Undeniably sleek and sporting, the Giugiaro designed M1 is thus far unique in BMW history of its mid engined layout; the six cylinder 3.5 liter 277 bhp unit, featuring twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, sits in line behind the cockpit, driving the rear wheels through a ZF transaxle.

Its purpose was to take part in the Group 4 and Group 5 categories of international sports car racing. Where Porsche had dominated with the competition 911 Turbo, the 934 and 935. for, this at least 400 examples had to be produced over a 2 years period; in competition tune the M1 engine could be made to produce 470 bhp, so it had a theoretical chance against the 934, and the mid engine layout gave it potentially better roadholding. The turbocharged versions, with up to 850 bhp, could challenge for outright victory.

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What’s family estate car doing in this supercar league? Call it an Audi-Porsche and you will be a little nearer the mark, just like a Sierra-Cosworth or a Vauxhall Lotus Carlton. Audi commissioned Porsche to develop the already fast 80 Estate S2 into the fastest ever production load carrier. The S2 had been the previous flagship of the 80 range, boasting 230 bhp form its turbocharged 2.2 liter five cylinder 4 valve unit and a six speed gearbox with four wheel drive; that gave it a maximum speed of 145 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 6.2 sec. but with a little Porsche magic for the new RS2, power is upped to 315 bhp, the maximum goes to 160 mph and the 0-60 mph time comes down to just 4.8 seconds.

A larger turbo charger, high lift cams and a free flow exhaust system coupled with revised fuel injection were responsible for the power increase of 37 percent to a remarkable 141 bhp/liter. It certainly goes like a supercar and can hold most Ferraris and Porsche to 100 mph; it will outdrag just about everything up to 30 mph, reached in just1.6 seconds, thanks to its four wheel drive grip, first gear has been strengthened too!.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are alerting consumers of a recall involving certain infant child restraints manufactured by Dorel Juvenile Group under Safety 1st, Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Disney branded names. Consumers should immediately stop using the infant seat carrying handle.

Dorel is recalling 447,000 seats because when used as an infant carrier, the bolts that attach the child restraint handle to the seat can loosen causing the handle to fully or partially separate from the seat creating a fall hazard. Consumers should not use the handle until the repair kit has been installed. The car seat is safe for use in a vehicle as it meets federal safety standards.

To receive a free repair kit, owners of the affected child restraint models should contact Dorel’s customer service department at 1-866-762-3316 or visit http://www.djgusa.com/safety_notice.

The affected child restraint models, produced from January 6, 2008 through April 6, 2009, are listed below, (more…)

After a gap of 24 years, the DB 7 has continued the range of the numbers that David Brown set up when he took over the company in 1947. As Sir David Brown he had sold the company at the end of 1971 when the DBS was in production; the six cylinder DB6 MkII had stopped in November 1970. However Sir David was brought back into the fold as patron when new owners Ford, started the design of the small Aston; he was delighted to allow the use of his initials for the new car. In fact, the original DBS was nearly called a DB 7.

Throughout the ‘eighties, Aston’s previous owners, Victor Gauntlett and Peter Livanos, had recognized that the company needed an entry level Aston 2+2 to join the Porsche 928 and Mercedes SL market. Unfortunately there just wasn’t sufficient capital available to be able to embark upon the design and production of an entirely new car; to be possible it would have to borrow a number of parts from an existing higher volume manufacture.

When Ford took over in 1987 this began to look possible, but it wasn’t until Ford absorbed Jaguar in 1989, that the possibility moved to the probable; a combination of Ford engineering know how and Jaguar base would provide the appropriate background. While Jaguar had supplied some components for Aston Martin V8 and Lagonda models, they wasn’t keen to provide too much until Ford came along to define the markets for the two former rivals marques more precisely.

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Intensive Holiday Drunk & Impaired Driving Crackdown & Advertising Blitz

New Data Show States with Best & Worst Improvement in Drunk Driving Fatality Rates

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, today kicked off the “Over the Limit. Under Arrest” national drunk and impaired driving crackdown involving thousands of law enforcement agencies during the holiday season. In addition, Secretary LaHood announced new data showing states with the best – and worst – improvement over the last year in addressing drunk driving behavior.
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Understand it is not. The latest Aston Vantage is far more brutal version of the standard car than any Vantage has ever been since the name was coined for the DB2’s more powerful engine back in 1951. Then and though the DB series, Vantage just meant power; it wasn’t until 1977 that Vantage became a separate model, recognizable at a glace with wider wheels with wheel-arch flares and wind cheating front with fashionable and effective front air-dam.

The standard Virage isn’t slow with a maximum speed around 157 mph, but it has a fair amount of weight to get under way, so the 0-60 mph time is not really to Aston standard – at 6.8 seconds, it is slower than a Volkswagen Corrado VR6. And the Virage is designed for comfortable fast touring, so it lacks the handling tautness that the traditional Aston driver expects. The Vantage addresses these relative shortcomings in full measure.

The standard engine is a development of the original Marek-designed aluminum V-8, only it now has four valve heads designed by the American Reeves Callaway, who had been responsible for the race engines used in 1989 AMR-1 race programme.

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