New Maxim Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS
As with the DB9, Aston Martin uses the same VH (vertical horizontal) structure which provides strength and rigidity to the whole car. Thanks to the structure, 85% of the weight of the car is kept between the wheelbase which results in increased handling, responsiveness and feel during tight cornering.
Aston Martin DBS V12 in London, 2011.

Aston Martin has also developed an Adaptive Damping System or ADS which alters the suspension in order for the car to cope with the driver's desires and road/weather conditions. When turned on, the ADS automatically alters the suspension settings to ensure the driver has high levels of control at all times. Apart from the suspension getting stiffer, throttle and braking response is increased and also steering is sharpened.

The DBS is fitted with Pirelli P-Zero tyres which have been developed especially for the car, along with lightweight, aluminum 20" wheels.

To keep the weight as low as possible, Aston Martin has made extensive use of carbon fiber throughout the whole car. The bonnet, the boot, the front wings and the door opening surrounds are all made by carbon fiber. The carpets are also made by special thin layers from carbon fiber. The roof and the doors are made by aluminum. The result of all that is a 30 kg (66 lb) weight reduction from a regular DB9. The car is also fitted with a carbon fiber splitter at the front wings to increase handling and a carbon fiber rear diffuser to increase high speed stability.

The brake discs are carbon ceramic, which shaves a significant 12.5 kg (28 lb) from the unsprung weight. In the front, there are 398 mm (15.7 in) ventilated and drilled brakes with 6-piston alloy monobloc calipers. In the back, there are 360 mm (14.2 in) ventilated and drilled brakes with 4-piston alloy monobloc calipers.
[edit] Interior

The interior of a DBS is a blend of carbon fiber, alcantara leather, wood, stainless steel and aluminum surfaces. The seats are made from semi aniline and alcantara leather and both bear the DBS signature with an optional 2+2 seating confiuration. The door panels are carbon fiber and the facia trim is as a standard, matrix alloy and iridium silver center console or as an optional extra piano black facia trim and center console and for even more weight savings the carpet a has a special lightweight weave. The key to start the car is the "Emotion Control Unit" which at start was specially developed for the DBS but from 2008 is available for the DB9 and V8 Vantage as well. The key is made from stainless steel and glass and is inserted to a special hole in the dashboard.

Bang & Olufsen has developed a 1000-Watt sound system for the DBS which consists of 13 speakers located in 10 different locations throughout the cabin with an integrated Apple iPod connector.
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS

Aston Martin DB9 Maxim Super Cars

Aston Martin DB9
Aston Martin DB9
The Aston Martin DB9 comes in two variants; the coupé and 'Volante' convertible, each producing 470 bhp (350 kW; 477 PS) from a 6.0L V12 engine, originally taken from its sister car the V12 Vanquish. In fact, this V12 engine is why Aston Martin did not call the car the DB8, which could suggest that it has only a V8 engine. One report states that Aston Martin believed that this car was such a huge leap from the Jaguar XJ-S based DB7 that it named it DB9 instead of DB8, which they thought would indicate a gradual evolution. The Gaydon facility's production capacity for the DB9 could allow for approximately five thousand units per year, which is roughly the same production volume as other esteemed sports cars, in particular the Ferrari F430 and Porsche 911 Turbo. The DB9, however, is more often compared against other competitors in its segment: the Ian Callum designed Jaguar XKR, the Volkswagen-produced Bentley Continental GT, the ten-cylinder powered BMW M6, and the AMG variants of the Mercedes-Benz SL. Traditionally being a maker of more exclusive automobiles, CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez has stated that production numbers of the DB9 will be slightly higher than previous models.

The DB9 is the first Aston Martin model to be designed and developed on Ford's aluminium VH (vertical/horizontal) platform which also underpins Aston Martin's flagship DBS. The body structure is composed of aluminium and composites melded together by mechanically fixed self-piercing rivets and robotic assisted adhesive bonding techniques. The innovative bonded aluminium structure possesses more than double the torsional rigidity of its predecessor's, despite being 25 percent lighter. Aston Martin's engineers designed the quad-cam, 48-valve engine for the V12 Vanquish in collaboration with Ford's Research and Vehicle Technology team (RVT) and were able to reduce its weight by 11.8 kg (26 lb) for use in the DB9.
Aston Martin DB9
Aston Martin DB9
Aston Martin DB9

Maxim Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Until the 1980s, Alfa Romeos, except for the Alfasud, were rear-wheel-drive.

