Fiat 500

The new Fiat 500 is an almost retro reproduction of the Cinquecento Nuova designed by Dante Giacosa in 1957. Fiat announced the 500 on May 5, 2006 but pictures where not released until March 20, 2007. On July 4, 2007, at the official release, 250,000 people came to see the new 500. It was the biggest launch party by Fiat in the last 10 years. Enough of that. Let's talk about the good stuff. The 500 has six engine options.  Five of those are gas engines, TwinAir 0.9L turbo, Fire 1.2L, Fire 1.4L, 1.4L Turbojet, and 1.4L Multiair. The 500 also has one diesel engine, a 1.3L Multiair. There are also four transmission options: 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual, 5-speed semi-auto Dualogic, 6-speed automatic Aisin. It's only 139.6 in. long but it still has three doors, four seats and a curb weight of 1,910-2,200 lbs. In the best conditions the 500 can go 0-60 mph in 10.5 seconds and has a top speed of 131 mph, but don't count on it in a race to get you first place.

Toyota FT-86 and Subaru BRZ

In this years Tokyo Auto Show, Toyota and Subaru released a sporty RWD car. Both company's are going to be making the same car but with different badges on the front and a little differences here and there. The Toyota FT-86 was taking for a lap at the Fuji speed way driving by the CEO of Toyota Mr. Toyoda him self.  Both the cars are going to have a flat four but the BRZ is going to have 200bhp instead of 197bhp. Subaru boast that the BRZ center of gravity is lower then a Ferrari 458 and weights in at 2770 lbs. Both the cars can seat four but there is only three doors on both the cars. Both cars a a manual and automatic transmission available and will be starting between $20,000 and $25,000. The BRZ will be available around May and the FT-86 will be sold as the Scion FR-S in the US sometime next year.

Toyota FT-86

Subaru BRZ

Scion FR-S

Ferrari 458 Italia

The Ferrari 458 Italia is a mid-engine rear wheel drive sports car. It was first unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show on 15 September 2009. The 458 has a 4.5 liter engine with 562 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque and is the first mid-engine Ferrari with direct fuel injection. The 458 is fitted with a standard dual-clutch 7-speed transmission, similar to the Ferrari California. With the 562 hp and a curb weight of 3,274 lb the 458 can go from 0-60 mph in about 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph.. It can go back down from 60 mph to zero in about 107 ft with the help of ABS. The 458 was also reviewed  on Top Gear, where it received acclaim for its styling and performance. In a drag race against the predecessor of the 458 the Ferrari F430, it won by a considerable margin. The car also lapped the Top Gear test track in 1:19.1, just 0.1 seconds slower than Ferrari's super car the Enzo. Altho it cost $220,000 if you have the money to spare its a great choice.

Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf (Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car) is an all electric five seater hatchback. It was introduced in Japan and the U.S on December 2010. It has a range of 138 miles using 34 kW-h/100 mi. Nissan says the top speed is 93 mph and the electric motor has 112 hp. Under the middle of the car is a 24 kWh lithium ion battery that powers the electric motor. T charge the Leaf at home a 240 volt is required. It cost $2,000 to instal so you might want to think about that. There is a solar panel mounted on the spoiler in the SL package. Also the headlights, which are LEDs, move the air away from the mirrors to reduce drag and wind noise. With 14 cu.ft. of cargo space and a base price of $27,700 this is a great city car.

Toyota FJ40 and FJ Cruiser

Toyota first started work on the first J model in 1951 with the BJ. The BJ was meant just for the Korean War and was not for civilians until the 20 series came out in 1955. Toyota changed the name over to FJ. It shined until 1960, when the 40 series came out. The 40 had an all new 125 hp 3.5 liter F engine with low range gearing. The 40 lasted for 24 years, selling over 300,000. In 1967, the 50 series, or the "Moose," was released. It was a four-door wagon that took on the spot of the 40 series wagon. In 1980, the 50 series stepped down and Toyota brought in the 60 series. It was a great upgrade to the 50 series, offering things like air-conditioning and a rear heater and an upgraded interior. The 2F engine was still the same as the 40 series, but a new six-cylinder 4.0 liter 2H and a four-cylinder 3.4 L 3B diesel engine were added to the 60 series. As the same time as the 60 series was introduced, the 70 series was brought to the product line. While the 60 series stopped in 1990, the 70 series is still sold in countries like Japan. In 1990, the 80 series was introduced with the first of the Land Cruiser line offering more luxury and a bigger price tag. The Land Cruiser is still made today, but is more luxurious than the rugged, invincible "J" it was at first.

