Mercury Villager

Ford Motor Company announced that it has pulled the plug on the Mercury Villager and several other models. Unfortunate news for minivan consumers, because the Villager is a handsome minivan with good standard content and a variety of packages that can option it just the way you like. But don’t feel too badly. As 2002 has turned out to be the model’s swan song, it’s a safe bet your Mercury dealer will be making long deals this year. Since a modest model line reversion in ’01 that included a restyled front fascia, a new satin aluminium plated grille, restyled rear liftgate area, new body side moldings and new 16-in. wheels, not a tremendous amount is fresh this year. In fact, the only change is a new color: Cordovan Red clear coat metallic.

The Villager is offered in six models, each powered by a 3.3 liter sohc 12 Valve V6 engine that produces 170 bhp at 4800 rpm and 200 lb.ft of torque at 2800 rpm, mated to a 4 speed automatic transmission. Even the base value model comes standard with driver and passenger side sliding doors, driver and front passenger air bags, air conditioning, a tilt steering column, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry system, an FM/AM stereo/cassette and four speakers, and an anti theft system.

Gran Turismo 3

This is one of the most outstanding game in the PS2 catalogue, the game and the graphics are awesome.. One of the most important things in the game is the game play; it is based on the real drive simulator. Play station has already released so many good games but gran turismo3 is definitely a healthy addition to ps2 software. the graphics of the game are life like. designer of the game put so much detailed features in the game that it can easily fools your eyes, the way the metal and the glass surfaces have been designed it is simply incredible.

The sound effects of the game are amazing. Each car has its own engine sound and almost very near to original one. Sound tracks which have been included in the game are consist of many famous artists like snoop dogg.

Game play. Here comes the big part of the story, polyphony has once again done it.gameplay includes 60 championship races, 10 rally races and 10 endurance races. Nobody can complete this overnight because it has a huge gameplay.if anybody want to complete this gem he has to spend a serious amount of time and effort as well.

In the end it is not a disappointing release. If anybody who is fond of racing will definitely love this game. It is offering the best cars and a high quality audio visual effect...

Project Gotham Racing 4

There’s still a great satisfaction in performing a perfect powerslide around an airtight hairpin, or hearing the raw grunt of an Enzo as it powers down a straight, but the focus is still firmly on fun. Project Gotham Racing 4 straddles the gap between simulation and arcade with ease, a notion rubberstamped by a shift in tone and visual style, starting in its menus seeping into the racing itself.

Eschewing the slick, understand stylings of PGR3, this game has its sight set on the SingStar generation. From the stark juxtaposition of colors on the menus to the Sega Style pings and cheers when gaining Kudos, everything in PGR4 has been engineered to make it feel more like an arcade racer. Perhaps this is to give Gotham its own definite aesthetic when up against Forza, perhaps simply an attempt to broaden its market, but it certainly feels different, almost cheap at times. Far from truly damaging, but an indication of a mild change of tack, amplified by the handling of the newly introduced motorcycles.

While the cars retain a sense of weight and reality, the handling of PGR4’s two wheeled included motocross games has more in common with GTA than GT. A huge and integral part of motorbike racing is how the rider’s weight shifts as he or she takes corners, reflected in sims such as MotoGP with its twin sticked controls.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

It’s still a racer’s dream: getting behind the wheel of a Skyline or a Lotus Elise feels as close to reality as it possible can in car games, and with a subtly rewritten physics engine, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue inches ever close to perfection.

When translated to a 16 car race (gone are the six vehicle events of the past), the remodeled driving engine and updated opponent AI will make for a slicker, denser, more believable drive than ever before. But as is fast becoming gaming law, offline racing just isn’t as fun as it used to be. The unpredictability and raw competition of racing against real opponents is understandably the future of videogames driving, and thankfully Gran Turismo has finally caught up.

The full online support is catered for within this supposed teaser is fantastic news, and most likely a clever way for Sony to test the water before unleashing Gran Turismo 5 proper. Hopefully, Prologue won’t suffer from Project Gotham Racing syndrome, reckless drivers clipping you rear end on the first corner and ruining your entire race. Aren’t Gran Turismo players supposed to be more sophisticated bunch, anyway? Sadly, and almost indefensibly, car damage is still a concept that is unheard of the within the world of Gran Turismo.

Pontiac Montana

One can associate a number of things with Montana. Big Sky. Wide open spaces. A reasonable and prudent daytime speed limit once upon a time. And if, you are in the market for a family vehicle, Pontiac’s minivan. There’s not a laundry list of new features in the Montana for 2002, but what it does offer is significant, such as Versatrak all wheek drive, Montana Vision rear passenger video entertainment system and a new Thunder Sport appearance package.

