What's in our Car Town garage today? (May 29, 2014)

What's in our Car Town garage today?

2014 Chrysler 200

The new, second-generation Chrysler 200 sees a departure from being just a Sebring minor change and transformed into a stunningly beautiful midsize saloon which represents the new face of Chrysler. It is the first in class to offer a 9-speed automatic transmission and a chassis derived from Alfa Romeo.

2014 Chrysler 200

1971 Dodge Charger

The classic Dodge Charger muscle car, which uses Chrysler's B-Body platform, has an updated look for the 1971 model year. For this model year, most four-door saloons which uses the B-Body platform will be badged as Coronets while all two-door B-Body machines were badged as Chargers. There was a Citron Yella exterior color offered only on the 1971 model year and afterwards, most Hi-Impact colors were removed.

1971 Dodge Charger

1956 BMW 507 Roadster

Destined to compete with the strikingly beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300SL, the BWM 507 features a more beautiful exterior design which is more visually attractive than the 503. Underneath the 507's unique chassis lies a 3.2L V8 engine which produces 148HP of power output, allowing it to achieve a top speed of 124mph.

1956 BMW 507 Roadster

Land Cruiser 70 set for Japan comeback?!

Nicknamed "Machito" by the Venezuelans, the Land Cruiser 70 has been the off-road workhorse of the Land Cruiser history. In Japan, Toyota sold the LC70 alongside its bigger brothers until it was discontinued in 2004. Even though it was discontinued in 2004, it's still in production as of now. You can see one of those in Middle East nations because of its off-road capability.

Word from the mouth is that the LC70 is set to return to the Japanese market this year as the cheaper alternative to the much larger Land Cruiser 200 and its little brother, the Land Cruiser Prado.

Wait a minute, Toyota already have some of the finest off-roaders in their lineup from the flagship Land Cruiser 200, the Prado 150, and the retro-inspired FJ Cruiser.

Source: http://photo.sankei.jp.msn.com/highlight/data/2014/05/26/34toyota/

Let's Do The News! (May 28, 2014)

Things we learned so far...

1) EA's mobile racing simulator, Real Racing 3, reached its most ultimate update yet as the addition of Circuit de la Sarthe track and Le Mans prototypes such as the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro and Toyota TS040 Hybrid are welcomed to this update. In Le Mans, you can expect Night Racing for the first time on RR3.

Next week, there's a special 24 Hours of Le Mans challenge in RR3 where you get the chance to unlock the 919 Hybrid, Porsche's entry to this year's 24 Heures du Mans!

Other improvements for RR3's ultimate update includes Party Play and some improvements to the multiplayer system.

2) As you may have heard the news, MRT-3 General Manager Al Vitangcol III was sacked following reports that the controversial official gave a P517-million maintenance contract to his relative. The sacked MRT chief said he found out that he was related to an incorporator of a winning bidder, named Arturo Soriano, one of the director-incorporators of PhilTrams, two years ago.

3) Here is the teaser interior shot for Volvo's next-gen XC90 SUV.

4) It's confirmed! Pope Francis plans to visit the Philippines in January 2015.

5) Uh...you might wanna check this out. Pretty soon, search engine giant Google is making self-driving cars that doesn't come with brakes and steering wheels. This early prototype of Google's prototype vehicle would explain why...



6) Because of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Philippine President Noynoy Aquino admitted that the Philippines cannot imprison Chinese poachers from the South China Sea. Instead, the Philippines could impose a fine against the poachers and confiscate the stolen marine resources.

7) There are 18 senators added in the confirmed list of officials involved with PDAF Scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, also known as the Napolist.

8) WATCH OUT: Music composer Vehnee Saturno is preparing his compositions for his client, Willie Revillame, hinting a possible return in television.

9) The UP Diliman ranked first in the university rankings done by Commission on Higher Education because of its 22 centers of excellence or 44 points.

10) Volkswagen's entry to Vision Gran Turismo, the GTI Roadster Vision GT, has finally revealed. It's set for its public debut at the 2014 GTi Meeting this 29th of May and it will be available on an upcoming Gran Turismo 6 update sometime next month.

VW GTi Roadster Vision Gran Turismo

TTFN!!!

Official: Caterham is NOT FOR SALE

With reports circulating that Caterham Cars as well as the Caterham F1 Team are for sale, it's time for the British carmaker to debunk the rumors as Caterham denies being on sale saying that these reports are "factually incorrect" and "wholly committed to the Caterham brand". The Caterham Group is not for sale but they're happy to seek investors, not buyers, for the British car company.

