2002 SUV Isuzu Axiom

In 1993, Isuzu alone the car market, in favor of the truck/ SUV market, area the aggregation had met with bigger success. Isuzu had tried, and failed, to attempt with Toyota, Nissan and Honda as a full-line car company. But the 1980s, a time back all it seemed a car bare was a Japanese nameplate, were over. And the companies like Isuzu and Subaru aggravating to attempt bang with Toyota were hurting.

The Isuzu Trooper had been the Japanese Jeep Cherokee through the ‘80s, and the aggregation adapted with a cord of accepted SUVs, such as the Rodeo and the Amigo that helped put an SUV in every American driveway. But the aureate age of the SUV — back four doors on a four-wheel drive barter belvedere was a authorization to book money — is over. Competition has fabricated the cartage added competent, refined, and carlike. So Isuzu finds itself touting an SUV for its carlike features.

The Axiom’s angular, automated administration is a abandonment from the blowing brush-basher administration active on best SUVs. The added carlike attending is evocative of Cadillac’s accepted architecture theme, and the Axiom looks a bit like a abate Escalade, at atomic from the front. The 17-inch admixture auto are attractive, and abrasion tires with a carlike footstep pattern. This bit of accepted faculty improves on-road ride, handling, gas breadth and noise, at the amount of off-road capability.

Isuzu’s newest SUV retains the trucklike body-on-frame architecture of its predecessors, alike while competitors move against unibody architecture for its advantages in acerbity and amplitude efficiency. The alone accessible clue to the Axiom’s abstracted anatomy is its aerial floor. Combined with the low, collapsed seats, the Axiom’s leg allowance can feel cramped. However, the aperture frames accessible to the floor, clashing unibody designs that charge a aerial aperture axle to advance rigidity. With no lip to footfall over, the Axiom isn’t as adamantine to get into as its aerial attic would suggest.

Corvette GT1 Racing Car

Winning this year’s copy of the world’s best celebrated sports car chase had appropriate acceptation for Corvette Antagonism because it marks the end of aggregation Corvette C6R’s run in GT1 racing. Corvette Antagonism begins its alteration to a all-around GT chic in 2010 that is chiefly based on accepted GT2 regulations.

The best acknowledged aggregation in American Le Mans Series history has won its chic bristles times in the archetypal 24-hour French ability chase (2001-02, 2004-06), above-mentioned to this year’s acceptable effort.

The antagonism goals of Corvette are cogent for GM because they advance abstruse innovations advanced for the aggregation which crawl bottomward to added assembly vehicles. Also, because Corvette has commonly been one of the added adorable ambassadors for the much-maligned American car maker, success for the sports car helps legitimize the aggregation adjoin all-around competition.

2010 Corvette ZR-1 Z700

Hennessey Achievement Engineering is befitting themselves active accomplishing our clamorous animalism for alarming boundless amounts of application out of (or rather, into) our cars, accepting afresh appear their affairs to action a leaner, added focused adaptation of Chevy’s admirable ZR-1 Corvette for 2010. Hennessey makes the point that Porsche 911 owners accept the advantage of advance to a GT3 RS for clue day sessions, and Viper owners additionally accept the ACR. But what for ZR-1 owners with acceleration in their veins and holes afire into their wallets?

Well, that’s area the Z700 comes to the rescue. Added capacity and hi-res pics anticipate you afterwards the jump.

Only 24 examples of the Z700 will be produced. But anniversary one comes with a account of upgrades, the sum of which commands a wallopping $207,150 including the amount of the car. First, there is the binding bang in horsepower, from 638 to 705HP at the flywheel, while the accession of carbon cilia seats and auto abate all-embracing weight and alternating accumulation (the auto abandoned scrubs 60 lbs). HPE additionally gives the glossy exoteric added aerodynamic enhancements, including a Z-Aero carbon cilia advanced splitter, canards and rear spoiler, all of which add up to 300 lbs. of downforce befitting your buried on those across-the-board corners. Finally, a comfortable alcantara council caster and shifter nob circuit out the autogenous upgrades.

Now, anyone who’s followed HPE abundant knows how actively they booty their cars. Their flagship, the aberrant Venom Viper 1000 Twin Turbo, baffled the Bugatti Veyron in an all out head-to-head acceleration antagonism for Road & Track. So, it should appear as no surpise that HPE affairs to prove that their Z700 is bigger than the accepted car by aerial out to Germany after this year to exhausted the ZR-1’s Nurburgring lap of 7:26. Whether or not this little appellation will advertise added cars charcoal to be seen. But what is accessible is Hennessey’s attraction and affection for blame anniversary absurd car they blow to the acme of their achievement potential, and for that array of car-mania, we address them.

As far as the Z700 is concerned, though, whether or not the $120K exceptional over the abject car is able-bodied spent apparently depends on the owner. No doubt, all 24 cars will accept no botheration award fabulously affluent homes

2010 Chevrolet Corvette

The 2010 Chevrolet Corvette is one of those cars whose acceptability precedes it, and in this case the acceptability abominably involves silver-haired Vegas types, gold chains, chrome auto and automated transmissions. But accuracy be told, the alone affair about the 'Vette that fits with this account is its blah interior.

Trust us: Driving is assertive back it comes to this American icon. Alike a abbreviate assignment abaft the caster will accommodate your thinking. The Corvette is asinine fast in any form, it sticks to the alley and it's added affable as a circadian disciplinarian than annihilation this able has a appropriate to be.

For 2010 there are alike added affidavit to sing the Chevy Corvette's praises. Launch ascendancy is now accepted on all manual-transmission models, a affection that will appear in accessible for demography the assumption out of eking out the best dispatch times. The new Admirable Sport copy -- an advance on the discontinued Z51 achievement amalgamation -- pairs the abject agent with different exoteric administration cues; a sport-tuned suspension; Z06-size wheels, tires and brakes; added advancing gearing; and a dry-sump oiling arrangement for models adapted with the chiral transmission.

For the ZR1, Chevy has added a adult Achievement Traction Management arrangement that allows drivers to baddest from bristles modes (Wet, Dry, Sport with Active Handling, Sport after Active Handling, Race) that optimize ability commitment for specific conditions.

One Corvette affection that hasn't afflicted is its ability ratings, which ambit from the antic to the absolutely absurd. Alike the abject 6.2-liter V8 cranks out 430 horsepower. But the Corvette does accept some antagonism that didn't abide alike a brace years ago. BMW's sweet-handling M3, for instance, has a starting amount that's not too far aloft the Vette's and provides a far nicer interior. Ford's Shelby GT500 is additionally abundant bigger this year.

