New details are emerging about the 2012 Mercedes A-Class as the company has confirmed there will be an AMG variant. Full coverage inside
Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/sMD3EQZMD_Q/mercedes-confirms-a-class-amg
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Mercedes confirms A-Class AMG
New details are emerging about the 2012 Mercedes A-Class as the company has confirmed there will be an AMG variant. Full coverage inside 
Consequences?
Let us assume for a moment that the German publications reporting that Bernie Ecclestone has alleged that BayernLB’s Gerhard Gribkowsky blackmailed him during the sale of the Formula One group to CVC Capital Partners back in 2005 are correct. It is a safe bet because they seem to have exceptionally good links to the judiciary [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/consequences/
Maybach Exelero sold for $8 million - report
Sure, you can buy a Maybach 57S Cruiserio Coupe for a million dollars (€675,000) but why bother when you can have the real thing for just $7 million (€4,721,200) more? 
Lamborghini Aventador sold out for the next 18 months
Shortly after the Lamborghini Aventador’s official debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini was pleased to announce that the super car had been sold out for the 2011 model year. Now, the company can puff out its chest that much more since the Aventador is now sold out for the next 18 months!
Lamborghini planned to build 600 Aventador units per year and they have already sold 1,000 units, illustrating the super car’s rising popularity in spite of its $379,700 price tag. We imagine that the production of the Spyder version will end up creating some sort of balance in sales. Thankfully, it will be launched sometime next year giving more fans the ability to ride around in Lamborghini’s newest creation.
The Aventador is powered by a new 6.5-liter V12 engine with an AWD layout that produces 700 HP at 8,250 rpm and 509 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. This engine will be able to get from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds while blasting off a top speed of 217 mph.
Lamborghini Aventador sold out for the next 18 months originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 29 April 2011 20:00 EST.
Team Lotus Launch Their 2011 Machine The T128
Team Lotus (the one who raced last year) have become the second team to officially pull the covers off their new 2011 car. The green and yellow liveried machine will start be raced by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen this season under the name of Team Lotus as the management’s row with Group Lotus, now [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/team-lotus-launch-their-2011-machine-the-t128/
Brilliant Hamilton brings season alive
Lewis Hamilton was fighting back the tears as he prepared to go out on to the podium after winning the Chinese Grand Prix. It had, he said, felt like "an eternity" since his last victory, in the Belgian Grand Prix last August. After he has come down to earth, he might well think it was worth the wait. This was - Martin Brundle and David Coulthard agreed - one of the greatest performances of Hamilton's career.
A thrilling race, in which it was impossible to pick a winner until very close to the end, put an end to Sebastian Vettel's domination of the 2011 season. From looking like his Red Bull had the pace to win every race, the world champion now knows he faces a fight.
From the very beginning of the season, it has looked like Hamilton would be the man giving the Red Bulls their closest challenge, but events had transpired in the previous two races to prevent him taking the fight to Vettel.
In China, though, Hamilton finally got the chance he had been waiting for and the result was one of the most exciting Formula 1 races for a very long time.
It ebbed and flowed, the advantage swaying one way and then the other between four teams and five different drivers, all coming together in a thrilling final few laps as the various strategies chosen by the different teams merged.
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What allowed it all to happen was both Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button beating Vettel, who started from pole position, away from the grid. That demoted the German to third place on the first lap and prevented him from unleashing the full pace of the Red Bull and building an advantage he could then defend for the rest of the race.
Instead, Vettel spent the first part of the race bottled up behind the McLarens and from that position Red Bull made what eventually turned out to be a critical error - to do only two pit stops compared to the three of McLaren.
For a long time, it looked like it would work - starting from when Button made the astonishing error of stopping at the Red Bull pit instead of his McLaren one as he and Vettel came in for the first time.
That put Vettel ahead of both McLarens, into clear air and seemingly on course to cruise to victory. But it soon became clear it would not be as simple as that. He did not close on the leading Mercedes of the impressive Nico Rosberg as quickly as might have been expected, and neither was he pulling away from Felipe Massa's Ferrari behind him.
