Scion looking to expand, doubling lineup
March 24, 2008
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Hatchbacks, Scion
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Scion Hako Coupe concept.Scion sales have hit a slump in the last 17 months, with a peak of 175,000 units sold in 2006, the youth-marketed brand’s sales have dipped to 130,000 vehicles last year. The solution will likely come from three new vehicles to be released in the next few years. Scion’s veep, Jack Hollis, told Automotive News in an interview during the Big Apple bash… Continue reading
Grand Prix: Renault F1 opens internship program
March 23, 2008
Filed under: Motorsports, Contests, Euro, Renault
Click the image above to view in high resolutionIf you’re a recently graduated or soon to graduate student in a technical or scientific field, listen up, because this could very well be the internship that could jump-start your career. Every year for the past five, the Renault F1 team has picked the top entry in a contest for a six-month internship. The competition is run by the Altran Engineering Academy, the technological manpower agency that… Continue reading
Autocar ranks 100 top F1 drivers of all time
March 22, 2008
Filed under: Motorsports
Autocar has listed the top 100 Formula 1 drivers of all time, as declared by British motorsport journalist Alan Henry. We won’t spoil the top-of-the-list surprise for you, but of course, as with all of these things, some of the placings could be a little controversial. At least until one realizes that there haven’t really been that many F1 drivers in the 62-year history of the sport. Still, Mika Hakkinen at #10 in front of Michael Schumacher at #11 strikes us as somewhat odd… Continue reading
New Favorite: Hamilton U.S. 66 Power Reserve
March 21, 2008
Filed under: Gadgets
There are a lot of automotive wristwatches out there. In fact, we had a really tough time picking only our ten favorites back in December ‘06. But once in a while, a new one comes along that makes us stop and take notice. This is one such timepiece.The Hamilton U.S. 66 Power Reserve has a striking and unusual design clearly aimed at automotive enthusiasts. Take the case, which almost seems to be shaped like a speedway. The dial looks like a tachometer (if not so overtly… Continue reading
Scuderia Shuffle: Sebastian Vettel rumored to drive for Ferrari
March 21, 2008
Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings
What a tangled web we weave. Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel is one of the only drivers in Formula One who doesn’t have a manager, and the rookie has no plans to change that despite an increasingly complicated entanglement of contracts between several teams now being reported in the motorsport media.
Vettel was a test driver for BMW Sauber the past two seasons before moving in to… Continue reading
Fireball Run looks for lost children
March 21, 2008
Filed under: Motorsports, Driving
It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assert that most of the transcontinental rallies out there don’t hold much purpose beyond pure hoonage. And don’t get us wrong, we’ve got nothing against hoonage. But the Fireball Run has a loftier goal in mind: finding lost children. The participants aren’t expected to actually chase down the lost kiddies as they cover ground, though. Each of the 100 teams participating is assigned a missing child report, and they take it upon themselves to… Continue reading
New sports car coming from British firm Virago?
March 21, 2008
Filed under: Sports/GTs, Euro, Misc. Auto Shows, UK
While the name Virago may remind some readers of a certain ’80s-era Japanese V-Twin cruiser, it’s also the name of a hopeful British sportscar. We’re not able to glean too much real information from its (not-so-great) website, but here’s what we know so far: a 3.0 liter Ford Duratec engine offers between 230 and 280 horsepower, which, because of the light weight of the Virago, provides enough power… Continue reading
New York 2008: Milner Motors AirCar lands in Javits Center
March 21, 2008
Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Green
Click above for high-res gallery of the flying car from MilnerOur environmentally-attuned brethren at AutoblogGreen pointed us into the lower hall of the Javits Center to check out something they knew we’d love. After wading through the trucks and specialty makers on hand, we reached the Milner Motors booth. To one side was the Milner Motors ElectriCar. Across from it was the Milner Motors AirCar, which was… Continue reading
New York 2008: Suzuki unveils Kizashi 3 concept, coming in 2010 [w/VIDEO]
March 20, 2008
Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Suzuki
Click above to view high-res gallery of the Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept
Suzuki has been teasing us over the last few months with its duo of highly stylized concepts, the Kizashi and Kizashi 2. While it was obvious that cues found on both those concepts are going to inspire the styling of future models, it wasn’t clear how… Continue reading
Champ Car teams dropping like flies following IRL merger
March 20, 2008
Filed under: Motorsports
“In anything like this there are winners and losers and all the Champ Car teams were the losers.” These are the words of Paul Stoddart, the racing team chief who campaigned his Minardi team last year in Champ Cars and previously in Formula One. Stoddart’s words echo those of departed multiple champion Sebastien Bourdais; Minardi is just one of the Champ Car teams that won’t be making the switch to IRL next season following the merger between Indy and Champ
