Ferrari Laferrari ON FIRE!

stefano_fullgas just posted this photo on Instagram which showes the Ferrari´s latest hybrid-hypercar, the 963hp LaFerrari, which has been on fire.

So one week after the first ever LaFerrari crash in Monaco we have to witness the first ever LaFerrari caught on fire although we never wish it happened. The exotic cars from Maranello are known for being quite “hot” but it still surprised us that this happened to their top class hypercar. Audiences at Trento-Bondone rally witnessed the whole incident. They saw the flame broke out of the rear of the car. They informed the rally authorities and stopped the Laferrari immediately. After checking it and it´s true that this Laferrari has been caught on fire.

Here is a video showing the strange smoke coming out suspiciously from the rear side of the LaFerrari near the exhaust pipe during the event (0:40)

This has been one tough week for the LaFerrari lovers. Hope the guys from Manarello to realize and solve the problem as soon as possible.

Bugatti Veyron Vitesse Elisabeth Junek spotted in France

Bugatti Veyron Vitesse Elisabeth Junek

Bugatti's latest project, "“Les Légendes de Bugatti” Series has been leaked out to the public a few months ago. We initially thought that it would be revealed earlier this year, but we were wrong because no Vitesse Elisabeth Junek has seen daylight … until now! The first car of the series has been caught testing around the factory in Molsheim, France.

The car is not finished in exposed carbon fiber, but it features a nice black tone with accents in the legend’s favorite colour: Yellow. We don´t know when the car will be officially presented, but with cars already testing, it can´t be too long!

Mclaren 650s spyder vs Ferrari 458 Italia spyder!

Life is full of tough choice. If you were given a chance to choose between a Mclaren 650s spyder and Ferrari 458 Italia spyder, which car would you choose?


The often more familiar comparison here is between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. Since the Lamborghini Huracan is still only available as a coupe, the Ferrari 458 Spider didn’t really have serious competition. That is until McLaren launched the 650S Spider at Geneva earlier this year. A significant improvement over its 12C predecessor, the 650S Spider is still powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8, but output was been increased to 641 horsepower.

The 458 Spider packs 562 hp thanks to its naturally aspirated 4.5-liter V8. Obviously the McLaren is a slightly more modern machine, but Ferrari will soon strike back with the rumored (and highly probably) 458 Speciale Spider. In the meantime, those in the market for a European supercar featuring a lightweight retractable hardtop have two solid choices. Let us know your preferred choice in the comments and poll ahead.

Volkswagen Passat Revealed.

The new eighth-generation VW Passat has been unveiled, designed with a more premium feel



The wraps have finally come off the new eighth-generation Volkswagen Passat ahead of a debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. Designed by VW to go more upmarket, it's hoped the car's sleeker image and improved tech will help steer customers away from the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class.

With softer lines and an elegant sweeping profile, the new Passat is 14mm lower and 12mm wider than the outgoing model. The front end incorporates the brand’s new identity, with the three-bar chrome grille merging with the swept back headlights. At the back, a Phaeton-inspired rear end houses two chrome exhaust pipes which sit flush with the rear bumper.

nside, technology and comfort have been the main focal points, with the conventional instrument cluster being replaced by a fully configurable 12.3-inch TFT display. Sadly, it will not be a standard feature but a separate 6.5-inch colour display in the centre console is fitted across the range.

Despite being shorter than the outgoing model – only by 2mm however – the new Passat offers more passenger space than before. That’s thanks to shorter front and rear overhangs, which allow the passenger compartment to be stretched by 33mm. There’s also more headroom as passengers sit lower to the ground and boot space is up by 21 litres, to 586. Space in the estate model has been boosted even further with boot capacity increasing by 47-litres, up to 650 litres.

Beneath the svelte new body, the Passat sits on a stretched version of the ubiquitous MQB platform helping shed 85kg from the weight of the car. Big changes continue with the engine options too, with fuel consumption being cut by up to 20 per cent. VW will offer a plug-in hybrid version of the Passat for the first time, with the 154bhp 1.4-litre TSI engine and 107bhp electric motor adopted directly from the Golf GTE. It will be available to UK buyers shortly after launch.

Another new arrival is a 237bhp 2.0 TDI BiTurbo engine, developing 500Nm of torque. It will be the new range-topping variant – offering 62bhp and 120Nm more than most powerful previous diesel engine – but available only with a DSG gearbox and 4MOTION all-wheel drive, returning a claimed 53mpg.