To even out the luxury Land Cruiser, Toyota made an all new FJ, the FJ Cruiser. It's a shorter 4Runner with more off road ability than the Land Cruiser. With a water forging level of 27 inches and the handling of a sports car, it's a perfect balance to the Land Cruiser line.

FJ40

FJ60

Land Cruiser

FJ Cruiser

Fisker Karma

The Fisker Karma recently made its first big debut at the North American International Auto Show. The Karma is a hybrid. It produces 403 hp from a 2.2 liter gas engine and two electric motors that that get their power from a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery or the gas engine that also acts as a generator. The power from the electric motors and gas engine gets to the wheels by a Q-Drive hybrid transmission which is supplied by Quantum Technologies. The Karma can do a surprising 0-60 mph time in 6.3 seconds and a limited top speed of 124 mph. It does that all with a weight of 5300 lbs and being able to carry four people. The electric range is 50 miles with a total range of 300 miles. When comparing it to the Tesla Model S, the Model S can go 300 miles on one charge and is purely electric. One more thing is the base price on the Karma is $95,900, the Model S base price is $49,900.

Alfa Romeo 4C concept

The Alfa Romeo 4C concept was first introduced at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2011. The 4C is a small rear wheel drive sports car. It's very light weight  at 1,874 lbs. It has a carbon fiber tub and aluminum on very thing else. It has a 1.75 liter turbocharged straight 4 gas engine with over 200 hp positioned right behind the seats.  Because the car is so light it can go from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. The 4C right now has a 6 speed dual clutch transmission. It also has a feature where you can change the behavior of the car. It will cost about from $49,600 and $56,700. One more cool thing about this car is that it will be available by 2013 and it is the first Alfa Romeo re-introduced back into the sense 1995.

Nissan Juke

The Nissan Juke is a fast, sporty mini-crossover that was first brought to the public in 2010 at the Geneva Motor Show. It was designed in the UK and was refined in Japan. The Juke is made in the UK, even though Nissan is a Japanese company. The turn signals are oddly placed up on the hood while the headlights represent those put on rally cars in the 1960-70's. Underneath all of that are the fog lights which are positioned under the bumper. One more interesting design feature is the option to add racing stripes to the car. Popular Science liked the car for its advanced technology while Top Gear liked it for its amazing performance. The Juke has a cargo space of 10.5 with the seats up and 35.9 cu. ft.with the seats down, which is a fair amount for a car that can go 0-60 mph in 6.4 seconds with a 1.6 liter 188 hp 4 cylinder gas engine. The Juke comes in FWD and AWD with 27/32 MPG and a base price of $19,570.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 10

The Mitsubishi Lancer was first introduced in 1992 and has been a high-performance four-wheel drive street-legal car for ten different models. Models 1-9 where almost all the same except for small body upgrades or interior changes. In 2007, the new Evo 10 was introduced and brought even more body changes then the previous year. The Evo 10 features a newly redesigned 2.0 liter turbocharged all-aluminum inline 4 that produces at least 276 hp and a top speed of about 140 mph with 0-60 mph in about 3.8 seconds. This is great for a car that gets 17/23 mpg. There are two options for the transmission: standard 5-speed manual transmission and the MR option of a 6-speed dual clutch transmission. All the Lancers where able to go from the street to the dirt with no modifications at all which made these cars  great rally cars and they have been rally racing since 1992. The Evo 10 starts at $34,095, which is a very reasonable price for a car that can handle as well as a Lotus and still be a daily driver.

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Evo 10

Mini Cooper

In 1959, the Mini Cooper was first made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC). It was a revolutionary design with front wheel drive and a space-saving floor plane which allowed 88% of the floor for passengers and luggage. It was thought to be the British version of the VW bug. The mini was made by BMC from 1959-1990 when Mini was taken over by BMW.  BMW started with just a hardtop hatchback in 2001. In 2005, they released a convertible version of the hardtop. In 2008, they released the Clubmen which is a 4-door version of the  hardtop/convertible. In 2009, Mini released the Mini E which is an electric version of the hardtop and they just released the Coupe. The base model Cooper is powered by a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder 120 hp engine, but there is also a Cooper S with a 180 hp engine which can get the car up to 141 mph with a 0-60 mph time of 6.6 seconds and a 1/4 mile time just above 14 seconds. The hardtop Cooper gets 37/29 mpg and the Cooper S gets 35/27 mpg. The base price for the hardtop Cooper is $20,200 while the base price of the Cooper S is $23,800.

