WHEELZ

The Complete Ones! In my book!

2012-01-23T02:53:00.000-08:00

I just went through a buyer's guide and was more than smug to see how voluminous it has become albeit it being 'just' the Indian version of TopGear, one of the most reputed automotive journalistic ventures. However, more pleasing is the fact that same is the case with buyer's guides around the world that have grown leaps and bounds thanks to manufacturer's creating and recreating segments, extracting niches into successfull business opportunities and pipping in new products every other month. As such, what are the cars that you could actually call as being complete or being in capacity to cater to a wide variety of tastes all at once? A tricky one to answer. However, after quite some contemplation, here is my take on the subject, only with a twist and indeed the necessary seasoning rendered. The enumeration ensues -

The Winner - The Audi RS5 -

Okay! Okay! before you might cry foul, I shall humbly remind you of the disclaimer that this list has a twist, which is my own personal judgement and 'emotion' thrown in!

The moment this car was launched in India, I rejoiced....I knew it would be 'my' Car of the Year! Its subtly beaufitul, understated yet elegant and striking, has a coupe profile, can seat four or five in decent comfort, is a continent cruiser and an able city car at the same time, and has a monstrous 444bhp 4.2 litre V8, and to top it all up, Audi's famous build quality, interiors and refinement. Another deal clincher for this car is, compared to all the other cars that are similarly specced, at Rs. 75lakh, this is the most 'value for money' affair! What else could you ask for from a car?

The practical ones - The Suzuki Swift Sport -

now, lets get real shall we? In all optimism it shall be a time before we might actually realise dreams of owning new or used Audi RS'es, so for the time being, let me bring forth all those cars that embody the complete package within grasp of mere mortals like us. To begin with, a hatch had to make this list and in view of all markets, spec sheets and price tags, comes the Swift Sport. Ever since, it was re-launched in 2004-05, the swift took consumers by awe and set the cash registers both at Suzuki and Maruti in a continuous loop. It is the perfect size albeit being a bit tight at the rear, but in this segment no one ever asked for a limo. Its got cheeks to resemble, maybe, a certain Anne Hathaway, read: cute! It always had potent engines and gearboxes, decently specced interiors and properly sorted dynamics that saw Suzuki enter the JWRC scene! To sum it up, in the Sport avatar, it also pays homage to cars like the AE86 Corolla and the Golf MK1 with a lightweight-moderate power oriented take on the hot hatch domain. As such, in the current scenario of cities where your parking lot might cost you more than your home, A Suzuki Swift Sport makes 'complete' sense!

The Skoda Yeti -

next up, is another different take on what one might refer to as practicality. Well, not every where in the world do you have F1 spec paved roads. Specially, in India, certain places make roads look like an unaffordable luxury! This is where that extra differential, a little bit of ground clearance and the SUV tag matters. However, the Tundras and LandCruisers are now politically correct only in the hands of the UN peacekeeping missions, everywhere else, owning one will make you the subject of hatred of tree huggers and the green brigade! In come the Skoda Roomster/Yeti and if produced, the Hyundai Veloster! These are spacious enough to be conventional sedan/hatch replacements, capable enough for powertrain and dynamics that are good both on and off road and above all, come packaged with that extra bit of ground clearance and four wheel drive. In my book, this is the most politically correct and complete car!

The Land Rover Freelander 2 -

well to be honest, this is only truly an appendum to the Yeti or rather to that philosophy and its representation in this list. Just throw a little bit of luxury, some 'proper' techno wizardry, miracle off road mechanics, the Land Rover venerability and competitive pricing into the package. To be more specific, its interiors define class, its got that famed and envied Terrain Response system and is priced bang in the middle of the market segmentations. On-road dynamics are sorted and understated styling is also prevalent. Complete in most senses, eh?

