Saturday, January 19, 2013

"For us, Tolmux!"

On the January 18, 2013 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Game show gags

- This girl likes to dance with the boys in line...and we're waiting for our turn!

- Let's face it dude, the Korean pop culture's invaded our thoughts...

- Bubble Gang does Pambatang Solmux by spoofing this commercial as PAMBATANG TOLMUX! For us, Tolmux!

- Mr. Assimo in the airplane

- PICKUP LINES!

- TATA LINO!

- Sana ay ikaw nganga...

Forza Horizon: A few good BMW's

Bimmers love the open road of Colorado, especially in a game of Forza Horizon but sometimes not all Bimmers are good, well they are better or BEST! There are a good bimmers, some better ones, and the BEST BMW cars offered on Horizon. For me, the best Bimmers I have ever drive were...

...the normal BMW M3 E92...

This is like a promotional video!




...the BMW Z4 E89, which is the dinosaur ravaging through Horizon...

Beware of the dinosaur with big meaty testes!




...the BMW 1M Coupe, which maybe old but still a goodie for the enthusiasts...

The other Annoying Orange...




...and the BMW M5 F10, which is definitely the best BMW 4-door high performance sports saloon which loves to pull some moves for the sake of its popularity...

This driver's had a cousin in Yorkshire!




Those beamers were the best! It really showed me how "Freude am Fahren" they are, sticking true to its BMW slogan and you know it.

Friday, January 18, 2013

The cars of 2013 NAIAS

The 2013 North American International Auto Show at COBO Center, Detroit, Michigan, runs until January 27, 2013 so if you still got the time, why not take a look at some of the main attractions of this year's show? There's plenty of world premieres expected on this car show you know. Here are the cars you'll see on this year's show...

2014 Audi RS5 Cabriolet

2014 Audi RS7 Sportback

2014 Bentley Continental GTC Speed

2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

2014 BMW Z4 LCI

2014 Cadillac ELR

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Chrysler 300 MOTOWN Edition

2014 GMC Sierra

2014 Infiniti Q50

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee minor change

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT

2014 Lexus IS

2013 Maserati Quattroporte

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class minor change

2014 Mini JCW Paceman

2013 Acura NSX Concept II

2013 Acura MDX Concept

2013 BMW 4-Series Concept

Chrysler 300S Turbine Edition

2013 Ford Atlas Concept

2013 Honda Urban SUV Concept

2013 Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept

2013 Lincoln MKC Concept

2013 Nissan Resonance Concept

2013 Toyota Corolla Furia Concept

2013 Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept


So, what I learned on the 2013 NAIAS is...

1) The Corvette C7 Stingray is probably the best car in the show...

2) Chevrolet showcased global cars in the booth

3) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee minor change offers an 8-speed automatic as applied on the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. For the first time, a diesel engine was offered for this minor change.

4) SRT Grand Cherokee is no longer referred to as SRT8. Remember, SRT is now Chrysler's brand now so it seems that other models wearing the SRT8 badge would follow suit as well, especially that the new SRT Grand Cherokee now comes with an 8-speed gearbox.

5) Infiniti Q50 is the next Nissan Skyline, except the fact that it has a 3.7L V6 and a hybrid engine. Wonder if the next Skyline V37 would follow suit as well...

6) 2014 Lexus IS is a little present for someone named Houki. She said that it will still offer the same 2.5L and 3.5L V6 engine while a hybrid model is planned, with the new 2.5L hybrid engine as applied on the 14th generation Toyota Crown.

7) E63 AMG minor change now comes with the S-model, which gives them four-wheel drive! CLS63 AMG models follow suit as well.

8) Cadillac ATS is 2013 North American Car of the Year while RAM 1500 is 2013 North American Truck of the Year

9) Acura NSX Concept II now showcasing its interior for the first time

10) Acura MDX Prototype hints next generation model

11) Ford Atlas pickup previews next-generation of Ford F-Series trucks to rival against the Silverado. This one's for you, Dave.

