The Ferrari Dino 206

Perhaps one of the prettiest cars to ever come out of the Ferrari factory was the Dino 206 and 246. Introduced in 1967 and produced until 1974 the car sold over 3,900 units which was a new record for the company for one model. This was the first mid engine road card using a V6 engine. The name came from Enzo Ferrari's son Dino, who had helped talk his father into building a V6 for the road. This introduced a new line of cars which did not carry the Ferrari brand or badges. The initial V6 engine was 1,986 cc's or about 2.0 liters and the 206 designation represented both the capacity of the engine (2.0) and the 6 was for 6 cylinders. It had a rated horsepower of 180 at 8,000 rpm which was almost unheard of for a corresponding American car.

Only 152 cars were produced until the engine was enlarged to 2,418 cc which lead to the model change called the 246GT in 1969. In 1972 a spider or open top car was introduced and called the 246 GTS. The 246 models produced 195 bph and gave the car a top speed of 151 miles per hour. These cars are still known today as being outstanding in road holding and have been compared to race cars. Initially the Dino brand did not take off as well as the Ferrari brand. Many of the early cars were mistreated and left outside, which caused a lot of rust damage. Early cars had heavy depreciation and were not a particularly sought after collector car.

Today in the marketplace this is now a desirable car and can fetch over $180,000 for an excellent example. They are a relatively small car, with a noisy engine and great fun to drive, whether on the road, on the track or part of a rally. At Ferrari car shows the Dino always attracts a lot of attention, and special class awards have been made just for this model. From what was once considered a step child of the company has now come into its own.

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The Ferrari 308GTBi

In March of 1980 the Ferrari 308 received a major change from the exotic sports car introduced in 1975. The American legislation, along with other countries, began to restrict what could and could not be done with an engine by way of emission control standards. Up to this point the Ferrari 308 had four double choke Webber carburetors. However, the carburetor approach did not allow the cars to pass the new emission control standards. Ferrari's answer was to drop the carburetor approach and install a fuel injection system Bosch.

This almost killed the 308 line. The rated horsepower for the American model dropped from a factory number of 255 bph to one of 205 bph. Stock American street cars could outperform the 308. The car had come in two body styles, the 308 GTB or coupe and the 308 GTS or spider, which had an open top, rather than a full convertible top. The fuel injected models added the letter i for injection so the models become the 308 GTBi and the GTSi. Of all of the used 308 models available these became the least desirable, because of the decrease in horsepower.

For Ferrari they still sold a lot of the injected cars. Around 494 GTBi and 1743 GTSi models were produced in a two year time span.

While the power was way down, the car was still a mid engine sports car. A mid engine means that the majority of the engine is located between the front and the rear axle. Front engine cars have most of the engine weight in front of the front axle and rear engine cars, like the VW, have most of the engine behind the rear axle. By using a race proven design of a mid engine the 308s were still very nimble cars on a twisty road or on the track. They made up for the lost horsepower by their exceptional handling.

While the 308's came in the two unique body styles there were many other differences in the cars that Ferrari was producing. The cars designed for the American market had to meet certain safety standards that the rest of the world did not impose. So the American version weighed more, had different gearing and some features like side markers were different. The European versions had a top speed of 147 miles per hour, and the U.S. models under 140 miles per hours.

Dennis Dater has been interested in cars since he learned to drive in a 1952 MG TD. He is opening two unique web sites to offer Honda Accord aftermarket parts. Visit him and see the products or read more articles.
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The Old and New Dodge Viper?

Chrysler's recent bankruptcy filing has left some of its current products exposed, including the iconic Dodge Viper sports car. That vehicle, first rolled out in 1992, is a halo car one that was created to advance the image of the company's Dodge division.

A handcrafted vehicle, the Dodge Viper has always been sold in low numbers, only selling its 25,000th copy in 2008. Last year, Chrysler LLC announced that they would try to sell the Viper in a bid to raise much needed funds for the company, but that announcement didn't bring forth a serious buyer and now, with the bankruptcy in place, the factory producing the Viper has been shut down.

Several Factories Closed, Not Part Of The Fiat Deal

Eight Chrysler factories are being left in bankruptcy which means that Fiat SpA, the buyer of Chrysler, can pick which assets it wants. The Viper assembly plant in Detroit was not included, meaning that support for the sportscar has ended at least for now.

