Škoda Citigo

Škoda (the biggest car company in Czech Republic, part of VW family) have recently revealed all the details about their new city car - Škoda Citigo. It's closely related to VW Up! but it looks completely different. Citigo is a car for everyday use in the city, it's perfect as 2nd or 3rd car for the family. There's a 3-door and a 5-door variant (5-door coming later this year). It has the latest technology, even a braking assist to avoid low-speed crashes in the city, few airbags, iPod conectivity and a lot of places to put your handbag... Yeah, it is kinda girlish, but which small car isn't?

Škoda Citigo

It comes with a 1-liter 3-pot engine producing 44/55kW depending on how much you want to spend. Fuel consumption isn't that impresive though - 4.5l/100km. And it's not exactly a looker as well... I seriously advise you to buy a second hand Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, you'll get so much more car for your money. 

Škoda Citigo - interior

Anyway, do you guys like it?

IAA bits and pieces

I've got some more cars that have caught my eye in Frankfurt this year. Let's cut to the case, the first one is a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport L'Or Blanc. This rather complicated name is just another one-off Veyron, because Bugatti really like to show off. They've gone for a material you would find in your cupboard - porcelain! Don't worry, the car isn't actually made of porcelain, however some interior bits are. The company responsible for it is called Porzellan-Manufaktur (based in Berlin, Germany). It gets a special paintjob and some chrome wheels... What's not to like?

Buggati Veyron Grand Sport L'Or Blanc

The next one is something I haven't seen around for a while - four-door convertible concept by Cadillac. It's called Ciel and it looks absolutely brilliant. I love what Caddy have done here. Knock, knock... Who's there? The future...

Cadillac Ciel

And last but not least - Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale. They really have to do something about naming their cars, this just isn't right. But underneath the long title lies the best Gallardo ever made. It's a tribute based on a combination of Superlaggera (the lightweight one) and Super Trofeo (Lamborghini's own racing series). This is probably the last special edition of Gallardo ever made, but you know the Italians, you can expect some more in the future. I won't bore you with the figures, because this car is about so much more than just some numbers. It sums up all 8 years of production, it's a masterpiece and on of the best looking Lambo's of all time. I would literally sell half my body parts to own this car... :)

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale

Arrinera - Polish supercar

I've got something special for you today - Poland's first take in supercar industry. Arrinera is a Polish car maker funded by Fenix Automotive (founded by Lee Noble, former owner of Noble)... have I lost you? I'm sorry, but that's just how it is in a nutshell. Let's talk about the car, it's a RWD mid-engined two-seater made from carbon-kevlar composite. The chassis is made from steel, but it's very rigid and light as Lee Noble is a man that really knows how to make a proper car. So you can expect really good handling, the performance is also good - powered by Corvette's LS9 and supercharged for some extra oomph, now producing 650 hp. 0-100 km/h takes just 3.2 seconds and it maxes out at 340 km/h, which is quite respectable. Ok, so the figures sound good, but what about the looks? Well, if you enjoyed your meal and don't want to see it again in the bathroom, you should stop reading now.

Are you really brave enough to see it? Fine, here it goes... But remember I warned you!

Arrinera supercar

I'm sorry, but this is just Lambo design, they even stole the door mechanism. And you think this is the only thing they've borrowed? Oh hell no, headlamps look like the ones on Noble, engine cover is based on Porsche Carrera GT and orange leather interior? I'm sorry, but that was only cool in Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder in grey metallic paint, it's just disgusting in this car. Let's get to the rear end:

...and from the back

Just how many times has the designer seen Transformers? You think the taillights are cool? Nope, this was taken from Nissan Pulsar, the vents look like Lamborghini Reventon's and the tailpipe? It's inappropriate - you've got a V8 under the bonnet, let it breathe! And there's a bonus - from the side it looks like a DeLorean DMC-12. That's just it, I think they've crossed a big line here. I'm off to empty my stomach...

GT-R madness!

I was just browsing Nissan 200sx car owners forum (if you still don't know I own one myself) and came across some really interesting ad - a chance to drive my dream car Nissan GT-R for an amazing price of 40€. My mind was completely blown, I ordered one ride in a blink of an eye. I just hope this works out, it has to! I am so psyched right now I can't even write :D

   Let's calm down and let me give you some figures on GT-R. Nissan have built this car specifically to beat the almighty Porsche 911 Turbo round the Nürburgring and they have succeeded. It's got a twin-turbocharged V6 (VR38DETT for you Nissan fans) producing 478 hp and 588 torques. Don't expect some oldschool driving, this is a computer on four wheels but in a good way. Four wheel drive, launch control, control unit that checks just the right amount of torque goes to each wheel 100 times per second, flappy paddle gearbox and much more. But the thing I love the most about GT-R is it's looks, you really don't expect this car to do 0-100 km/h in 3.5 second and thus completely humiliating you on the lights! I will definitely write a post about GT-R's history some time in the future, once I taste the sweetness of the cherry on Nissan's cake of motoring excellence.

