What's in our Car Town garage today? (July 3, 2013)

What's in our Car Town garage today?

2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8

Of course, the Chrysler 300 is known to be the ideal car for the bling-bling culture because of its gangster looks suitable for the swaggers of all kinds and for the high-performance version developed by SRT, the premium sedan with a touch of swag never made even more sinister, especially when its powered by a 6.4L HEMI V8 engine that produces 465HP of power.

2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8

2012 McLaren MP4-12C

The MP4-12C is McLaren's high-performance supercar that embodies every technological aspects learned from McLaren's Formula One experiences and it is known to be one of the most intelligent supercars ever made, capable of being a track weapon in its own right. Although, it carries one of the smallest V8s ever made, it's armed with turbochargers and it develops 592HP of power and 600Nm of torque. It went round the Top Gear Test Track in around 1:16.2.

2012 McLaren MP4-12C

2014 Lamborghini Veneno

2013 marks the 50th anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and for its 50th anniversary offering, Lamborghini unveiled the horrifyingly insane Veneno hypercar at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and if by the word horrifying, it's noted on the design as well as the biblically huge rear wing that makes the Veneno look like a devil car. The 50th anniversary special machine uses some of the components from the Aventador but its 6.5L V12 engine produces 750HP of power, making it one of the most powerful Lamborghinis ever made and with 355kph top speed, it's the fastest as well. Only three units of the Veneno will be made, each costing three million euros and shorty before its announcement, all three units had been sold out.

2014 Lamborghini Veneno

Bayani Agbayani, IHAW NA!

Bayani Agbayani, one of the all time comedian greats, was the guest of July 1, 2013's Banana Nite's IHAW NA segment. In here, Bayani talks more about his humble beginnings, his daily life, and more from his mouth. We even see him do the Otso-Otso in case anyone forgot that one...

WRX STI tS TYPE RA revealed

Subaru WRX STi tS TYPE RA NBR Challenge Package

It seems that the current generation WRX STi is approaching to the end and a brand new replacement is coming next year but before that, here comes the curtain call for the current WRX STi. Say hello to the WRX STi's farewell machine, the WRX STi tS TYPE RA.

Exclusively for the Japanese market and limited to 300 units, the tS TYPE RA uses the WRX STi 4-door GVB as its basis and for this swan song, the new tS comes with special badges on the grille and on the back, STi emblem side garnish colored in black, and black side view mirrors. What's more, the TYPE RA features a host of upgraded suspension treatments, the use of Potenza RE070 tires, Vehicle Dynamics Control, LSD,  close-ratio 6-speed gearbox, and other upgrades for this swan song.

There's also a special NBR CHALLENGE PACAKGE which comes with 18-inch BBS forged aluminum rims, carbon rear wing, NBR CHALLENGE Decal, and optional RECARO seats.

You can still expect the same 308PS 2.0L boxer turbo engine that powers it.

Exclusive to the TYPE RA is the special Tangerine Orange Pearl exterior color in addition to the Satin White Pearl and WR Blue Mica.

Prices start at 4,410,000 Japanese Yen up to 5,082,000 Yen for the NBR Package with RECARO seats.

URL: http://www.sti.jp/product/wrxstitstypera/

Story: http://www.sti.jp/news/2013/13015.html

Let's Do The News! (July 2, 2013)

River's Diary

Right, what's the news today you spoiler-laden TARDIS journal?

Sebastien Loeb and 208 T16 are kings of Pikes Peak

Peugeot 208 T16

You might think that the French car would be impossible enough to master Pikes Peak but you were wrong. Rally driver Sebastien Loeb, driving the Peugeot 208 T16, became the first ever competitor to go on the 8-minute mark, thanks to the fact that it set a record-breaking 8m 13.878s, that's more than last year's record set by Rhys Millen in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe!

Story: http://sundayafternoonclub.blogs.topgear.com/2013/07/01/sebastien-loeb-obliterates-pikes-peak-record/

TVR to return in 2015 with a 2-car lineup?

TVR Sagaris

Last month, a British industrialist named Les Edgar bought the TVR rights from a Russian businessman, Now, the man behind the revival is part of a three-man executive board says that they're readying its return in 2015 with a two-car lineup.

