| Supercars that will spoil you
Buyers of ultra-high-end cars have traditionally fallen into one of two camps: performance or luxury. There are the thrill seekers, strapped into million-dollar Bugatti Veyrons, zooming down the autobahn at 200-plus mph. And then there's the chauffeured set, lounging in the backseats of Rolls-Royce Phantoms while sipping glasses of Cristal. Judging by the latest crop of supercars to hit the market, automakers are betting more big-spenders fall somewhere in between the two extremes. You no longer have to choose between ultra-fast acceleration and hand-stitched comfort. In some new models, you get the best of both worlds. No car embodies the Goldilocks approach better than Fiat's Maserati GranTurismo, a supercar that made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. A sportier update of the four-door Quattroporte, the Pininfarina-designed GranTurismo is more compact and more curvaceous than its predecessor, with a wider grille.
Maserati roars back into lead
FIFTY years ago the great racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio called a halt to his career at the age of 47. He retired at the top, Formula 1 world champion for the fifth time in 1957. His last race, the 1958 French Grand Prix, was in a Maserati 250F and it marked the end of the road for the Maserati racing team, which had been more than a match for Ferrari, its Italian compatriot. For all its success, Maserati, then owned by the Orsi family, had run out of money. Though it subsequently raced sports cars, Maserati continued to decline. It teetered on the edge of bankruptcy and new shareholders and owners came and went until it fell into the hands of Fiat, Italy’s automotive giant, in 1993. After wondering what to do about a company with an exciting name that was making a small number of cars with a poor reputation for reliability, Fiat entrusted the management of Maserati to Ferrari, which it had owned since 1988.
Giro Provincia Grosseto - Stage One Updated
Pippo is in MSR form already! Details, top results and a few stage pictures inside. Even though the main target of the (early) season, Milano-Sanremo, is still over one month away, Filippo Pozzato showed that he's in top form already. The Liquigas team leader opened his 2008 account by sprinting to victory in today's opener of the Giro della Provincia di Grosseto, a new short stage race running Friday thru Sunday in Tuscany, with 25 teams (and 197 riders) in attendance, eight of which with a Pro Tour license. The young talent from the Veneto region easily pipped Grega Bole of Slovenia (Adria Mobil) and the Italian Alessandro Maserati (Team LPR) to the line at the end of the 168-km trip from Massa Marittima to the seaside resort of Follonica.
POZZATO WINS Photo Fotoreporter Sirotti What should have a been a build-up race for the Classica di Primavera, what should have been a good chance to test his skills as helper (of a teammate like the sprinter Claudio Corioni ...), turned into a first occasion to stamp his authority and send an unmistakable message to all other Spring Classic contenders.
German Auto Industry Calls EU's CO2 Diet Unworkable
When it comes to consumer loyalty in choosing a car brand, national passions run deep in Europe. All of the top 10 best-selling cars in Germany are produced by Volkswagen, Opel, BMW or Audi. The French also vastly prefer cars in their home market, and the Italians are loyal to their Fiats and Maseratis. So last week when Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking argued before the EU Commission that the new C02 emission target of 120 grams per kilometer (g/km) pitted beefy German cars against smaller French and Italian producers, Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for a compromise. The new EU-wide target for 2012 is now 130 g/km with the shortfall of 10 grams to be made up with the use of bio-fuels and other measures, but the EU has yet to spell out how such a target is to be achieved.
Horoscopes for Friday, November 9
Thought for the Day: The mysterious dark of the moon phase ends at 6:03 p.m. as the moon lines up between the sun and Earth. That will kick off the first day of the next 29.5 day lunar month. Get ready to run the circuit through first quarter, full and last quarter phases. If today is your birthday: If you think creatively, plan cleverly and move determinedly, you will turn what might be into what you want it to be. The improbable will become the probable. Some strongly supportive celestial factors ensure your success. Happy birthday to Nick Lachey, 34, left. Aries (March 21 — April 20) You are dealing with a situation beyond your control. The best you can do is to exert a small influence over the outcome.
Regions and territories: The Golan Heights
Rainwater from the Golan's catchment feeds into the Jordan River. The area provides a third of Israel's water supply. The land is fertile, with the volcanic soil being used to cultivate vineyards and orchards and to raise cattle. The Golan is also home to Israel's only ski resort. Stumbling blocks Syria wants to secure the return of the Golan Heights as part of any peace deal. In late 2003, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he was ready to revive peace talks with Israel. In Israel, the principle of returning the territory in return for peace is already established. During US-brokered peace talks in 1999-2000 former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak had offered to return most of the Golan to Syria. But the main sticking point during the 1999 talks is also likely to bedevil any future discussions.
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