Beautiful Concept Cars

This morning while surfing Autoblog.com, there was this article with a very interesting concept car that looked very similar to a Lamborghini. The car in question is a "1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero". Apart from being a very intriguing car, it is now currently being displayed in a musuem at Bertone. From the article, the car is going to be auctioned. The cars coming out from the musuem to be auctioned include: 1967 Lamborghini Marzal, 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, 1963 Chevrolet Testudo, 1974 Lamborghini Bravo, 1980 Lamborghini Athon and 1978 Lancia Sibilo. Each is expected to fetch well into the six and even seven figures. The Marzal, particularly, which was driven by Prince Ranier and Princess Grace at the start of 1967 Monaco Grand Prix, and the Stratos, the first prototype for the iconic supercar rally machine of the same name, are expected to sell for between €1,000,000 and €1,800,000... that's as much as $2.5 million apiece in equivalent American funds. 

Heel and Toe Downshift

Today while I was testing out a customer's car (which was manual, haven't driven one in 2 years!) I began palying with a shifting technique I heard somewhere. Didn't really get the hang of it till I got a clearer article written by: Brent Romans

If you have heard of the term "heel-and-toe" downshift before, but you've never known what it means, you've come to the right place. It is the mission of this article to make you a heel-and-toe master, a proverbial Jackie Chan of downshifts. Hi-yah!

Honda Civic images surface before China launch in April

by : Paul TanMarch 22, 2011 02:10

The new 2012 Civic is set to be introduced by Dongfeng Honda at Auto Shanghai late next month, but shots of the car – presumably taken in-house – have inevitably surfaced, as is usually the case. The leaked photos of the Chinese version of the car reveal minor differences compared to the US version, noticeably at the rear, with the tail lamps extending on to the trunk lid, a similar trick Honda used to differentiate the US and ASEAN Accord.

Based on the shots, there’s plenty more chrome finishing on the Chinese version – the door handles, front grille and fog lamp cover get the shiny bit treatment. The word on the grapevine is that the car will be available in China in 1.8 and 2.0 form, and presumably the Type S badging on the car in the pix makes it the 2.0.

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News

First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

On Top Of The World With Merc's New Magic Roadster

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK - Click above for high-res image gallery

We usually see women behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class. Who can blame them? It's a cute little car. The original SLK debuted in 1996 with a four-cylinder powerplant and all of 136 ponies. What it lacked in the motivation department it made up for with its Vario-roof retractable hardtop. Not since the 1957 Ford Skyliner could a car stop so much traffic while parked.

The SLK gained some testosterone with its first facelift in 2000. While the exterior was still rather tame, the chick car jokes ceased in 2001 with the introduction of the 354-horsepower SLK 32 AMG.

Things continued to get better with the all-new 2004 edition and its sleeker styling that paid homage to Mercedes' Formula One designs and the beastly McMerc SLR. The reality that AMG could stuff its hand-built 5.4-liter V8 under the hood made the second-generation SLK a serious performance car.

For 2012, the SLK officially begins its third generation, and you can see the difference from 100 yards. Especially from the front view, the roadster looks more mature and substantial. The split-grill design reconstitutes the 190 SL's design from the late 1950s in a handsome, modern manner. The bolder aesthetics continue in the rear, which features large arches over the rear wheels and LED taillamps. And it keeps getting better on the inside...

Original Article:

Go to: First Drive - 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK... (By Rex Roy)