According to BMW’s Director of Powertrain Peter Langen, “This is a tremendous achievement and important recognition of the lengths our engineers have gone to in order to ensure the success of our turbocharged petrol engines. We are proud to once again be honored as the manufacturer of the International Engine of the Year.”

The International Engine of the Year Awards was independently judged by 62 motoring journalists from 30 countries. Aside from BMW, Volkswagen’s 1.4 liter turbocharged and supercharged TSI unit also won for the second year in a row in the 1-liter to 1.4 liter class together with its larger sibling, the 2-liter turbo developed by Audi and equipped in the Golf GTi and Audi A3. The 1.4 liter turbocharged and supercharged TSI has also top the 1.8 liter to 2 liter category.

The present world’s largest automaker Toyota has also received an award for its 1.5 liter hybrid that powers the Prius. It was named Best Fuel Economy Engine while its 1-liter 3 cylinder equipped on the Aygo and Yaris have received awards in the Sub 1-liter category.

Porsche the German sports car maker has finally won an International Engine of the Year Award trophy and its for the 3.6 liter turbo engine found on the 911 turbo which was voted as the best 3-liter to 4 liter engine in production at present.

Audi Quattro 80-91

The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car produced by the German auto manufacturing company and is part of the Volkswagen Group. Audi released the Quattro to European customers in late 1980. It was the first car to feature Audi’s Quattro permanent four wheel drive system. The Audi Quattro was also the first production car to introduce a  turbo charged engine to a four wheel drive system.

The Quattro was produced between 1980 and 1991 and during that time frame there were no major changes in the visual design of the car. If you’re looking to buy an older Quattro there are a few models that you may wish to consider. The WR a 2144cc Quattro, the MB a 2226cc 10-valve Quattro and the RR Quattro which was the 20 valve edition. Not only did the Quattro dominate the World Rally scene but it was blisteringly fast. It had the performance of a Ferrari or Porsche 911 and the price tag that many more avid car enthusiasts would be able to afford.

The original Audi Quattro was not only a thorough bred sports car, comparable to today’s Subaru WRX, but also a very capable family car with plenty of rear passenger space and a big boot area. As with the Golf GTi 16V it would be prudent to view a potential car you are planning to buy with an expert by your side.

The parts are quite expensive and you do not want to purchase one that has been put through its paces at every opportunity. Ask the owner when last the cam-belt was changed and ask for the receipts. Test the clutch and gearbox thoroughly when you take it for a test drive and as with the Golf Gti have a look underneath the vehicle to see if there is any damage, especially around the suspension mountings. If it has had an accident before then you’re not likely to be making as good an investment and with a quality classic car of this one’s heritage, one in great condition will become more valuable as the years go by.       Ford Escort (Mk I/II) – 1968

The Ford Escort Mark I made its debut at the Brussels Motor Show in 1968 and it replaced the long running Anglia. The Escort was a best seller in the UK in the 1960’s. It had conventional rear wheel drive and a four speed manual gearbox. For its time, it had contemporary styling including a “dog bone” shaped front grille. The Mark I Escorts became very successful as a rally car and ended up being one of most successful rally cars of all time.

Dodge Charger

Starting out life in the form of the 1965 Dart produced with the “Charger 273” name, around 180 cars were only made at the factory. The Dodge Charger is one of America’s most revered performance nameplates. It was an icon of the muscle car era and has recently been reborn as an affordable performance sedan. It made its debut in the mid 1960’s because of America’s growing interest in cars with above average performance. The original Charger was a two door coupe with fastback styling. It had big V8 power and a 426 Hemi. The 318 Charger was produced with a 3 speed manual gearbox, and the bigger engines were supplied with the choice of a 4 speed manual automatic gearbox. The Hemi is an engine still used to this day. The 1966 Dodge Charger was quickly replaced by the 1967 model, with few changes. The 318 was far lighter; the 361 was replaced by a two-barrel 383; and the 440 Magnum was available with a mind blowing 375 hp motor.  The 1967 Dodge Charger was a truly beautiful piece of machinery, but it seemed that American public preferred the restyled 1968 Dodge Charger widely attributed to the true success of the Charger. Among the unique features attributed to the Dodge Charger was the early use of electroluminescent dash rev counter, speedometer, alternator, temperature and fuel gauges. This feature looked absolutely amazing as did the unique front grill Dodge used on the Charger. It would open and close exposing the fully rotating headlights. The 1967-1972 Dodge Charger was the one that was used in the Dukes of Hazard, and again in the Blade movies a Charger features as the heroes transport.