According to the current Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne in order to reap economies of scale, all new Alfa Romeo models will be made from the same basic platform (i.e., frame). Even Maserati will share components with some Alfas.[43]
Quadrifoglio badge on the Alfetta 159

Cloverleaf, or Quadrifoglio, badges denote high-end in comfort and engine size variants of Alfa Romeo cars, but previously denoted Alfa Romeo racing cars in the pre-Second-World-War era. The image first appeared in 1923 when Ugo Sivocci presented one prior to the start of the 14th Targa Florio as a good luck token to the team. This became the symbol of competition Alfas, denoting higher performance. Some modern Alfas wear a cloverleaf badge which is typically a green four leaf clover on a white background (Quadrifoglio Verde), but variants of blue on white have been recently observed as well.

The Alfettas of the early 1980s had models available sold as the "Silver Leaf" and "Gold Leaf" (Quadrifoglio Oro). These models were the top of the range. Badging was the Alfa Cloverleaf in either gold or silver to denote the specification level. The Gold Leaf model was also sold as the "159i" in some markets, the name in homage to the original 159.

The trim levels (option packages) offered today on the various nameplates (model lines) include the lusso ("luxury"), turismo ("touring"), and the GTA (gran tourismo alleggerita) ("light-weight grand tourer"). The GTA package is offered in the 147 and 156 and includes a V-6 engine. In the past, Alfa Romeo offered a Sprint trim level.

During the 1990s, Alfa Romeo moved car production to other districts in Italy. The Pomigliano d’Arco plant produced the 155, followed by the 145 and the 146, while the Arese plant manufactured the 164 and new Spider and GTV. The 156 was launched in 1997, and became quite successful for Alfa Romeo; in 1998 it was voted “Car of the Year”. The same year a new flagship, the 166 (assembled in Rivalta, near Turin) was launched. At the beginning of the third millennium, the 147 was released, which won the prestigious title of “Car of the Year 2001”. In 2003 the Arese factory was closed.

The Arese factory today hosts almost nothing and is nearly abandoned. What remains are some offices and the great Alfa Romeo Historical Museum, a must-see for Alfa Romeo fans.

In the 60s, the main Alfa Romeo seat was moved from inside Milan to a very large and nearby area extending over the municipalities of Arese, Lainate and Garbagnate Milanese. However, since then the Alfa seat is known to be in Arese, since the offices and the main entrance of the area are there.

In the late 1960s, a number of European automobile manufacturers established facilities in South Africa to assemble right hand drive vehicles. Fiat and other Italian manufacturers established factories along with these other manufacturers, Alfa-Romeos were assembled in Brits, outside of Pretoria in the Transvaal Province of South Africa. With the imposition of sanctions by western powers in the 1970s and 1980s, South Africa became self-sufficient, and in car production came to rely more and more on the products from local factories. This led to a remarkable set of circumstances where between 1972 and 1989, South Africa had the greatest number of Alfa Romeos on the road outside of Italy. Even stranger, Alfa Romeos Brits plant was used in 1984-85 to build Daihatsu Charades both for local consumption but also for export to Italy, to skirt Italian limits on Japanese imports.

In late 1985, with the impending Fiat takeover and an international boycott of the South African Apartheid government, Alfa Romeo withdrew from the market and closed the plant. After the plants closing, literally tons of valuable parts were bulldozed into the ground to escape paying import duties.

Alfa Romeo US Sports Cars

Alfa Romeo US
In the 1960s Alfa Romeo became famous for its small cars and models specifically designed for the Italian police — "Panthers" and Carabinieri; among them the glorious "Giulia Super" or the 2600 Sprint GT, which acquired the expressive nickname of "Inseguimento" dir. trl. "to chase or predate" (this car is wrongly supposed to be the one that the famous Roman police marshal and unrivalled driver Armandino Spadafora brought down on the Spanish Steps in 1960 while following some robbers — it was actually a black Ferrari 250 GT/E — this picture of Giulia, one of the dozens about this legend, is taken from a film and not at the Spanish Steps). The colours of the Alfa Romeos used by the Polizia were grey/blue with white stripes and writing, known as "Pantera" (Panther), enhancing the aggressive look of the Alfa (particularly the Giulia series), while the Carabinieri Alfas were dark blue with white roofs and red stripes, known as the "Gazzella" (Antelope) denoting the speed and agility of these "Pattuglie" (armed response patrol units). However, the term "Pantera" became used interchangeably and the image helped create a no-nonsense, determined and respected perception by the general public of the men that drove these cars, true to their history.

