A closer look to theTokyo Motor Show

 Passenger Car Test Ride Program by Professionals' Driving

With the assistance of Japan Motorsport Promotion Organization, this test ride program by journalists from the Automotive Journalist Association of Japan (AJAJ) and professional instructors will be held on a closed course within the venue (Outdoor Exhibition Space) in order to enable participants to experience the true performance of the vehicles, and so that this experience is available to as many people as possible.
Reception for this event is offered on the day of the event itself. The event is expected to offer approximately 40 vehicles from 20 brands for test rides.

Outline of program

Dates	Friday, December 2 through Tuesday, December 6
Time	10:00 – 16:30
Venue	Outdoor Exhibition Space
Test-Ride Ticket	Handled by reception on day of event and chosen by lottery
Participating brands	36 vehicles from 20 brands Suzuki, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Lexus, Audi, AMG, Citroën, Jaguar, BMW, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Porsche, MINI, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Renault, Lotus
Eligibility	General Public
Number of participants	Approx. 1,200 pairs/day

Vehicle list

Brand	Participating vehicle
Suzuki	Swift Sport	Swift Sport
Toyota	Prius α	vitz RS "Gs"
Nissan	Nissan LEAF	Nissan LEAF
Subaru	New Impreza SPORT 1.6i-L (2WD)	New Impreza G4 2.0i EyeSight (AWD)
Honda	Fit Shuttle Hybrid	Fit Shuttle Hybrid
Mitsubishi	i-MiEV	i-MiEV
Lexus	ISF	CT200h "F SPORT"
Audi	Audi A1	Audi A6
AMG	C63 AMG	SLS AMG
Citroën	Citroën C3	Citroën DS3
Jaguar	Jaguar XF
BMW	BMW ActiveHybrid X6
Volkswagen	Golf GTI	Golf Cabriolet
Peugeot	Peugeot 508	Peugeot RCZ
Porsche	Porsche Boxter	Porsche 911 Turbo
MINI	JOHN COOPER WORKS COUPE
Mercedes-Benz	SLK350 BlueEFFICIENCY	CLS350 BlueEFFICIENCY
Land Rover	Land Rover Freelander 2
Renault	Megane Renault Sport	Renault Wind
Lotus	Evora IPS	Elise

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Breitling Bentley ISR Chronograph

Breitling and Bentley have teamed up once again to create a limited edition chronograph that marks Bentley’ recent world-record breaking exploits on the ice. This watch joins the current Supersports "Ice Speed Record" convertible edition that will be limited to only 100 units.

The Breitling Bentley ISR has borrowed many of its design cues from the special edition Bentley Supersports Ice Speed Record Convertible. It gets a carbon fiber fascia with dashboard-style dial, a classically knurled finish on the control buttons, distinctive red dialing, and a carbon fiber presentation box.

Wolfgang Duerheimer, Bentley’s Chairman and Chief Executive, said: "Juha Kankkunen’s drive was a remarkable achievement and worthy of a very special car. The Continental Supersports "Ice Speed Record" is a true driver’s car that captures that unique Bentley spirit. It offers extreme performance, agility and an extrovert personality, while retaining the refinement, handcrafted luxury and comfort our customers expect."

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2012 Lotus Evora GTE by Swizz Beatz

The evolution of the Lotus Evora GTE, most extreme Lotus vehicle ever, went by rather quickly. After debuting a concept version at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August, Lotus then went on to put out the production Evora GTE in September at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. This quick turnover has now been followed up by a special edition GTE courtesy of Swizz Beatz.

Swizz Beatz is an American record producer, DJ, rapper, and painter, although some may only know him as the husband of R&B superstar, Alicia Keys. He, along with

Lotus Design, came together to create a special Evora GTE unveiled at Alvin Ailey’s Opening Night Gala in New York. This special edition is noted as such because it is finished in a chrome ruby red paint. Everything else is strictly standard GTE. It features the typical rear brake cooling ducts, modified rear wing, enlarged intake vents behind the B pillar, and intense use of carbon fiber for the roof, sill detailing, and other carbon accessories. These elements help reduce the Evora’s total weight by about 231 lbs.

Being since this was a creative collaboration, no changes were made to the power source of the Evora GTE. It is still working with a race-tuned 3.5-liter V6 engine that delivers a total of 444 HP, which still makes it the most powerful Lotus Evora road car ever built.

No details were given on the car’s prices just yet, but prospective buyers will surely have to dish out more than the $180,000 price tag of the standard Evora GTE.

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2012 Range Rover Evoque HFI-R by Marangoni

Filed under: Landrover | crossover | luxury cars | car tuning | Bologna Motor Show | Range Rover Evoque

Italian tire manufacturer, Marangoni, has been down the tuning road before, having performed some previous projects on vehicles like the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

Today, Marangoni is back with another program, this time for the Range Rover Evoque. As comprehensive projects go, this one’s definitely right up there and the unmistakable work done on the Evoque speaks volumes about the talent of these guys.

For the exterior’s styling, Marangoni collaborated with TRC Italia in dressing up the Evoque with a special fine grain Titanium Fluid Metal paint finish. The front grill, hood vents, and door handles were then painted in gloss black to provide a contrasting look to the body of the Evoque. Other panels that were modified include the front bumper fascia, door lower moldings, and rear bumper fascia, which were also given a carbon diffuser. Speaking of carbon, Marangoni also gave the Evoque plenty of that, particularly to the wheel arches, fender vents, and mirror covers. Rounding out the exterior changes on the crossover are a set of 20" Oz Racing Dakar wheels wrapped in Marangoni’s exclusive ruby red M-Power EvoRed tires.

