Mazda CX 7 (2009)

The Mazda CX-7 is geared toward driving enthusiasts who desire a highly styled, roomy and affordable performance SUV. But do not let its good looks fool you. The CX-7 is powered by a 244-horsepower, 2.3-liter turbocharged engine centered on performance, and, like all Mazdas, has the soul of a sportscar.

The 2009 CX-7 adds minor enhancements to its standard and optional features. All models receive MP3 capability and an auxiliary audio input jack as standard equipment. Sport models add leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. The Grand Touring trim adds auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink and side turn signals integrated into the exterior mirror housings. Bluetooth hands-free phone capability and Sirius satellite radio are added to the Technology Package and Moonroof. It features performance worthy of a sportscar, but also offers room and space for five. The four-cylinder CX-7 offers more horsepower and torque than most of its V6-equipped competitors. The 66-degree windshield angle is sleeker than many sportscars. Distinct character lines run through the A-pillars and along the edges of the hood to the front fascia.

The side profile sports an aggressively rising belt line, a curved roof and prominent fender arches, producing Mazda's unique signature. A tapered cabin rests securely on the lower body's broad shoulders. From the rear, the detailed round motif tail lamp and large dual exhaust outlets.

This distinctive overall exterior design is well balanced with the aerodynamics of the vehicle. CX-7's shape is aerodynamically efficient with best-in-class performance for coefficient of drag (0.34 Cd). While it provides outstanding aerodynamic performance, this exterior design does not compromise craftsmanship. Panel and component part-gaps are flush and tight. Wiper arms are configured to match the surrounding cowl design and minimize wind noise.

An advanced and sporty image was pursued in designing the interior. For the two-tone trim, the side surface two-tone graphic reaching from the front doors all the way to the cargo space stylishly harmonizes with the kicked-up beltline of the exterior side view. A high level of craftsmanship completes the interior design. The chief designer mapped out the CX-7 with ample space for five occupants. The lockable center console can swallow a compact laptop computer and space is provided for coins and sunglasses. Front door pockets are handy locations for beverage bottles. Two cup holders in the center console offer a stable place to carry large containers without interfering with shift lever operation. A pocket attached to the front seatback is ideal for maps and brochures. The heart of every Mazda is its spirited powertrain. Under the hood of the CX-7 is a version of the turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine, similar to that fitted to the MAZDASPEED3. Engineered to deliver high performance at all speeds, along with low exhaust emissions and excellent fuel economy. Key building blocks are aluminum block and head construction with forged internal components - crankshaft and connecting rods for long-lasting durability. Balance shafts curb noise and vibration. A large air-to-air intercooler and direct fuel injection cools temperature inside the cylinders.

Advanced transmission and drive components pass the engine's power cleanly to the pavement. The six-speed Sport AT automatic transmission provides the full manual control demanded by assertive drivers.

Sensors monitor engine information, individual wheel speeds, Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) operation, and the CX-7's standard Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system to optimize torque distribution. Whether the driving conditions are dry and fast or slippery and moderately paced, exceptional handling is assured.

In front, a perimeter frame mounted to the unibody through six rubber isolators supports the powertrain, the engine-speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion power steering and a low friction MacPherson strut suspension system. To minimize cargo-compartment intrusion, the rear spring is positioned between the lower lateral member and the cross member that anchors rear chassis hardware to the unibody. The damper is located between the wheel hub and the unibody to provide excellent motion control with minimal friction. CX-7's rigid unibody uses the Mazda Advanced Impact Energy Distribution and Absorption System to realize high levels of collision safety and helps to protect occupants in various accident situations, including front, side and rear impacts.

A special sensor anticipates a roll-over and inflates the side-curtain air bags early to guard against injury, maintaining inflation for approximately six seconds to help keep limbs out of harm's way. Front occupant restraints have pretensioner and load-limiter mechanisms to maximize their effectiveness. To delight, the Mazda CX-7 offers a wealth of entertainment gear. Another convenient feature available on the Grand Touring model is the Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry & Start System. Without removing the card-shaped device from one's pocket, doors can be unlocked and the engine can be started (or stopped). Also, the front-seat power windows can be operated from outside the car, and the optional moonroof can be opened and closed. Some of the highlights of the standard features on the base Sport model are manual air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, retractable key, cruise control, MP3 capability, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and six air bags. The Touring edition adds leather trim (seats, steering wheel, shift knob), power adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats and a retractable cargo cover. In top-line Grand Touring trim, CX-7 is equipped with features such as leather with a black sport seat stripe, high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, fog lamps, body-color mirrors, chrome door handles, automatic interior climate control, auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink and side turn signals integrated into the exterior mirror housing.

