The cars of 2013 NAIAS

The 2013 North American International Auto Show at COBO Center, Detroit, Michigan, runs until January 27, 2013 so if you still got the time, why not take a look at some of the main attractions of this year's show? There's plenty of world premieres expected on this car show you know. Here are the cars you'll see on this year's show...

2014 Audi RS5 Cabriolet

2014 Audi RS7 Sportback

2014 Bentley Continental GTC Speed

2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

2014 BMW Z4 LCI

2014 Cadillac ELR

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Chrysler 300 MOTOWN Edition

2014 GMC Sierra

2014 Infiniti Q50

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee minor change

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT

2014 Lexus IS

2013 Maserati Quattroporte

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class minor change

2014 Mini JCW Paceman

2013 Acura NSX Concept II

2013 Acura MDX Concept

2013 BMW 4-Series Concept

Chrysler 300S Turbine Edition

2013 Ford Atlas Concept

2013 Honda Urban SUV Concept

2013 Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept

2013 Lincoln MKC Concept

2013 Nissan Resonance Concept

2013 Toyota Corolla Furia Concept

2013 Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept

URL: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2013/01/A-to-Z-Guide-2013-Detroit-Auto-Show.html

So, what I learned on the 2013 NAIAS is...

1) The Corvette C7 Stingray is probably the best car in the show...

2) Chevrolet showcased global cars in the booth

3) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee minor change offers an 8-speed automatic as applied on the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. For the first time, a diesel engine was offered for this minor change.

4) SRT Grand Cherokee is no longer referred to as SRT8. Remember, SRT is now Chrysler's brand now so it seems that other models wearing the SRT8 badge would follow suit as well, especially that the new SRT Grand Cherokee now comes with an 8-speed gearbox.

5) Infiniti Q50 is the next Nissan Skyline, except the fact that it has a 3.7L V6 and a hybrid engine. Wonder if the next Skyline V37 would follow suit as well...

6) 2014 Lexus IS is a little present for someone named Houki. She said that it will still offer the same 2.5L and 3.5L V6 engine while a hybrid model is planned, with the new 2.5L hybrid engine as applied on the 14th generation Toyota Crown.

7) E63 AMG minor change now comes with the S-model, which gives them four-wheel drive! CLS63 AMG models follow suit as well.

8) Cadillac ATS is 2013 North American Car of the Year while RAM 1500 is 2013 North American Truck of the Year

9) Acura NSX Concept II now showcasing its interior for the first time

10) Acura MDX Prototype hints next generation model

11) Ford Atlas pickup previews next-generation of Ford F-Series trucks to rival against the Silverado. This one's for you, Dave.

12) Honda Urban SUV Concept previews a new rival to the Nissan Juke and it will be based on the the next generation Honda Fit.

13) Hyundai HCD-14 Concept hints of a second-generation Genesis saloon.

14) MKC Concept hints a possible new crossover from The Lincoln Motor Company

15) Nissan Resonance Concept hints a next generation Murano

16) Toyota Furia concept previews global-market eleventh Corolla

Oullim Bengari - Korea's 4-door supercar?!

Oullim Motors, no one heard of it (unless someone's playing Gran Turismo 5) but they were a small Korean company that brought you the Proto Spirra, which is Korea's only supercar. Yeah, anyone remember that car, right? Anyway, word from the public is that Oullim Motors has just revealed a new model that in particular it is Korea's answer to the Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche Panamera, or Aston Martin Rapide. Oullim Motors called it the Bengari and the phrase goes "A Whole New Definition of Exquisite Sedan by SPIRRA"

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

At first glance, it may look like the Spirra supercar but right until you'll notice that the side view for the Bengari is a bid odd and it feels like a half-Alfa, half-Saab limo that James May made for the Top Gear limousine challenge, well you know, the one that you can drive it on its front and you can drive it on its back. Confusing eh? Looks weird for Korean's four-door supercar right until the door opens like a Rolls-Royce...

