Posts

Showing posts from May, 2017

Ford Focus RS Limited Edition Gets Red Paint And Front Limited-Slip Diff

Image
While Ford is believed to have scrapped its Focus RS500 project, the automaker has unveiled a slightly more capable version of the highly-regarded hot hatch, dubbed the new RS Limited Edition. The most significant upgrade enjoyed by the Focus RS Limited Edition is the inclusion of a Quaife mechanical limited-slip differential for the front wheels. This will inevitably make the car handle corners even better and allow it to accelerate out of turns with minimal traction loss. Additionally, the Limited Edition model, created as a send-off to the current car, is available in a shade of Race Red and gets black mirror caps, a black spoiler, black roof and 19-inch forged black wheels as standard. The usually-optional RS2 package with heated mirrors, a heated steering wheel, voice-activated navigation and heated power Recaro seats also comes standard. The car will also be offered in the familiar Nitrous Blue and be limited to just 1,000 units in the United States and 500 in Canada. ...

Is Subaru About To Reveal A BRZ STI?

Image
Subaru could be on the verge of delivering the sports car enthusiasts have been begging for the last five years; a BRZ STI. The Japanese manufacturer recently took to its Twitter and Instagram pages to share a teaser photo of an STI wing affixed to the rear decklid of a BRZ. This prominent wing is identical to the one recently fitted to a BRZ prototype spotted testing near a company facility in Michigan. While it is obvious from this teaser image that the new sports car will get some visual and aerodynamic changes, we’re no closer to finding out if it will get any more power. However, prototypes recently snapped have made do without any signs of forced induction suggesting that like the Japan-exclusive BRZ tS before it, the STI may focus solely on visual and chassis modifications. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait long to find out with the teaser promising for more information to come on June 8, 2017. Carscoops

Saab Returns Through NEVS’ New Electric 9-3 Concept

Image
NEVS dropped the first images of the reborn 9-3 Series, which is now powered by an all-electric powertrain. National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) announced the launching of a new car-sharing and ride hailing program in collaboration with Tianjin Binhai Hi-tech Industrial Development Area. The program will run in Chinese metropolis Tianjin, a city with a population of 15 million, with users to get access to the company’s new 9-3 EV series. NEVS will provide both the vehicles and the mobility services. As for the cars, NEVS is planning to launch two models, a classic four-door saloon and the 9-3X EV which is a jacked-up wagon version of the latter. NEVS hasn’t revealed any powertrain details yet, apart from claiming a 186-mile driving range from a full charge (300km). The company says that the new models will offer a high-tech experience, featuring things like WiFi-hotspot, over-the-air software updates, and battery management via smartphone. The new NEVS 9-3 models will a...

OFFICIAL: Wenger signs new two-year Arsenal deal

Image
Arsenal have confirmed that manager Arsene Wenger has extended his contract at the club until 2019. The Gunners made the announcement on Wednesday after Goal had earlier revealed that the Frenchman had agreed to two more seasons at the helm. The new deal for the man who has spent over 20 years at the club was approved after a private meeting between Wenger and majority shareholder Stan Kroenke in a secret location on Monday. Details of the Frenchman's contract were then confirmed 24 hours later in a boardroom meeting, and Goal understands that despite widespread talk of a Director of Football model, the structure of the club is set to remain the same. Wenger's future has been shrouded in uncertainty for the entire 2016-17 season, with Arsenal finishing fifth in the Premier League table to accelerate rumours that a managerial change was going to take place. It is the first time that the north Londoners have failed to qualify for the Champions League under Wenger - a...

This is the Essential Phone

Image
The Essential Phone, brought to us by the person who created Android, is finally ready for the spotlight. It’s an incredibly audacious and ambitious project, with an outlandish screen and the beginnings of a modular ecosystem. First, the Android phone basics: the Essential Phone costs $699 with top-of-the-line specs and features. As you can see above, it prominently features an edge-to-edge display that one-ups even the Samsung Galaxy S8 by bringing it all the way to the the top of the phone, wrapping around the front-facing selfie camera. It’s a unique take on a big screen that makes the phone stand out — and it’s smart, too. Often, the status bar at the top of an Android phone doesn’t fill that middle space with icons, so it’s efficient. The screen does leave some bezel at the bottom of the phone, but nevertheless it’s as close to the whole front of a phone being display as we’ve seen. Essential is launching the phone in the US to start, and it’s filled the phone with radios...

