Audi A5 Sportback gets the ABT treatment

With less and less new models announced this time of the year, it’s the tuning houses around the globe that have kept the auto freaks entertained. Adding to the excitement is the Abt treatment for the latest Audi A5 Sportback.

Dubbed the AS5 kit for the A5 Sportback, the tuning includes a new front grille, rear wing insets, a rear skirt set and diamond cut edition wheels finished in high gloss (18, 19 and 20-inch sizes). Performance being a key for Abt, the engine has been modified to justify a thorough upgrade be it for the 2.0 TFSI variant or the range topping 3.0 TDI ABT Power S. That means that the 2.0 TFSI renders between 180 and 275hp, and 320Nm of torque, while the 3.0L puts out nothing less than 310hp and 610Nm of torque. Neat!

Mazda1 Concept: First Official Sketches?

Since Mazda has yet to come out with an official press release, we’re obliged to leave a question mark on whether these sketches of the Mazda1 Concept that appeared on UK website “Autoexpress” are official or not. We don’t know if it means something, but on the left-hand corner, right under the British magazine’s logo there’s another logo (something "-CAR") that has been cropped, but anyways.

The Mazda1 Concept is set to make its first public appearance at the Paris Show this fall and it will give us a preview of Mazda’s all-new mini car that will fit right under the Mazda2 in the Japanese carmaker’s range. The concept mini depicted in these drawings seems to bear many similarities with the Hakaze compact crossover concept that was first shown at last year’s Geneva Auto Salon.

According to Autoexpress, Peter Birthwhistle, chief designer at Mazda’s European Research and Development Centre, said: “The finished article will be even more radical than the car seen here. It will be aimed at young people and feature the likes of iPod connectivity, sat-nav and Blue- tooth. It will be environmentally friendly, and weigh as little as possible.”

Via: Autoexpress

Tata Nano Dealers and Import Solutions

With so many people interested in the new Tata Nano (Rs 1-lakh) car, I’ve seen that most of them want to know where can they find a dealer or how to import it in their country. The price is good, car looks pretty much ok, but there are regulations and tests that the Nano won’t pass. Take Europe for example, they have crash tests, where a Nano would be wrecked, so don’t expect it to be imported there any time soon.

If you would like to buy one, just for fun, you should seek a Tata Motors dealership to sell your Nano. I assume the dealer is going to be in India (about 170 dealers countrywide) and you’ll have to pay for the whole shipment.

Do you still want one?

Parking Lot Apology Note

Maybe this parking lot note is actually true, maybe it’s not. Either way, it made us laugh and we thought we’d share it with you.

Tatoo’d Lamborghini

This really can not be called a paint job as it seems this Lamborghini was all done by a marker. Plus it must have taken some serious time to finish a piece like this.

BMW 3-Series Sport Sedan Concept

Here’s yet another design proposal from an independent artist who wishes to capture our imagination. The BMW 3-Series Sport Sedan Concept is the work of Benedetto Bordone who graduated from Coventry University in 2005 and is currently a freelance Designer/Illustrator. The artist’s previous working experiences include BeeStudio Torino, Centro Stile Alfa Romeo and Honda Advanced Design.

With this proposal, Bordone wanted to explore a possible future design language for the Bavarian brand, and in particular for its core model, the ultra successful 3-Series sedan. "The car's surfaces are inspired by the torso of an athlete, to give an impression of lean muscle. The detailing of the grilles communicates precision and attention to details,” said Berdone. Our opinion? Overall, the design is a bit too complicated for our taste and we think that the front-end styling needs to be reworked from the beginning.

Marble Stone Audi S5

Looks like this Russia lad was in a hurry to turn his Audi S5 into an instant classic by applying a film imitating a marble stone. Well, either that or someone was quite handy with photoshop as you never know these days…

Drive it, Don’t Eat it: The Watermelon Daewoo

Unless this “watermelon” version of the Daewoo Lanos is some kind of promotional vehicle (doubt it though as there are no decals of the sort), the guy or gal that owns it has some very, very serious issues to solve. Don’t believe us? Then take a look at the car’s interior after the jump – the only things missing are the seeds!

Gamers Play to Win a 445Hp eBay Motors Ford Mustang GT-R

If you’re at least 16 year’s old and you feel comfortable with a joystick in your hand, then you should know that eBay and the makers of the race game “The Grid” have launched an online competition that will see one gamer getting his hands on a real-life eBay liveried Ford Mustang GT-R. The demo for the racing videogame was launched earlier this month onto the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as well as the Playstation Network. Gamers can enter their fastest-lap times up until midnight on May 25. The top-five players will then attend The GRID launch event in San Francisco (June 4) for a final race-off to determine the winner of the eBay Motors Ford Mustang GT-R that is featured in the game and worth $90,000.