Pontiac offers the Montana in four different models; the standard 112.0 in wheel base Value Package, Regular Length, and Versatrak All Wheel drive. A number of features are offered as standard equipment on all models, including driver and front passenger airbags, air conditioning, power door locks with remote keyless entry system, driver and passenger sliding doors with child locks, lower anchorage and top tethers for child safety seats (LATCH), and a Delco AM/FM stereo with CD player.

The base Value Package of the car has seating for six, including two second row captain’s chair and two third row modular bucket seats. The rest of the models feature seating for seven with second row captain’s chairs and a rear split folding bench. Available on the Regular Length model only seating for eight with three second row captain’s chairs and a third row stowable bench seat.

Mini Cooper S

The switch from R53 to R56 Mini brought a 61mm stretch and I never wanted for more space in the comfy front seats. We hardly used the rears, but you can just squeeze small adults in for short journeys. The boot, too, is risibly fun sized, but then you’d have to be dense not to realize the Mini’s baggage handling is on a par with British Airways’. At least you can easily drop the rear car seats.

One thing very big about our Cooper S is its $16,000 base price, an expensive luxury, but I’d argue that your extra cash secures extra quality. And residual values are stronger than on any other small car’s industry forecaster CAP says our holds 54% of its value after three years/ 30,000 miles (Renault sport Clio 43%, Alfa Mito 51%, Honda Jazz 52%).

It feels every inch a shrunken BMW, from its flawless paint finish to that strangely mellifluous indicator tick tock. Most of the interior is crafted with quality materials, although we weren’t alone in experiencing an annoying creak from the dash near the driver’s A pillar. This was silenced when we replaced the cracked widescreen of the Mini Cooper S.

Lincoln Continental Mark III

The Lincoln Continental Mark III of 1968 (which is not to be confused with controversial 1958 Mk III) was built to fill a niche nobody realized was there before, the fully equipped “Personal Luxury Car”. When it was in its initial success became apparent, Lincoln wasn’t the only American car maker wondering why it hadn’t thought of trying to fill the gap in the market before.

With its long stylish bonnet and short boot, its two door styling was an evocation of the Mk II of the 1956, but where that car had achieved good taste and some public interest in its early stage, on some levels, the new car missed the mark by a mile.

The fake neo classic grille was intended to give the car some up market gravities, but it only succeeded in looking totally crass, while the retractable head lights and continental spare wheel hump were pure gimmickry. Yet the buyers loved it very much, and the car was sold 30,000 Lincoln Continental Mark III in the first year of production. Lincoln knew they were in to a good thing and followed it up with the Continental MK IV in 1972, which had more of everything except horsepower, emission controls were beginning to take their toll on Detroit’s big V8s.

Opel Kadett

Just before the World War II Opel had produced a very cheap saloon know as the Kadett. The name had died long ago in the mid war but in 1962 Opel revived it for the betterment of the company and for the car to take on the VW Beetle. Built at Bochum, the new Kadett had a new one liter engine, synchromesh gear box and rack and pionion steering. The initial two door saloon and estate versions were soon joined by a coupe with a high compression engine producing 48 bhp.

In the late 1965 Kadett received a make over, the most obvious alteration being squared off headlight surrounds, but the major evolution took place in 1967 when Opel expanded the engine range from one to four. At base level was a bored out 1.1 liter unit with 1.5, 1.7 and 1.9 also available. In this guise the kadett sold in vast numbers until 1973, by which time well over 3 millions had rolled off the production line.

The most exciting addition to the family was a Rally Coupe, with aggressive styling and power output of 90 bhp. It was capable of 102 mph and is now a favorite among collectors. After 1973 the Kadett went through several changes, major and minor, and continued to sell into the 1980s.

ZIL 114

The ZIL was a large limousine built for high ranking communist party officials in Russia. It was targeted as a replacement for the ZIS, which had been nothing more than a 1941 Pack hard under a different badge. The tooling had been bought off the Americans after the war. Through heavy influenced by contemporary American design, the ZIL was more its own car. It has a 220 bhp V8 engine, with light alloy cylinder heads and a push button two speed automatic gearbox. ZIL drivers enjoyed luxury unknown to the average Lada or Moskvitch owner, including power steering and electric windows.

The earlier 111 G limousine had a 5 liter engine and could manage 105 mph, but from 1967 there was a longer wheelbase 114 model with a 7 liter V8 and a claimed 300 bhp. These cars had squarer more modern styling and came with disc front brakes and air conditioning as standard. No one has been able to come up with information on what types of options were available.