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Cooper

Honda CR-Z Hatchback vs. Ford Fiesta Hatchback

The CR-Z and the Fiesta might a little like comparing apples and oranges but I wanted to do some cars that we could buy and not dream about. First the CR-Z.

The CR-Z is a neat car in the fact that it is a hybrid and also a sports car. It was first brought out into the public on October 23, 2007 at the Tokyo Motor Show. The CR-Z has only two seats and 25 cu. ft. at 160 in. long. Weighing in at about 2700 lb, it gets 35/39 mpg with a gas in-line 4 and a 13 hp electric motor that puts out 100 volts. The CR-Z comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission but a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is available. The CR-Z also has disc brakes all around. The CR-Z also has standard curtain airbags, so does the Fiesta. The CR-Z starts at $19,545.

The Ford Fiesta is a great every day car for a family of four. Since the Fiesta is the same length as the CR-Z but has four seats instead of two, there is only 13 cu. ft. of cargo space. The Fiesta has 29/38 mpg with a curb weight at about 2450 lb. It has an in-line four that puts out 120 hp. The Fiesta also comes standard with a 5-speed manual transmission, but a 6-speed automatic transmission is available. The Fiesta has drum brakes in the back and disc brakes in the front. The base price for the Fiesta is $15,500.

Over all if you want a cheap fuel efficient car you could get either one of these cars, but it all depends on if you want a sportier hybrid or five person every day car.

Please leave any request or comments.

Bugatti Super Sport

The Bugatti Super Sport, on April 19, 2005, broke the world record for the fastest prouduction car in the world at 267 mph. It may cost $2.7 million but we need to consider that the whole chassis is made from titanium and hand assembled. The Super Sport uses special tires that cost $33,000 for a set and the wheels must be shipped to France for the tires to be replaced, at a cost of $94,000. The engine in the Super Sport is an 8.0 liter W16 VW design that produces 1,200 metric horsepower, or 1,184 bhp. At full speed, the Bugatti burns the 26 gallons of gas in its tank in 12 minutes. The TV show Top Gear called the Bugatti, "The greatest car ever made and the greatest car we will ever see in our lifetime." Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1 (the previous fastest production car) said about the Bugatti: "The most pointless exercise on the planet has got to be this four-wheel-drive, thousand-horsepower Bugatti." He later test drove one and was impressed with its engine and transmission.

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Koenigsegg Agera R

Yes, the Koenigsegg Agera is a very expensive Swedish super car that can supposedly beat the Bugatti Veyron (Thursday) in an all-out drag race, but what separates the two super cars is that the Agera can run on bio fuel and gasoline. Koenigsegg was the first sports car company to start making their cars run on bio fuels in 2007. With a 5.0-litre V8 engine, it is hard to believe that this car can produce 1115 hp. On September 2, the Agera was tested for the first time, breaking production land speed records with the fastest 0-186.4 mph in 14.53 seconds, beating the Bugatti's record of 14.6 seconds. With a 7 speed dual clutch gear box, 0-60 mph time is about 2.9 seconds and a approximate top speed of 275 it is said to be faster than a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, but it is still to be verified. The rear wing on the Agera is not powered by hydraulics like most super cars, but by the down force of the wind itself, helping to reduce weight and wind resistance. Although a little less practical than the Bugatti, this could well be the super car of tomorrow, but the price is not cheap at $1,611,000.

1968 Plymouth Barracuda

Today I'm going to talk about the 1968 Plymouth Barracuda but from a different perspective. I have a friend Shawn Jordan who for his 8th grade project took a non working trashed 'Cuda and made in to a live running car. He has had this idea of rebuilding the car ever since about 3rd grade in which we where really introduced to the thought of a 8th grade project. When 8th grade finally came around it was pretty obvious what he was going to do. We started in August, at least I did. Shawn did not start until about September or October. Once he did start though he crept along slowly getting the car cleaned out and starting on building the engine. When he had finished the engine it was past Christmas and there was not a whole lot of time left. But of like always  he finished on time and on the day it was due his 450hp monster rolled up to school only missing interior and a windshield, and few other things.