Novitec Gives Ferrari 488 A Wide Body And 772 Horses

Image
As difficult as it may be for most of us to fathom, there are those who wouldn't find the “standard” Ferrari 488 sufficient. Fortunately there are tuners out there offering upgrades to take it even further. The latest comes from Novitec Rosso, which has revealed a limited edition tuning package for the twin-turbo Prancing Horse. The latest Novitec N-Largo offers a full wide-body conversion with aerodynamic enhancements made entirely out of carbon fiber. With new fenders, wheel arches, enlarged vents, bumpers, and spoilers, the 488 comes out five and a half inches wider than stock. Filling those beefed-up wheel arches are a set of 22-inch NF6 NL alloys, fitted to a suspension dropped over an inch closer to the tarmac, with a hydraulic lift system to help it clear curbs and speed bumps. Of course, Novitec being Novitec, it has also massaged the 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 to produce 772 horsepower and 658 lb-ft of torque – an increase of 102 hp and 97 lb-ft, respectively. That...

Borussia Dortmund sack Tuchel after third-placed Bundesliga finish

Image
Borussia Dortmund have sacked head coach Thomas Tuchel amid a bitter dressing room divide and a third-placed Bundesliga finish. The club confirmed his departture following widespread claims that Tuchel's relationship with BVB's players has deteriorated to the point of being unworkable. Although Dortmund won the DFB-Pokal on Saturday, it was overshadowed by a hostile player reaction to Nuri Sahin's absence from the matchday squad. Club captain Marcel Schmelzer and influential forward Marco Reus both distanced themselves from the 43-year-old, who will receive 2.9 million in compensation according to Bild. After meeting with Dortmund chiefs on Tuesday, Tuchel told Bild: "It was a very short analysis of the season, so you may guess the outcome." Tuchel replaced Jurgen Klopp in 2015 when the coach left Signal Iduna Park in the aftermath of a tumultuous season in which Dortmund finished seventh. Dortmund finished second in Tuchel's first season as coa...

Spalletti leaves Roma amid Inter links

Image
Roma have announced that manager Luciano Spalletti will leave the club immediately. Roma finished second in Serie A in 2016-17 in a season in which they said goodbye to iconic captain Francesco Totti. The club thus ensured automatic qualification for the Champions League, but the Italian has been consistently linked with the vacant Inter Milan job. Spalletti was also accused of mistreating Totti during his final campaign, but the club's president, Jim Pallotta, has placed on record his gratitude to Spalletti. "We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Luciano Spalletti for the great work and for his important contribution to the club since his return," Pallotta said. "Under his leadership this season, the team won the most points and scored the most goals in the history of the Giallorossi. We wish Luciano the best for the future. "The club intends to continue its growth path and the new coach will share the values ​​and philosophy of the company, ...

Barcelona appoint Valverde to replace Luis Enrique

Image
Barcelona have confirmed that Ernesto Valverde will be their new coach for the 2017-18 season. The 53-year-old stepped down after four seasons in a second spell at Athletic Club last week and was widely expected to take over from Luis Enrique this summer. Barca had promised an announcement after the Copa del Rey final and a statement on Monday confirmed Valverde as the new coach on a two-year deal. "I have spoken personally with Ernesto Valverde and I told him of our decision," said club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. "He said he is very excited and very happy, that it's a great challenge to come in as head coach of Barca. "There is time to talk about why we chose him. We know he has ability, his knowledge and his experience. "He loves youth football and he has a special style, similar to what we do at Barca. He has philosophy similar to Barca's and trains the way we like to train." Luis Enrique's three-year tenure yielded nin...

This Is The F1 Powertrain Of The Mercedes-AMG Project One

Image
Mercedes-AMG has revealed the powertrain and underpinnings of the Project One hybrid hypercar at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, offering the world its first taste of the radical performance car. As we know, sitting at the heart of the Project One is a Formula 1-derived 1.6-liter V6 engine that uses various components used in recent F1 seasons. Coupled to the V6 is a turbocharger that is joined by an electric motor designed to ensure the turbo can instantly provide maximum boost whenever needed. The Project One also uses two electric motors to drive the front wheels and a third motor connected to the crankshaft that provides extra grunt to the rear. It is reported that power for the combustion engine will sit at around 730 hp, combined power will easily exceed 1,000 hp and that a thermal efficiency of 43 per cent has been achieved. Mercedes says the F1 engine revs to 11,000 rpm, a fair bit less than the 14,500 rpm of current F1 cars but in a class of its own for production cars. Com...

Exclusive: New 2018 Hyundai Kona Captured Completely Undisguised

Image
While Hyundai keeps teasing the official reveal of the upcoming Kona, the world has already caught a glimpse in early May, and this exclusive scoop gives our best look yet at the upcoming Korean sub-compact SUV. The new Hyundai Kona was caught in Madrid’s city center in an early Sunday morning, during what looks like filming a press kit video or TV spot. The shooting involved a group of Mercedes V-Class models being behind and blocking the traffic in order to let this light blue example and the camera car some clean space. Hyundai wanted something special from the design of the new Kona and that shows from the very first moment you lay your eyes on it. The bold front end is dominated by the twin-headlamp setup -with separate DRLs mounted over the LED headlights- the new ‘Cascading Grille’ and lots of plastic cladding. The rear end mixes design cues from the bigger Tucson with the same bold style, including a second set of lighting units that house the turning and fog lights ...

Lionel Messi inspires Barcelona to Copa del Rey final triumph against Alavés

Image
Lionel Messi produced yet another masterclass as Barcelona marked the end of Luis Enrique’s Camp Nou reign by lifting the Copa del Rey. Barcelona became the first team since the early 1950s to lift the cup three seasons running as Messi masterminded a 3-1 victory at the final game to be staged at Atlético Madrid’s Vicente Calderón home. Messi set Barcelona on their way with his 54th goal of the season and Neymar and Paco Alcácer were also on target in the first half, with Theo Hernández offering Alavés brief hope with a wonderful free-kick. Alavés had waited 96 years to reach a Copa del Rey final, and they did not disgrace themselves at the end of a season in which they finished ninth in La Liga after winning promotion. But, as is so often the case, they had no answer to the brilliance of Messi and, after a season in which Barcelona have fallen short of their high standards, the favourites ended with a trophy. A ninth piece of silverware was a fitting end to Enrique’s three-...

Aubameyang penalty seals Dortmund's DFB-Pokal crown in style

Image
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's sublime penalty proved the difference as Borussia Dortmund ended a run of three successive defeats in DFB-Pokal finals by seeing off a stoic Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1, in what could be Thomas Tuchel's last game as head coach. Uncertainty remains over Tuchel's future at Signal Iduna Park amid rumours of a fall-out with the club's board, though should Saturday's clash indeed prove the end of tenure then Dortmund at least ensured he will leave on a high. Ousmane Dembele's superbly taken early goal looked to have set the tone for a Dortmund procession at Berlin's Olympiastadion, only for Ante Rebic to restore parity just before the half-hour mark. Haris Seferovic's strike seemed destined to put Frankfurt ahead prior to the interval, the woodwork coming to Dortmund's rescue with Roman Burki well beaten. And Frankfurt were made to pay for failing to make their dominance pay when Aubameyang - widely linked with a move aw...

Arsenal win 13th FA Cup title

Image
Arsenal and Chelsea clashed at Wembley to decide the winner of the FA Cup for the 2016/17 season. For Arsenal it was a chance to redeem something out of a failed season in which they could not finish in the top-four for the first time in more than a decade. It was also a chance for them to become the most successful club in history of the 146-year-old tournament. And after 90 minutes, they managed to do so with a 2-1 win and denied Chelsea a League and Cup double. IndianExpress

It’s Official, A BMW M8 Is Happening And This Is It

Image
A fully-fledged M version of the re-born 8-Series is coming with BMW previewing the production M8 through a camouflaged prototype. Revealed shortly after the presentation of the 8-Series concept model in Milan, Italy, earlier this week, the M8 will make its official debut in a driving presentation as part of the support program for the Nürburgring 24-hour race. “The conception and development of the standard BMW 8 Series and the M model run in parallel,” said BMW M boss Frank van Meel. “The future BMW M8 will build on the genes of the 8 Series and augment its DNA with added track ability and generous extra portions of dynamic sharpness, precision and agility. It all flows into a driving experience that bears the familiar BMW M hallmarks and satisfies our customers’ most exacting requirements.” BMW won’t divulge details about the powertrain yet, but it’s believed that the M8 will adopt the new M5’s running gear, including a 600 horsepower or so V8 together with the specially de...