The glory of the Charger faded after 1970 because of rising car insurance and petrol prices across the United States. It is still sought after today and is an iconic classic muscle car.

Thankfully some classic cars do make come backs and in 2006 The Daimler Chrysler Motors Corporation re launched the Dodge Charger. The new model has been both well received and criticized at the same time. It has kept true to its roots with stupendous amounts of torque and as a muscle car it is up there with the Corvette, Camaro SS and the mighty Ford Mustang, but perhaps it could do with just a little more technology to make this modern day beast more forgiving to drive.

Today Dodge are more famous for their range of Sport Utility Vehicles and Trucks like the Dodge Ram which they supply to the US domestic market and even the British footballers rely on luxury vehicles like the Chrysler 300C to arrive anywhere they go in true style.

Peugeot 205 GTI 1984 – 86

The Peugeot 205 GTI is a small hatch that was well built. It was specifically trimmed for the sporty driver and was available with either a 1.6L or 1.9L petrol engine. It had front traction system and some say it drove as well as vehicles with rear wheel drive. The 1.9L had half leather seats and four wheel disc brakes. It is considered one of the best hot hatches of all time. This car is regarded as a modern classic due to its design and handling, reliability and affordability.

Land Rover Series I – 1948

The Land Rover Series I was the British reply to the American Army’s go anywhere four wheel drive vehicles. Based entirely on the Jeep chassis it was built as an agricultural vehicle. It was introduced in the early postwar period and had fully enclosed front wheels and stark angular body lines. The first models had inboard headlamps mounted behind a mesh grille guard. It had rugged durability and superb all terrain capabilities for a vehicle of the day. There were a wide choice of sizes, types and specifications and it had a rust free body.

The Land Rover Series 1 was fitted with a petrol 1600 Rover engine which gave the vehicle a top speed was only about 60mph but it could go just about anywhere. The engine capacity grew to 2 ¼ liters before The Rover Company gave it a diesel engine in 1957 – 1958.

The Land Rover Series 1 very quickly became a very capable vehicle and soon production was expanding as a lucrative export market opened its arms to the Land Rover. Farmers could buy a variety of body types each designed to perform specific functions. These alterations were made by companies under license and soon Land Rover agreed to assemble the now very versatile Series 1 in countries they were exporting too. Sales were very good and Land Rover had exploited a gap in the market Jeep could only have dreamed of in a very short time. It was only in the late 60’s that Rover decided to produce a vehicle aimed at the public as opposed to a pure work horses and that is when then Range Rover was born. Remaining largely unchanged the Land Rover Series II took over from the Series 1 in 1958 and had to wait until the 1970’s when the Series III took over.

The Land Rover Series 1 was originally built in Birmingham (Solihull) and today Land Rover are world famous for their Range Rover, Freelander, Defender, and Discovery models. All of which vary in size and ability as a 4WD. Today Land Rover are 61 years old and one of the most recognizable vehicles on the planet.

It has hardly been a week since reporters implied that the sexy VW Scirocco would not be coming in the US. And now it seems VW of America Vice President Adrian Hallmark may have not been analyzing well his assessment of the car’s being in the country. A couple of days ago, VW spokesman Hans-Gerd Bode told the media that VW Chairman Martin Winterkorn will have the final say in this matter. He further said Scirocco remains on the U.S. dance card for late 2008 and that VW plans a huge product offensive at the 2008 Geneva show.

The people from the Auto week seem to think that the 2008 Geneva Motor Show would be the appropriate time for VW to announce whether or not the Scirocco will be coming to the US. Reporters say it makes sense for VW to unveil the production version of the Scirocco at Geneva, where VW was eerily silent during the 2007 show.

The media people were all surprised knowing that Hallmark’s reasoning for not bringing the Scirocco to the US was because it “might cannibalize GTI sales”. Current lineup Volkswagen models consist of four small cars, a mid-size, and an SUV.

The new VW Scirocco is expected in 2008 and it will be produced in Portugal. The German car maker expects to sell 150,000 units over the life-cycle. Such huge number of expected cars to be sold is because of Volkswagen’s “driving fun at affordable prices” philosophy.

The Scirocco is based on the Golf V platform. However, it will be 10 cm lower, 4.5 centimeters longer and 3 centimeters wider. So, generally speaking, that sums up to 4.25 meters in length, 1.39 meterd in height and 1.79 meters in width. Prices are expected to be halfway between the Golf and the Eos, starting from 22.000 €.

