Prime Minister Putin gets behind the Wheel of Russia's First Hybrid Car

When he's not driving a Renault Formula 1 car or a locally-made Chrysler Sebring, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin test drives hybrid cars – or at least that's what he did on April 1 (no, really), when he got behind the wheel of the country’s first hybrid vehicle, the Yo-Mobile. Built by Yo-Auto, a joint-venture between truck maker Yarovit Motors and Onexim Group, the company of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov who also owns the New Jersey Nets, the car has an unusual hybrid setup. It uses a rotary vane engine (see video below) that works on petrol and natural gas and is linked to a pair of electric motors.
Instead of a classic battery-pack, the Yo-Mobile uses a super-capacitor, which is an energy-storing device seen by Russian engineers as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The capacitor stores the energy produced by the engine and sends it to the electric motors that drive the car. The main advantage of the capacitor is that it doesn't require re-charging from a power network.
The Russian hybrid returns an average fuel consumption of 3.5 liters/100 km (67.2 mpg) and has a combined driving range of 1,100 km (683.5 miles). It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 7-8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 130 km/h (80.8 mph).
Set to be built in three different body styles (hatchbach, cross-coupe and a van) from the second half of 2012, the Russian hybrid will retail for $12,000 - $15,000 (€8,500 - €10,500). The most expensive model will have four-wheel drive, satellite navigation system, cruise-control and climate control.
Before getting behind the wheel of the hybrid cross-coupe to drive it to president Medvedev's residence, Putin said to Prokhorov: "I hope your Yo-Mobile will not fall apart on the way." Luckily for the Russian billionaire, it didn't. Scroll down to see Putin's ride

By Dan Mihalascu

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VIDEO: Driver Smacks Lamborghini Gallardo on Curve, Blames Broken Shoe Heel

A twin-turbocharged Lamborghini Gallardo tuned by Underground Racing received an unwanted...facelift when the driver smashed the Italian supercar on a curve at the Caffeine and Octane event in Georgia this past weekend. A forum member who appears to be a friend of the car’s owner uploaded several photos and a description of the crash over at the Car Lounge. According to the post, the blame is put on the driver’s shoe heels that “came loose and as he stepped on the brakes, the loose part stayed partially on the gas”. A set of videos showing the crash as it happened as well as the aftermath, which translates in a broken rear suspension, wheel damage and some minor body scruffs, also made their way online. You can watch them right after the break.

[From the Car Lounge Post]

"This happened today at Caffeine & Octane here in GA. Owner (Name held back, I'd request the same if you know him) is a laid back and down to earth guy (was giving joy rides to 60 year old lady ). As he was leaving, stepped on it a little, car slid, spun around and jumped the curve. He wasn't even doing 20mph. Walked up to him and he was fine, but it turned out culprit was his shoe heel. Part of it came loose and as he stepped on the brakes, the loose part stayed partially on gas. Which kept him from full braking and gassed the car at the same time. He maintained his cool as people made fun of the situation, mad props to him for staying calm. We got together and helped him get the car out and on flat bed (it was a bitch to get in on). His last few lines were, "well gives me a reason to put some nice wheels and tint my tail lights lol."
Damage: The rear frame snapped off clean where the control arm bolts on to. No under body damage, no leaks, and car fired right up. He said car is going in for repairs Monday and should be back for next C & O.
PS: Before some smart comments come up like, "needs to learn to drive." He has owned this for over a year, and his other cars include a built TT C6 Plastic mess-06 making 1200whp+. Just bad luck I would say.

Sources: Jalopnik & The Car Lounge

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Video Tour of the Unmade BMW M Cars Including the M3 Tourer and Compact, Ur-Roadster and M5 Cabriolet

It is by far, the most sacred place for a BMW M fan. We’re talking about the BMW M Division’s underground facility where the company stores copies of all the production cars and prototypes it has ever built, including a variety of never before seen in public vehicles. In a surprising but much welcomed move, the German automaker recently opened the doors of the special M garage to the members of the press and select enthusiasts revealing an array of models that most had only heard about. We already brought you a video of the wild M8 Coupe with the 580-horsepower V12 engine that was eventually used on the McLaren F1, but now we have several videos showcasing the entire lineup of M cars.
These include the E46 M3 Touring (BMW for station wagon), the E36 M3 Compact powered by the same 321HP straight-six from the M3 Coupe of the time, the E34 M5 Cabriolet with open-top seating for four, an M3 powered E30 ute and possibly the strangest creation yet, the so called Ur-Roadster. The latter is said to have been developed after the Z1 with power being delivered by the E30 M3’s 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine.
Check out all of the cars in the videos below.

