Εuropean Car Sales In First Half Of 2007: VW Takes First Place

According to the data released today by the European vehicle manufacturers trade association (ACEA), Europe’s car sales were down by a mere 0,2% in the first half of 2007 - 8.510.288 units compared to 8.525.086 units in 2006. First semester cumulative figures confirmed an upward trend in Italian and British registrations (+6.5% and +2%, respectively) while Spain (–1.6%), France (–2.6%) and Germany (–9.2%) saw their results deteriorate. EU new member states showed a vigorous performance during the first half of 2007 with sales up by 14.8% compared to 2006

Manufacture-wise, Volkswagen managed to hold on to the first place in the first semester despite a 3,5% loss with 846.887 units sold. In the second place we find Opel/Vauxhall with 727.993 units (-1,0% compared to the first half of 2006) while the bronze metal goes to Ford with 702.161 units (+0,2%). Details after the jump. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

2009 Ferrari Dino: Who Needs Ferrari, Portuguese Create 1:1 Scale Prototype!

The Dino is on, the Dino is off, the Dino is on; how many posts have you read about Ferrari’s hypothetical plans for reviving the Dino nameplate in the near future? Certainly more times than you can handle. So the hell with Ferrari! A Portuguese designer named Ernesto Freitas decided to take action and build a real-life size prototype of a future Ferrari Dino without any Ferrari involvement at all! We don’t have all the details on our hands yet, but we’ve contacted Ernesto and we hope he’ll be able to answer all our questions soon enough. So for the time being, follow the jump and check out the current image gallery. -Click "Read More..." below to check out the gallery

We thank our friend Vincent from Autoblog.nl for the tip!

Pics Via: Ferrarichat

2009 Chevrolet V8 SS Mule Spotted In California

This thinly disguised Holden Commodore based Chevrolet with SS badgetry was spotted yesterday (July 12) just outside of San Diego, California. Practically, we’re talking about a sister model to the upcoming Pontiac G8 GT with the 362Hp 6.0-liter V8 unit. Unfortunately, GM people impolitely covered the nameplate of the Michigan plated Chevy mule so we can’t be sure of the model. While many of you would love this prototype to be the rear-wheel drive successor to the Impala SS, we’re betting it’s either the Brazilian Omega SS or (most probably) the Middle-Eastern market Lumina SS. -Click "Read More..." below for more images

Via: vwvortex , Source: motivemag

2008 Porsche 911 GT2 Brochure Leaked - 530Hp & 328km/h!

Looks like the Frankfurt Show leaks are off to an early start this year as some "Mata Hari" managed to disrespectfully... scan a copy of the official 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 (997) brochure and upload it to the net for the world to see.. You can eat your heart out with the whole 35-page long brochure after the jump so we’ll be concise and pinpoint the most important FAQ’s.

Equipped with a 3.6 litre six-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine with biturbo turbocharging and Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) that delivers 530 hp at 6500 rpm (997 Turbo: 480Hp) and 505 lb-ft of torque at 2,200-4,500 rpm, the uber alles 997 GT2 weighs in at just 3,175 lbs – 1.440kg. Power is transferred to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox. Finally, according to Porsche, the 911 GT2 manages to accelerate from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3,5 sec and to 100mph (160 km/h) in 7,4 sec while it reaches a top speed of 204mph which translates to 328 km/h. -Click “Read More…” below for the full brochure

Via: Jalopnik , Source: porscheguys