Monday, April 30, 2007
Video: Maybach Excelero Going Over 200 mph
It Moves Fast: Maybach Excelero Going 218 MPH!!
Sure, they had to tape the wheels up a bit. But 218 mph makes this ringwraith looking ride as fast as an Enzo. We've known that if the car Maybach really ought to build got itself built, that the battle-tested twin-turbo V12 would make the Excelero as potent as Tom Brady's sperm. So are they gonna build it? Who knows, but the fact that the (supposed) one off not only moves, but flat out hauls, is surely great news for Billionaires the world over. As we and countless other journos have said, Maybach has to do something, and fast. And turns out this Excelero is pretty dang fast. – Jonny Lieberman
Dodge Challenger preproduction body shells caught on camera
Posted Apr 30th 2007 1:28AM by John Neff
Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Etc., Chrysler

click above image to view more pics of these Dodge Challenger body shells
These pics showing multiple preproduction Dodge Challenger body shells are what you might call radioactive. They were originally posted in a thread on the Newhemitech.com forums on Saturday night at 9:25PM EST. We learned about them shortly afterward when a link was posted in a thread on the GMInsideNews.com forums. We've been in contact with Chrysler about them, who obviously view the pictures as a very serious breach in security. They were clearly taken illegaly on private property, which at first gave us serious pause. Since then, however, they've begun to show up on more and more websites. We have no one to which we can attribute the photos, and considering their radioactivity, likely never will.
From our perspective, however, these pics are actually a good thing for Chrysler. We haven't heard much about the Challenger in a while, and these images are sure to spark up interest again in the automaker's forthcoming pony car. We should be straight with you and mention that the production Challenger is still a ways off and these shells do not necessarily reveal any reliable information about what the production car will be like. The only appreciable difference that we can identify between the concept and these shells, in fact, is the addition of a fixed B-pillar. Still, it's great to see hard evidence that the Challenger project is moving forward, bringing all of us closer to the day when we can roll down to the nearest Chrysler dealer and pick one up for ourselves.
[Source: Newhemitech.com via GMInsideNews]
Shaq Gets A Stretch Lambo Gallardo
Shaq Attack: Metalworkers Make NBA Player's Lamborghini an XXL
Date posted: 04-27-2007
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — Basketball great Shaquille O'Neal got special treatment for his Lamborghini Gallardo — a stretched version thanks to Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters, a supplier for such corporations as the Boeing Company and PPG Aerospace Glass. The longer Lambo has 12 inches added through the middle, surely a relief for the 7-foot-1-inch athlete.
The Gallardo received custom extended doors, roof and side windows. The company says it strove to maintain the car's "visual integrity" with the changes. Glass fabrication was a particular challenge, the company said. "We relied on our aerospace and coachworks divisions to make sure Shaq could fit in the car, but the naked eye could not detect any differences from the original Gallardo," Gaffoglio CEO George Gaffoglio said.
What this means to you: Great minds working together help Shaq fit in his luxury car. Two points!
Honda's Secret Garage
Honda’s Secret Garage PhotosHonda certainly had humble beginnings in the U.S.Photos by By Douglas Kott June 2007 | 1 of 1 [ printer friendly ] [ send to a friend ] |

Web Exclusive: Honda’s Secret Garage
Porsche Makes Formal Offer To Buy VW
Porsche proposes to Volkswagen
Posted Apr 30th 2007 12:28PM by Noah Joseph
Filed under: Government/Legal, Porsche, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials
It's official, Porsche has submitted an offer to buy the Volkswagen group. Unless you've been living in a cave, you probably already know that the erstwhile sportscar manufacturer is more profitable than the megalithic auto consortium, with all its subsidiaries, and has been steadily increasing its stake in VW.
When Porsche raised its stake in Volkswagen past 30%, German law mandated that it submit an offer to Volkswagen shareholders to buy them out and take over the automotive conglomerate outright. The mandatory offer has now been officially submitted, and subsequently approved by the German Federal Agency for Financial Services Supervision.
