In the past, Jaguar, high class cars from England had small-sized and active features and high performance were favorable. Their appearance looked sedan and suited the passengers who loved to get anywhere in a group. They thought that there were many playboy millionaires, and if they were to produce a sport-car model, they could have marketed quite well. At least, Jaguar had built its good reputation from the racing cars for a very long time, especially Le Mans 24 hours.

A lot of people said that Jaguar’s sport series which began to be known well and were affordable could be XK series. XK 120 in the year 1948, followed up by XK 140 in 1955, and became XK 150 in 1957. They used quite modern engines that their competition had not known. Modernization, streamline that made a big positive impact on sport cars drivers, curved doors, and roadsters were the real style of sport cars.

Jaguar made its reputation in the Le Mans race course by a car that had been showed in 1954, D-TYPE, which was 3.4liters, 245 horsepower. The initial production was considered extremely fast. Moreover, it was empowered by making it 270 horsepower for racing, and that made it three-years-in-a-row champion in 1955-1957. There would not be anyone who would not wish the dignity of Le Mans’ championship sport cars which later was extended to 3.8liters, 306 horsepower. It competed in United States and made so big impact on sport cars guru that made a newer model to drive in a street.

The manufacturer decided to make them sport series, and not involved with normal cars except the engines and systems used together in order to reduce the cost of production. Therefore, E-TYPE Jaguar was influenced by XK series and D-TYPE. It was officially debuted in 1961, taking over XK 150, and completing the new full sport style, which was the long front and short end according to the classic style sport cars.

The appearance of E-TYPE is brilliant like Italian sport cars. At the beginning, it had been decided to name as XK-E, but eventually was E-TYPE, which seemed more okay and newer than old XK series that had been used for many models. It had been decided to be 3.8liters, twin cam, then later on extended to be 4.2liters in order to make it right for the size of the cars. The 3.8 liters one had been eventually stopped, until 1971 it was given a new 5.3liters, V12 engine in order to be an alternative choice for customers who were interested in pretty big block. The 4.2liters one’s production was terminated in 1974.

If you would like to own this model, you may need to consider if you are a millionaire or not because this kind of classic cars cannot be found at any car dealers. If you would really want it, you should check it out from a catalogue of car auctioning company. You might be that lucky that someone would sell it.

The improvement of Renault, the inventor of the “Wind” roadster this year, is considered an interesting step because it reflexes the tendency into the roadster market in the future. There are many fascinating features of Wind developed under the “Touch Design” concept, such as the elegantly designed appearance that reflexes lively and the inner decorated with fine quality materials which reflexes class.

Neat, clean appearance consists of 2 main lines which are the bottom and top lines. Although the headlights’ shapes are plain, they are a significant part that helps empower the overall. Transparent windshield stuffed with blue and green lights similar to plane’s light, which are such brilliant. The green smoothly blended with the light blue or aquamarine of the body part is the individual characteristic of Wind. Fabulous 19-inch wheels and “245-35/ZR19” Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires are another remarkable complement.

The most outstanding of it is the 3-seat capacity which is cocoon-curve shaped, light brown leather seat embraces the passengers and the driver.

Frill-designed seats are permanently installed, as well as the steering wheel and console that are adjustable and automatically roll out when the doors are opened, and that helps the passenger enter the car more easily. The center section linked with the back seat which is made of carbon fiber. It is layered with foam and leather, which can flip inside out in order to make the third seat.

Although it is a compact roadster, Wind contains wide and useful space. The rear space has 232 liters in capacity. Wind’s dimension consists of 3870 millimeters in length, 1750 millimeters in width, excluding the side windows, 1260 millimeters in height, and 2395 millimeters in wheel’s base’s length, as well as the 850 kilograms in weight.. The back seat has extra thick car soft-top attached with the rear curve-shaped window for protecting the passengers from rain and sunlight.

All Wind’s controlling devices are made of aluminum, which reflexes the sport characteristic. They are designed to be in round shape installed in the center of console. They contain control button, communicative device, stereo, and navigation system.

6-speed robotized gearbox is designed to be with the dashboard, while the shift gear is put on the steering wheel like the Formular-1’s. There is one gauge-meter made of cylinder-shaped glass. It is used for indicating the round-per-minute speed which is displaying the numbers in both analog and digital.

