Adults are prone to reflecting upon their childhoods with rose-colored glasses. Somehow, however, we imagine a little nostalgic waxing will be appropriate for young ones fortunate enough to call one of Violetta’s thoroughly gorgeous D-Type or XK120 Jaguars replicas their own.
Designed for children of the well-heeled, Violetta’s D-Type 1:2 scale replica is a handsome pedal-powered roadster made of riveted aluminum. The company says that their Jag racer replica can hit 30 kilometers-per-hour (19 miles-per-hour) at the hands of a motivated ten-year old.
Perhaps of greater interest to adults is Violetta’s XK120 roadster. The 2:3 scale model is powered by a gasoline engine, and can be piloted by adults as well as children aged eight and older.
Built employing period techniques, the steel-framed, fiberglass-bodied convertible is capable of 50 km/h (31 mph).
Not a fan of the Leaping Cat? Violetta also builds a very pretty Ferrari 288 GTO, an Aston Martin DBR1, or a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, ideal for any aspiring Stirling Moss. Did we mention the Austin Healey, or the vintage wooden speedboats?
Police officials in the Dominican Republic are under fire for their expensive Fat Boys. How’s that? Authorities purchased 52 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, only to have them be too unwieldy to patrol the country’s narrow barrio streets.
In the words of Dominican Today, “The authorities ‘sweated the fever’ of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles, after they failed their assigned mission and turned out to be fiasco for barrio patrols.” Right on.
The pricy motorcycles ($17,000 each) have turned out to not only be ill-suited for their work—where they’ve since been replaced by traditional dirt bikes—they’ve become a lightning rod of sorts for critics panning government spending.
The controversial Harleys have since been reassigned to highway patrol duty.
The rumor-traffickers at Autocar are reporting that McLaren’s on-again, off-again supercar successor to the legendary F1 is back on track.
The mid-engined car started life as the stillborn Mercedes-Benz P8, but McLaren has taken over the project entirely, and plans to market the car on its own.
If the buzz surrounding the project is correct, the car is to be built on a carbon-fiber monocoque, though it is unclear what the production “F2” will have for a drivetrain. According to Autocar, development mules are already up and running around McLaren’s Woking compound in England, cleverly disguised beneath Ferrari 360 bodywork.
Electronic appliance greetings are nothing new—we’ve seen everything from alarm clocks to vending machines to automobiles that say ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’ when they are powered on and powered off, and we’ve all encountered automated phone trees that make feeble attempts at sounding courteous.
But Nissan’s Japanese arm is set to take the digital courtesy notionto the next level as part of its updated “CARWINGS (HDD)” navigation system. Between the hours of 5:30 pm and 5:00 am, each time a vehicle’s ignition is turned on, the unit’s screen will admonish: “Do not drive after drinking!” Apparently unaware of the dangers of a three martini lunch, between the hours of 5:00 am and 5:30 pm, the unit will cheerily read: “Let’s continue safe driving today.”
We’re appealing to our readers on this one—we’d love to know where the video footage above is sourced from, as it contains some truly impressive stunt driving. One YouTube commenter says that it is part of a Disneyland Paris show, but we’re not entirely sure.
Further… does anybody know what the cars used in the video are? We’re guessing Opels (the black cars being Corsas and the star red car a Tigra), but the footage is blurry.
Like seemingly every Hollywood blockbuster that’s been savaged by critics but still has moviegoers queued ‘round the block, some vehicles manage to get lukewarm reviews, yet go on to be unqualified sales successes.
Daniel Howes over at the Detroit News sees Ford’s new Edge crossover trending this way. Indeed, most reviews from automotive publications we’ve read have been a bit underwhelmed with its combination of sharp looks but middling performance and sub-par refinement (ditto that for its Lincoln MKX twin). And yet, the Edge has been named “most appealing new vehicle” in J.D. Power’s annual APEAL survey, and it has posted solid sales figures in the process.
Originally tipped to sell 100,000 units, Edge projections have been bumped to 120,000 (although the Blue Oval has been piling cash on the hood even as sales climb –Ed). Howes points out that last month, the Edge outsold the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Nissan Murano, and even General Motors’ larger Lamda-based GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. Of course, some of those sales could be from potential Explorer customers…
To be fair, the Edge certainly isn’t the first vehicle to get panned by pundits, only to go on to be a solid sales success—Chevrolet’s HHR is but one other recent example. More often than not, it’s the inverse that’s true—critics’ darlings that fail to move units. What do you think… is the Edge appealing to you as a consumer? Are automotive journalists all wet, or are they right? Have your say in ‘Comments.’
The entry fee to join Mercedes-Benz’s owner’s club is getting a bit less dear. The German automaker has just released pricing information for its 2008 U.S. C-class models, and the least expensive model in the range is more than $2000 less expensive than the outgoing model. This, despite being comprehensively improved in virtually all areas.
