This is how… I want to ride!

The new Camaro ZL1 is the next big thing for Chevrolet and muscle car lovers. Details about the high performance Camaro ZL1 has been circulating around the internet this week .

Some notable things about the unconfirmed information are the following:

The V8 supercharged 6.2L can give out 580 horsepower and a torque of about 556 lb-ft while running on premium petrol. This powerful heart will be coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission. There is an option for a Hyrdramatic automatic gearbox.

The new Camaro ZL1 will be wider and longer than the current version of the Shelby Mustang GT500. The ZL1 will tip the scale at 4,120 pounds.

It will get an aluminum hood with carbon fiber insert. The information also hints of special lighting like day time lamps, fog lamps, high intensity headlamps with halo rings like that of the BMW’s.

Some are saying that a special wheel package may come with the ZL1. This might come in two setups of 20-inch rims. One might have a 10 spoke rim while the other favors a 5-spoke wheel.

The ZL1 heads up display will have a ton of helpful information for the driver plus lateral g-meter and shift indicator.

Chevrolet is also injecting into the picture the magnetic ride control technology that s currently being used of the Corvette and the Cadillac CTS-V. This will be a standard plus an optional upgrade for Performance Track Management.

There is also a buzz that the coupe sibling of the ZL1 will come to showrooms as early as 2012 ith a sticker price hitting over the $50,000 range.

Detail after detail we cannot help but hope (and drool) that these will really materialize.

The RM Auction House continues to excite experts and enthusiast with their line of high class quality vehicles. Last year’s RM Auction featured a Ford-theme auction that coincided with the Monterey Car Week. It was a rare opportunity for car bidders to purchase Ford concept cars that were revealed and released during the last ten years. This year, RM Auction House is having another Ford-themed auction that will feature more high quality cars from Ford.

First in line at this year’s Ford-themed auction at the RM Auction House is the Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept car which made its first debut in 2004 during the Pebble Beach Show. The iconic GR-1 model was developed in line with the brand’s celebration of its Shelby Daytona’s 40 years in the market. Sadly, the Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept wasn’t the one the brand unveiled during the Detroit Motor Show in 2004.

Next in the Ford-RM Auction House is the original Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster Concept car which made its first appearance in the Detroit Motor Show in 2001. The same concept gave life to the new-generation Thunderbird that followed in the next two years.

According to the press release issued by Ford, all of the auction proceeds with go to charity. The Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster Concept and the Ford Shelby GR-1 Concept are assumed to rake up sales amounting to $125,000 to $200,000 each. Let’s hope that both Ford cars get a good auction price this year to help selected charitable institutions.

It can be the most flamboyant and most exotic supercar you can drive today if you also have a bank account to have it delivered to your garage. And by money we mean tons of it. We are referring to the Pagani Huayra which is the successor of the supercar Pagani Zonda.

There was recently a special event organized by the supercar maker in Sardinia for owners of Pagani vehicles. One lucky soul that was invited to the event was Harry Metcalfe of EVO magazine. He was not able to drive the Pagani Huayra but was on the passenger seat as Horaccio Pagani took the Huayra for a spin.

The footage provides you with an amazing pseudo supercar ride experience. Listen to that engine with a perfect blend of poise and power:

The Pagani Huayra was first unveiled to the public during the motor show in Geneva last March. Huayra is actually named after the South American god of the winds. Initial reviews were critical of the wide mouth in front and the odd placement of the rear lights. But of course a Pagani is a Pagani and acceptance sets in as people realize what the car is all about—beauty and speed.

Looking at the Huayra and the Zonda, the predecessor was more on the graceful design lines but the Huayra veers away from the usual architecture and went for a more aerodynamic and wacky look.

The supercar of course walks the talk. The car can give out 700 horsepower from its 6.0 V12 twin turbo powerplant and can reach a top speed of 230 miles per hour or 370 kilometers per hour. The Pagani Huayra tips the scale at 2,976 pounds or 1,350 kilograms.

Here are some more videos used by Pagani before prior to the Pagani Huayra’s official launch:

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Tuning firm Anderson German unveils their program on how Ferrari 458 Italia owners can beef up their stallions.

The Ferrari 458 Italia by Anderson Germany gives the ride a new hood, tinted windows, brake calipers in yellow, and a 21-inch alloy rim. They also made use of carbon fiber accents for the design particularly on the canards, side mirrors, and the rear diffuser. The Ferrari will roll o n 245 rubbers on the fron and 345 for the rear.

For the interiors, the designers gave it Alcantara upholstery, high end sound system, and also gave the trim some dose of carbon fiber on the door sills, door handles, center console, tachometer border, steering wheel, air intakes, and even the handles of the seat adjustment.

No one can say that the Ferrari 458 lacks power and performance but the guys at Anderson Germany just had to give it a redesigned exhaust system and tweaked its ECU. Think of Formula 1 sound as an effect of the exhaust system improvements whjich makes use of remote controlled adjustments for three levels of noise. The engineers of the tuning firm also installed heat sleeves to give 60% additional protection against overheating.