12) Honda Urban SUV Concept previews a new rival to the Nissan Juke and it will be based on the the next generation Honda Fit.

13) Hyundai HCD-14 Concept hints of a second-generation Genesis saloon.

14) MKC Concept hints a possible new crossover from The Lincoln Motor Company

15) Nissan Resonance Concept hints a next generation Murano

16) Toyota Furia concept previews global-market eleventh Corolla

Oullim Bengari - Korea's 4-door supercar?!

Oullim Motors, no one heard of it (unless someone's playing Gran Turismo 5) but they were a small Korean company that brought you the Proto Spirra, which is Korea's only supercar. Yeah, anyone remember that car, right? Anyway, word from the public is that Oullim Motors has just revealed a new model that in particular it is Korea's answer to the Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche Panamera, or Aston Martin Rapide. Oullim Motors called it the Bengari and the phrase goes "A Whole New Definition of Exquisite Sedan by SPIRRA"

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

At first glance, it may look like the Spirra supercar but right until you'll notice that the side view for the Bengari is a bid odd and it feels like a half-Alfa, half-Saab limo that James May made for the Top Gear limousine challenge, well you know, the one that you can drive it on its front and you can drive it on its back. Confusing eh? Looks weird for Korean's four-door supercar right until the door opens like a Rolls-Royce...

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari

Looks weird on the outside especially for the Rolls-Royce-esque doors but on the inside...

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari interior

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari interior

2014 Oullim Motors Bengari interior

...uh nope. Looks luxurious but it isn't. Those rear seats kinda look like it came from a private jet while the dashboard kinda looks like the facelifted Hyundai Genesis Coupe. I wonder how did the Koreans made up with this car that it claims to be a contender against the four-dour supercars I've mentioned earlier?

Trim levels for the Bengari are MS, MN, GS, GN, DS, and DN. The DN model served as the entry level version of the Bengari while the MS is the top of the line model. The DS and the DN model weighs about 1750kg while the GN and GS model weighs about 1810kg and the MS and MN model weighs about 1795kg.

The DS and DN model are fitted with a 2.7 DELTA engine bolted to a 5-speed automatic transmission while the GN and GS model are fitted with a 3.3 GDi engine mated to a 6-speed automatic and the MS and MN model comes with a 3.5 MPi engine and a 6-speed automatic. It is said that the entry level DN with the 2.7 DELTA engine produces about a shameful 175PS of power (which is less powerful) while the top of the line MS model with the 3.5 MPi engine produces about a mind-boggling 500PS of power! 500PS of power for a Korean-made car!

Prices start at 132,000,000 up to 195,000,000 Won and seems to be that they were about as expensive as a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley for a car made in Korea...

Thursday, January 17, 2013

The Seventh Hour

The new logo for the Seventh Corvette

Days after Chevrolet made a world premiere of the 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray, Gran Turismo 5 was very pleased that after inviting us to drive the test prototype of this generation, ladies and gentlemen...THE NEXT GENERATION CORVETTE SHEDS ITS CAMOUFLAGE...

No longer a camouflaged prototype...It's the real deal!

The fine print that says "Gran Turismo 5 Exclusive – ’14 Corvette Stingray Free on PSN", that really sums it up because, well just before someone regretting me since the Toyota 86/Scion FR-S fiasco last year, Gran Turismo 5 is your only game for you to witness the fun factor of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray. It has been regenerated into a totally different Corvette and by totally different, yes it is because the Camaro-esque rear lamps were there and that's the first in Corvette history.

Showing off its dynamic nature

Statistics showed that almost half a million Gran Turismo 5 players, including me, took part of the final testing phase of the Chevrolet Corvette C7 (in camouflaged version) since its announcement at last year's LA Auto Show and a collaboration between Chevrolet and the Gran Turismo franchise really showed some exclusivity for this model and by exclusivity, yes, you can only find this Chevrolet C7 Corvette only in Gran Turismo. Nothing else.