Porsche is offering Є100.92 per common share, and Є65.54 for preferred shares, coming in at the bare minimum required by law. Volkswagen shareholders have until May 29 to accept or refuse the offer. If they accept, Porsche will have full control of Volkswagen and all its subsidiaries, including the Audi, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Bentley brands, turning what was once the niche sportscar maker into one of the largest automobile makers in the world. It's unlikely that the VW board will accept, however, considering Porsche made the bare min bid.
Related posts:
Press release after the jump.
[Source: Porsche]
PRESS RELEASE:
Porsche submits mandatory offer for Volkswagen shares
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, Germany, submitted its mandatory offer to acquire shares of Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg, Germany, on this Monday after the offer documentation was officially approved by the Federal Agency for Financial Services Supervision (BaFin) for publication. The acceptance period is limited to approximately four weeks and ends on May 29, 2007. The price offered to the Volkswagen shareholders amounts to €100.92 per common share and €65.54 per preferred share, which represents the minimum price required by law. Porsche does not consider a premium on the minimum price to be appropriate, as the price of Volkswagen shares has risen significantly since the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer took an interest in the company. The mandatory offer, which is not conditional upon attainment of a minimum acceptance level, can be found on and downloaded from the Porsche website at www.porsche.com/germany/aboutporsche/investorrelations/.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Supercar Video
Porsche Carrera GT: Video comparison against Maserati MC12 and Mercedes McLaren SLR
Great video here with the Maserati MC12, the Porsche Carrera GT and the Mercedes McLaren SLR. Enjoy!
Shop Tour: Foose Design and Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters
Shop Tour: Foose Design and Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters
One of the pitfalls of being immersed in the constant barrage of all things automotive is the danger of becoming jaded. Walking the line between facilitating inadvertent product placement and conveying genuine enthusiam about automobiles can be a tricky balance. Just when we think we've seen enough and seriously contemplate going to get a job driving a flower truck, something comes along so astounding as to completely restore complete faith in the fine art of building automobiles and the enthusiasm this craft creates. A recent trip down to Foose Design world headquarters and then onto the Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters infused us with enough wonder to repel even the worst automotive kryptonite back into outer space for a long time. More after the jump.
On Tour
The occasion was being invited to tag along as Chip Foose and George Gaffoglio of Metalcrafters welcomed car collector Roger Burgess, who was the proud winner of recent auction of the Hemisfear Foose Coupe. Mr. Burgess would get a tour of both Foose Design and Metalcrafters, then work with the pair to hash out exactly how he wanted his coupe constructed. The Hemisfear Foose Coupe is the end result of a design first penned when Foose was still at Art Center College of Design in 1990. Originally an exercise in niche market design for Chrysler, the Hemisfear Foose Coupe is now in limited production at the Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters, and will be sold through Unique Performance.
Fine Suits
The Hemisfear Foose Coupe scales in at a mere 2600 pounds thanks to a composite construction of alumininum, carbon fiber und schteel. Power comes from to a 392 cubic inch Hemi sporting Hilborn Injection, or available Ford GT powerplant mounted amidships. Gear rowing will be by way of a ZF 5-speed. The car rides on a suspension designed specifically for the coupe by John Hotchkis of Hotchkis Sport Suspension. Whoa comes from a massive set of Foose labeled Baer brakes. Air conditioning, power windows, and the usual luxury items are also part of the deal. "Buying the Foose Coupe will be like buying a fine suit as it will be made to order," said George Gaffoglio, Chief Executive Officer of Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters. This suit will run you a shade over 300 large.
Art Work in Progress
First stop on the tour was Foose Design World Headquarters. Let it be said now that Chip Foose clearly enjoys his work, and clearly has plenty of work in progress. A Morrison-Chassied 54 'Vette in in the lay in beginning stages in the paint booth. An upside down 'Cuda was getting ground on a rotissere. A car under construction sat with a Meyer-Drake DT160 in the middle of the chassis. Foose said as it turns out one of the only Drake engine specialists in the country had a shop right around the corner in Huntington Beach. Vintage Go Karts were hanging from the walls and an even older bumper car sat out front of Foose's office. Even 'Vannin was represented by a flared fender and slot magged Chevy out front. The whirlwind Foose Design tour wrapped quickly and the caravan headed over to Fountain Valley - home of the Metalcrafters.
