2011 Vauxhall Antara Facelift Prices Start Under £20k in the UK

Following the reveal of its Opel counterpart in mainland Europe, Vauxhall has released pricing and specifications on the UK market Antara facelift, which boasts a barely noticeable makeover and a refreshed engine lineup. Prices for the updated SUV now start from £19,995 for the 2.2 CDTi (163PS) Exclusiv front-wheel drive model, which according to Vauxhall, represents a saving of £2,835 over the outgoing base version.

On the outside, styling changes for the 2011 Antara include the updated front grille with the new Griffin logo, enhanced by fog lights finished with chrome bezels on SE models, new 19-inch alloy wheels and modified rear lights.

Inside, the new Antara's cabin features a revised centre console with extra storage and higher-quality materials, in addition to improved instrument graphics and better interior lighting.

The 2011 model's revised Euro-5 compliant engine line-up includes a newly-developed 2.2-liter CDTI turbodiesel in two states of tune with 163HP or 184HP. The 163HP version is available in front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual transmission only or all-wheel drive hooked up to either a manual or six-speed auto gearbox. The more potent 184HP variant also offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard. All transmissions have been revised to improve efficiency.

The Vauxhall Antara will not be offered in the UK with the revised 170HP 2.4-liter gasoline engine of its Opel sibling.

GM Europe's engineers have also re-worked the SUV's chassis with revised spring and damper settings.

Finally, Vauxhall has improved safety and comfort features with the addition of an electric parking brake, a Hill Assist System as well as a "shift-up" fuel economy indicator on all models.

"At less than £20k, the new Antara is set to be highly competitive in today's SUV market," said Peter Hope, Vauxhall's Marketing Director. "Its lower emissions, higher output diesel engines and refreshed design will offer renewed appeal to both retail and fleet customers."

Bentley Continental GT Supersports

Yes a Bentley.

The Bentley Continental GT Supersports is the first Bentley that can run on gasoline and ethanol.
And the performance is staggering.
This luxury car has a 6.0L W12 twin-turbocharged engine rated at 621 horsepower and it puts out 590 foot pounds of torque.
The GT can pull 0 to 60 in just 3.7 seconds, 0 to 100 in 8.9 seconds and has a top speed of 204 mph.
The power comes at a price in more ways than one.
MPG in the city is 11.5 and highway is 24.4.
I don't know if that's cruising at 200 mph plus or not.

So Go Green!
Save the Earth!
Turn 0 to 60 times in 3.7 seconds and cruise at 200 plus mph!
And you only have to pay $267,000 (base price) to do it!

Ferrari Testarossa F512 M

The Ferrari Testarossa F512 M is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari.
The F512 M was powered by a 4.9 litre (302 cubic inches) Ferrari Colombo Flat-12 engine.
BTW, the name Testarossa means "red head" in Italian and the car was named that because the cam covers were painted red.
Of course it has a double meaning because Ferrari regularly uses terms related to a female's body when describing the style of their automobiles.
You have to love the Italians!
Anyway, the Flat-12 engine puts out 440 horsepower and 406 foot pounds of torque.
That allows the F512 M go from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, 0-100 in 10.2 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 12.7 seconds at 112 mph.
The maximum speed of the F512 M is 196 mph.
In 1995, the F512 M retailed for $220,000.

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

I did a write up on the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish back in 2007 in relation to the James Bond movie "Die Another Day"
But here is the real world Vanquish.

In 1998, a GT concept car, the Project Vantage, debuted at the North American International Auto Show.
The Vanquish was based on that car.
But the Vanquish S is the real barnstormer.
The Vanquish is powered by a a 5.9 liter 48-valve 60° V12 engine, which puts out 514 horsepower and 425 ft·lbs of torque.
That gave the Vanquish a 0 to 60 time of about 4 seconds and a top speed in the 190-204 mph range.
The base price was around $250,000.

And if that's not enough, Top Speed is reporting the new 2010 Vanquish S may be putting out 550 mph.

Porsche Turbo X50

The Porsche Turbo X50 is a $17,000 option available for the Porsche 996.
The Porsche 996 was a water-cooled version of the famous air-cooled Porsche 911 sports car.
The X50 package boosted the 996 turbo up to 450 horsepower and 457 pounds of torque.
That allowed the X50 to cover the quarter mile in 11.86 seconds at 119.91 mph, and gave it a 0–60 mph time of about 3.6 seconds.
There were also a few modeling changes in the 996, like wider rear wings and different front lights and bumpers from the Porsche Carrera.
The 996 also had large vents on the front bumper, that were used on the Carrera 4S and Cayenne Turbo.

