The Sporty Lamborghini Aventador LP-700-4

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No name could have perfectly befitted the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 sporty car than the “Aventador’ tag. The Aventador was a combative and powerful Spanish bullfighting dog that was very popular in 1993. Officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, the car was specifically designed and manufactured to replace the ten-year old Murcielago as Lamborghini’s flagship model car. It had actually been sold in various countries prior to its unveiling, including in the UK, US and other parts of Europe.

Although production had initially been planned to be limited to 4,000 units, production has continued. This is certainly due to increased demand brought about by the fact that the car uses Formula One-style suspensions and has a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque. The car is equipped with Lamborghini’s new 700 PS 6.5 liter V12 engine (Lamborghini’s fourth engine) with a displacement of 6,498 cc and combined fuel consumption of 17.2 liters per 100 km.

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The Lamborghini Aventador is a high performance car. It attains a speed of 62 mph within 2.9 seconds and covers ¼ of a mile in 10.6 second at a speed of 133 mph. Its top speed is at 217 mph, which translates to 349 km per hour. All these with a single clutch seven speed semi-automatic transmissions. Its electronically controlled four-wheel drive system makes its handling very easy.

With a 2-door coupe body style, the car has a wheel base of 106.30 inches and measures 188.19 inches and 79.92 inches in length and width respectively. Standing at a height of 44.72 inches, the car has a curb weight of 1, 575 kg. Like other sports cars, Lamborghini Aventador price is on the higher side. It is selling in Europe at €255,000, UK at GB£201,900 and in the US at US$379,700.

Shortly after the car’s unveiling, there was need to produce a roadster version of the same. This led to the production of Lamborghini Aventador J, which was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. However, only one unit was produced. The single Lamborghini Aventador price stood at US$2.8 million, which it was sold at.

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The Sporty Koenigsegg CCX Car

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The sporty Koenigsegg CCX was the result of an elaborate plan by Koenigsegg, the Swedish manufacture to have a car that could meet global safety standard regulations. Sven-Harry Akesson particularly wanted to have a car that would easily sell in the US car market. It is this need that led to the production of the Koenigsegg CCX from 2006 to 2010.

The Koenigsegg CCX is mid-engine sports car that features the 2-door body style with a targa top. A rear wheel drive, the car can be found with either the 4.7 Liter V8 or the 4.8 Liter V8 engine, both twin s/c gasoline/ethanol. It is available with either 6-speed manual or 6-speed automated manual transmissions. With a wheelbase of 104.7 inches, the car measures 169 inches and 78.6 inches in length and width respectively. Standing at a height of 44.1 inches, it weights 1,280 kg.

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First unveiled at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, the car’s engine was its remarkable feature. Made of all aluminum construction with a T7 heat treat to enhance engine block integrity, the engine produces 795 horsepower at 5,700 rpm of torque running on 91 octane gasoline. It features a body made of carbon fiber but reinforced with Kevlar and aluminum. It also has enhanced brake cooling system, fog lamps and a fresh air intake on the bonnet that also acts as ram air booster. Just behind its front wheel are additional air intakes that enhance air flow over the engine.

In order to comply with the US car market regulations, Koenigsegg CCX was designed to have a frontal area of 1.867 square meters. The car exerts 60kg down force over its front axle and 65 kg over the rear axle while doing 200 km/h.

An environmentally friendly version of Koenigsegg CCX is also available. It is the Koenigsegg CCR. Although it uses the same engine as the CCX, the same is modified to use E100 and E85 ethanol fuel and 98 octane petrol. This means that its fuel lines and piston rings have also been modified to boost supercharger settings. The environmental friendly version burns fuel more efficiently than Koenigsegg CCX.

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The Saleen S7 Supercar

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The Saleen S7 is a 2-door coupe body style supercar whose design was the input of several designers. Its concept was that of Steve Saleen with Phil Frank responsible for body and interior design. Ray Mallock Ltd was responsible for engineering the car’s chassis. Hidden Creek Industries was also involved, particularly in providing the initial funding. Jimmy Rodriquez was also actively involved in hand-building the first cars’ electrical systems.