The Ford Mustang GT-R has been completely overhauled with modifications including a complete custom body kit and race suspension, a supercharged engine with 445HP, a race inspired side ported exhaust system and 20” GTR Concept Wheels.

Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile Downsizes, Now Based on MINI Cooper

This whole gas price thing is taking its toll on everyone – even Oscar Mayer who decided its time to put its famous Wienermobile into the dryer and base it on a MINI Cooper. These pictures were shot by our friend Michelle (you may remember her from the Nissan 280Z based Ferrari 250GTO replica) who captured the MINI Wienermobile on her way home in Gurnee Illinois.


Oscar Mayer’s modern interpretation of the Wienermobile is a far cry from the 2000 hot-dog car that measured a fearsome 27 feet or 8.2 meters in length and was powered by GM’s 5.7-liter V8 Vortec engine. Wonder what’s next; a Smart Fortwo Wienermobile?

Car Facts you never knew...!!!

The car is one of the most recognizeable inventions of the modern era. Without cars there would be no suburbs, car trips, endless drop-offs and pick-ups most parents are all to familiar with. Here are some fun facts about cars and their colorful past.

• The first cars did not have steering wheels. Drivers steered with a lever.
• The New York City Police Department used bicycles to pursue speeding motorists in 1898.
• The first speeding ticket was issued in 1902.
• In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords, a record that has never been beaten.
• The first gas gauge appeared in cars in 1922.
• In 1923, 173 new inventions by women for cars had been reported. Among these inventions were a carburetor and an electric engine starter.
• The first car radio was invented in 1929.
• Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938.
• The Peanuts characters were first animated in 1957 for a Ford Fairlaine automobile commercial.
• Most American car horns beep in the key of F.
• The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world today.

IDEA ERA Barchetta Concept – Built in just 30 days

On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Italian engineering and design house IDEA, developed an all-new Barchetta concept car dubbed “ERA” that will be presented on May 19 at the Automotive News Europe Congress in Turin, Italy. Built from scratch in just 30 days, the two-seat barchetta concept is inspired by racing cars from the 1940s. IDEA’s management took the decision to create the commemorative concept for its 30th anniversary on April 8, 2008 giving its design team a week to come up with a proposal. On April 15 the design was chosen and IDEA began working round-the-clock to have the car ready in 30 days time.

According to IDEA, the ERA which measures 4300mm long and 1840mm wide could have two possible technical layouts: front-wheel-drive with a transversal four-cylinder engine or (the proper) rear-wheel-drive with a longitudinal V-6 engine.

Wow, Rinspeed sQuba Under Water

Frank M. Rinderknecht, founder of Rinspeed, sees himself as a dreamer, as everyone can say his company by visiting the official website. And not just because he cites two very famous phrases on the dream (one of John Lennon, “Imagine” and one of Walt Disney), both located just below his image, but also because of cars he has managed to create. Anyway, one of its most extreme dreams, and one that could have turned into a real nightmare, was announced in December 2007. Rinspeed submersible build the first car in the world. Topping it is an electric vehicle. And a roadster. Well, it seems that the dream has become reality. And it is called sQuba.

This machine is amazing 3.79 m long, 1.94 m wide and 1.12 m high, with a wheelbase of 2.30 m. Although it resembles the Lotus Elise really, it’s not even close to the car in Britain with regard to performance. Its electric motor which provides 54 kW (73 hp) at 4500 rpm and a torque of 160 Nm at 1500 rpm, it grows to 80km / h in 7.1 s and a maximum speed of 120 km / h, legal limit in many countries. There is no word on the cars’ autonomy, but it uses lithium-ion batteries. Their usually lasts more than ordinary batteries, and the weight of sQuba, only about 920 kg, will help them continue to go a little further.



Performance may in fact not be expected by looks, but the dynamics of the car to attract attention are presented in the water. The sQuba can move and navigate through two rear propellers (also electric) or submerge and also be driven, by virtue of a maximum depth of 10 m, with the assistance of two Seabob jet drives, responsible for keeping the car stable in the water. The speed on the water is 6 km / h. Under this, it is up to half the speed of 3 km / h.



The choice for a roadster, which was adopted Rinspeed oxygen bottles in the car driver and his passenger breathing, has a simple and logical explanation: if the car was a hardtop, all cabins will be really strong for coping with the pressure of the water. This would add a lot of extra weight to the car and this move very slowly out of the water as well. By the way, the rear is sQuba a jeep. And will not be for sale, making it a one-of-a-kind first submersible electric car. Some dreams can not be shared at all.