For the interior dress-up, Marangoni enlisted the help of Italian fashion house, Conte of Florence, who came out with the genius idea of dressing up the interior with a special golf inspired quilted upholstery with a large embroidered Tour Line emblem on the seats.

Under its hood, the Evoque was fitted with an "HFI" Hybrid Fuel Injection dual-fuel system, an upgraded turbocharger, a carbon fiber air box, and a larger stainless steel exhaust, all of which gave the crossover’s existing 2.0-liter turbo engine a spike in output. With the modifications in place, the Evoque’s output shot up from the standard 240 horsepower all the way up to 300 horsepower.

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2012 Range Rover Evoque by Kahn Design

Posted on 12.2.2011 15:00 by Erik Filed under: Landrover Project Kahn | crossover | luxury cars | car tuning | Range Rover Evoque

There’s no question that Azfal Kahn and his peeps over at Kahn Design have a soft spot for the Range Rover, so much so that they seem to come out with a new program for the luxury SUV about as often as any car we’ve seen in recent history.

Apparently, their fascination for Range Rovers is now expanding, courtesy of their very first program for the new Range Rover Evoque. True to their reputation as one of the premier tuners for the British luxury SUV, Kahn Design went to work on the Evoque with one clear picture in mind: offer it with a whole new breadth of excitement and take it to a whole new dimension.

The A. Kahn Design Evoque is an unmistakable piece of work, decked with a variety of external modifications that serve to provide better looks and coax greater performance from the car.

Kahn Design’s styling package for the Evoque is a testament to their creativity, providing a slew of new elements consisting of a lowered suspension (35mm), yellow calipers, aluminum pedals, an orange roof, full body color coding/detailing, privacy glass, and adaptive front headlamps. Inside, Kahn Design deftly worked their bespoke magic on the Evoque, providing it with luxurious character that expresses a customer’s individuality. As with most of their projects, the interior can be customized depending on the whims and preferences of the customer.

And then there’s the final piece of the Kahn Design puzzle: the wheels. With an inventory of some of the most impressive wheels on the market, Kahn Design went and used their unique RS600 wheels that are available in a variety of sizes - 20", 21", 22" - creating even more opportunity to imprint his tastes on the luxury Range Rover crossover.

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2012 BMW B6 Biturbo Coupe by Alpina

Filed under: Alpina BMW | coupe | BMW M6 | BMW 6-Series | sports cars | BMW M-series |

While many are sitting back, patiently waiting for the arrival of the BMW M6, German tuner Alpina has been hard at work on a project that will shed some light on the future model. Their new B6 Biturbo Coupe may not be as impressive as the upcoming M6, which is rumored to deliver about 600 HP, but it’s here now. Plus, we’re sure Alpina left enough room for a new tuning package for the M6.

But back to their Alpina B6 Biturbo Coupe. The B6 is an evolution of the old 507 HP B6 cabrio, but uses an aluminum twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, equipped with MAHLE pistons and a high-performance cooling system. This setup is give for a total output of 540 HP and 516 lb-ft of torque. With the extra power, the B6 Biturbo will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and will hit a top speed of 198 mph. Alpina has also opted for a Akrapovic titanium exhaust system that will make the car sound better than ever and, of course, a new set of 20" Alpina Classic rims fitted with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

For the aerodynamic updates, the B6 BiTurbo Coupe has been fitted with a front spoiler, an integrated carbon fiber front splitter, and a rear spoiler with an optional rear wing. The interior was also revamped with a sport steering wheel, hand-stitched in LAVALINA leather, blue illuminated entry sills, a navigation system with preparation for Bluetooth mobile phone, USB audio interface, Xenon lights, and LED fog lights.

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2012 Audi A1 Samurai Blue

Posted on 11.30.2011 18:00 by Kirby Filed under: Audi | hatchback | Audi A1 | Tokyo Motor Show | special editions

In the middle of all the concept debuts and race prototypes being unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, one car that’s neither of those things is fetching some serious attention.

The car is a special one-off Audi A1 that’s inspired by the Japanese National Soccer Team. Affectionately called the A1 Samurai Blue, the one-off car has been dressed in the official colors - blue and white - of the Samurai Blue, the nickname given to the country’s soccer team. Complimenting the two-color exterior paint finish is a red color - the same hue as that of the Japanese flag - that was used on the rear spoiler and the set of 18" wheels provided. The exterior also sports the logo of the Blue Samurais on both sides of the car, as well as on the roof.

The interior equipment of the A1 Samurai Blue has been dressed in black with contrasting blue stitching. Colorful accents are also found on various parts of the interior, including the air vent nozzle, the inlays, the center console, and the floor mats.

Under its hood, no performance enhancements were done on the car so the A1 Samurai Blue is powered by a standard 1.4-liter TFSI engine that produces 122 horsepower. No surprise there.

The whole purpose of the A1 Samurai Blue is for Audi to sell the one-off model and have part of the profit donated to charity. So if you happen to have a heart of gold and fancy a one-off Audi A1 like this, you might need to get to stepping and be the lucky one to go home with this ultra exclusive piece of A1 eye candy.

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