With production running from 2000 to 2004, the Saleen S7 was designed to run on a mid-engine and is a rear wheel drive. It uses Ford’s 427 7.0 Liter V8 engine with 6-speed manual transmission. The car has a wheelbase of 106 inches and measures 188 inches and 78 inches in length and width respectively. Standing at a height of 41 inches, the car weighs 1,247 kg.

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This is a hand-built limited production high performance supercar whose debut was at the Monterey Historic Races. It was however replaced in 2007 by its successor, the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo that uses the same engine but turbocharged. This version was produced between 2005 and 2009. It is a little heavier than the S7. It is also a 2-door couple.

The Saleen S7 features a body made of carbon fiber with additional features being spoilers, scoops and other aerodynamics. These are very important as they enhance air flow throughout the car. The car’s interior is not only functional but luxurious as well. The seats are of leather with aluminum accents. Internal features include an LCD monitor, rear view camera, a 386 km/h speedometer and a quick-release steering wheel.

What gives the car its light weight is its chassis. Ray Mallock Ltd ensured that very light materials went into making the chassis. To this end, the chassis is designed in such a way that it comprises a space frame that consists of 4130 lightweight steel reinforced with aluminum honeycomb composite. To make it easy to access subsystems, the chassis is divided into bolt-fastened sub-assemblies. The performance of the Saleen S7 has never been in question. The car only takes 3.3 seconds to accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour, which translates to 97 km/h.

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The Fast Mclaren F1

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Unlike most modern sports cars, Mclaren F1 is both light and very fast. This is despite of the fact that it features an addition seat. While the driver’s seat is positioned at the center and a little bit forward, two passenger seats are positioned on either side of the driver. This design gives a driver the necessary visibility. Apart from being a sports car, Mclaren F1 is also very comfortable and is used for everyday undertakings. Although it was originally designed as a road car, its race edition has won many races over the years.

Manufactured by Mclaren Automotive from 1992 to 1998, Mclaren F1 is available with either2-door coupe or 3-door coupe body styles. It is a mid-engine rear wheel drive car that uses 6.1 Liter V12 engine and a Weismann Transverse 6-speed manual transmission system. With a wheelbase of 107 inches, it measures 168.8 inches and 71.7 inches in length and width respectively. Standing at a height of 44.9 inches, the car can weigh between 1,062 kg and 1,238 kg.

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The Mclaren is the first sports car to be built with a chassis made of carbon fiber reinforced with plastic. Both aluminum and magnesium only used at chassis attachment points with the rest of chassis panels inserted directly into the reinforced carbon fiber. However, the chassis at the engine bay is not constructed using reinforced carbon fiber because the car’s engine produces high temperatures.

Unlike other sports cars, Mclaren F1 does not feature any wings necessary for producing down force. Instead, its underbody is designed in such a way that the car exploits ground effect through its electric Kevlar fans that act to decrease pressure under the car. It features an air intake on its top, which directs high pressure air into the engine bay. Additional air intake points are also available under each door to provide air necessary for cooling both the electronics and oil tank.

In order to balance the car when in motion or during braking, the car is designed with a dynamic rear spoiler that automatically adjusts and automatically balances the car. Because the original idea was to produce the ultimate road car, the car’s suspension was deigned not to be stiff and set low as in other sports cars. This is one reason why the Mclaren F1 is both a sports and luxurious car.

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Renault F1 Racing Teams

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Renault has had a very long relationship with Formula 1, a relationship that dates back to 1977 when it was engaged as engine contractor. It was at this time that Renault introduced the turbo engine, which was used by its Renault RS01. Renault has also supplied Formula 1 with engines used by other competing race cars. Throughout its relationship with Formula 1, Renault has had several teams that have recorded mixed successes and failures over the years.

The first Renault F1 team was the Equipe Renault Elf, a team that competed in 1977’s last five races, particularly in the 1977 French Grand Prix. This was when Renault RS01 powered by Renault’s Gordini V6 1.5 Liter turbocharged engine and driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille competed in Formula 1 races. Although powerful enough, the car failed to perform as expected as the engine kept on blowing up. Membership of the Equipe Renault Elf team changed over the years as more drivers were enlisted and the number of Renault racing cars increased.