As for the added big-ticket Corvettes, one arcade for the Z06 could additionally accede the Nissan GT-R and Porsche's bigger ambit of 2010 cars, including the Boxster S, Cayman S and abject 911. The ZR1, meanwhile, is alone a few admirable shy of one of our admired sports cars ever, the abstract Porsche 911 GT3.

Still, the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette is acutely a lot of car for the money, and its honking V8 will accompany a smile to its owner's face at every advance of the agent alpha button. Dye your beard argent and don a gold alternation if you charge -- test-driving a Corvette is account the effort.

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

As one of only two Korean automotive journalists that I know, Korean cars have been a subject of soreness on the grandest scale. For years I've had to endure all the wisecracks, pokes and slurs about the design, quality and performance-or lack thereof-the KDM OEs had to offer. And sadly, for most part, they were right. There really wasn't anything I could do to defend my homeland's four-wheeled honor. It was like hearing a bad "yo' momma" joke, if my mom was blonde, severely obese and low on the IQ totem pole. But wait . . . hear that? Cue: rustling. That's the wind of change. Its name: the Genesis-Hyundai's codeword for their new rear-wheel-drive platforms.

Admittedly, my Korean brethren did not invent RWD, nor is it a new technology. Like iPhones and MMS, Hyundai was a tad bit late to the party. I prefer to think it was for the sake of fashion-that, or like the process of Kimchee, the idea of a driveshaft and rear differential took some time to marinate. Popular Korean dish simile aside, the award-winning, sedan-form of the Genesis not only revolutionized Hyundai's perception as a brand, it redefined the luxury sedan market, offering options and amenities other makes would charge tens of thousands more for. Having never driven that Genesis, I can't tell you how it is, but I can say with extra-certainty the Genesis Coupe will rock your world harder than a sniff of extra-fermented cabbage.

Available in two motor options, a V-6 and turbocharged I-4, in stock trim, the bigger six has the necessary power to move the 3,300-plus lbs of steel. On the track, the 306hp Genesis Coupe 3.8 hangs with the likes of G37s and RX-8s and the 266 lb-ft of torque breaks traction with just a pulse of the throttle. And these aren't arcane comparisons, but truths experienced at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV-not bad for Hyundai's rookie player. Likewise, taken to SP Engineering in City of Industry, CA, the V-6 put down a respectable 261.6 whp and 237.6 lb-ft of torque.

It's not just what's under the hood, either. The Genesis Coupe's chassis has 24-percent higher bending rigidity than an E46 M3 and the front dual-link MacPherson struts and five-link rear give it precise handling. My only gripe is the steering wheel-while I appreciate all the wheel-mounted controls, the construction feels spongy. Nothing a little Nardi can't fix. That, and save up for some suspension and you have an instant drift machine. With a factory warranty. Not just any ol' warranty either, but one that covers the original owner repair or replacement on powertrain components for 10 years/100k miles. That's like having a decade's worth of Hyundai dealers acting as your personal pit crew.

As good as the Genesis Coupe 3.8 is, the turbocharged four . . . not so much. If the car were 600 lbs lighter and devoid of all the necessary safety stuff and fancy options such as the six-speed manual, A/C, cruise control, Bluetooth, CD player, keyless entry, and iPod connectivity, all included in the base trim, it would put the Genesis Coupe 2.0T in Nissan S13 weight territory and prove to be formidable, stock. But it's not. Because we, the consumer, desire safety and widgets, which the Genesis coupe is laden with, the 2.0T doesn't have the hp-to-weight ratio a sports car requires. Rated at 210 hp and 223 lb-ft of torque from the factory, our 2.0T filled with the recommended 87 octane (yes, 87-the turbo four is tuned from Hyundai for standard fuel) put down an impressive 191.4 hp and 221.1 lb-ft to the wheels on SP Engineering's dyno. Despite the underrated power, for non-enthusiasts (i.e., not you), the turbo-four will feel like a sluggish, naturally-aspirated big I-4 or small V-6. For enthusiasts (i.e., you), the turbo reeks of spicy, garlick-y potential. Starting sub $23K, the Genesis Coupe 2.0T is a RWD, turbocharged platform from the factory that's screaming at the top of its lungs: "Tune me, please!" Intake? Sure! Full exhaust? Yes, please. Boost controller? Go for it. ECU and tune? Why freaking not.

But before you get started, one might want to start with the Track-equipped 2.0T. It tacks on the Premium trim goodies (power driver's seat, Infinity audio, sunroof, proximity key, HomeLink mirror) and adds 19-inch wheels with summer tires, Brembo brakes, track-tuned suspension, Torsen limited slip differential, HID headlights, fog lamps, aluminum pedals, aero wiper blades, rear spoiler, and upgraded seats, raising the MSRP from $22,750 to $27,500. But for true enthusiasts, there's the R-Spec. This tuner-friendly model keeps the Brembos, LSD, stiffer suspension, and 19-inch wheels from the Track package, strips some of the heavier options, and comes in at a competitive price (much less than the Track package), proving that the Korean OEs are finally starting to get it. And I couldn't be more stoked.

2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R Best Modification

Chances are you've never been to Romania. But if you're from certain parts of America, it would likely remind you of home. Its four distinct seasons render much of the year cool and wet-like that of the American Northwest. Dense vegetation in Romania's Carpathian foothills merges with farmland plains outside cities like Brasov in much the same as our Blue Ridge Mountains meet Appalachian lowlands in western Virginia. Dilapidated, forgotten-about industry in post-Soviet mining towns like Petrosani and Rosia Montana could blend seemlessly into the rural eastern-central Pennsylvania landscape. And while we might not have to deal with crumbling roadways that likely haven't been re-paved since the cold war, motorists in popular parts of Illinois, Arkansas or New York would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Likewise, Romania is just about the last place on Earth you'd expect to find this GT-R treading ground.

When I stepped off the plane in the land where this beast was created, I was met with entirely different conditions. The landspace was rocky and brown, the air dry and hot, and everything in sight had the artificial, pre-fabbed look of modern, rapidly growing Americana. "Welcome to Phoenix," my contact greeted me, "Home of Vivid Racing!"

