Car Throttle

There are a lot of things I love about Saabs.  You're probably tired of hearing about it by now. For that I apologize.  I tend to be a bit of a specific-interest writer, catering more towards the whole "old European Car" demographic than the "hey, there's a new Audi press release out!" demographic.  As far as what it is in particular I love about Saabs, it's a bit difficult to really nail it down because, frankly, there are a lot of things.  But one of the big things is how these cars sound. (Ed's note: I began work on this article a while before my Saab's gearbox bought the farm and I gave up on the whole concept of daily driving an archaic European sports coupe

Apologies to third-wave Ska/Punk band Streetlight Manifesto for the title paraphrasal, but it seemed appropriate. I was driving around with a long-time friend of mine in North Raleigh when we came across what has to be the best night-time photoshoot location anywhere.  I can't say exactly what it is, except that it's a service bay at a local Audi dealer.  Oh, crap - I gave it away.  The lighting here was too cool to pass up, so we arranged the cars and did a little miniature photo shoot.  My friend's snazzy suit is entirely unrelated - he was headed back into Raleigh after a party, but it really seemed to fit the feel of the shot.  These images were shot with my Sony point-and-shoot as usual,

People tend to think of BMW as a German brand (obviously), but like most brands the Bavarian maker has long since diversified production. Many of today's BMW's do not come out of a plant in Southern Germany, but rather from a plant nestled back in the middle of nowhere, South Carolina.  Since it opened in 1994, the BMW Manufacturing Plant in Spartanburg, SC has produced all of BMW's "X" models (X3, X5 first and second generation, X6) as well as the Z3 and Z4 Roadsters/Coupes, and for a while the 318i and 318is.  It's a huge, modern facility that sits on 1,150 acres of land off of highway I-85, and these days it spits out around 160,000 new BMW's a year. While the plant itself is interesting

We know video games don't compare to the real thing of driving exotic supercars, but for many that is the closest they'll get to driving the cars in the upper echelons of motoring like the one where cars like the Bugatti Veyron resides. Last year, CarThrottle reviewed one of those racing games, Need For Speed Shift, a game that emphasizes the first-person driving experience and real-life dynamics. If you're one of the owners of the game, this new package is for you. It's called the Exotic Racing Series package, available for $10 (or equivalent amount of points) and it includes seven new vehicles: the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, BMW M1 Procar, GUMPERT apollo, Honda NSX, McLaren MP4-12C, Maserati GranTurismo and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss. One of the criticisms of the game

Volkswagen just took the wraps off its new Touareg a few days ago. This new video posted by CarScoop shows the SUV used in ways most of us will never attempt. The driver is probably having a lot of fun in the huge, object-less expanses of the sandy desert. While it isn't track time, the nearly 5 minute video does sheds a bit of light on the dynamics of the SUV, which shares a lot with the Porsche Cayenne.  We're not sure what engine is in this particular Touareg, but the exhaust note sounds pretty healthy to boot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwB_hod6JZ8

After the bankruptcy, many were wondering if the all the "New General Motors" talk was just that - talk. Since then, GM has taken steps to show that they really are a different company now, and in our opinion they have done a pretty good job. The most important change of all is product. The company has really been impressive with new introductions, as well as ones currently on the market like the 2010 Buick LaCrosse and 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. The Equinox has done very well in the market. Part of the "New GM" is a new tone too, in advertising and connecting with customers. This fun new video for the Equinox demonstrates that. Way to go guys! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLpJuCmu5EI

Ah, advertising. Any publicity is good publicity, right? The aim of advertising is to garner attention for your product. Some succeed a whole lot better than others - this one is one of those. BMW dealerships are no strangers to ads that get attention. If you'll remember the Audi vs. BMW ad war that played out in Santa Monica, California last year, you'll know what we're talking about. This time, the billboard was put up by Bridgeport BMW in Bridgeport, Connecticut to promote an overnight test drive program. To illustrate the program, they put up a mannequin (in pajamas) and a big teddy bear. Get it, overnight? Apparently, the manniquins were a bit too lifelike for some, and motorists began calling 911 to report the man and

Top Ten lists are a longstanding tradition with automotive journalism outlets. And why not?  People love a Top Ten list (it gives them something to argue about!), and man, they're not exactly hard to throw together.  The issue is that the vast majority of them are fluff, crap, really just a slap on the back to whichever manufacturer schmoozed that rag the most that year. ('’) Well we here at CarThrottle don't subscribe to that happy, shiny version of things.  To be honest, a large number of the cars on our roads are complete, total junk.  This has always been obvious.  The world's full of Chrysler Sebrings and Kia Amantis.  But there are even cars trying to pass as performance vehicles (which is a heavy focus

Many of the small, oil-rich states in the United Arab Emirates have been working hard to diversify their economies beyond petroleum (no pun intended). That includes investing in new development that will result in tourism. Perhaps the most visible in that pursuit has been Dubai, but a new development called Yas Island in Abu Dhabi is working to shift some of the limelight. Especially for car enthusiasts, it certainly seems to be succeeding in doing that, as home to the Yas Island Circuit and Ferrari World.

The design is just striking - the ultra-modern Ferrari-red roof is said to be "directly inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body." Ferrari World is home to a 200-foot-tall Ferrari logo, the world's largest. There

Here at CarThrottle, we like to put the spotlight on unique creations every once in a while. I particularly love seeing the creativity of small, independent automakers and coachbuilders. Coachbuilding is actually a profession that is on the rise, thanks to modern technology. It declined into virtual non-existence after it's original heyday. Manufacturers produced body-on-frame vehicles that could be easily adapted, and also specifically sold running chassis vehicles to coachbuilding companies. Benero is one such vehicle, an exclusive at automobile magazine Autogespot. Don't bother looking Benero up - there is no official information available from the manufacturer of the car, only these images. The car is based on the Audi A5, and certainly from the outside is well-differentiated. The front end looks similar to something, but I