Woodward 2008: Advance Automotive's Heldo

We've seen everything from Challengers and Camaros to Vespas and Vipers today, but there was only one Heldo. Advanced Automotives' Heldo is a steel tube space frame concept with composite bodywork and a 350-horsepower 32V Cadillac Northstar engine. According to the Advance Automotive website, the rear engine Heldo can reach 60 mph in a mere 4.1 seconds, take 12.2 seconds to hit a quarter mile, and pull north of 1g on the skid pad. We have no way of verifying those lofty performance statistics, but we can tell you that it looks very cool in silver. Some of our favorite features are the gull-wingish doors, crazy thin LED tail lights, and the exposed carbon fiber hood, but the crazy aqua duct side pods may have to go. Will we ever see a production Heldo on public roads? No, but we wouldn't mind if we did. Click on the high resolution gallery below to see the Heldo in all its odd glory.

Monterey 2008: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

The wraps – and the roof – have come off the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport here in Monterey, finally answering a question few have asked and even fewer will sample.As you'd expect, Bugatti hasn't just hacked the roof off the Veyron and gone to the pub. The windshield is slightly higher, the daytime running lights have been tweaked and then there's the showpiece: a removable, transparent polycarbonate roof, which blends the A-pillars into two painted carbon fiber strips that lead into the massive air intakes feeding the 1001 hp, quad-turbocharged, W16.If you stow the roof at home for the world's fastest open-air, four-wheeled experience and the heavens decide to open, a folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be – according to Bugatti – "opened like an umbrella." With the soft-top in place, speeds are limited to an incredibly low 130 km/h (81 mph), otherwise, the Grand Sport can hit 252 mph with the polycarbonate roof and 224 mph with the top removed.Bugatti made several structural enhancements to ensure the Grand Sport shares the same chassis rigidity and safety standards as its fixed roof counterpart. The monocoque has been reinforced around the side skirts and transmission tunnel, the doors feature new longitudinal beams, and the air intakes have been redesigned to include ten-centimeter-wide carbon fiber elements to protect occupants in the event of rollover.Only 150 examples will be made available, with the first 50 going to registered Bugatti customers. The first model will be auctioned off at the Gooding & Company auction tomorrow night, with all the profits over the 1.4 million euro ($2.05 million) sticker going to charity.Hit the jump for the press release.

AUTO INSURANCE

If you own your own car, you probably already know a little about car insurance. You may have heard the words deductible or premium. But, do you truly understand the different parts of an auto insurance policy and do you know how to choose the best coverage?
Forty-seven states require that you have at least some kind of car insurance, so it's a good idea to know what the law requires you to have and what additional or optional coverage will help to protect you in the event of an accident.
Before purchasing auto insurance, you must consider a variety of factors including what kind of car you have, your driving record and the amount of money you are willing to pay. Understanding the simple basics of auto insurance will make you confident that the car insurance policy you choose will take care of your needs in the event of an accident.
In this article, we will walk you through the types of coverage that insurance companies offer and discuss possible insurance needs. Additionally we will look at what affects the price of auto insurance, how to bring the costs down and how to understand the components of your policy.
Types of Coverage Everyone who drives needs car insurance. In fact, most states require it by law. When you buy car insurance, you are buying what is called a policy. Your policy is based on a variety of factors including what kind of car you drive as well as what kind of insurance you want. Auto insurance policies are actually a package of different types of insurance coverage.
The first step in understanding an auto insurance policy is to learn the various types of coverage insurance companies offer. Some of this coverage may be required by your state and some of the coverage may be optional.
Liability - This coverage pays for accidental bodily injury and property damages to others. Injury damages include medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost wages. Property damage includes damaged property and automobiles. This coverage also pays defense and court costs. State laws determine how much liability coverage you must purchase, but you can always get more coverage than your state requires.
Collision - This coverage pays for damages to your vehicle caused by collision with another vehicle or object.
Comprehensive - This coverage pays for loss or damage to the insured vehicle that doesn't occur in an auto accident. The types of damages comprehensive insurance covers include loss caused by fire, wind, hail, flood, vandalism or theft.
Medical Coverage - Pays medical expenses regardless of fault when the expenses are caused by an auto accident.
PIP - Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is required in some states. This coverage pays medical expenses for the insured driver, regardless of fault, for treatment due to an auto accident.
Uninsured Motorist - Pays your car's damages when an auto accident is caused by a driver who doesn't have liability insurance.
Underinsured Motorist - Pays your car's damages when an auto accident is caused by someone who has insufficient liability insurance.
Rental Reimbursement - This type of coverage will pay for a rental car if your car is damaged due to an auto accident. Often this coverage has a daily allowance for a rental car. Many insurance policies combine a number of these types of coverage. The first step in choosing the insurance you want for your car is to know the laws in your state. This will tell you the minimum insurance you need for your car. It's good to keep in mind that, just because your state may not require extensive insurance, extra coverage may be worth the expense. After all, no one wants to be stuck with thousands of dollars worth of bills because of an auto accident. Now, let's take a look at how to determine your insurance needs.






Car Insurance DeductiblesPurchasing auto insurance is not simply about the value of your car or how often you get into accidents, it is also about how much money you are willing to pay for your coverage. All auto insurance policies have a deductible. The deductible is the part of your policy that you are responsible for paying. Auto insurance policies don't simply take care of all necessary expenses. You are required to pay for some of the damages, but the amount depends on your policy. Deductibles vary by state, but are most often in amounts of $100, $250, $500 or $1,000. For example, if you are in an accident that causes $2,500 worth of damage and your deductible is $500, you are required to pay the $500 and the insurance company will take care of the remaining $2,000.
When deciding what insurance policy you want to purchase, choosing a deductible is an important step. After all, you will have to pay the deductible for each and every situation in which you require your insurance company to cover damages. Deciding how much you are willing to pay and how often you think you will need to make an insurance claim will help you decide what deductible amount is right for you. In addition, the premium you pay, or the price of your total coverage annually, can be lowered by choosing a higher deductible. In other words, if you are willing to pay higher out-of-pocket costs, you can lower the total cost of your insurance.
Purchasing an auto insurance policy doesn't have to be confusing. You want a policy to take care of your expenses in the event of accident, theft, vandalism or most any other instance in which there is damage to your own or someone else's vehicle. By knowing what your state requires, what your needs are, what discounts you qualify for and how much coverage you want for your car, you will be able to choose the right policy.
Auto Insurance GlossaryDeductible - The amount an insured person must pay before the insurance company pays the remainder of each covered loss, up to the policy limits.
Multi-Car discount - A discount offered by some insurance companies for those with more than one vehicle insured on the same policy.
No-Fault Insurance - Many states have enacted auto accident laws permitting auto accident victims to collect directly from their own insurance companies for medical and hospital expenses regardless of who was at fault in the accident. Although there are many legal variations of no-fault insurance, most states still allow people to sue the party at fault if the amount of damages is above a certain state-determined amount.
Personal Auto Policy - The most common auto insurance policy sold today. Often referred to as "PAP," this policy is written in simple wording and provides coverage for liability, medical payments, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and physical damage protection
Split Limit - Any insurance coverage with separately stated limits for different types of coverage.
Term - The length of time for which a policy is in effect.
Usage - This refers to the primary function or purpose of your vehicle. For example, if you primarily drive your car to and from work, the usage is considered "commute."

2009 Audi RS6

It looks like we won't have to wait for the Paris Motor Show to get our first glimpse of the 2009 Audi RS6 sedan and it's lesser A6 siblings. Audi has released all the details on its new four-door M5-eater, packing a direct-injected, twin-turbo'd V10 putting out 580 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque. The same mill that powers the Avant version allows the sedan to sprint to 60 in 4.5-seconds on its way to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph. The duo of turbos huffs 1.6 bars of boost into the dry sump-equipped 5.0-liter V10, with peak torque arriving at 1,500 RPM and maximum horsepower available at 6,250 RPM. A six-speed tiptronic transmission allows drivers to choose between automatic or manual mode, reducing shift times by one-tenth of second, and sending power to Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Dynamic Ride Control reduces pitch and roll, providing three damper settings – sport, dynamic and comfort – all of which can be activated through the revised MMI system.The RS6 is fitted with 19-inch wheels at all four corners, wrapped in 255/40R19 rubber, and framing 390mm front discs clamped by fixed, six-piston calipers in front and 365 mm rotors, gripped by single-piston calipers in the rear. Buyers can upgrade the wheels to 20x9.5-inch rollers, which allow the fitment of Audi's ceramic brake system (420mm discs in front and 356 mm discs out back).The standard A6 sedan and Avant benefits from the new MMI system, along with a new single-frame grille, bumpers, air vents and fog lamps. An S-line package includes 18-inch wheels and a sports suspension that drops the ride height by 30mm. Six gasoline engines and four oilburners will be available, including the 170 hp, 2.0-liter gasoline TFSI four-pot, a 290 hp, 2.8-liter FSI V6, a 350 hp, 4.2-liter FSI V8 and the new, supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Audi's diesel offerings range from 2.0- to a 3.0-liter TDIs.Sales of both models will begin in mid-October and all the details are available in the two press releases after the jump.

MINI Rickshaws

The rickshaw is a time-honored method of transportation in China. While the vehicles were initially pulled around by men on foot, the pedal-powered versions have grown much more popular in recent years and are a symbol of Chinese culture. When Beijing MINI needed an interesting way to communicate that the Clubman model was being introduced in Chinese, especially in light of all the media attention on the Olympics, it back-halved a slew of new Clubmans, mounted a pedicab front-end and sent them out for business. According to China Car Times, MINI's publicity stunt is working exactly as planned. Though the vast majority of media coverage is centered on those games from Greece, the MINI Rickshaws have managed to make some headlines of their own. We think the cabs turned out pretty cool, even incorporating the sunroof into the final design.

Goldammer Goldmember

The floodgates will open on the '09 Acura TL soon enough, but in the meantime, Inside Line has posted a set of press photos and confirmed the car's final specs. As has been previously reported, there are two versions: a base 3.5L front-drive car with 285 horses and the range-topping TL SH-AWD, which gets a 305-horsepower 3.7L V6. The Type S is history, replaced in essence by the SH-AWD. Both TL models are mated to 5-speed automatics, and a stiffer chassis should help make time spent behind the wheel more engaging.Inside, the layout is one that should be familiar to anyone who's spent time in a new Honda or Acura. Metallic-look wings arc out from a center stack topped by a multifunction LCD screen and finished at the bottom by Honda's all-in-one controller for audio/info/nav interfaces. In short, techno-gadgetry abounds. The new TL is a larger car than it predecessor, with a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase and 6.2 inches added to its overall length. Consequently, interior space also improves over the outgoing sedan.While the current-gen TL is Acura's most attractive vehicle, we have a feeling the new-for-2009 edition may not age as gracefully. The new corporate shield grille is in place, adding bling to the nose and offering enough frontal reflective surface to repel a Klingon phaser bombardment. If you miss the obviously-an-Acura front end, you might need to do a double-take to recognize in profile thanks to a C-pillar kink that apes BMW...and Infiniti, and the Jaguar XF, just to name a few. Out back, the trunklid repeats the shield motif that started up front. Regarding the car's styling, there's much for you to discuss in the comments below. Stay tuned for plenty more information and our first drive impressions of the new TL in the days to come.

2008 Dodge Viper ACR

I have to admit that I'm biased when it comes to the Dodge Viper. I've had a soft spot for the venomous snake since the GTS coupe hit the streets in 1996. The aggressive design, powerful 8.0-liter V10 with 450 horsepower (doesn't sound like much now, but it sure seemed like a lot then), and the blue paint scheme with white racing stripes were the ideal combination for my dream sports car. I'm going to be that guy at the 2030 Barrett-Jackson purchasing a mint, low-mileage, numbers-matching 1996 or 1997 Dodge Viper GTS, and, of course, you'll be the one watching on SPEED commenting how I'm paying way too much for a classic American muscle car.

2009 Acura TL fully revealed

The floodgates will open on the '09 Acura TL soon enough, but in the meantime, Inside Line has posted a set of press photos and confirmed the car's final specs. As has been previously reported, there are two versions: a base 3.5L car with 285 horses and front-wheel drive; and the range-topping TL SH-AWD, which gets a 305-horsepower 3.7L V6. The Type S is history, replaced in essence by the SH-AWD. Both TL models are mated to 5-speed automatics, and a stiffer chassis should help make time spent behind the wheel more engaging.Inside, the layout is one that should be familiar to anyone who's spent time in a new Honda or Acura. Metallic-look wings arc out from a center stack topped by a multifunction LCD screen and finished at the bottom by Honda's all-in-one controller for audio/info/nav interfaces. In short, techno-gadgetry abounds. The new TL is a larger car than it predecessor, with a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase and 6.2 inches added to its overall length. Consequently, interior space also improves over the outgoing sedan.While the current-gen TL is Acura's most attractive vehicle, we have a feeling the new-for-2009 edition may not age as gracefully. The new corporate shield grille is in place, adding bling to the nose and offering enough frontal reflective surface to repel a Klingon phaser bombardment. If you miss the obviously-an-Acura front end, you might do a double-take to deduce what the car is in profile thanks to a C-pillar kink that apes BMW...and Infiniti, and the Jaguar XF, to name a few. Out back, the trunklid repeats the shield motif that started up front. Regarding the car's styling, there's much for you to discuss in the comments below. Stay tuned for plenty more information and our first drive impressions of the new TL in the days to come.

Porsche Boxster RS 60

Our colleague Chris Tutor recently took the Porsche Boxster RS 60 Spyder for a few quick turns around Barber Motorsports. A tad more powerful than the Boxster S, and filled with red leather, he discovered it was plenty of car on the closed circuit. We recently had a chance to get the special edition RS 60 off the track and onto the back roads of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and got to see what the car could do on twisting country lanes – and unexpectedly, in the rain. The likewise unexpected result: damn near perfection. Follow the jump to find out how,and check out the gallery of hi-res and sometimes very damp images below.

And then there's the matter of purity. This particular blogger had a thing about Porsches: you either had a 911, or you had... whatever it is you had. We owned a 993 for a while, and simply could not understand how anyone could leave the Porsche dealership with anything other than The Icon. We didn't look down on Boxster drivers... we simply didn't quite... get it.

Porsche can charge you $59,065 for the Boxster RS 60 Spyder because, for all it doesn't come with, it comes with one thing worth every red pfennig: deliciously coordinated delivery of sublimely engaging driving sensations you will not find anywhere else outside of Porsche. It's been said ad infinitum. I will say it again: no other automaker has distilled the thrill of driving as perfectly as Porsche.The steering wheel is the perfect size, in the perfect place. There are no buttons on its spokes for cruise control or volume or the dash information display. It says, "I am not a universal remote. I am for driving."The seats – gasp -- leave one plenty of room in the cabin, something I couldn't entirely say of the last 911 I drove. The sports recliners also hug perfectly -- even during those Over-the-Road hauls -- in a way that keeps your lower back, kidneys, and rump far too busy being comfortable to bother you.

FF4 Subaru WRX

Filming on the Fast and Furious 4 film has been wrapped up for a few weeks. Despite that, fans will still have to wait until next summer to get their fill of Dom's return. However, that hasn't stopped the franchise from soaking up attention and generating some initial buzz a year early. The lead 2008 Subaru WRX, driven by one Paul Walker, has been making the rounds at automotive events recently. We first spotted it staked out front of the SpoCom show in Long Beach, CA back in June. Now it has turned up at a Motor Press Guild meeting in Los Angeles, CA. Thanks to reader Chad, we also have photos for proof. Surprising enough, the vehicle is not outrageously modified. It features Enkei NT03 wheels painted to resemble the Volk Time Attack series, Veilside seats, a harness bar, Cobb Tuning ECU flash tune, as well as a Veilside body kit that is subtle in comparison to their usual flair.