The Financial Crisis of 2007-2009, as it will be called until next year, turned the tables of the global market. Citizens of China, Saudi Arabia and Russia became the world's new millionaires, while the American uber-rich lost billions. The falling value of the U.S. dollar helped foreign currency become more competitive. Prices of commodities and goods rose, and we responded by driving less, buying less and thus producing less, which continued the cycle. And to citizens of wealthy nations, our newly weakened dollar meant a firesale on U.S. goods. Enter Romania, a country with half the unemployment and 17 times the GDP growth rate of the U.S. Those who head Romania's growing industries-like Majaros Csaba, the owner of this machine-well . . . they suddenly found themselves with some disposable income.

"We got lucky and found a used GT-R three months after it was released," explains Dan Mermelstein, co-founder of Vivid, "with intentions to make it a clean, Wald-inspired Vivid Racing shop car for SEMA." The plan was to build the GT-R into a rolling showcase for Capital Forged wheels, Vivid Racing's talents as installers and tuners, and the potency of their Agency Power line of performance products. Once back from SEMA, it would pound the streets of Phoenix, repping the Vivid extended family at shows and track days, and at the local gathering spots. But then Count Csaba caught wind of it. "He was on the phone with us the very next day, negotiating build specifics and a selling price," explains Dan. When a foreign Daddy Warbucks offers to fund your shop's project car build, in the middle of your country's second-worst recession of all time-you listen to what they have to say. "His vision of the perfect GT-R was slightly different than ours," explains Dan, tactfully. But hey-who were they to argue?

Vivid's first step would be to alter the GT-R's appearance; a tricky prospect, considering the car had been on sale in the U.S. for all of three months. Importing genuine Wald aero components would take twice as long (with luck), and they weren't in any hurry to share their molds with Stateside competition. Dan's solution? Molding select portions of a Rieger Ford Focus front bumper onto the stock GT-R pieces (in the name of functionality-those bumper vents direct incoming air to the car's brakes), and joining Rieger E60 sideskirts with the GT-R's stock. The rear bumper was left OE, but risers were fabricated to lift the wing two inches off the trunk lid, and the whole car was re-sprayed flat red to separate it from its stock brethren, with flat black coats setting apart the roof, hood, wing, and newly added accents. Even the Capital Forged three-piece rollers were disassembled and given the treatment.

The decision to prep the interior for occasional track duty was scrapped, at the customer's orders. Stock recliners were not ditched in favor of racing buckets, and a roll cage was not added-a move anyone familiar with Romanian roadways would appreciate. Rather, the stock interior was simply re-upholstered in red-stitched grey leather and red Alcantara, and given carbon fiber overlays. And who needs additional gauges in a car with a stock display that shows more engine vitals than the average motorist knows what to do with? Gauges stayed out, but additional audio went in, via two 10-inch Diamond Audio subs and a two-channel amp in the trunk, enclosed in matching upholstery.

The main "problem" with modifying the GT-R really wouldn't be viewed as a problem at all by many-Nissan simply built it too well; dampening-adjustable shocks and 15-inch, two-piece Brembo rotors with six-piston calipers are fairly difficult to improve upon. In the case of the Vivid GT-R, they were left stock, but the car's stance was lowered and stiffened with Eibach Pro Kit springs-perfect for carving Carpathian mountain passes between Bicaz and Ceahlau. The engine, however, is a different story; the case can always be made for more power. The main wrinkle in increasing the GT-R's power is doing so without upsetting its delicate balance of tuning parameters. Fortunately, Cobb handles that problem with an Accessport featuring plug-n-play replacement maps that bump power in and of themselves, and allow for more even power to be made with the addition of bolt-on aspiration parts . . . like the Meisterschaft titanium exhaust and stainless mid-pipes, and Agency Power intake, intercooler piping and downpipes fitted to this GT-R-good enough for an additional 167 whp and 115 lbs-ft of torque.

2003 Acura RSX-S Sporty Tuning

This is more than a car, it's a four-wheeled illustration of the American Dream. If someone works hard, they can achieve their goals. And if someone wants their car painted Heineken metallic green-then adds blue, red and candy purple highlights-well, by golly, it's a free country.

BK, 24, works hard, holding down two jobs in Charlotte, NC (restaurant manager/chef and grocery stock associate), toiling seven days a week. Full name Byung Kook Choi, BK always wanted an Acura RSX. It was his dream car while in junior high around 2002. After graduating, he went to a showroom and put money down and got this '03 RSX Type-S, stuffed with the K20A2 engine, pearl-white from the factory.

"A couple of friends took me to a Honda meet, and that's when I started thinking about what I should modify on my car," says BK. "My first part was an AEM cold air intake-that's when I got hooked! "

Before he got too involved with the engine, BK decided to augment the looks with a J's Racing Type S body kit. This consists of a front bumper, side skirts, a carbon fiber rear diffuser and a Type V carbon fiber hood. Further aerodynamic appendages include front canards with winglets, a front under panel, trunk lid and a GT rear wing-all fashioned from carbon fiber. For a final aesthetic flourish, BK went for Ings wide fenders and lit the JDM DC5 headlights with Ignited HID 8,500K bulbs, then got the whole shebang painted in Heineken green.

It was another friend who first suggested this hue. BK mulled it over for a couple of weeks then spoke to his paint guy, who assured him that it would look great. "I've never seen another RSX painted like it," says BK. It's doubtful anyone has.

The next phase was all centered on the engine bay, so those sunglasses can come off now (but look out for those blue Samco Sport radiator hoses and the J's Racing blue anodized valve cover). The lure of forced induction was too great to resist, so while BK was in a GReddy state of mind, he sprang for a T517Z turbocharger, manifold and custom polished intercooler and pipes. He looked to HKS for its SSQV blow-off valve, to RBC for an intake manifold, and oversees the power delivery with a Turbo XS manual boost controller.

A Hondata K-Pro ECU (tuned by RLZ Engineering of North Carolina) keeps another hand on the reins, choreographing a BDL fuel rail, RC 650cc/min injectors and NGK Iridium spark plugs for the internal combustion tango. With the dance in full swing, BK's engine now makes a claimed 298 hp at 7,800 rpm and 236 lb-ft of torque at a peaky 6,800 rpm. This is still with the stock compression ratio of 11:1.

A well-regarded upgrade to Honda's K-series engines is the fitting of IPS K2 camshafts and valve springs, so BK wasn't about to fly in the face of conventional wisdom here. He also hooked up an HKS muffler, three-inch KTeller exhaust and piping, and a three-inch test pipe called . . . what was that name again? Ah yes, Unforgettable. Before we forget, BK added a Mishimoto aluminum radiator, removed the ABS, air conditioning and power steering apparatus, then did a full wire tuck.