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

Looks weird on the outside especially for the Rolls-Royce-esque doors but on the inside...

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari interior

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari interior

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari interior

...uh nope. Looks luxurious but it isn't. Those rear seats kinda look like it came from a private jet while the dashboard kinda looks like the facelifted Hyundai Genesis Coupe. I wonder how did the Koreans made up with this car that it claims to be a contender against the four-dour supercars I've mentioned earlier?

Trim levels for the Bengari are MS, MN, GS, GN, DS, and DN. The DN model served as the entry level version of the Bengari while the MS is the top of the line model. The DS and the DN model weighs about 1750kg while the GN and GS model weighs about 1810kg and the MS and MN model weighs about 1795kg.

The DS and DN model are fitted with a 2.7 DELTA engine bolted to a 5-speed automatic transmission while the GN and GS model are fitted with a 3.3 GDi engine mated to a 6-speed automatic and the MS and MN model comes with a 3.5 MPi engine and a 6-speed automatic. It is said that the entry level DN with the 2.7 DELTA engine produces about a shameful 175PS of power (which is less powerful) while the top of the line MS model with the 3.5 MPi engine produces about a mind-boggling 500PS of power! 500PS of power for a Korean-made car!

Prices start at 132,000,000 up to 195,000,000 Won and seems to be that they were about as expensive as a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley for a car made in Korea...

Source: http://hamseo.blog.me/10157195054

The Seventh Hour

The new logo for the Seventh Corvette

Days after Chevrolet made a world premiere of the 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray, Gran Turismo 5 was very pleased that after inviting us to drive the test prototype of this generation, ladies and gentlemen...THE NEXT GENERATION CORVETTE SHEDS ITS CAMOUFLAGE...

No longer a camouflaged prototype...It's the real deal!

The fine print that says "Gran Turismo 5 Exclusive – ’14 Corvette Stingray Free on PSN", that really sums it up because, well just before someone regretting me since the Toyota 86/Scion FR-S fiasco last year, Gran Turismo 5 is your only game for you to witness the fun factor of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray. It has been regenerated into a totally different Corvette and by totally different, yes it is because the Camaro-esque rear lamps were there and that's the first in Corvette history.

Showing off its dynamic nature

Statistics showed that almost half a million Gran Turismo 5 players, including me, took part of the final testing phase of the Chevrolet Corvette C7 (in camouflaged version) since its announcement at last year's LA Auto Show and a collaboration between Chevrolet and the Gran Turismo franchise really showed some exclusivity for this model and by exclusivity, yes, you can only find this Chevrolet C7 Corvette only in Gran Turismo. Nothing else.

The Nurburgring crowd's love the new look!

Everything around the 2014 Corvette Stingray is new. The exterior's new, the interior's new, the engine's new, and the new 7-speed manual transmission, which is a first for an American car like this. It seems that the Corvette staff really made a lot of attention in perfecting the seventh-generation Corvette and for the Gran Turismo staff, careful planning was applied to the tiniest details of the new design inside and out, as well as to the enhanced performance driving characteristics.

An advanced American sportscar is being bewildered in Motegi

Stinging the asphalt of Spa-Francorchamps in the rain

The sound of the new LT1 6.2L V8 engine is just amazing. It's crispy, smooth, and sounds like a last century muscle car. No matter how many times I keep my foot down on the accelerator, that sound of the V8 engine is probably the best. From the moment you start up this brand new LT1 engine, it's all hell breaks loose. This engine is the pinnacle of the Corvette history because this one's direct injected and it has Variable Valve Timing. Power output is an estimated 450HP, torque output is an estimated 450lb-ft, and its 0 to 60 mark takes below the four second mark. This new generation Corvette Stingray sure knows bringing the term "competitive" to a whole new meaning and in terms of handling...

Hunt this new boy down!

