Check out the Dell Store on CNETOne of the few European sports cars at the 2009 International Auto Show in San Francisco that people were allowed to get behind the wheel of was the 2010 Porsche Boxster S. I had to get in on the act, and I must tell you that all I wanted to do was punch the gas pedal and go for a joyride. And for those of us who may never get such an opportunity, here's a video of the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder in action on the roadway. Boy, what a sweet view it is.
This new Boxster model is a few hundred pounds lighter than its predecessors to optimize its performance, yet it retains its midengine design and high-end sports car sensibility. But, alas, this video is not about the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder's statistics--it's all about its aesthetics. As you can tell, this Porsche is poetry in motion against a backdrop of green and mountainous highways. The swiftness of the Boxster Spyder can easily be felt merely by watching a video clip of this car in action, and you'll only wish that you were behind the wheel feeling the wind rushing against your face in this fine automobile. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Last week I got to attend the 52nd Annual International Auto Show in San Francisco. I actually got to sit behind the wheel of many fine automobiles, but one of the several cars that were off limits was the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago. Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of sitting (let alone driving) in a Lambo, so I've got to live vicariously through Web videos like this to get a taste of what it's like to drive the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. And just as you might expect, this car appears to kick ass even on the Welsh country roads within this review from Fifth Gear.
This video gives us the view both outside and inside this SuperVeloce Murcielago cruising at high speed along the twists and turns of the Welsh countryside. As is noted within the official title of this sports car, the 2010 Murcielago boasts 670 horses driving its 12-cylinder engine that tops out at over 200 mph and it's nearly $500K price tag correlates accordingly. Specs aside, this car looks and sounds pretty kick-ass to me. According to the commentary, Lamborghini will be phasing the Murcielago SuperVeloce out of production in the near future. 'Tis a damn shame, my friends, as the Murcielago SV is a world-class sports car to be reckoned with.
Yesterday I was writing about the new Audi R8 sports car that's borrowed at least a few attributes from the Lamborghini Gallardo. I figured since I brought up the subject that I may as well present you with a video of that very car, and specifically in this case we are putting the spotlight on the 2010 Lambo Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder as it blazes through the Canary Islands.
Lamborghini's Gallardo is numerically its biggest production car and is generally regarded the world over as one of the best performing and aesthetically pleasing modern sports cars. The Spyder edition of the Gallardo has been around for a few years and while it doesn't quite have the muscle of other Gallardo models, it's still a sleek European sports car. The environmental aspects of this Web video are great, showing this beaming yellow Lambo cruising the roads against a backdrop of misty skies and rocky terrain. We also get a look under the hood at the :17 mark and then hold onto your hats as shortly thereafter you're gonna get blasted with the roar of the Gallardo as its tires burn Australian pavement. You'll also get to check out both the interior and exterior features of this fine Italian sports car.
With all eyes in the auto world this week focused on the LA Auto Show, I thought I would take a look at what else was going on. Here's a car shaped like a cricket bat. It was built by the man who brought the world the soccer ball car and the toilet car.
Audi/VW's TDI technology grabs a Green Car of the Year twofer.
(Credit: CNET)For the second year in a row, the Green Car of the Year award has been handed to a clean diesel vehicle. This time around, it's the 2010 Audi A3 TDI and its 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo-diesel engine that's beaten its way to the top of a field populated mostly with gas-electric hybrids from Toyota, Mercury, and Honda.
Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal, which sponsors the award, cites the A3's EPA-estimated 42 highway mpg, five-seater hatchback functionality, and fun driving experience seasoned with healthy portions of low-end torque as the reasons for its success.
The Green Car of the Year is awarded annually at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Previous winners of the award include the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid.
There was lots of automotive eye candy to behold at the recently-held 2009 International Auto Show in San Francisco, but one particular car definitely caught an extended gaze of my eye. My vision honed in a shiny white and black sports car, sitting in a "hands off" section of the showroom floor. To my surprise, this mean-looking sports car was an Audi, but not just any Audi. This here was the 2010 Audi R8 rockin' a length-side up with a mounted V10 mid-engine. I had to know more and see more of this particular car, and that's how we ended up with today's video that looks at the pros and (are there any real) cons between the 10-cylinder Audi R8 and its 8-cylinder counterpart.
