Let's Do The News! (December 13, 2012)

(cheers and applause)

In the studio...

Hardly believe it....I hardly believe that it would happen...

What?

You were saying that more and more car enthusiasts prefer Corvettes than Vipers?

Seriously, yes. It was like the case that, you know, 2013 GT500 vs Camaro ZL1. Ford said that the Shelby GT500 is the king of V8's because it has the most powerful V8 engine in the world but some say they like the Camaro ZL1 very much than the latest GT500. It seems that more and more prefer the "loser" Chevy than any other American carmaker that targets against Chevy's finest. Now that we're in the case of Vette vs. Viper...look at it...

(awwwwww)

Corvettes are better than Vipers...

Let's see...um...55% prefer Corvettes...45% prefer Vipers....are you sure is that accurate?

Yes. It's a popularity contest. Seems that Corvette has the most supporters than Vipers.

That's great Hammo but you know that next year will be the year the Corvette gets regenerated, right?

Oh...I almost forgot about that memo but still, for me, Vipers are better than Vettes, but not all the time because there are a bountiful of enthusiasts claiming that Corvettes are better than Vipers because of its heritage, its fan feedback, its performance on the road and motorsports, and also, loyalty.

Shall we do the news then?

Right, the news and we'll begin with the Mini Paceman, because now that Mini announced their new John Cooper Works version of the Paceman, which is essentially a 3-door version of the Countryman with a memo of..."Oi, Watch It Spaceman!"

(audience laughing)

What do you mean by that?

Well, it's a JCW version. It's a shouty one like that scene from Doctor Who where Donna Noble says "Oi, Watch It Spaceman!". Wanna know how "Oi, Watch It Spaceman!" that is? Check it out...

2014 Mini John Cooper Works Paceman

(audience laughing)

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/12/first-photos-of-mini-sportier-paceman.html

OI WATCH IT SPACEMAN!

Oi, watch it Spaceman!

Spaceman? More like BITE ME ALIEN BOY!

(audience laughing)

BITE ME, ALIEN BOY!

Get it? BITE ME, SPACEMAN!!!! (laughing)

(audience laughing continuously...then stopped)

Anyway, enough about that now, what's up with that OI WATCH IT PACEMAN?

Let's see...it will have a turbocharged unit delivers about 215hp (218PS) and 280Nm (207 lb-ft).

Oi!

Oi!

Oi!

Oi!

Stop it!

(audience laughing)

Anyway, after much speculation, BMW unveiled the Gran Coupe version of the BMW M6. Here it is...

2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

That's basically a 4-door saloon version of the BMW M6 and it still has the same 4.4L V8 Twin Turbo engine from the standard model.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/12/all-new-bmw-m6-gran-coupe-officially.html

Hey, do you think this is a much worthy opponent to the Audi S7 and the Mercedes CLS63 AMG?

(audience laughing)

What did you say?

Um...I was asking if this is a proper rival to the Audi S7 and the Mercedes CLS63 AMG...

By the looks of it, not now at the moment, and in the meantime, let's advance...

(Homer: Push Notification)

Hey buddy, what's that?

Oh! It's that noise again. It keeps doing it every time. It always sounds like Homer Simpson's in my iPhone...

(audience laughing)

Uh, must be your new app you have a few weeks ago...What was that app again?

Simpsons Tapped Out...

Simpsons Tapped Out! Of course! A Sim City-like game with a Simpsons twist! Good thing I never had that app...

Why Hammo?

Because the push notifications are too noisy for an app that was oh so great!

(audience laughing)

That's two things! Thanks, Hammo! Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the news! Well, it seems that DMC will be making a tuned version of the Lamborghini Aventador just by injecting 200 more HP to to the standard model and...that's not all...look...

DMC Aventador LP900 SV

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/12/dmc-applies-j-speedster-looks-on.html

(whoa)

That thing really looks like the one-off Aventador J! I mean look on the outside, that looks nearly identical to the Aventador J! Remarkable!

I know, that is remarkable but I wonder...could it be as remarkable and stunning than this?

Vorsteiner Renazzo V

It's from Vorsteiner. This is their newest entry to the Vorsteiner lineup, it's called the Renazzo V and it is essentially based on the Lamborghini Gallardo but seems that the front view now kinda looks like the Aventador perhaps... That looks yummy enough in the eye of the beholder.

Indeed and before we end this, can I just say one thing to those idiot boys around here...

Take THAT society!!!

(audience laughing)

What is it for?