Air conditioner’s controller is designed to put on the inner driver’s door. Its engine is a 16-valve 2.0liters, 136 horsepower maximum, and 191 N/m torque. It is considered a low-pollution engine which qualifies the Euro-4 polluting gas production regulation. From the Wind’s information, it implies the effort to market the small roadster which has the outstanding in designs in color, capacity, and clean burning energy that is quite energetic. Most of its designs are in the draft stage, so if Renault has a plan to import this production, they need at least 2 years in development.

Vehicles that will help you save money on gas

Prices at the pump are rising steadily; more and more of the vehicles being released get very low gas mileage. This makes it really hard to get around town or to work, on a budget. Well, there still are tons of options for vehicles that can save you tons of money at the pump.

If you’re not ready to take the plunge and buy a hybrid or electric vehicle, there are many gas-engine cars that get very good gas mileage. For small cars, the mini cooper (28 city/36 highway) gets you the most miles for your gallon. If you’re looking at midsize or large cars, you should check out Hyundai. The Elantra gets 27 city/34 highway, and the Sonata get 24 city/34 highway. If you’re looking into station wagons, the Pontiac Vibe and the Toyota Matrix both get 30 city/36 highway.

If you’re looking for a car with even better gas mileage, you should check out hybrid cars. The concept of a hybrid is that its engine is actually a combination of two engines: a traditional gas engine, and an electric engine. Unlike true electric cars, the electric engine is charged by the gas engine, so there’s no need to plug it in. And while all the power is ultimately derived from the gas engine, these cars, van’s, and SUVs still get way batter gas mileage and saving you tons of money at the pump. If you’re looking simply for the best gas mileage overall, you should check out the Honda insight; it gets 60 mpg city, 66 mpg highway. Plus it’s from Honda so you can be confident you’re getting a solid long lasting vehicle. If you’re looking for an SUV, the vehicle with the best gas mileage is the Ford Escape hybrid. It gets 31 mpg city, 36 mpg highway. Imagine, getting the gas mileage of a car (or better) from an SUV.

Another option for saving fuel that will be available on the market soon is the plug-in hybrid. You’re probably thinking “why would I want to plug in my hybrid when I can just get a regular hybrid?’ One dollar to get as far as a gallon of gas, that’s why. A plug in hybrid is the same as a regular hybrid except you have the option of charging the electric engine. This means that if you only take short trips, your gas engine will rarely even have to turn on, and electricity gets you as far as a gallon of gas for about $1. And, unlike normal electric cars, you never have to worry about your battery dying so you can go as far as you want on your gas engine.

If you want to just skip the gas altogether, there have been some great advances in electric vehicles. You’ll forget everything you know about electric vehicles when you see the Tesla Motors Roadster. It’s fully electric, so you can always get a gas mileage equivalent of about $1 per gallon. Unlike traditional electric cars, this one runs on a lithium ion battery, so it can go farther between charges (about 250 miles), it can go a lot faster (top speed of 130 mph), and to be honest, it just looks cooler. If an electric car ever catches on, it will most definitely be this one.

With any type of vehicle, you should keep your car in good shape and making sure it gets regular tune ups, this will help keep up gas efficiency. Also remember that the weight of the vehicle matters. Carrying around stuff you don’t need and always having a full tank will raise your gas mileage.

Sold from 1948 through 1965, the Porsche 356 was Porsche’s first production automobile. Although many think of the Porsche 64 as being the first automobile produced by the German company, the 64 was never mass-produced. It was only an operable concept car and testing platform for the company’s design ideas. The 364, created by Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferry Porsche, was designed by Erwin Komenda. Its engine features were derived from the Volkswagen Beetle, which was also designed by the senior Mr. Porsche.

Initially the models available were a coupe, cabriolet (luxury convertible) and a roadster (a stripped down convertible). The Porsche 356 underwent several changes before being withdrawn in 1965. The most sought-after variants of the car were the 356 "Carrera" (which often sold for over $150,000), the "Super 90" and the famous "Speedster". The original selling price for a Porsche was around $4,000 in the 1950s.

It was in 1954 that Max Hoffman, the only importer of Porsches into United States, told Porsche that he needed a lower cost, racier version of the 356 to entice the American driver. To this end the company created the 356 "Speedster". It became a instant hit, featuring a low, raked windshield (easily removable for weekend racing), bucket seats, and minimal folding top. Today this car is still widely coveted and premium examples of the model have sold for over $100,000. It has also been used in several films, including "48 Hours", its sequel — "Another 48 Hours", and "Top Gun". The production of Speedster peaked at 1,171 cars in 1957. It was replaced 1959 by the Convertible D model. This model featured a taller, more practical windshield, glass side windows, and more comfortable seats.

