James Bond cars.... Questionaire.

To preview our next post, I'd like to know what you think the best and worst James Bond cars of the past have been, and what vehicle(s) you think the new James Bond should drive in the next movie coming out soon?

Aaron?????

I have been traveling on business and have noticed that while I was away that Aaron (Pablo) was not able to update this blog. I now realise that he is in Melbourne enjoying some time away from his imac. So Pablo, when you get back to NZ, will you please delight the viewers with a couple of new postings. I will join you in NZ in a couple of days and we can do a James Bond special then.

2007 Audi S8

The new Audi S8 is due to be released soon, and the beauty will be equipped with a new V10 engine that capitalises on the expertise of the super sports car Lamborghini Gallardo. The 10-cylinder power unit develops 450 bhp of power and 540 Nm of torque from a swept volume of 5.2 litres. The torque value is achieved at as low an engine speed as 3,500 rpm. As on the Le Mans winning R8, the most successful racing car in the world, FSI petrol direct injection assures superior power output in the Audi S8. This luxury saloon sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds, and is electronically governed at 250 km/h. Without the governor it would probably cruize along the autobahn at close to 300kph.

This is a bloody good looking car, and although it should be faster to 100km/h with all that horsepower, it is a car that is certainly worth considering if you are looking for a 760 or a S 600.

2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R

The 2008 Nissan GT-R (Proto) was released today at the Tokyo motor show. It is still over 2 years away from production, and the final version will be officially launched at the 2007 Tokyo motor show. It is going to be finally made in left hand drive, which should boost Nissans worldwide sales, but it may well be called Infinity here in USA. Infinity is Nissans luxury division much like Toyota's Lexus which happens to mean Luxury EXport USa. The car will probably have a twin turbo v6 and 4 wheel drive pushing out 450hp maybe even more. It will be a rocketship and it will be packing plenty of technological features..... Definately a car to watch out for if you own a 911 turbo.

BMW Z10 / M1

I am excited to find out that BMW are planning to build a new rear/centrally mounted V10 rear wheel drive Supercar. Not since 1979 has BMW made a Supercar with the M1, but sources at BMW have revealed that a new Supercar, likely to be called the "Z10" is firmly on the drawing boards. Production could even be at the Rolls Royce Goodwood plant as it already has capacity to build another car. Using a highly developed version of the latest M5 & M6 V10 5.0 litre 500Bhp engines, increased by another 50cc's could make the new V10 capable of developing 550Bhp. Using the latest lightweight materials including aluminum & carbon-fibre throughout weight could be kept to 1200 Kg & have the power to weight ratio of 458 Bhp per tonne. Burkhard Goschel the head of BMW's development is said to "offer the ultimate in lateral dynamics", & must be cable of out performing the V8-powered M3 & Z4M. It will use the latest electronic & mechanical aids to enhance it's road holding capabilities & wind tunnel development will ensure aerodynamic down force is a priority. Active spoilers & venturi underbody will ensure the cars sticks to the road like an F1 car. BMW hopes to keep the price within £90,000 price bracket & sales should start in 2008. I can barely contain myself, this car will be spectacular.

2007 Toyota FJ40 Cruiser

This is a cool retro wagon. The original FJ land Cruiser was discontinued in 1983, and has been popular with collectors, safarists, farmers and Riaz Khan ever since.

The modern FJ Cruiser retains design and styling cues from the original FJ40, such as the round front headlights, exterior rear tire carrier, upright windshield and white roof cap. The original "Toyota" badging on the front grille appears as it did when Toyota first entered the market in the late 60's, and the first colors are expected to include yellow, tan and light blue, as they did in the original.

Many a Kiwi will remember the original Landcruiser in conjunction with Footrot flats, Berry Crump and 4 wheel driving...... I am predicting that the new FJ40 will be a massive hit. I hope it is made in right hand drive and not produced for the US market only.

The 1959 Cadillac...

The 1959 Caddy had it all, looks, performance, and comfort. It stood as the ultimate symbol of success, impressive and indeed controversial. The outrageous tail fins and jet pod taillights evoked either a love it or leave it attitude with the public at the time. I love it and if they were not $125,000 US for a good convertible, then I'd be having one take up two carparks in my garage as I am writing this.

