Car Club Blog

That’s right, now you too can travel in not only comfort and style, but now in even more safety in DFW Elite Auto Rental’s newest acquisition- a custom-built, lightly armored 2006 Hummer H2.

The lightly armored H2 looks like your average every-day H2, but is equipped with a Level 2 protection as classified by the US Military. This translates to: it has bulletproof glass on all windows and can withstand gunshots from weapons up to a .30 caliber carbine! It is also impenetrable by such instruments as hammers, bats and hatchets. Underneath, you have ballistic steel plates protecting its front, sides and roof.

In addition to all the above, the vehicle’s undercoating is designed to repel the shock effects of any kind of explosive charge, including land mines and grenades. The steel reinforced Run-Flat tires won’t deflate, even when punctured by an object such as a nail, spike or bullet.

This is truly the perfect way to travel low-key in protection, in what looks to be a standard H2 Hummer. No one but the driver will know without a doubt that they and their party are safe from most means of harm. This is the ultimate in personal protection!

True. Able to go from 0 to 100Kmh in less than 4 seconds, a small company in Queensland, Australia has done exactly that- built a right-hand drive Corvette. This isn’t your normal every day ‘Vette, this one is the Z06 version at that! It comes with a breathtaking 7.0L V8 with a whopping 500+HP @ 475lb-ft torque.

This baby doesn’t come cheap in Australia. In the US it sells for $75,000 but in Australia it can run over $240,000 to include the import duty, luxury car tax and GST, and the cost of the conversion to get the car to meet local compliance regulations (included in the $240k price tag).

Maybe the first place you plan on driving your new Lambo isn’t in the snows of New Hampshire. That matters not to Lamborghini, which offers a driver-training course unique among the supercar set: winter driving.

This year’s Lamborghini Winter Driving Academy , offered in early March, gives Lamborghini owners the chance to pilot their toy in various wintry-weather scenarios. The course, Lamborghini says, pits driver and car against some slick surfaces and snow-covered tracks in the shadow of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington. Professional instructors teach winter safety and year-round hints for all included.

The price? A measly $2500; includes an evening at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield, NH.

So, if you plan to drive your new toy in the snow or ice, I’d highly recommend this. Even if you don’t, the training you get here could probably be used on a rain-slick road down the road!

The special signature-series Z06 model that bears his name will forever link him to one of the greatest eras in factory racing, which has produced six consecutive ALMS GT1 manufacturers championships, and counting.

There just isn’t enough horsepower already at Indy, so let’s get some more going.

Chevrolet will pull the wraps off the 2007 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Replica Corvette Convertible at the Chicago auto show. Chevy said it will build and sell 500 pace-car replica convertibles, all painted Atomic Orange, beginning this spring.

A second special-edition Vette, this one based on the Ron Fellows ALMS GT1 Championship Z06, also will be unveiled at the Chicago show. Painted Arctic white and accented with a racing-style fender stripe and Fellows’ signature, the special Z06 also goes on sale in the spring.

The F2007 is the fifty third single-seater built by Ferrari specifically to compete in the Formula 1 World Championship.The project, known internally as the 658, represents the Scuderia’s interpretation of the technical regulations that apply for 2007, with changes principally concerning safety, through the introduction of more stringent front and rear crash tests and the addition of a composite material structure to provide lateral protection to the sides of the driver.

These modifications have led to a significant increase in the weight of the car, in the region of just under ten kilogrammes.The F2007 chassis has been significantly modified when compared to the 248 F1. The design was revised to accommodate a new front suspension that represents a major conceptual innovation, mainly in terms of aerodynamics. The shape of the side-pods and their openings are also revised, based on modifications to the cooling system, which also implies exits for the radiators on the upper part of the bodywork, while the engine air intake is also substantially different. The car has a longer wheelbase than its predecessor. The rear of the car is much narrower, taking advantage of the more sculpted shape of the gearbox housing, which again this year is made from carbon fibre. The gearbox itself, which is still mounted longitudinally, is fitted with an innovative quick-shift system (seven plus reverse). The rear suspension is similar to that on the 248 F1, but a significant development programme is planned in this area, in order to get the most out of the system, based on making progress in understanding the behaviour of the 2007 tyres. The front and rear aerodynamic configuration is also expected to change considerably before the start of the World Championship. The position of the rear view mirrors seen on the 2006 car remains unchanged and the same goes for the exhaust system.

Aston Martin has confirmed details of its N24 race car, based on the critically acclaimed V8 Vantage road car, which will be showcased at the Autosport International Show this week.

The Vantage N24 is based on a standard European specification production V8 Vantage, with modifications undertaken to prepare the car for the competitive racing environment.At the 2006 British Motor Show, Aston Martin Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, announced that the company would build a limited production run of cars based on the V8 Vantage that completed the Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race that June. The near standard V8 Vantage finished 24th overall out of 220 starters, completing some 130 laps of the 15.77 mile circuit – in a field of mostly specialised race-homologated entrants. The Nürburgring 24-hour race not only gives its name to the V8 Vantage N24, but provided a conclusive demonstration of its abilities; a near standard car capable of tackling the demands of one of the world’s most arduous racing circuits.

The Vantage N24 subsequently went on to finish eighth overall in the inaugural 24-hour race of Bahrain in December 2006, again competing with highly modified race cars. During the course of the race, the Vantage N24 covered over 2600km, needing only fuel, brake pads and tyres.

Mix five parts Bentley, one part Bugatti, one part Ferrari, and stir. Then dump your $356,000 exotic down the drain. What you see here is a Bentley Continental GT featuring a Bugatti hood and horseshoe grille shoved between Audi Q7 headlights, with Ferrari-like rear end grafted on for good measure. LEW’s 100-horsepower boost for the Conti’s W-12 can’t outrun this car’s ugliness. Unveiled at the Essen motor show, the car-called Big Bang-will cost European buyers 270,000 euro, or approximately $356,000

After wrapping this beautiful Modena, a 360 Spider to be precise, into a lamp post at an intersection in Perth, Australia you begin to wonder about the which side of the road you should be driving on. By the looks of things, it was just the front end that was wrapped around the pole, while the rest of the car looks fine. But there’s bound to be some structural damage to the 360’s aluminum frame, and you can try to fix that, but she’ll never be the same.