Avanti Motors the maker of Avanti catalytic converter can trace its roots back to the year 1962 when the first Avanti, which was at that time a product of the legendary Studebaker auto manufacturer, was launched.

The present Avanti is more of a modern tribute to the original revolutionary vehicle styled by Raymond Loewy. The 2007 Avanti still possess most of the original car?s unique lines such as the circular headlamps, the asymmetrical bonnet bulge, the absence of a front grill, and the coke bottle profile.

The 2007 Avanti is still built on a Mustang chassis. And its standard and only powertrain is the regular Mustang 300-horsepower, 3-valve, V8, with 5-speed automatic transmission. The car is available in a convertible model, in a standard Mustang top, or a coup with a unique side and back roof.

The technical specifications are identical except for the 245/40-18 and 275/40-18 tires fr/rr. The interior is also in standard Mustang GT with the Avanti logo sewn into the door and seat panels. The dashboard is made up of wood eliminating the large chrome rings around the speedo and tach.

Each Avanti is assembled by a team of highly dedicated craftsmen at the production facility located in Cancun, Mexico. They produce just 150 Avantis each year thus ensuring the exclusivity of the vehicle.

The originally produced Avanti was conceived as the American alternative to the luxury sports cars of the UK and continental Europe. The current Avanti continues that role.

Details on the 2007 Avanti Convertible and Coupe

Avanti Convertible

Engine Specifications:

Engine type: 4.6 OHV 24V VB

Engine Electronics: EEV-V

Displacement: 4.6L (281 cu. in.)

Horsepower (SAE net@rpm): 300@5750

Torque (lb-ft@rpm): 320@4500

Compression Ratio: 9.8:1

Bore and Stroke (in.): 3.6×3.6

Main Bearings: 5

Valve Lifters: Hydraulic with Roller Finger Followers

Fuel Delivery: Sequential Multi-part Electronic Fuel Injection

Recommended Fuel: Unleaded Regular

Exhaust: Dual Stainless Steel

Fuel Economy: 17/25 manual; 18/23 auto

Transmission Type: 5-speed automatic

Engine Block Material: Aluminum

Cylinder head material: Cast Aluminum

Avanti Coupe

Engine Specifications:

Engine Type: 4.6 OHV 24V VB

Engine Electronics: EEV-V

Displacement: 4.6L (281 cu. in.)

Horsepower (SAE net@rpm): 300@5750

Torque (lb-ft@rpm): 320@4500

Compression Ratio: 9.8:1

Bore and Stroke (in.): 3.6×3.6

Main Bearings: 5

Valve Lifters: Hydraulic with Roller Finger Followers

Fuel Delivery: Sequential Multi-part Electronic Fuel Injection

Recommended Fuel: Unleaded Regular

Exhaust: Dual Stainless Steel

Fuel Economy: 17/25 manual; 18/23 auto

Transmission Type: 5-speed automatic

Engine Block Material: Aluminum

Cylinder head material: Cast Aluminum

The life of a Sales Rep must be a very strange one indeed; your life is essentially constantly in a transitory state. It is a life spent on motorways; take-out coffee in beverage holder and unopened Ginster’s Pasty on the passenger seat. The handsfree mobile phone kit never stops ringing long enough to get through even one song from the hastily bought CD Power Ballads compilation from the last service station. Uncomfortable surroundings, excessive travel and poor diet mean that your average sales rep (though personable and up-beat on the exterior) is a bitter wreck of anger and bile on the inside. OK, maybe that is a bit too far, but a life on the road isn’t going to be pleasurable unless you have the right transportation to move you around. Thus the Saloon was born.

The perennial favourite Saloon in the UK is the Ford Mondeo; a car so popular it has coined the phrase ‘Mondeo-man’, the term used largely to describe the very typical demographic who drive it. There are other popular options to consider however: The main competition for the Mondeo’s crown includes such automotive luminaries as Volkswagen’s Passat and Audi’s A4. The choice seems solely dependent on whether the Rep in question works for a blue chip company and has a company car (expect to see an Audi of BMW), or is paying the petrol costs themselves (most probably a Mondeo or Honda Accord). There are, however, other manufacturers trying to get in on this lucrative marketplace. One such example is the Chrysler Sebring.