Since then, Alfas remain the chosen mount of the Carabinieri (renowned arm of the Italian Armed Forces seconded only partly for civilian Policing purposes), Polizia Autostradale (Highway Police) and the conventional police service (Polizia). Successively, the following Alfa Romeo Berlinas have found favour for Italian Police and Government employment
Alfa Romeo US
Alfa Romeo US
Alfa Romeo US
Alfa Romeo US

Alfa Romeo Maxim Cars

Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo
Once motorsports resumed after the Second World War, Alfa Romeo proved to be the car to beat in Grand Prix events. The introduction of the new formula (Formula One) for single-seat racing cars provided an ideal setting for Alfa Romeo's tipo 158 Alfetta, adapted from a pre-war voiturette, and Giuseppe Farina won the first Formula One World Championship in 1950 in the 158. Juan Manuel Fangio secured Alfa's second consecutive championship in 1951.
Alfa Romeo production between 1998 and 2010 Year Cars
1998 197,680
1999 208,336
2000 206,836
2001 213,638
2002 187,437
2003 182,469
2004 162,179
2005 130,815
2006 157,794
2007 151,898
2008 103,097
2009 103,687
2010 119,451

In 1952, Alfa-Romeo had experimented with its first front-wheel drive compact car named "Project 13-61".[12] It had the same transverse-mounted, forward-motor layout as the modern front-wheel drive automobiles. Alfa-Romeo made a second attempt toward the late 1950s based on Project 13-61. It was to be called Tipo 103. It even resembled the smaller version of its popular Alfa-Romeo Giulia. However, due to the financial difficulties in post-war Italy, the Tipo 103 never saw the production. Had Alfa-Romeo succeed in producing Tipo 103, it would precede the Mini as the first "modern" front-wheel drive compact car.

During the 1960s, Alfa concentrated on competition using production-based cars, including the GTA (standing for Gran Turismo Allegerita), an aluminium-bodied version of the Bertone-designed coupe with a powerful twin-plug engine. Among other victories, the GTA won the inaugural Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am championship in 1966. In the 1970s, Alfa concentrated on prototype sports car racing with the Tipo 33, with early victories in 1971. Eventually the Tipo 33TT12 gained the World Championship for Makes for Alfa Romeo in 1975 and the Tipo 33SC12 won the World Championship for Sports Cars in 1977.
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo
Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo

Maxim 2012 Audi TT

There are two United States class action lawsuits affecting specific model years of the first generation TT.

On 22 June 2007, Pearson, Simon, Soter, Warshaw & Penny, LLP and the Law Office of Robert L. Starr filed a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen Group of America, alleging that the timing belts for model year 1999–2003 Audi and Volkswagen vehicles equipped with a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine fail prematurely. The vehicles included are the Audi TT, Audi A4 and Volkswagen Passat. The complaint alleges that the timing belts fail prior to the service interval, as stated in the owner's manual. The parties have reached a class-wide settlement, and preliminary approval of the settlement was granted by the court on 19 May 2008. Claim forms, class notice, and other documentation will be mailed on or about 1 August 2008. Details regarding the terms of the settlement will be in the notice sent to owners of the class vehicles.

On 22 May 2008, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, entered an order preliminarily approving a nationwide settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by Green Welling LLP, on behalf of all current and prior owners and lessees of 2000–2004, and 2005 model year Audi TTs. The lawsuit and settlement relate to allegedly defective instrument clusters, and Audi TT owners are entitled to submit claims for repairs, replacement and/or cash reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, and all TT owners covered by the suit will receive a two year extension of their existing four year warranty (limited to the instrument cluster). There have been widespread reports of similar problems with instrument clusters on the second generation (8P/8PA) A3 model although Audi have yet to publicly acknowledge the defect.
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TT
Audi TTAudi TT Sports 2 Door Cars Pictures Photos Images Wallpapers Gallery 2012

The Maxim Audi Q7

Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7
Audi Q7Audi Q7

Despite its multiple airbags and safety electronics, such as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), the Q7 scored only four stars out of five (4/5 stars) in the Euro NCAP crash test for adult occupant protection. According to Audi, this was caused by a design error, and has since been fixed in cars manufactured after the test which should allegedly lead to five stars. Official tests to prove this remain to be done as of March 2009.

However in the United States, the Q7 received five out of five stars (5/5 stars) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety test for both front and side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Q7 its Top Safety Pick, with Good ratings in all 14 measured categories of the front and side impact test.

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