Top Gear reviews ZR1, hard to get past Corvette looks

Let's not beat around any shrubbery with this: Top Gear magazine has reviewed the Corvette ZR1, and the quotes you need to know are, "The dynamics are better than an Aston DBS...," and "...[M]ake no mistake. What we have here is one of the truly great supercars."

Of course, there are caveats: it looks like a Corvette, the interior doesn't match those of its supercar rivals and the steering could use more feel. The latter quip is why you get other critiques like "...you don't get the precision of a 599." To have a UK magazine critique a Corvette against a 599 is probably the opposite of the insult it might appear to be on the surface. But don't take our word for it, follow the link and read for yourself how the ZR1 has "the performance and the chassis to match an SLR 722." It's not a bad way to start the week...

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Corvette ZR1

[Source: Top Gear]

Clean Power Technologies still working on new steam-assisted cars

There have been a few companies which have been working on new applications of steam power for our automobiles, some of which are well known, such as BMW, and others just now coming out of the woodwork. One such company is Clean Power Technologies based in the U.K. One common thread from these new systems is that they all rely on waste heat from our tried-and-true internal combustion engines. CPT's technology uses the exhaust heat to generate its steam, and it has many uses from there. In early tests, the company powered half of a Mazda rotary engine with steam and the company is still investigating the possibility of a gas/steam hybrid, hoping to have something ready for production by 2011. Another possibility involves powering auxiliary systems such as air conditioning or refrigeration units with the steam power. CPT is working with Safeway stores in the U.S. to start testing this system shortly.

[Source: Channel 4]

Free hybrid alert: win a Lexus RX 400h SUV for a year

How can you win a free Lexus hybrid? Easy. Well, it's easy to enter the contest, anyway.

If you're in the UK, just visit a Lexus dealer next weekend (September 6 and 7) and ask for a test drive. Lexus' dealers will be glad to show you the GS 450h, the LS 600h and, of course, the RX 400h. After the ride you can put your name into the running for a prize drawing for a gratis "365-day test drive" in a Lexus RX 400h (terms and conditions apply). What does that mean in simple English? You can win a RX 400h free for one year. I doubt you'll be to put some police decals on it, but that would add some fun.

Bob Lutz: 30K E-Flex cars in Europe in first year, 1M worldwide by 2020

Now that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged some £90 million for the development of clean vehicles in the U.K., General Motors is seeing plenty to like about the European market for its E-Flex vehicles. The automaker has already reversed its stance on building the electric cars in America and shipping them overseas, with the Ellesmere Port plant now being considered for Opel and Vauxhall EVs. Just how many electric cars could GM sell in Europe? According to Bob Lutz, plenty. In fact, GM believes it could move as many as 30,000 units in the first year of availability, with the worldwide figure of one million by 2020.

While those sales targets are pretty ambitious, so are the goals of Gordon Brown. If the Prime Minister has things his way, all new cars sold in Britain by 2020 will be electric. Oh, and built in the U.K. (editor's note: FAT CHANCE!), which could become a small step closer to reality if GM decides to go with the Ellesmere Port factory.

Gallery: 2007 Opel Flextreme concept

Harley-Davidson purchases MV Agusta and Cagiva

The rumored purchase of MV Agusta by Harley-Davidson is now official. The total purchase price of $109 million nets HD both Italian sportbike maker MV Agusta as well as its Cagiva brand. While most of the world will be focusing in on MV, and with good reason, we at AutoblogGreen have a particular interest in what the sale could mean for the Cagiva brand. After all, there isn't much fuel savings to be had with MV's line of super-fast sportbikes. Cagiva, on the other hand, specializes in eking the most power possible from rather small mills, which is both a boon to efficiency and makes its bikes extremely entertaining machines. Though they are not currently sold in the U.S., Cagiva's bikes, like the 125cc Mito pictured above, make perfect starter machines for many new riders in Europe, and an influx of cash from HD's deep pockets could be just what Cagiva needs to re-enter the American market. At least, we hope so.

London 2008: Mastretta MXT will be Mexico's first homegrown car

Click above for more high-res shots of the Mastretta MXT

It may have taken Mexico a while to produce its first car, but at least when it finally took place, it did so with style. When we originally heard of the Mastretta MXT, it was said to be powered by a stock Ford Duratec four-banger. Fortunately, the production machine will be blessed with a much more impressive version of the 2.0L mill, one tuned by the maestros at Cosworth, who have also bestowed the block with a turbocharger. Claimed output is 240 horses, which is plenty to move the MXT along at an impressive clip due to its light weight of just 900 kilograms -- just a bit shy of a ton. The run to sixty is dispatched in under five seconds and top speed is up around a buck-fifty.

The car will be available beginning next May in the U.K., with other European destinations to follow. Fitting, as the car, with its chassis a blend of aluminum bonded with composites and its body of fiberglass, will be compared most directly with Britain's own Lotus Elise and Exige.

