By Porsche owners, the owners at that time driving a Porsche to drive in the fast-track driving, suddenly saw smoke out of the front cover of the engine, the car stops quickly and get off after a roadside view, then suddenly leapt up from the fire body , gas flame, nearly 5 meters high, not be able to control the fire too, from time to time, the tire explosion.

Track not far from the Rally Team FCACA quickly fire personnel, but the fire was too fierce fire fight when the whole cab was destroyed, but fortunately this is the only track on a car, did not result in major incidents.

Although the car next to an emergency fire-fighting personnel, but the fire but too fast and the ultimate Porsche only a hollow shell. However, the owner of the car is pointing at the car said, "can see a large fire."

[via BBS 163]

Shanghai Sideways offers highly detailed tours of both the new and old Shanghai, including the new financial district and the 1920s French Concession. Prices range based on time and number of passengers, but a thorough tour consists of a 4 hour ride at a rate of 1000 rmb ($146 USD) or you can get the quick version with a 1 hour tour costing 600 rmb ($87 USD) for either one or two passengers.

The motorcycles used for these uniquely guided tours are Chinese ChangJiang 750cc which are based heavily on the 1956 Soviet IMZ (Irbitski Mototsikletniy Zavod) M-72 which in turn is a replica of a 1938 BMW R71.

The only thing we're asking ourselves now is how we missed this intimate guided attraction when we were in Shanghai. Until next time. [via Shanghai Sideways]

Over the weekend a group of Shanghainese got together to celebrate a visit by one of their Transformers idols, the Bumblebee-esque 2010 Camaro SS. To show their support, they've taken their yellow-painted cars and rally striped the hell out of them for a coordinated parade lap around the city. [via ChinaCarTimes]

FoMoCo China was nice enough to sponsor our visit to the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show after we realized the firm communist grip the event organizers had on non J-2 VISA holders, so we thought we'd give them a little love too. Not that we have to, but because they genuinely had a great display that was akin to a Cirque Du Soleil show in Vegas. All-in-all, it was a great show and we thank Ford for all the help they provided in getting us access that we wouldn't have received otherwise. Take a peek below at the action.


Power Rangers, activate your crystals, 3..2..1.. power up!!
[photo credit: TAI, Ford]

20.) Geely GT Tiger

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19.) Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV

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18.) BYD B8 Convertible

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17.) Chevy Cruze WTCC

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16.) 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

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15.) Geely ET925 Experimental Truck

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14.) Chang'An CD101

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13.) Lifan Motors 320

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12.) JAC A0

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11.) Roewe MG6 Turbo

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10.) 2010 Audi Q7

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9.) GAC VIP Lounge

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8.) Porsche Panamera Takes Elevator To 94th Floor

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7.) Geely Formula One Concept

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6.) Geely iG Fantastic Concept

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5.) Geely GE

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4.) Buick Business Concept

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3.) Porsche Panamera

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2.) Stile Bertone Mantide

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1.) Ten Worst Chinese Car Names

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So how'd they get the Panamera and it's fat butt up there? Check out the images above and you'll see it was quite the squeeze, almost mimicking what you'd see if Santa Claus were real and he was shimmying up your chimney after eating all your cookies and making out with your Mom. Wait a minute...

Getting the Panamera, or any car for that matter, up to the 94th floor of the world's second tallest building is no easy task. Workers jimmied the 4-door Porsche into the freight elevator using a motor ramp and some careful coordination to get it into an upright position for its ride up 1,394 feet to what is considered to be the world's tallest event platform.

Question is — How'd they get it down?
[WCF via Porsche]

The race began with a bit of caution, as the group tailed the AMG-supplied SL63 pace car for eight laps before being let loose to the elements. Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel took the pole during Saturday's qualifying session, holding onto the position until today's rain soaked finish. Not only did Red Bull pull a 1st place podium finish, but team mate, Mark Webber also pulled it in, giving Red Bull Racing a one-two finish over the rest of the pack. It was a rather uneventful grand prix, with no real racing taking place except for a few fun laps with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa. Series leader, Jenson Button and his Brawn Honda/Mercedes, played hard, but was unable to hold onto his winning streak, eventually finishing 3rd.

Make sure you check out my coverage of Day 1 and Day 2 for more on track and lifestyle images from the event.

2009 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX FINAL STANDINGS:

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Pts
1 15 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 56 1:57:43.485 1 10
2 14 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 56 +10.9 secs 3 8
3 22 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes 56 +44.9 secs 5 6
4 23 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 56 +63.7 secs 4 5
5 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 56 +65.1 secs 12 4
6 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 56 +71.8 secs 9 3
7 10 Timo Glock Toyota 56 +74.4 secs 19 2
8 12 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 56 +76.4 secs 10 1
9 7 Fernando Alonso Renault 56 +84.3 secs 2
10 4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 56 +91.7 secs 8
11 11 Sebastien Bourdais STR-Ferrari 56 +94.1 secs 15
12 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 56 +95.8 secs 11
13 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 56 + 106.8 secs 17
14 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Mercedes 55 +1 Lap 20
15 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 55 +1 Lap 7
16 8 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 53 +2 Laps 16
17 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 50 +6 Laps 18
Ret 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 43 +13 Laps 14
Ret 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 20 +36 Laps 13
Ret 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota 18 +38 Laps 6

[images via TAI, results via formula1]

Today was a busy day at the track with almost twice the attendance as yesterday's practice sessions and with some hot laps being set by the team with wings. Red Bull racing's Sebastian Vettel fought hard to take the pole for the first time since Monza last year. Vettel set his fast lap during the 3rd qualifying session, managing a 1m 36.184s lap, besting his teammate, Mark Webber's 1m 36.466s lap. Yesterday's practice sessions had Jenson Button setting the fast lap in the Brawn, but he fell back to 5th during today's qualifying. Fernando Alonso was able to settle his Renault in between the two Red Bull entries with a 1m 36.381s lap, netting him 2nd on the pole. [images via TAI, times via formula1]

It was a fairly uneventful day with no real incidents, which allowed Jensen Button to continue his hot lap trend. He was able to set the fastest time during the afternoon's second practice session, circling the 3.4 mile track with a time of 1m 35.679s in his Brawn Whatchamacallit. Nico Rosberg set a 1m 35.704s lap in his Williams F1, just ahead of Button's teammate, Rubens Barrichello, who managed a 1m 35.881s lap. I'll be back again tomorrow to see the action during the third round of practice as well as the afternoon's qualifying session, which should prove to be extremely competitive considering today's lap times.