Too fast to leave a footprint on Laguna Seca

Stingray slashes down Monza curves

...the handling of the 2014 Corvette Stingray is probably the best! It's DYNAMIC! Literally! Well, yes, it maybe dynamic in terms of handling but this is mind-numbing and its bonkers! This new model loves to cloud itself in white smoke and as I said about being a track-munching, road-burning frag grenade, this car doesn't like to kill me, it wants to make me laugh! Yes!!! Chevrolet, you made a decent, proper-handling Corvette! Generosity to the Corvette Stingray's handling were provided by its aluminum body for perfect weight distribution, new generation Magnetic Ride Control, and electronic LSD to keep the new Corvette's handling capabilities superbly dynamic. This is the only American sports car that understands what I'm talking and the talent for being a less-grippy machine really sums it up for being the best handling Corvette ever made.

Party at the Red Bull

The styling of the new Corvette Stingray is probably one of my favorite aspects for this new model. Other than this new front view that mimics its arch-rival American sports car that I may not going to tell you about this because this is Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo fans love Corvettes, the new design is well-sculpted, and clean and turns out, I love this new look. Not bad for a Corvette being regenerated to a totally new look though and what's my favorite part on the new Stingray's styling was its speedo. This new Stingray has the most dramatic speedo ever made and as a matter of fact, several cows sacrificed their lives for the Grade A leather needed for the seats. Selected by hand, stitched, and crafted to adapt the new interior. Oh my goodness, that's better than the last one or better yet, it mimicked the interior of the C4 Corvette but with some modernization to keep up with today's trends.

One and Seven

Two and Seven

Three and Seven

Four and Seven

Five and Seven

Six and Seven

From its inception in the year 1953 all the way to its present time, as in the 60th birthday of the Chevrolet Corvette, this car became the legend of the Chevrolet brand. It became the pinnacle of motorsports, especially the 24 hour endurance in Le Mans and the dreaded Nurburgring, showing the world how the Corvette was born to do and set the benchmark in the high-performance sportscar battle. No matter the generation, no matter the age, and no matter which Corvette you own, you are proud to say that you have been chosen by Chevrolet and the statement of "Corvettes rule" really is the testimony that comes from Corvette fans worldwide. With the new C7 Corvette, this new model marks a brand new chapter of the Corvette heritage.

The new Stingray logo

Corvette Stingray Runs Deep

As a matter of fact though, all Corvette generations were featured in the Gran Turismo franchise when this game was launched in 1998. 2013 was the series' 15th anniversary so I expect great things to come...

Forza Horizon: Honda Challenge Car Pack

Today, I finally got my hands on this special DLC Pack on Forza Horizon and this one's free of charge and it's from our friends at Honda.

The pest of the east...

The other pest of the east...

The other other pest of the east...

This free DLC Pack comes with the 1986 Honda Civic Si, which is very good on the handling department, then the 2012 HPD Rally Fit, which is a B-Spec contender from the Rally America, and then the main attraction was the 2013 Honda Civic Si Coupe, which is the type of car registered players will be using to take on Honda race driver (and Indy 500 champ) Scott Dixon on a special Rivals event...Anyway, here's an excerpt from the official Forza Motorsport website about this special challenge on Horizon:

While racing against the Forza community is cool, pitting your skills against a real race car driver is even better. We’re happy to announce that Honda race driver (and Indy 500 champ) Scott Dixon will be setting a time in this event as well. Test your racing chops against an IndyCar Series champion by looking for Scott’s Xbox LIVE Gamertag (Dixon Honda2013)… you can even set him as your Rival for some intense racing action.

The top overall finisher in the Honda Challenge will win the chance to meet Scott Dixon in person as well as a custom Honda-branded 250GB Xbox 360 console. Finishers 2-4 will also win one custom Honda-branded 250GB Xbox 360. In addition, everyone who manages to beat Scott’s time on the leaderboard will win a free Forza Horizon custom theme pack.

