A british car magazine claims to have inside information surrounding McLaren’s latest automotive offering, tentatively codenamed the ‘P11.’ This time around, it seems McLaren isn’t trying to break any records, or beat the Veyron and SSC in a battle for top speed supremacy. Instead, McLaren is seemingly taking a step downmarket! (It feels so wrong even saying that…)
The P11 is targeting Ferrari 430s and Porsche 911 GT2s. Not that this is a bad thing! Power is thought to come from an AMG sourced 6.3-liter V8, generating an expected 500 horsepower down through the rear wheels. The P11 should be quick, with an anticipated sub-4-second run to sixty and a top speed over 200 mph. It should be able to stop quickly as well thanks to carbon-ceramic brakes and a lightweight frame made from aluminum and carbon fiber.

The McLaren P11 will be the first new vehicle from the British company since they paired up with Mercedes to make the SLR. But everyone knows that McLaren’s major claim to fame is the F1 supercar, which for many years had held the record for its staggering top speed.

CAR says the renderings are fairly close to the mark for the supercar that will launch in 2010. In this blogger’s humble opinion, this is a very very good thing. Because these renderings have the potential to reverse the effects of advanced erectile dysfunction in a way that could make Viagra jealous. Plus, I haven’t seen such a sexy rear end since… well, since I woke up next to three supermodels this morning. Yep. That’s how I roll.

[Source: CAR online]

Estar en Londres y tener a los coches como tu mayor devoción es una ecuación que tienes que resolver por fuerza mayor y que termina siempre con el mismo resultado: ir a darte una vuelta por Harrods.

La anterior vez que estuve en Londres traje una galería bastante grande con instantáneas a deportivos por toda la ciudad. Bueno, esta vez he decidido ser más comedido y dejar de lado aquellos habituales londinenses para no aburrir: Bentley, Aston Martin, Jaguar, algunos Rolls Royce e incluso Maybach. La galería que os traemos esta vez trata sólo de los alrededores de Harrods, a excepción de Lamborghini Diablo y del Ford Mustang, inmortalizados en las inmediaciones de Regent Street.

Seguir Leyendo…

It’s actually made of cloth! Read more about it HERE.

Again this year, Connecticut Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, is trying to ensure that repaired vehicles returned to his State’s and the nation’s highways are safe.

At yesterday’s press conference Connecticut’s Attorney General demanded that consumers be permitted to exercise their free choice in selecting the shop to repair their vehicles. Standing next to college student, Lyn Moreau, who’s vehicle had been unsafely repaired at a Progressive “concierge” facility, Mr. Blumenthal stressed that legislation is necessary to stop insurers from directing consumers to use “preferred body shops”.

Consumers deserve to choose where a car is repaired. No insurer should straightjacket or corral consumers, forcing them to use a so-called preferred shop. This legislation, which I have advocated for years, would preserve consumer choice and industry competition - deterring anticompetitive relationships between certain insurers and auto repairers.

AG Blumenthal was joined in his call for legislative reform by Republican State Senator Leonard Fasano, demonstrating that this problem is a concern for both political parties. Senator Fasano said,

It is clear we can no longer rely on existing laws to protect consumers following an auto accident. Consumer protection is a bipartisan issue. It’s time to make our laws stronger so people like Lyn Moreau will no longer be at the mercy of the insurance giants.

And that’s just where Lyn Moreau found herself in her dealings with her insurer, at its mercy. Unfortunately, she didn’t get any. After initially recommending she use its “concierge” facility, Progressive allowed the vehicle to be handed back to Ms. Moreau in an unsafe condition. She discovered the safety problems when she took her vehicle to a different body shop, and that shop told her the bad news. When Moreau addressed the issue with Progressive, her insurer told her to take her vehicle back to the “recommended” repair shop that butchered it originally. So much for that “Lifetime Repair Guarantee” Progressive claims it gives you if you patronize one of its direct repair shops.

Most interesting is that under Progressive’s “direct repair program agreement” with repair shops, Progressive retains exclusive authority to write all of the repair estimates and supplements, thereby dictating the manner in which a vehicle is to be repaired. It would certainly be interesting to see if Progressive was responsible for “writing” the unsafe repairs, or whether the shop simply cut corners.

Nonetheless, Progressive woos consumers to use the concierge service and maintains that it inspects the vehicle after it is returned from the repair shop to ensure the quality of repair. Lyn Moreau’s vehicle repair is evidence that the Progressive concierge quality inspectors can’t tell safe repairs from dangerous ones — which should scare all of us.

More on this story at the Hartford Courant.

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