2013 Ford Taurus SHO

When I was 9 years old my dad traded in our 1995 Ford Taurus for a 1993 Ford Taurus SHO. At the time I thought he was crazy for trading in his recently purchased car for what I thought was the same exact thing aside from the white paint and wheels, leather interior, and weird SHO logos plastered all over it. But after driving in the car for a couple days I realized that the SHO had more than mere cosmetic differences from its cheaper counterpart.

My dad explained to me that SHO stood for Super High Output and that his new baby was actually a sports car disguised as a family sedan. What an awesome idea. A sports car disguised as an everyday driver. I thought my dad was a pretty cool guy after that. Well that was 15 years ago and a lot has changed since then. GM had to be bailed out by the Government, Toyota proved to be mortal and Hyundai became a top competitor in the auto industry. One thing has remained the same through the years though and that is the niche of drivers that demand a high performance sports sedan. It’s that group of driving enthusiasts who refuse to conform to the hot hatch world that we now live in and instead yearn for the practicality of a full size sedan with the heart and soul of a Mustang. Ford understands this group of people which is why they recently resurrected the SHO. But the new SHO is nothing like the one I grew up with. In fact it’s a completely new beast. Hit the jump for more!

The V8 Hotel

Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen. What do all of these car companies have in common? Any auto enthusiast would instantly recognize that they're all German. The Germans are no strangers to the automotive industry. Some might even say they're the best car makers in the world. But how are they at making hotels? I have no idea. What if it was a car themed hotel though? That's more up their alley. Well that's exactly the idea behind the V8 Hotel located on what used to be the site of an airport in Stuttgart Germany. This home away from home features themed rooms which are loaded with all kinds of incredible car memorabilia that reflects the rich history of the automobile industry. For example, if you've ever wanted to sleep under the stars in a Cadillac at the drive-in theater, they've got a room for that. Or maybe your more of a Lindsey Lohan and Herbie the Love Bug fan. If so they've got just the room for you, minus Lindsey Lohan, it's not that kind of hotel. They even have a Route 66 themed room for us Americans which is probably my favorite. The hotel includes 34 rooms total, 10 of which are car themed. So next time you take that dream trip to Germany where you buy a 911 straight from the factory just to open it up on the autobahn, make sure you get your snooze on at the V8 Hotel in Stuttgart. Even if you don't have enough cash to drop on a 911 staying here should provide some pretty awesome dreams instead. Hit the jump for more pics!

Caterham SP/300.R

So it turns out Caterham doesn't just make 15 versions of the same car that require you to wear goggles and a leather hat to look appropriate. Now they also make this. It's called the SP/300.R and it's an LMP (Le Mans Prototype) style track car. Dyson racing here in the U.S. will be the proud recipients of the first one and will use it as an attention getter for their new racer. Caterham believes their new creation will compete well against Radical who also builds LMP cars. I just think it's great they've decided to build a car for someone other than Indiana Jones. Hit the jump for more pics!



Via Autoblog

Living like a Sultan- The Viano Vision Diamond Van

Remember being a kid and day dreaming about how awesome it would be to have a tv in the car during those long boring drives? I sure do. I remember first learning about power converters and how genius I felt when I hauled my little ten inch tv and playstation out to our Suburban and hooked them up to keep my brothers and I company during the long yearly trip from Southern Utah to Northern Utah. We played Madden the entire time and before we knew it we were at Grandma and Grandpa's. We might not live in a world of flying cars and robot servants yet but things have definitely changed in the last 15 years. Now most people haulers, whether it be a van or an SUV, come stock with entertainment systems that include T.V.'s, DVD players, aux hookups for your xbox, etc. But some companies don't believe in just satisifying their customers, they'd rather blow their minds.

Such is the case with the new Viano Vision Diamond van that Mercedes Benz revealed at the Beijing Auto Show this week. Hop inside this Maybach styled carrier and you'll instantly feel like the Sultan of Zanzibar. Amenities inside this traveling palace include reclining, temperature-controlled massage chairs wrapped in beautiful nappa leather, a champagne cooler (flutes included), lighting, and a tv big enough to make you feel like your right there in the action with Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone.

40 inches of tv to be exact with all the explosions and gunshots being provided by a Bang and Olufsen sound system. It's even got wireless internet if you'd rather watch senseless Youtube videos. So if the 10 inch screen offered in most minivan's nowadays isn't big enough to keep your kids entertained, maybe you should get a Viano Vision van instead.

Pic of the Day

I'm not necessarily a diehard Mopar fan but this is still one beautiful 69' Dodge Charger.

Caterham Supersport

This is the Caterham Supersport. Richard Hammond thinks you have to be a total doofus to drive one of these. I agree it may not be quite as slick as a Lambo or Ferrari, or maybe even a Sonata, but it's a purpose built car so it doesn't need to be. The 1.6 liter in the Supersport produces 140 hp which may sound pathetic, but when it's powering something that weighs about as much as an empty soup can, it's actually quite a lot. In fact, it's enough to launch the car to 60 mph in under 5 seconds. The track built suspension provides superb handling for this little go kart too. And last but not least is the price tag which is just under 35k. So as far as numbers go, this thing has all the right ones. But what do you think? Can you maintain your swagger and drive a Caterham at the same time, or was Richard Hammond right?

AMG World

If Mercedes Benz were a person with a split personality, then AMG would be the lunatic version of that person. Basically, AMG takes what's generally already a quite powerful, well performing car and they inject it with steroids. Not just a small amount either, enough so that whatever that AMG badge is attached to remains in a contstant state of roid rage. For example the SL 65 AMG that was shown last month at the New York Auto Show has a V12 which produces 621 hp and 738 lb.-ft. of torque. So if you ever got sick of taking this car to the track you could always take it to the forest and use it to pull Redwood stumps out of the ground. The uncontrollable power and thunder like noise that these cars produce is exactly why so many people have fallen in love with them. So imagine then, what one of these crazy AMG owners would do if there were a place that sold only AMG Mercedes. They would be like a kid in a candy store. A very wealthy kid..in a candy store that sold candy wrapped in gold. Well that "candy store" now exists. Mercedes-Benz recently opened an AMG dealership in Beijing. Typically AMG's are sold in a separate section of an already existing Mercedes-Benz dealership, but this dealership will sell only the very loud, very brutal AMG cars. So if you've been searching for a dealership that carries strictly testosterone pumping, fire-breathing AMG's, then maybe you can put off your Yellowstone trip till next Summer and instead head to China.