Even as the mechanical side of the Porsche improved year after year, the basic shape of Porsche 356 remained the same and was easily recognized. The last 356B Roadster was built in early 1963, but the coupe and cabriolet models were produced every year up to 1965. The final model built was the 356C, featuring disc brakes and the most powerful pushrod engine Porsche so far: the 95HP "SC".

Porsche 356 production peaked at 14,151 cars in 1965, the same year that Porsche introduced the 911. The company continued to sell the 356C in North America through the end of 1965 as a lower-cost option to the higher-performance 911. When the customers continued to complain about the high the price of the 911, which was almost twice the price of the 356, Porsche started producing the 912. This car utilized the 356 engine and was sold between 1965 and 1969.

56 years after the beginning of its production, Sports Car International named the 356C as number ten on its list of Top Sports cars of the 60’s. Having stood the test of time, the 356 is a well respected and coveted car among collectors today. Thousands of 356 owners worldwide maintain the tradition, preserving their cars and through them the legacy of Porsche engineering excellence.

While thousands of sports car fans have put together notable collections there are three such collections that will inspire awe and demands the attention of any sports car enthusiast. These three are Toad Hall, LeMay’s collection and Ralph Lauren’s Collection.

Bill Putman’s collection, known as Toad Hall, will have sports car fans seeing red. All of the cars in this private collection are painted red. Putman’s collection features imported cars from Bentley to Datsun, with an emphasis on the British makes. There is a Lotus represented as well. Toad Hall’s name comes from the children’s book the Wind in the Willow.

The LeMay collection, over 3,000 strong, in Tacoma Washington is certified by the Guinness Book of World’s Records as the world’s largest collection of cars. The entire collections of sports cars cannot even be viewed in one visit. The LeMay collection was started in the 1940’s by a waste hauling tycoon who started searching the area for interesting vehicles. The exhibit also includes other American history items as well as ambulances and fire trucks.

American fashion mogul Ralph Lauren is also an avid car collector and has opened his stunning collection to the public. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts showed the Ralph Lauren’s exhibit and states that he started collecting in the 1960’s.

It can be said that Lauren’s is a connoisseur of fine cars and chose the automobiles in his collection, from Bugattis and a 1950 Jaguar XK 120 Alloy Roadster based on their fashion appeal as well as speed. His newest addition is a speed demon’s dream, a 1996 McLaren F1, which can easily pass speeds of 225 mph.

Ralph Lauren has also collected car with celebrity ties. Included in his collection is the car James Dean was driving when he was killed, a Porche 500 Spider. On a happier note, the 1950 Jag mentioned earlier was driven by the Hollywood’s leading man Humphrey Bogart and his love, Lauren Becall.

While there are countless car collections from small time lots to museums, these three collections all offer something unique to the sports car fan. Toad Hall which emphasizes imports and red. The LeMay collection which is certifiably the largest and Ralph Lauren’s private collection which emphasizes speed and celebrity connections.

Harley’s continuing commitment to produce true-blooded American motorcycles has produced several models for 2007.

Starting off with the Harley-Davidson Sportster.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster has 8 models. The Sportster is the least expensive among the Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The XL 883 Sportster is the cheapest starting at $6,595 – 7,990. The lower version, the XL 884 Sportster Low is priced between $6,995 – 8,390. Next is the XL 883 Custom which is priced between $7,795 – 9,555. The fourth Sportster is the XL 883 R. This is one exciting Harley-Davidson model with price from $7,795 – 9,090. The bigger XL1200 Custom is priced much higher are 9,695 – $11,470. The XL 1200 Roadster on the other hand has a tag price of $8,695 – 10,090, The lower version of the XL 1200 Roadster, the XL 1200 Low is sold at $9,495 – 11,100. And finally, the model that celebrates that 50 years of conquering the road, the XL 50 is priced at $9,795 10,830.

A much higher model, the Dyna, has 5 versions. First is the FDX Super Glide with tag price ranging from $12,395 – 14,785. The FXDC is priced at $14,645 – 16,135. The mid-range Dya, the FXDB is priced a from $13,595 – 14,785. Next on the list is the FXDL Low Rider which is sold at $15,795 - 17,765. Finally, the FXDWG Wide Glide is sold at $16,795 – 18,765.

The mid-range Softtail is offered with 8 model-lineup. It starts with the FXST Standard with a price ranges from $14,995 – 16,810. The next one is the FXSTB Night Train at $15,895 – 19,385. The FXSTC Custom is priced between $16,895 to 18,485. The FXSTD Duece is priced at $17,345 – 18,865. The Fat Boy is between $17,095 to 18,980. The FLSTN Deluxe has a tag price of $17,345 – 19,315. The FLSTSC Springer is priced at $17,545 – 19,515. The Classic version ot the FLSTC is priced at $17,820 – 20,015.

