Despite the end of the legendary Land Rover Defender is fast approaching, production of the offroader has reached 2,000,000 units from the Solihull plant in the United Kingdom and to commemorate the occasion, the 2,000,000th Defender is a bespoke one, in collaboration with numerous famed personalities including adventurer Bear Grylls.
It's set to debut at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed at the 25th to the 28th of June, 2015, and the 2,000,000th Defender is set to be auctioned at a prestigious charity auction house in New Bond Street, London, on the 16th of December, 2015, and proceeds will go to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Born Free Foundation.
- The top European leaders have been gathered for an emergency summit in Brussels, Belgium, regarding the ongoing Greek debt crisis. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras set out new proposals to try to prevent a default on a 1.6 billion Euro loan from the International Monetary Fund.
- A Euro-wide police team is being formed to hunt down social media accounts linked to the Islamic State. About 46,000 accounts on Twitter are linked to the armed terrorist group, many of which help to recruit new IS members.
- The death toll from the MERSin South Korea has now been risen to 27 with two more deaths recorded by SoKor's health officials. So far, about 172 cases were reported.
- South Korea's Foreign Ministry says its top diplomat want Japanese PM Shinzo Abeto clearly uphold the historical perceptions of his predecessors in a statement he will issue this year.
- The petition filed at the Supreme Court against the Bangsamoro Basic Lawmay lead to a more revised version of the said bill which is a joint agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
- Former child actor Jake Lloyd, known for playing young Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, has been arrested after escaping the cops in his car, leading to a mile-long chase.
- Porsche built its 918th and the final 918 Spyderhybrid hypercar off the production line...and it's red.
- Check out the latest trailer for the upcoming Kung Fu Panda 3 trailer where Po, voiced by rockstar comedian Jack Black, meets his dad.
- Also, check out the latest trailer from Disney Pixar's new movie, The Good Dinosaur.
- Little did you know: by 2020, the US Department of Treasury will release a new ten-dollar bill, featuring a female on the bill but could it be some historical American females? Time will tell.
For numerous years, the Disney-Pixar films have captured the hearts and minds of every family with their heart-warming stories and fun-paced adventures that satisfy the cravings of kids and kids-at-heart alike. Now, there's a new Disney-Pixar flick that is completely unique and this could be your must-watch film for the summer.
Welcome to the world of Inside Out, Disney-Pixar's latest flick about...well, emotions controlling our minds. There are five emotions taking control of us; Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear. In this film, viewers are on an emotional rollercoaster (literally) in the mind of a young girl named Riley. When her dad gets a new job in San Francisco, she and her family moved out from her Midwest life and into a new home where life's about to change. With her emotions make sure that everything's okay in a totally new world, how would Riley and her emotions keep up?
The emotions really are the stars of the movie and because of the star-studded cast of Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Lewis Black as Anger, and Bill Hader as Fear, it made us sprinkled with joy. However, the storyline is a bit of a disgust for us...with a little bit of anger...or fear...or sadness. It's kinda confusing about how the movie's storytelling develops but despite the rather confusing storyline that keeps us guessing what's next for the emotions, it's still a fun movie to watch and because this is a fun Disney movie to watch in the summer, you might just find out which of the emotions from the film is your personal favorite, well, I'd prefer Joy by the way because..."It's a Great Day" for those who watched the film from the start to the finish.
Overall, Inside Out may not be one of the best family films to watch but it is essentially a great Disney movie to watch in the summer and because of such originality, there's a main reason why you should watch that film again and again.
This is the lightweight Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and this is more than just a lightweight muscle car, it's a GT3 RS edited for rednecks. It may have a seven-litre V8 motor straight from the old Corvette C6 Z06 but the Z/28 is all about precision and agility rather than power. First, this car has gone a little Jenny Craig and a little Zumba on the bodywork so it lost 300lbs of its weight. and then some aerodynamic upgrades to keep the Z/28 sleek and smooth as a baby's buttocks. It's no wonder it lapped round the Nurburgring faster than the more powerful ZL1 model, the Lexus LFA, or even the Ferrari 458.
In the world of Forza Horizon 2, well since this car is part of the Duracell Car Pack, the Z/28 really works it magic and even though its V8 "motor" produces less than its powerful opposition, it can still cut it through the bends in a tangible manner. It may not be a quick car on the straights but it actively eats any opponents alive with its lightweight bodywork and its uncanny characteristics. Despite having a more sophisticated suspension setup, drivers need to have a natural talent and skills to master the Z/28's dynamic character.
It's no wonder that despite being stodgy, old, and went out of production, it's still a muscle car that can keep up with the Joneses. You can think of Z/28 as Jared from the Subway commercials in every tangible manner...but for me, I have a special treatment for the Z/28 since I was thinking more of a tribute for the fifth-generation Camaro.