PS:
We're getting rid of our 1988 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas.
Dont have the time to do restoration on it.
If you wanna take a look, her's the link.....
http://greensboro.craigslist.org/cto/1036831907.html

Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG

Comfort, style and speed.
The Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG is powered by a 6.0 litre V12 BiTurbo engine that puts out 612 horsepower and 737 foot pounds of torque.
That allows this beauty to go from 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds.
This also gives the CL65 an 11.8 second quarter mile time at 120.9 mph.
It's estimated top speed is 186 mph.
The downside of this car is that the CL65 AMG is made to order in very small numbers.
And for the mundane stuff, the MPG is 11 in the city, and 17 on the highway.
The base price is around $203,700.

The Mosler MT900S

Okay this is not a widely produced car.
As a matter of fact, unless you are George Lucas (he took delivery of the first street legal one in December 2006), you may not have ever heard of it.
The MT900s is built by Mosler Automotive.
It's powered by a Corvette LS6 V8 with an Eaton supercharger, with a maximum boost pressure of 6.0 psi.
This gives the 346 inch engine 600 bhp and 557 foot pounds of torque.
In real time that allows the MT900S to get from 0 to 60 in about 3.1 seconds, 0 to 100 in 6.5 seconds and 0 to 150 in 13.8 seconds.
And it also enables the MT900S to blast through the traps at 135 mph in 11 seconds.
Base price is about $189,000.
Or you can add around $50,000 and opt for the MT900S Photon, which is 220 pounds lighter than the MT900s and has a few extra goodies.
And you know, the MT900 gets 15 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.
Thats really not too shabby for a 600 horsepower car.
A Lamborghini Murcielago only gets 8 mpg city and 13 highway.

Bugatti Veyron, the World's Fastest Bugatti?

The Bugatti Veyron may not only be the world's fastest Bugatti, it may be right up there as the world's fastest production car period.
This Bugatti Automobiles SAS produced land rocket has some pretty impressive figures.
It's powered by a W-16 engine that basically looks like two V-8s stuck together. As clumsy looking as that may sound, this configuration gives the Veyron 987 horsepower!
Yes that's right, 987. But get this, some people think that figure is low, and that the Veyron actually puts out over 1000!
What does that translate to on the pavement?
Try 0-60 in about 2.46 seconds!
(Yes I know I'm using a lot of exclamation points)
Top Gear and Car and Driver have both verified a top speed of around 253 mph.
And when Road & Track tested it, the Veyron turned the quarter mile in 10.2 seconds at 142.9 mph.
But now for the brutal truth.....
Mileage?
Ummmm.....7 miles to the gallon city, 10 miles to the gallon highway.
Price?
Sit down.
The Veyron lists for $1,600,000.

In the Cosmic scheme of things there is a balance though.
The over a million dollar Bugatti Veyron pulls a 10.2 second quarter mile at 142 mph.
But the 1968 Plymouth S/S Barracuda with a 426 Hemi V8 pulls a 10.5 at 130.
Now if you can just find a 68 Plymouth S/S Barracuda for under a million......

The Worlds Fastest Lamborghini ?

The worlds fastest Lamborghini may be a toss up.
In one corner we have the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640.
The Murciélago is powered by a 6.5-litre Lamborghini V12 engine.
The Murcielago LP640 can 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds, 0 to 100 in 8.1 seconds and turn the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds at 126 mph.
It has a top speed of around 219 mph.



It's rival is the Lamborghini Reventón.
The Reventón is powered by the same 6.5-litre Lamborghini V12 engine.
It's 0 to 60 time is the same as the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 that it's based on.
But with a 1.4 million dollar price tag on the Reventón compared to the $318,800 for the LP640, I'm gonna have to go with the Murciélago.
Not to sound cheap, but shelling out the extra money for the same performance?

The 2000 BMW Z8, the fastest BMW?

Not counting concept cars like the Nazca, the 2000 BMW Z8 may be the fastest BMW ever produced.
Powered by a 4941 cc(4.9 L)V-8 engine producing 394 bhp, this BMW could cover the quarter mile in 12.6 sec at 112 mph.
It's zero to 60 was 4.2 seconds, and going into hyper drive, it could run 0 to 100 in 10.2 seconds.
The top speed is listed at 155 mph, but I'm guessing it's a tad higher, barring any electronic governors.
The price for blasting around the country side at warp speed?
Around $128,000.
That, of course, is not counting how high your automobile insurance would go up!
The car was featured in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough in 1999.