Please note that the Honda Civic Challenge Rivals event is only open to Forza Horizon players who registered for the event on Xbox LIVE.

For official rules on this contest see http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/promotions/honda-forza-motorsports

Beginning on Feb. 15, we’ll be holding a special Honda-Civic themed photo contest around the 2013 Honda Civic Si Coupe. Look for more details soon!

Well, while I'm waiting for the lap time that Mr. Scott Dixon set on this special challenge...actually, I don't know his lap time until the right time comes...

In the meantime, here are some of my videos of the three Hondas enjoying their invitation in Horizon...

Forza Horizon: Pagani Zonda Cinque Reward

A hot day with the Cinque

This is the third out of the five Season Pass bonus cars on Forza Horizon and for the month of January, those who got a Forza Horizon Season Pass got to try out the carbotanium-licious Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster at the streets of Colorado.

Zonda has been one of my favorite supercar of the last decade and even though it was replaced by its successor, the unpronounceable H-U-A-Y-R-A, Zondas has a wide reputation of being the car that maybe more expensive to own but more fun to drive that Lamborghinis and Ferraris. The Cinque though, it has been the best Zonda ever built and it was a great send-off for the Zonda name...or is it?

The back-up

Now I had to pickup my backup at Best Buy in Tukwila and what can I say? Thank you Geek Squad for that backup. They took 5 days to back up the entire files from the now-broken old HP G60 laptop to my new 1TB external hard drive.

Now that everything's back to the way things were, what should I do with the old laptop? I'll find that out soon...

WARNING: Please refrain from saying "Difference between..."

Readers,

It's me again, Leopaul. I am trying to keep this blog safe from morons who are ruining my blog, especially morons who DON'T KNOW HOW TO POST A COMMENT. I've been busy checking my website's stats and frankly I'm amazed. Usually, those idiots who visited my blog kept on saying "What is the difference between (keyword withheld) and (keyword withheld)." These were search terms and they're not comments.

DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO POST A COMMENT?

Need myself to repeat what I just said? If you're asking questions, don't use the search engine. POST A COMMENT!!! Do you see the word "Post a comment" below? Guess you morons don't know how to scroll a page!!! Do you see a scroll bar? What?! You don't know what a scroll bar is? It's on the right you small-brain readers! You must be living in a cave or something and you don't know what a blog or computer or scroll bar or post a comment is!!!

No matter how many times I tried, it still doesn't work. I've been busy checking the site's stats or Feedjit or Statmeter, or any other web-checking sites, the results I'm getting keep getting the same response like these...


different between toyota alpard 350g and 350s
1998-2003 bmw m5 differences
difference between "mid size sedan" and " medium sedan"
difference between 2ar-fe and 2az
difference between insight ze2 and ze3
difference between passo/boon and ractis
difference between toyota alphard and vellfire
difference between toyota noah and voxy
different honda odyssey rb3 and rb4
for honda what is the difference between the freed and the freed spike
insight honda ze2 difference
toyota premio 2009 what is difference l or f l package japan
what is the difference between the toyota vitz ksp130 and toyota vitz nsp130
what is the difference between z and a model in toyota vellfire
whats the difference between toyota voxy and toyota noah?

...s**t...I don't know what am I going to do with you internet illiterates who don't know how to post a comment in my site and who don't know what a scroll bar is. Let this be a WARNING to all of you. A WARNING TO ALL OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO POST A COMMENT OR SCROLL. The more you kept doing this, the more I'm becoming abusive, violent, and high-blood as a blogger. So I'm telling you this...

NEVER TURN A SEARCH ENGINE INTO A QUESTION BOX!

Post a comment after you read my topic! Leave your name here and I'll respond. Isn't that simple? Now you're just making it complicated.

For inquires, email me at leopaul_delr@hotmail.com, like this site on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

THANK YOU

IMPUL made a body kit for the Infintii FX?!

