Sounds good? Well it should do, because this application has everything that a race fan would want to see at a glance all on one page:

Live News
The exact Le Mans time
Lap times
Lap position
Race events
Picture, web cams
Background information

The developer Thomas Baekdal, who apparently is not much of a sports fan, but is very keen on the LeMans 24 Hours and who could blame him for that!

So what we have here is an application that could threaten to outdo any TV coverage for this and any other sport like this, so why are we jumping with joy? The simple fact is that due to licensing and copyright laws this application cannot be allowed to be aired to the public, because the governing bodies of the LeMans race have their own deals with advertisers and the media.

Thomas Baekdal is believed to have offered LeMans.org and Club24 the opportunity to incorporate it into the whole LeMans race experience, which we will have to wait to hear the outcome of this, but naturally there will be a cost attached to access it, so whatever happens, this application will disappear from the eyes of the non paying public.

Source [Autoblog]

It was not that long when Ford Europe announced that it would be building a new RS model, to the fans of RS this was a dream come true, ever sine the 70’s when the first RS models came online with the RS Mexico and the RS 2000 there has been a fan base that has waited to see and buy the latest model, despite the Escort being replaced in name by the Focus the spirit of RS has always been alive.

But now the dream appears to be over, Ford have decided that now is not the time to bring out a 300 bhp car, maybe it has something to do with the emissions thing that is grabbing the headlines or maybe there is something else that is holding them back, but whatever the reason, it is a very sad day for the fan of the RS.

The only thing that can offer a glimmer of hope is the fact that there is a Focus Mk III due to come out in 2010, could they be holding off until then? Maybe they feel that by bringing a RS version of the Focus Mk II is pointless for only a couple of years, could it be that we will be seeing the RS badge on the bodywork of the Focus Mk III?

Whatever the case, there are growing concerns regarding cars that have a large bhp, some people want to see limitations to the amount of bhp available to a car, the point being that there is not much point in having a car with all that bhp, if you cannot use it, it is just a waste of fuel.

Source [Car Blog]

Now this story has been in and out for sometime, but selling a company like Volvo is not something that can be done overnight, after all in order to sell something there is a need for someone who wants to buy it, an really there are not many other auto manufacturers who have the ability or the will to take on a car giant like Volvo, that is until now.

BMW are rumored to be interested in having a look at the Swedish auto maker, they have a need what with the goings on over at VW, BMW will need to secure their own standing otherwise they could actually become a target from one of their competitors.

For Ford it appears that they are in the process of continuing the garage sale by offloading some or maybe all of the acquisitions such as Jaguar and Land Rover, we have already seen the high end brand Aston Martin leave the Ford stable when it was purchased by UK company Pro Drive.

These are trying times for Ford, who lost $12.7 billion last year, as they need to consolidate their situation and concentrate on the Ford brand and particularly in its home market, the US where they are expected to return to profitability by the year 2009, by selling these other brands would this help achieve this goal? Well Volvo are doing very well in Russia and China, which as an emerging market could only get better, which still leaves two questions. Do they sell now, because they are doing well? Do hold on and see what happens in those markets?

Source [Auto Prophet]

BMW the Minis owner, are to implement the changes that have be applied to the BMW 118d, which includes the automatic stop start future, where if the car is at a standstill for a period of time it will automatically stop the engine and then as the driver goes to pull off again, it will automatically start up.

The ideas behind this are to show that the mini can be a very economical vehicle, they even intend to change the diesel engine into something that will rival any eco friendly car, idling the those that use hybrid technology, the Mini Cooper D, will become the ranges flagship for green driving, as they propose to develop this into a 72.4 mile per gallon car, and with co2 emissions of a mere 104g/km, but that is not all, they have also introduced a new regenerative braking system, which utilizes some the wasted power that is used when braking, there is also an indicator now, that displays to the driver which gear to select, combined these features are the reason behind the impressive figures for mpg etc.

These figures show that BMW are committed not only to developing green and clean cars, but also their commitment to the mini car itself, however there are no plans at the moment for the Mini Cooper D to be available in the US, yet!

Source [Autocar]

This has been coming for a ling time now, the most famous sports car company in Germany taking over the one of the most famous car makers in the world, VW.

Yet things have not always been that way for Porsche, way back in the 80’s and 90’s they were struggling to survive, the cars were not that popular and they made some bad choices in design, but that all now appears to be behind them, their range is now probably the best sports car range available from any car maker, and they have managed to secure a significant market share.

Yet they only produce 100,000 cars per year, which is not a lot at all, if go on the other global brands, but still they have managed to buy their way into the massive VW company whose sales are around $200 billion compared to Porsches $8 billion, by anyone’s standards an incredible achievement.

So what next? The problem with massive organizations is that they tend to become decadent, with the influence of Porsche I suspect that there will be some changes, but not straight away, but the main concern would be for the other brands such as Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti, these brand compete with Porsche directly and it has to stand to reason that will not continue, so who will be the first victim? My tip would have to be Buggati, but lets wait and see what happens.

Source [EVO]

The National Motorist Associations (NMA), have announced the top ten speed trap locations for this weekend holiday period.

The list has been compiled by the pro safe speeding group Speed Trap, which has gathered the in data provided by its members, who send in details of tickets etc, that they have had or know someone else who has been ticketed for speeding.

