It seems the pictures with the brand new BMW 7 Series have leaked a little sooner than the official ones. The official day of presentation  was supposed to be the 7th of July. 7th day of the 7th month. How mystical!

But it was moved to the 8th, and was held in Moscow’s Red Square. 400 big shots from all around the world were invited to see the wonder that is the 7 Series which was housed in a giant hourglass filled with thousands of shiny balls that fell one by one to reveal the brand new car to our mortal eyes.

The Extreme Auto Show showcases the best tuners and fitment centres, as well as the diverse product ranges that these companies stock. The main focus of the show is to showcase South Africa’s best customised and modified cars, exotic cars, classic cars, and customized bikes. It is the only event that takes place once a year, that informs the motoring fraternity about what is new and available to the discerning motorist that wants to personalize his ride.

The Extreme Auto Show is about the meanest, loudest, fastest and the most desirable motor vehicles and bikes South Africa has to offer.

The Castrol Show boasts all the exotic and luxury brands, as well as the best in custom built muscle cars, classic restorations, modified custom cars and bikes kit cars, replicas, racing series and the top end aftermarket companies exhibiting each year.

2008 will see a big change as AEC has lined up a host of interactive events at this years Castrol Extreme Auto Show. Visitors can expect to be treated to the Ultimate Motoring event to take place in SA this year.

The motor concourse will be the biggest to date with big cash, prizes and trophies to be won. The calendar girls will be autographing calendars and posing for photos with visitors, both the calendars and photos can be purchased at the event.

AEC will be giving away the CASTROL EDGE SUBARU WRX STI as well as other bikes and prizes at the show.

Female visitors will be treated to manicures, Indian head messages, and much more at this years show.. read more

After the International Motor Show that will be held early March, the New York Auto Show will come. You probably knew it but what you didn’t knew is that the organization planning the “World Car of the Year” awards have decided it’s top three finalists in each of the four categories. 47 automotive journalists helped for the list to be built.

So here are the “nominees”:

2008 World Car of the Year Finalists
Ford Mondeo
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Mercedes-Benz C-Class

2008 World Design of the Year
Audi R8
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Volvo C30

2008 World Performance Car
Audi R8
Audi S5 Coupé
BMW M3

2008 World Green Car
BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics
SmartForTwo cdi
Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI

Past year’s winners included Audi A6 in 2005, BMW 3 Series in 2006 and Lexus LS460 in 2007. Place your bets people.

WCOTY

Chicago Auto Show made a nice surprise today when a facelifted Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder and Coupe version were presented to the public. Dual exhaust pipes, better looking wheels (yes, new wheels), shinny spoiler for GT models and a restyled rear are just a few things that will blow your mind.

Let’s get to the hard part, the engine. Here is a nice upgrade because the new Eclipse runs on a 2.4-liter engine that develops 162 hp or a 3.8-liter V8 engine with 265 hp and 262 ft-lb of torque that doe 0-60mph in 6 seconds using either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed Sportronic.

The new Eclipse comes with anti-lock brakes and big ventilated discs, stability control and HID headlights. The car comes in a bunch of new colors that include Solar Yellow, Maizen Blue pearl and Quick Silver metallic.

If you were to ask me what I think about a four-door coupe the answer would be negative. I can’t imagine a car with 4 doors to be sporty and attract women. I changed my mind, today, when I saw that Volkswagen announced they Passat CC in Detroit and was left drooling. You get both performances, design and comfort if you choose it.

For the new Passat CC you get to choose from a 1.8-liter TSI engine that sports 160-hp to the top of the line 3.6-liter V6 FSI engine with 300hp, and shortly after European and North American Launch the 2.0-liter turbocharged FSI engine will also be available. All models will use the DSG gearbox and as an option you get to choose all-wheels-drive.

Volkswagen Passat CC is 5cm lower than the standard and 3cm longer, has a panoramic glass roof and should sell like bread depending on price. It’s going to be a tough competitor for Mercedes CLS Class. Here’s a video of the new VW Passat CC.

America has a SuperCar, or at least this is what Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper is saying (thinking) after showing to the public the new Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit Auto Show. Corvette is deep inside he blood of every American that needs speed and looks, but the we ZR1 is really business. It comes with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine that sports 620 hp and a 823 NM (595 lb/ft) torque, being able to hit the 200mph speed, while the speedometer has a 220 mph on it.

Corvette’s ZR1 basic stats include a manual six-speed gearbox (race hardened), a high capacity dual-disc clutch or larger brake calipers. The design is great, with a raised carbon-fiber hood and carbon fiber panels prominent inside on the fenders, the roof and front splitter. Consider 19-inch or 20-inch chrome wheels and a dark color for the American SuperCar and it’s looking furious.

via WordCarFans

Design Miami is the place where the most influential designers in the world gather to present what they consider to be the trend in the auto industry to car manufacturers and dealers. This year Audi, will have an exhibition there called “Wire Frame” in which they will present the newest Cross Cabriolet concept and will discuss on it.

Audi Cross Cabriolet looks pretty nice and very elegant, as you can see in the picture above, but visitors will not be able to see a fully scale model because there is no real integration of the vehicle with the display itself. If you get there (December 7th to 9th) give us a shout about the new Cross Wire Frame Concept.

If you were expecting a sports car from Opel then how about this blue 2-doors beauty that they’ve created partnering with Kissling Motorsport? The name is Astra OPC Race Camp and I can bet you this bug is fast just by mentioning the supercharged and air-cooled 2.0 liter turbo engine that sports 300hp at 6,300 rpm.

Opel Astra OPC Race Camp is a racing version that comes with a six-speed sequential racing (of course) gearbox, has a nice little wing in the back, Recaro and Dunlop to design the seats and should be available for production early next year so you’d better save some cash if you want to park one of these in front of your garage.

via OPC Blog