THAT THAT SOCIETY!!!! TAKE THAT INDIA!!! No Mitsubishi Mirage for Indian market and Toyota's India subsidiary, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said no new models coming in India in the next three years! TAKE THAT SOCIETY!!! Pbbbt!!!!

Oh geez...

And on that bombshell, that's the news!!!

SRT Viper

I've already toying around with the all new 2013 SRT Viper in most games such as Car Town, Forza Motorsport 4, Forza Horizon, and Need For Speed Most Wanted (ahem, the 2012 one, not the 2005 kind of Most Wanted you've remember). I've already told you that new Viper sports a new look, new V10 engine, and a new level of Viper-ness that some Viper loyalists believe that they're better than the undisputed king of American cars, the Chevrolet Corvette. As for me, I was in a bit of a shock that I thought that this new 2013 SRT Viper is a much better alternative to the Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1. I'll report this kind of story...now...

2013 SRT Viper

Before that, here's a bit of a history lesson about the Viper heritage. You see, the Viper project began in the late 80's when the people behind the legendary Viper wanted to create a modern day version of the legendary Shelby Cobra. When Bob Lutz once ruled Chrysler with an iron fist, he enlisted help to Tom Gale at Chrysler Design to make a modern-day Cobra into fruition and the pre-production mule appeared at the 1989 NAIAS, which such feedback propelled to a wildly successful 1992 debut. The elite few behind this project is called Team Viper. These guys were also responsible for making high-performance versions of other Chrysler models, thus better known as the Street and Racing Technology or SRT for that matter. With several years passed, the Viper recipe really is a poisonous redemption that rules the performance benchmark with an iron fist and right until the death of the Viper in 2010 due to the economic climate.

However, even when the Viper stopped in 2010, when Fiat's Sergio Marchionne took over ever since Fiat took over Chrysler during the financial crisis, he said that the Viper will rise again like a phoenix rose from the ashes and a couple of years later...here it is. The Viper returns with a indefinite vengeance to claim back what it took during its two year hibernation.

2013 SRT Viper interior

Former boss of Dodge, now boss of the SRT brand, Ralph Gilles, told that for its rebirth, it should not be based on anything, has a very rearward cabin and a long hood, and most importantly, a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people. In the past, most Vipers don't have a host of safety features such as traction control and stability control, therefore most Vipers are made to be almost challenging for beginners. I wouldn't believe that those who once owned a Viper must have been braved enough to master the venom within. Anyway, now onto this new model, the promises that the SRT CEO told were fulfilled...nearly. It's not based on anything because the body and the platform are all new as well as its components, the interior cabin is very rearward, the hood is very long to accommodate its extra-large 8.4L V10 engine, and also more forgiving to drive and accessible to more people because for the first time in Viper history, the all new SRT Viper now comes with a host of safety equipment, especially traction control and stability control.

Thankfully though, it still retains the proper 6-speed manual transmission but it was developed to survive the massive and unforgiving torque coming from the V10 engine that powers it.

2013 SRT Viper

When I drive one of these in such video games, I was gonna say that the all new SRT Viper is going to be as unforgiving as the past Vipers but for me, it's almost unforgiving as other Vipers of yesteryears. It feels more civilized, it feels like a European exotic in terms of handling. Seems that the Americans finally made something that the Americans would be proud of but one thing though...could the SRT Viper be more enough to rattle down against the Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1? General fact though that the all new Viper's 8.4L V10 engine produces much more power than the ZR1 and thanks to the SRT Viper's weight loss diet, it produces a power-to-weight ratio of 4.91, which means that's more power to weight than the ZR1 and also a Lamborghini Aventador, but we're not into that because you know that the V12 Lambo can crush an SRT Viper easily on the straights. Mind you, we did put both the SRT Viper and the Corvette ZR1 in the straights and the results are by such luck.

Instead of putting such differences, the producers told me to take part of a week-long Car Town challenge, which is known to be as Who Rules? In the first installment, there was a comparison between the Chevy Camaro and the Ford Mustang. I voted Mustang but the results picking up that there are more Camaro supporters than Mustang supporters. Anyway, forget about that and I was on the second chapter and this time it's the war between America's finest sports cars such as the Corvette and the Viper. I was in a bit of discussion about the odds between the Viper and the Vette, then some agreed that the Corvette has more of the heritage than the Viper, but then I protested (like a Doctor Who scene where The Doctor pushed the PROTEST button), saying that Vipers will always be the king of American sports cars because their big, heavy, V10 engine, can't be beaten by such a loser car from a loser American car brand that is Chevrolet. The discussion went on and on and on right until the fateful day that...if I'm honest...I'm with the Viper supporters because I'm doing this for the honor of the new 2013 SRT Viper. As I joined with fellow Viper enthusiasts in a game of Who Rules, it seems that the results shown that there are more and more enthusiasts saying that Corvettes are better than Vipers but it's too early to declare the winner so what I do is to convince more and more Car Town noobs, amateurs, and vets asking that Vipers are better than Vettes. I've tried so hard right until the final day of the Who Rules event, which is now. In the end, it seems that there are more Corvette supporters than Viper supporters, proving that Corvettes are better than Vipers. End of discussion.