To a majority of British drivers, American cars don’t represent a viable solution to a good drive on our roads. A lot of American cars have notoriously heavy handling, which is perfectly fine on long, straight interstates, but around curving and winding country roads that make up a large percentage of the British road network, they are simply not practical. It would be more accurate to say they were the automotive equivalent of a suicide note; you’re last few precious seconds spent wrestling violently with the steering wheel trying to navigate your American car away from the fast approaching trees.

Chrysler have taken British criticism seriously. Rather than accuse us of whingeing and being bad drivers, they have specifically engineered a car for Europe. The resulting Sebring is meant to offer a large American option to the modern day executive, without compromising on handling ability, comfort or performance. It is still a big car and frankly, why would you buy an American car if you didn’t want it ’supersized’?

And supersized it is…well the boot is anyway. You could most probably transport a whole horse in the rear storage space on the Sebring. Quite why the Chrysler designers considered it necessary to include a boot the size of an aircraft carrier is a little beyond me, but space is always welcome. There are also a selection of impressive-sounding engines, including a fearsome 2.7 Litre V6 which will make mince meat out of your eardrums as well as the tarmac.

It is a little difficult to see how well the Sebring will fit into the British marketplace; we are famous for our understated reserve after all. The Sebring is perhaps a little more ostentatious than the Ford Mondeo and doesn’t produce anywhere as good miles per gallon ration as most of its competitors, so it probably won’t attract too many fleet orders from companies looking for company cars. If you wish you were travelling down Route 66 in an outsized saloon instead of tootling along the A46 in your Mondeo though, the Chrysler Sebring might be worth a look.

There’s always safety in numbers and this appears to be true for the big three automakers in the US. Each individual company has had its own problems over the years, but at the end of the day falling sales have resulted from designing and producing cars that people just don’t want to buy. Major restructuring is the only way these behemoths can possibly survive. The problem is they don’t have the cash to do it. Or do they?

Taking each company individually, Ford would appear to be in the strongest position. Still one of the market leaders in Europe, Ford seems to have realised the error of their ways. Now producing some of the most economical European cars with their Econetic range, Ford are at least moving in the right direction and the money they have asked for will only be taken up if the economy continues on its downward spiral.

General Motors differs from Ford. General Motors is in big trouble. It needs the money and it needs it NOW. It needs it to pay its workforce, it needs it to pay its suppliers. In short it needs it to survive. The only glimmer of hope on the horizon would appear to be the Volt, GM’s plug in hybrid slated to be launched in 2010 or 2011. However when you use 3.1 million dollars per minute 2011 looks a long way away. Does it deserve the bailout? Probably not, but it has nowhere else to go and as a result GM will no doubt continue to limp along as no political party will want it to fail on their watch.

So to the last and the smallest of the big three, Chrysler. The big difference with Chrysler is who owns them. In 2007 DaimlerChrysler sold an 80.1 percent stake in Chrysler to the New York based private equity firm, Cerberus. Their Chairman John Snow, a former U.S. treasury secretary said at the time “We think at this particular point in Chrysler’s history, there may be opportunities in the private world, the world of private investment, that create more room for growth and expansion”. Whoa, whoa, whoa. The private world? The world of private investment? What’s gone so badly wrong that in just over a year it’s been decided that the problems with the company your company acquired cannot be solved by the private sector?

Take a look at the Cerberus website and it states that the company holds controlling or significant minority interests in companies around the world that generate over 100 billion dollars in annual revenues. A large sum of money in anyone’s book. Delve further and you will see a list of diverse companies from banks to burger franchises, paper manufacturers to plane leasing companies, companies that no doubt continue to make a healthy profit for their parent company. Can’t they use their own money to save Chrysler and the jobs that Chrysler provides?

Cerberus paid 7.4 billion dollars for their stake in Chrysler. They obviously expected some return for their investment. Unfortunately, the global economic downturn and the fact that Chrysler have concentrated on gas guzzling, uneconomical, minivans, SUV’s and pickups mean that that return is further away than ever. But surely that’s THEIR problem and not the problem of the American taxpayer. It really does leave a sour taste in the mouth when a private equity firm goes begging for government dollars. And for what? To postpone the inevitable and save Cerberus a few billion bucks along the way. Cerberus bought it. Cerberus should sort it.