Shawn's on the right and his mentor for the project Len Sol is on the left.

1967-70 Toyota 2000GT

In 1965 Toyota brought a sleek, fast, stylish sports car to the Tokyo Motor Show. It was amazing feat a engineering that only lasted for three under contract with Yamaha and only 351 regular production cars where made. When the 2000GT came over to North America only about 60 where imported. Back then the car new cost $6,800 which was more expensive then most Porsche's and Jaguars and was not comparable to cars built by the US because it was so expensive like the Plymouth Barracuda (Thursday). The figures of the 2000GT where comparable to that of a hi-end Italian sports car with a 2.0 or 2.3 later engine it was a power house of its day with 150 hp and a unbelievable top speed of 135 mph. It also had disk brakes all around which was unusual for that time and weighing in at 2,480 lb could do 0-60 in 8.4 seconds with a 1/4 mile of 15.9s. It was also very small only 45.7 in to the highest point on the roof. Road & Track magazine summed up the 2000GT as "one of the most exciting and enjoyable cars we've driven" and compared to a Porsche 911.

Tesla Model S

The first full-sized electric sedan is the Tesla Model S. It was first released at a press conference on June 30, 2008 and the prototype was brought to the public on March 26, 2009. Now to talk about the car itself. The chassis and body are made completely of aluminum with double wish-bone suspension all around. The car will be able to seat 7 with the last row facing backwards, and still have more trunk space than most sedans. I was unable to find the motor size but the 3,825 lb sedan should get up to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and be able to go all the way up to 120 mph. The Model S will have three battery options: 160, 230, or 300 miles on a charge. Unlike most electric cars, the battery will be located under the floor so it will not take up cargo space. Like all (two) models Tesla offers, the car can plug into almost any outlet in the world and can charge in about 45 mins. with Tesla's Quick Charge. Tesla is going to start taking orders for the Model S in 2012 at a unbelievable low base price of $57,400.

Tesla Roadster

The worlds first electric super car, the Tesla Roadster. It has a 215 kW electric motor that generates 288 hp and 273 ft-lb of torque at 0 rpm. Which can propel it up to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and can go all the way up to 125 mph. On the other side of things the Roadster can go 245 miles on a charge which is a lot more then the nissan leaf or the i3 in the pervious blog. The down side to that range is is there is 6,831 individual lithiun-ion cells in the back of the car. It takes 3.5 hrs to charge from empty to full at 240 volts. Even with a carbon fiber body it weighs in at 2,723 lbs which is heavy for it's size. The Roadster is model after the Lotus Elise and was released in 2008, and Tesla has sold 1,650 Roadsters in 30 countries. But sadly as all great cars don't last long, Tesla stopped tacking orders for the Roadster in August in 2011. We can only hope that they start making it again.

BMW i3 and i8 concepts

For a little while now BMW has had the new i series concepts out. The i division of BMW is devoted to intelligent mobility. There are currently two i concepts out: the i3 and the i8. The i3 would be a competitor to the Nissan Leaf. Still though a concept, the i3 will be 700 lb. lighter with a extra 60 horsepower cranking out an all electric 170 horses. Since it's a BMW it will be rear-wheel drive. The body is based on an aluminum sub-structure called a drive cell with a liquid cooled lithium-ion battery pack running down the middle of the car with a electric motor in the rear. The i3 also has a carbon reinforced plastic four passenger cell attached at the drive cell. The i3 might be on sale as soon as 2013.

Now for the Hybrid-Electric i8. At the front of the i8 is the same electric motor as in the i3 with a lithium-ion battery down the middle of the chassis. In the rear of the i8 is a high performance, three-cylinder gas engine with 220 hp and 221 feet pounds of torque. So far the i8 has a automatic transmission from a Mini Cooper but a dual clutch system is most likely to be used on the production car. With the battery down the middle there is only space for 2+2 seating. When in pure electric mode the i8 can go up to 20 miles, so for full performance the gas engine is needed. With the 170 hp electric motor and the 220 hp gas engine, the 349 hp coupe weighing at about 3300 lb can get up to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. Under normal driving the i8 should get about 80 mpg and is electronically limited to 155 mph.

With ever more restraints on cars, these might just be the cars of tomorrow.