Car Reviews: 05/28/07

Monday, May 28, 2007

1955 Chevrolet Motoramic TV Ads

Those where the days (for GM that is); Toyota was a horsefly on Harley Earl's humongous tail fins and Hyundai was nothing more than a weird Asian surname. It’s 1955 and Chevy introduces its revamped Bel-Air equipped with an all new "Turbo-Fire", 265 cubic inch V8, offered in three versions: 165Hp with a two-barrel carburettor, 185Hp with a four-barrel carburettor and 196Hp "power pack" version that had a high lift solid lifter cam, high compression heads, and dual exhaust. This nostalgic array of classic TV commercials showcase the 1955 Chevy models deemed as “the new motoramic Chevrolet”. Via: Motorpasion

Technorati: Chevrolet+Bel-Air, cars, Carscoop, blogs, automotive, vehicles

Ferrari 360 Modena Tuned By J.N.Hephaiss

While most tuners either try to maximize output or to upgrade –in their opinion, a car’s appearance, J.N.Hephaiss proposition concentrates on improving the Ferrari 360 Modena’s aerodynamics. With the exception of the exhaust/muffler system and the 19-inch O.Z. rims, J.N.Hephaiss’s kit for the 400Hp 360 Modena comprises a full set of spoilers: front lip, side skirt and rear-end diffuser, all of which are available in two materials: FRP and Carbon (dark colored spoilers). Follow the jump for the picture gallery along with the price-list. Via: Autoblog.it , Source: J.N.Hephaiss

Parts -Price

041701 Front Canard (Carbon) -US$ 2,400

041702 Front Canard (FRP) -US$ 1,680

041801 Side Straker (Carbon) -US$ 2,100

041802 Side Straker (FRP) -US$ 1,820

041201 Rear Under Diffuser (Carbon) -US$ 2,400

041202 Rear Under Diffuser (FRP) -US$ 1,900

042101 Ultimate Exhaust system (SUS) & Muffler Heatproof plate (Carbon) -US$ 7,800

042201 Muffler Heatproof plate (Carbon) -US$ 1,480

Wheels

OZ Racing / RAFFAELLO

Front 8.5J-19 (ET27 / PCD 108) Hand Polished - ask

Rear 11.0J-19 (ET34 / PCD 108) Hand Polished - ask

Technorati: Ferrari+360+Modena, Tuning, cars, Carscoop, blogs, automotive, vehicles

E.U. Car Taxes: French Pay 7 times More Toll Taxes Than Italians And Denmark Charges 155% Tax On Cars!

Talking about car ownership costs in

Australia

in our previous post made me remember an article about car taxation in the EU that I had once recommended writing about in my 9 to 5 job but never did due to office stupidity and bureaucracy (…). Since Carscoop’s a blog and in “blog-world”, less is more, I won’t go into an anal sort of detailed analysis. Instead, I’ll just pinpoint some interesting facts and let the info-sheets after the jump speak for themselves. *Note these are the latest facts we found on ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) and Eurostat.

Taxes on ownership: While in most EU countries taxes on car ownership are based on engine capacity and horsepower,

Denmark

(probably the weirdest EU member when it comes to car duties) taxes fuel consumption and… weight! However, let’s say that there’s logic behind this combination, what about Hungary and Latvia that base ownership taxes solely on car weight? Estonia, France, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic weirdly enough don’t charge any passenger vehicle ownership taxes.

Taxes on acquisition (2.0-litre vehicle): By far, Denmark is the EU champion here; those petrol-sucking officials will add a stunning 155% on the factory price of a 2.0-litre engine car! Second up is new EU member Malta that charges a heart breaking 93% while Portugal takes the third place with 77% VAT & registration taxes. The best place to buy (as a resident) a 2.0-litre car in the E.U. is

Luxembourg

as its government adds a mere 15% to the factory price.

Fiscal Income from Motor Vehicles: Heap of stuff here. France: 60.6 million people and 36 million cars, busses, trucks and vans - € 7.7 billion in toll taxes. Italy: 55.8 million people and 39 million vehicles- €1.1 billion… At least in insurance taxes both countries were on the same level (FR: €4.1 billion, ΙΤ: € 4.3 billion). Denmark on the other hand, received €3.3 billion for insurance taxes. But wait, isn’t Denmark significantly smaller than France or Italy? Yes it is: population 5.5 million, vehicles in use: 2 million! -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

E.U. POPULATION & VEHICLES IN USE

Lancia Delta S4 Group B In An Indoor Go-Kart Track!

WTF; a 500Hp+ Group B rally car in an indoor (!) go-kart track? And if you thought that’s insane, check out the cars parked inside the tire barriers, heck, there’s even a damn Lamborghini Countach in there! What a car though, and what a sound it makes indoors. Pure ecstasy. Via: Diariomotor

Technorati: Lancia+Delta+S4, Rally, kart, cars, Carscoop, blogs, automotive, vehicles

2007 Australian Annual Cost Of Vehicle Ownership Survey

An Australian survey concerning vehicle ownership cost? As strange as it may seem, not only do we like knowing that Lexus is Japanese and Land Rover is British (…), but we also find interesting totally useless stuff like how many bucks will an Aussie block pay to own his 6cylinder Commodore or Falcon. For the record, your average Mike will pay 233.40 & 229.13 AUD par week respectively that translates to €142.1 & 139.5 and $191.2 & 187.7 again, respectively.

The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria’s (RACV) conducted this particular survey and the calculations include the cost of financing the vehicle, depreciation (hence the high numbers we mentioned above), as well as operating costs including scheduled services, registration, insurance, fuel, tyres, etc. We don’t know why, but the Aussies only included Australian and Japanese carmakers along with a couple of Kia’s and Hyundai’s. Follow the jump (click "Read More...") to check out analytical ownership costs per vehicle category.

Key to the tables

Standing costs include those incurred on a periodical basis, such as depreciation in the value of the vehicle, interest on the loan, registration, driver’s license and RACV roadside assistance membership.

Running costs include those that result primarily from usage of the vehicle, such as fuel, tyre replacement, service and repairs.

Total Costs combine both Standing and Running costs. They are calculated as an average, based on costs incurred over the first five years of ownership and 15,000 km annual travel distance.

Via: RACV

Peugeot 207 SW - Official Images

Finally, after countless of unmasked scoops shown here and there we have the first official pictures of the, still to be unveiled, Peugeot 207 SW. SUV bodykit apart, the production version is identical to the Outdoor concept we saw in Geneva back in March. We love the 207 hatch looks and Peugeot did its best to make us think likewise for the 4.150 mm long SW. We suspect that the French will officially unveil the compact SW at the upcoming Barcelona Show in early June, but for the time being follow the jump (click "Read More...") and see the rest of the image gallery.