Cars

When the BMW X6 was first introduced to the masses, I wasn’t really a big fan of the design although it slowly has started to grow on me. I mean, most reviews out there have pointed out the fact that it performs terribly as a car and even worse as a Sport Utility Vehicle. Like some confused teenagers out there, this BMW too has identity issues and needs figure things out. While it does that, tuners such as Lumma Design are putting their own twist on the BMW X6.

Lumma Design has been known to modify the X6 but this time, they tune the xDriv40d engine which is equipped with a twin-turbo charged 3.0 liter straight six which produces a respectable 306 horsepower and a massive 443 lb-ft of max torque straight off the assembly line. Not too bad but there is always room for improvement. First thing Lumma takes care of is the ECU mapping on the X6. The ECU tune bumps up the power of the X6 to 340 horsepower and the torque is now a staggering 494 lb-ft.

Most car guys know what a limited slip differential is. They probably also recognize Positrac – or Positraction – by other marketing names used by the Big Three manufacturers, such as Sure-grip, Traction Lock, Safe-T-Lok, and so on. Well, I’m a car guy from way back; I got my drivers license in 1972. (Please hold those age jokes.) As is typically the case with older more intelligent car guys, I have a special appreciation for domestic cars built in the 67, 68, 69 and 1970 model years: those built and roaming the streets while I was counting the days until I could get my own drivers permit.

So, what did I learn during those formative years, when I had more brain cells and my synapse connections were still being hardwired?

Over the weekend, Toyota unveiled the official production model of the FT-86 Concept as the GT 86 (Euro Spec) and the ‘86’ for the Japanese market. And now Subaru is officially presenting their production version of the FT-86 known as the Subaru BRZ at the Tokyo Motor Show. The FT-86 was jointly developed by the two automakers to bring an affordable rear-wheel driver sports coupe to the market.

I was hoping that there would be some differences between the Subaru version and the one offered by Toyota but as you can see in the pictures below, the changes are minimal. Like the Toyota GT 86, the BRZ will use the 2.0 liter flat-four engine with Toyota’s D-4S direct injection and port injection technology. The engine is rated at 200 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of peak torque.

Maybe you are the type of guy that dresses sharply, wears shiny expensive jewellery, and is into red carpet entrances. In order to live up to your personality, you need your muscle car ride to be an eye catcher; something apart from the ordinary. Of course, dealerships made money on new car options, so both consumers and dealers were happy with the long lists of factory options available to personalize dream fully optioned muscle cars. There were choices of eye searing colors, racing mirrors, chrome treatments, spoilers, decal treatments, scoops and louvers; the list goes on and on…

It’s hard now to believe that just a generation ago we had no mobile communication devices to get the nights activities organized while on the streets tooling around town. Instead, we would make the rounds of common gathering places like drive-ins, restaurants, or pubs to see who was hanging out where. There was nothing better than when someone drove up in a visually stunning ride: it was like an instant slap to the senses. Here’s a look at some restored examples of seventies muscle cars that came “blinged” out from the factory. Let’s go!

Tiny cars are hot at the moment and have been in demand for quite a few years now thanks to the oil companies squeezing every possible penny out of our wallets. Although small cars have gained popularity in North America recently, it’s old news in Europe.

Volkswagen’s smallest car, Up, is now hitting showroom floors in Britain after preliminary prices were announced back in October 2011.  The prices for the VW Up start from $12,560 USD to $17,560 USD depending on the model.

The fan made Jaguar XKX Concept is the creation of Skyrill in collaboration with Marin Myftiu and has taken inspiration from the iconic Jaguar E-Type. Although this concept vehicle has no affiliation with the official company, this car is a true Jaguar at heart in many ways.

The aim of this concept vehicle is to revive the iconic design lines of the brand while integrating modern aerodynamics and new technologies such as an electric powerplant aimed at pushing both performance and power efficiency to a new level. The concept vehicle features microscopic layers of piezoelectric cells which help produce electricity caused by air friction (the air that actually flows over the surface of the car). The electricity that is produced is sent to the battery helping improve the efficiency of the vehicle.

The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is a special enough car as is but the German automaker went ahead and made yet another variation of the powerful sedan called the C63 AMG Performance Studio Edition.  This limited edition car will only be available in the Japanese market starting in November 2012.

The special edition C63 AMG will be powered by the same 6.2 liter V8 engine found in the regular C63 but output has been increased from 451 horsepower to 480 HP.  Exterior upgrades include a flat-black paint job, special 19” multi-spoke black rims with red outer lips, red brake calipers, a carbon fiber trunk lid spoiler, and unique exhaust tips.