Launch of new Roadster Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

On the eve of the legendary Concours d’Elegance, the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport will make its world premiere in Pebble Beach, California.
This highly traditional company is releasing the car in response to strong customer demand for a roadster in the supercar class. What’s surprising is the removable glass roof and how the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport successfully combines the aesthetics of a convertible with the driving dynamics and safety of an enclosed car. With the roof on, the top speed is still 253 m.p.h. – with the roof open, the limit is 224 m.p.h. This makes it the world’s fastest convertible available on the market.
In comparison to other models, the most noticeable differences are its higher windshield, newly designed state-of-the-art LED headlights, new horseshoe-style wheels, new feature details, extended safety characteristics and the lightweight transparent polycarbonate roof.

Based on the classic Bugatti Veyron 16.4, considerable changes were required in the complex vehicle structure. The central element of the car, the carbon fibre monocoque, has been completely redefined by Bugatti. As a result, the high performance roadster is able to retain its extreme rigidity and ensure maximum security even when the roof is removed. The two newly designed air inlets not only supply sufficient ventilation to the 16-cylinder engine beneath them, but the ten centimeter wide carbon fiber elements also provide the essential rollover protection.
The innovative soft top, which can be stowed in the trunk like an umbrella, protects driver and passenger from sudden rainfall. Other features include a reverse camera with 2.7 inch monitor integrated in the rearview mirror and the “Puccini” sound system, specifically design for convertibles.

Each Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is hand-built at the Bugatti headquarters in Molsheim (Alsace), France. The delivery of the planned 150 vehicles is scheduled from March 2009. The first 40 cars are reserved exclusively for current Bugatti customers. With one exception: the coveted first car will be auctioned off at the renowned Gooding Auction on 17 August 2008. Bugatti Automobiles will donate the profits to a charitable foundation.

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Ferrari

1996 was a year for building for the future and in 1997 and 1998 Ferrari lost out on the title's only in the final race of the season. 97 will be remembered from the Jerez incident in which Michael Schumacher tangled with title rival Jacques Villeneuve handing the Williams driver the title. In 1998 it was Mika Hakkinen in the McLaren who took the title on the final day of the season after Schumacher's Ferrari stalled on the grid at Suzuka.

In 1999 a Schumacher driver's title looked on the cards until a leg breaking accident at Silverstone ruled him out of the title battle, it was left to Eddie Irvine to take the fight to Hakkinen and fight he did, the title again went to the final race of the season but not even the return of Michael Schumacher could prevent Hakkinen taking the crown once again, Ferrari however took victory in the constructor's championship.

2000 was a turning point for Ferrari's fortunes, another tough battle with McLaren was won in style with a fine end of season comeback which saw Michael Schumacher win the final four races of the season to secure both titles for Ferrari. And in 2001 the success would be repeated, this time Ferrari had less of a challenge and Schumacher had wrapped up another title long before the season was over.

In 2002 Ferrari launch the F2002 and it will be a car that is long remembered in the history of the Scuderia. The F2002 simply dominated the season after making a delayed debut in Brazil. Schumacher won the driver's title quicker than any other driver before and Ferrari won by a record margin of points. However this success caused the FIA to worry about the sport becoming boring and in 2003 they were to introduce a raft of changes to try and slow down Ferrari and keep the title's competitive.

The changes to F1 in 2003 did at least stop Ferrari running away with the title's once again, but they did not stop the winning streak from continuing. Schumacher once again took the driver's title this time fighting off a double challenge from Montoya and Raikkonen. Ferrari took their 5th straight victory in the constructor's title and put another notch on their domination of the sport in this period of time.

2004 would see Ferrari continue to dominate F1, after the tough battle in 2003 many expected Ferrari's winning run to come to an end at the hands of their Michelin shod rivals, but the F2004 was simply the class of the field as Ferrari went on the rampage once again similar to 2002 where nobody had an answer to their pace. Ferrari were so far ahead of the rest they stopped developing the chassis in the summer to work on the 2005 car, thus allowing their rivals some hope as they caught up with the champions towards the end of the season, but by then it was all done and dusted and the team sealed yet another double championship win, with 15 wins from 18 races.

As of 2004, the team's records include fourteen World Drivers Championship titles (1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), fourteen World Constructors Championship titles (1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), 179 grand prix victories, 3445 and a half points, 544 podium finishes, 174 pole positions, 11,182 laps led, and 180 fastest laps in 1622 grands prix contested. Famous drivers include Tazio Nuvolari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Phil Hill, Mike Hawthorn, John Surtees, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher.

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The Most Fuel Efficient Cars

So gas just hit another miserable milestone. Unleaded regular is averaging a record $3.30 a gallon and seems likely to blast past $4 by Memorial Day. Wouldn't it be great if you could drive a car that gets 50 miles per gallon? Well, you can. Just hop on a plane and fly to Europe, where all new cars average 43mpg, or Japan, where the average hits 50mpg. Here in the United States, we're stuck at 25mpg in our considerably larger and more powerful cars, trucks and SUVs. So why can't we do better? Here's the dirty little secret: we can. "If you want better fuel economy, it's just a question of when auto companies want to do it and when consumers decide they want to buy it," says Don Hillebrand, a former Chrysler engineer who is now director of transportation research for Argonne National Labs. "Auto companies can deliver it within a year."