Likely to be more popular among fleet buyers is the 118bhp 1.6-litre TDI along with the 148bhp and 188bhp versions of the 2.0-litre TDI – all of which are availble from launch. Official pricing will be announced at the Paris Motor Show but a small premium over the outgoing model is expected. Prices should kick off at around £22,000.

2015 Hyundai Sonata first drive!

A solid successor, but nothing more than that.

2015 Hyundai Sonata

It's the seventh generation of the Hyundai Sonata, the family car that originally confirmed this manufacturer might eventually be a force in the industry. That original Sonata, introduced in 1988, was one of those true, rare, contradictory products, full of both good news and bad news. Good news: Leather interior, only a few hundred bucks extra! Bad news: Smelled like fish.


Hyundai, along with its corporate cousin Kia, has upgraded both its products and its savvy for the U.S. market with stunning speed. The Sonata improved with every iteration until generation six, when the car finally could match midsize competitors like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu in every area. And it finally exceeded almost all of them in styling.



That car also upped Sonata sales to about 200,000 a year, a very healthy number, and Hyundai said it could have done better if it had the construction capacity. Even now, the thoroughly modern Montgomery, Ala., plant where Hyundai took us to introduce the 2015 Sonata is working beyond capacity: three shifts, 2,500-odd employees and 231 robots, building most of the U.S. Sonatas and a lot of Elantras on the same assembly line.

So what's new? Outside, everything; not one body panel or sheet of glass is carryover. The styling mandate, according to the design team: “An athlete in a well-tailored suit.” Well, maybe. To us, the 2015 model -- outside, anyway – is, at best, a lateral move, with the oddest feature being a piece of bright metal trim that forms a “C” from the top of the side windows, across the bottom, leading all the way to the headlight. It's sort of a Chrysler touch--and that's not a compliment. Even Chrysler got the styling exactly right with the new 200.



On the Sonata Sport model, another swash of bright metal appears beneath the two doors, just above the rocker panel. Hmm. Did we miss the “chrome is back!” memo? Anyway, the styling is not a negative, but it doesn't advance the cause like the last generation did.



Inside, no such complaints. On the Limited in which we spent most of our time, the fake woodgrain looks far better than the real black woodgrain on the new Genesis, which resembles spray-painted plywood. Instruments and controls are correct, plug-in ports are accessible, the optional navigation system is friendly, and seats are supportive and quite comfortable.

How does it drive

About like you would expect: Even the sportiest Sonata Sport model is hardly a canyon-carver, but Sonata owners probably don't spend much time at the drag strip or local SCCA autocross. Handling is moderately crisp, the ride is quite good and soundproofing is excellent. That was the biggest revelation from driving the Limited on a lot of different road surfaces: The car is just plain silent.

Our Limited was loaded, with good-looking alloy wheels and P215/55-R17 radials – we saw Hankook and Kuhmo tires on the various models. Balance was good, braking firm and repeatable, steering a little numb but not objectionable.

Do we miss the old V6? Frankly, yes. The 2.4-liter, 185-hp engine that most Sonatas will come with, including our Limited, is pretty leisurely at every speed, and the reasonably smooth six-speed automatic isn't a lot of help. That said, the 29 mpg in combined mileage will probably be enough of a tradeoff for most buyers.

The Sport is offered with a 2.0-liter turbo engine that has a claimed 245 hp, but it seems like less than that, especially mated to that six-speed auto. Surprisingly, the most fun model to drive is the Eco with the 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder, which has just 177 hp, but it's mated to a dual-clutch, seven-speed automatic, giving it a lot more punch than you would expect. There's no hybrid now, but stay tuned.

The interior of the new Sonata

2015 Hyundai Sonata price and specification

On Sale: Summer 2014
Base Price: $21,960
Drivetrain: 2.4-liter, 185-hp, 178 lb-ft inline four; six-speed automatic transmission
Curb Weight: 3,252 lb
0-60 MPH: 9 sec (est)
Fuel Economy (EPA city/hwy/combined): 25/37/29

New Dodge Challenger Hellcat with 707bhp!