London 2008: Mastretta MXT will be Mexico's first homegrown car

Click above for more high-res shots of the Mastretta MXT

It may have taken Mexico a while to produce its first car, but at least when it finally took place, it did so with style. When we originally heard of the Mastretta MXT, it was said to be powered by a stock Ford Duratec four-banger. Fortunately, the production machine will be blessed with a much more impressive version of the 2.0L mill, one tuned by the maestros at Cosworth, who have also bestowed the block with a turbocharger. Claimed output is 240 horses, which is plenty to move the MXT along at an impressive clip due to its light weight of just 900 kilograms -- just a bit shy of a ton. The run to sixty is dispatched in under five seconds and top speed is up around a buck-fifty.

The car will be available beginning next May in the U.K., with other European destinations to follow. Fitting, as the car, with its chassis a blend of aluminum bonded with composites and its body of fiberglass, will be compared most directly with Britain's own Lotus Elise and Exige.

Guernsey Smart EV gets tested

We've been saying recently how well electric cars seem to fit into island life and now we can bring you a very Smart example of that. One of our faithful readers was recently on the Channel island of Guernsey and had the opportunity to go for a test ride in a locally converted Smart along with his video camera and invites us all to view the result. First though, we offer a bit of background.

Mark Parr and his brother started The Electric Vehicle Company in an old shellfish factory on the West coast of the 24 square mile island and for the past few years have been perfecting their version of the electric Smart car. They've tried different battery technologies but now that they have incorporated lithium ion into the design, they seem satisfied with the result and are now offering them for sale. In fact, they've already sold three of the six they are currently working on. The Guernsey Smart EV is capable of 60 mph and has a range of up to 65 miles. It has regenerative braking and is a perfect fit for the islands narrow roads. According to the BBC, the price is £15,000 ($29,840). Go for a ride around the beautiful island after the jump. Thanks

Wales to host the first carbon neutral FIA World Rally Championship

In this day and age of increased environmental awareness, not even motorsports are granted exclusion from the eco-friendly expectations which all companies and organizations are held to. Of course, it's not just the racing itself that causes carbon emissions, as the fans attending the event need to travel in order to get there. In fact, as you can see from the graph below, when race organizers for the upcoming Wales Rally GB in December did some fact-finding, they found that the race vehicles accounted for just 5-percent of the 4,333 metric tons of overall CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere. In order to make the actual race the first carbon neutral FIA Rally event, organizers have instituted car-pooling for officials and marshals as well as replacing battery-powered flashlights with wind-up alternatives and planning full-scale recycling. The remaining CO₂ will be offset through credits from The CarbonNeutral Company.

The Wales Rally GB is already looking towards the future. The event believes that it can significantly reduce the amount of CO₂ emitted from the event in the coming years, lessening the amount of offsets necessary to remain carbon neutral. After all, it's better not to emit in the first place than to cover it up afterward

Tesla's Siry interviewed at BIMS

There's lots of green-car action taking place at this years British International Motor Show (BIMS) and although we can't be there in person, our vlogger pal Danny is. Today, Danny has a fresh interview with Darryl Siry from Tesla who was at the show to check out the Lightning GT reveal accompany a Roadster while it sits on display for the public to longingly cast their eyes upon. Mr. Siry was forthcoming in answering most of his queries and we were able to glean a few interesting bits of Tesla news.

The most important information was about the state of European Roadster sales. Although he wouldn't give an exact figure, Danny did manage to wrest from the marketing VP that they've sold several dozen, in fact, they are "pretty soon going to close in on a hundred". They expect to sell the entire European allotment of 250 units for 2008 before the end of the year. Another eyebrow raiser was the mention of plans for Euro stores, including one on the outskirts of London, possibly in the direction of Surrey. They go on to discuss other things such as the Model S deployment strategy, batteries and the Roadster drivetrain 1.5. If you're in need of a Tesla fix with a British accent, hit the jump.

Lightning GT out of the bottle at British International Motor Show

The moment many green-loving speed enthusiasts have been impatiently waiting for has finally arrived with the unveiling of the all-new Lightning GT at the British International Motor Show. The sheet was pulled back around 1 o'clock London time to reveal metal that stays quite true to the earlier rendered version. The long hood has sexy curves that deliver more than a twinge of lust but with a fascia that evokes the eloquence of an Aston Martin, it retains a classy British feel. A walk around the back reveals a brief rounded rear deck with no exhaust pipes to spoil the view. While we couldn't cross the pond for the event, the Lightning Car Company folks were kind enough to supply pictures for the gallery below.