Metalcrafters
Once at Metalcrafters George Gaffoglio rolled a video of the Chrysler Me412 Concept fabrication condensed down to four minutes. In went the 12-cylinder Quad-Turbo. On went the panels. Out rolled the concept car. Metalcrafters builds many of the concept cars we feature here at Jalopnik, and has been doing so since 1979. Next stop was a trip to the design room. There the Hemisfear Foose Coupe spun about on a computer screen, showing detials of every system and subsystem. Chassis and rear subframe. Coolant tubes running through a structural conduit. The central mounted radiator and how it gets air though low pressure air path venting. The body parts lowest to the ground are serviceable in case of ground contact or damage, as Foose himself interjected. Working out the design of the car digitally using Catia V5 allows the various sub-assemblies of the car needed to be constructed individually for production assembly. We were then instructed by a large man in a pinstripe suit squeezing a lemon peel into his espresso, that there were things that could not be photographed. Actually it was George, so we listened.
Phenomena
With every turn on the production floor came the wonder we spoke of earlier. CNC machines churning out automotive jewelry. An entire building stuffed with Italian machinery and craftsmen whose sole purpose is to manufacture glass for aerospace and automobiles. Complete and in progress concept cars appeared and disappeared. An autoclave the size of a Zeppelin stood in wait for the carbon fiber Funny Car bodies being assembled by hand. These bodies feature the strength to stand up to 300 mph, yet weigh only 104 pounds. Looking like the car Green Hornet had was a Foose designed 1966 Chrysler Imperial. The heavy is owned by Detroit Casino mogul Gregg Solomon and packs a Hemi along with LX-platform running gear grafted in place of the original '60s-era suspension. Ending up the tour was the shop where the Hemisfear Foose Coupes are assembled. The awe of the day was wrapped up in one phrase by Roger Burgess who stated simply, "this is phenomenal". – Mike Bumbeck
Foose Design [chipfoose.com]; Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters [metalcrafters.com]; Unique Performance [uniqueperformance.com]
Related:
Foose Unveils 'Hemisfear'; The EcoJet: Jay Leno's New GM-Outsourced Supercar [Internal]
Tiff Needle Driving McLaren F1 LM & Enzo
Still, any man having a cargasm on camera is worth watching. What's he so excited about? Well, at first Tiff putters around in an Enzo. Which he thinks is OK. You know, just your average run of the mill supercar. But then he gets into the goofy center-seat of a McLaren F1, and well... you should watch. We will warn you, it is not just a "regular" McLaren F1, but one of the extra lust-worthy examples that started life as racecars and were converted back for street use. Meaning that they weigh hundreds of kilos less and sound like heaven filtered through hell. And if you like Tiff here, we've got more of him below the jump. – Jonny LIeberman
Related:Thursday, April 26, 2007
Chrysler Thinking About Building a Cuda On The Challenger Platform
Photo illustration by George Achorn / Brenda Pridd
Sneak peek: Chrysler Cuda
Our illustrator nearly fell off his feet when he heard mention of a possible Chrysler Cuda -- twin to the upcoming Dodge Challenger -- during an interview with Chip Foose, hot rodder, television talent and all-round good guy, at the New York auto show.
Though Plymouth, the original brand to sell the Cuda, has long been out of business, Chrysler seems to be the apparent heir. Whether the market needs yet another muscle car remains to be seen. Chrysler could likely bring such a car to market with relative ease.
This photo illustration takes elements of the Cuda and adds them to the Challenger model. The six-opening grille was a '72 Cuda signature, as were the shaker hood and the lower driving lights. Single round headlights are more characteristic of the '70 Cuda, with Gatling gun LED design similar to those seen on the Challenger concept. Wheels from the Chrysler SRT8 complete the look and are more indicative of the badge that the new Cuda would now call home.
Dyno Test Between Audi R8 and RS4
Dyno Test: 2008 Audi R8 vs. 2007 Audi RS4
By Jason Cammisa
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2007 Audi RS4
2007 Audi RS4 Photo Gallery