next car dony lee wallpaper: 2011

Bugatti Veyron-Best Cars Gallery 2010

Bugatti Veyron-Best Cars Gallery 2010 8:04 PM

lamborghini aventador new 2011

lamborghini aventador 8:46 PM

Beloved by enthusiasts everywhere, Lamborghini cars are built for speed and to look the part. Extreme style and extreme performance are the chief characteristics of Ferrari's national rival. Unless your zip code is 90210, you're not likely to see a scissor-doored Lamborghini ahead of you in the Starbucks drive-thru or parked next to you at the mall; these are exclusive automobiles designed to cater to a small, very specialized audience.

During World War II, company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini served with the Italian Air Force's mechanics corps, where he became proficient at working with engines. After the war, Italy was plagued with scarcity; one such shortage involved tractors. Sensing an opportunity, Lamborghini purchased surplus military machines and reconfigured them as tractors. It was a canny move that resulted in a thriving business for the young entrepreneur, one that quickly made him a very wealthy man.

By the 1950s, Lamborghini's business had become even more successful, expanding to include heaters and air-conditioning units. As a car enthusiast, Lamborghini drove the best sports cars of the day. Somewhat disappointed with the Ferraris, he vowed to build a better car. Armed with millions of lira in investment money, he retreated to the small village of Sant'Agata to build a state-of-the-art automotive factory. On his payroll was noted automotive engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, who'd previously worked at Ferrari.

Automobili Lamborghini SpA. was officially founded in 1963. That same year, the very first Lamborghini, the 350GT, made its debut at the Turin Motor Show. The car's name came from its engine size, a 3.5-liter four-cam V12. Then came the 400GT, which was produced until 1968. But it was the stunning midengine Miura, produced from 1966-'73, that catapulted Lamborghini to worldwide acclaim.

Lamborghini's tractor business suffered hard times in the early '70s, which led him to sell a controlling interest of Automobili Lamborghini SpA to a Swiss industrialist. The Italian's problems were worsened by that decade's oil crisis, and he wound up selling the remaining amount of his shares. The company invested millions in the development of a new vehicle, the military truck-style Cheetah, but its sales were disappointing. By the end of the decade, the automaker had declared bankruptcy.

The company got back on its feet in the 1980s. The key was Lamborghini's over-the-top Countach. Though introduced way back in 1974, the Countach, now fully styled with angles and vents, was the perfect exotic sports car for that's decade's mentality. Perhaps hoping to cash in on the firm's revived popularity, the company's managers sold Lamborghini to Chrysler in 1987.

Another change of ownership took place in 1994, when Lamborghini was acquired by three Far Eastern companies. Megatech was the largest of the trio and the primary shareholder. By the late 1990s, Lamborghini was in financial hot water once again. As before, the lack of a diversified product lineup was hurting the company's ability to compete globally. It was acquired by Volkswagen (which also owns other luxury marques such as Audi and Bentley) in 1998.

Lamborghini has rolled out models such as the four-seat Espada and various V8 sports cars, but it is the midengine supercars that identify the marque. Models like the wild Countach and the Diablo of the 1990s are instantly recognizable as Lamborghini cars, with their sinister styling by Marcello Gandini promising equally outlandish performance. Though some may question the current German/Italian marriage, the products of this merger, the 200-mph Murcielago (the Diablo's successor) and the equally breathtaking Gallardo, leave no doubt as to its benefit.

Honda Small Sports EV Concept (2011) first pictures

Honda Small Sports EV Concept 11:10 PM

Honda hopes to set the agenda at the 2011 Tokyo motor show with no fewer than seven concept cars – including its answer to the BMW i8, the new Small Sports EV Concept.

Little is being said about the new compact sports car, but we know it will definitely be a full EV. These first design sketches reveal a stubby targa top with new Honda styling cues.

The sides are heavily scalloped, in the style of Peugeot's new pared-back aesthetic and there's a bold graphic running around the front of the car, following the shape of the grille and enforcing a distinctive character line down the flank of the car.

It's frustrating that Honda is saying so little about the Small Sports EV Concept at this stage, but the press blurb released today confirms the cars are 'hinting at the design direction of future models.'

What else is Honda showing at the 2011 Tokyo motor show?

There are the requisite urban commuter type models that used to be the preserve of Tokyo, but are now finally seeping out to auto shows around the globe.

So there's the new AC-X, a plug-in hybrid model for urban hops or longer trips. It looks like the sort of vehicle which could replace today's Insight – and are there shades of FCX fuel-cell vehicle in the design? We think so.

And the Micro Commuter Concept does what it says on the tin: it's a tiny, full electric vehicle – and you can even park the car and continue on the small Compo two-wheel EV stored inside. Its battery can be detached and used as a power source in everyday life – potentially giving you days' worth of charge for your laptop or portable gizmos.