Unlike other VW remake cars, the design of the Scirocco is not expected to recall old Sciroccos. There will be, however, an attempt to make the VW design more emotional. This will be visually seen in the big honeycomb grille in the front, long engine hood and a truncated tail. Also expect of course a modified VW fan to be among the other features of the new Scirocco.

The vehicle’s engine is of two versions of the 1.4 TSI twin-chargers (115 and 140 hp); the 2.0 Turbo FSI with 200 hp, while a V6 engine is a possibility for an R32 or R36. It is surprising for VW not to have the 170 hp version of the 1.4 TSI engines, while a 2.0 TDI 140 hp diesel engine is thought to be a certainty.

I’m not writing about poker though – it’s Bingo I have a love for. It all started on a Haven Campsite when I was younger, you know the drill, five kids in each caravan, grandparents along for the ride, barbeques outside the awning, all that mullarky! Every night we’d have a go at sinking the balls to win Arabian Nights and depending on how much the adults had drunk the night before, head to the main tent for the cabaret or go sit through a few rounds of Bingo.

Not that my parents may have known at the time, but bingo was my first choice – hands down. I don’t now about you but me and my younger sister weren’t ones for being dragged onto a stage by a sweaty nineteen year old from that afternoons ‘fun club’ – to do the birdie in front of 200 equally sweaty parents boozed up on Budweiser and Vodka Sodas. There was always something magical about blotting the boxes, seeing those numbers line up and losing any kind of childhood shyness, jumping up onto your chair shouting “BINGO BINGO!”. The fact that they didn’t really expect 5 – 8 year olds to be in the bingo hall at 9pm or ever for that matter and consequently the only available choice of prizes ranged from a decaffeinator to a quick-boil kettle didn’t matter. I won and I’d beat the adults. And I was still up at 9pm!

Anyway, that’s where the magic began. Now the question is – now I play online, mostly because my local hall has recently banned smoking and it’s just not very fashionable around here to be playing bingo at 27, do I still want to get up on my seat and rub in into the adults. Well, my answer is yes, but not always. The outcome of this subject is obviously going to be a matter of opinion, but I think half the magic of playing online these days lays in the creativeness and interactivity of the game you are playing.

For me, after having a dabble at the obvious two – Gala.co.uk & Meccabingo.com, there is now one clear favourite available at Jackpotjoy.com. I stumbled across the game after seeing its factual site being talked about on a forum. The game is based upon a game show, The Price Is Right. For those of you who don’t know of or have never seen the show before it’s quite simple. Contestants go on and guess the price of a number of items, if they get the price correct or closer than the other contestants they start bagging the items. Now there are many game show based bingo games out there at the moment, a large potion being based on Dear Or No Deal but none other I have come across captures the spirit of the show so well and offers so much added entertainment as this one.

Obviously, many of you are probably sitting there asking why bingo needs to be integrated into a game show set up. Well, it doesn’t. People love bingo for what it is, a simple game that anyone can play and one of which obviously carries a decent social scene with it. But I’m 27 years old; I have a Nintendo Wii in the front room (mainly because it’s pretty!), drive a Volkswagen Golf GTI and am very well acquainted with my microwave oven. I want it all and a game which offers a little more than the norm, is well related to some already fond memories and offers extra ‘bonus games’ between my rounds of bingo as opposed to a cheeky fag outside the local Mecca is all very find by me.

These bonus games in The Price Is Right Bingo offer different kinds of opportunities. The games are, for those of you in the know, Way to go Plinko!, Spin The Wheels & Come On Down. These allow you to treble you winnings (or half, up by 75% or lose etc), win some extra cash on top – or a Mini Cooper at the moment or simply be awarded some extra winnings along with two other contestants picked at random. Now winning bingo is good enough, but to take part in these kind of bonus games (or not) is a decent addition in my book. There are of course more ‘usual’ bingo games available at Jackpotjoy but if you want to see them you’ll just have to visit the site.

For me, the answer to my original question is no, Online Bingo has not altogether caused the game to lose its magical appeal – it’s just about finding the right game for you.

I well recommend The Price Is Right game. Enjoy!

The Iroc, shorter name for Scirocco, concept gives a strong hint about the direction of the upcoming Scirocco — even taking its moniker from the middle four letters of the production model’s name.

Wrapped in an arresting three-door hatchback body, the Iroc portends a wave of new high-volume models. Volkswagen is banking on the new models to haul it back to financial health after its costly move into the luxury ranks with cars like the Touareg and the Phaeton.

