Autoblog

BMW Z4 priced from $46,575

2009-03-28T17:03:00Z

Filed under: Car Buying , Convertibles , BMW The BMW Z4 is all new for 2010, and the updated roadster will be ready for production later this spring. BMW gave the Z4 sleeker sheet metal, a folding hard top, and upgraded powertrains, but the biggest change could be to its price tag. Buyers looking for a new Z4 can expect to plunk down $46,575. That's a big jump from the base $36,700 of the 2008 Z4, which packed less power and less road presence. The 46 large is also exactly the same price as the...(read more)

Spy Shots: Undisguised Vauxhall Insignia VXR caught napping

2009-03-28T15:35:00Z

Filed under: Spy Photos , Sedans/Saloons , Euro , Opel , Vauxhall It didn't make an appearance at the Geneva Motor Show , but General Motors' white-hot Vauxhall Insignia VXR is spending more time out of doors and (accidentally?) posing for pictures for the folks at Auto Express . With 320 horsepower and a rumored all-wheel drivetrain at work, the fettled Insignia is said to have lapped the Nürburgring in (grains of salt at the ready) just over eight minutes on its 20-inch wheels. If...(read more)

Ferrari launching new website in conjunction with 2009's first F1 race

2009-03-28T14:02:00Z

Filed under: Ferrari This Sunday marks the opening of the 2009 Formula One season and Ferrari will celebrate by launching a redesigned website. For most of us, browsing the Ferrari site is as close as we'll get to actually shopping for one. Unlike the typical automaker Internet presence, Ferrari is offering far more than just its current model lineup. Among the features of the new Ferrari.com will be the Maranello Experience, where you can take a virtual tour of the company's engineering...(read more)

Your Formula 1 season has officially begun, Brawn GP in the lead

2009-03-28T13:28:00Z

Filed under: Motorsports , Australia It seems like F1 has been suffering the wrong kind of turmoil for the past few years: big and little teams failing; espionage; driver spats; owner-and-FIA spats; record penalties and fines; sex scandals; and regulations being changed like diapers - just to name a few things. The 2009 season has started off in a bit of turmoil as well, with six teams' car designs protested against. But all of that has been overshadowed by the right kind of turmoil, which happened...(read more)

No Beans Required: UK pilot breaks wind-powered car speed record

2009-03-28T12:33:00Z

Filed under: Green Britain's Richard Jenkins has just broken the world land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle. The high-tech contraption he used is called the Greenbird , which is the fifth wind-powered ride Jenkins has built. The resourceful Brit designed Greenbird himself over the course of a decade and built the machine almost completely from carbon fiber. Interestingly, Greenbird was sponsored by Ecotricity , the company currently working to build an electric Lotus that will be charged...(read more)

Audi centennial timepiece celebrates 100 years on four wheels with four hands

2009-03-28T11:02:00Z

Filed under: Gadgets , Audi , Lifestyle Audi teamed up with Munich-based watchmaker Chronoswiss to create the Tachoscope, celebrating 100 years of Audi. The mechanical timepiece has a chronograph and tachometer function (to measure velocity) inspired by the Auto Unions that helped define the Audi adventure: the second hand's numerals are derived from the tach in the Auto Union Type C Grand Prix racer. Also novel is the fact that the hour hand resides in the upper inset dial -- the large hands...(read more)

TopGear.com America completes Project Sipster, lives to tell the tale

2009-03-28T09:30:00Z

Filed under: Green , Hatchbacks , Volkswagen , Humor Click above to watch video after the jump TopGear.com America is trying to carve a name out for itself, which is difficult to do with the original UK magazine and wildly popular TV show looming overhead and the specter of a U.S.-based program in people's minds. Still, we're totally behind the way they've gone about it, which is to make their first big original feature an interesting project car with a practical purpose. The team started...(read more)

VIDEO: Sultan of Michigan's car collection one of nicest we've ever seen

2009-03-27T19:57:00Z

Filed under: Sports/GTs , Etc. , Videos , Supercars , Audi , BMW , Buick , Chevrolet , Chrysler, LLC. , Dodge , GM , Lamborghini , Maserati , Mercedes-Benz , Porsche , Rolls-Royce , Ferrari , Saleen , Alfa Romeo , Callaway , AMG , Special/Limited Editions We've been through a lot of great car collections and museums over the years, but even we have to admit that we've never seen a private collection like this. Assembled by a shadowy figure known only as "The Sultan of Michigan,"...(read more)