Mazda CX 7 (2009)

Indian Flag Car

Here's the INDIAN FLAG CAR. The Indian Formula One Racing team Force India, while yet to get of the bottom of the pile, came close to winning their first F1 points in Shanghai last week. The team sports the Indian flag as its team colors and has attracted sponsorship from Indian companies Kingfisher, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries and Kanyan Capital. Force India was formed after Indian businessmen Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for US$115 million. The team races its own designed cars, powered by Mercedes-Benz, and was able to rise from 18th to as high as sixth with just 5 laps to go.

With Delhi being added to the Grand Prix circuit in 2011, Force India are learning and may well be a team to reckon with by the time the Delhi Grand Prix arrives. The team has just signed a five year agreement with Mercedes for engines, and a partisan Indian crowd in Delhi may make a large impact at the event.

The participation in, and rise to prominence of an Indian team in F1 is in marked contrast to China, which despite having hosted the F1 in Shanghai for the past few years, does not field a competing team. This is somewhat surprising, given that both China and India are poised to be the world’s largest auto markets in the next two to three years, with more vehicles having been sold last year in China than in the United States for the first time.The Chinese logic for hosting the event, but not participating, seems a little skewed. The Chinese government pays Formula One about US$50million each year to host the Shanghai event, yet the country has not followed that up with a competing presence, cars or drivers, in the rest of the series. The prices to attend the Shanghai event also seem bizarre if China wants to use it to promote its auto industry.

Shanghai wages averaging at about US$500 a month, that’s equivalent to the price of the cheapest ticket on offer for the Shanghai F1. You would need to charge US$4,000 to attend the Indianapolis 500 in the United States to achieve a similar disparity. So while Force India prepares the world for Indian cars and trucks Tata having already acquired global brands Jaguar and Land Rover, and about to launch Tata as a brand name in Europe and the United States through the Nano and its trucking division – the Chinese are just not getting on board. It’s a curious state of affairs, especially since F1 have apparently re-signed with Shanghai to host the event for another seven years. US$50 million seems a lot to pay for a one off annual event that the local Chinese cannot generally afford to attend, in which no Chinese team participates, in a 17 race series which is broadcast globally and attracts hundreds of millions of viewers.

Force India meanwhile are pushing forward at the top end the concept of Indian vehicles as reliable, and developing India as a manufacturing brand in auto that will assist its national auto manufacturers integrate into and penetrate international markets.

Indian Flag Car

Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Limousine (1964)

The Mercedes-Benz 600 was a large luxury automobile. It was intended to represent the absolute pinnacle of automobile engineering.The 600 was so heavy that a massive 6.3L V8 engine with overhead camshafts and Bosch mechanical fuel injection was specially developed to move the vehicle. Adjustable air suspension gave the car a smooth ride and good handling over any road surface, although the car's agility was inevitably compromised by its mass.The 600's "M-100" engine and air suspension were fitted to the 300SEL 6.3 model in 1964.

Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Limousine (1964)

Audi to Show Seven Customized A1 Models at Worthersee

This year's edition of the Worthersee GTI Tour that takes place in Reifnitz, Austria, on May 12 will see Audi showcasing seven custom versions of its new A1 premium supermini, including a model sporting an "FC Bayern" look, taxi and police variants. The other four custom A1s are a "Hot Rod" version with a matt-finish look, steel wheels with white-wall tires and extremely low ride height thanks to the air suspension, one fitted with a "competition kit" that pays homage to Audi rally vehicles from the 1980s, the "Wasserwacht" model that's dedicated to the local water rescue service and a "Fashion" edition. "The Audi A1 fits in with the GTI meet because customization has always been a central topic for the Audi fans here at the Worthersee and will also play a special role for A1 customers," says the Head of Audi Design, Stefan Sielaff, who was responsible for the creation of the special edition models. The seven special A1s will be joined at Audi's Worthersee stand by an array of models including the new Audi R8 GT, an Ice Silver A8, the facelifted TT Roadster and the TT Coupe and the new RS5 Coupe.

