Mazda3 SP25

Quickspin
Anglesea, Victoria

What we liked
>>Fresh new styling
>>Vastly improved interior
>>Refined engine note

Not so much
>>Steering still too light
>>Engine still lacks punch
>>Rougher ride on gravel

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

Ferrari issues more images, fresh details of 599XX

Prancing horse comes clean on all the nitty-gritty of its 599 GTB-based rolling test-bed

Ferrari California

Aesthetic perfection may have eluded it, but make no mistake: Ferrari's new V8 convertible is a true Maranello thoroughbred

Ferrari Dino V8

The prancing stallion revives the name of the founder's son for a new 400bhp sports car

They do things differently in Italy. The Dino Ferrari was the cheapie of the range when it was launched in the mid sixties, despite being named after Enzo's son, who died of muscular dystrophy in 1956.

Yet the Dino 206 and the later 246 are highly regarded now and are right up there with the 250 GTO as one of the more immediately recognisable Ferraris.

But at the end of the day, 'Dino' still means 'entry-level' -- and so it is with the latest car to wear the name, caught on camera by our superlative spy photographers at Carparazzi.

Ferrari is denying the project, but the Carparazzi blokes speculate that a new age Dino priced at no more than 110,000 Euro (about AUD$180,000) would sell up to 4000 units a year -- doubling Ferrari's total current production.

There are wild rumours around that the car could be on the roads in 2009, designed by Pininfarina and built by Maserati. If the new car goes ahead -- and the signs look fairly promising -- it may also be built as a convertible.

This particular vehicle was 'sussed' by the sound of the V8 engine, as Carparazzi reports. The engine note was distinctly different from the note of the F430, in the explanation provided.

The Ferrari of the future?

Were these immaculately proportioned Ferrari concepts conceived in the studios of Giugiaro? Bertone? Pininfarina, perhaps?

Given how well resolved these designs appear, they could well have been penned by one of these famous styling houses, but they're actually the handiwork of students. Yep, students.

However, they're not just any students -- they belong to four of the most prestigious schools worldwide: the Center for Creative Studies of Detroit, Coventry School of Art and Design, the European Institute of Design of Turin and Tokyo Communication Arts.

The 1:4-scale models were created for Ferrari's 'concepts of the myth' contest, which was organised in partnership with Pininfarina and with the support of Alcoa (the company that produces aluminium spaceframes for Ferrari).

The designs are intended to propose "stimulating alternatives to the internationally acclaimed shapes of the current and previous mid-engined eight cylinder cars and the front-engined twelve cylinder cars."

Key design criteria in the eyes of the judges will be how "innovative and fresh in style" the designs are, as well as the level of functionality offered by each.

The students' projects are currently on exhibit at the Galleria Ferrari in Maranello, and the four winning entries will be announced at a ceremony on Friday, November 18.

The board of jurors will include the Ferrari Style Committee -- whose main members are Luca di Montezemolo, Piero Ferrari, Jean Todt, Amedeo Felisa and Massimo Fumarola -- and the senior management of Pininfarina (Senator Sergio Pininfarina, Andrea Pininfarina and Ken Okuyama).

A coveted prize lies in store for the four contest winners: they'll have the opportunity to gain work experience at Ferrari or Pininfarina, transforming the academic project into professional practice. The winners will also receive an aluminium reproduction of their model from Alcoa.

Ferrari 328

It should be a convention of the automotive world that Ferraris be painted red. Over the years they have been produced in other colours, but none offer the instantaneous recognition of one finished in gleaming Rosso Corsa.

In the opinion of Con Hrystamthos, sales manager at Ferrari specialist Galleria Veloce, which supplied our featured (red) 328GTS, the pigmentation of the paint counts for plenty in the world of Ferrari aspiration.

"Red Ferraris - especially the older ones - are definitely the most popular," confirmed Con from his showroom in the elegant harbour-side locale of Sydney's Rose Bay.
"Around 80 per cent of buyers for pre-355 models and half of those looking for a late model would prefer a red car. It is the colour that has represented Ferrari in motor sport for many years and instantly identifiable by almost anyone."

But the telltale approach of a Ferrari is not defined by paintwork alone. Even before its unmistakable shape becomes visible through the clutter of city traffic comes that stuttering, whining 'I really don't need to be doing this' audio that swivels heads and has drivers of lesser machinery staring enviously at their rear-view mirrors.

The 328 is widely regarded as the last classic Ferrari V8. Its definitive profile dates back to 1975, when the Pininfarina styling house sought to redress the disappointment generated by Bertone's ungainly GT4 Dino - the first mid-engined, V8-powered road-going Ferrari.

Backing away from the GT4's bulbous 2+2 format, PF reverted to a shorter 2337mm wheelbase, and dressed it in an elongated and elegant fibreglass body. Shock, horror, howled the purists - a Ferrari with the body of a kit car?
In plasti-body format, the 308GT survived for less than two years before being replaced in 1977 by a 'proper' steel-bodied version. Four years later came the fuel-injected 308GTSi and in 1985 the 3.2-litre 328GTS.

Australia's earliest 328s arrived in 1986 and were priced at around $140,000, which was marginally less than a Lotus Esprit S4 Turbo but $20,000 more than the less-powerful 3.2-litre Porsche Carrera. Output from the ULP compatible, quad-cam, fuel-injected V8 was 198kW and developed at around 7000rpm.

Five-speed transmission was mandatory and Australian-delivered cars came standard with air-conditioning. Offshore markets had the option of a fixed-roof 328GTB but Australians were offered the car only in GTS form with a removable roof section.
Distinguishing the 328 from earlier versions was a new grille, large cooling slots in the luggage compartment cover and new, five-spoke alloy wheels. Cars built after 1988 are rare in Australia and feature Bilstein suspension struts in place of the earlier models' Konis and revised footwells for improved occupant comfort.

UniCab may be NYC’s Taxi of tomorrow

New York is a modern city, but its taxis are exactly the opposite. In order to get away with the old taxis and to add something new reflecting the modern essence of the city, New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) created a website for...

New York is a modern city, but its taxis are exactly the opposite. In order to get away with the old taxis and to add something new reflecting the modern essence of the city, New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) created a website for creative minds to submit their unique designs to replace the existing taxis with something unique and more interesting that better fits in the present scenario. And in the last couple of years, the site received many designs but the LIC's hunt for modern Taxi may end with what comes out to be a unique blend of style, comfort, amenities and modern looks: UniCab.

With the seating capacity for four passengers, UniCab features an automated ramp for those with disabilities, an infotainment center, showing intended routes and attractions along the way. The outward sight lines also give the passengers a great view of the glorious city of New York. Apart from these, the modern taxi meets the highest safety standards, provides more comfort and amenities that add more to the passage experience, it emits less and has improved fuel economy and has a more usable interior. The UniCab is an iconic design that has everything that will identify the new taxi with New York City.

Image Courtesy: Thetaxioftomorrow

Via: Autoblog

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Original source : http://www.automotto.org/entry/unicab-may-be-nyc-s...