The ones for the executives - Mercedes CLS/Audi A7/BMW 6 GranCoupe -

alright, they could be the envy of the quintessential car buyer or for that matter any corporate employee, but corporate executives, however boring their jobs are, do have their say when it comes to signing that big fat cheque for the latest expensive thing on the market. When it comes to cars, they are not far behind and have been the sole reason for the bean counters in a lot of companies urging the design departments to break into every little niche sculptable. Hence, this particular slot on my list. For the executives' complete car. Normally, the execs make do with more than a couple of cars in their steed wit keys to those in the hands of the spouse and the mistress et al, yet if it was just one, then it has to be a sedan that is both powerful and luxurious yet has both the sobriety of a german design and still have enough embellishments to make it look gorgeous. And it has to have the greenhouse of a coupe. Enter the three big germans and their respective offerings. Originally the banana CLS' forte, now with strong contention in the form of the A7 and the recently launched 6 grancoupe beemer, these have become the epitome of LED garnishings, coupe profiles, engine line-up listings as long as the cars themselves, and swathes of understated design eccentricities, leather and chrome. Indeed complete packages for the execs!

The Youngster's Complete Car - The Porsche Boxster

a quirky note on completeness, yet for the classy ambitious youngster, who can either chug it out for enough bucks to buy a new one or a used one atleast, whats more complete than a 2 seat, 2 door pseudo classic that has the grunt to match its roadster looks, and enough feel in every little mechanical bit than you could ask for? A design that still pays homage to the classic 550 spider. and tagged along with legendary porsche tractability and reliability, atleast in the classy times of the 90s, this was all the car that a youngster could ask for!

The dreamer's complete cars - The Ferrari California

okay, the list gets back to a domain where impracticality rules and imagination has its own dimension! So expense no bar, in the quest for a hard-top convertible, that is beautiful, elegant, powerful, is great fun to drive, has continent cruiser capabilities and yet is an effective track tool, and is front engined in the traditional GT car's way, I arrive upon the Ferrari California. Few Maseratis, Astons and others come close and in some ways are better, but this is a Ferrari! Certain purists may cry foul about this being just a rebadged Maserati GT but journalists who tested this car inside out swear by its prancing horsi-ness. Hence, on that curvy mountainside boulevard to the seashore with the quintessential blonde to accompany you, this coupe is the most complete car. You couldnt ask for anything else. Some bubbly maybe?

The complete hypercar - The Lamborghini Aventador

let me cut this short, keep it brief and hit the last nail in the coffin. Being just about smug with all the beauty was never enough, we always needed that essential insanity at the top. Like demanding Megan Fox to wear a bikini ever after she turned up in the latest Versace Ball gown. Who wouldn't demand that! At that last bastion, steps in 700bhp, carbon fibre tub, pushrod suspension, robotised E-gear tranny, more than fancy aero, and razor sharp styling that can hurt your tender skin if you weren't careful near the edges, in the form of the Lamborghini Aventador. Sure there are Veyrons and Gumperts, but none of them managed elegance, tractability and subtle beauty along with the usual hyperness. Hence, if ever there was just one complete car, in my book, its this, the Aventador!

Dreams Unlimited - The Real Thing!

2011-02-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

at a certain point in life, when you know you cud afford a nice set of wheels or two, it becomes very tough to stop your itching hands from making your wallet go lighter.....apparently, I find myself in this situation of late........by gracious stellar presence or by kindness of the Holy Almighty himself, added to the immense support provided by my beloved folklore....I bagged a nice internship with a very generous Jap firm which plausibly cud turn into a proper job....and then after that,a job with a very generous Indian firm too.....that put me into counting statistics of incomes and investments.........and being the nut head that I am,investments meant toolkits and sets of wheels........:P......the sketches go like this

firstly, during the internship, join Mori Seiki later for a proper stint, earn some good bucks...and given the amazingly mature second hand and first hand market that Japan had, grab a Ducati Monster 696 or a Honda CB1000R and work my way upto a Civic Type-R or an RX-8!(Better still, a used Beemer or Porsche, yay yay).But that would mean, a very solitary life in Nippon braving the challenging food and linguistic constraints.
Secondly, join Telcon, aggressively handle finances and grab the ubiquitously holy offering that Honda's made for us petrolheads in India, a CBR250R for rupees 1.5L, steal my Dad's 11 year old HH splendour if he gets a better bike, and tinkering with it by strapping on airfilters and other bits to make it a drag type crotch rocket....and then work my way upto a Polo 1.6 or a Punto 1.3 90HP!(or a used Palio GTX anyone?). Proximity to home is just the clincher in this deal.