IMPUL Infiniti FX

Wait a minute...how did it get here? You know that there is no Infiniti in Japan and this...the Infiniti FX...seems that Japan is also part of the smuggling fiasco here and those crooks in Japan did smuggle some some American cars that are not offered there, eh? You dirty smugglers...

If you're Japanese and if you've smuggled one of these, take note because IMPUL will provide a body kit to your smuggled Infiniti FX.

The front bumper costs 155,400 Yen, the Side Step costs 84,000 Yen, the Rear Half Spoiler costs 73,500 Yen and the Rear wing costs 63,000 Yen. There's also an available 189,000 Yen IMPUL Blast II Muffler as well but be warned. You don't want Japanese cops to notice your smuggled car though...

Innit though...Why would they accept a smuggled ride?

URL: http://www.impul.co.jp/products/model/S51_FX50.html

Litchfield's 1000bhp Nissan GT-R is up for grabs

Litchfield GT-R LM1000

Long ago, there was a tuner under the name of Litchfield that tuned the Nissan GT-R R35 to an insane 1000bhp and that puts it awfully close to the Bugatti Veyron. Now, its up for keeps at the cost of 50,000 British Pounds Sterling for this kind of setup that comes with Litchfield's self-prepared 3.8L V6 Twin-Turbo engine, which took 18 months to work on.

Excerpt from Evo magazine:


Tuning firm Litchfield Imports is currently preparing a modification package for the Nissan GT-R that will give the Japanese sports car 1000bhp.

Named the GT-R LM1000, the £50,000 package is Litchfield’s most extensive yet to the machine, including the fitting of its own self-prepared 3.8-litre V6 engine, which has been 18 months in development.

‘This engine, that we developed with our own rods and pistons, ended up at 900bhp,’ company chief Iain Litchfield told evo. ‘We’ve done lots of mileage in it and it proved reliable, so we’re moving onto the ‘Red Top‘ engine, which features everything we know about the GT-R engine and we use the very top suppliers. It has bigger pistons, stronger rods, different crankshaft and Formula 1 finishing techniques. We’ve got our own turbo kit, and a fully-upgraded gearbox, bigger brakes and a Bilstein suspension kit.

‘When this display car is run in, it should be over 1000bhp, but I want it to drive completely like standard, which it did at 900bhp no problem, even around town.‘

The upgrades are available in separate modules, with Litchfield claiming that £14,000 of upgrades would be enough to make the GT-R quicker than a Veyron, clocking a 0-100mph time of 5.65sec in that 750bhp set-up. Litchfield has already taken orders from customers asking for more than 800bhp, with the first 1000bhp cars expected to be available from this summer.

With used GT-Rs currently available for as little as £35,000 (Buying Guide, evo 177), Litchfield’s developments mean that it’s now possible to own a 1000bhp car for just £85k…

URL: http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/287584/litchfields_1000bhp_nissan_gtr.html

Let's Do The News! (January 14, 2013)

River's Diary

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

It's the last day at Namco Namjatown

Today is the last day to visit Namco Namjatown, which is of course an indoor theme park in the Sunshine City shopping center in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. You got a full opening hours to visit this place while you can because tomorrow, January 15, 2013, the Namco Namjatown will closed for renovations and it will be reopen in Summer 2013.

Is it Toyota86? No...

At the recently concluded Tokyo Auto Salon, there are some odd tuning lurking around here and seems that the Toyota 86 is no exception here. First off, Japan's Nihon Automobile College (NATS), the students that brought you the kei-car version of the Honda NSX back in 2007, created their project based on the Toyota 86 sports coupe and would you look at that? A Toyota 86 that looks like an Audi R8! THAT'S NATS!



If the NATS R86 wasn't quite enough for you, the people at DAMD Styling Effect took long hours of butchering the Toyota 86 by transforming it into an 86...that looks like the now-defunct Lexus LFA from top to bottom! They called it LFT-86!