Speeding is not condoned, but the issuing of tickets at such high rates is, so I believe that the theory of informing drivers that there are speed traps at certain locations, is not to help them avoid being caught, the idea is that if driver know that they are entering an area where they are likely to get a speeding ticket, even if they carelessly go just a couple of miles over the limit, they will drive more carefully and thus make the roads safer, without the issuing of tickets etc.

All motorists would be well advised to keep these locations in mind while driving this holiday.

1. Detroit, Michigan suburbs
2. Colorado Springs, Colorado
3. Houston, Texas
4. Orlando, Florida
5. Nashville, Tennessee
6. Ann Arbor, Michigan
7. Albuquerque, New Mexico
8. Washington, D.C.
9. Denver, Colorado
10. Virginia Beach, Virginia

This weekend is one of the busiest for people to take the road, therefore there will be more traffic on the roads and so it follows that there will be more traffic police looking for bad and speeding drivers, don’t spoil your weekend by getting a speeding ticket, you have been warned!

Source [The Car Connection]

The VW Golf has seen many changes over the years since it first hit the roads, the GTI version has always been the benchmark for all “Hot Hatches” yet recently the designers appear to have been doing a of genetics engineering with the car, for the now is so far removed from the original that natural evolution just could not produce this car, there must have been some intervention somewhere along the line, but whatever the background to this miracle of automotive engineering, I love it!

This particular model, the VW Golf W12-650 is a one off concept car, so not surprisingly they have thrown everything that they can get into the design. Put your foot down and it will take you from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, and just keep going until you reach 202 mph, how? This two seater car has the 6.0 liter engine directly out of the Phaeton, but because of the size, the rear seats needed to be removed and so the engine is in the rear.

The bodywork on this car is tailor made, and really does look like a Golf that has been on steroids or something, but whatever it looks like or whatever the emissions and so on, this car is just quite simply a fantastic machine that would be at home literally anywhere on any road, though it must be driven with care, one slim on the gas pedal and you could find yourself quickly shooting down the road, and no doubt being chased by the cops.

Source [Auto Car]

An auction of Ferrari memorabilia held at the Ferrari headquarters has seen a massive $50 million worth of Ferrari cars sold, one car a 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI LM Testa Rosa Spyder was sold to anonymous telephone (Hopefully not the same one who won the bidding for the “General Lee”) paid €6,250,000 the final price being €6,875,000 ($9,252,375) after the auctioneers added their commissions. This make this car the most expensive Ferrari ever auctioned, but not the most expensive car, as that still belongs to the Bugatti 41 Royal Sports Coupe, which was sold way back in 1987 for $11 million!

There was of course many other products available some even had prices that us mere mortals could afford, well nearly! One lucky buyer had the good fortune to win the bidding for a set of ex F1 World Champion and Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher’s fire proof underwear, the price €551 ($742), I wonder if that was one the current F1 drivers hoping to buy some lucky fire proofs! In contrast the same item but those of Felipe Massa was sold for €575 ($774).

Of all the items that are on the list, my favourite has to be the Lot 205, The 2006 Ferrari 248 Forumla One Grand Prix Racing Car, this sold for €1,650,000 ($2,221,795), it just seems incredible that someone can buy an ex F1 racing car, I mean what do you actually do with it?

Source [Auto Blog]

Auction [RM Auctions]

There are many factors that we accept for the popularity of certain cars, like how many we see, what models, and who is buying what car and why, but since the internet has been with this has made the search for information on vehicles completely different and yet at the same time, we are able to get more information for ourselves on what everyone else is looking at and for what reasons.

Online car and vehicle sites such as Cars.com can show potential car buyers and sellers what the growing trends are simply because of the volume of business that goes through the site; this may be from sellers, buyers and even research being done by users of the site.

The top search terms for New Cars with largest increase in searches for April 2007 are.

Rank Vehicle Percentage

1. Honda Civic Hybrid 15%
2. Volkswagen Jetta 9%
3. Toyota Yaris 9%
4. Jeep Patriot 8%
5. Mercedes C-Class 7%
6. Toyota Prius 7%
7. BMW 335 7%
8. Ford Mustang 7%
9. Toyota Corolla 5%
10. Chevrolet Cobalt 4%

This is only one resource, clearly if someone is researching for data like this, then it should be done over more than just one site, by rather three or more, this would give a better average and allow the user to gain a far greater wide ranging result.

It is a bit of a surprise to find that the Prius is way down in sixth place; maybe they just go direct to the dealer as they already know what they are looking for!

Source [Automotive Blogger]

It is no joke, to be driving around in a car that is a potential fire hazard; it is in fact every driver’s fear the dangers are just too much to contemplate.

However there is every possibility this is the case with the VW Passat, as there have been at least 19 cases of the Passat having a fault that can actually cause a fire in the engine compartment. There problem lies with the ignition coil pack, these can overheat and when something keeps overheating eventually there may be the occasion when the heat is just too intense which can then lead to a fire in the engine compartment, the instrument panel, or even possibly underneath the car, it may depend on the condition of the car, if it has oil leaks etc, then it is more likely to be dangerous.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are said to be currently looking into this situation following the 19 incidents which only affect the cars built in 2000 to 2003, but do not affect the Tdi or the W8 models.

It is early days so there is no plans to recall any cars, but giving the amount of Passats that were sold in that period, VW could be looking to fix around 350,000 cars, not the sort of thing that any car company would like to have to sort out.

Source [Auto Blog]