Hot Cars

Owner Of Rare Mercedes AMG CLK-GTR Sues, Claims Car Doesn’t Work

The owner of a Los Angeles dealership has sued Mercedes-Benz and DaimlerChrysler, claiming the Mercedes AMG CLK-GTR he bought for $1.7 million is a lemon.

Mark Johnston, co-owner of Grand Prix Motors, told the Los Angeles Times that when he took the 12-cylinder, 612-hp car out for its first drive with a prospective buyer two years ago, the oil light came on, the gears wouldn’t shift properly and the car shuddered violently. The vehicle is one of five known to exist and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive production car ever made.

Johnston claims he has been unable to get Mercedes to pay for repairs. A Mercedes-Benz USA spokesperson said: “The customer bought the vehicle directly from Germany. We don’t import it, and we don’t have the ability or the parts or the training to service it.”
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BMW Z4 M Roadster TC Kline Racing

Tuning company TC Kline Racing have created a carbon fibre bodied version of the Z4 roadster for public consumption. Powered by the same 3.2 litre straight 6 found in the BMW M3, but weighing 180 kgs (400 lbs) less than the standard Z4 roadster, the Z4 CR is clothed in a fairly faithful replica of the Z4’s bodywork, albeit in carbon fibre composite.

Wider wheel arches, a deeper front bumper, more pronounced side skirts and a rear diffuser all add to the aerodynamic abilities of the roadster while offering a more muscular appearance. The original Z4 was a ‘love it or hate it’ design, this is no different.

Inside, TC Kline teamed up with Recaro to create a unique interior for the Z4 CR, featuring lightweight one piece race seats upholstered in Alacantera and leather and fitted for a racing harness.

Underneath the carbon bodywork TC Kline have fitted the Z4 CR with KONI adjustable suspension, their in-house designed front camber plates which allow for faster turn-in and better steering feedback, and upgraded PFC (Performance Friction Corp.) brake calipers and rotors.

Toyota’s New Family Of 4-cylinder Engines Set To Launch With Redesigned Corolla

TOKYO - The redesigned Toyota Corolla, due to be launched in Japan this fall, is expected to be powered by the first in a family of new four-cylinder gasoline engines.

Toyota says its new 1.8-liter engine will be cleaner, more efficient and more powerful than its predecessor.

For example, Toyota says the engine will offer at least a 5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency compared to conventional engines.

Toyota builds 1 million of the current engines a year in plants around the globe. The new 1.8-liter engine will be the first in a family of engines that will range from 1.6 to 3.0 liters.
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2006 Alfa Romeo Diva Concept

Built in conjunction with Alfa Romeo and to celebrate their 10th year as a design school, Espera Sbarro are presenting the DIVA concept at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show . Styling cues for the prototype hark back to Alfa Romeo’s past and the students that created this concept are obviously influenced by the iconic Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Like the 33 Stradale, the Diva sports taught proportions, gullwing doors that pivot forward and a centrally mounted engine. Easy access is provided to the front mechanics and engine comparment via large flip-forward and back panels, just like the 33.

Unlike previous Alfa Romeo concepts, the Diva breaks barriers that Alfa Romeo’s own Centro Stile might not. For instance the front end treatment takes Alfa’s familiar face, but with a modern, more ‘Formula One’ edge. And, unlike the flowing 8C Competitzione released in 2003, the Diva is noticeably chiseled and features a bevy of hard lines.

Most of the technical development for the Diva was carried out by Elasis, a research and development subsidiary of Fiat. They heavily modified an Alfa Romeo 159 chassis to accept a tuned 147 GTA engine in the middle of the car!

Ford Determined To Keep Marketing Support High For Fusion

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. marketers learned a tough lesson when they dialed back spending on the Ford Five Hundred and Freestyle last year. And they intend not to repeat the mistake with the Fusion.

So in a shift from its usual pattern when launching a vehicle, Ford won’t trim the marketing budget for the sedan during its second year.

Marketing support for the Fusion, Ford’s most promising new-car debut this decade, will be maintained at launch-year levels, said Linda Perry-Lube, car communications manager for the Ford brand.

She wouldn’t disclose the budgeted amount.
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2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R

Nissan gave the world a big glimpse of its keenly anticipated 2008 Skyline GT-R with this carefully constructed show car. The GT-R PROTO is not a near-production model, though, as the interior is just a blank black panel, and Nissan is providing absolutely no details on the powertrain, suspension, or other critical technical details. Nissan wants to maintain the car’s mystique for another two years, since the production car won’t debut until the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Besides, the GT-R development team is still camped out at the Nürburgring, fine-tuning what is sure to be the most exciting new Nissan to come along in years.

Yet there is plenty to glean from the muscular show car, which features the Skyline GT-R’s signature four round taillamps as well as four big-bore mufflers. Shaped as much for aerodynamic efficiency and functionality as for awesome road presence, the GT-R PROTO should whet the appetite and please the masses.

With Nissan insiders under a strict, mafia-like code of omerta (silence), the Tokyo grapevine reports that the 2008 production car will have a twin-turbo V-6 engine displacing about 3.8 liters and producing somewhere between 400 and 500 hp. We hope it will be closer to the latter figure. It also will feature an updated version of Nissan’s ATTESA all-wheel-drive system.