Audi to Show Seven Customized A1 Models at Worthersee

1929 Audi Imperator

The Imperator has been heard restored to its initial transaction by the establishment Fahrzeugrestaurierung Rosenow, that has now lead to one of the assured gems of the Audi museum mobile bunch in Ingolstadt to shine forth amongst renewed brilliance – the twelve-cylinder Horch 670. Audi Tradition is subsequent to yet again exultant amidst the administered of now bunch of restorers, went by Peter Spillner. As Thomas Frank writes it: “The Audi Imperator looks as if it's fantastic, minimal to the tiniest detail. Our estimates own been heard further as opposed to fulfilled.” Peter Spillner himself is as well content amidst the results: “This was the top issue our establishment has consistently had to face.” Wherever restoration of the car’s ingredients proved to be impossible, new sites had to be calculated and manufactured.” This historic car was found in the German state of affairs of Saxony at the end of the 1990s, and sold by Audi Tradition. Its history is extraordinary to recall: as was presistently the situation in the 1920s, the purchaser (who have got to undergo continued wealthy, ever since the car market values a larger number of as opposed to 16,000 Reichsmarks that much then, as a great deal as a compressed house) bought the Imperator as a chassis investing in engine. This ‘platform’ was delivered to a coachbuilder at which the consumer certain the bodywork of his selection or had it designed. In view of this, Peter Spillner had to conjure up somewhat special. He explains his approach: “We looked at the earliest photographs in the Audi archives and resolved to create an open touring car through a phaeton body.” The colour, too, was founded on detective work: one of the headlights significantly bore traces of the first paint, that is better illustrated somewhere between olive yellow and brown. Spillner, who is 35 decades of age, and his colleagues visited a good number of museums in such a quest for detail authenticity. He recalls: “We studied cars of a comparable age, while all the manufacturers at which instant had the same outside suppliers.” Audi introduced the Imperator at the end of the 1920s as the successor to the innovative Audi Type M six-cylinder model, but it was not destined to be a superior success. The eight-cylinder Imperator appeared correctly in the heart of a phase of boom need for the at that time Audi Werke, that culminated in a takeover by the founder of DKW, Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, while the arrangement deteriorated much more and more as the universe industry difficulty broke out. Only 145 Audi Imperators got built. Ralf Hornung, who is responsible at Audi Tradition for the obtain and restoration of historic vehicles, explains: “The Imperator was an happy car, but it made it to the sale at the incorrect time.” According to the oldtimer specialist the select car, the endure remaining anywhere in the world, had a extended succession of possessors and more than likely merely survived for a exceptionally special reason. “We suspect such a it there was a rules for it to be depleted by a fire brigade. They are likely to treat this vehicles actually well. The luxury car was unquestionably in passable form when it was sold by Audi. Spillner: “The earliest engine was nonetheless a runner.” The car had a five-litre engine developing 100 horsepower, and multi !no! innovative parts as well. The engine bonnet was formed on aluminium, and carried a “1”, that was Audi’s emblem at which time, surrounded by a thermometer integrated to it. Tyre fluctuations got assembled easy by wheels providing a drastic locking nut, and the car had a special worm-drive rear axle. The Imperator’s chauffeur was when in on a shawm or chalumeau managed by the pressure of the consume gas; continuing to today, their has the commanding tone of a foghorn. It is unlikely the current the the previous surviving Audi Imperator was frequently pressed to utility by the fire brigade, ever since it has just insured a whole of 19,000 kilometres according to the odometer reading. The car has now been heard restored to its former splendour, but Audi Tradition performs not intend for the instant to score it in the Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt. Thomas Frank, Head of Audi Tradition: “The Audi Imperator ought to initially be reserved for use on special firm occasions.”