Though quite similar performance-wise, the Lightning GT's builders believe they have some solid advantages over the Tesla Roadster in the technology department. The British sports car features Altairnano batteries which are capable of receiving a full charge in as little as 10 minutes and can last for over 10 years. No transmission troubles here either since the 4 PML Flightlink Hi-Pa Drive™ motors are in the wheels. A high mechanical efficiency is maintained with this all-wheel drive design that also aids greatly in brake regeneration and traction control. With all that function comes a bit of comfort as well. Full leather, air conditioning, sat nav and electronic door entry are all part of the £120,000 package. The Lightning GT team are also able to customize vehicles with made-to-measure interiors and even bodywork modifications, according to the customers wishes. Orders have already been received. If you wish to join this exclusive line-up you'll need to throw down £15,000 and be prepared to wait at least a year.

Toyota adds diesel engine to the Auris lineup

The Toyota Auris, the compact 5-door hatchback set to compete in the most difficult European segment is now available with a new diesel powertrain. The unit is a 1.4-liter D-4D 90 engine, with 89bhp (90 DIN hp) at 3,800rpm and maximum torque of 190 Nm (140 lb-ft), which can be ordered with a 5-speed manual or MultiMode transmission (with fully automatic or manual sequential modes).

Official combined cycle fuel consumption is 56.5mpg UK (46 mpg U. S. or 5.0 l/100 km) and average CO2 emissions of 132g/km. Top speed is 109mph and the 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) acceleration figure in 12.0 seconds (14.7 with MultiMode transmission).

Opel and Vauxhall versions of Volt to be built in U.S.

Click above for more shots of the Opel Flextreme concept

When the Volt concept was first unveiled, GM was not sure how to badge European versions of the E-Flex cars. Apparently, the decision has been made and the first Euro-bound EV's from GM will be badged as Opels, with a Vauxhall version coming shortly thereafter. All three models of the E-Flex chassis will be built in Detroit atop the next-gen Delta compact car platform which was designed to carry a large lithium ion battery pack along with a range-extending engine. Though the Europeans would likely favor a diesel powerplant, it seems that the first-generation of all three E-Flex vehicles will use a gasoline-powered engine for on-the-fly battery recharging.

It goes without saying that the Volt and its Euro-clones will be the most expensive vehicles built on the Delta platform, with U.S. pricing estimated to be at least $40 grand. Across the pond, the Opel and Vauxhall E-Flex's will be saddled with at least a 10,000 euro premium. The price of gasoline, which is significantly higher in Europe than in the States, along with any government assistance for purchasers of the EVs, will determine how quickly customers will recoup that added investment.

'08 Goodwood Festival of Speed: The highlights

Click above for high-res gallery from Goodwood

The Goodwood Festival of Speed wrapped up on Sunday after three days of pure motorsports Heaven. While we would have liked to have posted a gallery or two a day from the event, internet issues kept us from sharing anything else after firing off our initial couple of posts. To make up for it we have a few massive galleries of goodness from Goodwood planned. We start today with some highlights, but will try to show some of the special categories individually too in later posts. After all, it isn't really a race in the strictest sense of the word and the pics will keep you just as entertained now as if they come next week. So hopefully you'll appreciate what we have to offer and if it isn't your thing, feel free to move onto something else you like better.

For those who want to stick around you can expect to see coverage of everything from the Cartier Style et Luxe concours to the Airbus A380 flyover. We'll also include some shots of the people and sights from around the grounds of Lord March's estate. Although the racing is what brings people here, it is truly the ambiance that keeps them coming back year after year. The photos are captioned as much as possible for your convenience, but look for supercars, celebrity drivers, vintage racers, classic cars, movie cars, wild track action and much more. We hope you enjoy our expanded coverage of the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed as much as we enjoyed being there and sharing it with you.

car shootout in London

We've discussed these electric cars before but now Whatcar? has gathered the NICE Mega City, the Smart ed, the Micro-Vett Fiat Doblo, and the Reva G-Wiz together for a group evaluation on the streets of London town to "...decide whether or not they do make a practical alternative to urban transport.". The first thing they discovered about the cars as they prepared for the initial shoot is that people are now extremely interested in electric vehicles as the quartet attracted "masses" of people with lots of questions.

So, how did they do? Somewhat surprisingly the G-Wiz seemed to best the Mega City as it was quicker, stronger and less expensive. The G-Wiz is set to get even better in Q4 when lithium ion batteries become an option and it's range and, no doubt its power, receive a welcome boost. The presenter, Peter Lawton, enjoyed the Smart ed saying that after driving the quadricycle entrants it "felt as safe as a tank.". This is another vehicle whose performance will greatly improve when they are produced with a lithium ion battery though the sodium-nickel chloride version is already quicker then the gas burning one. Lastly, the electric Doblo was the only vehicle already equipped with li-ion and had the best range and top speed. It also had the seating for 5 and a "boot". Although it was also the most expensive at £30,000 (nearly $60,000), it seemed the best choice for both the streets of London and those of America. Hit the jump to check all the shootout action as well as a bonus visit to a fuel price protest at the end of the clip.