Constructed by Audi's performance specialty division quattro GmbH, the R8 two-seater from the front pretty much looks like an Audi (albeit a little more sleek than one might associate with an Audi). The R8 has also drawn some heat for being very close in style and construction to the Lamborghini Gallardo to the point where some sports car snobs basically consider the Audi R8 a cheap knockoff primarily because of its engine looking awfully similar to that of the Gallardo. So what? I'll leave that argument for you and your friends to debate. I'd rather spend the time hearing the R8 engines revving up and the tires burning asphalt. The V10 engine looks especially beautiful (best seen at the 3-minute mark) and at 2 minutes you get to see in real time how quickly the R8 goes from 0-60. The V8 edition obviously doesn't have us much push as its 10-cylinder brethren, but hey you could do way worse than this.
I finally made it out to the 52nd Annual International Auto Show at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco yesterday, and I'm sure glad that I made the trip. Today is the final day of the show that started over this last Thanksgiving weekend, and in case you can't or didn't make it out to the Moscone to see it all in person, here's an in depth highlight reel to show some of what you may have missed.
Yes, I know the soundtrack to this clip is kinda annoying, but this web video is quite comprehensive in covering many vehicles and manufacturers who participated in this year's show in San Francisco including the Porsche 911, Lamborghini Murcielago, Audi R8, BMW, a few Chryslers (for whatever that's worth), auto racing vehicles and more. This video includes a few of my faves from this year's event and it also leaves out several personal highlights that I will be spotlighting for the next few or more blogs, so get ready
The hot topic that's being discussed all over the 'Net and at water coolers all over the world is how Tiger Woods ended up crashing his 2009 Cadillac Escalade into a now-famous tree in Florida after what is being rumored as a fight with his wife over reports that he'd been steppin' out with another woman. I'll leave all the gossip and speculation on the why's and how's of that situation to TMZ or the National Enquirer. But I'm the type of person who tries to find light and humor in all situations, so I thought I should poke a little fun at this incident with a web video of a Cadillac Escalade that would definitely not be an underdog against a suburban tree, and here 'tis - the Cadillac Escalade monster truck!
This video comes from a monster truck jam at Lebanon Valley Speedway, and we jump in right away with a Cadillac Escalade that's been made into friggin' huge monster truck ready for destruction. It's pretty much standard monster truck fare until about the halfway point when the Escalade takes a jump over some standard automobiles at an odd angle, and ends up flipping over on its side and catching fire for a moment. After determining that driver George Balhan is OK he gives a celebration speech and basks in the moment.
How do you get into a Tesla Roadster when you're 6 feet, 6 inches tall? Folks at the San Carlos-based automaker have provided you with this short instructional video on the best way for tall drivers to get in and out of the $109,000 Roadster sports car.
The video features campy humor as well as Tesla Motors T-shirts , which sell for about $20.
Dear readers, while I am a current resident of the great state of California, I will always consider Dayton, Ohio, to be home sweet home. And while it's unfortunate that I am unable to make it home for the Thanksgiving holiday, I have this cute little Web video to remind me of the good-ol' Midwest as CarAndDriver.com takes the 2010 Porsche Panamera for a 24-hour tour of Dayton and its surrounding suburban Ohio neighbors.
The premise here is that the CarAndDriver.com guys are going to take turns driving the 2010 Porsche Panamera sport sedan all around the Dayton, Ohio region nonstop for 24 hours to see what they think about driving the car and being in it for an extended period of time. The reviews and comments are generally positive, with many of the test drivers rating the Porsche Panamera with high regards. But what makes this clip special to me is all the beautiful architecture and green scenery of rural Ohio, reminding me so much of home. If you are able to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with your family, please do so and let your loved ones know that you cherish these times together. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
