Porsche is starting to offer slim and modern lithium ion starter battery for its 911 GT3, 911 GT3 RS and Boxster Spyder as a very expensive €1,904.

Porsche announces lithium ion starter battery

Lithium ion batteries are all the rage these days with so many manufacturers planning to use them for hybrid and battery electric vehicles. Porsche today announced that it will be the first automaker to offer a lithium ion starter battery for conventional vehicles. The new battery will be available as an option for the 911 GT3, 911 GT3 RS and Boxster Spyder. The main reason for using this type of battery is weight reduction, since the 13 pound lithium unit cuts 22 pounds off the mass of the standard lead acid battery. The lithium battery has the same foot print as the lead battery but is 2.8 inches lower.

As always with a Porsche, options don’t come cheap. The 18 Ah lithium ion battery will cost €1,904 in Germany including the 19% value-added-tax. Interestingly, when ordered, the car comes with the standard battery as well as the lithium ion. That’s because in cold temperatures (below freezing), the lead battery has to be put back in the car, because the lithium performance drops off too much. Since drivers are unlikely to be driving quite as fast when it’s that cold having, the heavier battery in place shouldn’t be too much of a problem. For those that need to squeeze the absolute maximum performance out of their Porsche, the factory is always happy to help you find ways to spend your money.

Via AutoblogGreen and Porsche

Porsche's new four-door super-sports sedan

Super, dead-sexy, new four-door super-sports sedan by Porsche called the Panamera, via Autoblog…

Gallery: Porsche Panamera Tech Briefing and First Ride

Back in the late 70s and 80s, Aston Martin made a terrible mistake in a modern interpretation of the Aston Martin Lagonda from 1976-1989. It was the first modern Aston Martin.  It followed the unfortunate trend in the 70s and 80s when European car makers tried to become more like American muscle cars and tried to appeal to the need of the power brokers of the 80s who wanted bigger, faster, shinier, and more powerful emblems for their wealth.  The Lamborghini Countach, the Lamborghini LM002, the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer, and this model of Porsche 911 are prime examples.

Well, according to Jalopnik, Aston Martin plans to revive the brand:

As rumored, Aston Martin is readying the Lagonda nameplate for an all-newGeneva Motor Show concept. The secret concept, previewing a new brand, is said to be a perfect blend of practicality and performance.

Lagonda was founded in 1906, but was purchased and integrated by Aston Martin in 1947. The Lagonda name has been affixed to Aston Martins since then, and graced the quirky 80s-era Aston Martin Lagonda, but has never been its own brand. According to Aston Martin, the Lagonda nameplate is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year (no, that makes no sense to us either) and to commemorate the occasion, an all-new concept will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

There’s no telling what this concept could be other than a competitor in the luxury car market filled with Bentleys and Rolls Royces, but Aston Martin is already talking about a production schedule for a 2012 on-sale date. We’ll keep our eyes peeled.

Aston Martin Press Release:

Aston Martin CEO confirms the revival of the Lagonda MarqueAston Martin Chief Executive Officer Dr Ulrich Bez has today confirmed his intention to revive the Lagonda marque.

In a statement today he said, “After my eight years with Aston Martin, four with profitability, and 16 months of independence, it’s time to think about a longer term future. Aston Martin is an honest, authentic brand which builds the most beautiful sportscars combining modern technology with craftsmanship. Next year we will launch the four door Rapide sportscar, and this will be followed by the project ‘one 77′, the most spectacular Aston Martin ever. Aston Martins are currently available in 32 countries but we will remain limited in our market penetration by the pure character of our cars – sportscars.

“We have now investigated and concluded that the revival of the Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars which can have a different character than a sportscar, and therefore offer a perfect synergy. Lagonda will use a unique design language as Aston Martin does. We will take elements of DNA from the past but will be very future orientated as we are with Aston Martin. With Lagonda offering exclusive, luxurious and truly versatile products with high quality and usability and suitable for both existing and emerging markets, I believe we can be present in more than 100 countries in the world.

“In 2009 Lagonda is about to celebrate its 100th birthday and in its centenary year we are confident that we will show the first concept of a car which could be in the market in 2012,” he confirmed.

