Car Throttle

Even though the recent recession fatally wounded parts of the industry and fossil fuels running dry will threaten its future, the world of cars is still very much alive and kicking. There is such a variety of new products coming out this year ranging from affordable city cars you'll actually want to own, to ridiculously expensive supercars you'll lust after, old school coupes to revolutionary family cars, petrol engines to plug-in electric motors. The list is almost endless. So to help fellow car lovers and "new kids on the block" out, here's a round-up of 33 cars we can't wait to see in 2012 in order of release date. January 2012 Kia Optima It's been available around the world for a while but the Kia Optima

Porsche recently launched the "all-new" 2012 Porsche 911 and more recently the "all-new" 2012 Porsche Boxster. But it seems both of these cars look totally like the previous models they replaced, and I'm sure that if you told a 15-year-old nonchalent teen or a pretty 25-year-old girl from Essex that these are brand new models, they'd probably say you're telling porkies. The reason is that Porsche undeniably look similar to one another. You can clearly see the DNA of the first Porsche, the 356 in the current 911, Cayenne, Boxster, Cayman and the Panamera. You also saw the same basic styling in discontinued models like the 968 and the 928 too. The original Porsche 356 gave birth to all of them from its tiny, tiny

The Boxster's been around for 15 years now.  It's funny that it still feels new, but I suppose a Porsche with the engine in the right place is still a fresh concept - relatively speaking.  Porsche unveiled the third generation of the mid-engined sportscar today ahead of it's debut at Geneva, and in typical Porsche fashion they've made everything slightly better. While the new Boxster looks similar to the old one - why mess with a good recipe? - the chassis is all new.  Like the 991, the new Boxster has a longer wheelbase, wider track width, and shorter overhangs.  The biggest change is a switch to an aluminum body - so even though it's larger than the outgoing model, it's lighter as well.  The

Not a single "drops it's top" pun eluding to ladies riding in a Porsche in that headline.  Aww, dammit.  Ruined it already.  To the shock and awe of approximately three people, Porsche debuted the drop-top version of the new (991) 911 in the flesh today. That means that everything which is new on the 991 Coupe is also new on the Cabriolet.  For gearheads, let's talk power.  If you want to ruin your Trump Toupee in a righteous hurry, either of the Cabrio's available engines will do it for you.  The base 911 Carrera Cabriolet has a 3.4L 24v flat-six, now with direct fuel injection.  This one's good for 350bhp,  and can be had with either a 7-speed manual (no typo) or the 7-speed PDK twin-clutch. 

Every car lover's calender starts with a new batch of machines on show in Motor City. I'm talking, of course, about the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The city is famous for being the beating heart of the American motor industry and at the start of every year all the world's manufacturers congregate and show off their new products to see what our stateside friends think of their latest offerings. Here's a half-time round-up of the motors on show for 2012 from each stand from the day so far. Bentley Two new Continentals broke free from the covers at the Bentley stand; the V8 coupe and V8 GTC Cabriolet. Little differences to tell these from the bigger W12 on the outside include a gloss black

It's not long to go until Christmas is finally here! If you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet then why not have a look at the Christmas presents that the car fans in your life will love or hate you for. I'll let you into a secret, I've been given a couple of the presents featured in the past (it's easy buying me petrol-head related pressies). BMW M-Sport Coffee Table To start things off imagine one of your friends or someone in your family recently settled into a new home. Picture the scene. They need somewhere to put the TV guide, random bits of paperwork and their drink and you notice that they once gave you a lift in a M-Powered BMW. Well I've found the perfect

Take a bite... outta news!  I'm back again with today's News Bites, where I hand-feed you today's automotive this-and-that with a humorous spoon.  So what's news today? Cadillac's ATS has been circulating the rumor mill for a while now.  This small, rear-wheel-drive sedan is pitched directly against BMW's all-conquering 3-series and Audi's A4.  We've known a bit about it's underpinnings for a while now - it will sit on GM's new Alpha RWD chassis, which fits below the Zeta RWD chassis - G8, Camaro, CTS, etc.  GM announced what you'll find under the hood, and there's reason to get excited.  Not about the base model, which will be powered by a 2.5L I4 (likely the same one in the new Malibu, with 190bhp/180lb-ft).  No, the mid-level

Right across the street from Charles Agapiou Bentley/Rolls Royce on Santa Monica Blvd is the kind of dealership you could just stand and drool in for a while.  Heritage Classics is exactly what it says on the label: a purveyor of high-end desirable classics parked wall to wall.  Unlike a lot of classic dealers, this one didn't seem to specialize in one marque or even genre: there was everything from a classic Porsche 356 to a Cadillac Eldorado.  But what lured me in the door first was this... A Ferrari 330GTC, what I think is probably the prettiest front-engine V12 Ferrari ever made.  Styling by Pininfarina, a 4.0L Colombo V12 breathing through six carbs up front, a five-speed, two seats and independent suspension.  The

Before the much anticipated '991' 911 coupe has even touched British tarmac, Porsche have announced the new 911 Carrera convertible which starts from £79,947 and is on the road from March 2012. Usually new convertibles in this day and age have very fancy and complicated folding metal roofs but supercar manufactures tend to stick to fabric roofs. Old fashioned I know but fabric roofs save weight and space compared to folded metal roofs which pretty much fill the boot and weigh more than a dining room table. In this case there's an engine in the boot so a fabric roof is pretty much the only choice Porsche have. Speaking of engines there's a couple of flat 6 petrols to choose from for the Carrera Cabriolet. A 3.4L

At the Los Angeles International Auto Show, Porsche showed off the new 911, but its big (literally) debut was the Panamera GTS. It sounds really expensive doesn't it? Well it is, but it isn't the top dog in the Panamera lineup. It takes its spot in third place. The most-expensive title goes to the Turbo S, which dings the register at $174,175. Ouch. That makes it $98,000 more expensive than the base model V-6. Next is the Turbo, at $137,675, then the $110,875 GTS. The GTS is the most powerful naturally-aspirated Panamera, generating 430 horsepower (up by 30). Porsche says its a Panamera for driving purists, with stiffer standard air suspension (normally optional), a widened rear track and suspension and brake hardware shared with the