Porsche unveils the latest 911
by Richard Hammond, Daily Mirror

IT’S a record for me. I’ve owned my Porsche 911 for five years. Amazing for someone who changes cars more often than he does his underpants. Well, almost.

But now a new 911 will be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and today we have all the important details. The question is, will it make my car redundant and will I have to chop in my 997-type car for this new 991-type?

First we’ll start at the back, where the action always is in a 911.

Naturally, the engine is a flat-six. Porsche has done a bit of downsizing here because the basic Carrera model is fitted with a 3.4 litre that’s the same size as the motor fitted to the Cayman and Boxster S models, instead of the last car’s 3.6-litre engine.

But it’s not the same engine as those two have – it’s more powerful, with 345bhp at 6,400rpm.

The Carrera S keeps its 3.8-litre engine but it now has 394bhp (up by 14bhp).

The Carrera’s motor is 6mpg more economical than the old 3.6 litre and can manage 34mpg with emissions of 194g/km, which is a record for any 911.

Moving slightly further forward we come to the gearbox. A seven-speed manual is the standard. This is the first time such a ‘box has been fitted to a road car. A seven-speed PDK semi-auto ‘box is also an option and both transmissions will work with a stop/start system.

Porsche hasn’t released full performance stats, but says 0-62mph will take 4.4sec in the Carrera and 4.1sec in the Carrera S, assuming that both cars are fitted with PDK gearboxes and the optional Sports Chrono Package.

Because the body is more slippery than before, it’s likely that top speeds will be higher – possibly above 190mph for the S.

Ah, to the body. The first thing to know is that the 911 has grown.

Length has increased by 56mm and width by 65mm, making it 4,491mm long and 1,873mm wide. That’s a shame as one of the great advantages the 911 had over supercars like the Ferrari 458 and Lamborghini Gallardo was that it was narrow and therefore easy to drive on tight country roads.

And now the money. The 911 will start at £71,449 for the Carrera and £81,242 for the Carrera S – considerably more expensive than the outgoing models.

Next up, Porsche will launch Cabriolet and four-wheel drive versions and, in 2013, a 523bhp Turbo.

One Sharp Black Lambo

From the darkest depths of the design mind of the one called Slavche Tanevski comes THIS! The Lamborghini *Ankonian. It’s black. It’s sharp. It’s just fabulous. It’s named after a bull famous for its black hair, which follows the Feruccio Lamborghini (creator of the auto brand) tradition of naming cars after bulls. This bad boy is a proposal for the first Lamborghini hybrid scheduled for 2016. Flashy!

And I don’t mean flashy in any kind of bad way. This car is of a cab-backwards style, which is new for the modern Lamborghini. It’s got a narrow body and complex aesthetics mixed with a combination of soft and angular surfaces.

It’s not quite “green,” but it’s does have that sort of environmental friendliness in mind with it’s downsisedness. And hows it look so hot roddy and light? That fabulous tail on the back, the classic headlight graphics, and those very thin OLEDs embedded between the surfaces. Eccentricities on top of mystery. Two big exhausts as eyes and diffuser as a mouth.

+ Does this car look familiar to anyone?

*NOTE from Chris Burns: originally I’d had this car marked “Madura”, when in fact it is called the Ankonian. It is totally my mistake, as the designer, Tanevski, has created two similar yet totally amazing in their own ways cars both branded with Lamborghini. The REAL Madura you will be able to see soon or RIGHT NOW depending on when you read this. Just click on Slavche Tanevski’s name to view all of his magical creations! For now though, feel free to take another look at the text, as it’s been given a re-vamp.

Designer: Slavche Tanevski

http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/01/29/one-sharp-black-lambo/

Jaguar Land Rover sold more than 62,000 vehicles in the first quarter, as operating profits rose by 17 per cent to £408m, the luxury car company’s Indian owner, Tata Motors, said yesterday.

The subsidiary’s 4.9 per cent boost to unit sales saw revenues rise by 20 per cent to £2.7bn, the company said. But the figures were only part ofdisappointing results from parent company Tata Motors, which posted below-expectation profits flat at Rs19.99bn (£272m) despite revenues up by 24 per cent to Rs336bn.

Algys Autos import Landrover from Japan that have seemingly been in a time-warp as condition and mileage have stood still. See examples of Landrover Discovery here.

Algys autos can report that ASDA have started a price war after starting to reduce the prices at the pumps from yesterday. Other supermarkets are likely to follow the trend.

Good news at last for motorists!

Council workers in UK left their bosses red-faced with a road sign spelling error!
It couldn’t have been any clearer

Algys Autos have several of the new edition Toyota Granvia on the water and will soon arrive in the UK . Check out the website and email for details.

Mazda Bongo in either Mpv or Campervan are on the water from Japan to the UK. Algys Autos have over 20 en route, email for details on sales@algysautos.com