As Communism crumbled and Russia began to open up there was less need for a special state party officials limousine and ZIL production finally finished in 1987. The ZIL was one of the luxuries of that high ranking members of the party enjoyed and there was never any problem with other traffic. No one driving a Lada or Moskvitch foolish enough, to halt the progress of a person in a ZIL.

Willys-Overland Jeep

The Idea of a universal military vehicle surfaced in 1939. The Jeep (from the initials GP, General Purpose) soon surfaced. US military wanted a replacement for the aging motorcycles with side cars used in World War 1, and the Model T Ford had proved itself too fragile for the job.

The Willys Military Model MB Jeep, or, as the army called it, “Truck, quarter-ton, four, and command reconnaissance”, was mechanically simple. The 4 cylinder engine could run at 4000 rpm for 100 hours without a break, and without challenging the three speed manual transmission. Oil and air filters were easily accessible, as we the simple fold back cloth roof. The head lamps were on swinging levers, so that they could be pointed at the engine for repair work at right. It could tilt fifty degrees left or right, drive up a forty degree slope, and pull other vehicles through mud. Jeeps even served as ambulances, card tables and alter on occasion.

The sheer numbers of Jeeps in production, there were forty being made every hour, made sure that they became forever linked with the US army. After the war, there was a lot of demand. Serviceman all wanted Jeeps of their own, and the US department of Agriculture wanted them for hundreds of different purposes. Willys responded with CJ-2A. CJ reputation for Civilians Jeep, and you possibly would find them all over the place, mostly where other vehicles could not get to. It in fact could do the whole thing expect bake a cake.

Porsche 911

When the 933 series Porsche 911 was launched, it was the ultimate expression of the same basic car that had been launched in 1964. While the car’s core remained the same, the front and rear was completely re-styled and the sophisticated rear suspension from the cancelled 989 five door projected fitted.

The 989’s wide track was suspension gave the 993 a very distinctive look, but it finally ensured that the 911 would keep its grip in nearly all conditions. Porsche engineers had also managed to further upgrade the flat six water cooled engine to produce more power.

However, it was now clear to Porsche that the original incarnation had reached the end of the developmental line. The company would have to finally re-invent a true automotive icon. Porsche also re-invented the flat six engine, switching to conventional water cooling. However, this move allowed the engine to meet new noise and emissions regulations that would have killed off the old water cooled engine.

The 996 and mid engined Boxster convertible shared the same structure engine, transmission and electrical system as well as some more obvious parts including the headlights and much of the interior. There were misgivings from some enthusiasts, concerned the 996 shared too much with its cheaper sister car and it had become much more of a relaxed GT, compared to the more frenetic and engaging 993 series.

McLaren Mercedes SLR

Mercedes had long been associated with the British McLaren F1 team and in 1998 it decided to build an all out supercar. The Vision SLR would both celebrate the classic 300SL gull wing racer and its 1998 victory in both the F1 driver and constructor’s championship. The new car would also be constructed with cutting edge F1 technology Mercedes exhibited the gull winged Vision SLR concept at the Detroit motor showing January 1999. The car was striking for its styling, which was both futuristic and recognizably Mercedes.

The German company said the car would be built by McLaren at a new factory in Working in the UK, and would go on sale in 2003. Mercedes also predicted that the global market for supercars would grow to 2500 units per year, and the SLR would account for 500 of those sales. When the production model appeared in 2003, it had gone through a transformation. The reason for this old packaging was the Mercedes and McLaren engineers had decided to mount both the engine and the exhaust system between the front wheel and the bulkhead, forcing the front of the car to become rather elongated. The SLR arrived in the late 2004 and was built around a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and was powered by a supercharged 626 bhp 5.4 liter V8, engine making it one of the most powerful cars of the time.

Porsche Carrera 4

Even though the Porsche 911 was saved from extinction in 1981, it was the best part of the seven years before the heavily revised 911, codenamed 964 was launched. Despite the looking like a more modern and slightly more aerodynamic version of the old car, the 964 was actually 85 percent new. The roof section, doors and bonnet were retained from the old car, but the whole floorpan had been redesigned, as had the rear section of the car and the newly sculpted aerodynamics nose and tail sections, in place of conventional bumpers. Inside, the 964 was also newly re-designed, although it remained true to the classic 911 styling heritage.

The redesigned floorpan was a major expense but necessary to accept the new coil sprung suspension and to accommodate the productionised version of the 959’s four wheel drive transmission. The first of the 964 series to be announced was the Carrera 4, a sort of down to earth 959. Although it lacked turbochargers the engine was bigger (3.6 liters, up from 3.2) and it developed 250 bhp.

