Geneva 2008: Audi A3 Cabriolet

Credits:
Article written by Vlad

At the Geneva Motor Show, besides the Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans, another interesting display at the Audi was the new Audi A3 Cabriolet.

Like all Audi’s convertibles, the A3 cabrio is fitted with a classic fabric top (lighter and allows more luggage space when folded) which opens hydraulically in nine seconds and is offered partially automatic and fully automatic, the latter being a specially soundproofed acoustic top. Like you’d expect, the safety is very important at a convertible model and materials like high-strength steels were used and the car also has plenty of reinforcement features.

The A3 Cabriolet customers will have four engine choices: the 1.9 TDI with 77 kW (105 hp), the 2.0 TDI with 103 kW (140 hp), the 1.8 TFSI with 118 kW (160 hp) and the 2.0 TFSI with 147 kW (200 hp). They will also be able to choose the S tronic dual-clutch transmission. The first customers will get their cars this spring.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

25,000 Dodge Vipers produced

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Article written by Vlad

Chrysler announced that the 25,000th Dodge Viper was produced, at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan. The milestone vehicle was a 2008 Viper SRT10 and Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli handled the car to the lucky owner, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, who said: “To be an active part in celebrating the 25,000th Dodge Viper to roll off the assembly line is an extraordinary honor and one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

The Dodge Viper concept was first introduced at the 1989 Detroit NAIAS and the first car was produced in 1992. Check out more photos of the 25,000th Dodge Viper and a video from the ceremony after the jump.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Another unlucky Audi R8, in Portugal

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Article written by Vlad

Don’t know why, but it seems the Audi R8 is one unlucky car. We wrote about R8s crashed in Germany, in Russia and in the UK (not really a crash, but soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo lost control of his car and was very close to an accident). This time a Portuguese guy lost control of his Audi R8 in Oporto, Portugal, right in front of the city’s hospital. There were no injuries, but the car was pretty damaged, after climbing the sidewalk and also hitting two Mercedes that were on display.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Opel releases new Insignia teaser photo

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Article written by Vlad

As some of you probably know, the next generation Opel Vectra will be called the Opel Insignia and will be presented on July 2nd, at the London Motor Show. The car is based on GM’s Epsilon II platform and rumors say it will also replace the Saturn Aura in the US.

Besides this teaser photo, Opel also released an image of the upcoming Insignia’s headlamps, which will feature a new AFL technology, which has a lot of very interesting features, like the automatical adjustment of the headlamp beam distribution and LED daytime running lamps for less electricity and fuel.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Porsche Traveller, ugliest design study we’ve seen in a long time

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Article written by Vlad

Fortunately, this is not an official Porsche concept car, but a result of Ivan Volkov’s imagination. There’s not much to say about it, except that it looks horrible, we hope that Ivan will stay off the vodka and that Porsche will not take into consideration this design. We even started thinking if the Lamborghini Alar is still the ugliest concept we’ve seen.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

P.Diddy to take drunk celebrities home

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Article written by Vlad

Actually, not taking them at home by himself, but offering them a car and a driver that will safely take them home after a tough night of partying and drinking. P.Diddy announced that he will launch a car service that will provide celebrities the possibility to go home without having to drive, avoiding all those DUI charges and paparazzis.

I’m sure this is good news to Lindsey or Paris, but I’m thinking that if one of these celebs gets drunk, wants to go home and they’re not capable of calling for a cab, what makes Diddy think they’ll call his service? Oh, and how do you qualify as a celebrity?

Here’s what one of the rap star’s reps said: “After partnering with Ciroc vodka, he wants to make sure everyone’s partying responsibly […] making sure nobody gets arrested!” Yeah, right, good luck with that!

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Guy paints car like police cruiser, officials are ok with it

Credits:
Article written by Vlad

Did you know what are the two things you need to do in order to be allowed to paint your car like a police cruiser? Easy, all you have to do is own a car that isn’t in your local police car fleet and then not act like a policeman while driving it. Yup, that easy. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this to be like this.

Jesse Virgil wanted to paint his 2007 Ford Mustang to look like a police cruiser from the “Transformers” movie because Thomas, his 7 yo son is a really big fan of the movie. Virgil said: “My intent was to re-create the movie car. When I came back from Iraq, I tried to spoil him. I wasn’t the best dad before.” However, before starting working on it, he adressed the city’s police department and asked them if they’ll allow him to do that.

And they said that, as long as he doesn’t act like a cop while driving the car, everything’s ok. Of course, there are some differences between an actual police car and Virgil’s car. For example, the “To protect and serve” slogan was replaced with “To punish and enslave” and, instead of telling people to dial 911 for emergencies, the car says “dial 411 for theater information.” Later, he added a bar of emergency lights, but these are not actual lights and their only use is to make the car look more police-like.

So, what do you think, besides the coolness of the car, is it such a good idea to allow people to paint their cars like police ones? I mean, ok, the police doesn’t have Mustangs, but who knows exactly what cars the police has?

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Geneva 2008: Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans

Credits:
Article written by Vlad

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, one of the stars of the Audi stand was definitely the special edition Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans, the first 12-cylinder diesel engine in a high-performance sports car. The six liters V12 TDI engine produces 500 hp and 1,000 Nm (737.56 lb-ft) of torque. The R8 TDI Le Mans from Geneva shines in the Brilliant Red paint finish and features a more sporty interior, with aluminum applications, steering wheel rim with a flat lower edge. But enough said, we’ll let you enjoy the Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans photos we took at Geneva. Click on the ‘Read More’ link below to see the photos.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com