Fiat 500 Cafe Racer


To hear the term ?Café Racer? placed on a four-wheeled vehicle may seem odd, as it is typically reserved for a stripped-down-for-speed motorcycle, but the Fiat 500 is so tiny that it almost fits. At the 2012 SEMA show, Fiat unveiled yet another concept version of its 500 model, and it bears that exact name: Café Racer.

The details are still incomplete yet, but Fiat has released a video on the Interwebz laying out what to expect. The Fiat 500 Café Racer will have all of its attention turned toward weight savings and aerodynamics. Adding to the aerodynamics of the 500?s body includes installing a set of lowering springs and chopping about 4 inches off of the 500?s overall height, giving airflow a much shorter path to the back end.

In terms of weight savings, Fiat installed aftermarket lightweight rims, shaved the door handles, installed Lexan glass, and even trimmed the exhaust system down to a side-exit setup. On the inside, Fiat stripped the 500 down to basically only the things you need to drive the car, leaving only a pair of very small, bomber-style seats up front.

In-tow behind the 500 will be a Café Racer motorcycle that dons the same silver paint job as its Fiat 500 tow vehicle. Hm, a Fiat 500 towing something; that?s a novel and almost funny concept in itself?

We are certain that there are plenty more modifications that will be announced at SEMA, so keep an eye out.

Fiat 500 Cafe Racer originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 3 November 2012 02:00 EST.

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Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/fiat/2013-fiat-500-cafe-racer-ar137347.html

Emmanuel de Graffenried Lucas di Grassi Cecil Green Keith Greene Masten Gregory

Dodge Ram L'il Red Express Truck


Back in 1978, Dodge rolled out a special edition package for its D150 pickup trucks, which were not yet named ?Ram.? This new package was known internally as Package Code YH6 and featured a high-output 360-cubic-inch V-8 engine with a 4-barrel carb pumping in fuel. The engine boasted high-flow cylinder heads and an aggressive cam shave and it all hooked up to a 3.55-to-1 rear end. This package, which we all know as the L’il Red Express, only lasted two years ? 1978 and 1979 ? and saw only 2,188 units in 1978 and 5,118 units in 1979. This makes it one of the most sought after Dodge pickups ever built.

Well, Ram is rolling out a remake of this classic short-body pickup truck in the form of its SEMA-stationed L?il Red Express Truck. Though it is more modern than the original rendition, it certainly pays it homage rather well. It features the bright-red paint of the original, a side-stack exhaust system, and a wood-trimmed bed.

In addition, this remake of the cult classic pickup features 22-inch Mopar rims with gold inserts, a 5.7-liter HEMI engine that pumps out 390 horsepower and 407 pound-feet of torque, gold accent stripes, ?Hyperblack? painted grille inserts, and a custom Katzkin (no, not ?cat skin?) interior. Sure, it lacks the flare-side styling and the wood-outlined bed of the original, but it is bad-ass nonetheless.

There is no mention of this special edition ever coming to the Ram lineup, but don?t be too surprised to see it roll out in 2013 and 2014, as Chrysler loves running special-edition Rams ? there have been plenty of them. One thing is for sure, it would definitely carry a higher premium than the $1,131 price for the original L?il Red Express package.

Stay tuned to find our of Chrysler plans to launch this model or not.

Dodge Ram L'il Red Express Truck originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 3 November 2012 12:00 EST.

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Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/ram/2012-dodge-ram-l-il-red-express-truck-ar137334.html

Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart Gene Hartley

Vettel sent to back of grid for qualifying infringement | 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Vettel sent to back of grid for qualifying infringement is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Sebastian Vettel has been sent to the back of the grid for stopping on the track after qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Vettel sent to back of grid for qualifying infringement is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/aQBEtcNT71o/

Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz Patrick Depailler

Paul Ricard ? a serious bid?

If I had a dollar for every rumour of a deal that was about to be announced involving money from Qatar, I would be almost as rich as the average Qatari. There seems to be a default belief in the motorsport media that Qataris will fund anything – on the grounds that they live in [...]

Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/paul-ricard-a-serious-bid/

Carl Scarborough Ludovico Scarfiotti Giorgio Scarlatti Ian Scheckter Jody Scheckter