Story: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-tvr-range-ready-2015

Audi to launch new Matrix LED Headlamps on the A8 facelift

Matrix LED Headlamp

Audi will be launching the world's first Matrix LED Headlamps on the upcoming Audi A8 facelift at the end of the year. This new generation of headlamps was shown at the Consumer Electronics Showcase earlier this year and the new Matrix LED Headlamps works by splitting up the LED high-beam headlights into numerous individual, small diodes working in conjunction with lenses or reflectors connected in series. For the Audi A8 facelift, there are 25 high-beam light-emitting diodes in each headlight, arranged in groups of five per reflector.

More on that later...

Story: http://www.autoindustriya.com/auto-industry-news/audi-to-debut-matrix-led-headlights-in-new-a8.html

PSAs from Top Gear Korea Season 4

In case you haven't noticed, Top Gear Korea, currently on its 4th season on XTM, uploaded some of its PSAs or Public Service Announcements about road safety. It was in the episode where the hosts are making PSAs and yes, there's one that involves crashing a Rolls-Royce.

Here's the TGK4 PSA compilation targeting against illegal street racing, distracted driving, and driver drowsiness...



Here's TGK4's PSA targeting against "Texting While Driving" as directed by Denny Ahn.



And here's TGK4's PSA targeting against "Drunk Driving" as directed by Kim Jin Pyo. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: WHY I HATE THE 2014 CORVETTE STINGRAY... (Part Two)

Another reason why I hate the C7 Corvette

Anyway, this is part two of my very special Heaven and Hell topic about why I hate the all new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray and yes, it's the car that gave me great pain and loss, the same feeling when in Japan, when PS3 iM@S2 players were shocked that the Punkish Gothic (パンキッシュゴシック、パンゴシ）, as seen on the XBOX 360 version, was no longer there because NBGi's been busy putting too much PS3-exclusive outfits such as Dressy Alice, Rainy Suzuran, Random Color Beauty, Digital Spacecraft, Cutie Insect, Weeping Wisteria, Burning Performer, Stratos Butterfly, Full bloom Yukata Dress, Starlight Agent, My Baby's Breath, Corduroy Country, Circuit Architect, Prima Concerto♪, Cardigan Schooler, Traditional Maid, Bright Eaglet, Exotic China, POP Raindrop, Grand Prix Queen, and Million Dreams. 

Note to others, if you were going to cosplay as one of your favorite iM@s characters in one of those PS3-exclusive outfits from The iDOLM@STER 2 I've mentioned above, change of plans. Don't cosplay in one of those without the official Corvette C7 lapel pins! Either the Crossed Flags or the Stingray logo, they both cost 6.50 dollars (plus shipping and handling). I know, they're not related to the dresses but they will because both of those are to show that you're a Playstation fan. Why? Those outfits I've mentioned were PS3 exclusive, this car is a Gran Turismo exclusive (which explains a lot), they're both a Playstation-only match made in heaven (or hell). Whatever that is...

Okay, back on the topic about my new mortal automotive enemy. Let's recall about the topic about why would morons wanna buy GT6 on the PS3 rather than Forza 5 on the new X1 console. Think about what they're missing. Would morons choose the 2014 Corvette Stingray rather than the Huayra? Or an Aston Martin One-77? The Range Rover? The Koenigsegg? Gumpert Apollo? Genesis Coupe? New Vanquish? Anyway, anything that you can find on the next Forza but why would you want to go for a game in which features the most useless features rather than Forza?

You! That's right! I'm talking to you! Would you rather go for a game that doesn't have livery editor, upload replays, storefronts, or anything that Forza had? Well, let's just hypothesize for a moment but in the meantime, WHY? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT YOU WOULD RATHER CHOOSE THE SUPER WORTHLESS GRAN TURISMO 6 RATHER THAN FORZA 5? It's a good thing that they won't be putting some endurance, night racing, rally (if any), snow, weather change, and other GT-esque stuff on the next Forza Motorsport 5 and as for cars...hmmm...let's hypothesize...