Euro-bound Volt clones will be built in U.S.

The internal debate over whether the upcoming Volt will be badged as a Chevrolet or an Opel across the pond has been decided. The first Euro-bound EV's from the General will be Opels, though we are not sure how much in common the vehicle will share with the Flextreme concept. Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe, indicates that a Vauxhall version is also in the works (this would be nothing more than a right hand drive variant for the British market) and that all three of the vehicles will be quite similar in design. A gasoline range-extending powerplant will see shared duty in the trio as well, though we would expect a diesel option in Europe at least at some point.

For the forseeable future, all three E-Flex variants will be built at the same factory in Detroit, and Europeans should expect to see the Opel in 2012. Of course, the extended-range electric car will carry a price premium, with a €10,000 bump over a comparable gas engined vehicle currently being thrown around. We hope that the Volt and its clones will prove popular enough to see that cost premium dwindle somewhat as the cost of batteries drops and allow the General to make a few bucks in the process.

UK to get updated RX-8 starting in late August

Buyers in the U.K. are about to get their first crack at the revised 2009 Mazda RX-8, as the quad-door sportscar officially goes on sale in late August. All RX-8's destined for the U.K. will get the full body-kit that's optional in other markets. We've already seen all the images of the only rotary-powered mass market car in the world that we can stand, so lets move on to what's changed under the skin. Shorter final drive gearing combined with a steeper (numerically lower) sixth gear will allow the high-strung engine to reach its power-band earlier in gears one through five while still maintaining reasonable revs when cruising in sixth. New Recaro sport seats spice up the cabin and 19-inch rims with rotor-shaped spokes add some flair to the exterior.

Though power levels remain unchanged, the Renesis rotary engine sees minor revisions as well, with improved cooling as one main feature. Also updated are the oil metering pump -- all rotary engines ingest oil during normal operation -- and computer software which limits high-speed operation until the velvety-smooth powerplant has reached a proper operating temperature, likely to improve reliability somewhat. All in all, the '09 update of the sports coupe is pretty thorough, though the result is still instantly recognizable as an RX-8.

London to test fuel cell taxis in time for 2012 Olympic games

Aside from the traditional red double decker bus, the other iconic transportation image from London England is the classic black taxi. The purpose-built taxis have been use in London and other British cities for decades, trundling around powered by small noisy diesel engines. The current TX4 version is built by London Taxi International (LTI). LTI is partnering with Intelligent Energy, Lotus Engineering and TRW Conekt to build a test fleet of fuel cell powered London cabs. The fuel cell system provided by Intelligent Energy will fit into the engine compartment of the cab providing a maximum speed of 75mph and better acceleration than the standard diesel cab. Lotus will handle packaging and integration of the new electric drive system as well as the control systems to make it all work. TRW Conekt will handle the safety analysis, and testing of the controls, electrical systems and electronics. The goal is to have 50-100 fuel cell cabs operating on the streets of London before the 2012 Summer Olympic games take place there.

Liberty Electric Cars will convert "tens of thousands" of luxury cars and SUVs

Take £30 million, create 250 jobs and end up with "tens of thousands" of new electric vehicles in the UK. This is the plan of the new company Liberty Electric Cars Ltd. Liberty announced today that it will be converting many currently-existing large luxury cars and 4 x 4s (SUVs) into electric vehicles - starting with Range Rover models - and sell them for between £95,000 and £125,000 ($187,000 U.S. to $246,000). Liberty Electric Cars made the announcement at the Eden Project Green Car Show. The battery technology that Liberty will use in these luxury EVs was not disclosed, but it will be "state of the art energy storage and management systems" that will give the vehicles "extended driving range and shorter recharge times." On the electric Land Rover, that means a range of around 200 miles. Whatever the system looks like, Liberty says it will offer the technology to other automakers. ETA on these expensive rides? N/A. More details after the break.

Best Buy's Geek Squad getting smart-er?

We're not going to comment regarding the capabilities of Best Buy's Geek Squad, the team of technology-savvy guys and gals working at the big box retailer which makes house calls to fix computers and the like. We will say, though, that their choice for the geeky-team-vehicle of a black and white Volkswagen Beetle (the new one, not its elder) seems fitting. Here's a topic or conversation, though: Could they find a geekier vehicle? Well, some people seem to think of the smart fortwo is a chick car, though that theory seems to have been mostly debunked. Would the smart be a better fit for the Nerd-Herd Geek Squad? If you think so, perhaps you'll be happy to find that the diminutive smart is actually in use as the nerd-mobile of choice in the UK. I don't know about you, but if I were a geek (watch it, buddy!), I'd rather be seen in a smart. Just saying...