Created in-house under the direction of Volkswagen’s chief designer, Murat Gunak, the Iroc eschews the retro route previously traveled by VW with its New Beetle and stillborn Microbus concept. Instead, the Iroc’s design relies on contemporary styling that’s said to provide solid hints about other future Volkswagen models. Central to the exterior appearance is a gaping single-frame grille finished in brushed aluminum, giving the new car plenty of presence and a certain Audi-esque allure. Further refinement will be carried out, but the proportions are said to mirror those of the production car.

The Iroc is 166.9 inches in length, 70.8 inches in width and 55.1 inches in height, similar to the dimensions of the Golf. The concept also sits on a long 104.6-inch wheelbase, offering seating for four adults and about 10.6 cubic feet of luggage space. Inside, Volkswagen serves up a dramatic-looking cabin with styling links to the Concept A unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show back in February.

The dashboard, more minimalist than people used to seeing from Volkswagen, displays a combination of plastic and brushed aluminum, with the air vents mimicking the shape of the new coupe’s arresting grille. A thick-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel, with shift paddles for the DSG gearbox, has a highly technical look that is shared by the instrument panel and switchgear.

Underpinning the Iroc is a lightly modified version of Volkswagen’s PQ35 front-wheel-drive platform as used in the Golf and a whole range of models from Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen. As expected there are the excellent Volkswagen parts: suspension is via MacPherson struts up front and multilinks at the rear, with the Iroc hunkered low over 235/35 rubber on towering 19-inch alloy wheels. The steering relies on electrohydraulic assistance. Volkswagen isn’t giving too much away about the Iroc’s four-cylinder engine, except to say the supercharged and turbocharged direct-injection Twincharger unit produces 210 hp. Sources suggest to Inside Line that it is the same 1.4-liter unit that powers the Golf GT, with added boost pressure to increase power by 40 hp. With a projected curb weight of about 1350 kg, or just less than 3000 pounds, 0-60-mph acceleration should be around 7 seconds, with top speed likely to hit 150 mph.

Other engines under discussion for production versions of the new coupe include a 240-hp version of the Golf GTi’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, along with the new 280-hp 3.6-liter V6 found in the North American market’s top-end Passat — the latter in combination with Volkswagen’s 4Motion four-wheel-drive system.

Once you are in the photo shoot area, press Circle, hold your handbrake, then rev the engine and press either Left or Right. The car should do donuts. While it is doing this, take the photo. This will give a smoky look on your wheels in the picture.

Winning an outrun

Once you have found an opponent to outrun with, get in front of the opponent and get in the lead. Get as far as possible until the distance meter has reached its limit. If the distance meter starts to drop, it indicates that the opponent is catching up. When this happens, do a handbrake skid and turn the car around. Go back the way that you came from. The opponent will follow you as you are the one in lead, but he will take time to catch up, giving you an advantage to win the outrun

Cars

2003 Acura RSX Type S: North America only, FWD, 200 hp, 7,400 rpm, 142 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 3. 2004 Audi A3: AWD, 250 hp, 6300 rpm, 236 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 3. 2004 Audi TT Quattro: AWD, 250 hp, 6300 rpm, 236 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 3. 2004 Cadillac Escalade: AWD, 145 hp, 5200 rpm, 380 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 2. 2003 Ford Focus ZX3: FWD, 130 hp, 5300 rpm, 135 lbs. torque; unlocked at start. 2005 Ford Mustang GT: RWD, 300 hp, 5800 rpm, 315 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 4. 2000 Honda Civic Coupe Si: North America only, FWD, 160 hp, 7600 rpm, 111 lbs. torque; unlocked at start. 2004 Hummer H2: AWD, 325 hp, 3600 rpm, 385 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 2. 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT: FWD, 181 hp, 6000 rpm, 177 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 2. 2004 Infiniti G35: RWD, 280 hp, 6200 rpm, 270 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 4. 2002 Lexus IS300: RWD, 215 hp, 5800 rpm, 218 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 3. 2004 Lincoln Navigator: RWD, 300 hp, 5000 rpm, 355 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 2. 1999 Mazda Miata: RWD, 128 hp, 6500 rpm, 110 lbs. torque; unlocked at start. 1995 Mazda RX-7: RWD, 255 hp, 6500 rpm, 217 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 4. 2004 Mazda RX-8: RWD, 238 hp, 8500 rpm, 159 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 4. 1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT: AWD, 320 hp, 6000 rpm, 315 lbs. torque, unlocked in level 4. 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse: AWD, 210 hp, 6000 rpm, 214 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 3. 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer: AWD, 271 hp, 6500 rpm, 273 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 4. 1992 Nissan 240SX: FWD, 155 hp, 5600 rpm, 160 lbs. torque; unlocked at start. 2003 Nissan 350Z: RWD, 287 hp, 6200 rpm, 274 lbs. torque; unlocked in level 4. 2003 Nissan Sentra SER Spec-V: FWD, 175 hp, 6000 rpm, 180 lbs. torque, unlocked in level 2. 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GTR: AWD, 276 hp, 6800 rpm, 216 lbs. torque, unlocked in level 5. 2004 Peugeot 106: Outside North America only, FWD, 120 hp, 5500 rpm, 107 lbs. torque; unlocked at start. 2003 Peugeot 206: FW

Magazine covers

Auto Motor: 20 wins in level 5.AutoMaxx: 16 wins in level 4.Car Audio and Electronics: 6 wins in level 3.Chrome und Flamen: 27 wins in level 4.Elaborare: 3 wins in level 4.GTI: 11 wins in level 3.GTI : 16 wins in level 5.Hot 4’s: 18 wins in level 3.Import Tuner: 4 wins in level 5.Maxi Tuning: 7 wins in level 4.Power: 32 wins in level 5.Spoiler: 11 wins in level 4.Sports Compact Car: 8 wins in level 2.Street Car: 2 wins in level 3.Street Car: 9 wins in level 5.Street Tuner: 34 wins in level 5.Stuff: 20 wins in level 4.Super Street: 28 wins in level 5.Swiss Tuner: 25 wins in level 5.Turbo: 4 wins in level 2.

Car stats

REMEMBER: These are with no special tuning, no uniques, and just all level 3 modifications. A3: 396.4 ft-lbs, 510.6 bhp, quarter-mile 8.65.Acura RSX: 294.1 ft-lbs, 471.8 bhp, quarter-mile 8.31.Audi TT: 368.8 ft-lbs, 500.1 bhp, quarter-mile 8.56.Ford Focus: 332.7 ft-lbs, 426.5 bhp, quarter-mile 8.44.Honda Civic: 284 ft-lbs, 454 bhp, quarter-mile 8.49.Hyundai Tiburon GT V6: 338 ft-lbs, 511 bhp, quarter-mile 8.29. Infiniti G35: 408.7 ft-lbs, 515.4 bhp, quarter-mile 7.96.Lancer Evolution VIII: 377.6 ft-lbs, 430.9 bhp, quarter-mile 8.54. Lexus IS300: 349.5 ft-lbs, 480 bhp, quarter-mile 8.01.Mazda Miata Mx-5: 303.8 ft-lbs, 424.3 bhp, quarter-mile 8.10.Mazda RX-7: 291.3 ft-lbs, 441.6 bhp, quarter-mile 7.60.Mazda RX-8: 269.9 ft-lbs, 476.6 bhp, quarter-mile 7.83.Mitsubishi 3000GT: 397.3 ft-lbs, 472 bhp, quarter-mile 8.63.Mitsubishi motors Eclipse: 402.2 ft-lbs, 467 bhp, quarter-mile 8.33.Mustang GT: 488.1 ft-lbs, 551.7 bhp, quarter-mile 8.16.Nissan 240SX: 335.2 ft-lbs, 488.7 bhp, quarter-mile 7.53.Nissan 350Z: 415.7 ft-lbs, 523.9 bhp, quarter-mile 7.86.Nissan Sentra seR specV: 338.4 ft-lbs, 481.9 bhp, quarter-mile 8.86.Nissan Skyline GTR: 353.4 ft-lbs, 494 bhp, quarter-mile 8.34. Peugeot 206: 278 ft-lbs, 398.8 bhp, quarter-mile 8.44.Pontiac GTO: 439.7 ft-lbs, 543.6 bhp, quarter-mile 8.30.Subaru WRX Impreza: 381.7 ft-lbs, 443 bhp, quarter-mile 8.78. Toyota Celica: 281.4 ft-lbs, 445.8 bhp, quarter-mile 8.16.Toyota Corolla: 269.7 ft-lbs, 428.9 bhp, quarter-mile 8.30.Toyota Supra: 396.4 ft-lbs, 516.4 bhp, quarter-mile 8.10.Volkswagen Golf GTI: 369.3 ft-lbs, 419.2 bhp, quarter-mile 8.30.