Adding in other titbits like a Nikon D7000, a Sony PS3 (or rather a super freaking gaming computer).......and a practically outrageous yet ambitious and stubbornly optimistic "want-all;get-all" attitude, now I'm baffled between choosing one among the above two or If I should actually chuck everything and save bucks for my future....

Crucial Advice and Criticism invited! Help me folks......

Surprises on the Indian Shores!

2010-09-24T22:14:00.002-07:00

not ages before......the indian market for cars had nothing but , cynically putting it, characterless tin boxes. However now, not one segment passes by without serious choices that allure the true petrolhead to put a big hole in his pocket and grab a chance!.......The list of options,as they are evident from a buyer's guide in front of me, bowl me over totally. ....Little wonders like the K series engines from the newgen Marutis......the return of the 1.6 100bhps in hot hatches in the form of the Polo and Fabia variants, the diesel revolutions tht put out 90 horses out of the delicious looking Fiat Punto....6 speed trannys in a humble i20.......the poor man's Beemer, the Fiesta 1.6S......that much needed turbo in the Linea.....and the Cruze's linear power throws......and the mere abundance of fun cars as one goes up the price brackets......330i,a4 3.2,Evo 10,Boxster, 370Z.......and I would resist talking beyond that.......as money becomes no bar....one can even buy a certain car now officially in India that shares its name with a certain Mr.Ettore......All i can say is...from those tin-boxes to what we have now, the Indian market has surely emerged, in the right fashion too.....and the cult is here to stay, I hope......fingers crossed!

Bubbly comes back!

2010-03-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

...it was on this gorgeous day of 10th March 2009,that we picked up a literally beautiful crimson orange (sunlight copper as per the sales brochure) Maruti Suzuki Swift VXi.......it had a thrumming 1.3 litre petrol engine, 87 bhp...and vroomed on without hesitation at the slightest prod on the throttle....the cheerful looks, the bright skin, shiny wheel caps, et al....i had to give her a name...and bubbly was it (most sincere apologies to Pepsi, Yash Chopra films and Rani Mukherji )....the long drives had to follow.....Vizag,Yanam, Rajahmundry,Bhimavaram....the entire konaseema.....all the lovely state highways flanked by lush green fields were dispensed off with ease by the amazing ride and handling of the car......it was a focused mantra in the car..."dock in the i-pod, seatbelt on,key in, and just keep driving off.....".....till one day......things had to tumble down.....for some reasons...which i'll not state due to personal discrepancy.....bubbly was gone...and we had to look for a new ride.....options flashed open....polo a.k.a duetsche darling, punto a.k.a cutie pupp italia & swift d a.k.a tree hugger bubbly....fights and discussions ensued....pros & cons verified rather sternly.....on one end...my heart fought for the cutie pupp...while on the other....my head battled for the bubbly......a host of obligations and conditions have to be considered ....and in the end.....bubbly stole the show..and all the confetti......tree hugger bubbly...in 1.3 diesel format, forcedly induced with food and pressurised fluids....shall make its entry into our lives on 31st March, 2010......i'm waiting.....with arms wide open....:P......

P.S. : non purists beware, you may find this automobile lovers doddling..entirely crappy....

Percepts unlimited!!!

2010-01-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

here are some flickery thoughts on automobilia!!!...

just how many versions does ford produce of the mustang?....gt, daytona, kr, ......hmm...i totally lost count...yet all they differ in is the size of the aircon knob...!
centring the location of the exhaust piping may not just only stylize the vehicle...but also gives the aero-engineers to design 2 diffusers around it.....doesn't it?
just how do manufacturers acronymate their line-ups according to the engines/power/torque ratings.....nothing ever matches.....mercs c250 cdi has a 2.2 l engine & e350 cdi has a 3.0 l engine.....!
y does audi have to garnish their cars all with immensely infinite number of LEDs in all weird shapes...make some look great though!
y does beemer have to go all sedate again as bangle boy left away drawing and flame surfacing boats......!
and doesnt the current gen benz look like the ultimate fash brand to go for with gucci, versace...the works....just look at the glk, e-class convertible, the sls.....and those shiny whiny wheels...!
....more of tekhnology and percepts to follow soon....

all der new stuff!!!