Sources: M5Board, Bimmerpost and Car

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Meet the Mefistofele, Fiat's 21.7-liter Record-Breaking Car from Hell

The story of the Mefistofele started in 1908, when Fiat introduced the SB4 chain-driven Grand Prix racer. After seeing it race, Sir Ernest Eldridge from Britain bought the car with the aim of turning it into speed record breaker. However, there was one problem: the original car's 18.0-liter engine was considered rather small by Eldridge, who decided to replace it with a massive airplane powerplant. He opted for a liquid-cooled Fiat-built 21.7-liter inline six-cylinder unit (type A-12 Bis) that developed 320 horsepower at 1,800 rpm after various upgrades such as the fitting of four valves and four spark plugs on each cylinder.
The story goes that in order to accommodate the long and heavy engine, Eldridge lengthened the SB4's chassis using parts from a London bus. The car was chain-driven and had brakes only at the rear, which made it a handful for even the most experienced of drivers. Interestingly, experts fail to understand even today the mechanism that allowed the car to reverse, since there is no trace of it left.
On July 12 1924 the Mefistofele, which obtained its name by the press because of the smoke and explosions produced by its massive engine, had its finest moment when it set the world land speed record in Arpajon, France. The 5.1-meter long, 2-tonne car driven by Eldridge recorded an official top speed of 234,980 km/h (146 mph) in what is said to be the last land speed record event organised on public roads. And even though its record stood for only 32 days, the fame of the Fiat Mefistofele survived more than a century after its birth.
In 1969 Fiat's boss Giovanni Agnelli bought the Mefistofele from Sir Eldridge's heirs and shipped it to Italy, where the car underwent a major restoration and was added to the company's historical collection.
The car is perfectly functional and can be admired at the Centro Storico Fiat in Turin. Unfortunately, there aren't any videos of the car in action, but you can check out the footage below from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, where the 21.7-liter Mefistofele was displayed next to the 0.9-liter […] Fiat 500 TwinAir.

By Dan Mihalascu

Sources: Fiat, Bigscalemodels

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2012 BMW M5 Concept: First Photos Out in the Open

In a move that certainly won’t leave BMW officials happy, pictures of the 2012 M5 Concept from a preview event held in Germany prior to the car’s world premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show in China later this month, leaked onto the internet. As with most BMW concepts of the sort, the new M5 study is 99 per cent production ready, so don’t expect to see anything different when the sports saloon make its premiere in production guise later this year, possibly at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The new M5 is based on the latest F10 5-Series saloon and is powered by a modified version of the same twin-turbocharged V8 engine found on the X5 M and X6 M. The V8 is believed to be lighter, more powerful and greener than the 507HP 5.0-liter V10 lump it replaces. No specific numbers have been released, but rumor has it that output will be close to 600-horsepower.
The leaked pictures reveal the rather conservative styling changes over the standard F10 5-Series, which include bespoke front and rear bumpers, side air vents, four tail pipes and the five-spoke M alloy wheels.
Expect more information and perhaps even new photos to come out shortly.

Source: M5board , Transmissia via Worldcarfans

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VIDEOS: New Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Spotted at the Vallelunga Race Track

Yes, it’s another set of videos of the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, but we're not complaining. This time, the Raging Bull supercar was caught at the Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi racing circuit just outside of Rome, Italy. Unfortunately, the three clips are quite short – up to 12 seconds each, but at least we get a taste of the 700-horsepower V12 engine’s sounds. Watch them after the jump.

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VIDEO: New Dodge Charger Ad Inaugurates Fast and Furious Five Partnership

If you’re a car buff, chances are you’ve heard about the next chapter in the Fast and Furious franchise that’s scheduled for release in theaters towards the end of April. Being that the movie series is popular among car enthusiasts, the Chrysler Group decided to team up with Universal Pictures for a multi-tiered partnership. Aside from providing 2010 and 2011 model year Dodge Charger vehicles used in numerous chase scenes throughout the Fast Five movie, the Detroit automaker is also sponsoring a Dodge/Fast Five advertisement that will air for the first time on Saturday, April 2 during the Final Four basketball tournaments. However, you can get a sneak peak right after the jump.
“The Dodge brand is proud to partner with Universal Pictures on Fast Five. We enjoyed being a part of the production process and working with the cast and crew, and it clearly comes through in the film,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand, Chrysler Group LLC.
“The chase scenes in this installment of Fast Five are over-the-top and adrenaline-filled, and Dodge fans will be thrilled by the performance of the Dodge Charger.”
The new ad, which you can check out below, stars an Elizabethan-era mother in the 2011 Charger lecturing her daughter about ruining the family name by carrying on in a relationship with Cornelius, a son of a blacksmith’s apprentice, driving Vin Diesel’s 1970s classic Charger.

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