The BMW E63 M6

Possibly the fastest BMW ever made is the E63 M6.
This " Velvet Hammer"can hit 0 to 60 in about 4.6 seconds.
This land rocket has a speed limiter that keeps it at 155 mph.
BUT, with the limiter removed, the M6 can hit around 205 mph.
With the cool little "power button" the BMW jumps from 399 hp to a full 500 hp!

The Jaguar XF

The Jaguar XF was launched in the UK in 2008.
It is a mid-size luxury car / sports sedan made by Jaguar, designed to replace the S-Type.
The Jaguar XF won the What Car? (a long-running UK monthly automobile magazine and website) Car of the Year award and the Car of the Year 2008 from What Diesel? magazine.

The base model of the Jaguar XF carries the 3-litre V6 (adapted from the Ford Duratec V6). It also comes with the Jaguar AJ-V8 4.2-litre engine.The standard version produces 300 hp but the supercharged SV8 model produces a very respectable 420 bhp!

The Jaguar Mark 2

The Jaguar Mark 2, also known as Mk2, Mk 2 or MkII, is a medium sized saloon (sedan) car built during the 1950s and 1960s by Jaguar.
Rated at over over 200 bhp and with a top speed of about 125 mph, these sedans were often used as police patrol cars. But on the flip side, they were often used as getaway cars by bank robbers.
The Mark 2 was eventually replaced by the XJ6.

The Jaguar Mark 1

The Jaguar Mark 1 was a saloon car (sedan) produced by Jaguar between the years 1955 and 1959.

Originally known as the 2.4 and 3.4 'Compact' saloons, they have come to be called "Mark 1" to fit with their more famous successor, the Mark 2. They were the company's first "small" saloon since the demise of its 1½ Litre cars in 1949 and were an immediate success, easily outselling the larger Jaguar saloons.

A 2.4 litre saloon with overdrive was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1956. It was found to have a top speed of 101.5 mph and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 14.4 seconds. Not exactly burning up the road compared to other Jags. A fuel consumption of 18.25 miles per imperial gallon (15.20 mpg US) was recorded. The test car cost £1532 including taxes.

They went on to test a 3.4 litre automatic saloon in 1957. This car had a top speed of 119.8 mph (192.8 km/h), acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 11.2 seconds and a fuel consumption of 21.1 miles per imperial gallon (17.6 mpg US) was recorded. The test car cost £1864 including taxes of £622.


Technorati Tags: Jaguar Mark 1 cars automobile automobiles car auto automotive vehicle autos vehicles

Live Out Loud teams up with Jaguar

Live Out Loud teams up with Jaguar

Live Out Loud magazine has done it again! Pairing up with one of the most respected classic cars, Jaguar, Live Out Loud burst onto the scene this past Sunday and took over the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.
Curiosity of passers-by was more than piqued with the impressive sight of 50 vintage cars that were on display, thanks to The Jaguar Club. The club was there to give people a chance to look under the hood and get up-close-and-personal with some of the most beautiful classic cars in the world. Live Out Loud staff were there to explain more about the brand and hold one of our biggest subscriber drives to date. Over 2 000 people stopped to find out more about Live Out Loud and to check out the Jags.
http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/39/28178.html

The Jaguar Mark IV

The Jaguar Mark IV, pronounced mark four, was a saloon (sedan) car built by Jaguar from 1945 to 1949.
It was a relaunch of a pre World War II model made by SS Cars Ltd from 1936.

Before World War 2 the name Jaguar was the model name given to the complete range of cars built by SS Cars Ltd. The saloons were titled SS Jaguar 1½ litre, 2½ litre or 3½ litre. The two seater sports car was titled the SS Jaguar 100 2½ litre or 3½ litre.

After the war the company name was changed to Jaguar Cars Ltd. While the post war saloons were officially the Jaguar 1½ litre, 2½ litre and the 3½ Litre, the term 'Mark IV' was applied by the trade simply to seperate them from the officially named Mark V.

http://www.saloondata.com/ is an online site that keeps track of all the Classic Jaguar Saloon's still around.