A project always reminds us that everything we do has consequences down the line. So more power requires a beefed-up transmission. In this case, an Exedy Stage 2 cerametallic clutch and flywheel do the business, along with a Buddy Club short shifter and custom chromed transmission brackets. BK gets the power to the pavement via a Quaife limited-slip differential and Driveshaft Shop Stage 1 axles.

Phase three of the build focused on the suspension, with Tein Mono Flex adjustable coilovers gracing all four corners, augmented by Function7 billet lower control arms, Progress rear anti-roll bar and tie bars, plus Ingalls camber kits at the rear. Because it's easier to get a great setup on a rigid-bodied car than one flexing this way and that (this car is tuned to be road-friendly because BK drives to a lot of shows, even going as far as Toronto), BK installed a J's Racing strut brace up front, a Next Miracle X Bar out back and Cusco carbon fiber side bars. These helpful additions complement the main stiffening event: a Cusco six-point roll cage finished in classic Cusco blue, to go nicely with the green paint. This cage was originally made for the DC5 Type R, which doesn't have a sunroof, so there was a little cutting and welding needed to make it fit right.

If BK gets excited every time he adds an aftermarket part, he must have been beside himself when he obtained a set of ten-spoke, 18-inch Volk CE28N Time Attack edition wheels, finished in white and with a +35mm offset. He shod them with Dunlop Direzza DZ101 235/40 rubber and bolted them (with Project Kics Neo Chro titanium lug nuts) in front of brake calipers that have been powder-coated in dark candy purple. "They used to be red," says BK, "but I wanted something different." Okay. Concentrating on the stopping hardware for a second, it's an Endless big brake kit with six-piston calipers and rotors out front, stock single-pot calipers and Powerslot rotors in the rear, Endless pads, and Endless stainless steel lines.

By now, the car was crying out for a splash of red, so BK obliged with a set of red-stitched Bride GIAS2 Low Max Gradation front seats (note also the green Takata four-point harnesses) with matching trim for the rear seats, plus JDM DC5 Type R red carpets and door panels.

JDM: these are three little letters BK took to heart. He converted the car to right-hand drive. "This was the toughest time," he says. The dash is an authentic JDM DC5 Type R model, complete with center console and shift boot. The pedals are from an Integra Type R; the steering wheel is a 350mm Personal Neo Grinta; heck, even the windshield is JDM (courtesy of Edmun Laurea from Opak Racing).

Installed by BK's equally hard-working friend, Drew, are Defi boost, water temperature and oil pressure gauges, plus an AEM UEGO wideband air/fuel gauge. Also in the dash is an Alpine IVA-W200 head unit linked by Memphis Car Audio wiring to MCA amplifiers (set into a rack painted Cusco blue) and speakers. And for that ultimate touch of color, a blue titanium J's Racing shift knob.

1998 Toyota Supra Tuning Car

Think of all the places you ability acquisition a 1,600whp Supra. We've got three: On a dyno at a TX2K highest-hp pissing contest; at any accustomed annoyance band aural a 50-mile ambit of MSP Antagonism in the Baltimore area, Titan Motorsports in Orlando, or L.A.'s SP Engineering; or on a bivouac en avenue to said destinations. It wasn't until we met Jamie Carter that we'd apprehend to acquisition one in Ohio, in the bizarre Cleveland suburb of Chagrin Falls . . . at an elementary academy soccer practice.

"I don't drive it on the streets regularly," Jamie clarifies. In abrupt adverse to some of his added rides that acquire alone apparent the pavement of accessible roadway-a 715whp Porsche GT2, 900whp Z06 'Vette, and 580whp S4, to name a few-he congenital this Supra accurately for the strip. In fact, it was Jamie's above MKIV Supra (a 1,135whp barbarian dubbed "Top End") that garnered the self-proclaimed adrenaline abominable and part-time soccer dad abomination in artery antagonism circles by assault about every car adventurous abundant to band up abutting to it. Eventually alone additional artery bikes would run adjoin the Supra, and they lost, too. After time, no one would chase him, save for a assertive calm beef car you'll apprentice added about later, and architecture a apparatus almighty abundant to booty it out meant architecture one that would affectation a austere blackmail to the accustomed acceptation annoyance antagonism community. The alone reasonable advantage would be to do aloof that. But the accommodation wasn't anchored until Jamie activate himself in agitation with authority. "My wife 'strongly urged' me to stop artery racing," he laughs. "What could I do?

Rather than body "Top End" into his dream clue threat, Jamie absitively to allotment with it and antecedent a beginning platform. His chase for a clean-titled, straight-bodied MKIV anatomy took him all the way to Florida, area a non-turbo, hard-top adaptation was purchased and alien aback home to activate modification. It was in solid active condition, but wouldn't break that way for long. Jamie blew its agent up the day he accustomed it. "I aloof can't accumulate my basal off the gas!" he laughs. By the end of the afterward anniversary the car was taken to Toledo, OH's Accelerated Performance, bald to the bald shell, media accursed from top to bottom, accustomed a competition-legal Gary Reese 25.5 cycle cage (with supports for a ammunition cell, parachute and custom pro-stock rear wing), and added to a rotisserie at World Class Finishes in Uniontown, OH, apprehension a abounding BASF Spectra Blue Mica colorchange. This was to be a abounding Artery Class dragster; a car that would absorb at-a-glance artery legality, yet still be able to put on slicks and run bottomward the big boys. Its rear fenders were accustomed a "mini-tub" to this extent-re-worked aloof abundant to fit 29.5x11.5-inch slicks, but still absorb banal autogenous trim.

Accelerated Performance-the boutique amenable for the conception of "Top End"-handled the new car's complete re-build. And this is area things get crazy, for added affidavit than the obvious: every allotment of the car was ordered new. The agent block and head, glass, ascendancy arms, autogenous plastics, every nut, bolt and washer, head- and taillights-as you see it here, no allotment of this car, save for the unibody, was included with it aback its aboriginal buyer was aboriginal handed keys aback in '98. Every banal allotment on the car was ordered new, from Toyota. The car's absolute body is estimated to acquire amount $200K, with almost $100K invested in restoration. The actual $100K was attenuated into the achievement aftermarket.