The Nurburgring crowd's love the new look!

Everything around the 2014 Corvette Stingray is new. The exterior's new, the interior's new, the engine's new, and the new 7-speed manual transmission, which is a first for an American car like this. It seems that the Corvette staff really made a lot of attention in perfecting the seventh-generation Corvette and for the Gran Turismo staff, careful planning was applied to the tiniest details of the new design inside and out, as well as to the enhanced performance driving characteristics.

An advanced American sportscar is being bewildered in Motegi

Stinging the asphalt of Spa-Francorchamps in the rain
The sound of the new LT1 6.2L V8 engine is just amazing. It's crispy, smooth, and sounds like a last century muscle car. No matter how many times I keep my foot down on the accelerator, that sound of the V8 engine is probably the best. From the moment you start up this brand new LT1 engine, it's all hell breaks loose. This engine is the pinnacle of the Corvette history because this one's direct injected and it has Variable Valve Timing. Power output is an estimated 450HP, torque output is an estimated 450lb-ft, and its 0 to 60 mark takes below the four second mark. This new generation Corvette Stingray sure knows bringing the term "competitive" to a whole new meaning and in terms of handling...

Hunt this new boy down!
Too fast to leave a footprint on Laguna Seca
Stingray slashes down Monza curves
...the handling of the 2014 Corvette Stingray is probably the best! It's DYNAMIC! Literally! Well, yes, it maybe dynamic in terms of handling but this is mind-numbing and its bonkers! This new model loves to cloud itself in white smoke and as I said about being a track-munching, road-burning frag grenade, this car doesn't like to kill me, it wants to make me laugh! Yes!!! Chevrolet, you made a decent, proper-handling Corvette! Generosity to the Corvette Stingray's handling were provided by its aluminum body for perfect weight distribution, new generation Magnetic Ride Control, and electronic LSD to keep the new Corvette's handling capabilities superbly dynamic. This is the only American sports car that understands what I'm talking and the talent for being a less-grippy machine really sums it up for being the best handling Corvette ever made.

Party at the Red Bull

The styling of the new Corvette Stingray is probably one of my favorite aspects for this new model. Other than this new front view that mimics its arch-rival American sports car that I may not going to tell you about this because this is Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo fans love Corvettes, the new design is well-sculpted, and clean and turns out, I love this new look. Not bad for a Corvette being regenerated to a totally new look though and what's my favorite part on the new Stingray's styling was its speedo. This new Stingray has the most dramatic speedo ever made and as a matter of fact, several cows sacrificed their lives for the Grade A leather needed for the seats. Selected by hand, stitched, and crafted to adapt the new interior. Oh my goodness, that's better than the last one or better yet, it mimicked the interior of the C4 Corvette but with some modernization to keep up with today's trends.

One and Seven

Two and Seven
Three and Seven

Four and Seven

Five and Seven

Six and Seven

From its inception in the year 1953 all the way to its present time, as in the 60th birthday of the Chevrolet Corvette, this car became the legend of the Chevrolet brand. It became the pinnacle of motorsports, especially the 24 hour endurance in Le Mans and the dreaded Nurburgring, showing the world how the Corvette was born to do and set the benchmark in the high-performance sportscar battle. No matter the generation, no matter the age, and no matter which Corvette you own, you are proud to say that you have been chosen by Chevrolet and the statement of "Corvettes rule" really is the testimony that comes from Corvette fans worldwide. With the new C7 Corvette, this new model marks a brand new chapter of the Corvette heritage.

The new Stingray logo

Corvette Stingray Runs Deep


As a matter of fact though, all Corvette generations were featured in the Gran Turismo franchise when this game was launched in 1998. 2013 was the series' 15th anniversary so I expect great things to come...