Even when the all new SRT Viper suffered a humiliating loss in a game of popularity, it still beats the Corvette in every intangible way. On the city streets, the Viper tries to be more of a show-off and tries to attract more fans than the Corvette. On the road however, it started to become more of a civilized but deadly road warrior rather than being a crazed gladiator. A big powerful engine with a mix of spartan driving manners is what made the all new SRT Viper a different kind of spartan in the west. The base model starts at $97,395 while the GTS model, which is loaded with more gizmos than the standard model, costs $120,395 (both excluding $1,995 destination).

Photo: Chrysler Group LLC.

Forza Horizon: Toyota's present-day crowning glories

The Lexus LFA and the Scion FR-S are what I'm calling it the present-day crowning glories of Toyota Motor Corporation and here in the fantasy world that is Forza Horizon, these new JDM royalties are trying to show what they're capable of...

Walker Lexus Ranger

The thing about the LFA though is that this limited-to-500-units masterpiece feels like a racing car and it sounds like a racing car that's because of Toyota Motor Corporation collaborate with Yamaha to provide some acoustic tuning to the LFA's exhaust so it sounds like a F1 car every time when you're foot is on the pedal. It maybe the first (and last) Japanese grand tourer to have a V10 engine, it maybe rare due to limited production, it maybe carrying a very expensive price tag but this Lexus LFA is a golden opportunity to show off its natural talent in Forza Horizon.

Bringing the sport to Horizon

When the rest of the world called this the TOYOTA 86 or GT86, the North Americans called this the Scion FR-S. Never mind about the analogy because it maybe not as quick as other sports cars but when it comes to corners, this FR-S has good handling. Less grippy, more fun. That's talent to you and me. It behaves and waggles just like its spiritual predecessor, the AE86 Sprinter Trueno. A good story though that my cousin told me that this is the car he should have bought rather than the old white Mazda RX-8 he currently had. I was gonna told that to you but I told my cousin that the FR-S has less of the power than his RX-8 so who cares about it? Even though it's less powerful, the FR-S is the kind of car my cousin would never ever get off from his dreams. It's your fault, cousin. It's your fault. You were given a choice...

The LFA is like a samurai descended from the clouds in the sky while the FR-S is like a ninja swiftly moves in the blink of the eye. A car carrying a huge pricetag and huge power or a car carrying a cheap pricetag, less powerful boxer engine and a natural talent of cornering might sounds ridiculous if you were to choose but the decisions are all up to the drivers. It's the drivers, not the cars, that makes the difference...

The Stig: The Untold Story

The Stig: The Untold Story

THE BOOK THE STIG DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ!

Fans of Top Gear are always asking the most impossible question of all time. The question that must never been answered, hidden in plain sight. The question we've been running away from all of our lives; WHO IS THE STIG?

The author who is responsible for this book tries to delve readers deep to unmask the truth behind the iconic tamed racing driver and guess what? They've tried... It may sound humorous but this book is all about behind the scenes unraveling the secrets inside The Stig's helmet and why does The Stig never speak or rather an anti-social kind of person.

Kinda hard to think that the author responsible for THE STIG: THE UNTOLD STORY spend several years observing Stig's daily routine from Surrey to another part of Surrey to the very ends of Surrey and then, unexpectedly, to Finland before returning to Surrey. People involved in Top Gear were welcomed in telling about who is The Stig as well as former Top Gear presenters and celebrities who are involved from music, entertainment, arts, literature, sports, anything else. Jeremy, James, and Richard are also present as well but this whole "WHO IS THE STIG" story is becoming too much for this book here.

The Stig The Untold Story maybe a jam-packed must have for every Top Gear fan but this book is all about slowly revealing the truth inside Stig's helmet, one by one by one by one page. If you don't want to know who is The Stig, better not buy this book but if you're brave enough, this book is yours for about 18.99 British Pounds Sterling. Hurry up though, The Stig may end up buying several copies when he sees one and stores these copies on the Lambo...