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The Renault F1 Team in existence between 2002 and 2010 proved to be very successful in F1 racing. This is the time when Renault bought Benetton Formula Limited and continued to use “Benetton” as its constructor name during the 200 and 2001 racing seasons. 2002 saw Renault rebrand its constructor name to Renault F1 and had Jamo Trulli and Jenson Button as race drivers. 2003 saw Fernando Alonso join the team. Alonso proceeded to win the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix, the first win for Renault since 1983 Austrian Grand Prix.

The year 2010 saw a major change in Renault’s involvement in Formula 1 racing. After selling its majority stake to Lotus Cars, the team for 2011 season was renamed Lotus Renault GP. This is a sponsorship deal poised to remain in force until 2017. Renault’s responsibility now remains the supply of engines and technical expertise. The new team proceeded to hire Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean drivers for the 2012 racing season. The team is now known as Lotus F1 Team. Whether or not Renault will be back on Formula 1 full time in the coming years is a matter of wait and see.

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F1 UK Broadcasters

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Competing at the highest level of circuit racing is usually every professional racing driver’s dream. This is not only because of the honors that a driver receives but also the huge number of global viewers and listeners who follow drivers’ performances during the competitions. Sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, Formula 1 championships draw viewership from across all parts of the world, viewers who receive broadcasts by different broadcasters authorized to relay event broadcasts.

F1 UK broadcaster has traditionally remained the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The 2012 season has however seen a big change as BBC entered in a deal with Sky Sport to beam live Formula 1 in the UK. This is a 7-year deal that grants Sky Sport the rights to beam live F1 season events up to 2018 through its Sky Sports F1 channel. The deal requires Sky Sports to beam both races and qualifying rounds without commercial adverts. On its part, the BBC will continue to beam live coverage of half season races.

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The deal between BBC and Sky Sports does not however affect BBC Radio, which has traditionally broadcast most F1 UK racing events. Broadcasting through its BBC Radio 5 Live channel, BBC will still continue to radio broadcast Formula 1 races not only held in the UK but also other circuits.

F1 UK is not limited to TV and Radio. There are a number of Internet broadcasters authorized to broadcast races from race circuits. For the UK audience, both BBC Sports and Sky Sports have been authorized to broadcast for the 2012 season.

Since 2007, the responsibility of producing Formula 1 World Feed has remained the duty of Formula One Management (FOM). All TV broadcasters are required to pick their broadcasts from the World Feed. This arrangement eliminated the risk of TV broadcasters concentrating too much on their home drivers, in effect missing out on other important moments.

Like in any other popular sport that attracts a big number of fans, Formula 1 has a huge viewership in the UK. All F1 UK broadcasters are therefore obligated to pay for broadcasting rights, which is usually huge.

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Travelling Abroad This Summer? Make Sure You’re Covered

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With the recession biting, many families are trying to cut back on vacation costs. What was once a couple of weeks on the Costas are now more likely to be a fortnight camping it up in Brittany and eating cheese. However, what starts out as a cheap holiday can become expensive very quickly – and not just because of the extra Brie.

The cheapest way to travel as a family is usually by car. However, even if you’ve ensured that your car is in good condition, problems can still occur. Mechanical breakdowns, broken windscreens, punctures and flat batteries are just some of the problems that can turn a relaxing vacation into a less than trouble-free journey.

Whilst most car insurance policies will cover all of the above eventualities if you are driving in your own country, once you head abroad it’s down to the fine print as to whether or not you are covered for breakdowns. That’s where specialists like Breakdown Direct come in. For low fees you can ensure that there will be no hidden expenses to your holiday in the case of motoring problems.

If you’re on a camping holiday you can even get cover for your caravan and trailer. Usually specialist European breakdown policies also come with 24 hour cover, so even if you are driving to your holiday destination in the middle of the night you can be assured that help is only a phone call away.

Just try to remember to take the Brie out of the boot once you get home. There isn’t a single insurance policy in the world that covers bad smells.

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