Pope Francis’ Fiat 500L Sells for $82K at Auction |
- Pope Francis’ Fiat 500L Sells for $82K at Auction
- Self-Driving Porsches Are Not in the Plans
- Honda Ridgeline is a ‘Truck to Love’ in 2016 Super Bowl Spot
- 2017 Audi A5 Convertible Spied Testing in Germany
- This $82,000 Bugatti Veyron for Sale is Not What It Seems
- Top 5 Things You Need to Know About the Porsche 718 Boxster
| Pope Francis’ Fiat 500L Sells for $82K at Auction Posted: The Fiat 500L used by Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia has sold for $82,000. Being described as "Pope Francis' Philly Fiat" at the auction, over 19 bidders participated in the auction that lasted 11 minutes. Participants were able to bid both in person at the Philadelphia Auto Show or remotely. According to church officials, the winning bid came from Michael and Kate Champan of Chapman Auto Stores and the money will benefit the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. During his visit in the U.S., Pope Francis chose the Fiat to symbolize his concern for the environment, as well as trying to dispel the impression that the church is often associated with rich trappings. SEE ALSO: 2014 Fiat 500L Trekking Review The Fiat 500L was one of six used during the Pontiff's visit to Washington, New York and Philadelphia. His version of the "Popemobile" was a white Jeep with open sides. The 2015 Fiat 500L starts from $20,325 including destination, so having the Pope use your vehicle is a good way to increase its value by at least four times. [Source: Automotive News] Discuss this story on our Fiat 500 Forum Loading, please wait...  |
| Self-Driving Porsches Are Not in the Plans Posted: Porsche has no plans to join in the self-driving car race. "One wants to drive a Porsche by oneself," said Chief Executive Oliver Blume in an interview with Westfalen-Blatt. "An iPhone belongs in your pocket, not on the road," said Blume, stressing that Porsche does not need to team up with any major tech companies to build its cars. Porsche joins Lamborghini in publicly decrying self-driving cars, sticking to their roots as builders of sports cars meant to deliver ultimate driving pleasure to the driver. SEE ALSO: New Porsche Boxster with Turbo Four-Cylinder Arrives, Revives 718 Nameplate The German sports car builder won't find itself behind the times though, as Porsche is currently investing in a plug-in hybrid version of the 911 along with the Mission E all-electric sports car. The plug-in 911 is said to offer about 31 miles of range and should hit the market by 2018, while the Mission E is totally electric and aims for a range of over 300 miles with 600 horsepower on tap. It is being built in a brand new $1.1 billion facility and is set to arrive by 2020. While cross town rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz move towards self-driving cars, Porsche will continue building cars just for drivers. [Source: Reuters] Discuss this story at our Porsche Forum Loading, please wait... |
| Honda Ridgeline is a ‘Truck to Love’ in 2016 Super Bowl Spot Posted: Get the Flash Player to see this player. Honda will have two commercials during this year's Super Bowl, one for the Acura NSX supercar and the other for something a little more practical, the new Ridgeline pickup. The Japanese brand has released the 60-second spot that will sell the Ridgeline as "A New Truck To Love." Focus is put on the Ridgeline's new in-bed audio system, which allows you to play your music through exciters located in the bed walls, an industry exclusive feature. SEE ALSO: 2017 Honda Ridgeline Makes a Comeback in Detroit For music, the commercial uses the Queen classic Somebody to Love, sang back by a flock of sheep. A talking dog is also featured in the spot. "With so many truck buyers passionate about football, the big game is the perfect setting to introduce the all-new Ridgeline, and the distinctive features that make it the ultimate tailgating vehicle," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Automobile Division. Discuss this story at our Honda Ridgeline Forum Loading, please wait... |
