| Prized Maserati is prime attraction at supercar show
Abu Dhabi: A Maserati costing 1.8 million euros (Dh9.78 million) is the prime attraction of a supercar Show. The show, the first of its kind in the city, features about 30 luxurious cars. The Private Drive Supercar Show was officially opened on Saturday evening in the presence of Shaikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Emirates Palace Hotel. The show ends on Monday. Maserati's MC 12 Corsa (2007) is the star. "It is one among nine in the world," said Adel Euza who owns the car. "The car's top speed is 480 kmph and it has been used in international races. You cannot order it from the company anymore," said Adel who is displaying five cars in the show. .
Maserati QP Sport GT
Could this possibly be one of the best-looking cars that $146,000 money can currently buy? If just for admiring from 10 paces, the 2007 Sport GT is worth every cent. These cars are still hand-built in Modena, so the niggles that I have about low-rent plastic fixtures and tainted attention to detail should be ignored. Maserati claim that 16 Quattroportes are built per day, so to expect Japanese-level quality control is a waste of your time. Yet the Italian manufacturer has recently invested more than $60m in the plant to address these imperfections. Each car is now meant to receive an extensive visual inspection and a few hours of drive time under their belt before they set sail. Or so they say. There must be a few stragglers that fall to the wayside, avoiding their multimillion-point test check, and an afternoon's jaunt around the Italian countryside.
NHL player Ramage granted appeal and released from custody
Newmarket, Ont. - An Ontario court has decided to hear the appeal of Rob Ramage, the former NHL player and Toronto Maple Leaf captain, who was sentenced to four years in prison, Thursday, for the 2003 impaired driving death of former Chicago Blackhawks player Keith Magnuson Magnuson died on Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage slammed head-on into another vehicle in Woodbridge. Ramage received four years for impaired driving causing death and four years for impaired driving causing bodily harm. He received two-years sentences each for dangerous driving causing death and for dangerous driving causing bodily harm -- all of these sentences will be served concurrently, so what that means is that he will spend four years in prison. In his almost one-hour statement, the judge commended Ramage for his charity work over the years and said he showed genuine remorse, but added that given the seriousness of the crime, a serious sentence was required to serve as a deterrent to other drivers.
G. Chambers Williams III: Automakers push clean diesel in the U.S.
Diesels, not hybrids, might be the net big thing in Americans' quest to get better fuel economy and help curb the use of imported oil. New U.S. smog regulations and the mandated use of low-sulfur diesel fuel have spurred development of diesel-powered vehicles that don't produce the black fumes associated with diesels of the past. Now that so-called clean diesel is available, some automakers are scrambling to offer U.S. consumers the more-fuel-efficient diesel engines that European drivers have embraced for years. Once the domain of large pickups and commercial vehicles in the United States, diesels now are available in a few cars and SUVs, and soon will be offered in a broader range of vehicles, including light pickups, small and midsize cars, and even luxury sedans and sports cars.
GM trots out 'Vette with 620 horses
The Chevrolet Corvette has long been known as a superb performance value, offering speed and handling that would cost you twice as much in a European sports car. With the ZR1, which will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, General Motors is taking the Corvette into supercar territory with a supercharged V8 that, GM says, will produce at least 620 horsepower. In contrast, the base model Corvette is powered by a 6.2-liter, 430 horsepower V8, while the high-performance Corvette Z06 is powered by a 7.0-liter, 505 horsepower engine. "Chevrolet's goal with the ZR1 is to show that an American supercar can deliver, at a price that trumps exotics that cost two, three, or four times as much - and does so with exceptional driveability," said Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper in a GM announcement.
February 2008
Change to Win's Anna Burger, the highest-ranking woman in the US labor movement, said Clinton should consider withdrawing from the race. Clinton ended January with her campaign $7.6 million in debt, which does not include the $5 million personal loan she floated the campaign after Feb. 5. There is consternation among progressives about the state Democratic Party's desire to run disgruntled Republican Chris Bodkin instead of Democrat Jimmy Dahroug against Sen. Caesar Trunzo. Sen. Eric Schneiderman writes about "transformational politics" (as opposed to transactional politics) for The Nation. Potential Bronx borough president candidate Helen Foster defended her father's comment that the last two people to hold that post (Adolfo Carrion and Freddy Ferrer) weren't "sympathetic to the black community." Gov.
Audi's first true sports car: Grrrr8!
"Just look at this!" exclaimed Seal, gesturing at the new Audi R8's carbon-fiber midsection stripe. "It gives the car a unique identity, it highlights that it's a mid-engine sports car, and it separates the passenger and mechanical sections of the car. No other car has such a visual device."
Although the Ferrari-owning pop artist (and Mr. Heidi Klum) may have attended the Audi launch as spokesman, his passion was nonetheless real - and well placed. .
The Beautiful Game: Gerrard can't blame blown lead on scrutiny
LIVERPOOL'S STEVEN GERRARD is one of the best players around, but he was being plain ridiculous this week. Gerrard claimed all the off-field speculation regarding the Reds was hampering their performance and even played a part in Monday's 2-2 draw against Aston Villa at Anfield, when his team blew a 1-0 lead following 60 minutes of utter domination. In case you missed it, rumors continue to abound that Dubai International Capital is trying to buy the team, which was only sold to American tycoons Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. early last year. In recent months, there's also been continued speculation about the future of Spanish manager Rafael Benitez, whose relationship with Hicks and Gillett Jr. is less than stellar. "It is not just this week," Gerrard claimed.
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