The Black Horse

Ferrari. It is an icon in the automobile world. Who don't know Ferrari? You would be categories into the unknown category if you still don't know what I am talking about. Yes, I am talking about the Italian one-of-a-kind brand.

Ferrari was formed in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari, who was an Italian. It was named first as Scuderia Ferrari.

I'm not going to touch on all the Ferrari models as it would be time costly and boring. I will be touching on two models, the Ferrari F430 and the Ferrari 599.

Ferrari F430

I will start with the 430. The F430 is known as the super-car back in 2004 where it first appeared and introduced by Ferrari. It's maiden company was Fiat.

Under the hood, it is a 4.3L V8 engine. A muscle which is good enough to bring all the torque to the demands of a furious driver. At 8500rpm, it brings out 483 bhp.

The additional capabilities of the car is the E-differential which enable the car to keep with the amount of torque at different steering conditions and driving situations. There is four modes which enable the driver to choose which mode to drive in at different liking.

The body of the car is designed in such a way that there is less drag and more flow smooth flow of air which improves the speed of the car.












Ferrari 599

The 599 is the younger and much compact model compared to its contender, the F430. It was introduced in 2006. It was derived from the 575M Maranello.

Engine specifications are like,6.0 L V 12 engine which is able to fit in 620bhp at 7600 rpm. That is a tremendous amount of power. A tremendous power which enables the car to go from knot to 60mph in approximately 3.7 seconds. A outburst of power and performance.

The car has similar fitting of the 430 plus the F-1 handling which is similar to the actual Formula 1 car.

Proton Satria Neo R3

My first post for Malaysia's beloved local car manufacturing automobile company. Proton is its name and not its competitor, Perodua.

What has Proton come out of late. After the CPS version for the Waja model, Proton is now fit and ready to upgrade and improve the Satria Neo model. This time is the upgraded Neo which has the R3 embeded after the name of the model.

Frankly speaking, it is a Neo but an improved version of its engine. Frankly speaking, Proton should include the CPS format into the R3 and improve on its capacity and torque.

Proton Edar has improved the looks and they have included the new kit which covers the bottom part of the body. A fully fit skirting, a spoiler at the top of the back hoot and fog lamps in the front bumper kit. The looks differs not very much from the Satria Neo.

About the power and strngth, Proton has included the muscle of the previous model where the engine rave at 6,100 rpm to produce 135 b.h.p. Mind you this is without the assitance of the CamPro Swtiching, Intake-Air Fuel Moodule where included in the Waja and new Saga. In terms of performance, this car is still up to expectation and it only a slight difference in terms of power from the pure Neo. Nothing much to hoohaa about.

The car fetches a price tag of RM 71, 000 which is a piece of meat for a car at this level and performance wise. What Proton has to do is to include the CPS line into the R3 and the baby will fly at 160b.h.p which is 25b.h.p more to further enhance the power of the car if not it will be another fancy but underpower car.

Pictures can be found here

Nissan GT-R

In this segment, I'll introduce to you another Japanese home-made motor. This sleek and furious baby is known as 'Godzilla' to those who are expert in the automobile world. It's a Nissan but named GT-R. Do not be fooled by the logo embeded at the front grill because it is a Nissan.

First of all, its a competitor to some of the luxurious and must-have cars. It surpasses the performance of the black horse, it gives the German makers a double-thought of upgrading their machines and it beats the Porsche 911 Turbo at its home-ground. What is actually then a GT-R?

Before I talk about the shape and its body-kit and accessories, I would like to touch about the mechanism which runs under the hoot of the 2008 GT-R. It was launched in Japan last year in December. What has Nissan done that it beats all those luxurious cars in terms of price and amazingly performance wise?

It has a 3.8L, VR38DETT twinturbo V6 muscle..473 bhp at 6400rpm.. extra intake of air and combustment that produces sheer power.. a dual clutch 6 speed automatic-manual transmission..





The car runs on all four-wheels and the engine is maunted at the front. The GT-R is a much improve model from the Skyline model. It is a revolution where in terms of performance and also design, the GT-R is way up front in the ranks.

The latest GT-R comes with a dual-clutch pedal system. The odd number is driven by one clutch and the even numbers by the other. I am not so clear about this but in lay man terms, this improves the shifting and efficency when the gear is engaged. I am yet to find out the mechanism of the dual-clutch padel and its significant function. Will be touching on it soon after I have gathered enough information.



Jeremy Clarkson on R32

Jeremy Clarkson on R33(Must See)

Subaru Impreza WRX STI (2008)

Subaru

Subaru

Subaru

Subaru Impreza WRX STI

305 bhp, 2.5L DOHC Intercooler, Turbocharger..homemade Boxer Engine..

The WRX comes with three variences. The four-doors, five-doors and the STI which is an improved version of the five-doors Impreza which is 81 bhp more at 225bhp of the conventional five-door Impreza while the engine is turbocharged. A tremendous improvement which is known as the WRX STi.


Impreza WRX STI (2008)

There is a slight difference in terms of version of the car in the States and in Japan. The differences are in terms of capacity and certain modifications done to the engine. The US version comes with the specifications indicated above while the Japanese version is 0.5L less than the American model. Besides that, the engine produces 304bhp at 6,500rpm for the Japanese version. Looks like the power is still there but at higher revs.

The transmission of the car comes in six gears. The first gear is derived from the tripple cone synchro system while the second and third is double cone synchro system. The system is about engagging the engine in a quicker and efficient way while using less fuel and more power. This technology is also currently used by the new GT-R with double-clutch padel. I'll touch about the double-clutch when I touch on the GT-R.

The internal part of the WRX STI. The cockpit area.



A typical Japanese design. There is a dashboard nevigator for the GPS system in the middle of the dashboard. The START button to roar the engine. The air-cond end-pathway is squarish compared to the common circled-shape which I find quite practical. The position of the gear and breaks is located at normal position which is farely common. There is not much of gadgets on the steering-wheel which is what most of us consumers whould love to have. Not much of a hassle while driving. More buttons on the steering, the hazardous it gets. To sum it up, the internal looks simple but yet fierce.

There is not much of a comment from my point of view about the backside of the WRX STI. No doubt there was some disturbing comments from some about the back, in the end they ended buying it or loving it. A compact wagon with an improved chasis with sheer quality in their balance and stability with the latest improved suspension and also breaking system.



Subaru lover or an Anti-Subaru? This model impress the lovers and also the critics and surpass the demands of quality and as well as performance. The car is chosen compared to the Ford Shelby GTI which has similar power but the WRX STI outstands its opponent with character and performance.

Rating: 4/5

Source(s)

Welcome Note from the Author.

Hello to all,

Hope everyone is in pink health.

The 2008 is a promising and yet vulnerable year. The year of the 'earth rat'. According to feng shui chronology, the 2nd half of the year will be a promising period for everyone where there is a boost in businesses and also in the stock market. It is yet to be proven but I see a ray of light in 2008.

This is a corner where you'll find information about the latest happenings in the automotive nationwide. Brands such as Honda, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, AMG, Subaru, BMW, Ferrari, Nissan, Perodua, Proton and so on.

All car enthusiast will surely benefit from the information gathered in this site. Information about the new features of the car, its muscle, horse-power, the special gadgets and programs, latest safety features, accessories, audio and stereo and so on.

You are welcome to make any recommendation or any additional information that is not included in the post.

Once again, a big welcome from the author and hope this site will be helpful and special to all.