A 50mpg car would certainly put a tiger in the tank of the moribund U.S. auto industry. But don't get your checkbook out quite yet. The reality is that you won't see a car on a showroom floor in America with 50mpg on the window sticker for at least three years and maybe longer. Sure, all auto companies are focusing on jacking up fuel economy, especially since Congress just mandated that all new autos sold by 2020 must average 35mpg. The new mileage mantra also is motivated by the fact that car sales are weak, partially because of panic at the pump. But putting out a 50mpg car any time soon is daunting even to the maker of America's mileage champ, the 48mpg Toyota Prius. "We're close enough to spit at that now," says Bill Reinert, Toyota's national manager of advanced technologies. "It's not an incredible stretch, but it's an incredible stretch to do it on a mass-market basis."

It might seem ludicrous to you that there isn't a mass market right here and now for a 50mpg car. For crying out loud, we've entered the age of the $128 fill-up. (The cost of topping off a Chevy Suburban). But here's the problem: to get to 50mpg in the near future, consumers would have to trade off at least one of three very important things—cost, drive quality or safety. That's because the quickest way to make a car more fuel-efficient is to make it smaller, lighter and equip it with some high-tech (a.k.a. costly) propulsion system like a plug-in gas-electric system.

Consider the exercise Ford just went through. It ran a computer simulation on what would happen to the mileage of a Ford Focus small car if you built it entirely out of lightweight aluminum. Losing the steel allowed the Focus to drop 1,000 pounds—30 percent of its body weight. That enabled Ford to outfit it with a tiny one-liter engine, half the size of its old engine, but far more fuel efficient because of new technology. Best of all, the small motor goes just as fast as the big one because the car is so much lighter. The result: fuel economy on this fabulous Focus went from 35mpg to 50mpg. What's stopping Ford from moving this car from pixels to pavement? The cost of an all-aluminum car could top $50,000—not a sum the typical economy-car buyer is willing to pay. "What's going to be the cost acceptance for this much improvement in fuel economy?" asks Dan Kapp, director of Ford's advanced engines and transmissions. "We don't know yet."

Still, all the major automakers are putting their cars on a crash diet. Ford wants to drop 250 to 750 pounds in all its models by 2012. Toyota and Nissan want to cut the fat by 10 to 15 percent. But this slim-fast campaign is running into the drive for more safety features in automobiles. Back in the 1980s, the Honda CRX-HF and the Geo Metro each got more than 50mpg, but they didn't have airbags or steel beams in their doors to protect occupants in a crash. These days, cars are equipped with six air bags, steel safety cages and electronic stability control to prevent spinouts. That makes cars much safer—but a lot fatter. "We are working in two directions," says Toyota's Reinert. "One is to make cars as safe as possible, and that generally makes them heavier. And the other is to make cars as fuel efficient as possible."

Downsizing also has its drawbacks. For starters, U.S. highway statistics show the smallest cars have death rates 2.5 times higher than the biggest. What's more, wimpy engines often (under) power small cars and that's a drawback many Americans won't abide. I recently drove the diminutive Smart car for a week. While it's certainly cute, its puny 70-horsepower engine and slow-shifting transmissions made me feel like Fred Flintstone could outrun me. That might be enough power for twisty Old World roads, but here in America, we have a need for speed. "Going zero to 60 in 15 seconds doesn't fit the average American consumers idea of mobility today," says Reinert. "That's too doggy."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/130439

Latest autos offer variety, from the new Camaro to the tiny FourTwo

Many people around the world are looking forward to the New Year, but none more so than those in Detroit's auto industry. In the current competitive environment, January gives carmakers a chance to reset their gauges and hope the upcoming 12 months are better than the previous 12. But there's also a big element of risk. Will the new models sell as well as the old? Which will be flops? What is the competition doing better?
The 2008-09 crop of new cars looks extremely promising. Among the most unusual new cars will be the Tesla Roadster, which, despite its race-car looks, is battery-powered, and the tiny Smart Fortwo, which looks like it should be battery-powered but isn't.
Several turbocharged models also have enthusiasts waiting impatiently this year, including the big and posh Bentley Brooklands and the pocket-rocket Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
What all these cars have in common is that they are just about guaranteed to be fun to drive, based on experience with their respective brands and how they stack up on paper. Some are 2008 models, some are 2009s, and some model years haven't been announced yet. Some new cars already have a firm price tag even though they're not on sale yet, but most won't until immediately before launch.
Muscle-Car RevivalMuscle-car revivals are an obvious trend this year, including all-new versions of the Chevrolet Camaro from General Motors, the Dodge Challenger from Chrysler, and the Ford Mustang Bullitt.
The Mustang is named for Bullitt, the 1968 movie best remembered for an extended car chase, in which Steve McQueen drove a green Mustang GT. The new Ford Mustang Bullitt has a similar color scheme to the movie car, including a menacing, blacked-out grille. It's the latest of several special-edition Mustangs. Ford Motor kicked off the current retro wave when it redesigned the Mustang in 2004.
The return of the HemiThe bad guys in the famous Bullitt chase scene drove a Dodge Charger. Dodge resurrected the Charger in 2005, but has not played up the Bullitt association, probably because in the movie, the bad guys and their Charger crash and burn.

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