What I have done to the Z/28 is simple, I've themed it after one of your favorite iM@S gals, Hibiki Ganaha. Yes, you get the idea but Hibiki's kind of gal you would want to take her to the beach and savour every moment 'till the sun sets. Lovely, isn't it? In my mind, a certain Hibiki Ganaha likes a petrolhead-slash-producer who's interested in American muscle cars, something he would date her somewhere in...let's just say, Yoko Yokohama Yokosuka. No wait...that's totally inappropriate, isn't it?
Anyway, apart from the Hibiki-themed I made for the Z/28, some major improvements have been made and rather than focusing on POWERRRR, I decided to keep it as light as possible because being the Z/28, agility and precision is the key points to create a GT3 RS edited for rednecks.
Let's see how good is the Z/28 when I booked this one for a championship held at Sisteron.
Although a little messy race as it turns out, it's been proven that despite the sluggish power, the Z/28 is all about precision and agility no other muscle car has ever done...well, maybe the newer Corvette Z06 has done it because it's the better Chevy I have ever drove in this game but nevertheless, I made the Z/28 proud and smiled like the sun shining beyond the blue horizon.
Following the recent accident involving a Nissan GT-R race car flipped and flew into a bystander during an endurance race last March, killing him and sparked a temporary ban for GT3-spec racers, it seems the days of car manufacturers recording lap times in the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife, known by many as the Green Hell, are well and truly over (at this moment of time) as the management implemented speed limits following the crash three months ago and remained in effect.
Corners such as the Flugplatz, Schwedenkreuz, and Antoniusbuche have a 124mph speed limit while the final straight known as the Dottinger Hohe has a 155mph speed limit. Thanks to the speed limits, record drives done by most car manufacturers are no longer allowed. It's a sad day for most car enthusiasts hearing the news but I'm sure the situation will be back to normal if things were under control.
For now, looks like carmakers won't be using the track as their proving ground and find somewhere else to test it out.
- Prayers are held across the United States after the recent Charleston church shootingthat killed nine people by the suspect named Dylann Roof, who was arrested by policemen during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina. About six women and three men, including the pastor, were killed in the attack and an investigation has been launched.
- Greecehas ordered an emergency summit of eurozone leaders on Monday after the latest attempt to resolve the debt crisis failed with no breakthrough. Greece has less than two weeks to strike a deal with its creditors or face default on the existing loan.
- Mount Shindakein Kuchinoerabu Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, has been erupted again. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a gray smoke shot up 200 meters from the crater around 0943 hours Japan Time. So far, the eruption alert is at the highest level of five and calling on people in the region to remain on alert status.
The MERSdeath toll in South Korea is now upped by 1, bringing the total count of 24. Meanwhile, Thailand has reported their first MERS case in the form of a male from Oman.
- Senator Grace Poeis once again at the top spot of the preferred Presidentiables in next year's elections, this time based on the latest survey conducted by Social Weather Stations. She received 42% of the ratings, 11% more than last March's survey.
- Jule Hamp, a female executive from the North American division of Toyota, may have illegally imported medicine tablets that contain a narcotic banned in Japan. She was arrested for allegedly violating Japan's narcotic drugs control act.
- The new Peugeot 308 GTihas been unveiled with two versions; a 250 model and the top-sped 270 model. Both of them are armed with Peugeot's 1.6L THP 4-cylinder engine with supercharged air cooling system.
2016 Peugeot 308 GTi
- Incoming Top Gearpresenter Chris Evans announces tryouts for the next presenter of the hit motoring TV show. This is your chance to be part of the TG team!
If you want to advance to Tier 4 of your Storm Island progress, you need to clear the second Gauntlet after you meet the certain number of trophies needed. In your second Gauntlet challenge, you'll be driving an offroader most of your opponents will likely yell the name NEMESIS because this is the Bowler Nemesis...err...the EXR-S, the road-legal version of the Nemesis.
Part rally car, part weekend race car, the EXR-S is more of a multirole machine that can take on circuit racing or cross country offroading, it's a tough and durable machine capable to survive even Storm Island's toughest terrains. It's started out in life as a Range Rover but Bowler morphed Solihull's finest into an extreme offroader. It comes with a supercharged 5.0L V8 engine from Jaguar which produces 550HP of power and 461lb-ft of torque. Even though this is a heavy offroader, it's lighter than the Jaguar XKR-S so it's power-to-weight ratio is better than the Jag.
All right, enough explanation. Time to give Nemesis a time to shine in the second Gauntlet challenge.
Amazing. Even though it's made for casual Fridays, it's still a Bowler, meaning it's still a great offroader that you can take on the weekends. Better still, I have completed my second Gauntlet and my road to the Island Finale continues...
Last year, Daihatsu brought back the Copen kei roadster in the form of two styles; the Robe which is much derived from its Tokyo Motor Show concept car from 2013, and the X-PLAY which looks like the Robe only with some crossover-ish looks that pretends to be it's ready to hit the beach. These different styles are because of the Copen's Dress Formation on the D-Frame, meaning customers can personalize their own Copen just the way they want.