As the race developed, it soon became clear that it was turning into a classic F1 strategy battle - two stops versus three.
Had this been last year, with more durable tyres, the two-stoppers - Vettel and Massa - would have won out, as they were in front by the time all the leading runners had completed the stops.
But the deliberately rapid degradation of the new Pirelli tyres means that races are no longer about track position going into the final stages. Because the tyres can lose their edge so quickly, they are about who has the most grip in the closing laps. It is no good being in front if you do not have the grip to defend your position.
That created a brilliant spectacle - as was the idea when Pirelli were asked to design tyres in this way. Once everyone had completed their pit stops, Hamilton was in fourth place, and on tyres with much more grip than Vettel, Massa and Rosberg in the first three positions.
Hamilton's passing moves on those three got better and better - peaking with a superbly audacious dive down the inside of Vettel into the 150mph Turn Seven to take the lead. It was, as even Vettel had to admit, "a good move".
But arguably the best of all was the overtake that made the victory possible - taking what at the time was second place from Button into Turn One on lap 35, with 21 laps to go.
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It is not the easiest of places to pass - there is no sharp braking into that corner; the cars dive in and slow progressively as it gets tighter and tighter through nearly a complete circle. Hamilton seemed to catch Button unawares and there was a nervy moment when the older man suddenly realised his team-mate was there.
Button had a little wobble as he made room for Hamilton, and up on the pit wall team principal Martin Whitmarsh had his heart in his mouth. But it worked out and Hamilton had three laps to make up some time before his final stop.
"It felt absolutely incredible and was probably one of the best races I've ever competed in," Hamilton told BBC Sport's F1 Forum after the race. "It was one of the best grand prix wins I can remember."
It was indeed a quite superb drive, probably his best in the dry, and one that certainly ranks up there with his wet-weather wins at Japan 2007, Silverstone 2008 and Spa last year.
It was also a timely reminder that for all Vettel's impressive run of wins and pole positions at the end of last year and the beginning of this, there are a few other drivers out there who are at least a match for him if they are provided with the right equipment and circumstances.
Among them, Hamilton is right up at the top - and this win has closed the gap to Vettel in the championship to 21 points. Suddenly, a season that had looked poised to be a Red Bull walkover has come alive.
The key themes of the narrative are still not absolutely clear.
One, it seems, will be Red Bull's struggles with Kers. These again proved an Achilles heel for the team - Webber struggled with the system through the weekend, and it malfunctioned on Vettel's car in the race, just as it did in Malaysia a week ago.
Another will clearly be the impact of the tyres and the controversial moveable rear wing, or DRS as it is known in F1 jargon. For ultra-purists, there is an argument that the racing, while exciting, feels a little artificial at times.
As Webber, whose fabulous recovery drive ironically made him one of the biggest beneficiaries of the massive grip differences between old and new tyres, put it: "I'm still not a huge fan of how it is; sometimes the overtakes are not all that genuine because the guys don't have anything to fight back with."
But after a race as good as this, how much does that matter?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/04/brilliant_hamilton_brings_seas.html
Friday, 29 April 2011
Original early '60s build of MPC '34 truck
This is an original early '60s build of the first MPC '34 Ford pick-up kit I bought. This won the first model car contest I ever entered in Phx. at the local hobby shop. I won a nice trophy but it was broke in some long ago move. I don't know what happened to the glass but it was there decades ago. There is one of the rare AMT pewter plaques on the back. Don't know why the truck has only one tailight. The original rattle can Western Auto Orange paint is still on it. I used colored thread to wire the motor and the fuel lines is fishing line. The only modification I did was chop the bed shorter. I need to get a kit glass piece and carefully take the truck apart and install it. The win and trophy I got inspired me to continue building model cars. Thank you. Patrick Mitchell
I am glad this truck survived all the moves and is still in good condition after all these years. Patrick Mitchell
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/955516.aspx
rear spoilers
Where can I find resin or plastic rear spoilers for 1970 style cars. I would like to find ones like the one in amt's 1971 Dodge Charger kits? Thank You for any help you can give.