The Carrera’s new found stability and all weather confidence transformed the 911’s reputation. The previous model was little changed from the original 911 launched in 1962, and was a tricky car to drive. The Carrera 4 offered thrills without overwhelming risk. In pure performance terms, the car also offered some truly fabulous pace.

Porsche 911 Carrera Rs 2.7

After sales of the Porsche 911 started to fade in the early 1970s, the company decided to develop a range topping version that would capture the imagination until planned turbocharged 911 was unveiled in 1975.

Above everything, the 911 Carrera had to be very quick. The first move was to take the capacity of the flat six engine up to 2.7 liters, which required new cylinder barrels so the bore could be increased to 6mm to 90mm, through the stroke remained the same. Porsche used the advanced Nikasil coating process inside the barrels to reduce friction and wear. With both mechanical fuel injection, the engine produced 210bhp.

The effectiveness of the new engine was increased by making the rest of the car mush lighter than a standard issue 911. The RS’s body was made of thinner gauge steel and windows were also thinner than normal. Other weight saving measures included the deletion of soundproofing and the replacement of the steel bumpers with one piece plastic units.

The resulting 911 Carrera RS, with some 150kg knocked off the kerb weight and a much more powerful engine, was capable of hitting 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds and could get up to 149 mph. Most of the cars were produced in white with the now-classic Carrera livery running across above the still and small ‘duck tail’ spoiler mounted on the engine lid. Despite the go-faster looks, this spoiler massively reduced rear axle lift at high speeds. Porsche also produced a slightly more civilized and self effacing version without the spoiler called the RS Touring.

VOLVO 240

From the late 1960s Volvo had been working on an experimental safety car (VESC), developing features such as airbags, anti lock brakes and telescopic bumpers. Now it was time to introduce these features to the public. Volvo took the old 144 and stuck a new nose on it. They fitted a new range of overhead cam engines, improved the front suspension with MacPherson struts and grafted on the safety features from the VESC. Offered as a two door, four door and five door estate, the 240 was the archetype safe ‘brick’ with which Volvo became synonymous. It was used as the benchmark for safety standards in the United States was renowned for its built quality and handling.

A diesel unit was added in 1979 and then, in the 1980s, came greater performance. First came the 240 GLT producing 140bhp, and then the 240 Turbo producing 155bhp. For those wanting power and space, 1983 saw the introduction of the Turbo Wagon, offering the performance and handling of the Turbo in an estate car. Volvo kept the changes to a minimum from then on, but commemorated the end of the run in 1993 by producing around 2000 special edition 240 Classics, with some nice trim touches and an edition number. By the time the 240 line came to a halt, it had produced close to three million cars.

Volvo PV444

Before World War II Volvo built its reputation on solid, boring, middle class saloons but realized it would have to broaden its appeal post war to encompass smaller, more mass market cars. The PV 444 emerged in 1947; a new fashionable styled two doors that looked like suspiciously like a downscaled 1942 American Ford. Its lively performance soon gained it a good reputation and before long Volvo was making sales in-roads into the American market where it was appreciated for its quality, reliability and sporty handling. The first ones had 1414cc engine, the last 1583cc, twin carbs and 85bhp.

The 444 became the 544 in 1958 with five seats, a one piece screen and a new style dashboard. You could have 3 or 4 speeds and a single or twin carb (Sporty) engine. From 1961 onwards, the cars gained the up rated five bearing engine of the more modern ‘Amazon’ models, which in 85bhp form took the top speed up to the magic 100mph.

There was only one body style variant on the ‘PV’ theme, but the Duett estate first seen in 1953. It was a dual purpose vehicle that could be used as either a van or a passenger carrier. Durable and fun to drive, not something that could really said of certain later Volvos, these no nonsense vehicle are now very fashionable classics, appreciated for their durability and wonderful period styling.

New Beetle

The early 1990s saw Volkswagen in serious troubles. The company was over manned, was building its cars in a very inefficient and had some significant quality troubles. Ferdinand Piech took over as the chairman and CEO of Volkswagen in 1993, determined to shake the VW family to its roots. Piech had build an enviable reputation, first as an engineer at Porsche and then as the boss of Audi. The concept One was unveiled in 1994 and was designed under the guidance of American stylist J Mays and was a signal that VW was preparing to go back to its roots in order to reinvent itself. Indeed, Piech had a very close connection to the car that founded the brand. His grandfather, Ferdinand Porsche, was commissioned in the 1930s by Hitler to build the original ‘People’s Car’.

