel consumption level and will do 50 g/km of CO2 emissions. The Swedish officials over at Volvo said that the car will be able to offer a 32 miles range when running only on electricity.

We will have more information about the Volvo V60 Hybrid after its official debut on March 1^st at Geneva Auto Show where the Swedish automaker will offer all the relevant details about this hybrid station wagon that combines practicality with efficiency making it a very interesting model for a certain target of car buyers.

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Volvo V60 Hybrid Announced

2012 Honda Accord Sedan Type S

Yesterday, Honda released some details and the first official images of the upcoming European-spec 2012 Accord which will make its public appearance in March at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. The car will be available in both sedan and Tourer configurations and will come with an updated exterior look that will feature new headlights and bumpers along with redesigned taillights.

Inside the cabin, the new Accord will be available with better finishes and materials, leather seats along with other improvements of this kind. The Type S models will pack exclusive half leather seats which will have a dark grey finish and black head lining.

2012 Honda Accord Tourer

Regarding the engines available, the Accord will come with a new 2.2-liter PS i-DTEC diesel unit that develops 150 hp and has a lower CO2 emissions level (9 g/km less with the 6-speed manual gearbox and 11 g/km less with the automatic transmission).

2012 Honda Accord

The Japanese automaker also affirmed that the high-end 2012 Honda Accord Type S will be available for the European market, featuring a 180 hp engine and bespoke interior and exterior styling. This new version will also benefit from the Auto High-Beam Support System and Active Cornering Lights.

Honda did not reveal any information about the price of the 2012 Accord but it should be announced quite soon as the sales will commence this April.

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Preliminary Info – 2012 Honda Accord

Smart ForTwo Pulse

After the ForTwo NightOrange special edition, Smart unveiled another limited series model – the ForTwo Pulse, which according to the German automaker is the most dynamic model in the ForTwo family. Don't get confused, dynamic doesn't mean that it gets a more powerful engine, it only offers updated front and rear aprons along with restyled side skirts. Generally speaking, this special edition has sharper contours, making it look quite cool but a couple more hp would have been nicer.

Other modifications include the black door mirror caps and radiator grille, the wider tires and the 3-double spoke alloy rims. Speaking of the wider tires, the Pulse now comes with 175/55 R15 in the front and 195/50 R15 for the back wheels.

Smart ForTwo Pulse

The car will be available in both coupe and cabriolet configurations with an array of three engines: the first one is a 71 hp (52 kW) petrol unit that features the micro hybrid technology; the other petrol engine is the more potent 84 hp (64 kW) turbo unit. If you want a diesel engine, the Smart Pulse can be fitted with a 54 hp (40 kW) unit.

There isn't any info about the price list of the Smart Pulse, but according to the automaker, the model will be available for ordering starting with February 1^st and delivers will commence in April so pricing details should be revealed quite soon. We'll let you know once we know more.

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Smart ForTwo Pulse Announced

Bentley Arabia Continental Flying Spur Speed

It seems that the Qatar Motor Show organized in Doha is the place where automakers come to launch special editions of their models. First, Volkswagen rolled out two special editions of their highly successful Touareg sport utility vehicle. After that, Lamborghini launched a the Gallardo LP 560-4 Bicolore and now Bentley unveiled the Arabia Continental Flying Spur Speed which will be made in a limited series of only 50 units.

With a staggering price of 155,000 pounds, this special edition comes with a bundle of extras over the standard Speeds, most of them upgrading the visual elements of the vehicle. The model is easily distinguishable by the interior and exterior "Arabia" motifs that can be found on the ashtray lid badge, tread plate and on the front bumper.

The Arabia rolls on 10-spoke, 20-inch bright silver rims that are compatible with the carbon ceramic brakes which are an optional feature. The color choices for the bodywork are also unique in comparison to the standard model.

Inside the luxurious cabin, this limited edition comes with deep-pile carpet mats with hide trimming, veneered picnic tables with inset vanity mirrors to the rear of the car's front seats and also it has ventilated fluted seats.

The Bentley Arabia Continental Flying Spur Speed will be offered with a variation of the company's W12 engine that outputs 600 hp and 553 lb.-ft of torque which allows the car to reach 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and have a top speed of 200 mph.

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Bentley Arabia Continental Flying Spur Speed

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Bicolore

Another interesting launch at the Qatar Motor Show is the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Bicolore and as the name implies, the car comes with a special two-tone paintwork with Noctis Black accents and a body that is available in Blu Caelum, Bianco Monocerus, Grigio Telesto, Arancio Borealis and Giallo Midas. Inside the cockpit you will find a Nero Noctis trim and Nero Persus leather that has contrast stitching which imitates the color of the exterior body.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Bicolore

The Bicolore has the same engine as the original version, which is a 5.2-liter V10 unit that develops 552 hp (560 PS / 412 kW) and 398 lb.-ft (540 Nm) of torque. The engine is linked to a standard e-gear transmission and allows the car to do the 0-60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds, onto a top speed of 202 mph (325 km/h).

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Bicolore

At the moment we can't tell you how much this special edition is going to cost but we do know that it will be available in European and Asian-Pacific markets. The Americans will be able to buy the LP550-2 Bicolore which is just about the same car as the 560-4 Bicolore, except for the AWD system and 10 hp (10 PS / 7 kW) of output.

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Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Bicolore

VW Race Touareg 3 Qatar

At the Qatar Motor Show, VW brought two new Touareg concepts – one of them is the Race Touareg 3 Qatar while the other is the Touareg Gold Edition. The first one is in fact a street legal version of the very successful racecar that participated in the 2012 Dakar. The latter is a very special and unique model decorated with 24-carat gold parts. As you can see, these are two different cars that suit different tastes; although I believe that there are plenty of sheiks out there that wouldn't mind buying them both.

VW Race Touareg 3 Qatar

Let's talk more about the Race Touareg 3. It has a power unit that develops 310 hp and can reach 60 mph from start in less than 6 seconds which is quite impressive for a car of this size. Needless to say that it was built with the know-how obtained in the Dakar Rally, the toughest race in the world – at least in my opinion.

VW had to make this car legal so they had to modify the 2-meter wide body of the Touareg and they took out the racing-spec 16-inch wheels and installed these very attractive 18-inch BBS alloy rims that are paint in gold. Speaking of gold, the same color was used for the "Race Touareg" inscription on the car's sides and the German automaker also said that the "Morning Magic" paintwork has a little bit of gold shimmer to it.

VW Race Touareg 3 Qatar

Inside the cabin, everything was changed except for the safety cage. This Race Touareg 3 comes with a sporty steering wheel, a sequential gearbox, Recaro bucket seats and a digital instrument panel. The vast majority of these elements are covered by high-quality materials like Nappa leather and carbon fiber.

VW Touareg Golden Edition

Moving along, let's talk about the Gold Edition. Packing a 360-hp engine, this car rolls on massive gold-plated 22-inch rims and has gold-plated insertions on the mirror caps, window frames, protective guard strips, roof rails and also on the fascia. To round up the design, this VW model has a "Touareg V8" inscription and that same "Magic Morning" body color we mentioned before.

VW Touareg Golden Edition

Inside you will find the same obsession with gold as most of the dials; switches along with other various elements are covered in 24-carat gold, rounded up by the exquisite leather and the Walnut Burr accents. The car's seats are covered by the finest cream Nappa leather with ornamental stitching and the dashboard is wrapped in natural brown leather.

VW Touareg Golden Edition

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VW Pimps Out The Touareg