Confirmation of Lamborghini Aventador-busting power output for the ultimate Dodge Challenger, plus video of it in action

Dodge has come good on its promise the new Challenger SRT Hellcat would have ‘more than 600bhp’ – but the Americans may have overdone it. The Hellcat’s headline figure is a monstrous 707bhp output from the supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi V8 engine. Torque is an even more outrageous 881Nm

Not only does the Hellcat comfortably trump the 580bhp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 650bhp Ford Mustang GT500, it’s even more powerful than a Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF, and McLaren 650S.

In a similar policy to the Bugatti Veyron, the Hellcat will be sold with two separate key fobs. The black-coloured key limits power to 500bhp, while using the red key unlocks the 707bhp engine map. Gears are selected either via a six-speed manual with a reinforced clutch or an optional eight-speed paddleshift automatic. Drive is of course sent to the rear tyres, as you’ll see in this spectacular video.

Upgraded Brembo brakes, three-stage dampers, 20-inch aluminium wheels and a subtle aerodynamics package ramp up the Hellcat’s intent: it’s even got a hidden air intake in the centre of one of the headlights to help feed that colossal engine.

The cabin has been treated to Alcantara upholstery and even though the Hellcat is one of the most extreme American road cars ever, you can still have a heated steering wheel, climate control, and a comprehensive driver information centre displaying temperatures and pressures plus your best lap times.

Dodge will reveal Hellcat pricing later in 2014, but rumours Stateside suggest it’ll cost around $75,000 (£43,750) in the US - some $20,000 (£11,660) cheaper than the Dodge’s supposed flagship, the 640bhp Viper.

Mr. Vin Diesel, are you looking for this car?

Mercedes-Benz E300 Bluetec Hybrid, from Africa to UK on one tank of fuel.

Imagine youself on a road trip from Africa to UK with your very own car which you are currently driving. How much of fuel would it take? Meet the Mercedes-Benz E300 Bluetec Hybrid, the ultimate fuel-saving car you would ever get.

A Mercedes-Benz E300 BlueTec Hybrid drove all the way from Africa to the U.K. on just one tank of diesel. Driven by British journalist Andrew Frankel and one relief driver, the original plan was to take the ferry from Tangier and then cover the distance up to the Chunnel along European autoroutes just to be able to reach the U.K., a distance of just over 1,200 miles. But, upon arriving in the U.K. after 27 hours on the road, the team decided to continue on to the Goodwood Festival of Speed since they still had some fuel left.

Not only did the duo make it Goodwood in West Sussex, but the E300 BlueTec Hybrid still showed a remaining range of about 100 miles.

The car selected for the drive, a 2014 E300 BlueTec hybrid, features a 2.1-liter, 204-hp diesel engine and a 27-hp electric motor that generates 184 lb-ft of torque, all mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. The overall torque generated by the two powerplants is 368 lb-ft. That's enough to give it the ability to make the sprint to 62 mph in 7.5 seconds, though the crucial figure on this drive was the 61.2 mpg the car was able to achieve. This E300 was also equipped with a larger 21-gallon fuel tank, a popular $170 option on this model.

Gumball 3000 2015 route has been announced: Stockholm to Las Vegas.

The official route of the 2015th edition of the popular Gumball 3000 Rally has been recently announced and it will be Stockholm to Las Vegas.


The 2014th edition of the Gumball 3000 Rally may have just ended but that didn't stop the organizers from announcing the official route of the popular “rally” in its next edition. The 2015 Gumball 3000 will kick off in the land of the Vikings, in Stockholm, Norway, for the first time ever, going through Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Amsterdam. In Copenhagen, the Gumball received a fantastic reception back in 2013, before heading to the Dutch capital.


The cars and drivers will board planes from Amsterdam to San Francisco where they will drive, in the final part of the rally, to Los Angeles, California, and then to Las Vegas, Nevada. The route will stand at just 1,900 driving miles so we expect some surprises from the organizers. The grid of 100 supercars will definitely draw a lot of attention and let’s not forget that we may see vehicles such as the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Ferrari LaFerrari, the McLaren P1 or the Pagani Huayra. Let’s not leave out any possible supercars which will be unveiled by the time the rally will kick off.


Here are some video clips and images of the Gumball 3000 rally 2014 which just ended less than two weeks ago.


Shmee150's 2014 Gumball 3000 rally special movie

Start of 2014 Gumball 3000 rally at Miami.

2014 Gumball 3000 rally reaches Time Square, New York

Probably the most exciting car of the rally, the Mclaren P1

DJ Deadmau5's 'Purrari'