Though the Dodge Viper will likely not emerge as part of the newly restructured Chrysler entity, there is a possibility that a new buyer could step forth to claim the car. Back in the 1960s when Studebaker went out of business, a pair of former Studebaker dealers purchased the rights to the Avanti, the company's forward looking model introduced just a few years before. For the next two decades the timeless Avanti was built and sold to devotees.

Taking Its Cues From The Avanti

Like the Avanti, the Viper could be produced by just about anyone as the buyer of the car would gain rights to the name, body molds, parts, tools and everything related to the car. The new buyer would also assume responsibility of furnishing replacement parts for existing Vipers and would probably strike a warranty agreement with Chrysler to cover cars built when the Viper was under the Dodge umbrella. That agreement could be backed up by the federal government which has a similar plan already in place for Chrysler.

Thus, if the Viper does continue to live on, its new owner may have nothing to do with building cars, although my personal speculation is that an existing manufacturer will acquire full rights to the Viper and produce the car themselves. After all, a halo car is just that - one that bolsters the image of a brand, something that the V-10, 600 horsepower, 560 lb.-ft of torque Viper has done successfully for Dodge.

Matthew C. Keegan is a freelance writer who resides in North Carolina. Matt is a contributing writer for Andy's Auto Sport an aftermarket supplier of quality parts including Dodge wheelsDodge rims. and

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The Honda City ZX Gxi

Running The Extra Mile.
Honda City ZX Gxi, the smart city car is all set to capture hearts with many changes over Honda's City ZX Exi. This improved version of City dons new looks and brings some new features.

Key Features
A powerful 1497cc SOHC engine with four cylinders heads the working of Honda City . Looking at its power delivery of 78 PS at 5500 rpm and torque of 125 Nm at 2700 rpm, this car lets you enjoy smooth city drive. Your driving experience is made all the more comfortable with front as well as rear suspension and height adjustable driver seat. Coming to the fuel system, PGM-FI system in your Honda City is a good choice with regards to fuel economy. It gives an overall mileage of 12 kmpl.

This feature rich Honda City ZX Gxi emerges as a winner over Fiat Palio Stile 1.3 SD Multijet car, especially with regards to the inclusion of features. Electric power steering with tilt, Door Ajar Warning, central lock, power door lock, child proof rear door locks are some of the features that give this car an edge over similar cars.

Design
First impression is rightly said to be the last and lasting impression. Honda City ZX Gxi has really given its design a careful thought. Some parts such as side protection molding, bumper, side-mirror, and door handles are colored in the same color as that of the body. The new front grille of chrome adds to the classy looks. This exterior design inclines toward practicality with Front fog lamps used for safety, New 3D multi-reflector headlamps and New tail light cluster. The interiors too create a lasting impression with dual shades of beige and the switch panel in woody finish. Cabin space, leg space and seats in Honda City offer comfort.

Cons
Honda City would certainly have reduced jerks with a good suspension in place. With such a good mileage - 12kmpl average - good suspension would have worked like a feather in its cap. That said, Honda City ZX Gxi's pick up to needs improvement.

Conclusion
One can go for Honda City, if he likes long drives. Being slightly overpriced, it tips the scales in favor of similar cars.

Albert Cain is a well known writer. He has written many articles on, Cars, motorbikes, health care, scooter, Automobiles, speaker and so on.

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The Nissan Skyline

When we get something we demand more and story goes on. That is what happened with Nissan Skyline car. Frankly, Nissan skyline didn't imagine about such a massive fame, which skyline would keep getting for years and years to come. The purpose of manufacturing and designing such a boom car was to presiding over racing tracks, especially in the Asia car racing championship. But later on it has been the only choice of Australian racing drivers also.

You will be surprised to note that it was banned due to its supremacy and power factor. This car has been running from the race track to the road track, without upsetting anyone. The car enthusiasts would have never thought of such a stability and performance. You can't find such an exceptional combinational of handling, balancing with three shift gears. But Nissan skyline put up with all three. Believe it or not, fans of this car don't need to tune-up with body shells. This is one of the fastest ever car on the track, so it will suit to those, who are hungry for more speed. A lot more tune-up experiments have been tried with the speed, but only a few of those have worked because there is hardly anything that needs a change. That's called technology and supremacy.

The engine can be tuned up to burning 500hp. it could be achieved by putting up with 2.81 engine, as well as wadding same equipments insides as found into the other winning car of Japanese tracks. Exhaust has to be carefully crafted to bypass the test of hardest noise limits on the track. After such tuning this engine can produce up a heavy emission of 590 hp, which may bring some damage to exhaust system.

