Top Gear: Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Top Gear: Porche Boxster

Genesis

Now normally, I'm the type of guy that can ID any car you care to show me. New or old, I know it. But recently, I've been seeing a new logo out, and I can't find it anywhere on the web. It's a strange logo to track, a pair of wings on a circular emblem, much like Mini's logo. Except it wasn't. I first saw it years back, on a car called the Genesis. It was special, in its special way. The car wasn't overly flashy, yet it demanded the attention of all. It wasn't remotely powerful sounding, yet you could tell it had some serious engineering under the bonnet. It was, in short, nice. Appreciable. Yet I had no idea what it was.

Now, I have come to believe it was a Hyundai Genesis Sedan. Mr. Kwok spotted a very similar looking car, with the same logo, and we ID it as the Genesis. Except there's a problem with that. The Genesis wasn't out, a few years back. Nope. No one had even heard of Hyundai back then. So what gives?

Recently, I saw the logo again. It started with dropping my brother off at school. I saw it in the cross traffic, heading towards the same middle school. I saw the flattened rear lights, the curved ends, and thought it was the new Jaguar. Wrong. As I got closer, I realized the proportions were off. The back was hunched, and the dual exhausts were these fantastic box ones. Even closer still, I made out the logo, and found out the car was called, Vertigo (no internet search has yielded me any answers). As we passed the car, and I was stunned by the DB9 looks. Yet I still have no idea what it was.

My theory, which in my mind, is quite possibly possible (in a theoretically but not actually sense), is that we have a Hyundai proto-typer living here in San Ramon. If that's already been established by someone else, it's news to me. If not, I'll take my theory. See my reasoning is, is that I saw a Genesis 4-5 years before it's release. Now, I see a mysterious car, branded with the same logo, which doesn't show up anywhere at all. Hmm.... See the connection? If you don't, just watch; Hyundai'll release a new supersport car that can rival the GT-R, which will be called the Vertigo. If not, well, it was only a theory.

Big Engines: Good or Bad?

A recent comment by someone I know got me thinking about engine size. We were debating about whether big engines or small engines had it right. I concluded; neither.

Japanese imports are great and all, and are quite capable of tuning their 2.0T(T) to output an ungodly amount of horses out of an engine smaller than the carton I poured the milk from for the cereal I ate this morning. Slap that into an Evo with AWD, and you'd think you'd be set for a 8-minute lap on the Nurburgring. And you'd be right. The problem is, is the simple fact that you'd be in Europe to doing a lap time approaching Audi R8 lap times.

However, here in United States, we have something called "environmental regulations", and "smog checks". This means we can't have 2.0L engines sucking up half the gas tank every time you start up the car. So this means, the logical solution is this: Bigger engine size.

A larger engine in US is the only way to get more power while still passing your smog check. True, you can slap on turbos, superchargers, maybe even a twin charger if you own a Dodge Neon. But that adds wear and tear on the engine, decreasing long-term reliability. Plus it's something else that might break later down on the road.

But that's not to say you can just stick a 6.2L engine into a plastic fiber body and hope to God that it'd go faster around the Nurburgring than a certain 3.8L twin-turbo'd car that costs 30k less, and has 2 extra seats to boot. (But for the extra 30k it should've went a lot faster than a measly .3s).

So what then, is the right engine size out there? I believe the key lies in balance. There's a reason why Lotus is a blitzkrieg on track days. Its all about the balance between your power output, weight, drive system, and transmission. If the ZR1 had AWD, and suspension not from the Stone Age, I truely believe that it would have no problem beating a GT-R. As it is, the ZR1 relies too much on a insane power-to-weight ratio to get it around. Coupled with RWD, the ZR1 is a mess in corners, heavily oversteering, uncontrollable to all but F1 racers. The sheer hp and torque right off the line means that the acceleration causes the wheels and diff loose traction, and as soon as you tap those brakes your rear end goes flying. Sometimes, you don't even need to hit the brakes and you're already in the grass.

So in conclusion, as long as you balance it out, you will be king of the track, whether you're in a Lotus Evora, or a Audi R8. Essentially, neither a bigger nor smaller engine can dominate.

Bugatti Veyron Fail: Need I say more?

2011 Honda Odyssey

It is finally here, a while back ago, we talked about the new 2011 Toyota Sienna. Its fresh new looks left the older looking Honda Odyssey out of shape and style. But not to worry, the Honda Odyssey is back to reclaim its throne of "most wanted mini-van".

About the car:
The Honda Odyssey comes in 4 trims: LX, EX, EX-L and Touring trim levels. The Honda Odyssey utilizes a powerful 3.5L V6 244HP with a five-speed automatic transmission. Like in the Honda Pilot, the EX-L and Touring trim levels feature Variable Cylinder Management(VCM). What is VCM? It improves fuel efficiency by shutting down 3 of the engine's 6 cylinders when less power is needed and powers back up to 6 cylinders when power is demanded. MSRP starts at $27,800.

edit: After doing some more research found something that actually shocked me, Honda has a Touring Elite Edition of the all new Honda Odyssey. Sounds kind of bad ass huh? Well, not so after you hear the price... $43,250. Not so sweet anymore!

Top Gear:Trip to Vietnam, Worst Car in the World

teehee. I'm guessing this is one of Top Gear's earlier episodes. Jeremy Clarkson actually has hair!

MSN Autos: Most stolen

This post comes from Jim Sloan.

Why thieves love the '94 Honda Accord

The average age of vehicles on the list of most frequently stolen cars is 12 years.

The popular 1994 Honda Accord, followed closely by the '95 Civic and '91 Toyota Camry, tops the list of the most frequently stolen cars in the nation last year.
The ranking of the most popular targets of car thieves was compiled by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing insurance fraud and vehicle theft.

NICB spokesman Frank Scafidi says he wasn't surprised that the plucky '94 Accord topped the list.

"It's a good car," he said. "They sold a lot of them and they stay on the road for a long time. The people who own them tend to take care of them, so that creates a demand for parts. That's why the thieves like them so much -- it's easy to sell their parts."

more on: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/article.aspx?post=1806290>1=33004

Top Gear: Smallest car in the World

enjoy :)

Da Mini Coo-pah!

This was defiantly an interesting car to look into. From birth to its present day, it never fails to surprise and please. In 1959, a groundbreaking new subcompact coupe design emerged from England. Using a transverse-mounted engine and an efficient, boxy front-wheel-drive layout. It gives the mini its "mini-ness", compact exterior dimensions but a highly functional interior.The first minis were affordable, stylish, fun to drive and easy to park anywhere, the British Mini and Mini Cooper quickly achieved icon status around the world including the U.S.in the 1960s.

It died down for a bit, but in 2002 under BMW's guide, they revamped the Mini and brought its legendary skills back into focus. The new revised Mini Cooper S features a 1.6L in-line 4 cylinder 175 hp turbocharged engine that comes coupled with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, an air intake on the hood, MINI's classic toggle-switch interior, and standard run-flat tires.

Slick stuff... but whats the difference between the new and old?

The new MINI is much larger than the original Mini. It is around 58 centimetres (23 in) longer, 50 centimetres (20 in) wider, 7 centimetres (2.8 in) higher, and weighs around 1,050 kg (2,315 lb) rather than 650 kg (1,433 lb). It is now classified as compact car rather than city car.

MSRP Starts at $19,400