The other Harley-Davidson models are as follows:

VRSC

VRSC V-Rod$16,495 – 18,775 VRSCD Night Rod$14,995 – 19,050 VRSCDX Night Rod Special$16,495 – 17,210 VRSCX$19,995 – 21,205 VRSCR Street Rod$15,495 – 16,495

Touring

Touring FLHR Road King$17,345 – 19,265 Touring FLHRS Road King Custom$17,525 – 19,075 Touring FLHRC Road King Classic$17,695 – 19,565 Touring FLH Street Glide$18,295 – 19,935 Touring FLTR Road Glide$17,695 – 19,335 Touring FLHT Electra Glide Standard$19,095 – 17,935 Touring FLHTC Electra Glide Classic$18,095 – 20,205 Touring FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide$20,185 – 22,545

Prices are based from the Harley-Davidson official website.

According to Don Rosen Imports, Porsche will launch a base version of its Cayman sports coupe priced at $49,400 in Europe and the United States on July 29.

Just like the more powerful Cayman S, it is derived from Porsche’s Boxster but the new model will this time share the soft-top roadster’s same mid-mounted 2.7-liter, six-cylinder engine instead of having its own.

The Cayman S was positioned to fit between the Boxster S and Porsche’s base 911 Carrera, the new Cayman will perform similarly to the Boxster but have the fixed roof of its more powerful sibling the Cayman S.

The base version Cayman will deliver a little extra horsepower of 245, allowing it to reach a top speed of 160 mph and finish the 0-62 mph sprint in 6.1 seconds. By comparison, the base Boxster’s top speed is 159 mph and it requires 6.2 seconds to hit 62 mph from a standstill.

In the Porsche Cayman S, Boxster S’s 3.2-liter flat six has been upped to 3.4 liters for duty in the Cayman S, and power has been upped accordingly to 295 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque, increases of 15 hp and 19 lb-ft.

The Cayman also gets stiffer springs, thicker anti-roll bars, different front-end styling, and new bodywork aft of the doors. The biggest difference, however, is in the driving. According to Porsche, the new steel roof doubles torsional rigidity; the handling and chassis communication are better than ever. [PRWEB]

The 2006 BMW M Roadster made its world debut at the North American International Auto Show, the M Roadster arrives in US showrooms this spring with an MSRP of $51,995 including destination and handling.

At the heart of the new M Roadster is BMW M’s award winning 3.2-liter in-line six cylinder engines. In 2005, this engine was voted “Engine of the Year” by an international jury a record fifth consecutive time. With its high-speed concept, this engine works through a six-speed manual transmission to provide exhilarating performance in all speed ranges. As in the BMW M3, this engine features dual overhead cams, double-VANOS variable valve timing, and six individual throttle plates. This normally aspirated engine generates more than 100 hp per liter. On the road, this means 0 – 60 in less than five seconds and a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph.

The M Roadster features the speed-sensitive variable M differential lock, already well-proven and admired in the M3. It provides outstanding stability and traction, particularly when accelerating out of bends.

To maximize its braking capabilities, the new M Roadster uses BMW M’s floating compound high performance braking system originally conceived for the M3 CSL and included in the M3 Competition Package. With weight-saving aluminum hubs and steel cross-drilled discs, this system minimizes the risk of warping under hard use. [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: bmw m roadster | bmw m3

Fresh from the wheels up, Mazda MX5 — the world’s favorite roadster remains true to the lightweight, fun to drive formula that sold more than 700,000 MX-5s worldwide since its introduction in 1989. Other weight-saving tactics were employed as well. Seventeen-inch wheels help define the corners of the car while there are modest increases in wheelbase (+65 mm), length (+20 mm), width (+40 mm), and height (+20 mm), With Mazda’s new generation sport car architecture the car boasts 22 per cent more flexural stiffness and a 47 per cent increase in torsion rigidity compared with the former Mazda MX-5’s. The new car also benefits from ideal 50:50 weight distribution. [PRWEB May 22, 2005]

Smeding Performance’s Hot Rod 383 Stroker crate engine provides all the fun while remaining street-friendly. [PRWEB Apr 15, 2005]

For about $4,000, you can get a Chevy small-block engine that delivers 380 horsepower at 5500 RPM.