There are many cars as seen on Gran Turismo that I don't want FM5 to be featured...such as kei cars (like the Beat, Copen, AZ-1, and Cappuccino), Alpine (well, just the A310 because the A110's already breaking the third wall), Autobianchi, the JZX-blah blah blah Chaser, the Tommykaira ZZ, the R92CP, the Pescarolo, the Minolta Toyota, the Garaiya, the Chaparral 2J and 2D, the Giulia TZ2, the Superbird Plymouth (hmmm...), the Lister Storm, the Gillet Vertigo, the Dome Zero, Daihatsu, anything that featured in Gran Turismo series and nothing else. If anything breaks loose, the fear of video game comparisons is really coming near and I really don't want that to happen because it freaks me out a lot. It happened since the 787B, the Scion FR-S, and the Sauber Mercedes broke loose in FM4 and that's why, I really hope that Forza Motorsport 5 should NEVER EVER EVER feature the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C7. Why? Because it's a Gran Turismo exclusive and you know it. Sure, FM5 is going to feature only the previous six generations of Chevrolet Corvette because this is the best they can do thanks to the theory that the C7 Corvette's a Gran Turismo exclusive.

If that car showed up unexpected, swear to the creator that I'm going to freak myself out and I really wished that this car wouldn't exist at all. Anyway, what that took from the C7 Corvette, it's going to pay. Hmmm...what to do with it when I got my hands on the C7 Corvette?

Like any other Brainiac experiments, I am going to unleash my rage against the 2014 Corvette Stingray while wearing the not-for-PS3 Punkish Gothic (パンキッシュゴシック、パンゴシ）as an act of revenge but how? Hmmm...

Oh yeah! That's more like it! BRAINIAC STYLE! Let science do the payback for not putting the Punkish Gothic on the PS3 version of THE iDOLM@STER 2! Heh heh? Well, haters gonna hate, right?

Still, this is just a joke. I would never ever attempt to do such a thing because...that will put me under arrest. Oh well, I guess I'll conclude this topic. Even if I finish this topic, my strong-willed hatred against the 2014 Corvette Stingray will continue to linger on until my last breath and my obsession for Punkish Gothic (パンキッシュゴシック、パンゴシ）will always be in my big honkin' hole in my heart.

GOOD BYE AND BAD LUCK TO THE C7 CORVETTE. Guess how much I hate the 2014 Corvette Stingray...

Top Gear S20E01

Top Gear S20E01

A new, more mature Top Gear kicked off its 20th season and in that season, we see Jeremy Clarkson rented a Toyota Auris for a race against James May and a crew operating America's cup yacht in New Zealand. After much beatings, the race ended when James May crossed the finished line, shortly after Jeremy and his another rented Auris stuck offroad. Another loss for Clarkson. Boo-hoo...

Anyway, while gloating over Jeremy's another fail, Richard Hammond messes around the Top Gear Test Track with three brand new hot hatchbacks; the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST, the 2014 Peugeot 208 GTi, and the 2014 Renaultsport Clio RS 200 EDC. When given to The Stig, the new Renault Clio 200 did it in 1:32.0, Ford Fiesta ST did it in 1:32.7, and 208 GTi did it in 1:33.2.

2013 Vauxhall Astra - the new reasonably priced car

Series 20 sees the arrival of a brand new reasonably priced car, the 2013 Vauxhall Astra Tech Line (with Lifetime Warranty...) and to kick off the arrival of the new reasonably priced car, a selection of D-list celebs such as AC/DC's Brian Johnson, Jimmy Carr, David Haye, Warwick Davis, Rachel Riley, Charles Dance from Game of Thrones, Joss Stone, and Mike Rutherford from Genesis to lap this newcomer round the track and something else...

F1 2013 British GP

Silverstone's packed up with so much tension, drama, and some thrills as British GP of the 2013 Formula One season and after much tension round the corners, Nico Rosberg from Mercedes stand tall as the winner of the 2013 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix at Silverstone, leaving Mark Webber from Red Bull's 2nd place and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso to 3rd. It was quite a shock that leading man Sebastian Vettel ended in a DNF because of gearbox failure, while Lotus-Renault's Grosjean suffered front wing damage, Mclaren-Mercedes' Sergio Perez and STR-Ferrari's Jean-Eric Vergne facing tyre issues.

PRESS RELEASE:

Race - Rosberg claims thrilling Silverstone victory

Nico Rosberg and Mercedes showed the depth of the progress they have made recently in tyre management by claiming a dramatic victory in the 2013 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday. 

