Nother CarGuy

SpaceX, the ambitious rocket company headed by Elon Musk, wants to send a couple of tourists around the moon and back to Earth before the end of next year. If they manage that feat, the passengers would be the first humans to venture that far into space in more than 40 years. Mr. Musk made the announcement on Monday in a telephone news conference. He said two private individuals approached the company to see if SpaceX would be willing to send them on a weeklong cruise, which would fly past the surface of the moon — but not land — and continue outward before gravity turned the spacecraft around and brought it back to Earth for a landing. “This would do a long loop around the moon,” Mr. Musk said. The company is aiming to launch this moon mission in late 2018. The two people would spend about a week inside one of SpaceX’s Dragon 2 capsules, launched on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The spacecraft would be automated, but the travelers would undergo training for emergencies. Mr....

Barcelona have announced that their Legends team will make their home debut in a charity match against Manchester United on June 30, 2017. The Catalans had hoped for the encounter to take place last summer, but because of a clash with Euro 2016 the event was postponed as so many players had professional duties to undertake in France. However, with the summer footballing calendar clear, the event will take place at Camp Nou with a 19:00 kick off, while a return fixture will be played at Old Trafford on September 2. The proceeds of the Spain leg will go to the FC Barcelona Foundation, which helps primarily children take part in social, cultural and sporting activities. This encounter will be the second that the Barcelona Legends side have played. On April 1, they made their debut against a team of ex-Mexico stars in Queretaro. They were managed by Jose Mari Bakero and their XI contained luminaries such as Ronald de Boer, Edmilson, Vitor Baia and Hristo Stoichkov. Barca hope...

There's a new Alpine sports car out, and it's coming to challenge the likes of the Alfa Romeo 4C and Porsche 718 Cayman. Part of Renault's resurrected Alpine brand, it looks pretty much identical to the Vision Concept that debuted last year, bar some minor nips and tucks that push it closer to the assembly line. Baptized the A110, which "reflects the timeless principles of compact size, light weight and agility that made the success of the Berlinette", it features a full aluminum platform and upper body, with obvious benefits in weight and handling. Despite unveiling their first product in decades, Alpine are keeping key specifications hidden away, up until the new A110 makes its public debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, on March 7, at 1:15 pm CET (7:15 am EST). However, previous intel tells us that the all-new Alpine A110 could feature a 1.8-liter turbo'd four-banger for propulsion, developing between 250 and 300 horses. Expect it to hit 100 km/h...

Mitsubishi have pulled the covers off the all-new Eclipse Cross, ahead of its international premiere at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show next week.  Coming as the brand's first-ever SUV since Nissan took over, though the latter had nothing to do with its development, the Eclipse Cross is the production version of the XR-PHEV concept. While the front has a familiar Mitsubishi face, at the other end, the new model comes with what you could call a Toyota C-HR flair, with stretched LED lamps that divide the rear window. Contributing to its sporty stance is a sloped roofline and a more dynamic profile. . Mitsubishi have yet to release images of the cabin, but say "the horizontal dashboard, silver metal frames and black/silver monotone color scheme create a refined interior that is both dynamic and sporty". The crossover model gets a head-up display, tablet-like infotainment system, and Smartphone Link Display Audio system with Apple CarPlay support, which can be accessed usin...

Today marks the official market launch of the BMW 1-Series sedan, a car tailored specifically to meet the wants and needs of Chinese buyers. The new 1-Series sedan is offered exclusively by BMW, together with BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, and is meant to reflect a particular design style that's preferred by Chinese customers throughout more than just one segment. In terms of dimensions, the 1-Series sedan has a length of 4,456 mm (175.4 in), a width of 1,803 mm (70.9 in) and a height of 1,446 mm (56.9 in), while its short overhangs, long bonnet and wheelbase give it an elongated sporty look according to the automaker. The interior is driver-oriented in terms of design and is different than the one you get with the 5-door version - different upper dashboard and a different center console. In terms of comfort, BMW says there's generous leg room and headroom in the back. Powering the 1-Series sedan will be three latest-gen power units, as customers will be able to choo...

The days are ticking down until the start of the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, leaving automakers with less and less time to preview what they have in store. And one of the concepts we're most looking forward to seeing is the Fittipaldi EF7, pictured in this third teaser image. The EF7 is the product of a collaboration between two-time F1 champ (and Indy winner) Emerson Fittipaldi, the famed Italian design house Pininfarina, and Mercedes racing specialist HWA. The new supercar is being built around a carbon monocoque with a naturally aspirated V8 engine good for around 600 horsepower and only about 2,200 pounds of mass to move. Following earlier teasers hinting at the front- and rear-end designs, this latest image gives us a better idea of what to expect from the wing and rear deck. And suffice it to say that it looks like it'll be pretty sweet once the veil is lifted. The exotic supercar is set to debut in the form of a Vision Gran Turismo concept, but a production version...

DS Automobiles is looking to take a major step towards luxury, comfort and autonomous driving with the brand new DS 7 Crossback. In terms of styling, the automaker wanted to make the DS 7 Crossback instantly recognizable, both from the front as well as from the rear, regardless of time of day. In order to achieve this, an emphasis was placed on the light signature, as the LED modules of the DS Active LED Vision headlights resemble faceted jewels, emitting a purple light when the car is unlocked, before pivoting 180°. The light signature is further emphasized by the vertical beads of the DRLs, working together with the scrolling indicators, whereas for the rear, each light is a full LED made from illuminated scales. "At all stages of the design process, the guiding aim for DS 7 Crossback was to express refinement excellence and the best know-how implemented to the highest standards. The result is there to see, with an ideally proportioned car brimming with personality. It...

Techrules has dropped a couple of new images of its production-spec GT96 supercar before its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. The images reveal that the road-going GT96 will adopt a design quite different from the concept and include a central driving position, a fighter jet-esque canopy roof and a large central spin spanning the length of the car. Due to the flexibility of the chassis used in the car, different driving positions will be configurable. In all probability, the finished GT96 will include the same powertrain as the concept. If that’s the case, then it will incorporate six electric traction motors with four driving the rear wheels and two powering the front. All up, peak power will sit at approximately 1,030 hp, allowing the GT96 to accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in approximately 2.5 seconds before topping out at 350 km/h (217 mph). Another interesting aspect of the car’s powertrain is that it also uses an advanced micro-turbine generator. Inspired by aviation...

Seat have followed in the footsteps of mother-brand Volkswagen by introducing an all-electric version of the Mii. Dubbed the eMii and based on its German cousin, the e-Up!, the zero-emission city car is being referred to as a prototype by the company's officials, who pulled the covers off it at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain. "What we see on the stand is the car that will allow us to test the operation of electrical technology in shared use vehicles. This does not mean that this is going to be our first electric car, but it is the ideal vehicle for carrying out these tests in Barcelona", said the brand's President, Luca de Meo. Powering the new Seat eMii is an electric motor that generates 81 horsepower and 210 Nm (155 lb-ft) of torque, according to Autocar, quoting the automaker. This allows it to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 11.3 seconds - more than a second faster than the e-Up!, and up to a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h). ...