Random Photos I took with my Canon DSLR

 

D-Tools Party

 

D-Tools Team

 

240SXMAGAZINE.COM

 

My fridge!!

 

The Nissan 240SX

 

Credit Man to the rescue!!

 

Atlanta Auto Show 2005

 

Beautiful day in Miami!!

 

She is airbone once again..WWII Warbird.

 

 

2007 Lexus LS460 and LS460L

By Joe DeMatio
Photography: Stuart Fowle

Seventeen years after Lexus introduced the first LS luxury sedan at the 1989 Detroit auto show, the company unveiled its fourth-generation flagship sedan, the LS460, in Motown. As successful as the LS400 and the LS430 have been, they have never quite measured up to the big, long-wheelbase offerings from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Jaguar in terms of sheer size, street presence, and prestige, even if they often exceeded them in refinement, reliability, and quality. Now that Toyota is expanding the Lexus brand beyond North America to Japan, Europe, and other world markets, the automaker hopes to compete neck-to-neck with the S-class, the 7-series, the A8, and the XJ8 with the LS460L, which debuted in Detroit as the first-ever, long-wheelbase LS. Lexus also announced that the new LS will be equipped with the world's first eight-speed automatic transmission, a big poke in the eye to Mercedes, which introduced a seven-speed automatic only recently. "That's right," said Jim Press, president and COO of Toyota Motor Sales during the unveiling of the LS460. "Eight speeds. We're uppin' 'em one."
The new LS460 and LS460L, which go on sale this fall as 2007 models, will be powered by an all-new, 4.6-liter V-8 producing about 380 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque, figures that compare favorably with those of the new Mercedes 5.5-liter V-8. (Although Lexus clearly wants to beat Mercedes in the gear-count game, it has little desire to enter the ridiculous horsepower war currently being waged by the Germans.) Lexus promises that the combination of this engine and the eight-speed automatic will result in a 0-to-60-mph time of less than 5.5 seconds while delivering combined city/highway average fuel economy in the high 20s. The current LS430 has a 4.3-liter V-8 producing only 278 hp and 312 lb-ft, enough for a 0-to-60-mph time of 5.9 seconds.

With the LS, the Lexus sedan lineup has been completely revamped within the space of a year, with all three models--the IS, the GS, and the LS--adhering to the new corporate Lexus design theme, which goes by the meaningless name of L-Finesse. The three Lexus sedans now share a clear family resemblance highlighted by modern, broad-shouldered exterior styling. The LS460 has a much more substantial air about it than its predecessor and boasts quite sophisticated surface treatments in its sheetmetal. We wouldn't call it beautiful, but perhaps it could be considered handsome.
The LS460 gets a redesigned multilink suspension; new, variable-ratio, electronic power steering; and the latest version of what Lexus calls VDIM, for Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management, which controls all the electronic interfaces for brakes, steering, stability control, and other chassis systems.
The long-wheelbase LS460L measures 202.8 inches in length versus the LS460's 198.0 inches, with a 121.7-inch wheelbase versus the stock 116.9-inch wheelbase. Lexus claims that the long-wheelbase model will establish new levels of comfort and luxury in the premium-sedan class. The LS460L's extra length allowed Lexus to create an optional ottoman package wherein the right-side rear seat reclines 45 degrees and has power leg rests and a massage feature. There's also a fold-away, rear-seat work table; a nineteen-speaker Mark Levinson stereo; and power closers for the rear doors and the trunk. The rear-seat area is not as spacious as the one in the Maybach 62, but it's still pretty opulent. There are even sensors that measure both cabin temperature and passengers' body temperatures. "I've been afraid to ask where that sensor goes," deadpanned Press, "but I'm sure it does a good job.'
Press announced that Toyota will release further technical details on the LS460 during the Geneva Motor Show in early March and will unveil a hybrid V-8 version of the car at the New York Auto Show in April. "It's the ultimate Lexus," boasts Press. Toyota officials have been quoted claiming that the hybrid LS, which likely will be badged the LS600h, will offer performance rivaling twelve-cylinder German sedans. Them's fightin' words: Toyota might not be interested in one-upping the Germans in pure horsepower numbers, but it's clearly interested in ultimate performance.

source:

http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/naias_2006/0601_lexus_ls/

Motor Trend Announces 2006 Car of the Year

Motor Trend Announces 2006 Car of the YearThe Honda Civic has an impressive 2006 lineup that includes four new models - all winning the Car of the Year award.November 22, 2005Motor Trend


Click to watch the Car of the Year Winner's Video!

