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997 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Video

June 23, 2007 at 8:24 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Porsche, Videos

911 Turbo Cabriolet 2

This is a professionally produced somewhat artistic promotional video for the new type 997 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet. It’s a shame that for most part of the video the music covers up most of the 911 Turbo cabriolet’s sweet 3.6 litre turbocharged boxer engine noise. Imagine the frustration of viewing a clip that shows the RPM meter going up to the high ends of the rev range, but all you hear is techno music.

Anyway, enjoy the video after the jump. It even has a short section where it shows the variable vanes in the Variable Geometry Turbocharger working.
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Caterham Seven Hill Climb

June 18, 2007 at 11:51 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Caterham, Videos

Caterham R400 2

Here is a video of a Caterham Seven driven by Ken Evans going up the Loton Park hillclimb route. Driving at such speeds in what is essentially a big go-kart with a car engine is exciting. Video after jump.

Video courtesy of: Seven Builder
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Toyota Supra with V12 Engine

June 14, 2007 at 1:56 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Toyota, Videos

Supra V12These guys have taken a 5.0 litre 1GZ-FE V12 engine from a Toyota Century and put it into a Toyota Supra. Not being satisfied with that, they’ve added a custom bolt-on turbokit to it.

The result is a 542 horsepower V12-powered Toyota Supra, though I don’t really know why the need for the V12 engine as the stock Supra engine could easily go beyond 550 horsepower if you tune it properly with the necessary strengthening, engine management, and larger turbos.

Anyway, video after jump. I think there’s a typo in the video though – the 1GZ-FE is a 4,996cc engine which makes it 5.0 litres, instead of the stated 5,996cc.
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Robert Kubica Crash at 2007 Canadian GP

June 13, 2007 at 2:07 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Formula 1, Videos

Robert Kubica CrashIf you watched the Canadian GP during the weekend, I’m sure you’ll be talking about Robert Kubica’s crash during the race, when he made contact with Toyota’s Jarno Trulli on the approach to the hairpin. The impact basically destroyed the car’s nose cone and exposed Kubica’s legs to some possible major damage. However, I guess an angel was watching over him as he ended up unhurt and has been released from the hospital.

For those who did not see the crash, video after jump.

Related Crash Posts:
Joey Hand’s BMW M3 Crash
Luckiest biker ever crash video
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Caparo T1 Video

June 12, 2007 at 2:20 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Videos

Caparo T1

Remember the Caparo T1 I posted about last month? It’s commonly tauted as the closest thing one can get to an F1 car for the roadcar, and it’s T1 moniker is apt indeed. This production variant undergoing track tests is powered by a 3.5 litre V8 engine, revving all the way up to nearly F1-like speeds of 10,500rpm. Video after jump.

Related Posts:
Caparo T1 – an F1 car for the streets
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Ssangyong Actyon SUT pick-up truck in Malaysia

June 7, 2007 at 8:23 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Koreans, Local News, Ssangyong, Videos

We suddenly have another player in the pick-up truck game – the Ssangyong Actyon SUT. While most of you may have seen the Actyon around the internet in SUV form, there is also a ladder frame pick-up truck that local Ssangyong distributors Competitive Supreme have decided to bring into Malaysia.

With a power output of 141PS at 4,000rpm and 320Nm of torque between 1,800rpm to 2,700rpm, it is not class-leading as the Ranger TDCi has it beat at 143PS, but it is still one of the more high powered pick-up trucks over here in Malaysia and has the Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Frontier beat at 138PS and 133PS respectively. But what’s different about this pick-up is 141PS and the high torque is achievable from a 2.0 litre displacement engine, while it’s competitors all use 2.5 litre and 3.0 litre engines. This means road tax savings especially if you register the Actyon SUT as a business vehicle.

Actyon engine torque curveThe XDi 2.0 litre engine is a commonrail direct injection engine based on Mercedes Benz technology, and uses a variable geometry turbocharger. It’s gearbox is a 4-speed unit, and has a low range transfer case, switchable between high and low ranges via push buttons.

The interior looks very passenger car-like, plus there is plenty of creature comforts such as electric powered front seats, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and a black leather interior. It’s definitely looking like good value – good equipment, plus a Mercedes Benz-based engine with a lower displacement to save on road tax.

The Ssangyong Actyon SUT will have a price tag of somewhere in the RM90,000 range, and will be assembled at Competitive Supreme’s plant in Pahang. Look after the jump for more photos of the Ssangyong Actyon SUT.

Look after the jump for more photos and a video.