Report: http://www.worldcarfans.com/114052775897/caterham-dismisses-rumors-of-a-sale

Hindustan Ambassador production ends

Hindustan Ambassador

Remember one episode of Top Gear when Richard Hammond is in search for the world's best taxi in a form of a race? The winner emerged as the Indian Taxi in the form of the Hindustan Ambassador.

Started out in life as a Morris Oxford, the Ambassador was once the only passenger car made in India but it became the symbol of social status and has been used to chauffeur high-ranking officials for many decades.

Sadly, there was a report stating that production of the Hindustan Ambassador has come to a bitter climax because of poor sales. Last year, the Ambassador sold about 2,200 units.

It's difficult to see the end of the world's best taxi according to Top Gear after over 60 years of production.

Report: http://www.autoevolution.com/news/hindustan-ambassador-first-car-made-in-india-goes-out-of-production-81732.html

Caterham reveals Japan-exclusive Special Edition Seven

Caterham Special Edition Seven

Despite the news that Caterham is going to be up for sale, there's still more life out of the maker of lightweight track toys as they've launched a Japan-exclusive special edition made in tribute of their Formula One driver, Kamui Kobayashi. Called the Special Edition Seven, this Japan-only Caterham has bits of inspiration from Mr. Kamui Kobayashi himself and uses the Seven 250 (in Race Pack configuration) as its foundation.

It's a single-seater Caterham that has Kamui's name written in the seat and it has a dark green color reminiscent of the Caterham F1 team. 

The Special Edition Seven is powered by a 1.6L Ford Sigma Engine developing 125PS of power. 0-100kph in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 196kph. It comes with a limited slip differential and a 6-speed manual gearbox.

It's limited to 10 units, each costing over 6 million Japanese Yen.

Report: http://carview.yahoo.co.jp/news/newmodel/20140526-10204797-carview/

Porsche 911 Targa (991)

2015 Porsche 911 Targa

We may already have an open-top 911 but why would Porsche make another one? Oh yeah, this 911 in question is the 911 Targa and even though it's based on the current 991-spec 911, the new model is all about being a throwback machine rather than being a sportscar destined to be parked somewhere in the South of France.

For a quick history lesson, Porsche made a 911 Targa in 1967 for the US market because of the threat that America would ban cabrios due to health and safety concerns but as of now, the USA never actually banned cabrios because they're everywhere but in my mind, they're a rare sight to see someone driving with their roof down.

The last 911 Targa, which is based on the previous-generation 997, used the sliding roof mechanism which is more of a dismay for Targa purists what do you get as a result? Just a normal 997 hardtop coupe with the big sunroof opened. Doesn't say anything but it doesn't resemble the classic Targa masterpiece. For the new 991 Targa, the true meaning of a Targa-top car is back and sticking true to its roots, it uses electric motors to lift the whole rear window and automatically fold the solid roof panels to the boot. Quite a modern twist they've done but being a throwback car with a modern twist, the new 991 Targa is quite a suitor indeed but for a word of advice; that rear screen serves as an airbrake and you can't close or open the complexing roof while on the go. Need to keep a note while you're in there.

Like the normal 991, the 991 Targa comes with two engine types such as the 3.4L boxer-6 engine for the base model which develops 345HP, and the 3.8L flat-six engine for the 4S model which develops over 395HP of power output. They can be mated with either a 7-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed doppelkupplungsgetriebe operated via paddle shifters. Be warned though because, like the normal 991, it comes with electric power steering, it doesn't respond more than what previous 911s do, like what Richard Hammond demonstrated last year just before he and Jeremy Clarkson got banned from entering French roads ever again.

Even though it weighs 40kg more than the 991 Cabriolet, the extra bulk on the 991 Targa doesn't put you off to enjoy its grand touring fulfillment if you're into some sightseeing from one open road to another. That doesn't stop you from taking it on a nice relaxing trip to Saint-Tropez. It's all in the quiet curves with this one but the pricing is not as quiet as it seems because while the 991 Cabriolet 4 costs 110,290 Euros, the Targa 4 model costs 109,338 Euros so it's less than a grand cheaper than the Cabriolet equivalent. So, that one or the 991 Cabriolet? Make your choice...

Available colors; schwarz, weiβ, indischrot, racinggelb, tiefschwarzmetallic, carraraweiβmetallic, rhodiumsilbermetallic, dunkelblaumetallic, achatgraumetallic, mahagonimetallic, saphirblaumetallic, anthrazitbraunmetallic, GT-silbermetallic (limited-time color), and limegoldmetallic (limited-time color).

Photo: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG