Take a one-mile stretch of road in Abu Dhabi and the two fastest road-cars in the world and what do you get? The ultimate drag race is the answer as Richard Hammond in a Bugatti Veyron takes on the Stig in a McLaren F1. Go to www.youtube.com tosee a full list of all high quality videos available on the Top Gear YouTube channel and don’t forget to visit www.topgear.com for all the latest news and car reviews.
Captain Slow is given the task of driving the Bugatti veyron at it’s top speed – 253 miles per hour. Can the slowest driver in Britain do it? Find out in this free auto video from BBC Worldwide and Top Gear.
This is for all the idiots out there that belong on the bus, get off the road, and stay off if you can not stop your car. I love this, some on here comment on me wearing a facemask, now really, if you saw my face would it really matter? Like any of you know who I am anyways, show your face mother-fuckers. Second, the f-bombs are on purpose, do you really think I talk like this on a daily basis? I have said time and time again, I was going for 45 of them to match my mpg. Learn to read you bunch of tools.
Land Rover is a motoring legend – an icon for enthusiasts the world over, with its reputation for seeming indestructibility and rugged style.
Since the very first design appeared in 1948, the Land Rover name has become universally identified with four-wheel drive vehicles. The Land Rover story is a remarkable one that reads like a history of the 4×4 itself.
LANDROVER HISTORY
The first Land Rover appeared in 1948 – a simple and inventive working vehicle. Brothers Spencer and Maurice Wilks, Land Rover’s creators, developed the iconic vehicle that combined utilitarian simplicity with rugged, dependable quality. The earliest models were designed to be serviced in the field and were manufactured as a range of four-wheel drive vehicles.
From the 1970s onwards, Land Rovers came under increasing competition as manufacturers the world over entered the off-road four-wheel drive arena. Land Rover has been owned by various organisations, including British Leyland, British Aerospace and BMW. In 2000, Land Rover was sold by BMW to Ford but was recently bought by the Indian company, Tata Motors.
LANDROVER FACTS
Type: Subsidiary Founded: 1948 Founder: Rover Headquarters: Solihull, England Key People:Geoff Polites, CEO Industry: Automotive Products: Automobiles Parent:Tata Motor Company
MODELS
LAND ROVER DEFENDER – a four-wheel drive off-road utility vehicle available with a variety of body types, often used in agricultural, industrial and military roles, Increasingly, the Defender is being used as a private car.
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY – an on and off-road four-wheel drive vehicle, the Discovery is the most popular Land Rover model and is now in its third generation.
LAND ROVER FREELANDER – currently in its second generation, the Freelander is a compact crossover SUV. Launched in 1997, it quickly became the best selling compact 4×4 in Europe.
LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER – a full size luxury four-wheel SUV, the Range Rover has been in production since 1970 undergoing a wide range of changes in three different generations.
LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT – A sports – rather than off-road – orientated SUV.
DID YOU KNOW?
Early Land Rovers were constructed of a lightweight rustproof alloy of aluminium and magnesium called Birmabright which was used due to post war steel shortages and the plentiful supply of post-war aircraft aluminium. Birmabright’s resistance to rust helped Land Rovers build a reputation for being long-lasting even in the toughest conditions. In fact, it is estimated that around 75% of all Land Rovers ever built are still in use.
The early choice of Land Rover colour was mainly down to the military surplus supplies of aircraft cockpit paint after the war – so early vehicles only came in various shades of light green.
Early advertisements for Land Rovers bragged that the vehicles could be driven for thousands of miles on banana oil!
Mini debuted the all-new Cooper and Cooper S at the recently held 2007 North American International Auto Show. These models feature an entirely different body design, interior and engines.
Though at first glance, the overall design of the Mini Cooper is still identical to its predecessors, the automaker confirmed that each body panel is different. Under the hood of the vehicle is a set of new engines that include the 1.6-liter four-cylinder which is capable of producing 120 horsepower. The Mini Cooper S, on the other hand, features an intercooled and turbocharged version of the same 1.6-liter engine that generates 175 units of horsepower. The automaker also claims a 0-62 time in just 7.1 seconds, and a top speed of 140 miles per hour.
Each body panel has been redesigned by the automaker. However, the vehicles still bear that distinguished look of Mini vehicles. Mini’s pool of designers made continuity and fluidity as their concept. Moreover, the concept also emphasized modern traditional designs and significant engineering features. The newly launched Minis are immediately recognizable both dynamically and visually.
The new vehicles retained some of its predecessors’ Mini Cooper parts accessories like short body overhangs, the popular wheel-at-each-corner stance, high shoulder line rising towards the rear, hexagonal radiator grille, and the huge, round headlights. Subtle changes are also made to new Mini Cooper parts to create a brand new aura. New Minis have become a bit bigger compared to the first generation. As a fact, the new MINI Cooper is 60mm longer than its predecessor while the new MINI Cooper S is longer by 61mm. To maintain proportions, Mini also increased the size of the rear portion by giving the vehicle more rounded contours.