Accelerated Performance's Donald Summerton and Russell Maskey rebuilt the powertrain absolutely from scratch. A cast new block was ordered from Toyota, re-worked centralized by the Accelerated aggregation with a quarter-fill (in layman's terms: reinforcing the basal of the cylinders with a cement-like mixture) and machining to acquire half-inch headstuds and a Crower/Carillo/CP Pistons alternating assembly, for a final displacement of 3.4 liters at 9.5:1 compression. A factory-fresh butt arch was alien to Dave Localio of Headgames in Ewing, NJ, for a abounding chase port, Ferrea +1mm valvetrain and machining to acquire custom-spec Crane cams. Once aback on Accelerated grounds, the aggregation abutting the aggregate and adapted it with a Abounding Chase turbo assorted and Precision Turbo GT47-88 snail, and bogus about every added agent borderline from scratch: a custom assimilation assorted to abutment Bosch 150lb/hr ammunition injectors, a turbo-back exhaust, a Garrett-cored air-to-liquid intercooler setup, a ammunition corpuscle apartment a massive Weldon 2345 pump, and accouterments of the Peterson/Moroso dry-sump oiling system. Coolant, oil and ammunition curve were switched to Earl's or Aeroquip stainless-covered Teflon and elastic replacements, and the cooling arrangement itself was absolutely formed over; upgraded to an AFCO radiator, bifold Earl's manual coolers and Flex-a-lite fans-telling signs that added than aloof annoyance band assignment would be in abundance for this ride.

The banal anatomy base was scrapped-this car wouldn't be application all the amenities it was built-in with, so why accumulate abundant base to them? Instead, Russell Maskey and aggregation kept alone the all-important components, active them centralized application alone mil-spec components, and active a Motec M800 ECU and CDI-8 for agent administration and agitation duties, respectively. Application a ample turbo is abundant for authoritative big power, but inherent lag and poor burke acknowledgment could all but annihilate dispatch in a manually confused car. Thus, a custom Nitrous Express direct-port arrangement was bogus to advice ball the turbo, and the admirable Getrag six-speed manual was ditched in favor of a TH400 automatic, sourced from a '70-something Suburban and re-worked by Rossler Transmissions in Girard, OH. With the accession of Driveshaft Boutique Stage 6 axles and a TRD bound blooper differential, it forms a bulletproof drivetrain that allows the 2JZ's Accufab burke to break wide-open from the timberline to the traps.

2004 VW New Beetle Cabriolet Modified Cars

EXTERIOR MODS:
genuine rsi bodykit sourced from germany with front wings and bumpers smoothed into one and front indicators removed, smoothed and led replacements hidden behind front honeycomb grill. side and door skirts blended into doors and rear quarters. inside of skirts underneath the door skirt blended into body. rear wings and bumper smoothed into one. original number plate recess smoothed, and relocated in a custom bottom recess (shortened). the original rsi rear exhaust vent cut outs have been filled with a smoothed out section. door handles removed and smoothed. door opening operates on a clifford 650i cat1 alarm system. press a button on the remote, all windows go down and you open the car door from the inside.

INTERIOR MODS:
interior is factory cream leather with heated sport seats up front and a 5.8" colour monitor linked to the pioneer p5700 touch screen headunit. ipod dock is located in the glove box and is controlled via the touch screen headunit. various colour coding and matching cream leather trim throughout the interior, as well as alloy/chrome trim.

ICE (In Car Entertainment, Audio & Security):
interior is factory cream leather with heated sport seats up front and a 5.8" colour monitor linked to the pioneer p5700 touch screen headunit. ipod dock is located in the glove box and is controlled via the touch screen headunit. various colour coding and matching cream leather trim throughout the interior, as well as alloy/chrome trim. door opening operates on a clifford 650i cat1 alarm system. press a button on the remote, all windows go down and you open the car door from the inside.

ENGINE MODS:
1.6, colour coded covers.

TRANSMISSION UPGRADE:
5 speed manual

SUSPENSION MODS:
rayvern air ride system, with air pressure gauges installed in interior cup holders with billet surrounds.

WHEELS:
mam mt1

TYRES:
215/35r19 kumho ecsta

BRAKE CONVERSION:
factory discs all round

Extreme Tuning Ford GT HP 790

Red is declared to be the accepted colour of warning. US car specialists GeigerCars.de from Munich accept angry this accustomed acumen on its head, presenting their hottest attempt with clear ablaze blooming paintwork. The Ford GT "Geiger HP 790" is the third brilliant afterwards the Dodge Challenger SRT-8 (569 HP) and the Corvette Z06 Bi-Turbo (890 HP).

Karl Geiger`s latest conception lives up to its name: the cool sports car`s 5.4 litre V8 agent can ability a agitating 790 horsepower, an absorbing 240 HP added than its alternation equivalent. The antecedent of this access of power? Above all the backup of the series-produced 2.3 litre with a added able 4.0 litre compressor which blasts the agitation alcove at over 1.25 bars. Larger burke valves and a sports clarify were additionally installed to accumulation the eight cylinders with alike added beginning air. The agent and accessory cooling systems had of advance additionally to be adapted to the new architecture as able-bodied as agent electrics.

Geiger HP 790 shoots to 100km/h in aloof 3.6 seconds, break the 200km/h mark 6 abnormal after and alcove 300 kilometres an hour in alone 22.8 abnormal - all this to appalling roars from the two 110-millimetre sports bankrupt appendage pipes - an in abode development. Thrust and air attrition don`t antithesis until you hit 360km/h. The supercharged V8 alcove best ability at 6320 rpm and its best torque - 863 Newton metres - at aloof 4600 revolutions.

No catechism that a ride like this is not for the beginner, but accomplished drivers will acquisition the distinctively developed coilover abeyance a abundant asset. Its hydraulic shock absorbers accept adjustable burden and backlash damping which can be set to clothing drivers` needs and preferences - and of advance the terrain.

Low and wide: the archetypal Ford sports car accommodation are taken alike added with 60-millimetere lowering. The caster apartment can`t aerial superb matt atramentous admixture auto categorical in the car colour, army in 9x20 inches at the advanced and an absorbing 11x21 at the rear. 245/35R20 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres on the advanced arbor ensure absolute manual of caster commands whilst the drive arbor 325/30R21 tyres consistently action for anchor and absorption - if alone so they don`t abandon in a billow of dejected smoke.