2010-01-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

yipee....with New Delhi playing host to the Bi-ennial Auto Expo again in Jan 2010, manufacturers rushed to unwrap some new toys for ppl at one of the most emerging and fast growing automotive markets of the world.....India...!!!...though it wasnt as frantic as when the cutie pie nano hit the show....this edition of the nano had its share of pomp and glamour....with the main attractions coming from one and all...chevy with their beat, the volkswagen polo,beetle,toaureg, volvo xc60 and s60, merc s600 and the mighty gl, tata with their usual commercial vehicle parade and a nice surprise in the form of the aria, honda's sweet little car's beta variant, toyota's etios and prado above all the prius, suzuki's kizashi, f3, eeco(y the versa again maruti?), skoda's yeti, hyundai's i10 electric, ford's mini go-fida ala the figo, and a whole lot of other chinese and taiwan auto makers hitting the floors at pragati maidan.....indeed makes for an interesting mix with all the right toppings stuffings....while some intereting taste grappers hither and thither were the sprinkling of mods, chinese and taiwanese small level sports bikes, 'big' bikes from the japs, italians and yes mr.harley davidson......et all......i almost had a chance to be there...yet i somehow missed it......next time i'll c u new delhi!

the tough fight....

2009-11-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

well....u've a couple of crore rupees or the equivalent in dollars/euros/sterlings....and if u wanna blow them on a proper zooper car......well 500 bhp is what u'd be looking at....and u'd be in terrible trouble....as manufacturers from all around the world have got up in line and are fighting it out for your money.....well here are the options...and how u cud choose the right one....

Ferrari 458 italia - 4500cc V8, 570 bhp, 540 nm, RWD, sheer fun & pleasurable drive!
Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 - 5200cc V10, 552 bhp, 540 nm, AWD, amazing grip & control!
Audi R8 5.2 FSi - 5200cc V10, 525 bhp, 530 nm, AWD, grip, control, practical and everyday utility!
Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Gullwing - 6200cc V8, 570 bhp, 650nm, RWD, torquey monster, AMG madness, big time retro!
BMW M6 - 5000cc V10, 500bhp, 520nm, RWD, luxurious bullet, sheer driving pleasure!
Aston Martin V12 Vantage - 6000cc V12, 510bhp, 570nm, torquey, little monster, ultra light nd looks hot!
Jaguar XKR - 5000cc V8, 510bhp, 625nm, zupercharged and got gobbles of torque, british royalty ups the ante!
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 - 6200cc V8, 638bhp, 810nm, full blown corvette with amazing numbers, ultra cheap!
Chevrolet Camaro LS7 - 6200cc V8, 550bhp, 620nm, very ultra cheap, muscle cult, uber cool!
Shelby Mustang GT500 - 5400cc V8, 540bhp, 700nm, mega 750hp on the supersnake edition, cheap too!

well....the list's getting quite exhaustive aint it?...choose by the persona which reflects u best mr.millionnaire...and when u do....call me for a test drive....of course around the nurburgring....yeehaah!!!

Tekhnn-ology Part 2!!!

2009-11-07T22:29:00.000-08:00

.....hmm...not much comes to my mind among a whole long list..but here are a few more revolutionary technologies creeping up into cars over the past few decades.....

Swirl and Tumble Induction - quite a simple yet interesting thing, this one where in the co-ordinates of the intake and exhaust valves are offset in the combustion chamber to induce a swirl and tumble motion in the charge to better out the charge mix ratio and pump up the combustion efficiency.
Piezo Injectors - a step above the solenoid valve and pump injectors, these use piezo material and current on and off stages to improve injector efficiency.
Variable Geometry Turbos - using differently sized turbo chambers for different engine rpms controlled by a wastegate mechanism and suitable monitoring, lag has been significantly reduced in turbos.
Variable Cylinder Management - shutting off some of the cylinders...well nobody wud have imagined so....but indeed is possible to shut off some of the cylinders to improve efficiency and lower emissions when the vehicle doesnt demand it...
Torque Converters - replacing clutches in automatic vehicles, have much smoothened transmissions by using simple swirl out and swirl in motions of fluids and impellers.
Double Clutch Gearboxes - using a co-axial dual layshaft system and a couple of o/p shafts, pre-engaged gearing makes the gearshifts faster and smoother well into the millisecond timings.
CVTs - variable geometry axes, and belts running between the engine and the o/p shafts et all....providing continuously variable speeds..city driving made all the more easier.

...a lot more to go ....upcoming in the next posts....

Teknno-ology!!!

2009-08-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

..well..here are some of the technologies that have revolutionised the way automobiles move over the previous one and a half decade.....

Xenon Headlamps - projector headlamps have not only made cars and bikes look cooler but are also way more efficient..
LEDS - nothing much technologically advanced in there...only making for a cooler or scarier impression...and also help for daytime illumination...
Front Airdams, Splitters - Essentially useful in directing air onto the radiator or over the car's body or under it as required to improve aerodynamic efficiency..also helps for sportier looks...used extensively on supercars...becoming popular in mainstream cars as well..
Sculpted Bonnets, Air Vents,Scoops - an innovation as far as mainstream cars are considered,mostly utilised for diverting air onto the sides of the car or for expelling hot air out of the radiator.
CRDi - revolutionising diesel direct injection and sending the pump injectors to 'almost' oblivion....the common rail systems are all over and more..
Direct Injection-Gasoline - following on close lines of CRDi this has moved over MPFi systems to increase efficiency of petrol engines by some impressive measure.
Double Forced Induction - incorporating double turbos or a super and a turbo seems to be the trend of the day to extract more steeds out of every inch of the rev range.
Variable Valve Timing and Lift - unexplainable in 2 lines...it serves to flex the performance of valves much to facilitate harnessing the engine the way we like it...
Exhaust Gas Recirculation - quite an interesting way to minimise pollution, this enables altering the intake charge via utilising the exhaust gases to some extent. Also helps in recharging the particulate filters, NOX emission controllers and catalytic converters.
......more to follow in coming posts......

Bull Run

2009-07-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

....well...this had to happen someday....me celebrating the absolutely hooty state of my favourite company....yes, Lamborghini...which initially started out making tractors....and with fond history featuring provocation of Ferrucio Lamborghini, a rich tractor maker and Ferrari enthusiast, who went to Enzo stating the problems on his Ferrari 250 GTo's clutch..and was statedly humiliated by Ferrari quoting.."the problem is not the car, but the driver".....and underdog ferrucio's passion to take on rival ferrari at his own game......thus followed the companies crazy and tumultous history....losses, bankruptcy, very famous unreliability of cars..yet outright crazy, gorgeous and seductive cars on the line up featuring masters like the Miura, Countach, Islero , Diablo.....so much so that Lambo came to be called as the craziest company there is....yet one fine day Audi AG, a part of the mighty VW group took Lambo under its care,bought it, in other words and here the hooty story begins....since then, Lambo hasnt stopped dishing out models, special editions, upgrades, competition versions,concepts..what not?...hence I had to say.....yeehaah.....if u dont believe me,just check out the things dished out in the last few years..the gallardo,murcielago,versace editions,gt cups,LP640,barchettas,spiders, LP560-4, ...now recently..the effervescent estoque concept, the Zooperveloche LP670-4, LP650-4 barchetta, ..yadda yadda....they are making more cars than some main stream mass producing companies..err..thats just kidding..but its close......yes, curse me for supporting a company whose products are politically incorrect, polluting, mighty expensive...but since I'm in love...I just cant help it......zoo zoo zoo....

Ironed out!!!

2009-06-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

well...that's what folks at various design houses working for the three pointed star firm from stuttgart seem to be doing....i'm referring to the current gen merc designs....all the curves from the previous gen seem to be ironed out for modernity, machoness and indeed robust looks..hehe....the significant changes seen on the head and tail lights(needless to mention the intricacies woven by explicit use of LEDS), bolder grilles, broader green houses...et all....the changes are more predominant in the c and e...while the new e coupe is particularly lovely....time to chuck out the clk then,eh?......the s gets only a mild facial revamp while the slk and sl dont seem all that different.....whats more the mighty glk is around the corner which happens to be one more bold and interesting design....offo...how come did i forget mention the raison d etre of it all....behold mclaren and merc are bringing back the gullwing! yes you got me right,..the gullwing, albeit this iteration being called the mcmerc sls...a replacement to the current slr........so,whats the mighty significance of this design language,then eh?...well its personal but i'm gonna miss the fluidity and liquidity (aren't they one and the same?) of the previous gen designs...those tight yet curvy greenhouses, fused round headlamps, and curvy backs.....those curves which seem to have been ironed out now...hmm....such is life,innit?

bangle,bangler,banglest!!!