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/955669.aspx
BMW Z2 Roadster
Rumors about a BMW Z2 Roadster started a very long time ago, but as the time passed, nothing concrete ever materialized on this particular model, leaving us with little to work with in terms of providing good information. Thankfully, that time is over as we have received actual information on the future model.
The BMW Z2 Roadster will be a roadster version of the 1-Series model and will be placed under the Z4, in both performance and price. This new model will target models like the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
The BMW Z2 will be built on the same platform as the next generation 1-Series and will weigh less than 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs). It will be offered with a range of four-cylinders, with the top version going up to 250 HP. There are rumors about a hybrid version, but an electric version is also being taken under consideration.
The first prototypes have already been caught testing on public roads in California, so expect an official debut in late 2013. However, a concept version has already been rumored for a debut in 2012, most likely at the Paris Auto Show. Prices will start at around $30,000.
UPDATE 04/29/2011: Autobild.de has revealed new details on the future Z2. According to the German magazine, the Z2 will be a totally new model placed below the Z4. It will be built on an all-wheel-drive platform, with a RWD one to follow later in 2016. The Z2 won’t debut until early 2014 and it will be offered with a two-liter four-cylinder engine with an output ranging from 163 to 272 HP (model line-up will include: 16i, 20i and 28i). The Z2 will be considerably cheaper than the Z4.
Hit the jump to read more about the BMW Z2 Roadster.
BMW Z2 Roadster originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 29 April 2011 15:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/2013-bmw-z2-roadster-ar99752.html
Hello to all
Hello all, I am a noob when it comes to internet forums, but not when it comes to building models. I am just getting back into building again after at least a ten year hiatus. I have spent the last fifteen or so years doing auto mechanics (service and repair on engines, drivetrains, suspension, electrical & diagnostic, etc.) and restoration (paint & body, fabrication, welding, customizing, etc.). Suffice it to say, my talents are far greater in the 1:1 world than in scale. I have been surfing this forum for a while now and some of you guys do some incredible work. I am trying to learn as much as I can and apply new building techniques to my junk. There are still many mysteries out there...
My scale cars range from large sedans, 50's -60's full-size cars, customs, muscle cars, lowriders, and all the Mopars I can get...
My 1:1 cars include a 1968 Chrysler Newport Sportsroof, a 1985 Buick LeSabre Collector's Edition (Which I am in the process of restoring, parts are made of Unobtanium), and a newly acquired and VERY rusty 1970 Dodge Charger...
I hope to soon post a few of my in progress builds and recent rare finds...All I have to do if figure out this confounded internet so I can post pictures...
Regards, - amadmechanic
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/955046.aspx
Lamborghini Aventador getting dynamic at Vallelunga circuit [video assault]
Can't get enough of the new Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4? Got an hour to kill? Jump inside and there are 15 new videos of the Aventador in action plus another one above. 
Button Steps Up Pre Season Training With Lance Armstrong
Jenson Button teamed up with record breaking cyclist Lance Armstrong, as he continues to prepare for another Formula One season. The McLaren driver excitedly tweeted that he would be riding with Armstrong, the 7 time Tour de France winner, in Hawaii. Armstrong responded via Twitter “I hope he doesn’t ride as srong as he drives [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/button-steps-up-pre-season-training-with-lance-armstrong/
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Model I have
Hi Everybody My screen name is cocosnissmongie. I bought a American Van Lines Trailer model off a Friend and There were no instructions with it. I would like to know where I could get one. I also would like to know what year it is from. It is an AMT model number 5201 North American Van Lines Moving Van trailer Kit. Thank You My New Friends and God Bless You All. Regards Gary Lindemuth
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/955513.aspx
Aaaaargh why wont you let me buy stuff on ebay
Why are there almost no sellers on ebay that ship too Europe
I have been searching for decals for Bobby Allisons 72 Monte Carlo for a long time
But there are no sellers offering shipping too Norway
I always pay instantly with paypal and have not had too leave any negative commments,I always read all descriptions troughly too avoid mishaps
This is very irritating and frustrating for me
Please guys start shipping too Norway we actually have money
Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/955337.aspx
Classic F1 2011 - Sebastien Buemi
Sebastien Buemi, who has enjoyed a promising start to the new season with the Toro Rosso team, takes his turn in the hot seat in our new-look classic Formula 1 series.