[images via TAI, timing via Formula1]

Exact details are very scarce, but according to GM's official 2009 Shanghai Auto Show press release and an insider tip, we've learned that a new Buick 7-seater MPV concept will strut its people-carrying stuff onto the stage during one of the media days, either Monday or Tuesday of next week. We've been told that it'll be Chevy Orlando-based, but we'll believe it when we see it in the flesh. There's also talk that it may be based on the upcoming Opel Zafira MPV now that the Opel/Buick wündershowzen has begun. We'll know for sure next week, but considering that the recently on-sale-in-China Buick Enclave sells for around RMB 475,000 ($70,000 USD), they might need a less expensive people hauler to compete with market-rival Audi's new Q5 SUV.

Aside from the Buick MPV concept, GM will show 37 other models, including the Chinese-market Cadillac SRX, Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo, Chevy Volt and the Chevy Camaro of all things. The 2009 Shanghai Auto Show runs April 20 - 28.

While drinking some beers this evening on my Huangpu River-front apartment balcony in Pudong Shanghai, I happened to notice one of the many Chinese TV boats playing a Porsche Panamera preview as it passed by. Intrigued, I grabbed my camera and shot a couple of quick shots before it got away.

Not content with seeing the Panamera defeat the laws of physics on the river, I'll also be bringing you live coverage of all the rest of the hoopla from the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show floor next week.

The CHC011 is GreatWall's first foray into the 'car' building business as they're mostly known for SUVs and trucks. Set to debut next week at the Shanghai Auto Show, the concept will feature a 3.0-liter V6 mated with a six-speed automatic transmission, 8 airbags (1 primary and 7 backups, just in case), ESP and ABS. ABS? Wow, we weren't even sure that was still a truly marketable option and makes the damn thing sound more like a used car salesman's pitch to us.

Aside from a killer options list the CHC011 will feature some truly unique styling, well, if you consider unique the 'borrowing' of design cues from the gorgeous Mercedes CLS. From a distance you may be fooled, but get up close and it's a whole and you'll discover that the CHC011 is scary enough, that if ever put in the same room, would make Chairman Mao's earthquake-proof crystal coffin crack at first site.

We'll bring you live shots from the show floor next week when we visit the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show. We'll be delicately practicing our Engrish until then. [via ChinaCarTimes]

The throne-like rear seat sits on plush red carpet underneath a starry night sky - the latter ripped straight from the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

No word on what engine underpowers the big Geely, but expect it to make an official premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 20. [via TheTycho]

According to Edmunds Inside Line, the A00, showing in Shanghai, will go into production by the end of the year and compete against the likes of the Toyota Aygo and BYD F0. It will be powered by a 1.0-liter engine which we're sure in no way uses intellectual properties from other automakers and will have a sale price of somewhere around $7,000. [Edmunds Inside Line]

The trip from the LongYang Station just outside of downtown Shanghai to the Pudong International Airport is 30km (19mi) and takes roughly 40 minutes by car; the maglev travels this distance in roughly 7 minutes. It does its task in virtual silence with none of the shuddering you'd expect after experience our own homegrown Amtrack. The acceleration is gradual, smooth and you never feel like you're traveling at a high rate of speed until the train starts its deceleration or you look out the window. It really is incredible.

It's a great reminder that even the fastest of production super cars can still be schooled by a vehicle designed to basically be an appliance. But, if this appliance doesn't excite you, we're not sure what will.

[via YouTube]

The first new car will be a TF replacement better equipped (ie not dating from 1995) to compete with the Mazda MX-5. Expect it late next year. That will be followed by a mid-size sedan based on the Roewe 550; it aims to take on the Mazda6 when it’s introduced in late 2010. Following that, there are plans for a Focus-sized vehicle and an all-new supermini. The Chinese made Rover 75-platformed MG ZT will not be making a return to the European market.

The reborn MG brand will initially be marketed and sold in the UK, if it succeeds there, sales will extend to other countries in Europe. It sounds like Shanghai intends to take the reintroduction of MG slowly, currently producing just 500 MG TF LE500s. By producing cars in England they’ll be making use of an expensive workforce, meaning they’re unlikely to massively undercut rivals’ prices. If MG take 3 is to succeed, it’ll need to be competitive with brands like Mazda, Renault and European Ford in one of the most product-led markets in the world. [via Autocar]

It turns out MG Sport & Racing wasn't part of the deal when all the Nanjing Auto maddness went down. This apparently included the right to produce the Qvale Mangusta-based MG XPower SV. A British company stepped up to fill the tiny vacuum created by the loss of Xpower production. Powered by a a 4.6-Liter Ford V8, this sports car can be yours for the low, low price of about $150,000. With production limited to six per month, these cars are certainly unique. Worried about finding parts? Have no fear as this car is made out of a plethora of other cars. For instance, notice those headlights? Standard Fiat Punto.

That's right MG fans, rejoice away as it's the car company that will never die. [Birmingham Mail via China Car Times]