Audi S3 Antic Modification

Maybe every car architect has own antic archetypal based on some banal model. Audi, a car architect from Germany, has additionally one adumbrative – a acceptable attractive car with abundant parameters. Audi S3 is a bunched and beautiful agent and the best able artefact from the A3 artefact line.S3.

The S3 is a new affiliate of Audi’s antic ancestors and it can calmly handle today’s ambitious automotive bazaar abounding of agog enthusiasts. It looks abundant as the banal A3, but it has additionally added advancing attending (sporting sills, bumpers, chrome genitalia etc.) and high-output aggregate. Generally, this antic car is acceptable additionally for the best ambitious customer.

The S3 archetypal offers abnormally one abundant allotment – the agent of course. Everybody knows that Audi is an able and knows how to booty affliction about absolute bang systems as FSI in antic modifications.

The S3 owns a 2.0 liter in-line 4-cylinder agent allied with a turbo and cyberbanking agent management. Aloof 2 liters of displacement can aftermath amazing 265 hp (195 kW) at 6000 rpm and nice 350 Nm of torque accessible from 2500 rpm. These ethics are abundant to shoot these 1455 kilograms to 100kmph in aloof 5.7 seconds.

Audi R8 Sporty Tuning

The Audi R8 is a aftereffect of longtime assignment of Ingolstadt‘s designers, developers and technicians. One say that the Audi R8 is a attribute of history and able acquaintance (not alone from bedraggled tracks) of Audi, additional one thinks that this is a new way of automotive industry. Both are right.

Audi and this archetypal is a allotment of the best automotive production. Maybe it’s not so able as Lamborghini, or Ferrari, but it has absolutely abode amid them.

This antic auto with the aluminum anatomy (just alone 210kg) and LED daylights has become a hit of the year. Sharp lines, antic attending and absolute aerodynamics are priorities of this German monster.

The car has carbon elements both alfresco and inside, behemothic openings outside; amazing autogenous and acute amplitude prove its antic hearth.

The agent aloft the rear arbor is the better allurement of this model. A donor of the agent is the best antic adaptation of the A4 alternation alleged Audi RS4.

But it’s added active acknowledgment to the Audi R8’s lower weight. The agent placed beneath the eyes bottle is a 4.2 liter V8 with a FSI absolute injection. It can aftermath 420 hp at 7800 rpm. Speeding is accessible and accouterment by 430 Nm of behemothic torque. These ambit acquiesce the car to ability 100 km/h in 4.6 abnormal and 300 km/h after any cyberbanking limits.

AUD ABT SPORTSLINE R8 TUNING

Many tuners are aggravating to adapt those cartage that attending absolute additionally in their banal version. But some of them can aftermath actual nice modifications that attending alike bigger than those stocks. And one of these companies is today’s ABT Sportsline.

This bodykit alleged Extravagant isn’t some coincidence. It was created to bless the 110th ceremony of ABT Sportsline. This continued era is a able affidavit that additionally baby aggregation can become powerful. So this artefact has to be added than perfect.

The tuner has focused on beheld improvements of this admirable machine. So it has able a beheld kit including both bumpers, ancillary sills and rear wing.

The advanced allotment has assertive advanced bonanza with rib aperture adapted to accept alone one brace of ribs. Additionally air openings are covered with a bore atramentous grill.

There are tow pairs of spoilers in the advanced placed beneath the bonanza with a diffuser amid them. It’s accessible additionally in a carbon variation.

The ancillary sills are arresting on the car’s sides. Their accomplished angled curve are actual pleasing. They’re visually blurred the ride and accompany some nice bulk of extravagance.

There is additionally addition tiny change – a brace of vertical openings for air assimilation to the engine.

The Audi R8’s rear allotment was heavily modified. The better change is the rear bonanza with three new skewed openings. One of them is anchored beneath the block including a big brand of ABT. It’s acclimated as an off booty for hot air from the agent breadth and actual two openings are for hot air from brakes. They’re affiliated with an affected angled line.

We can acquisition there additionally a big diffuser (carbon adaptation available) analogous air beneath the car. There are additionally absorbing bankrupt tips placed in the bumper’s corners. The best accessible aerodynamics is provided by the antic addition on the trunk.

ABT Sportsline did some nice job beneath the awning too. They’ve adapted the V8’s ECU and installed a automated compressor to access the ability for 110hp and 120NM. So now we accept the acquainted Audi R8 alms 530hp and 550Nm of torque. This agency 3.9 abnormal to exhausted the 100 km/h and top acceleration of 317 km/h.

The college achievement needs the best abeyance too – new ABT shock-absorbers, bigger and abiding 380 mm anchor discs and highlight in case of new rims – admirable 5-spoke angled rims (9x20 in advanced and 11x20 at the back). They accept aforementioned blush as the anatomy and wears ultra humble tires.

Saleen S302 Extreme Tuning

Saleen Automotive, North America's premiere specialty agent architect announces it's actual advancing MY artefact band up. The "Extreme", forth with 6 added models in Saleen's archetypal band up, fabricated its apple admission on the runways of the retired El Toro Airport in Southern California. The S302E raises the bar for American achievement cars while never sacrificing appearance and control. The car affectionately accepted as the "Extreme" boasts a "Saleen built" 302 cubic inch agent aggrandized by a patented Saleen twin-screw, intercooled supercharger. The aggregate delivers an aberrant 620 Hp and 600 lb-ft of close snapping, annoy incinerating torque. "We accept that we are in the action of creating a allegorical new car. It's thrilling" says Saleen President and CEO, Paul Wilbur. "It seemed to accomplish faculty that as we go into our 25th Anniversary as a architect in North America that we accomplish our best and best able car yet."

The different motor in the "Extreme" able with a artificial crank, artificial abutting rods, alone blueprinted pistons, a 5 arbor CNC aluminum butt head, aerial breeze ammunition injectors and aerial achievement artificial camshafts. All of these apparatus accept been orchestrated to cobweb masterfully together, accompanying to our best-in-class patented Saleen accompanying spiral supercharger. When accumulated with a abbreviate bandy 6 acceleration chiral manual and a Max-grip rear differential, the "Extreme" alcove 60 mph in beneath than 4 abnormal and flies through the division mile in aloof beneath 12 seconds. "This abode represents a affectionate of automotive "mecca" for me. We are authoritative bound aggregate achievement cartage for bodies who absolutely adulation cars, by bodies who absolutely adulation cars. I cannot anticipate of a bigger abode to put my 35 years of OEM engineering history to work," says Vice Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Chris Theodore. Theodore is best accepted as actuality the ancestor of the Ford GT while Vice President of Advance Artefact Development at Ford Motor Company. "Now I am allowance body abundant Saleen cars in the aforementioned branch that I architected for the allegorical Ford GT.'