| 2017 Audi A5 Convertible Spied Testing in Germany Posted: The 2017 Audi A5 convertible has been spied testing on public roads in Germany. The next-generation luxury convertible sports car will ride on the latest version of Audi's MLB platform, known as MLB Evo. Like the new Audi A4, the A5 convertible will take advantage of ultra-high-strength steel, aluminum and composite material to shed weight compared to the current model. The German automaker hopes to lighten it 200 to 250 pounds. Most of Audi's lineup will ride on the new MLB Evo chassis, which was first introduced with the 2015 Audi Q7. SEE ALSO: Audi Caught Testing Massive A8 Limo Expect a wide range of gasoline and diesel engines to be available with the next-generation Audi A5 convertible around the world. Naturally, Audi will have a more powerful S5 in the works as well as a range-topping, high-performance RS5 variant. Production of the 2017 Audi A5 convertible is scheduled to begin late this year or early 2017. Audi has also recently been spied testing its updated A3 models that are receiving a facelift. Discuss this story on our Audi Forum Loading, please wait... |
| This $82,000 Bugatti Veyron for Sale is Not What It Seems Posted: How does this sound: acquiring a pre-owned Bugatti Veyron supercar, which typically goes for just under $2 million, for $82,000? This is your chance! Well, sort of. You can own a car that looks exactly like the Veyron, for a fraction of the cost. Who's to know the difference? Just don't agree to any street races. Just Toys Classic Cars' 2008 Bugatti Veyron body kit is as close as a supercar enthusiast can get to the real thing without millions of dollars. From any angle this car looks just like a Bugatti, though it's a cleverly disguised, custom, fiberglass body that sits on a '01 Mercury Cougar Chassis. ALSO SEE: Rare Bugatti Veyron World Record Edition Up For Sale Under the hood is where purists will be disappointed. Instead of the godlike machinery and power of a real Veyron, the imposter Veyron has a mortal 3.0L Duratec motor that came out of a Mercury Sable. Not exactly something that devastates the road. But for this price, it might be worth it for the prestige factor of owning a 'rare Veyron'. Would you drive this? Hit the link below to see more photos. This story originally appeared on Luxury4Play.com Loading, please wait... |
| Top 5 Things You Need to Know About the Porsche 718 Boxster Posted: It may not look all that different at a glance, but the new 718 Boxster brings with it some of the biggest changes in the Boxster's 20-year history. The flat-six is out and a new range of turbocharged flat-four engines are in, leaving the 911 the only model in Porsche's lineup with flat-six power. That, combined with a new name, helps to further define the Boxster's position within the Porsche hierarchy. Let's take a closer look. 5. It's not Porsche's first 718
The 718 name was first used in the 1950s for a somewhat obscure, four-cylinder race car. Appropriately, the name is being resurrected for the new four-cylinder Boxster. Think of it this way: "718" is the name of the model range, while "Boxster" is the trim level, making it consistent with the 911's naming convention (911 Carrera, 911 Turbo, 911 GT3, etc.). Look for a 718 Cayman, 718 GT4 and other variants further down the road. 4. The engine is smaller but also more powerful
The new engines compensate for the loss of two cylinders with a turbocharger. The Boxster gets a 2.0-liter engine that produces 300 hp and the Boxster S gets a 2.5-liter with 350 hp — both 35-hp improvements. Torque gains are even more significant — 280 lb-ft (a 74 lb-ft improvement) and 309 lb-ft (a 43 lb-ft improvement) for the Boxster and Boxster S, respectively. 3. It's far quicker than the old six-cylinder Boxster
Equipped with the optional Sport Chrono Pack and PDK dual-clutch transmission (a six-speed manual comes standard), the 718 Boxster S will do zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, which is a whole 0.7 seconds quicker than the previous Boxster S. Top speed is 177 mph. 2. Handling should be even better
Porsche hasn't announced the 718 Boxster's curb weight, but the smaller engine should contribute to a significantly lighter car. That combined with a revised suspension and a steering rack that Porsche claims is 10 percent more direct (not sure how they measured that) should make for one sweet handling sports car. 1. Almost every body panel is new
The new mechanicals are complemented by a sharp new exterior. With the exception of the luggage compartment lids, windshield and convertible top, everything you see on the outside has been resculpted. ALSO SEE: Porsche Sticking with Manual Transmissions to the Bitter End This story originally appeared on Luxury4Play.com Loading, please wait... |
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