The Demo Site

Dust covered for more than 50 years in a British garage, a rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalanta Coupe has been found and auctioned last week at the Paris Bonhams Retromobile event. The car was bought by a European car collector and if you were wondering for how much, it’s an enormous 3,417,500 euros. Packed with a high performance engine, and way ahead of its time, the supercar was originally owned by Earl Howe - famous British race driver, which only adds to the value. We can only imagine how it’s going to look after a good restoration … [autoweek via WCF]

The list with the hotties for this year’s Auto Show in Geneva is far from being over. Check out this adorable MINI convertible that got some John Cooper Works love and turned into a modern day princess that will rock the streets. Expected to feature a 1.6-liter turbo four that outputs 211 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, the new MINI JCW cabrio is fast as hell. It does 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 6.9 seconds and tops at 146mph (234 km/h). Add to all these a set of 17″ alloy wheels, retuned suspension and electronics, an aero kit, larger brakes and dark grey soft-top, and you wouldn’t have to kiss it to turn it into a great seller. We’re sold … [via Autoblog]

When deciding to purchase any used hybrid cars, there are many benefits to be considered. Firstly, despite the fact that they may be slightly more expensive than other second hand cars, you will still save money on fuel with the cost per mile advantage. Depending on the age of the hybrid car, there should be a warrantee that entitles the owner to free replacements of some of the more expensive hybrid parts. Even when a hybrid car has passed 250,000 miles, it will still run perfectly.

Check into a possible tax rebate of up to $5,000 in the US if you decide to own a used hybrid car, as the government supports the hybrid vehicle because they do benefit the environment. A Used or new hybrid car has no more mechanical problems than a regular car and they have a fantastic power source, that doesn't need to be plugged into an electric source. The hybrid car creates it's own energy through a process of regenerative breaking, which is when charge is created through the movement of the wheels.
There are so many advantages to buying a used hybrid car with the first one being, it's cheaper than buying one brand new and it will still work just as good when it's looked after well, just as long as a regular car. When you buy a used hybrid car, you can also be proud to know that you are helping the environment and putting less fuel emissions towards pollution already out there today.

By: Noah Joseph

Participation in major auto shows is coming down like a house of cards for some automakers. The latest nail in the coffin: Mitsubishi is pulling out of the Frankfurt Motor Show. But that's just the tip of the clichéd iceberg, as the Japanese automaker has revealed a new strategy towards participating in car shows.
From here on in, Mitsubishi will only attend one major auto show on any given continent each year. In Europe, Mitsu is already locked in Geneva, where it will unveil its cap-tastic new i Miev SPORT AIR concept. In North America, Mitsubishi already sat out the Detroit Auto Show and didn't have much to show us in Chicago, so its new strategy will force it to choose between New York and Los Angeles, while across the Pacific it's bound to stick to its home-turf at the Tokyo Motor Show. Between the new car show strategy and its withdrawal from Dakar, Mitsu should be saving some serious coin, however we can't help but wonder what effect it will bear on its corporate image in the long term. But if things keep up the way they have been, we wouldn't be surprised to see more cash-strapped automakers following Mitsubishi's lead

Italian premium brake manufacturer Brembo announced yesterday that it will lay off 1,840 workers as the auto industry continues on a downward trend. To keep production in line with demand, Brembo said it will continue temporary lay-offs along with other saving controls.

Brembo plans on laying-off 540 and 680 white collar workers for 20 days in the March-May period. In March, it will lay off between 120 and 1,160 blue-collar workers at its plants for varying periods.

Outside of Italy, Brembo will cut a total of 160 jobs in Mexico.

Brembo said it has seen a strong reduction in orders as production is cut by auto makers and that it sees no signs of recovering in the coming months.

While Rolls-Royce prepares for the launch of the new “baby Phantom” at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show next month, workers at the Goodwood factory squeezed in some time to give the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom and Phantom Extended Wheelbase a facelift.

A number of modest enhancements were made to keep the Phantom lineup uniform to the new Phantom Drophead Coupe and the Phantom Coupe. Designers made subtle touches including a new streamlined front bumper that has been designed and integrated with a shallower grille, finished in stainless steel. Other updated include LED door handle illumination and 21-inch cast aluminum wheels as standard.

Inside the new 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom rear passengers can now enjoy AUX audio and visual connectivity to the 12-inch monitors mounted within the picnic tables, rear-climate control, volume control and window switches that are now place in a wood veneer in the panel door and bi-directional double reading lights in the C-pillar.

After all the sketches released by Hyundai, the 2010 Equus large-luxury Korean sedan has been unveiled ahead of its Geneva debut.

The new 2010 Hyundai Equus will be available with same two engine choices from the Hyundai Genesis sedan. The base model will be powered by a 290-hp 3.8L V6, while the range topping will get the 368-hp 4.6L V8.

The previous generation Hyundai Equus was a Mitsubishi-designed sedan that was exclusively sold in Korea, Middle East, China and some parts of Southern Asia - a few units were even exported to Europe. The new 2010 Hyundai Equus is expected to have further reach under the Genesis brand and may even make it to the U.S. and other European regions. The new Equus will arrive in Korean dealerships on March 3.

Let us know what you think of the 2010 Equus in the comments section after the jump.

2010 Hyundai Equus:

Source: The Car Blogger