For 2008, Merc’s entry-level C300 Sport Sedan rings up at $31,975 and packs 228 horsepower, while the C350’s Sport Sedan commands $37,275 for its 268-horsepowered self.
In addition to sharpened looks and driving dynamics, the new C-class lineup features a range of creature comforts as standard-fit across the board, including power eight-way seats, dual-zone climate control, a power moonroof, and Bluetooth connectivity.
The first new C-classes are expected in dealerships on August 7, but if you’re looking for all-wheel drive, 4Matic-equipped C300s won’t be arriving in dealers until September.
Be sure to check out our full review of Benz’s new C350 by clicking here. (Click through to the jump for Mercedes-Benz’s official press release)
After much prevaricating and teasing, Volkswagen has finally released official images of the new Tiguan.
The Tig won’t actually be unveiled until September’s Frankfurt show (we’ll be there to lend our on-the-spot impressions and snap photos), so we’ll have to be patient in order to gain a better understanding of the small VW, but initial impressions are of a solid-looking (if predictable and safe) softroader. Certainly, we were hoping for the more aggressive stance and attitude of the Concept Tiguan, but it was clear even from early spy shots that the Tiguan would take on a more demure appearance.
Globally, the Tiguan will operate on a range of turbocharged direct-injection powerplants, both gasoline and diesel. U.S. customers can expect to get the 200 horsepower 2.0-liter TFSI engine (as seen in the GTI), and we’re expecting a TDI oil-burner to come down the pipe shortly thereafter.
Incidentally, there’s no truth to the rumor that VW has designs on re-naming its unpronounceable Touareg “Biguan” in light of its new kid brother.
(Click on the thumbnails below for a high-res gallery, or on the jump for VW’s official press release)
One of the things we love most about Infiniti’s new G37 is the sonorous noise that emanates from its 3.7-liter VQ-series six. Our new issue has a full review, but we thought you’d enjoy a peak at the gorgeous sights and sounds that accompany blasting along in Infiniti’s latest coupe. Our own James P. Morse handled the shooting and editing, and we think he came up with one heck of a video, but we invite you to click on the image above and judge for yourself.
According to the quality monitoring gurus at J.D. Power, Toyota’s Prius has sneaked into the top ten list of America’s best selling vehicles. Last month, the Japanese automaker shifted some 24,000 units—three times that of a year ago—giving it the number nine spot on U.S. sales charts.
Interestingly, Power says that buyers are trading in fewer conventional compact cars (Honda Civics, Ford Focuses, etc.) for their new Priuses, which likely means that Toyota is gaining an increasing number of sales from other segments. Conquest sales from non-Toyota branded products are up as well, from 68-percent in January to almost 80-percent in June. (Click through to the link for more on the Prius’ upswing)
Here in America, going out in style has built a healthy livery business for automakers like Cadillac and Lincoln. For decades, coachbuilders have bought these luxury liners in order to convert them into hearses for their customer’s final drives.
In Europe, the story’s much the same, though coffin-carriers built from automakers like Mercedes-Benz are understandably more commonplace than a DeVille or Town Car-based hearse. European hearses in America remain a rarity, which is why we couldn’t resist showing you coachbuilder Binz’s new CLS-inspired hearse.
The six-door funeral vehicle is actually based on the company’s E-Class extended-chassis lineup, albeit with a CLS-aping nose. Binz’s conversion includes bespoke composite fenders, as well as a reworked AirMATIC suspension that takes into account the hearse’s increased length and heft.
Of course, if you’re more into the overtaking business than you are the undertaking business, Binz will be happy to sell you a CLS-schnozzed limousine instead, though you’ll miss out on the quirky Pope Mobile roofline.
(Click through to the jump for Binz’s official press release)
Volkswagen’s Brazilian arm marketed a pretty (if little-known) coupe between 1972 and 1976. Dubbed SP2, the low-volume sports car (10,205 units) was motivated by an air-cooled 1.7-liter flat four and boasted period running gear - a rear swing-axle and disc/drum brakes with 14-inch wheels. Cloaked in slinky bodywork (lower than VW’s own Karmann Ghia and Porsche’s 914), the SP2’s chief undoing was arguably that it wasn’t as quick as it looked.
Even if it isn’t the fastest thing going, we’d still love to park one of these rare VeeDubs in the WINDING ROAD garage, and this is the first time we can recall ever seeing an example for sale in North America, let alone on eBay.
One of a handful in the States, the seller says that the red 1975 example (inset photo) was imported by a diplomat back in the Eighties. With just 89,000 miles on the clock, it should have a lot of life left in it, provided its new owner gives it proper care and feeding.
Designed for children of the well-heeled, Violetta’s D-Type 1:2 scale replica is a handsome pedal-powered roadster made of riveted aluminum. The company says that their Jag racer replica can hit 30 kilometers-per-hour (19 miles-per-hour) at the hands of a motivated ten-year old.
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