The 2UX3J Booth

Also at the recently concluded TAS 2013, you may have noticed that there's a booth that says 2UX3J. Did anyone checked that out? There are some sharp-designed Lexus cars, especially the one-off LFA Spider, on that venue. Wait...Lexus?! So...2UX3J....That spells LEXUS...backwards! Quite an eccentric trick for Toyota's luxury marque if I'm honest.

Lexus GS450h F-Sport Arctic Wolf

Lexus IS-F CCS-R Mountain Lion

Lexus LFA Spider White Tiger

Lexus LS600h Black Leopard

The new IS...

2014 Lexus IS

IS stands for Infinite Stratos but oh no...Sorry, no new Stratos for now because of Ferrari but for Lexus, yes, the new IS is revealed and by the looks of it, it's somewhat unorthodox. It maybe look like the LF-CC concept but the design is far too many, they should have inspire this car from the looks of the Akatsubaki but judging on the interior, now that is more of an LFA look-alike, even the speedo really looks like the LFA!

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2013/01/2014-lexus-is-officially-revealed-in-22.html

The (other) new IS...

Speaking of Infinite Stratos, you may remember that back in last month's Comiket 83, the Infinite Stratos booth offered a new novella in a bundle that also comes with a 30-minute drama CD of the novella's story, a tapestry (B2 size), clear file, and a shopping bag, complete with a new exclusive artwork. Long story short but way before that, the author behind the IS light novel, Izuru Yumizuru, told that despite Media Factory no longer publishing Infinite Stratos (well Volume 7 was published back in April 2011), this title is now under the hands of Overlap and this new company promises to revise Volumes 1 to 7 this year while the 8th volume will be available this April 25.

Overlap, never heard of it but they are now their responsibility for Infinite Stratos and for that, there's going to be an IS Al-Night Fstival on April 20 where the complete series will be screened and the cast will be there. Advance copies of the light novel series' eighth volume will also be available for purchase. The main venue will be the Cinema Sunshine building in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.

That's not all, there's going to be an audio drama and character song CD series as well!

URL: http://over-lap.co.jp/IS/

70th Golden Globe Award winners

In case you missed the 70th Golden Globe Awards, here's the list of the winners of this year's Golden Globe Awards...

MOVIE:

Best Movie: ARGO

Best Comedy or Musical: Les Miserables

Best Director: Ben Affleck for ARGO

Best Actor for comedy or musical: Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables

Best Actress for comedy or musical: Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actor for drama: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln

Best Actress for drama: Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty

Best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained

Best supporting actress: Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables

Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained

Best Original Score: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi

Best Original Song: Skyfall by Adele for 007: Skyfall

Best Animated Feature Film: BRAVE

Best foreign film: Amour

TV:

Best Miniseries or TV movie: Game Change from HBO

Best Drama: Homeland from Showtime

Best Comedy or Musical: Girls from HBO

Best Actor in Drama Series: Damian Lewis from Homeland

Best Actress in Drama Series: Claire Danes from Homeland

Best Actor in Comedy or Musical Series: Don Cheadle from House of Lies

Best Actress in Comedy or Musical Series: Lena Dunham from Girls

Best Supporting Actor for series, miniseries or movie: Ed Harris from Game Change

Best Supporting Actress for series, miniseries or movie: Maggie Smith from Downton Abbey

Best Actor in miniseries or TV movie: Kevin Costner from Hatfields & McCoys

Best Actress in miniseries or TV movie: Julianne Moore from Game Change

Miss New York wins Miss America 2013

In case you've missed it, the best girls from the USA are fighting for the title to become Miss America 2013 and guess what? There was a winner on this year's beauty pageant. Congratulations to Ms. New York, Mallory Hytes Hagan, for winning the 2013 Miss America pageant, all thanks to her tap dancing and her winning gown.

Scoop: http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/miss-york-crowned-miss-america-061052159.html