NASCAR, or the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, is known as the largest motorsports sanctioning body in the United States. The three series under the auspices of NASCAR include the Craftsman Truck Series, the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup. Some local races such as the Whelen Modified Tour and the All-American Series from Whelen are overseen by NASCAR. Overall, 1500 races at 100 tracks are considered NASCAR races.

Originally, NASCAR was viewed as a regional sport coming from the Southeastern United States, but today it ranks second only to football in television rating in the U.S. In addition to broadcasts in the United States, races by NASCAR drivers are shown in 150 countries globally. Fans show support of the sport by purchasing licensed products in the amount of $3 billion annually. Fortune 500 companies recognize the power of NASCAR fans and sponsor the sports more than any other sponsorship role.

The headquarters of NASCAR is at Daytona Beach, Florida. There are four local offices in North Carolina and regional offices in Arkansas, New York City and Los Angeles. Mexico City and Toronto Canada also have NASCAR offices. Additionally, most NASCAR teams consider North Carolina home.

Originally, Daytona Beach was the location where world land speed records were set with eight consecutive records between 1927 and 1935. The Daytona Beach road course was the site of fifteen speed records before 1935. As the location for land speed records moved to Bonneville Salt Flats, Daytona Beach was already synonymous with fast cars both on the beach and on the coastal highway A1A.

The years of Prohibition followed by the repeal in 1933 made use of fast cars with modified capacity driven at high speeds either to evade the police or later the revenuers. Much of this activity occurred near Wilkes County region of North Carolina, but also in other parts of the Southeastern United States. Races of the modified cars increased in numbers and popularity during those years.

Three people were primary in the creation of the NASCAR governing body in 1948: William France, Sr., Erwin ‘Cannonball’ Baker, and Bob ‘Barky’ Barkhimer. William France wanted to protect the drivers from unscrupulous promoters who collected gate receipts and did not award winning to the drivers. The first intent was to race Roadsters, Modified, and Stock cars. Only the Modified division raced during the first year. The first season had 52 Modified dirt track races. By 1949, the Strictly Stock division made its debut

Originally, the cars raced had to be virtually factory models, but beginning in 1950 it was recognized that modifications for safety and performance were desirable and the Division was named ‘Grand National?. By the mid 1960s, the races were run with race cars and a stock body.

Only one of the original season race tracks is still on the circuit today-Martinsville Speedway. The Darlington Raceway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are both recognized world wide for their famous events in the world of NASCAR racing. Originally, the race tracks were oval and measured 0.5 to 1 miles per lap. Darlington was 1.366 miles and known as a Superspeedway following its construction in 1950. The track was wider and faster than other locales. In 1959 the Daytona International Speedway at 2.5 miles became the sport icon.

During the early 1970’s new sponsorship was found for the sport in the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company. The name of the series was changed from Grand National to the Winston Cup. The series today is known as the Sprint Cup. Prizes were increased significantly and a new points system was developed. The series dropped from 48 races during the season to 31 races. Busch Beer took on the sponsorship of the next competitive level of racers, known as the Late Model Sportsman.

ABC Sports began covering some of the Grand National races but abandoned the effort as not exciting enough for ratings. In 1979, the Daytona 500 race was picked up from flag to flag by CBS. During the final lap, the two leaders wrecked on the backstretch and the third place car driven by Richard Petty won the race. The two wrecked car drivers and a family member proceeded to add to the drama on national television by engaging in a fistfight. Fans that had been kept indoors by a major snowstorm on the U.S. eastern seaboard were introduced to the excitement and drama of the sport.

Changes in the point structure awarded to drivers and teams has also helped to maintain the excitement of the series ever since.

The 2007 North American International Auto Show has proven to be great opportunity for Ford to present its new line of vehicles. At his speech, Ford?s President and CEO Alan Mulally addressed the reporters from around the globe saying, “It all flows from having one team working together on one plan with one goal in mind — to build more products that people really want, products that reflect the wants and needs of today’s and tomorrow’s customers.?

