Dunlop Gears Up For V8 Supercar Championship
Dunlop, the official tire supplier to the V8 Supercar Championship Series, is all set to take on the extreme conditions that lie ahead at the inaugural Desert 400 race in Bahrain, November 23 -25. Ford Performance Racing driver, Mark Winterbottom, who is currently in third position in the Championship series, emphasises the challenge that lies ahead at Bahrain as he hopes to make it three podium finishes in a row.
Rolls Royce – The Phantom
The average American will never sit in a Phantom, which costs more than the average American house. Nor is that person likely to see a Phantom being driven down the street more than once or twice in a lifetime, if at all. But if you are the person Rolls-Royce describes as its target customer, if you have three, four or five homes; a net worth of around $30 million; and around six other exotic, collectable or ultra-luxury cars then you might see the Phantom’s base price as, simply, membership dues in a very special automotive club. T.E. Lawrence owned a Rolls-Royce. So did Joe Louis. So did Alfred Nobel.
Caparo T1 Prototype
Caparo Vehicle Technologies has finally completed construction of the first of two Caparo T1 prototypes and has already begun testing the car. The first T1 prototype labeled ‘XP1′ successfully started under it’s own power and will be used for high speed trials and engine mapping and long-term durability tests.
The company is currently working on construction of the second prototype, ‘XP2,’ which is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The second prototype will have a similar life of performance and durability testing.
2009 Lotus Espirit
Lotus has a checkered history apart from its seven Formula 1 World Championships. The road-car and engineering businesses have gone through periodic crises, and since Colin Chapman, the founder and inspiration of Lotus, died in 1982, the company has had three different owners.
Nowadays Lotus appears to be settling down in the experienced hands of Michael Kimberly. Kimberly, who joined Lotus in 1969 and was CEO from 1983 to 1991, returns as CEO after the departure of Kim Ogaard-Nielsen and promises to secure the future of Lotus through a comprehensive five-year plan that calls for new models including a replacement for the Esprit.
The Vector
In 1972, the name Vehicle Design Force was changed to Vector Aeromotive Corporation. Their first vehicle creation was a shell, this time dubbed the Vector W2. By the 1980s a power-train had been outfitted to the W2. Throughout the 1980’s various W2 variants were created, each unique in design but never mass produced. By the close of the 1980’s, the W2 was no longer being produced.
