The crème de la crème of motor racing will be attending an event to be held at the traditional home of the sport over the weekend of 3rd - 5th July. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a jamboree for racing drivers and their cars, both classic and modern. We'll be dropping in there on each of the three days and presenting the four-wheeled stars of the show in our extensive photo galleries. Starting with today...
The selection of MISS TUNING 2009 is one of the most valuable hallmarks of Tuning World Bodensee. This year, the Miss Tuning calendar will be produced on the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. In addition to terrific media coverage and top career opportunities, the newly crowned Miss Tuning will be provided with a Seat Ibiza SC and Microsoft Xbox 360 for an entire year. During Tuning World Bodensee, 20 charming candidates participated in the contest final.
His appearances at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas always attract massive numbers of visitors. European auto fans had the chance to enjoy his mastery at Tuning World Bodensee. In fact, tuning icon Eddie Paul took part in the trade show on all four days, and was personally taking a close look at Europe's tuning scene. Paul has created cars featured in over 100 Hollywood film productions, including The Fast and the Furious, Grease and xXx. In addition, his gleaming red Ford Mustang is featured in the current Miss Tuning calendar alongside this year's Miss Tuning herself, Daniela Grimm.
German tuning companies continue to view market conditions optimistically. According to the mood at VDAT, Europe's largest association of private tuners, this is due not least to the high regard that 'Made in Germany' tuning products enjoy around the world. From April 30th to May 3rd, the international tuning industry had all of its innovative capacities on display at the 7th Tuning World Bodensee in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Featuring 250 exhibiting companies from around the world, more than a thousand tuned muscle cars and a unique supporting programme, it will provide a comprehensive overview of the tuning marketplace.
Amidst all the financial doom and gloom, it's the little things in life that cheer us up. In the gallery below are a fleet of vehicles that are not only cheap to build but also cost nothing to dismantle. They are also immune to fluctuations in petrol prices.
The constructor of these wonderful Lego models on a scale of 22:1 is Ralph Savelsberg from Southampton. His realistic creations range across a broad palette of international marques.
Female car fans will be enchanted. Soon, the cabriolet version of the Fiat 500 will be running round the inner city areas of Europe and be parked at chic urban locations. The 500 cabriolet, bearing the official Fiat title of 500C, will be taking its graceful world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. Its styling is in fact a clear reference to a predecessor which caused a furore as an open-top version back in 1957. However, this 2009 version will be much more chic than the model in the wild Fifties, since it has more of targa roof than a normal cabriolet.
As there will probably be hardly anyone interested in the technology of this vehicle, let's just confine ourselves to the most important detail of the cabriolet, which is the electric folding roof. It will be available in three stylish colours: ivory, red and black, in line with its fashionable image.
We've seen the first design sketches for the BWM Gran Turismo. This concept car in the BMW 5 Series is due to put in an appearance at next month's Geneva Auto Salon. It is a sedan and estate car combined. It's both a luxury model and a crossover. So what is it really?
The design sketches are quite revealing but don't answer all the questions. This BMW seats four persons and invites much speculation.
Sometimes, what 'glisters' may indeed turn out to be gold. To mark the debut of the Passat CC in the USA, Volkswagen had a truly 'golden' idea: on the Concours d'Elegance 2008 in Pebble Beach, California, the manufacturer paraded a magnificent one-off version of the four-seater coupé. The Passat CC Gold Coast does its badge proud. A special paint job blending three shades – gold, silver and bronze – is guaranteed to turn heads wherever this VW puts in an appearance. There are a couple of sporty touches in the form of a low-slung front spoiler and the massive 19-inch rims on which the elegant coupé glides along.
The VW designers have also spared no expense in the cabin of the Gold Coast: the high-grade interior has alternating cream and beige tones, and the sports seats are upholstered in finest Latte Macchiato leather. Beneath the bonnet throbs a 3.6-litre V6 packing a mighty 280bhp. What a pity that this highly decorative automotive creation will never grace the showrooms in either the USA or Europe. The Gold Coast has been conceived and built with the sole purpose of serving as a show car for the Passat CC.
Suzuki's breath of fresh air in the mini range is high on the fun factor. By making the Splash short but tall, they are providing plenty of room on a small base. That's the basic concept behind this new model. Further advantages are that it's easy to get in and out plus the higher seat position gives the driver better visibility.
Presumably, the target market is female. Pastel shades such as Sunlight Copper, Lagoon Turquoise and Kashmir Blue give added emphasis to the curvaceous contours of the Splash. Also, they add a bit of colour to our grey lives. What more could a woman want?
The Chevrolet Aveo, successor to the Kalos, proudly bears the Chevy emblem on the horizontal spar that bisects the mighty grille. The new sense of self-belief of the marque, which has been trading quite well here in Europe for the past few years, is also apparent from some of the other bodywork details. But it is particularly at the front end that the designers have managed to make this model unmistakable. The general look and feel of the Aveo – presented here as a five-door version – is 'European', an initial impression that is confirmed upon inspection of the cabin. A sensation of spaciousness and pleasing materials. The Aveo certainly doesn't come across as down market, and the finishing reinforces this view.
The BMW Art Cars collection is on tour. At the moment, the cars are on display in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Here, it is of course only the the external body that is painted and the body shells have served as a canvas for well-known artists such as Andy Warhol, Frank Stella and Robert Rauschenberg.
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