2009-06-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

hehe...that pun header..so stupid....off course I'm talking about one Mr. Chris Bangle, the BMW design head till recently...has just chosen to retire...hang up his gloves,pencils, drawing sheets and relax.....hmm....i wouldn't quite comment on whether that's a good sign or not but would surely say that I'd miss him and his ever quirky beemer designs if at all BMW goes for a drastic renovation of its design language...but from the looks of the post-bangle generation beemers, it looks like BMW would have loved it if bangle stayed...well that's nice then.....so,what is it with Mr.Chris Bangle then,eh?.....well.....check out the current and just previous gen beemer cars....as they are german (well, built in austria and america also in some cases,yet)..they are freakishly tuetonically good in terms of engines, performance,luxury,efficiency and reliability...yes we all know it and have grown up expecting it from beemers....one more thing we all have begun accepting was that beemers are staid,plain and boring yet simple and beautiful looking automobiles...then comes chris to wreck the party...hehe....what language he has stuck upon for his designs has been quite unprecedented....right from flame surfaced bonnets to unshut boot lines...bangle's designs caught the eyes of every auto-designer and enthusiast...and somehow i've to say..the designs are indeed remarkable....intricate headlamps,corona rings,flame surfacing that makes cars resemble waxed supermodels,quirky doors,that traditional BMW kinks in the c-pillar,unshut boots....all quite visible in every beemer model.....but acceptably so only in the 3,5 and the Z4 roadster (in my case here)....very soon all other auto firms started copying bangle as his designs did leave an impending remark....the reason could be being quite unconventional yet cryogenically ccol and trendy..(there,bangle has set an all new trend in automotive design!).....now that bangle has retired....yet BMW seems to be retaining his design language for good.....the new 7 looks like it can swallow significantly sized wildlife through its grille while the new Z4 has evolved into one beautiful automobile....i'm very expectant to see how the new 5 and 6 would look like and always wanted bangle to do a new csl that BMW left back in the 90s.....a pity he didnt... !

Cat Stories!!!

2009-04-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the really bad pun header,I am trying to write about the recently seen good times to the now "Indian" Tata owned retaliating cat,Jaguar!!!..ditching all their foolish designs that were in the previous generation and looking at their past generations (of the 50s and 60s)...for inspiration...jaguar's coming back Big Time...With the supremely sleek and sexy XF and XK designed to ooze exuberance,style,grace and stealth all at once..with nicely appointed interiors..and awesomely reasonable prices...the cats are really into something...jag's also developed a new V8 from scratch that makes 510 bhp and just 300gm/km of CO2 while displacing 5 liters...it features a host of modern technologies including new age materials like magnesium,titanium,etc highly employed in the construction...needless to mention the ever geeky intake and exhaust manifolds,transmissions,catalytic converters,engine management,etc..to take on the likes of BMWs M engines and those from AMG as well...lots of good news then...also heard is that JLR has bagged a 13000 unit order to be delivered over the next 3 years....!Indeed impressive in these times of economic slowdown....and guess what BBC Topgear calls the XKR.."the best GT in the world" above the Aston DB9!!!....Kudos Jaguar!!!

911 options!!!

2009-04-04T01:28:00.000-07:00

ya..u must have guessed it right...I am talking about the Porsche masterpiece, the 911....ya one of my altime favourites..the 911 currently happens to be not only the Porsche flagship but also a great profit bearer for the zueffenhassen firm which happens to hold a 51% stake in the mighty Volkswagen as well!!!...now check out the 911 model range...it almost surmises the other porsche models....lots and lots to choose from...want a simple sporty car which you could take to the office as well as the fast boulevard...u hav the carrera,want more power..take the carrera s...want the wind in your hair..u've got the convertibles...want more grip and traction..get the 4's with four wheel drive...want a little interesting option..with both sunshine,wind in the air feel and the occasional protection against the monsoons...take the targa's with ya..again the normal,s,4 and 4s versions...hehe...a lot really rite?....now the juicier part...u want to blow it all away..want the perfect combo...practical,efficient,powerful,sporty and a helluva lot of fun..yeah the real one..the turbo at your summons..and whats more..?
who can resist the urge to hit the tracks when speed is in the blood...and u want a track machine,rite?
yeah..the 911 range has got it for u with not one but two..the GT3 RS with 4 wheel drive..and the ultima GT2 with 2 wheel drive for maximum driving pleasure....yeah..indeed there's lots of choice for the enthusiast in the 911 range...mighty juicy indeed...the only lowside being that deep pocket that is mandatory...however u get the traditional porsche reliability and character as the toppings...way to go...!!!