For those unfamiliar with the format, BBC Sport has asked all the F1 drivers for their five favourite grands prix. Those choices will then be serialised before every race this season in order to whet your appetites for the action ahead. Highlights will be shown on this website and the red button on BBC television in the UK.
The first two drivers to reveal their top-five picks were world champion Sebastian Vettel and countryman Michael Schumacher.
Buemi - a 22-year-old Swiss - is next. He may not be as famous as Vettel or Schumacher but he has come up with some interesting choices.
Unlike Vettel and Schumacher before him, Buemi has, for the most part, picked races that he does not feature in - perhaps because he is in only his third season in F1.
Nor has he chosen the incident for which he is perhaps most famous for - the crash during practice for last year's Chinese GP when both wheels came off his car simultaneously.
What he has done is pick four iconic races from F1's recent history, plus an event that resonates particularly with him:
1) The 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, the first of two infamous collisions in title-deciding races at Suzuka between arch-rivals Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
This one was at the chicane - Prost turned in on McLaren team-mate Senna when the Brazilian tried to overtake him and the two collided. The Frenchman was out of the race, but Senna rejoined and went on to win, before being controversially disqualified, handing the title to Prost.
2) The 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, the second of two infamous collisions between Prost and Senna at Suzuka. This time, the two men only reached the first corner.
Senna, after being beaten away from pole position by Prost's Ferrari, was determined the Frenchman would not make the corner and barged into the back of his car at 160mph. The incident took both drivers out of the race and left Senna as champion.
3) The 1998 Belgian Grand Prix, a dramatic race from start-to finish, including what Buemi describes as "the biggest pile-up ever" on lap one.
The race is actually infamous for two incidents - the 13-car pile-up at the start that Buemi is referring to and Michael Schumacher's retirement after he had run his Ferrari into the back of David Coulthard's McLaren in appalling visibility.
The Scot was trying to let Schumacher lap him but the German, who could not see very well in the spray, did not realise his rival had slowed down and made contact. Given he was in a title fight with Coulthard's team-mate Mika Hakkinen, Schumacher sensed a conspiracy and charged down the pit lane to remonstrate with Coulthard. The two men had to be physically separated.
The incident left Damon Hill in the lead ahead of Jordan team-mate Ralf Schumacher. After team boss Eddie Jordan instructed Schumacher not to try to race Hill, the two finished one-two for Jordan's first F1 win.
4) The 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix - famous for the nail-biting climax to the world championship, which hung in the balance until the final corner of the final lap.
With Ferrari's Felipe Massa driving to a dominant victory, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton needed to finish fifth to win the title. But the race did not go well for the Briton, who started the last lap in sixth, having lost fifth place to Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel.
In the Ferrari pit, team personnel - including Massa's father - celebrated as their man crossed the line. But then came a dramatic late twist. With rain falling increasingly hard, Hamilton, who was on wet tyres, closed inexorably on the Toyota of Timo Glock, who was struggling on untreaded dry tyres. Hamilton eventually passed the German as they accelerated out of Juncao corner on to the start-finish straight for the final time, prompting delirium at McLaren and despair at Ferrari.
5) The 2009 Chinese Grand Prix, which Buemi has picked for two reasons. Firstly, it was Red Bull's first win, with Vettel leading home team-mate Mark Webber.
Secondly, Buemi, who had made his debut in Australia just two races previously, scored points for the second time in his short career. He had finished seventh on his debut in a race marked by very high attrition. In China, he drove superbly to finish eighth on merit, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Robert Kubica and Giancarlo Fisichella.