A car racing driver may feel the pleasure when it reaches 5500rpm from 4500rpm and still capable to accelerate more. In such condition only Bridgestone RE01Rs tires are capable to resist such as royal speed combo. You have a choice to use Bridgestone Potenza RE55S or any other similar tires that can withstand such high speed and power. Its mid-altering brakes are well maintained by Sachs 3 adjustable dampers. You can add another feature of super copper mix clutch, which adds driving pleasure by the easiness of use, besides handling the power. Interior design could be modified by using Alcantara covered seats, which hold tightly with the body during fast driving. Finally it would be a daydream to have a tuned up model of Nissan skyline, so be cautious while tuning it up this masterpiece.

Sturat is an article marketer and enjoys writing and sharing articles on topics like Nissan Skyline Tuning and Nissan Primera Tuning. For more information, please visit us.

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The Nissan Sentra

If you are looking for a high performance and large space inside then Nissan Sentra fits your needs, wants and even desires. Basically, Nissan Sentra is nothing but a re-badged version of Nissan Sunny, one of the most celebrated and highly prestigious compact cars. There is a hell lot of interior volume that gives unmatched comfort and elegance to its passengers. That's why this Japanese car technology has reached almost every country and continent within a few years. Not only is this but another distinguishing feature of Nissan Sentra its authoritative Nissan VQ engine.

Since 1934, Nissan has formed various perfect designs from, Yoshisuke Aikawa to Carlos Ghosn. The Nissan has always brought 100% efforts in making it a world class level automobile car. So the tuning of Nissan might be a difficult task, due to its perfect ness in terms of technology and performance. So you need to be very careful, while thinking to tune up its on-road performance & overall seem.

Here the common tuning tips for all Nissan design:

• In all heavy engines of Nissan there is a common trouble of engine knock. To evade this, you will have to lower the compression ratio of intake valve by upgrading it. As well utilization of high octane fuel will guarantee help your engine?

• For the volumetric efficiency of forced induction use bigger valve & large exhaust header within.

• A good boost controller will increases the engine efficiency, which will down the stress level of engine.

• To optimize compression ration always go to tune up with turbo charging.

• While look or appearance of the car is ones own choice, could be dark maroon metallic etc.

• Nissan Sentra is the Japan's most renowned car due to its compact volume & unbelievable interior design. This opens the tune up options with this car. This model is never designed for racing purpose.

• As Sentra is having HKS Legamax premium exhaust system, so it has quad titanium tips with stainless steel finish, due to which racing sound gradually increases with RPM.

• The engine & advanced electronic has volumetric efficiency.

• Use VAC type GT-R device to stop speed limiter.

• A unique part is especially designed for Sentra; it is Stillen Header/Downpipe. This part balances the intake and exhaust system.

In addition to the above mentioned tips, you can enhance the Redline Tranny fluid for Sentra. And, for its proper functioning you must use short tube funnel. So what are you waiting for, play with it and experience a big difference yourself what this amazing car can offer you.

Sturat is an article marketer and enjoys writing and sharing articles on topics like Nissan Tuning and Nissan Sentra Tuning. For more information, please visit us.

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The Hyundai Tiburon 2008

The Hyundai Tiburon was introduced in 1997 and now the New 2008 Hyundai Tiburon was born. Hyundai Tiburon is the second generation model through upgrades, improvement and by adding new and hightech features and refining the front wheel drive coupe's styling.

There are four 2008 Hyundai Tiburon offered in trim livels the Hyundai Tiburon GS, Hyundai Tiburon SE, Hyundai Tiburon GT and Hyundai Tiburon GT limited.

The entry-level 2008 Tiburon GS features a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 138 horsepower. Matching transmissions include a fuel-efficient five-speed manual and an available four-speed automatic with Hyundai's SHIFTRONIC system. Economy for 2008 is 20 mpg city/28 mpg highway with manual transmission, 20 mpg city/27 mpg highway with the automatic.

The 2008 Tiburon GT, SE, and GT Limited benefit from the more powerful all-aluminum 2.7-liter V-6 rated at 172 horsepower. A five-speed manual is standard, while a six-speed ZF manual comes with the performance-oriented Tiburon SE. A four-speed automatic with SHIFTRONIC is available on the GT and GT Limited. Fuel economy estimates for 2008 are 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway for both the Tiburon GT and GT Limited, regardless of transmission. The new SE yields 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway.