DragQuioa the Antron Brown family dragster

I love that bumper sticker, unexpected, and perfect for the SUV it's on

a variety of interesting stuff from Parkoffka.ru

 that is a great way to pillow the car!

wow, great idea for a bridge paint job, and what a opportunity for Lego to get free advertising!

already eye catching, the stretch and blue light really are knock ou

 the above is going to be a huge problem and not end well. There is nothing that is going to stop the tire from coming in, washing out under the tires of the truck and trailer, and no way that is going to get towed out with less than a Caterpillar D-9

just a small sample of the interesting stuff at http://parkoffka.ru

The Scion that had everyone talking

"A Land Cruiser"... damn clever customization of a Toyota nameplate, and a cool off roader

GRMN Sports FR Concept

Toyota affiliated tuning design and race engineering firm GRMN (Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring) has revealed a racing version of its GT86 sports coupe dubbed the Sports FR Concept. It will make exhibited for the first time at the 40th 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race which will be held at the Nürburgring Circuit in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, from May 17 to 20. Dramatically enhanced from the standard production version, the Sports FR Concept features a 2.0-liter twincharged engine (turbocharger + supercharger) that produces 320 HP (235 kW / 316 bhp) and 421 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque via a 6-speed manual transmission. Other modifications include GRMN suspension tuning with 18-inch racing wheels, GRMN brakes, widebody kit with redesigned front and rear fascias, side skirts and fenders, roll cage, stripped interior with racing bucket seats and 4-point harnesses, large rear spoiler and GRMN dual exhaust system.

Subaru switches to rear wheel drive for BRZ coupe

THE sleek sister car of the muscular new Toyota coupe featured on here last week will arrive in Britain next July, it has been confirmed.

Subaru said its BRZ coupe, the result of a joint project with Toyota, will arrive here next summer and pack the same 200bhp flat four engine as the GT-86 coupe produced by its Japanese counterpart. Unusually for a Subaru the BRZ sticks with the Toyota's front engined, rear wheel drive layout - the company is renowned for using four wheel drive systems on its models.

A Subaru spokesperson said of the new coupe: “With 200bhp and 151 lb/ft of torque in a car weighing just 1,220kg, the BRZ has been designed for maximum – and accessible – driving enjoyment.

"The result of a Subaru-led joint-engineering venture with Toyota, the BRZ delivers a sensational and engaging driving experience, thanks in large part to an engineering and development programme that focused on achieving the lowest possible centre of gravity."

The Subaru BRZ is scheduled to go on sale in the UK in July 2012.

Fire up the.... Toyota Yaris 1.3 SR

A LONG time ago, in a factory far, far away, Toyota made some epically reliable but unbelievably boring cars.

Chief among these was the Starlet, which back in the early Nineties failed to tempt the supermini faithful out of their Fiestas, largely because it looked so dull. That's why its successor, the original Yaris of 1999, was such a class act. In a stroke the company cracked the small car nut with something stylish and innovatively packaged, and it hasn't looked back since.

It's clear the company still knows how to make an engaging small car - you only need to look at the ingeniously packaged IQ and the cheeky Aygo for proof - but the latest version of the Yaris has some awfully big small car boots to fill.

The main thing you'll notice aboard the new arrival is just how roomy it is.

Admittedly, finding room for people and luggage where you mightn't have expected it has always been a Yaris party trick, but with the 2011 model the world's biggest car company has moved the goalposts again. If you're one of those freakishly tall people who find the Fiesta and Corsa a bit of a squeeze, the extra inches Toyota's eaked out of the Yaris might just swing it for you.

What you also notice is that the likes of the 1.3 SR version I tested are definitely aiming for the upmarket segment of the supermini sector - where people care more for equipment and bombproof reliability than image or driveability - and I doubt anyone familiar with the outgoing model are going to be dissapointed by the quality of the materials and the way it's been screwed together. It's also very generously equipped, with the stereo/satnav interface garnering particular praise, but then it needs to be for almost £15k.

Yet for everything it gains the new Yaris loses some of the ineffable magic which made its two immediate predecessors such a hit, lacking both the cheeky looks of the original and the sparkle that came across on every journey. It's by no means a bad car, but nor is it one that you'd choose over a Fiesta, a Polo or a Jazz.

Unless you're freakishly tall, that is.

The Ford Capri's back, and it's Japanese this time

STICK your men's fragrances back on the shelf and unplug your smoothie maker. Metrosexual is out and hairy-chested is back in this season.

I know this because the Ford Capri, that most medallion-wearing, bitter-swigging, cigar-chomping of cars is back, even if it isn't actually a Capri. Or a Ford, for that matter. The only way isn't Essex (or more specifically, Dagenham) anymore. Thanks to Toyota, the only way if you want an outrageously powerful but surprisingly affordable performance car is their new sports coupe.

Yes, I know the newly announced GT-86 - the worst kept secret in motoring until this week - might be Japanese but it really is the iconic Ford reincarnated. It is, like a Capri, rear-wheel-drive, which I know from experience is intoxicating and intimidating in roughly equal measure, depending on the conditions and the weight of your right foot.

Like the later Capris, it's got a big, beefy engine (197bhp 2.0 litre flat four, if you're interested) under an endlessly long bonnet, and just like Essex Man's favourite it's got a swoopy coupe bodyshell. Prices haven't been announced yet but if the pundits' predictions of about £25,000 are on the money, it'll be the performance car bargain of the year. Like a Capri.

The funny thing is that there's a remake of The Sweeney on the way next year, but rather than going for the spiritual successor to all those leather-jacketed Fords of decades gone by they've gone with an actual Ford, in the shape of the front-wheel-drive Focus ST. A hot hatch which I'm sure will be brilliant in the best fast Ford tradition, but can you see the original Regan and Carter riding around in one? Or The Professionals, for that matter? Really? I'm not too sure, Guv.

I suspect Essex Man Junior - if such a medallion-wearing, unbelievably Seventies throwback of a bloke actually exists - would go for the hairy-chested rear wheel driver. I can only hope the baddies in the new Sweeney film, which comes out next year, do pick a GT-86 as their getaway car of choice, in the hope we'll at least be promised the Focus ST being involved in some proper car chases.

Which would be faster? Answers on a postcard to the usual Champion address...

Fire up the... Toyota Auris Hybrid

TRAFFIC JAMS. You hate them just as much as I do, but it's where this clever hybrid hatchback from the world's biggest car company starts showing off.

Slip the hybrid version of Toyota's mid-sized hatch into its EV - or Electric Vehicle - mode and it suddenly becomes your very own Coalition Government, refusing to let you spend any money at all by frittering away precious fuel. Instead it sidles along in silence, determining not to restart its 1.8 litre engine unless you mash your foot to the floor. Like its pricier Prius sister, crawling through jams using absolutely no petrol at all is the Auris Hybrid's party trick.

Toyota practically invented the hybrid - the car which combines petrol with electric motors in the quest for eco-friendly motoring - over a decade ago with the original Prius, but I reckon the Auris is actually the better buy. It might not come with the Cameron Diaz celebrity endorsement its more iconic sibling gets but what you do get is a slightly more resolved package.

The Auris is, to my mind at least, not only better looking than the Prius but also a better drive, giving you more confidence once you leave the jams, stick it Power Mode and drive it like, well, like a car. No, it isn't going to make you the Jenson Button through the bends but thanks to its effortless auto box, fingertip light steering and a handy amount of grunt from its petrol-burning department it is startling easy to drive. Only the slightly fidgety ride and a lack of all-round visibility let the side down but otherwise I reckon it's got the Prius - an impressive car in its own right, don't forget - licked.

If your drive to work involves lots of twisty lanes then this probably isn't the car for you; it's too woolly and not communicative enough for cross-country work, where the petrol-powered traditionalists like Ford's Focus still rule the roost. If, on the other hand, your commute seems to be a never ending series of traffic jams, the Auris Hybrid is well worth a look.

Your wallet will thank you for it.

Toyota iQ by Vilner

If you'd like your Aston Martin Cygnet a little on the cheap, then you can opt for this re-styled Toyota iQ by Bulgarian design house Vilner.

The styling house gives this iQ the kind of treatment expect of a more prominent car and tuns this little errand-runner into a real luxury minicar.

Fine finish includes brown Nappa leather with a matching Alcantara trim for the roof lining and dashboard.

But Vilner keeps the mini's identity firmly established with the 'iQ' nameplate engraved into each of the headrests.

Could this eco sports car be the next Toyota MR-2?

TOYOTA'S evoked memories of its old MR-2 sports car with its latest concept car - but the new roadster comes with an eco twist.

The two-seater GRMN - which stands for GAZOO Racing, tuned by MN - might be a petrol-electric hybrid car but in terms of its looks and mid-engined layout it's definitely a machine which hints that Toyota might be mulling over the idea of a new MR-2 sports car.

The concept, introduced to tie in with this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours race, will keep traditional driving enthusiasts happy with a 245bhp V6 driving the rear wheels, but it's also helped by an electric motor providing drive to the front wheels.

The last of the old MR-2 sports cars left the company's UK showrooms in 2007.


Life On Cars writer David Simister is getting wet on a campsite in Cornwall this week, but will be back later this week with more motoring news and reviews.

TOYOTA YARIS HSD CONCEPT

Toyota looks like its aiming for a serious push down the hybrid path into Europe’s largest market sector, the B-segment, and will show the precursor to things in the form of the Yaris HSD Concept, which makes its world debut in Geneva next month. The Japanese automaker hasn’t divulged any details about the upcoming hatch, aside from a teaser shot of its nose and stating that it will have hybrid-specific styling cues and new, forward-looking design elements. It adds that that the car anticipates the company’s hybrid intentions for the segment and represents the next step in its full hybrid roll-out strategy for the continent.

Fire up the... Toyota Prius

TOYOTA'S Prius at ten years old, is a global icon of the world's biggest car company, beloved of eco warriors and Hollywood actresses alike, and the first car you're likely to think of when it comes to saving the planet or saving at the pumps.

It is the hybrid.

Unfortunately, that means a quick science lesson. Hybrids are, as the name suggests, motors which use a mix of petrol and electricity to get you moving, with the
Toyota's 1.8 litre lump doing the sterling job of not only moving you about, but also helping to charge an electric battery, which in turn helps with the duties of swooshing along silently in traffic and in low speed parking manouveres.

Cast your eyes over the latest version, the third generation of the car, and it's definitely a love or hate job. Some of my passengers were instantly put off by the unusual proportions but to my mind it's the best looking Toyota hybrid to date, ditching the dowdy looks of its predecessor in favour of some crisp detailing, like the edgy headlights and alloy wheels.

It's the same story on the inside, which looks more like the cockpit of a spaceship than a rival to the Golf or Focus. The dials are replaced with a brilliantly bizarre computerised screen in the middle of that deep dashboard, and the gearstick is a minute, translucent blue affair which you'd swear has been nicked straight off a gaming console.

You have to forget the too-light steering and slightly stodgy handling and concentrate instead on learning the low speed coasting this car loves to get anywhere near the 70 miles to the gallon the Prius can and will do. There's even a game you can play to make it more fun; choose the animated display of the car's energy consumption on your car's Starship Enterprise display panel, and see how long you can get it to run on just electricity.

The Prius is also almost certainly a better bet than the rash of electric-only cars coming later this year, because after 100 miles on a longer trip you'll still be saving the planet long after the ‘leccy-driving do-gooders have run out of battery power and ground silently to a halt.

It's not an exciting car, but it is an impressive one.

As published in The Champion on January 26, 2011

ADAPTASI DARI KELUARAN TOYOTA 2011

Tadi aku Google tiba2 aku jumpa benda alah ni, nampak pelik kan rupa bentuk kereta ni. Walaubagaimanapun setelah membaca sedikit maklumat aku dapati ianya adalah rekaan Toyota tapi aku tak pasti ianya untuk dipasarkan atau tidak. Yang atas tu macam Honda, dan yang last tu ada nampak macam Perodua Myvi... Betul tak?

TOYOTA ETIOS SEDAN

This Etios Sedan is powered by a 2NR-FE 1.5 liter engine (newer than our Malaysian 1.5L 1NZ-FE) that integrates the exhaust manifold into the cylinder head. It’s tuned for fuel efficiency – power is lower than usual at only 90 PS at 5,600rpm and peak torque is 132Nm at a lowish 3,000rpm, compared to our Malaysian spec 1NZ-FE 1.5 liter’s 109 PS at 6,000rpm and 141Nm at 4,200rpm. A hatchback version called the Etios Liva with a smaller 1.2 liter engine should be coming in April 2011.

TOYOTA PRIUS MPV ON EARLY NEXT YEAR!

Toyota will be introducing the next extension of its Prius family, a MPV-sized offering, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January.

There are no details about the vehicle, the second to wear the Prius badge, save a teaser video called Prius Puzzle, showing the MPV’s profile in a billboard in Malibu, California, mostly hidden by the current ZVW30 Prius

Given the scope increase, the longer-wheelbase Prius MPV should easily be a seven-seater. It and a planned third Prius model, which will be smaller than the existing third-gen version, are slated to enter the US market in two years time.

Hybrid Theory

NEWS that Toyota's Prius is ten years old this week got me onto one of the fundamental questions of motoring. Are cars evolving as fast as we are?

Think about it; a decade ago we were a fairly primitive species, doing all our business through a dial-up Internet connection and getting confused over who the next US President was because some pensioners in Florida couldn't fill in a piece of paper properly. Since then we might have suffered seeing something called Jedward being given a record deal, but otherwise the world has come on in leaps and bounds.

I no longer have to text my mates because I can just Facebook them instead, my favourite TV shows are but a click on iPlayer away, and I can do it all on something called an iPad, which is about the same size as a chopping board. Certainly, when I come across a breaking story at The Champion I'm now faced with the same dilemma; write it or Tweet it?

But cars, even ones as sophisticated as the Prius, are still largely the same, despite gaining a USB socket here and there. All of them - hybrids included - still run on the basic principle of burning things that died millions of years ago, and if you showed even the snazziest car interior to your average Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg they'd laugh openly at its humble stereo and lack of social networking. Then they'd probably set up a group on Facebook to encourage everyone else to do likewise.

I've got this theory that if you somehow stole Doc Brown's Delorean from the Hollywood warehouse it's undoubtedly hidden in (I know the original got destroyed, but Hollywood has spares of everything) and transported an iPad or a Kindle back to October 2000 in it, our not-so-distant ancestors would gasp in amazement. But send them details of even the most modern Prius and they'd yawn, because it looks pretty much the same as the one you bought back then.

I fear the answer I'm actually looking for could kill off this column once and for all, because - despite Google themselves taking on the challenge of developing the driverless car - the Facebook future may not involve motoring at all.

In October 2000 you could use Concorde to get something between London and New York in less than three hours, but now there's no need because you can do the same - virtually - in several seconds.

Are cars evolving as fast as we are? If it means not consigning the likes of Jaguar's exciting new CX-75 to museums prematurely, I'd hope so.

P.S: Hybrid Theory, in case you're wondering, was a hit album which just happened to be released in October 2000. I spent ages thinking that pun up...

Camry challenging Chrysler 200 mid-sized sedan unveiled

Chrysler has unveiled its new mid-sized challenger to rival the Camry, Accord and Chevy Malibu. Named 200, this younger brother to the 300 kills off the Sebring nameplate and will go on sale as a 2011 model. Fiat now owns Chrysler, but the Sterling Heights, Michigan built 200 isn’t a reskinned Italian car.
Described as a car that appeals to “customers that want style and substance, all at a surprising value”, the 200 is based on the third-gen Sebring, which made its debut in 2007, but with heavily revised styling that makes it appear much more handsome than before.
New bits include front and rear fascias and fenders, grille featuring the new Chrysler winged badge, hood, rear decklid and exterior mirrors, new projector headlamps and fog lamps, new LED taillamps and a LED centre high-mounted stop light. The rear end clearly apes the Jaguar XF.

The 200 will be powered by the 2.4-litre four-pot “World Engine” mated to either a four-speed or six-speed automatic gearbox. The V6 option is filled by the company’s 3.6-litre Pentastar engine mated to a six-speed auto.
Chrysler says that ride and handling has been improved thanks to stiffened body mounts and a softer ride rate, improved suspension geometry with a raised roll centre and a new rear sway bar. NVH has been “extensively upgraded” from the old car as well.