The engine and exhaust enhancements gives the 458 Italia an additional oohmp of 52 horsepower or making its output a monstrous 614 horsepower and an additional torque of 469 pound feet. The stock version already gives out 570 horsepower.

Anderson Germany proves the point– even non-red Ferraris can be cool.

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Audi recently unveiled the 2011 Audi A7 Sportback in Munich, Germany. According to the designers of the car, the new A7 is a combo of a coupe, a functional wagon, and a sporty sedan. The 5-door coupe is the carmaker’s own adventure to the sports coupe with doors for rear passengers.

The A7 Sportback makes use of a very light body made of high-tech steel and components fabricated from aluminum making it possible to depend on V6 engines. Most likely Audi will have a V8 option for the A7 in the near future.

The new member of the Audi garage rolls on 18 through 20 inch rims and makes use of a power steering setup that relies on efficient electromechanical technology. The car comes optional with LED headlamps while bi-xenon taillights come as standard.

Audi will give consumers options to get the A7 with V6 engines with two variants running on petrol and two other variants running on diesel. The car manufacturer has not yet released the full details of the powerplants. We only know off the 3.0L TDI that gives out 204 hp. The best of the line is said to produce around 300 horsepower.

All of the engines for the A7 Sportback will be coupled with automatic transmission which may come as a multitronic for the FWD variants or the 7-speed S tronic for the Quattro units.

The A7 Sportback variants will come with stop-start technology, thermal management, and energy recovery technology.

The A7 Sportback will roll out to European dealerships by fall with the tag price starting at 51,650 Euros.

Aston Martin will be reworking on the looks of the Vantage and DB9 that will be due in 3 or 4 years time. The restyling will somehow stretch the life of the vehicles as the car manufacturer postponed plans to totally revamp the models due to financial issues. The basic dimensions of the DB9 and the Vantage though will be untouched.

According to an insider, Aston Martin will not be going to kick off things from scratch but make most of the excellent technology that they have in their disposal. The facelifts will be give the two models new styling for the exteriors and will also overhaul the interiors.

Aston Martin has not come up with a final design yet but they hint that the DB9 will take some inspiration from the One-77 limited series. The new DB9 will also take the flowing lines on the air vents on its side just like the Rapide and the Vantage look.

The carmaker is also set on reducing the weight of the two vehicles by using lightweight materials. The current model of the DB9 tips the scale at 1760 kilos. The British car marques plan to trim it down to about 1500 kg.

There will also be engine upgrades for the DB9 tagged as VH500 and the Vantage coined as VH600. The focus of the tweaks will be on the improvement of fuel efficiency and reducing the carbon dioxide emissions rather than jacking up the performance.

While you might want to haggle the best price, you might be able to find the best price via getting discounts and taking advantage of the incentives that many of the dealerships are offering up.  We all know that the automotive market is cut-throat and this can actually work to your advantage.

For example, if you are looking at a brand new car at one dealership and you are looking to invest in it but another dealership is having a sale on that model, why not go to that dealership?  There is nothing wrong with finding sales and incentives to help you get a cheap price!

The car market right now is a buyers market and it won’t be that way for too long, so make sure you take advantage of it!

Buying a car, especially your dream car is difficult – there are so many different things that you want to take into consideration and you certainly do not want to take the decision of purchasing a car lightly, especially if it is one car that you have been dreaming about forever now.  In this blog, we are going to truly talk about some of the top steps that you need to go through whenever you are purchasing a car.

The first thing that you are going to want to do whenever you are purchasing a car is make sure that you are haggling.  Haggling is definitely welcomed – not really but it is necessary – whenever you are purchasing a car.  You want to get the best price obviously.

In the next blog, we will talk about the incentives and rebates that the dealership might be offering up!

What is one of the curviest, sleekest, hottest things to ever come out of Italy?

Sophia Loren, am I right?

Well, it is partly in homage to that beautifully aging siren of the stage and screen that Turin based automaker IDEA unveils the Sofia concept.

If the IDEA manufacturer seems at all familiar to you, by the way, you might remember them from their famed ERA concept.

The Sofia will definitely be giving that a run for its money.

Quoted as being completely Italian, so defined by its overall look, its entire shape, its feeling of elegance, and, of course, its name.

I can’t quite say why, but I am having a serious Knight Rider moment right now.

And yes, although I hate to admit it, I am just about old enough to remember the Hoff’s original talking car.

(Incidentally, I also remember that K.I.T.T. was voiced by none other than the suave old dude who played Boy Meets World’s Mr. Feeney.)

Anyway. I get a Knight Rider kind of vibe from Citroen’s new concept, the Survolt. The French manufacturer has certainly given it a much needed, modern, ultra sleek twist, however.

Or maybe I am just a Francophone at heart, who simply happens to live in Boston.