Jet Propulsion!!!

2009-03-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

Well...hello...I've had the first flight of my life...it was indeed an "experience" for a person like me who's hooked to things like acceleration,drag,downforce,lift and such 'boring' stuff..hehe...the acceleration prior to take off was like..well..in a lambo or a veyron or a zonda..hehe...there was this momentary zero gravity feeling at the point of take-off..well lots of lovely roll in the air..then that bit rough landing..with flaps deployed high above for braking drag..i almost had my stomach losing control there..hehe..well..watching the wings work magic generating lift,drag,downforce...the jet propulsion engines....monsters that they are....and not to forget mentioning the beautiful and very assistive stewardesses..hehe....wat wud i say?
God Bless the souls that created the aircraft (off course,wright bros.), aerodynamics, jet propulsion..nd all that 'boring' stuff..!!

Fuel Conscience!

2009-03-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

Check out the ads for any new American car...each ad claims the car to run more kms for every gallon of fuel...now what a crisis it has become that the country of big bore V8s and V12s...the gas guzzling nation..that country where people left their big bore engines 'ticking' while just waiting hours and ends to get that ham sandwich from McDonalds packed and properly stuffed...is now calculating every km made by its cars for every drop of fuel....sure I do love those 60s mustangs, chargers, plymouths, ...but wish they had the fuel efficiency notion pretty earlier..then fuel would have been much cheaper, wells still full of oil, the globe would hav been cooler, etc... such is the irony of human madness i would say!..no offence though..pardon me..but where was the logic..did it have to come only after all this?

TFSi

2009-02-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

Heyy,
the 28th of February,2009...a big difference happened to me....with a lot of inspiration from my lovely bro..I decided to integrate a supercharger to my turbo...purists may get this..for others it could be outright bakwaas..however..from now its Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Ignition all the way..!
Thank You Bro,

Vintage Romance!

2009-02-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

Ever noticed the best looking cars of today with a little concentration...dont they take a hell lot of design cues from vintage and classic cars?,..now undisputed fact being that Vintage and Classic cars are hoots to look at and are 'beautiful'. With luscious spreading of chrome, raw metal feel,lovely head and taillights, amazing curvy coachworks and the bare basic feel in the applications, the raw power of those engines..even the senseless fuel and environment inefficiency.....hmm...not to mention the pricetags that they carry at Auctions these days...even the rich consider them as worthy investments these days....what to say but to follow the saying "A thing of Beauty is a joy forever" ...to quote a few The Ferrari 250GTo California, The Mercedes 300 SLR, the gullwing, The Lambo Miura, The Alfas , The Masers, The Aero inspired Chevys and Cadillacs,Corvette Mako Shark and Sting Ray...google these terms and indulge yourselves in the world of Automotive Glamour and Beauty...now when did a modern car create such hoopla...even the one tauted as the Most beautiful Car to be into production currently, the much awaited Aston one-77 takes a lot of cues from vintage cars of yore....indeed old is gold and absolutely romantic!

Y..just Y not?

2009-02-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

Of late,I find that the number of exciting and thrilling automobiles in the Indian market is very less and so is the choice...quite lately are we starting to get cars like the FIAT Linea...hmm..I'm talking about cars that you and me really lust for,drool after and one day buy and keep in our garages..off course I've huge ambitions for a big garage.....but on the low end too there are a whole lot of cars that can excite us yet come for pretty reasonable prices...say cars like the FIAT grande Punto,and an abarth version for a couple of lakh more...y not the european civic(okay,the civic's hot but..),y not d evo version of the lancer nd all the japanese bandwagon..we want ze impreza,350Z,rx8 and all those hooligans...nd govt. should seriously ditch that 110% import duty...so tat I cud buy my dream Boxster for just around 35 lakhs rather than the premium of 20 l more it currently demands...hmm..pretty unfair...nd y not the Toyota Aygo,yaris,golf,(yes the R32 nd Gti),..hmm..a lot to go..manufacturers are u listening..hmm..d linea's here...so probably somebody's listening...fingers crossed..!!!

A.R.Rahman...Way 2 go...

2009-01-24T23:22:00.000-08:00

Yes..one more totally irrelevant article on this wheel-o-maniac's page..but i just cudn't resist...Now with the golden globe its time I flattered rahman but to no extent enough for all the immense caliber he's got...no dispute ..the albums and music dished out by him are always the best...no matter whatever 'zamaana' one's in one cannot miss rahman's music..right from 'Roja' to today's 'Slumdog' and 'Connections' rahman's music has always been timeless and appealing to evryone....the tracks always sound way ahead of the time and still never feel bored out or out of tune..he's just incredible..besides no matter what number of awards he's gotten..he always stayed quite humble and shud I say a little shy as well...watch him at an award function and you'll know...no wonder he's a master..only the maestro Ilayaraja coming closer....last heard he's got 3 nominations at the 09 oscars..fingers crossed!! i hope he gets all 2 ....kudos!!!

Google..hail to thee...

2008-11-22T03:25:00.000-08:00

Now..I just cudn't resist this...though quite an inappropriate article on a "loaded with wheels" blog page ...well..such is life...just look at the revolution...Orkut, one of the most acclaimed and loved websites of our times, Gmail and Gtalk, quite user friendly and utilised mailing and chatting networks., Blogger which though no one reads them, lets you put forward all your ideas and go all out crazy!..now, Picasa..your own online photo album, Chrome, somethin tat showed even browsers are exciting, and soon Google's bringing their own OS....Microsoft be very very afraid..!

Kinetic Design

2008-11-22T03:04:00.000-08:00

With James Bond proudly endorsing it..Ford's new Kinetic Design philosophy and the resulting gorgeous models tat came through have no looking back..even the cars look absolutely fantastic and hot and damn futuristic...the Ka, the Fiesta, the Focus, the Edge, the Mondeo, the Kuga..evrythin's a hoot to look at...of course, the legendary ford build quality, refinement, reliability and sportiness (the focus only)..remains...! Hope this should help Ford out of its financial trouble...!

Whoa..lots of new rush!

2008-11-22T02:44:00.000-08:00

Repression, inflation and the other economic crisis doesn't seem to be having any effect on the Automobile world with manufacturers dishing out new cars or upgrades every other day...

..Now after the Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini has a new 4 door saloon in the pipeline..yes you read that right..The Estoque is soon to see the light of the production line..Lambo followed it up with the gorgeous Gallardo LP560-4 spyder..supercars seem 2 be comin like hot dogs...with Ferrari having a go with a special edition F430 Scuderia spyder called the 16M...wat else?..Porsche upgraded the Boxster, Cayman and the 911 last year as well...The veyron sports a glass roof now..called the Gransport..it comes with an umbrella for preventing Mr.Billionnaire from getting wet when he drives with the glass roof off at 360+kmph..hehe...besides..Ford has a new Mustang..a new 3 and 7 series beemers hit the production lines...Audi's finally showed the Q7 V12 TDi on to production..clear madness!.....only one goodbye news amidst all of this is tat Merc has bade goodbye to the SLR now...even in India..we have the Outlander, the new City, and the A-Star...hmm..hope this new car rush stays on..!

Global Warming Catastrphy

2008-09-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Do you think the current alarming situation of global warming will take away our freedom to enjoy fast,fun,brutal and fuel inefficient cars like ferraris and lamborghinis and leave us in the wake of boring hybrid and electric cars?
Are we gonna miss that burning rubber, that fuel smell and those smoke fumes?
Just like what happened in the case of lovely two strokes like the Yamaha RX100 and the RD350?

Most Beautiful Car..

2008-06-22T01:01:00.000-07:00

Hey folks..
What do you think is the most beautiful car that ever was designed,bulit or produced..
Just shell out your opinion..
As for mine..I think it's the Lamborghini Miura...Wat say..?

Welcome

2008-05-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody..
This is a li'll hang out place for all the Auto nuts,geeks and everyone with a sweet spot for Automobiles..Welcome..lets start the fun and frolic...!