1929 Audi Imperator

2006 Aston Martin DB9 Volante

DB9 was conceived and designed, from the outset, as both a Coupe and a convertible (Volante). This uncompromising approach is typical of the whole DB9 engineering philosophy. That is why DB9 Volante is one of the most structurally rigid and best handling convertibles in the world. It is also one of the fastest and quietest. It looks elegant and perfectly proportioned from every angle - with roof up or down. As with all Aston Martins, beauty and proportion is of key importance. DB9 Volante's folding fabric roof is light, attractive and durable, and is also compact when stowed. There is no loss of practicality - DB9 Volante retains the rear seats, and offers the same boot space as DB9 Coupe. The roof retracts fully, at the single push of a button, and swiftly stows beneath a hard tonneau cover that closes flush with the rear bodywork. Safety is of course a major consideration. Special tilt sensors detect the danger of a possible roll-over and deploy two strengthened hoops from the rear seat headrests. Further safety protection is offered by the windscreen A-pillars, which can withstand more than twice the total weight of the car.

2006 Aston Martin DB9 Volante

2000 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage

It was Victor Gauntlett who first suggested that a new, smaller Aston Martin should be built alongside the big V8 Astons, a car that would, in terms, be a volume seller. The advent of the Ford Motor Company and the appointment of the late Walter Hayes as Chief Executive of Aston Martin not only provided new funding, but a renewed vigour in the person of Rod Mansfield who, as Engineering Director in 1990, was charged with the development of the 'smaller' Aston Martin, code names DP1999. The new design, code named NPX, was subjected to far more development and testing than the majority of models to date, with the use of some 30 prototypes which were exposed to extreme conditions and temperatures across the World. The engine proved to be a light alloy, twin camshaft, supercharged straight six of 3,228cc based on a design that had originated at Jaguar. The cylinder head used 4 valves per cylinder with Zytec electronic multi-point fuel injection while the air needed to combust the fuel was delivered by a water cooled Eaton, 'roots' type, supercharger which was driven by a toothed belt from the camshaft. Although it didn't appear for almost 3 years after the DB7's unveiling, Aston Martin had every intention of creating a soft-top version. In 1996, the Volante made its debut at the Los Angeles and Detroit motor show. In 1999, the DB7 received significant engineering enhancements with the introduction of the DB7 Vantage – the first Aston Martin to use a V12 engine. Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Launched on the 1999 London Motorshow, the DB7 Vantage replaced the six cylinder DB7. The DB7 Vantage, available in both Coupe and Volante body styles, was the first ever Aston Martin to be powered by a 12 cylinder engine. Incorporating the latest in Formula I technology, it has been designed and developed in close cooperation with the Ford Research and Vehicle Technology Group and Cosworth Technology as part of a long-term and continuing programme to research and develop new designs, materials and manufacturing techniques for implementation by Aston Martin. Features include an engine oil/water heat exchanger to improve cooling efficiency and an ionised gas misfire detection system. Aston Martin DB7 GT The International Birmingham Motor Show witnessed the launch of the most powerful Aston Martin DB7 model ever made – the DB7 GT. Created in less than one year, this addition to the existing Aston Martin line-up has been developed in conjunction with customers who wanted a car that had a little more performance, increased driver involvement and excellent road handling. Based on the current DB7 Vantage Coupe, the DB7 GT has a number of dynamic elements which have been finely engineered to offer a new dimension to the Aston Martin DB7 driving experience. It is available in both manual (GT) and automatic (GTA) form. Recognised as one of the world's most beautiful cars, the DB7 GT has received subtle but effective changes to complement the elegant, yet classic body design that since 1993 has epitomised the pedigree, heritage and tradition of Aston Martin. Special attention has been paid to the aerodynamic balance for high speed stability with the adoption of additional sweeps for the undertray, wheel arch liner extensions and a revised bootlid which emphasises the new look. These additions have helped to reduce lift by almost 50%. Under bonnet air-flow management is assisted by the addition of two distinctive bonnet vents, which also help dissipate heat. There is also a distinctive wire mesh radiator grille and lower air intake - which have become the hallmarks of a modern Aston Martin – subtle indicators to onlookers to differentiate the car as either a DB7 GT or GTA derivative. Further development of Aston Martin's low emissions, all alloy, twin-overhead camshaft, 48 valve, 6.0-litre V12 engine has generated an increase in power from 420 bhp (DB7 Vantage) to 435 bhp. The revised quick-shift gear lever on the DB7 GT version and racing twin-plate clutch enables the driver to maximise use of the increase in power and torque and offers a faster gear change.

2000 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage