03 July 2008, 02:05 PM
Honda customers can get behind the wheel of a Civic for as little as £5 a month thanks to a range of incentives tailor-made to meet their individual requirements.Honda’s sensational 50:50 offer (launched on Jazz earlier this year) is now available on all Civic models too, which means a new customer pays 50 per cent of the full list price, followed by 11 monthly payments of £5 at the ultra-low rate of 1.9 per cent APR. After this, customers can either make the second 50 per cent payment or upgrad
03 July 2008, 01:40 PM
Opel will showcase to the public for the first time at the British International Motor Show (July 23 – August 3) both the four-door notchback and five-door hatchback versions of its new flagship car, the Insignia.
The new Opel Insignia highlights breathtaking design: Both body styles boast a flowing, muscular yet e
03 July 2008, 01:25 PM
The EB 16.4 Veyron Sang Noir is a special edition, created for the true automotive connoisseur. While its entirely black exterior may initially appear subdued, upon closer inspection it becomes clear that a select number of visual accents make this special Veyron just as vividly coloured as its brighter counterparts.
Similar to its thoroughbred predecessor, the Type 57S Atlantic, the EB 16.4 Veyron Sang Noir exposes a raptor-like DNA that is reflected throughout the entire model history of
03 July 2008, 09:41 AM
GKN Driveline's high performance Torque Vectoring technology has made its world debut on the new BMW X6 ‘sports activity coupe’. GKN's new technology is at the heart of BMW’s Dynamic Performance Control (DPC) system, which is being pioneered on the new, highly acclaimed, 4x4 vehicle. The company also supplies the lates
03 July 2008, 09:12 AM
For the company’s 50th anniversary in 1998, Porsche received the most gratifying of all jubilee presents in the form of victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours race, achieved by Laurent Aiello/Allan McNish/Stephane Ortelli.
Using a carbon-fibre chassis for the first time to provide weight and strength advantages, the 911 GT1/98 was an evolution of the GT1 concept that was started in 1996. The GT1 race car had a silhouette that was reminiscent of the road-going 911. However, in many other respects the
03 July 2008, 09:06 AM
With two wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours race already under its belt, you could be forgiven for expecting a race car to enjoy a well-earned retirement. However, the enduring design and speed of the 936 concept enabled the Porsche racing department at Weissach to further evolve the car such that it won the race once more in 1981.
With plans in place to enter race versions of the 924 Carrera GT and new 944 in the 1981 Le Mans, a late decision was taken to also challenge for overall honours. But th
03 July 2008, 09:01 AM
The Porsche 936 was a two-seat prototype developed by the engineers in the Weissach racing department for the 1976 Group 6 World Championship – and it was rewarded with that year’s title and a remarkable trio of Le Mans wins.
Led by Norbert Singer, the team of Porsche engineers used the chassis concept that had been proven by the 917 and clothed it in new, open cockpit ‘Spyder’ bodywork.
The 1976 Le Mans 24 Hours race was to be ultimate test of this new design and it passed with flying col
03 July 2008, 08:51 AM
Rule changes for the World Championship of Makes eliminated the stunning Porsche 917 during the early 1970s allowing the factory to develop the car for the open-top Canadian-American (CanAm) Championship in North America. Teams from McLaren, Lola and Chaparral were attracted to the 200 mile Sprint races of the formula and the rule book permitted almost anything, including free engine displacement and the use of turbochargers. Porsche used its new-found skills with forced induction to attach two
03 July 2008, 08:45 AM
A total of 59 examples of the Porsche 917 were built, 41 as short or long-tail coupes with naturally aspirated engines of up to 5.4-litres, and 18 as CanAm or InterSeries Spyder versions with 1,400bhp turbocharged engines. One model is slightly different; the 917/20, of which only a single example was ever built.
A mixture of the long and short-tail coupes, the goal of the designers of the 917/20 was to combine the high speeds of the long-tail version with the easier handling of the short-tai
03 July 2008, 08:38 AM
The Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, which is about six kilometres in length, has always played an important role for drivers and engineers in the history of the 24 Hours race. This is where high speed has top priority and decisive seconds can be gained. This is also why, as on no other race track in the world, aerodynamics determine how cars for Le Mans are designed.
A long-tail Porsche only just missed its first Le Mans victory in 1969; it crossed the line about 100 metres behind the winner. T
03 July 2008, 08:31 AM
With the 917, Porsche for the first time entered the league of immensely powerful, large-capacity racing cars. The 580bhp from the twelve-cylinder 4.5-litre engine of the 917 set new standards, to the extent that even decades later, independent experts rate this Porsche as one of the most impressive sports cars of the century.
Changes in the regulations motivated Porsche to build the 917. Prototypes were allowed a maximum engine size of three-litres, and for sports cars five-litres were allow
02 July 2008, 03:53 PM
A new, high-specification ‘Autobiography’ model is to make a global debut at the British International Motor Show on July 22nd 2008.The Range Rover model line-up for 2009 will feature the most luxurious top of the range production Range Rover yet. Taking the name 'Autobiography', it replaces the model previously reserved for bespoke versions of the luxury 4x4.
John Edwards, Land Rover UK managing director commented: "The new Autobiography deri