"This is the best motor that we accept anytime done', says Powertrain Engineering Lead Rob Simons. "We accept absolutely benefited from accepting Chris (Theodore) around. He brings angle and acquaintance to the aggregation clashing annihilation that we accept accepted prior." To get that affectionate of performance, the aggregation had to get S302E's ability to the ground. This is able with accepted 20 inch, 5 batten artificial aluminum admixture auto captivated in Pirelli P-Zero ‘Russo' tires. Since ability is annihilation after control, the "Extreme" additionally appearance a Saleen Racecraft abeyance and an all new, additional bearing Watts Link arrangement that is abiding to advice the disciplinarian advance ascendancy through the corners. The anatomy arrangement is angled out by upgraded 4 caster disc brakes with ABS and absorption control. This achievement anchor arrangement appearance 15" vented, slotted rotors with 6 agent calipers in the advanced and 11.8" rear vented discs with distinct agent calipers in the rear.

2011 Ford Mustang may get up to 30 mpg

The base model of the 2011 Ford Mustang will come with nearly GT power and could get up to 30 miles per gallon in highway driving, Ford Motor Co. announced today.

Ford will debut a new V-6 engine for the sports car this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show and says it will give the basic Mustang power to rival the performance-oriented Mustang GT, which has a V-8 under its hood.

The 3.7-liter powerplant, which replaces the 4-liter V-6 now in Mustangs, will produce 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque while also offering better gas mileage.

Ford projects the engine will get 19 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. The 2010 Mustang's 4-liter engine creates 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, while achieving 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

The new Mustangs will be available at dealerships in the spring.

Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst at Southfield-based consulting firm AutoPacific Inc., said the additional power catches the Mustang up to the V-6 Chevrolet Camaro and should help it stay at the top in pony car sales next year.

"The V-6 Mustang is Ford's best-selling Mustang and this is a lighter car, so it should feel faster," she said. "For people looking for these kinds of cars, Mustang is still the place to go."

According to Autodata Corp., which compiles car sales statistics, Ford sold 56,469 Mustangs through October, down 32.4 percent from the same period last year.

The Mustang remains about 8,000 units ahead of the Camaro, which was reintroduced this year by General Motors Co.

The new powertrain suggests that the GT will have to show some big improvements soon, Brinley added.

The 2010 GT with a 4.6-liter V-8 produces 315 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. It gets 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

By raising the base model's vitals and performance level, Ford likely will have to do the same to the 2011 GT, though the carmaker has not announced a new powertrain for that car.

The V-6 Mustang will come with a six-speed automatic or manual transmission, dropping its well-used five-speed.

Ford has promised to include six-speed transmissions on 90 percent of its vehicles by 2013 in another effort to make its vehicles more fuel efficient.

The new Mustang V-6 engine, built in Cleveland, boasts a number of high-tech features such as variable camshaft timing and variable valve overlap to improve the car's emissions, fuel economy and power. Ford has dubbed the system Ti-VCT.

"Drivers are going to notice improved low-speed torque and increased fuel economy and peak horsepower," Jim Mazuchowski, Ford's manager of V-6 powertrain operations, said in a news release. "Plus, there are benefits they won't notice, too, such as reduced emissions overall, especially at part-throttle."

Ti-VCT can lower the engine's emissions by controlling the NOx -- nitrogen oxide -- and hydrocarbons.

Ford will also announce at the Los Angeles show that it will introduce a performance package for the V-6 Mustang.

It will include a different rear axle for faster off-the-line acceleration, struts, stabilizer bars and brakes from the GT, unique badges and other features.

2011 Ford Mustang may get up to 30 mpg

The base model of the 2011 Ford Mustang will come with nearly GT power and could get up to 30 miles per gallon in highway driving, Ford Motor Co. announced today.

Ford will debut a new V-6 engine for the sports car this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show and says it will give the basic Mustang power to rival the performance-oriented Mustang GT, which has a V-8 under its hood.

The 3.7-liter powerplant, which replaces the 4-liter V-6 now in Mustangs, will produce 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque while also offering better gas mileage.

Ford projects the engine will get 19 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. The 2010 Mustang's 4-liter engine creates 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, while achieving 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

The new Mustangs will be available at dealerships in the spring.

Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst at Southfield-based consulting firm AutoPacific Inc., said the additional power catches the Mustang up to the V-6 Chevrolet Camaro and should help it stay at the top in pony car sales next year.

"The V-6 Mustang is Ford's best-selling Mustang and this is a lighter car, so it should feel faster," she said. "For people looking for these kinds of cars, Mustang is still the place to go."

According to Autodata Corp., which compiles car sales statistics, Ford sold 56,469 Mustangs through October, down 32.4 percent from the same period last year.

The Mustang remains about 8,000 units ahead of the Camaro, which was reintroduced this year by General Motors Co.

The new powertrain suggests that the GT will have to show some big improvements soon, Brinley added.

The 2010 GT with a 4.6-liter V-8 produces 315 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. It gets 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

By raising the base model's vitals and performance level, Ford likely will have to do the same to the 2011 GT, though the carmaker has not announced a new powertrain for that car.

The V-6 Mustang will come with a six-speed automatic or manual transmission, dropping its well-used five-speed.

Ford has promised to include six-speed transmissions on 90 percent of its vehicles by 2013 in another effort to make its vehicles more fuel efficient.

The new Mustang V-6 engine, built in Cleveland, boasts a number of high-tech features such as variable camshaft timing and variable valve overlap to improve the car's emissions, fuel economy and power. Ford has dubbed the system Ti-VCT.

"Drivers are going to notice improved low-speed torque and increased fuel economy and peak horsepower," Jim Mazuchowski, Ford's manager of V-6 powertrain operations, said in a news release. "Plus, there are benefits they won't notice, too, such as reduced emissions overall, especially at part-throttle."

Ti-VCT can lower the engine's emissions by controlling the NOx -- nitrogen oxide -- and hydrocarbons.

Ford will also announce at the Los Angeles show that it will introduce a performance package for the V-6 Mustang.

It will include a different rear axle for faster off-the-line acceleration, struts, stabilizer bars and brakes from the GT, unique badges and other features.