And after a warm introduction from the Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Mulally drove the 2008 Ford Five Hundred onstage with its upscale look on the outside and addition of 60 more horsepower on the inside. Ford CEO Mulally explained, “What we’ve done to make the Five Hundred better goes to the heart of how we are approaching the future of this great company and this great brand.?

It should be noted that Ford has previously announced that by the end 0f 2008 at least 70% of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products together with the Ford Five Hundred will be upgraded. This is in addition to the plan of strengthening further existing products. According to CEO Mulally, the company is positioning itself for development in major automotive segments. “This includes an expanded commitment to small cars, more crossovers, more capable and efficient trucks, putting in place an exciting vision for our Lincoln and Mercury brands. . . and growing our premium automotive brands.?

The new 2008 Ford Focus is just a preview of the upcoming new small cars that Ford will be producing. The Focus is equipped with high quality Ford parts and given a bolder exterior design. Its interior is designed to provide optimum driving control. The interior is also created using top-of-the-line materials like the matte silver finish on the instrument panel and console. There is also an all-new ambient lightning comprising of seven different colors which customers can adjust to provide them the illumination and mood they want inside the car?s cabin.

According to Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas, “People buy small cars in the U.S. more than any other segment and any other type of vehicle. With gas prices on consumers’ minds and, of course, lifestyles changing, we expect this growth to continue going forward. This new Focus sedan – and for the first time ever, a Focus coupe – are part of our plan to dramatically grow Ford’s small car offerings.”

Fields has also announced that the Focus, along with the Five Hundred and 10 other Ford Lincoln and Mercury products are going to be introduced this year – equipped with Ford?s latest Sync technology. It should be noted that Ford has entered into a partnership with Microsoft to develop the Sync technology which is a fully integrated, voice-activated in-car communication and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music players. Hopefully the new Sync technology can help Ford in enticing more buyers this year.

It?s very hard to ?crack America?. Many have tried and failed, whether it?s film, TV or music. For every Ricky Gervais, there?s a multitude of unsuccessful suitors, including the likes of Oasis and the Manic Street Preachers. Mention either of those bands in Europe and you?ll be inundated with fans. Ask the question in America and no doubt a blank face will point you in the direction of a desert or church.

You see, whilst the world becomes Americanised, the US is very picky about what it accepts onto it?s shores ? with the one exception of cars. For every Chevrolet or Chrysler dealer there are BMW and Mercedes Benz franchises competing. Europe you see, knows how to build a car and historically, despite Henry Ford getting things rolling with the Model T, America has lagged behind. Therefore, flying in the face of the American Dream?, European cars dominate the roads around the globe, with the US begging Europe for acceptance of it?s motoring offerings.

Well America?s deliverance may well come from your local Chrysler dealer, although there are a few stipulations first. You need to be extremely rich, have no children and be prepared to receive whiplash every time you accelerate. Has the Chrysler Grand Voyager been fitted with a turbo where the rear seats should be? No ? with a riotous bellow the Dodge Viper is back in town. Ok, so this is a car only the top 1% of the world?s population could even consider buying, but it clearly demonstrates that when they put their minds to it, America can build a car that quite simply is a brilliant monster.

The old Viper was conceived and born when Chrysler were in one of their financial crises. Despite this, for approximately $50 million (car design usually cost $1 billion) and only 17 men the Viper was launched and showed little signs of cost cutting. Admittedly you couldn?t open the windows and the roof looked like the last time I attempted to build a tent, but under the bonnet was an 8-litre V10 engine that threw 400 horsepower onto the road. Subtlety was not a strong point, but it is widely recognised and loved all over the globe ? even if that is thanks to a strong showing on the Gran Turismo racing game.

So what?s changed with the latest offering? Well worryingly, Chrysler announced the new car would be more civilised and upon initial inspection this appears so. The windows now go down and then back up again, the tent on the roof has been correctly erected and the pedals can even be adjusted to your shoe size ? by electronic means would you believe. Thankfully despite this, the car is as civilised as Borat at a dinner party and Chrysler should be thanked for keeping their cocktail, ten parts whisky and zero parts mixer. Power has rocketed from 400 to 500 horsepower, with the car?s weight remaining unchanged. This healthy equation results in 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and a top speed surpassing 190 mph.