Source
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Nurburgring: Yamaha R1 vs Porsche 911 GT3

June 7, 2007 at 5:02 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Bikes, Cars, Porsche, Videos, Yamaha

2007 Yamaha R1

This is an interesting video for those who love track videos. Two brothers take on the Nurburgring – Michael Neeves rides a Yamaha R1 superbike while his brother Ben follows him in a Porsche 911 GT3. Video after jump.
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Volkswagen’s TSI Engine

June 5, 2007 at 7:46 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Technology, Videos, Volkswagen

golf_tsi_enginebay.jpg

Volkswagen produced this infomercial for the Volkswagen TSI Series of engines. Volkswagen aimed to produce a motor that both offered fuel economy as well as performance, together with driving comfort in the sense that driving will not be a tiring process that requires you to rev your engine to high revs all the time to get decent pickup. Cruising around with city driving under 2,500rpm without feeling the engine is lacking in torque offers a more relaxing drive.

Recently, Volkswagen added a 1.4 litre turbocharged engine to it’s TSI family, joining the existing 1.4 litre twincharged engine. Interesting to note that the intercooler for this engine is water-cooled, and is integrated into the intake manifold. The use of a single turbocharger in this TSI-badged engine means TSI does not refer to the twincharging method of using both a turbocharger and supercharger for forced induction anymore, instead referring to small displacement, low fuel consumption, and high power Volkswagen engines.

This video focuses on the new 1.4 litre single turbocharger TSI engine, and differences with it’s twincharged sibling.

Check out the video after the jump.

Related Posts:
Volkswagen announces new 7-speed DSG gearboxNew 122hp turbocharged 1.4 litre and 7-speed DSG from Volkswagen
Volkswagen cranks up twincharged 1.4 to 200hp
Volkswagen Golf GT 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TDI
Volkswagen’s twincharging Super Turbo TSI
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Volkswagen CrossPolo – 1.6 with 6 airbags!

June 4, 2007 at 12:55 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Videos, Volkswagen

CrossPolo

Volkswagen Malaysia has just launched it’s new CrossPolo B-segment vehicle. The CrossPolo, and it’s less cross sibling the Polo are slotted between the Volkswagen Fox and the larger Volkswagen Golf. There is even a GTI model. It shares a platform with other VW groups cars like the Ibiza and the Skoda Fabia, which I reviewed earlier.

The CrossPolo is available in 1.6 form only, and goes for RM124,888.00, which is about RM9,000 more than the Polo 1.6 litre. What you get for that extra money is the CrossPolo bodykit, more airbags, larger 17 inch wheels… and the removal of a 60:40 split rear bench. The unladen kerb weight of the Polo is 1,079kg, while the CrossPolo weighs in at 1,138kg, naturally because of all the extra stuff. This extra weight also brings down 0-100km/h acceleration to 12.4 seconds, down from 11.3 seconds in the Polo.

UPDATE: Volkswagen Group Malaysia is now selling the Volkswagen CrossPolo for RM108,888. Click for more details.

The CrossPolo bodykit includes the SUV-style kit as well as 17 inch wheels, up from the 14 inchers on the Polo. The interior is also reworked with a bright orange trim. The suspension has also been slightly raised. The most impressive feature of all is a set of 6-airbags – front, side and curtain – probably the only car in it’s segment and price which offers airbag protection for the rear passengers as well.

The 1,598cc 1.6 litre EFI engine has no FSI direct fuel injection, but it is a newer model than the old 1,595cc 1.6 litre Volkswagen Malaysia has put into the Volkswagen New Golf. It makes 105PS at 5,600rpm, and 153Nm of torque at 3,800rpm. This engine is mated to a 6-speed transmission, which is looking to be the new standard in gear ratios offering a good balance between ratios and overkill.

So yes, fans of premium B-segment hatchbacks, you now have an interesting alternative that has it’s specs on papers done up pretty well. As for how the car actually is… I’m having a bit of a problem reaching out to Volkswagen Malaysia, but will keep trying. Some might be disappointed the engine is not of the latest and greatest FSI variant that Volkswagen has become very noted for, but stuff like the 6 airbags and general Volkswagen build quality goodness are very relevant plus points.

More photos and videos after the jump.

Related Posts:
Volkswagen CrossPolo 1.6 Test Drive
Skoda Fabia 1.4 Test Drive
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23 Comments      

Ford’s Driver Education Videos

May 31, 2007 at 3:05 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Ford, Videos

Ford LogoFord created this Driving Skills For Life program in the US to help reduce teen driver accidents. The program teaches then how to handle most situations where the car is in a dangerous position – during accidental skids, accident avoidance, and etc. Now Ford has provided 9 different driving tip videos on their website, and I’ve decided to put them up hosting on my own server for faster loading. Do watch all of them if you have time, it doesn’t harm trying to learn something new. I hope you find them useful.
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