We have chosen one race to highlight by embedding it in this blog - and we have opted for the 2009 Chinese race. Long highlights are below, with links to shorter highlights underneath. There are also links to long and short highlights of Jenson Button's brilliant victory in last year's Chinese Grand Prix. This year's Chinese race is Sunday, of course.
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WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2009 CHINESE GRAND PRIX
WATCH SHORT HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 CHINESE GRAND PRIX
WATCH EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2010 CHINESE GRAND PRIX
We are also making available the full BBC 'Grand Prix' highlights programme from one of Buemi's other choices - the 1989 Japanese GP. The programme is being broadcast for the first time since the evening of the race 22 years ago - and you can watch it here.
The classic races will be shown on the red button on BBC digital television in the UK from 1400 BST on Wednesday, 13 April until 0830 BST on Saturday, 16 April.
On Freeview, they will be available from 0415-0545 BST and 1915-2315 BST on Thursday, 14 April and 0040-0255 BST and 0435-0655 BST on Friday, 15 April.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/04/classic_f1_2011_-_sebastian_bu.html
Why Michael Schumacher Could Win The 2011 World Championship
Michael Schumacher?s 2010 comeback was somewhat abortive.� The results, the driving standard and the overtakes were well below par for the former champion.� He even let his team mate beat him for the first time in his career.� So why can Schumacher, the fallen Ferrari hero, win the world championship for an 8th time? It?s [...]
Renault Modus mule spied with wider wheel arches
Mule for next-generation Renault Modus is spotted in Germany testing with wider wheel arches - just like a previous Clio mule. 
Track talk
The Easter break has meant that F1 has been pretty quiet, as everyone gears up for the start of “the European season”, ironically in Turkey, which is not European at all. The races come thick and fast in May with Istanbul on May 8, Barcelona on May 22 and Monaco on May 29 and then [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/track-talk/
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Team Lotus Launch Their 2011 Machine The T128
Team Lotus (the one who raced last year) have become the second team to officially pull the covers off their new 2011 car. The green and yellow liveried machine will start be raced by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen this season under the name of Team Lotus as the management’s row with Group Lotus, now [...]
Source: http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/team-lotus-launch-their-2011-machine-the-t128/
Brabus tunes new Mercedes twin-turbo V8s
Brabus has unveiled a new tuning program for the twin-turbo V8 engines used in the Mercedes CL/S550 and CL/S63 AMG. 
Brabus tunes new Mercedes twin-turbo V8s
Brabus has unveiled a new tuning program for the twin-turbo V8 engines used in the Mercedes CL/S550 and CL/S63 AMG.
Luxgen Neora concept unveiled
Taiwanese-based Luxgen has unveiled the Neora concept at Auto Shanghai 2011. It features a 48 kWh lithium-ion battery which sends power to a 180 kW (241 hp / 245 PS) electric motor. 
Source: http://feeds.worldcarfans.com/~r/worldcarfans/Jxfz/~3/8x0-OmNIXPA/luxgen-neora-concept-unveiled
BMW F10 M-Sport Package by 3D Design
Once upon a time, Japanese tuner 3D Design took the task of giving the current generation BMW F10 5-Series a pretty swell aerodynamic package, one that featured a redesigned front lip, rear diffuser, rear wing, and roof wing.
Not one to leave the F10 hanging, 3D Design gave the M-Sport package of the new 5-Series its own aerodynamic upgrades. With the F10 M-Sport featuring a sportier overall profile than its 5-Series counterpart, including a new front and rear bumper, it wasn’t difficult for 3D Design to come out with a body kit that adds more appeal to the beastly sports car, including a two-piece carbon front lip and a rear diffuser that was combined with the M-Sport bumper which comes with its own carbon fiber replacement piece,
The price for the front lip costs $1,038 with the additional carbon pieces fetching $687 for the pair. Meanwhile, 3D Design has priced the rear diffuser at $1,400. They are not exactly over-the-top additions to the M Sport package, but who says tuning projects have to be extravagant all of the time?
BMW F10 M-Sport Package by 3D Design originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 April 2011 15:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/2011-bmw-f10-m-sport-package-by-3d-design-ar108688.html
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