2016 Daihatsu Copen Cero
As promised, the third variation of the Copen's resurrection has arrived and this variant harks back to the first-generation Copen of 2002, giving customers a nostalgic feel to the once-forgotten kei-roadster. They've called it the Cero. Copen Cero.
2016 Daihatsu Copen Cero
2016 Daihatsu Copen Cero interior
2016 Daihatsu Copen Cero interior
With the Cero added to the Copen lineup, people who are looking forward to buying their own Copen can choose one of the three styles from the Robe, X-PLAY, and the Cero. However, there's a major catch when you're opting for the Cero model because it's 54,000 Yen more than the Robe/X-PLAY model for the CVT as well as for the 5-speed manual model.
That's a huge price to pay for nostalgia but despite the nostalgic looks for the Cero, it still retains the same 660cc 3-cylinder turbocharged engine from the Copen Robe so it produces the kei-car maximum limit of 64PS power output and 92Nm of torque, while mated with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT gearbox which comes with a 7-speed manual mode.
For fuel economy, the CVT version returns 25.2 km/L while the manual gearbox version returns at 22.2km/L.
It still comes with the same driver-focused interior as the other two, meaning that you don't get a radio unless you've opted for the DIATONE SOUND NAVI optional extra. For the Cero, you get two interior color combinations with the latter known as the Red Interior Pack which gives the Cero a much more charismatic taste while driving.
So, if you're in Japan and shopping for a new Copen, which of the three styles will you choose? The Robe? The X-PLAY? Or the Cero? The choices are endless when it comes to choosing your own Copen and feel free to mix and match until you have the Copen that's right for you.
Available Colors: British Green Mica, Pearl White III, Bright Silver Metallic, Black Mica Metallic, Matador Red Pearl, Tonico Orange Metallic, Jaune Yellow, and Clear Blue Crystal Metallic.
- According to Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, Greecehas a "political and moral" duty to reach an agreement with creditors over the nation's debt crisis but Thursday's meeting of eurozone finance ministers was unlikely to bring an immediate solution. In return, creditors want further reforms from Greece.
- Engineers are investigating the balcony collapse in California that killed six people and injured seven others say water damage may have caused it. The collapse occurred during a 21st birthday party in the early hours of Tuesday in the city of Berkeley. The victims were mostly Irish students who are temporarily living in the US as part of the work exchange program.
- The South Korean MERSdeath toll is now 23 with three more deaths reported according to the nation's health ministry.
- The European Union has agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia over their standoff with Ukraine until the end of January of next year.
- Senator Grace Poeleads the latest survey for the presidential race in the 2016 national elections conducted by Pulse Asia. She takes the top spot with a 30% rating while VP Jejomar Binay's 2nd with 22% and Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte is 3rd with 15%.
- REPORT: Honda will bring the Civic Type Rto Japan this fall. The latest Civic Type R, built from the UK, is the pinnacle of the super hot hatch royalty when it was debuted at this year's Geneva Motor Show. It is the first Type R to come with Honda's brand new 2.0L VTEC Turbo engine which produces 310PS of power and 400Nm of torque. It lapped round the Nurburgring in 07:51.42, making it the fastest hot hatch to lapped round the legendary racetrack.
2015 Honda Civic Type R
- The Mercedes-Benz GLC-Classhas been unveiled and it's served as the replacement to the GLK as part of the luxury carmaker's renaming structure. The new model promises to be a more capable leisure activity vehicle than the GLK it replaces and apart from the choice of petrol and diesel models, they're offering the first ever GLC 350 e PHEV model as well.
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
- The Koenigsegg One:1 megacar eclipsed the 0-300kph-0 time of 17.95 seconds, that's 3.24 seconds quicker than the Agera R's!
The Golden State Warriors are named as the 2015 NBA Champions after successfully defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers at the score of 105-97 in Game Six to win the NBA Finals 4-2. This is the first win of the team since 40 years ago. Draymond Green recorded the most rebounds by 11 and the most assists by 10 while Stephen Curry scored 25 points per game, six rebounds, and eight assists but the MVP of the season is Andre Iguodala whose record is 25 points, five boards, and five assists. It was one heck of a thriller between two teams vying for the summit.
After moments of speculations, it's official that the BBC announced that radio DJ, not to be confused (and no relation) with the actor of the same name, Chris Evans, is named as the new presenter of the hit motoring TV show, Top Gear.
Serving as one of the replacements of the ousted trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, who left the BBC after the scandal last March, Chris' knowledge and passion for cars as well as his personality might push the famed TV show to the top. The BBC also confirm that shooting for the new Top Gear will commence within a few weeks but in the meantime...
The extended, never-before-seen, Series 22 episode of Top Gear, featuring the ousted trio, will air on BBC Two on Sunday, June 28. The first clip will see the trio driving classic roadsters while the second clip will pit them into driving second-hand SUVs with the finale where the loser faces a much embarrassing punishment.
