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Photo: Lothar Spurzem.
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Porsche 917
Photo: Lothar Spurzem.
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12:00 PM on Tue Aug 21 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
9,356 views,
102 comments
jalopnik fantasy garage
Bugatti Veyron 16.4
"The most pointless exercise on the planet has got to be this four-wheel-drive 1000 horsepower Bugatti. I think it's incredibly childish this thing people have about just one element—top speed or standing kilometre or 0-60. It's about as narrow minded as you can get as a car designer to pick on one element. It's like saying we're going to beat the original Mini because we're going to make a car 10 mph faster on its top speed—but it's two foot longer and 200 kilos heavier. That's not car designing—that just reeks of a company who are paranoid."That's McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray talking about this week's Fantasy Garage candidate during it's incubation period. And I told you, this time it would be another Volkswagen. A Bug, even. Hatched almost entirely from the mind of the same madman who brought us last week's disgraced Phaeton W12, the Bugati Veyron is without question a high-water mark of automotive engineering. Can I rephrase that? The 16.4 is the high-water mark. And no matter what any of you say, this one's going into the Garage. More »
11:30 AM on Tue May 15 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
10,511 views,
119 comments
Latest by BBinTennessee: The Bugatti VEYRON is,in my opinon,the ultimate nocternal emmision for a dyed in the wool car guy.The photos alone make me want to strap on a six-point seat harness while trying to wipe an indelible grin from my face.This is more »
jalopnik fantasy garage
The Votes Are In: Phaeton, Out!
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." – John AdamsThe people have spoken. And the people are wrong, fantastically wrong. I'm not shocked that the greatest-ever Volkswagen was given the boot from our make believe petroleum paradise, but I am deeply disappointed. I remember when I first discussed nominating the Phaeton with various members of the Jalopnik brain trust. We were convinced that it would never get in. Much to our surprise and quite honestly, delight, "Piech's Folly" made cut the mustard. But then, despite my passionate plea, despite comment after comment explaining just why in fact the Phaeton W12 is so very special, at the first opportunity some of you did the obvious thing – the big VeeDub was sacked (I say "some" because while 414 folks voted the Phaeton out, 801 voted to expel other and sadly lesser cars). No matter, though. We exist in the form of a blog and therefor we lick our wounds and move on. 'Tis the nature of the beast. But I'm getting a Volkswagen in the Fantasy Garage. And it sure as hell ain't going to be a first generation GTI. Perhaps the Touareg? Because I'm mean. More »
news
The Back of Beyond: Volkswagen's New Rear-Engined Ride
Seeing as how the ultralux Phaeton didn't work out so hot, the People's Car Company is going to release a new car for – get this – the people. And this new car will have its motivator right where Dr. Porsche intended — in the bum. The versatile wordsmiths at Automobile are claiming a mole buried "deep inside" VeeDub HQ has confirmed that a new ass-engined little car is imminent. For those of us that live in America and other first world countries, two body styles will be offered. One will ape the Beetle (why not?) and the other will look like a puny Jetta. Our cars will also come with a direct-injected turbo 3-banger. More »
jalopnik fantasy garage
Jalopnik Fantasy Garage: Volkswagen Phaeton W12
Yes, the Phaeton. Like everyone else, when I first heard Volkswagen would be producing a $100,000 car, I was aghast. Was this the same Volkswagen that built my friend Tristy's Scirocco? Aside from constantly belching black smoke, that car's passenger seat would snap off its runners on every left turn. Six figures for a fat Passat? I'll pass, thanks. But then, details started trickling in. The Phaeton would share an all-wheel-drive, air-suspended platform with both the Bentley Continental GT and the Audi A8L, including the mega-compact 6.0-liter W12. That's some Brucetastic DNA. Snob-wise, the Phaeton would be at the correct end of a one-way street. While some jokers might climb into a Bentley and cringe at the Volkswagen-sourced gear selector, ain't nobody's getting into a Phaeton and bemoaning, "Hey, that's the knob-a-roo from the Continental GT – gross!" Sure, the biggest-ever VW would come from a fine family. But then again, so do the Hilton sisters. More »
11:00 AM on Tue Apr 24 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
4,719 views,
94 comments
Latest by n/a: I'd call him not Phaeton but PHANTOM.. looks very stylish more »
news
Testing The Waters: Porsche Underbids On VW, All Your German Automakers Are Belong to Ferdinand Piech?
Ok, at the moment Porsche isn't buying Volkswagen. I know there's all this talk everywhere on the Bruce-tastic Teutonic knights taking a larger stake in the automaker representing Deutschland, but an outright purchase is just not happening — yet. How do we know? Here's why. The shares of V-Dub are currently trading at around 117 Euros. Porsche's offer is 100.92 Euros, well under the market price and the lowest legal amount the Porsche boys can offer. See, it's pro forma. Under German law, whenever one company owns more than 30% of another, it must tender a buyout offer. Porsche even says as much. Michael Baumann, a company spokesperson said earlier this week to the NYT,"we expect very few, if any, shareholders to sell us their shares at this price...this gives us the freedom to move further without taking other special steps."What this does mean is that Porsche wants tighter control on the Beetle-maker — and that the... More »
news: industry news
Wolfgang Bernhard will be bailing on the boys from Wolfsburg, making him a prime candidate to replace Tom LaSorda at Chrysler. However, there is the little issue of the two-year noncompete clause in Bernhard's contract. Does this mean that one of the brightest minds in autoexecudom will be sidelined while Pi
ch continues to assert his capricious will via VW's supervisory board and Auburn Hills proves that it seemingly has no idea what it's doing without the firm hand of a German at the helm? Dr. Z, Wendelin, do something! Volkswagen's Bernhard Is Poised To Leave Over Planned Shake-Up [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]Related:
Wolfgang & Winterkorn Get Kicked Up a Notch at VW [Internal]
It's Expected, He's Gone: Bernhard No Longer to Represent Vee Dub
Wolfgang Bernhard will be bailing on the boys from Wolfsburg, making him a prime candidate to replace Tom LaSorda at Chrysler. However, there is the little issue of the two-year noncompete clause in Bernhard's contract. Does this mean that one of the brightest minds in autoexecudom will be sidelined while Pi
ch continues to assert his capricious will via VW's supervisory board and Auburn Hills proves that it seemingly has no idea what it's doing without the firm hand of a German at the helm? Dr. Z, Wendelin, do something! Volkswagen's Bernhard Is Poised To Leave Over Planned Shake-Up [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)]Related:Wolfgang & Winterkorn Get Kicked Up a Notch at VW [Internal]
news: industry news