Motor Trend magazine, the world's automotive authority and part of the PRIMEDIA Consumer Automotive Group, today announced the selection of the Honda Civic as the 2006 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The Honda Civic has an impressive 2006 lineup that includes four new models - all winning the Car of the Year award. Now in its 57th year, the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award is the most coveted and most recognized honor in the automotive industry.

"Honda deserves a standing ovation for not playing it safe again," said Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of Motor Trend. "With the sizzling Si, a sleek coupe, an elegant sedan, and a Hybrid that averages 50 miles per gallon, each model shines through with what Motor Trend looks for when crowning Car of the Year. The engineering passion that Honda Motor Company was founded on radiates from these new Civics."
After two full weeks of intense scrutiny, track testing, performance drives, and walk-around appraisals, Motor Trend editors found each of the 2006 Honda Civic models to be fun to drive and terrific value. With their bold, contemporary styling and innovative technology the new Civics are primed for success in one of the most competitive market segments in the country. For the past nine years the Honda Civic has been the best-selling retail compact car in the U.S., with Honda expecting sales for these new models to be even stronger.
This year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend conducted testing on 28 new models, searching for the automobile that best represents exceptional value, superiority in its class, and the most significant development on the new-car scene for 2006. This year's field, the largest to date, included a diverse offering from sports cars to minivans, and a price range from just over $14,000 to almost $75,000. Only truly new or substantially revised cars were considered with the condition that they be available for public sale by January 1, 2006.

The 2006 Motor Trend Car of the Year competition included the following models: Audi A3, BMW 3 Series, Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, Chevrolet Cobalt, Chevrolet HHR, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger, Ford Fusion, Honda Civic, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Azera, Hyundai Sonata, Infiniti M35/M45, Kia Rio, Lexus GS, Lexus IS, Lincoln Zephyr, Mazda 5, Mazda MX-5, Mercedes-Benz CLS, Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Mercury Milan, Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, Pontiac Solstice, Toyota Avalon, Volkswagen Jetta, and Volkswagen Passat.
"This year's field was the largest ever in the history of the Car of the Year award, reflecting the amazing diversity of the U.S. automotive market," said MacKenzie. "Motor Trend is dedicated to finding one worthy winner each year. We recognize the importance and value our readers and the automotive industry place on these awards and that is why we remain committed to delivering the most impartial and thorough vehicle evaluation available. It is about a grueling testing process and suspending judgment until the results are in."

Motor Trend Announces 2006 Car of the Year (cont.)

The Motor Trend Evaluation ProcessEach year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend evaluates eligible vehicles based on three key categories: Significance, Superiority, and Value. Significance refers to impact on the market and looks for mastery and innovation in engineering, technology, design, safety and packaging. Superiority levels the playing field and looks for class-leading levels of performance, style and functionality within its specific competitive set--not among all new vehicles. Finally, the all-important Value question asks, "What does this vehicle deliver in relation to what the consumer has to pay to purchase and own it?"
In making the selection, vehicles are taken to task through thousands of miles of on-track and on-street driving, in a wide variety of weather and road conditions to evaluate many factors, including styling and design; fit, finish and materials; engineering and technology; interior; safety; performance; and value. Additional aspects evaluated included handling balance, response, predictability, and power delivery.

The complete report on the 2006 Motor Trend Car of the Year testing and selection will be published in the January 2006 issue of Motor Trend (on newsstands December 6, 2005). Multimedia coverage of the testing and selection process will be broadcast on Motor Trend Radio, hosted by Bob Long.
About Motor TrendMotor Trend, a PRIMEDIA publication, was founded in 1949 and has a circulation of 1.1 million and a total readership of 7.1 million. Internationally recognized as the world's number one automotive authority, Motor Trend is one of the leading brands in automotive publishing. The Motor Trend brand is comprised of Motor Trend Classic, motortrend.com; Motor Trend Television; Motor Trend Radio; Truck Trend; Motor Trend International Auto Shows; Motor Trend en Espanol; several international editions including China, Indonesia, Korea; and the renowned Motor Trend Car, Sport/Utility and Truck of the Year Awards program.



Source:
http://motortrend.com/features/news/112_news051112_car_of_the_year/