In a race blighted by several spectacular tyre blow-outs, Rosberg held off a tremendous late charge from Red Bull’s Mark Webber to claim his second win of the season, whilst Fernando Alonso’s third place for Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel’s retirement for Red Bull meant the gap at the top of the drivers’ standings closed substantially.

Rosberg’s team mate Lewis Hamilton led the race from Vettel and Rosberg in the early stages, before becoming the first driver to suffer a left-rear tyre blow-out on the Wellington Straight on the eighth lap. Two laps later and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa suffered the same failure before Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne made it a hat-trick on lap 15. McLaren’s Sergio Perez was the final driver to suffer a blow-out, this time on the 46th lap.

The first safety car of the day was deployed on the 16th lap as marshals cleared up the debris at Stowe corner caused by Vergne’s tyre incident, by which time the teams were telling their drivers to avoid using the kerbs in case they were causing the tyre trouble.

When the racing resumed on the 22nd lap Rosberg started the long haul of chipping away at Vettel’s advantage, the German having inherited the lead from Hamilton. Eventually they were only a couple of seconds apart as they started to lap traffic, but then the world champion’s car rolled to a halt just past the pit entry on the 41st lap, prompting another safety car deployment whilst Vettel’s stricken RB9 was moved off the track. 

That reshuffled things as Rosberg, Webber and Alonso all pitted. Rosberg timed it best, retaining the lead, but Webber dropped from third to fifth and Alonso from fourth to eighth. 

Now the race was on, and when the safety car went in at the end of lap 46 Webber pounced immediately on Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso for P4, then Adrian Sutil’s Force India for P3, before slamming by Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen for second on lap 49. The Finn had also wanted to pit, but Lotus had missed the chance and he was now powerless on his worn rubber.

Webber, who’d recovered brilliantly after tangling with Grosjean’s Lotus at the start, set the fastest lap on the last tour to finish 0.7s adrift of the Mercedes, but it was Rosberg’s race from the moment Vettel stopped.

Raikkonen’s slump continued as Alonso fought his way past Ricciardo, Sutil and the Lotus driver, taking Hamilton with him. The two former McLaren team mates finished 0.6s apart, as Alonso snatched a podium finish from one of Ferrari’s toughest races of the year. Like Rosberg and Vettel, who were also warned by their teams of imminent tyre problems, he was lucky, reaching the pits for fresh rubber before suffering the same fate as Massa.

The Brazilian, like Hamilton, staged a superb recovery, aided in part by the safety-car deployments, and despite floor damage, was able to climb to sixth by the end ahead of Sutil, who just kept Ricciardo at bay to the flag.

Force India’s Paul di Resta went into his home Grand Prix looking for the sort of hard-tyre run from the back that he’d enjoyed in Canada, but this one was much less straightforward. Nevertheless he managed to score an honourable ninth place from 21st on the grid, as Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg grabbed the final point ahead of the duelling Williams of Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas.

McLaren had another disappointing race; Jenson Button was in the fight for points when the second safety car went in, but slumped dramatically from seventh in line behind it to a bitterly disappointing 13th place by the finish. 

Perez had also been a contender, running sixth behind the safety car before suffering his tyre failure as the race resumed, eventually obliging McLaren to retire his MP4-28. Alonso said he missed running into the back of the McLaren by a centimetre as his tyre failed.

Esteban Gutierrez was 14th for Sauber as Charles Pic maintained Caterham’s qualifying form to head home Marussia’s Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton, and team mate Giedo van der Garde.

Romain Grosjean was another to have been in the fight for points, before parking his car in the Lotus garage close to the end to join Vettel and Vergne, whose Toro Rosso had suffered damage during its tyre failure, in retirement.

The result closes up the fight for the championship. Vettel still leads on 132 points, but Alonso closes with 111 from Raikkonen on 98, then Hamilton on 89, Webber on 87 and Rosberg on 82.

In the constructors’ stakes, Red Bull have 219 to Mercedes’ 171, Ferrari’s 168, Lotus’s 124, Force India’s 59 and McLaren’s 37.

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2013/6/14740.html

Next race: At the NURBURGRING GP CIRCUIT this July 07