Posts Tagged ‘luxury cars’

Cadillac’s Proposed Exciting New Coupe

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Automaker Cadillac has a rich tradition of building exciting, highly regarded sedans as well as coupes. However, changes made to its line up over the past decade have resulted in a fleet of vehicles that now consists exclusively of sedans, crossovers, and sport utility vehicles. Gone are the days of the super size Eldorado and the Coupe de Ville, vehicles that long stood for Cadillac quality and excess. Today, plans are underway to bring in a coupe to compete against European rivals Mercedes, Audi, and BMW. Please read on for more information about the proposed CTS derived coupe.

The proposed CTS coupe being planned by Cadillac will not be an Eldorado nor will it be an updated version of the Coupe de Ville. As a large midsize two door model, the CTS coupe will be larger than its European competitors, but vastly smaller than preceding Cadillac coupes.

A 2008 Calendar Year Introduction

Slated for an overhaul for the 2009 model year, the CTS sedan will be the basis for the new coupe, thus virtually all of the parts will be shared between the two cars with the majority of the differences showing up in the roof pillars. Cash strapped General Motors wants to produce the car badly, but they don’t want to go overboard with development costs. Thus, the coupe and sedan would share an overwhelming majority of the same components.
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Cadillac’s Proposed Exciting New Coupe

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Automaker Cadillac has a rich tradition of building exciting, highly regarded sedans as well as coupes. However, changes made to its line up over the past decade have resulted in a fleet of vehicles that now consists exclusively of sedans, crossovers, and sport utility vehicles. Gone are the days of the super size Eldorado and the Coupe de Ville, vehicles that long stood for Cadillac quality and excess. Today, plans are underway to bring in a coupe to compete against European rivals Mercedes, Audi, and BMW. Please read on for more information about the proposed CTS derived coupe.

The proposed CTS coupe being planned by Cadillac will not be an Eldorado nor will it be an updated version of the Coupe de Ville. As a large midsize two door model, the CTS coupe will be larger than its European competitors, but vastly smaller than preceding Cadillac coupes.

A 2008 Calendar Year Introduction

Slated for an overhaul for the 2009 model year, the CTS sedan will be the basis for the new coupe, thus virtually all of the parts will be shared between the two cars with the majority of the differences showing up in the roof pillars. Cash strapped General Motors wants to produce the car badly, but they don’t want to go overboard with development costs. Thus, the coupe and sedan would share an overwhelming majority of the same components.
(more…)

Bentley Versus Aston

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

Prestige has forever been Bentley’s well-deserved reputation for building automobiles with unmatched creature comforts and incomparable style. Even with a change of ownership and remarkable design changes, Bentley’s style and comfort departments remain steadfast. But you may need slow-mo to see those attributes found in Bentley’s Continental GT. This sports coupe-with its W 12, 6-liter turbocharged, 500 horsepower engine-is no mere GT poser. It’s the real deal.

Bentley’s four-door sedans seemingly have enough cabin space to comfortably accommodate a classical quartet; but this two-door sports coupe, by comparison, is sleek and trim. The GT’s creature comforts are nonetheless bountiful as the Continental’s interior comes in nine, exotic, natural-wood trims. Although you’ll need to leave the quartet at home, the robust entertainment center comes standard with a six-disc CD changer, GPS navigational aid, telephone pre-wiring, and voice-activated controls for the telephone. The seats are sumptuous with supple leather, offering 14 separate adjustments, including lumbar support and power memory.

In balancing its swiftness, the Continental GT rides on five-spoke, 19-inch, painted alloy wheels. The glide in the ride stems from an adaptive-variable suspension with automatic load leveling, a front independent, double-wishbone suspension with air springs and a rear stabilizer bar.

Yes, the Continental GT is definitely a ramped-up rider compared to Bentley’s revered, classic four-door sedans. Distinctively it retains the lavish qualities expected of a Bentley, but you will have to focus faster to take it all in.
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Ariel Atom Makes You Want To Say Oh My Gawd!

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Jay Leno, America’s most popular car collector and host of the Tonight Show, received the very first Ariel Atom 2 produced in the U.S. This little demon is an F1-inspired racecar that anyone can own. The Ariel Atom, which was first developed in 2000, is for one and only one type of driver – an unadulterated fiend for speed, performance, and fun! An entire page of emboldened exclamation points falls short of describing the giddiness and excitement this two-seat racecar delivers to an adrenaline junkie. The magnitude of the acceleration from driving this car around a track might just pull the skin right off of a face!

Brammo Motorsports is licensed to make the Atom Ariel 2 in the U.S. UK-based Ariel Motor Company produces the Atom abroad. The U.S. version deploys a General Motors’ Ecotec 2.0 L SC engine, while Ariel uses a Honda IVTEC. Both engines produce around 300 horsepower, which does sound somewhat laid back for an asphalt rocket of this nature. However, with the Atom’s weight just a tad over 1,000 pounds, the vehicle’s weight to power ratio, 4.10 to 1, is comparable to the McLaren F1, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and the Ferrari Enzo. It goes from zero to 60 mph faster than you can say “Porsche Carrera” (2.8 seconds). The Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which costs $1.34 million, does it in 2.5 seconds. The Atom’s price range is $35,000 to $75,000.

The car’s chassis and body are one and the same. It has a tubular steel frame that houses two seats, four tires, two lights, a steering wheel, an engine, and, thankfully, an excellent set of brakes and safety belts. The perfect pitch of the engine is the Atom’s sound system. There is no roof, windshields, and doors. When it accelerates, the aerodynamics from its low, wide shape, nose cone, rear-positioned engine, and front/rear double-wishbone suspension pushes the car down into the road to improve its stability.
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