2009 Brabus Tesla Roadster

2009 Brabus Tesla Roadster

Brabus presents an exclusive customization program for the Tesla Roadster, the world’s first electrically powered production sports car.

Toyota MR2 Hybrid Sports Car In the Offing

There's a feeling among car fans that hybrid vehicles are set to kill the driver-oriented sportscar. But many skeptics were silenced when Honda took the wraps off of its CR-Z coup concept recently. After all, anything that could bring back the CRX hatchback with extra power at no extra cost at the fuel pumps has to be pretty good right? Now it seems Toyota wants in on some of that hybrid sports car action.

Recent reports out of Japan are suggesting that Toyota may be working on a reborn hybrid sportscar of its own. The company once known for its sports-coupes recently unveiled the FT-86 concept, and might be ready to follow up with a gasoline-electric resurrection of the cult classic MR2. The budget-friendly mid-engine/rear-drive sportscar had a big following right up until the third-generation model was discontinued two years ago. But if the latest reports are to be believed the old MR2 is set for a hybrid comeback.

2011 Tesla Model S

2011 Tesla Model S

The Tesla Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes. The Model S does 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, and will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph.

2010 Volkswagen Scirocco Cup

2010 Volkswagen Scirocco Cup

Volkswagen Scirocco Cup 2010

The Cup version of the Volkswagen Scirocco is designed to enable eco-friendly motorsport. Based on the TSI unit fitted in the Scirocco, the Bio-CNG-racing version of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine develops 203 lbs ft of torque and up to 223 PS. A push-to-pass system provides a short burst of increased power of 30 PS to create additional overtaking opportunities and action throughout the race. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifts operate a six-speed DSG gearbox and, as with the road-going Scirocco R, power is channelled through the front wheels.

2009 Hofele Royster GT 460

2009 Hofele Royster GT 460

Hofele Royster GT 460 - Front Angle View

Hofele has released a wide-body kit called Royster GT 460, for the Volkswagen Touareg facelift. The Wide-Body Kit consists of the following components: Front bumper, 4x additional lights, rear apron with integrated tailpipes, tailpipe adapters, rear roof spoiler, rear door panel, bonnet / hood scoop “Power Dome”, and wheel spacers “Wide-Body Royster”.

2010 Volkswagen GTI MkVI US-Version

2010 Volkswagen GTI MkVI US-Version

2010 Volkswagen GTI MkVI US-Version Black

The 2010 Volkswagen GTI MkVI is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with direct-injection that pushes out 200HP at 5,100 rpm and 207 lb-ft. of torque from 1,800 all the way up to 5,000 rpm. Come with the standard six-speed manual transmission, the Volkswagen GTI MkVI an go from a zero to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds and on to an electronically limited 130 mph top speed, 7.5 second run from 37 to 62 mph in fifth gear, and finishes with a redline of 6,500 rpm.

2009 Volkswagen L1 Concept

2009 Volkswagen L1 Concept

Volkswagen L1 Concept 2009

The Volkswagen L1 Concept two-seater is powered by a new common rail turbo-diesel (two-cylinder TDI) and an electric motor. With its average fuel consumption of 1.49 litres diesel per 100 kilometres with CO2 emissions of the 160 km/h fast concept car are just 39 g/km. The TDI, E-motor and 7-speed DSG are located at the rear. The Volkswagen L1 Concept primary drive source is a completely redeveloped two-cylinder turbo-diesel with common rail direct injection (TDI). It is operated in two different modes depending on the load conditions. In the standard “ECO” mode, the 800 cm3 TDI develops a power of 20 kW / 27 PS (at 4,000 rpm); in “Sport” mode – used to reach top speed, for example – the car’s power rises to 29 kW / 39 PS (at 4,000 rpm). The TDI’s maximum torque is 100 Newton-meter (at 1,900 rpm). Naturally, the Volkswagen L1 also has a Stop-Start system that automatically shuts down the engine when vehicle has stopped and restarts when the accelerator or E-pedal is pressed.

2009 APS MKVI Volkswagen Golf GTi

2009 APS MKVI Volkswagen Golf GTi

APS MKVI Volkswagen Golf GTi 2009

APS of Brackley unveiled a new Stage One engine performance upgrade for the MKVI Volkswagen Golf GTi. Thorough analysis by APS’s technicians has enabled the development of an effective ECU remap for the newly revised version of VAG’s renowned turbocharged 1984cc, EA888 TFSI engine. The standard Volkswagen Golf VI GTI produces 207bhp and 207lb.ft of torque. By comparison, APS’s Stage One ECU performance upgrade increases power to 250bhp at 5800rpm, while torque jumps to a mighty 292 lb.ft at 2650rpm. On the road, this translates into significant performance improvements, with the 0-60mph time falling from 6.9 to 6.2 seconds, while top speed increases from 149 to approximately 155mph.

2010 Vauxhall Astra

2010 Vauxhall Astra

The 2010 Vauxhall Astra comes with 4.4 metre-length body, is an all-new chassis with a 71 millimetre-longer wheelbase, benefiting both passenger comfort and packaging. Wider tracks front and rear feature, as does a new rear axle design, enhancing the Astra’s dynamic performance still further is the option of Vauxhall’s clever FlexRide system, a rarity in this sector which offers drivers three unique damper settings – standard, sport and tour – while being fully adaptive to changes in driving style and cornering speed.

2009 Vauxhall Insignia VXR

2009 Vauxhall Insignia VXR

Vauxhall Insignia VXR aka Opel Insignia OPC packing with 325 horsepower and a sophisticated four-wheel-drive chassis and a sub-six second 0-60 time. Vauxhall Insignia VXR highlights are a HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) front suspension system, Adaptive 4X4 with electronic Limited Slip Differential (eLSD) and a 10 millimetre reduction in ride height over the Insignia SRi. The Insignia VXR will come as a 4-door sedan, 5-door hatch or Sports Tourer model. Vauxhall Insignia VXR goes on sale early this summer.

2009 Vauxhall Police Insignia

2009 Vauxhall Police Insignia

2009 Vauxhall Police Insignia

GM UK Special Vehicles has pulled the wraps off the all-new Police specification version of the Vauxhall Insignia. Three versions are available. A high-speed pursuit car featuring either 2.0-litre 220PS turbo or a 2.8-litre 260PS petrol engine and all-wheel-drive, or a 160PS 2.0CDTi patrol car.