The headlights of the vehicle are now stationary to the body. They are turned protruding to some extent to the outside to keep the geometry of the car from the front. The indicators are housed within the main headlight units. Also, the radiator grille is now composed of a closed, self-contained element inspired by the air intake scoop on the classic Mini.
The Mini Cooper S has a more prominent front end because of the featured bonnet that curves up by about approximately 20mm more to provide extra space for the turbocharged engine under the hood. The feature is also resorted to comply with the pedestrian impact regulations. The new Cooper S rises gently to the rear to accentuate the stance of the vehicle. Its shoulder line is made 18mm higher than the previous model. With regards the rear lights, they are made larger and now come with external surrounds.
Both the Mini Cooper and the Mini Cooper S feature vertical airflow edges on the C-pillars and individual spoilers at the rear end of the roof enhance the level of aerodynamics to an even higher standard than before. In addition, 0.33 is the current drag coefficient of the Mini Cooper.
Critics in the industry are saying that the Mini Cooper is dead because of the redesign. They added that from the moment the new Minis are displayed in the recent auto show they are pronounced DEAD. However, are they really dead and insensible? Enthusiasts say it is the other way around.
Now, Minis are open to a wide range of customization. It is given broad variety of paintwork and body colors, 7 of which are brand new.
The Mini Cooper S is a small, very friendly looking car with a traditional design but a modern engine and features. The very first Mini was launched on the market in 1961 by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), belonging to the supermini class of automobiles.
The genuine Mini is considered an emblem of the 1960s, being of great inspiration to the car makers in that time that noticed the clever space saving front-wheel-drive layout. The Mini Cooper was very popular among celebrities in the 60s and the 70s but it hasn’t lost its fame today.
The history of the Minis is long and BMC has launched a great number of successful models of Minis throughout the last decades. There are the MK I Mini the MK II Mini, variants to these, plus the Mini Cooper and the Cooper S. Mini Cooper and the Cooper S were considered two economical models, the price being affordable to almost anyone. These very sporty and speedy cars, so many people preferred them.
Mini Cooper S has made history in the rally races as well, obtaining some victories at the Monte Carlo Rallis in the 1960s. The famous Nikki Lauda, Enzo Ferrari and Steve McQueen all owned Mini Coopers. However, the Mini was voted as the second most influential car of the twentieth century, being beaten only by the Ford model T.
Unfortunately, the Cooper S was produced up till 2000, but a new Mini was introduced by BMW, the owner of the brand. This fresh mini car was called the MINI written in capital letters. The new MINI is worthy of its name, keeping many of the old characteristic features of the mini Cooper but getting some state of the art features also. The Cooper S is considered a sporty version of Mini. It two doors only and a 6 speed manual transmission.
The Mini Cooper S features a multifunction steering wheel plus an up to date navigation system, glass panel sunroof, automatic air conditioning and many more. These are only the standard options to which you can add some other extras. Even if the S is a small car, it has force and is very speedy. It has strong suspensions, precise go-kart handling and great transmission.
You can be sure that the Mini will offer you great safety with the ABS, the Connecting Brake Control, Electronic Brake force distribution as well as the Brake assist feature, which are all included in the standard package onf the Mini Cooper S. you can also get the automatic stability control and traction features plus the dynamic stability control. For the Cooper S manufacturers safety comes first. All in all, the Mini S is a car with great personality and looks, speedy, inexpensive and safe. Enjoy the ride and the car as well.
MG is best known for two-seat open sports cars, but MG also produced saloons and coupés. More recently, the brand has also been used to designate sportier versions of other models belonging to the parent company. Nanjing MG Automobile Co. (NAC MG Ltd) bought the assets of MG Rover in 2005; in 2007, under these new owners, MG will restart production of the MG TF at the company’s Longbridge factory.
MG HISTORY MG was founded in 1924, getting its name from “Morris Garages.” The first car which could be described as a new MG, rather than a modified Morris, was the 18/80 of 1928. A smaller car was launched in 1929, the first of a long line of Midgets. MG also made a name for itself in the early days of motorsport. Before World War II, MG began to produce the T-Series Midgets. MG released the MGA in 1955 and the MGB in 1962, which continued production until 1980
MG FACTS
Type: private Founded: 1924 by William Morris and Cecil Kimber Headquarters: Longbridge, England Key people: Wang Hao Liang (NAC Chairman), Yu Jian Wei (NAC CEO) Industry: Automotive Products: Cars
FEATURED MODELS
MG MGF: – a mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster first produced in 1995 MG TF: – the redesigned MG TF was launched in 2002 and named after the classic MG TF MG ZR : – a hot hatch produced by MG Rover between 2001-2005
DID YOU KNOW?
The MGB was the first new sports car for more than half a million Americans and was probably owned by at least a million more because it had second, third and even fourth owners. It was the last MG sports car sold in the USA The MGB tourer was built from 1962 to 1980, with total production reaching 386,789 units, of which nearly nine out of every ten were exported, mainly to the USA The bore and stroke dimensions (80 x 89.3 mm) of the 1.8 K Series engine used in the MGF and TF are almost identical to those of the MGB 1.8 B Series. The technology moves on, but the ideal proportions for torque and usable power remain the same