You can also get a ton of info on the early Jags here:
http://www.jag-lovers.org/firstcats/mkiv.php3

Jaguar recalls some XFs for faulty seat belts

Jaguar recalls some XFs for faulty seat belts

If you have a 2009 Jaguar XF, you should hop down to your dealer to have the rear safety belt assembly looked at. Jaguar is recalling 7,900 of the '09 cars because in an accident the rear occupants might not be properly restrained.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/29/jaguar-recalls-some-xfs-for-faulty-seat-belts/

Now would this have happened when Jaguar was still British owned?

Jaguar XK60

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the launch of the XK120, Jaguar is launching a special series of the current XK for the UK market – the aptly named XK60.
XK60s will be built from July 2008 and include 20-inch Senta alloy wheels, a sporty alloy gear knob and selector-gate surround, plus distinctive body enhancements: a new front spoiler and rear valance panel, chrome-finished side vents and bright upper and lower front grille meshes, special tailpipe finishers and appliqués on both sides of the car.

The Jaguar XK , part 2

Both the XK8 and XKR are electronically limited to a maximum of 155 mph, lower than the top speed of its predecessor. The XK8 heralded a change in direction for the company, resulting in the S-Type and X-Type.

The XK8 and XKR come standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, and 19 and 20-inch wheels are available for additional cost. A navigation system and self-leveling xenon headlamps come standard with the XKR and as options for the XK8. Jaguar's Adaptive Cruise Control is an optional feature available on both models. Both come with all-leather interior, burl walnut trim, and side airbags. Jeremy Clarkson, during a Top Gear, a UK motoring magazine/TV show, test-drive, likened the interior of the original XK8 to sitting inside Blenheim Palace. In 2005 the grille design of the XKR was refreshed.

Only 600 XKR Silverstones were made, in celebration of Jaguar's return to F1 racing in 2001. It featured a Platinum paint finish, high-performance package (with the same engine as the standard XKR, but improved transmission, suspension and brakes), 20" Silver BBS "Detroit" wheels and a custom interior.

Built to celebrate the centenary of Jaguar's founder, 500 'XKR 100' coupés and 500 convertibles were made in 2002. The XKR 100 featured an Anthracite paint finish, Recaro seats, 20-inch BBS alloys, Brembo brakes, and custom interior.

The convertible-only Portfolios were produced in 2004 exclusively for the US market. Of the Portfolio models, 100 featured unique Red paint with matching Recaro sports seats and interior, whilst the remaining 100 had Blue paintwork and interiors.

There is also a 2008 Portfolio model planned which will be available worldwide, featuring the most powerful brakes featured on any production-line Jaguar.

Jaguar XJ-S

The Jaguar XJ-S, later the Jaguar XJS, was a luxury grand tourer produced by Jaguar. The XJ-S replaced the legendary E-Type (or XK-E) in September 1975, and was based on the XJ saloon. It was developed as the XK-F, though it was very different in character from its predecessor. Although it never had quite the same sporting image, the XJ-S was a competent grand tourer, and more aerodynamic than the E-Type. The last XJS was produced on April 4, 1996, with the XK8 taking its place.

First, the XJ-S appeared in 1975 as a 1976 model. Power came from the Jaguar V-12 with a choice of a manual or automatic transmission, but the manual was soon dropped. V-12 automobiles were unusual at the time, with notable others coming from Italian luxury sports car makers Lamborghini and Ferrari. The specifications of the XJ-S compared well with both Italian cars; it was able to accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 8.9 seconds and reach 142 mph (229 km/h). The first series of XJ-S cars had a Borg-Warner Model 12 transmission with a cast iron case and a bolt-on bell-housing. In 1979 GM Turbo-Hydromatic 400 transmissions were fitted. The TH400 transmission was an all aluminum alloy case with an integrated non-detachable bell-housing.

Jaguar's timing was not good; the car was launched in the wake of a fuel crisis, and the market for a 5.3-litre V12 grand tourer was very small. The styling was also the subject of criticism, including the "flying buttresses" behind the windows.

Jaguar seized promotional opportunities with the television series The New Avengers and Return of the Saint. The New Avengers featured Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt) who drove an XJ-S. Reliability issues meant that three XJ-S cars were used. Return of the Saint saw Simon Templar (played by Ian Ogilvy) driving an early XJ-S with the number plate "ST 1". Miniature versions were made by Corgi and proved popular. A decade and a half before, Jaguar had turned down the producers of the earlier Saint series when approached about the E-type; the producers had instead used a Volvo P1800.

Responding to criticisms that the XJ-S was not a worthy E-type successor, Pininfarina revealed a sporty show car in 1978 based on XJ-S mechanicals and called Jaguar XJSpider. The car never went into production.