Carbon-ceramic brakes on their way down to the peons

The sight of a race car streaking into the darkness, brakes aglow as it slows for the next corner, is one of those incredible images that just sticks with you. Those massive carbon-ceramic rotors can take a lot of abuse and their light weight and durability have made them a racing staple for more than 15 years now. Street cars, on the other hand, have been slow to adopt the technology. Although their superior performance is unquestionable, the high cost of carbon-ceramic brakes has made them pretty much exclusive to exotics and supercars.Porsche was the first to use them on a street car when they fitted them to the "widowmaker" GT2. Soon after, they found their way onto the "regular" 911 Turbo as well. Now you can get carbon-ceramics on any Ferrari, most Lambos and Porsches, the Bentley Conti GT Diamond and the Audi RS4.

UK: British firm developing 'trybrid' Brazil sportscars

British automotive engineering consultancy, Lotus Engineering, has been selected by Obvio Automotoveiculos of Rio de Janeiro, to develop two 'trybrid' high-performance microsports cars for markets across the globe, in a deal potentially worth over GBP70m.

Audi RS6 Specifications

Chrysler recalls over 68000 new vehicles

DETROIT - DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group said on Friday it would recall over 68,000 of its newest vehicles, including the just-released Dodge Nitro sport utility vehicle and the Jeep Compass.Chrysler said that 62,339 vehicles from its 2007 model-year line-up would be recalled to fix a brake system problem it said could cause drivers to lose control.Chrysler said 11 models across all three of its brands were affected by the recall with notices scheduled to go out to registered owners in February.In addition to the Nitro and the Compass, 2007 models covered by the recall are the Chrysler Sebring, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Caliber, Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty, the company said.Chrysler said some of the vehicles could suffer a failure of a computer that controls the brakes, causing a loss of anti-lock and brake distribution systems, traction control and speedometer functions.The automaker said no accidents or injuries had been reported as a result of the brake glitch.The company said owners of the models covered by the recall should take their vehicles to Chrysler Group dealers for inspection if the instrument panel warning light is illuminated.Separately, Chrysler said it would recall 6,086 of its Sebring sedans to reprogram the heating and cooling systems because of a problem with windshield defrosting.The company said owners would be notified of the recall in January. Reuters .

Je Suis Simca Aronde!

Yes kids, it's the car that turned Simca, for a brief, shining moment into the second-brightest sales star in the nighttime skies over Bordeaux: the Simca Aronde. It debuted in 1951, and eventually made a whopping 70hp via its Rush Super engine, which is possibly the third greatest engine name in history, behind Toyota's Twin Squish and Mopar's Super Commando. Then Chrysler took over and we ended up with the Dodge Omni. Which in turn gave us one of the rarest Shelbys of them all: The Rampage. – Davey G. Johnson

Simca Aronde (P60 Models) [Simca Club, UK]

Related: Hecklerspray on the Talbot Samba: Return to Form [Internal]

Zimbabwe: Calls for Mengistu Extradition

Prominent Zimbabweans feel Mugabe was wrong to reject Ethiopia's request for its former leader to be sent home to face justice.

By Fred Bridgland in Johannesburg (AR No. 88, 22-Dec-06)

Opposition representatives, top human rights lawyers and church leaders in Zimbabwe have called for the extradition of the former the Ethiopian president Mariam Mengistu who was last week convicted in absentia for crimes of genocide by a court in Addis Ababa. A day after the conviction on December 12, Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe rejected an appeal by the government of Ethiopia to extradite Mengistu, found guilty of causing the deaths of between half a million and 1.5 million of his fellow countrymen, to face justice at home. Mengistu, dubbed The Butcher of Addis", fled ten days before rebel forces entered the city in May 1991 and was given asylum and permanent residence in Zimbabwe by Mugabe.

Luxury cars for less

The most technologically advanced cars of the coming year were presented to the public under luxury nameplates. A microprocessor-laden Lexus has the wherewithal to park itself. A futuristic yet familiar looking BMW runs on hydrogen. A monstrously powerful Audi even manages to make consumers drool over diesel fuel, of all things.

One model, the Bugatti Veyron, which some have criticized as a vanity project on behalf of Volkswagen executives, snagged titles of both fastest and most expensive, clocking in zero to 60 times of 2.5 seconds and carrying a window sticker of over $1 million.

But most often, entry-level models that may have the same badge as more outlandish fare but come without the same bells and whistles are the most popular luxury models on the lot. While the fame and reputation of luxury nameplates may be built on the most extravagant models, the biggest sales volumes occur at the entry level.

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