I guess this is what another model year of the Aston Martin Lagonda looked like:

Via Geekologie & Next Concept Cars

“Mr Sharifi was recorded at 159mph in his Ferrari Spider 360, while Harrison was travelling at 155mph in his rare Porsche 933 Ruf after UK police tipped off their French counterparts that the convoy was on its way.” The 360 and the Ruf are going to auction. Sorry lads. Via Jalopnik via Scotsman

Press Release:

Triumph for Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron has wiped the floor with the opposition in Autocar’s annual 0-100-0mph contest, featured in the current issue of the world’s oldest car magazine, even managing to beat a Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike.

Featuring 25 of the world’s fastest cars, from the 14th placed £79,995 Aston Martin V8 Vantage to the second-placed £34,995 Ariel Atom, the shoot-out pitches the cars against each other in a straight fight to see which is the fastest to 100mph. There’s more to it than just outright speed though – slowing from 100mph to a dead halt is just as important.

The Veyron, with its 987bhp 16-cylinder engine, wasn’t necessarily the favourite to win. “A low weight tends to be the key to a good 0-100-0mph car,” said Autocar’s road test editor Adam Towler. “Cars like the Ariel Atom and Caterham Superlight historically dominate this contest.”

But the 1890kg £880,000 Bugatti ripped through the gears to hit 60mph in 2.8sec and 100mph in an astonishing 5.5sec. It then stopped in just 3.4sec, giving a 0-100-0mph time of 9.9sec.

Not only is the Bugatti faster than the Suzuki, it creates more g-force at maximum acceleration than you’d experience in an F-16 jet fighter at take off or when skydiving.

But the lightweights still turned in an impressive performance, from the relatively unknown £32k Brooke Double R in fourth place to the £35k Ariel Atom 300 in second.

“Although the Veyron is undoubtedly the quickest road car ever, you can still have nearly as much fun for much less money,” said Adam Towler. “It’s good to see British sports cars doing so well against such an impressive machine as the Bugatti.”

Autocar also brought along an A1 GP car, driven by Brit Robbie Kerr, to see how a purpose-built race car would compare with road-going machinery. The 550bhp single seater weighs just 695kg, and proved to be the fastest vehicle on the day with a 0-100-0mph time of 8.4sec.

Competing Cars 0-100-0 Time (seconds)

A1 GP 8.40

Bugatti Veyron 9.90

Suzuki GSX-R1000 10.70

Ariel Atom S’Charged 11.00

Ariel Atom 450 11.05

Atom Private Owned 11.05

Caterham CSR260 11.95

Brooke Double R 12.50

Porsche 911 Turbo 12.50

Ford Focus WRC 13.57

Lambo Gallardo 13.65

Ascari KZ1 13.80

Corvette Z06 13.80

Alpina B6 14.80

BMW M6 14.95

TVR Tuscan 2 15.00

BMW M5 15.20

Audi RS4 15.80

Aston V8 Vantage 15.81

BMW Z4M Roadster 15.95

Porsche Cayman S 16.46

Lotus Exige S 16.60

Nissan 350Z 18.80

Vauxhall Astra Sprint 18.85

Vauxhall Astra VXR 19.05

Renault Megane F1 20.55

Mazda 6MPS 21.00

Ford Focus ST 21.35

Vauxhall Vectra VXR 22.35

Vauxhall Astra Thurlby 22.65

The last time my e39 BMW 530i was in the shop at BMW of Arlington they loaned me a red Ford F-150 supercab with a Triton 5.9 liter gasoline engine.

I loved it. Its as well constructed as the Beemer and well-designed and really better made than anything I consider an American car. Mind you, my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo was well-made, but I have to tell BMW of Arlington that they had better be careful.

They are as likely to lose me to the house of Ford as they are to the house of Porsche.

That is one hell of a truck. That is one hell of a vehicle. Four doors, solid construction, plenty of room and lots of power. None of the plasticy squeakiness that American cars are known for.

How can Ford make both the full size Ford F-150 Supercab pickup truck and the god awful Ford Taurus, otherwise known as Ford Tortoise?

The Ford Taurus sucks as badly as the Ford F-150 rocks.