They made 11,130 of the Cadillac 62 Convertibles in 1959, they had a curb weight of 4855 lbs (2202kg), a price of $5,455 and a 390 ci V8 powering the massive automobile with 325hp. Elivis never had a '59 as he was in the army at the time and liked to take delivery of new cars, but I am sure that king himself would agree that the 1959 Cadillac is the best of them all.

They sure don't make cars like they used too.

Whoops

One less McLaren F1...

What kind of car did Maxwell Smart drive?

Don Adams (Maxwell Smart) died this month (RIP), and I thought I would look into the cars he drove on the show "Get Smart".

Max drove two cars throughout the five year run of the series. The car Max drove in the first four years of the series was a red 1965 Sunbeam Tiger. Without a doubt, it is the car most associated with Max and can be considered "his car." The car became Don's personal car for many years. However, after his daughter wrecked it for the third time, the car was junked and destroyed.



In season five, Max drives a gold, 1969 Opel GT. He also drove the Opel in the episodes, so it can really be called his second car. Interestingly enough, Max's Opel also appeared in the movie "Stripes."



In the opening credits of the third and fourth seasons, Max drives a blue VW Karman Ghia. However, in those season's episodes, he continued to drive the Sunbeam. The open was probably changed to reflect some type of sponsorship deal. In no episode does he actually drive the Karman Ghia.



The three cars mentioned above are the only cars that Max drove in more than one episode. Yes, I know that there are episodes where he drove other cars, like the wedding episode, but they were not his car and are not going to be listed here. Some people have correctly noted that for a few episodes in the fourth season Max drove a Ford Mustang convertible, but that car was clearly designated as The Chief's car.

The one note that needs to be made concerns the pilot episode. In that, Max drives a Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet. The reason for that is that they probably used a stock studio sportscar for the pilot. When the show was picked up, they were able to arrange a promotional deal with Sunbeam.



More Tiger information: According to Dick Sanders of the Pacific Tiger Club, "a look-a-like Sunbeam Alpine (rebadged with Tiger script on the side) of the same vintage ('65 or '66) was used in almost all of the shows where a Sunbeam appeared. There wasn't room to mount a machine gun (or much of anything else) under the hood of the V8-powered Tiger, so they used the Alpine which has a smaller 4-cylinder motor."

2006 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6

The Z06’s new LS7 7.0L engines delivers 505 horsepower (377 kw) in an approximately 3,130-pound (1,420 kg) package - a combination that delivers 0-60 performance of 3.7 seconds, quarter-mile elapsed times of less than 12 seconds and a top speed of more than 190 mph on a racetrack or Autobahn.

The all-new LS7 in the ’06 Z06 reintroduces the 427-cubic-inch engine to the Corvette lineup. Unlike the previous 427 engine, which was a big-block design, the new 7.0-liter LS7 is a small-block V-8 - the largest-displacement small-block ever produced by Chevrolet and GM, and a tribute to its 50 years as a performance icon.



The entire chassis has been converted from steel to light weight aluminum, except for the roof rails and engine cradle. It is 200lbs lighter than the standard Vette, but has better tortional regidity.....

This is a mega beast of a car, and Chevy pulled out the obligatory Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times to make the point. With Jan Magnussen, winner of the 2004 and 2005 Le Mans 24 Hour, at the helm, the Z06 clocked a seven-minute, 42.99-second lap of the 13-mile Green Hell, 16 seconds faster than a Z51-equipped C6 Corvette. Porsche’s US$440,000, 604-hp Carrera GT, with a seven-minute, 32.44-second lap, is the only production car to have gone quicker. For perspective, Lamborghini’s US$283,000, 580-hp Murciélago clocked in at seven minutes, 50 seconds, and the US$452,000, 617-hp McLaren-Mercedes SLR at seven minutes, 52 seconds.

The ZO6 Vette is the only car in the USA over 400hp to pass the federal gas guzzler tax requirements..... and at a base price of US $65,800 it has to be the bargain of the century. Although it doesnt have the ultra WOW factor of the slower F430 Ferrari, it is a car that legends are made of.