Nissan GT-R

You vs. Universe

Don't worry, I haven't gone mad, this isn't about philosophy. You and Universe are Volvo's latest concepts and I'm keen to introduce them. Let's start with the older one - Volvo Universe, introduced earlier this year in Shanghai. It brings out completely new design using some classic lines from Volvo archives. I love it, the front grill looks very funky as well as the headlamps... This isn't a description you would expect for a Volvo design. And the bonnet is just somehow awesome. I'm not so sure about the rear lights though, they are a bit 'Jaguarish'.

Volvo Universe

Volvo You, unveiled at IAA Frankfurt, looks very simmilar, but it's a completely different car. It's design is affected by Geely's purchase of Volvo. It's a bit less funky, but still very good looking. I absolutely love the name - can you imagine the conversation? 'What's your ride? .. You. .. Me?!'

Volvo You

And if you still find the Volvo design a bit conservative, just look at the interior... Volvo, safe and slick :-)

 Volvo You - interior

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My mum's FIAT

I'd like to devote today's post to my mum's Fiat Stilo 1.2 (2002). We've had this car for five years, it never let us down and worked hard. Until last week - one of the ignition coils broke down, I checked all the spark plugs and I did not know how this car was still working... I've seen a lot of spark plugs, but these were just the worst. Anyway, we ordered some new plugs and an ignition coil. I swapped them earlier, is what I would said if the idiot at the store gave me the right plugs... Damn, at least the coil works, so the engine runs on all four pots again! Hurray! I'm gonna beat the hell out of him tommorow, get the right plugs and change them.

  I absolutely love the car, it's just an honest piece of Italian engineering. We've imported it from Germany (it had done 70.000 km, currently 98.000 km) for about 8.000€, it has A/C, 6 airbags, 6-speed manual gearbox and electric windows, that's basically it. And it's a 3-door version, because it looks the best. We use it as our family work horse, it has a tow bar for our trailer and a lot of scratches over the years. The biggest scratch comes from an avalanche, my mum parked the car under a high roof covered in snow and as it begun to melt, the whole lot fell on our poor car. It broke the windshield and we lost the rear window wiper as well. I've had a lot of fun in this car, especially in the winter drifting like mad on local carpark (using handbrake as it is front wheel drive).

In case you don't know what the Fiat looks like, here are some photos:

Fiat Stilo

And here's one of the engine that was taken today. Notice the redneck air filter - yep, it's a stocking! I need the car today, so I made this temporary solution, because I'm a lazy person and I don't want to take off all the plastic covers and the original air-box tommorow as well.

The engine... :D

Fisker Automotive

Today I found out there is an electric car you might actually consider buying! My world was totally crushed, I was always a bit skeptical about the whole 'electric-powered vehicle for everyday use' thing. Why? It's very simple - you wake up in the morning, have a coffee and comute to work. Let's say it's about 100 kilometers away, you jump into your electric car, because you want to save the environment... And the battery dies somewhere in the middle of your journey. You pull out the cord and recharge your car, 10 hours later it's fully charged and you can finally get to work... Or turn around and go home tell your wife you've been fired. Your choice.

   So what is this miraculous car? Let me introduce you the manufacturer first - Fisker Automotive. Founded in 2007 in California by Henrik Fisker (designer responsible for iconic cars such as Aston Martin DB9 and BMW Z8), the company decided to produce luxurious hybrid cars (aiming at Porsche and BMW customers). First one was Fisker Karma, powered by a combination of an electric engine and 2-litre turbocharged four-pot. The combined range is 480 km (80 km on batteries, 400 km), it produces 400 bhp and nearly a thousand torques. For the same money as Porsche Panamera... Brilliant!

Fisker Karma

They have unveiled a new model in Frankfurt - the Fisker Surf. It's a shooting brake (like the new Ferrari FF) and if you found Karma's design stunning, just wait until you see this one! Power output is slightly better, it produces less CO2 than Toyota Prius and the range is unchanged. Here it goes:

Fisker Surf

I am speechless! I just hope all future electric cars look this good...