If the devil was a car, then look no further. The exhaust bellows and the tyres squeal as they struggle to get any of the power onto the black stuff. The interior is cramped, the materials used are so cheap that having got my calculator out, I can confirm the total is the same as two pints of beer. If you?ve played Gran Turismo, you?ll know the car handles like a hippopotamus on ice and that at the end of any corner you?ll be going backwards. The real version shows just how realistic the game is.

It looks like the work of Lucifer too. The car literally bulges with aggression and looks like it?s going 150 mph standing still. The front bumper could easily eat a number of small children and the vents on the bonnet look like they could suck a country the size of Wales into the engine. Chrysler?s big problem then is who will buy the devil on wheels? Even David Beckham may think the car is too bling, leaving the likes of 10 cent and his rapper friends?oh, 50 cent, my apologies, to foot the bill.

Compare the Viper on paper to a Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini et al and it?ll lose. It isn?t the fastest; it?s not the prettiest and definitely not the best handling. All this though, is like saying ?no? to Cindy Crawford because she has a mole. Despite a flaw or two, the Viper is ? no arguments please – a supermodel for the road. Yes it?s high maintenance, hugely expensive and shouty but isn?t that the idea of a supercar? What Chrysler have done is create the perfect monster and show that America has what it takes to compete with Europe?s finest. Chrysler and financial crisis will hopefully never be mentioned in the same sentence again.

NASCAR wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for the American auto industry. NASCAR has also set so many rules and made so many regulations, that they’ve squeezed themselves into a tiny little box. It’s definitely not like it used to be. Of course over a period of time, we change. But now that our auto industries are suffering, could you think of any way that NASCAR could change, that would actually “give back” to the American automotive industry, or promote their re-growth into our faltered economy.

Im looking into buying a BMW x5 and am wondering if simple things such as oil changes, tune ups, and those types of things are more expensive than on another vehicle, and by how much.Thank you.

Exhaust is a natural byproduct of an internal combustion engine used on contemporary vehicles like those from Alfa Romeo and American Motors. It is a necessary evil produced during combustion, but is not exactly impossible to wipe out. One of the low-key Alfa Romeo and American Motors parts that aims to eradicate the vehicle?s exhaust output is the Alfa Romeo catalytic converter. Equipped with chemical catalysts platinum, rhodium, palladium, among others, the catalytic converter oxidizes the exhaust gases of the Alfa Romeo and American Motors before they are emitted into the atmosphere. Catalytic converters are manufactured in two varieties: the ceramic and honeycomb converters, the former being the most-used type among modern vehicles because it incorporates the function of the other and presents new and more effective method of oxidizing the exhaust. In order that exhaust materials are reduced, the car engines of the Alfa Romeo and American Motors primarily control the amount of fuel they burn. They try to keep the air to fuel ratio close to the stoichiometric point, which is the calculated ideal ratio of air to fuel in a burn material. At this ratio, all of the fuel will be burned using all of the oxygen in the air, resulting in less exhaust. For gasoline engines, the stoichiometric ratio is about 14.7:1. This means that for every pound of gasoline, 14.7 pounds of air will be burned. As engine and driving conditions change, this ratio changes as well. Sometimes it will run richer or leaner than the ideal 14.7:1. When the burn mixture falls short or exceeds the ratio, exhausts materials composed of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and other volatile organic compounds are produced. The engine tries to eliminate these through the chemical reaction produced when the fumes make contact with the catalytic converter. It works in two stages: reduction and oxidation. Reduction is the first stage used by both the Alfa Romeo and American Motors catalytic converter. It uses platinum and rhodium to help reduce the nitrous oxide emissions. When a molecule of these gases contacts the catalyst, the catalyst rips the nitrogen atom out of the molecule and holds on to it, freeing the oxygen in the form of oxygen. The nitrogen atoms, on the other hand, bond with other nitrogen atoms that are also stuck to the catalyst. Afterwards, the palladium and platinum metals of the catalytic converter convert the hydrocarbons of unburned gasoline and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and water, resulting in exhaust emission that is less harmful.

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