It's true that THE STIG: THE UNTOLD STORY is the book The Stig doesn't want you to read but this is much more fun to poke fun at him rather than stripping off Stig's clothing...Some say, whenever he sees you reading this book The Stig doesn't want you to read, he'll punch you in the face...Sorry about that...

Order: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stig-Untold-sensational-secretive/dp/1849905401

14th Generation Crown teased, coming this CHRISTMAS 2012

2013 Toyota Crown teased

Ladies and gents, Toyota Motor Corporation teased the next generation Toyota Crown series as well as its new logo for this 14th Generation.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIGuegOx7E0&feature=g-user-u

The slogan for this next generation is...

権力より、愛だね

The next generation Toyota Crown is coming...CHRISTMAS 2012

All new 2014 Silverado teased...

2014 Chevy Silverado teaser

From the beginning of your workday to the end of the day, the Chevy Silverado is one of America's most dependable trucks in America and now a full-model change is in full swing. Chevrolet Trucks teased their next generation Silverado with the topic #RaiseTheBar. It's set for a viral reveal this week (Thursday/Friday to be precise). Stay tuned...

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/12/gm-to-reveal-2014-chevrolet-silverado.html

Nintendo Wii U

With sales of the current Wii have plummeted thanks to the XBOX 360 and the PS3, it seems that Nintendo decided not to give up on their resources regardless of competition and the customer satisfaction. So when Nintendo decided to create a brand new console, it was like, hey! Let's make a totally different console to get ourselves on top! And there's the result of their R&D done...

Nintendo Wii U

Here it is and what Nintendo do is a console that that has a controller that looks like a portable hand-held device but really is a controller for this console. It's kinda dramatic but what Nintendo made is just a side-story to the Wii. Welcome everyone to the brand new Wii U. It maybe just an evolution of the family-favorite Wii but does it have the pros to get Nintendo back on top?

First of all, let's talk about this different kind of controller that Nintendo calls it the GamePad. It may look like a portable hand held gadget but this serves as a second screen on your video game. For example, when you're seeing the actual gameplay on your TV, the GamePad serves some of your gameplay progress. Really? A controller with a screen on it. I'm fine of having consoles with the barriers between me, my game, and my TV but what Nintendo claims that this GamePad feature breaks the mold between you, your games, and the TV. There are many ways to use this GamePad feature such as viewing your gameplay on your TV and the GamePad, holding it vertically, use its touch screen to control gameplay, or you just wanna play the whole game in your gamepad without the TV. That's very clever and that's witchcraft. So, good job then and for a real surprise, it's BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE!

Why? On the Wii U, you can also use the classic Wii controller for added perspective or if you have some of the Wii controllers in your box, you can use them for multiplayer fun.

There are two sizes on the Wii U. The entry level Wii U called the Basic costs 26,250 Yen and it has about 8GB internal flash memory, plus support for external USB hard drives for additional storage. For hardcore players having their cash burning their pockets, there's the flagship Premium Set which is black-colored, costs 31,500 Yen, and 32GB HDD plus a gamepad stand, gamepad cradle, and a console stand to keep it organized. Built in software includes Nintendo TVii, Wii U Chat, Miiverse, Internet Browser, Mii Maker, Nintendo eShop, and Wii Menu.

Selection of games? At its first day, buyers are opted to check out Wii U games for the first day such as New Super Mario Bros. U, FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3 Special Edition, Monster Hunter 3G HD Edition, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Assassin's Creed III, ZombiU, and Batman Arkham City Armored Edition. More games such as Call of Duty Black Ops 2, NBA 2K13, Aliens: Colonial Marines, and more will be added later on.

I almost forgot, if you're into internet videos or streaming or whatever suits your fancy, fear not because apps like YouTube, NicoNico, and Hulu are available in the Wii U's e-shop so if you got one, there's a better time to sit down, grab a popcorn and enjoy the movies! (Thumbs up)

This new game console from Nintendo is a sure fire thing to have an invitation to the elite club of video gaming consoles but uh...no. Sadly because the only thing that were accepted to the elite club were the near-decade aged XBOX 360 and the PS3 because despite their age, they've showed how wild, how cool, and how awesome they're offering. The Wii U though is just a different story. What they've should have done is a console that not only has the capabilities of old-school technology with new-generation fun but also the freedom for the players to control. Beneath every serious game creator lies a ten-year-old kid inside, waiting to spur its creativity to make things right.

...It's kid's stuff. It's obvious...

URL: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/index.html