Concept One, however, was viewed by some in the press as a triviality. After all, the oddball retro car was not going to rescue VW from its problems. However, Piech was determined to see it enter production. Piech’s engineering vision saw the New Beetle’s unique shape being based on the MK4 Golf chassis, a move which was much admired in the industry and triggered a re-think it could be achieved with everyday components. A convertible version of the Beetle was inevitable, but VW didn’t extend the range any further. The most outlandish version was the limited-run RSi, equipped with a 225 bhp V6 engine, four wheel drive and styling to match. In July 2007, New Beetle production hit 500,000 units.

VOLVO P1800/ES

Although not a sports car in true sense of the word, the Ghia-styled Volvo P1800 was a good long- legged cruiser. It features an overdrive gearbox, had a respectable top speed of over 100mph (160km/h). The 107bhp engine was a twin carburetor, in-line four-cylinder unit with a four speed transmission sending the drive to a coil sprung live rear axle. Servo assisted front disc brakes were standard, giving safe but uninspiring handling.

Handsome and practical, the P1800 quickly gained popularity, despite a high price tag, and its profile was further raised by weekly appearance in the TV series ‘The Saint’, in which it was driven by show’s star, Roger Moore (who also owned one in real life). The initial production of Volvo’s stylish P1800 coupe was somewhat convoluted. The steel bodies were built in Britain by Pressed Steel in Scotland, and then sent to Jensen of West Bromwich who, with chassis parts supplied from Sweden, assembled the complete cars.

But Volvo was never very happy with the quality of the Jensen built cars, and in 1964 it shifted production to Sweden. With more power and detail trim differences, the car became known as the 1800S. The engine developed into a full two liter unit, with 115bhp in 1968; from 1969, it gained fuel injection, increasing the power output to 125bhp.

The final evolution of the design was the 1800ES, Volvo’s answer to the Reliant Scimitar GTE ‘Sporting Estate’. With its extended roof-line and rear hatchback, it was a useful small load carrier with a good turn of a speed. However, by the early 1970s Volvo was beginning to lose interest in its old sport cars, and stopped production in 1973.

Pontiac Bonneville

Pontiac, one of the General Motor’s most successful post war Divisions. It achieved this by its models at the middle class buyer who wanted a car with all the luxury of the expensive marques but at not much more than mid range prices. This was the winning formula that led to the creation of the 1959 Bonneville. As soon as it was launched it became one of Pontiac’s most critically acclaimed models yet, a full size machine with new wide track styling and lower, longer bodywork than the 1958 models. At the front there was an aggressive split grille look, at the rear twin fin rear fenders. An increased glass area across the range gave the car an expensive look that set it apart from mid priced rivals.

The pillarless four door Vista handtop had a rear overhang on its roof, while the beautiful two door coupes had certain affinity with the Cadillac Coupe DeVille models of that year. Naturally, there was a convertible version too. The Bonneville was Pontiac’s topline offering and all models had V8 engines, the most powerful delivering 345 bhp through either a synchromesh manual box, or more usually, an automatic. Thus equipped, the Bonneville was quick and the wide track handling gave the car better cornering ability than the average Detroit product of 1959.

Plymouth SuperBird

When Ford began fitting air cleaving droop snoots to its Talladega NASCAR racers Chrysler realized it had to fight back with something even wider. There first attempt was the 68 Chrysler 500, based on the Dodge Charger, but the aerodynamics add-ons caused tail lift and it soon became clear the shape would need more dramatic changes if it was to gain any advantage. An 18 inch droop snoot was added which reduced front end lift so dramatically that a giant rear spoiler had to added to redress the balance. Combined with the 650 bhp full race tune these cars could lap NASCAR circuits at something in excess of 200 mph. The good news was Joe Public could buy a road version of this car, called the Charger Daytona – with up to 390 bhp, because manufactures were required by NASCAR to build 500 road car versions so as to homologate the model for racing.

Plymouth did their own adaptation, the Road Runner SuperBird (based on the Belvedere) in 1970, with to some extent different accompaniments, NASCAR rules now required that one had to be built for each two Plymouth sellers, which preordained a total number of 1900 were built to homologate the car for competition. In the hands of star drivers like Richard Petty, the Daytona and SuperBird cleaned up on the tracks in 1970, winning a total of 38 races of Ford’s 10. The time in the spotlight for the Charger Daytona and SuperBird was a short one. The rules changed in 1971 in favor of smaller capacity engines, leaving these wild Plymouth and Dodges as a potent reminder of one of American racing’s most exciting periods.