Scale Model Mania!

For an automobile-enthusiast-next-door, scale models are the closest that he or she can get to, to the real exotics. These pieces of art are generally available at leading toy stores, malls etc. and hence it can become a little embarrassing for a 25 year old to go around the mall asking for the 'toys' section. The moment you see the glittery scale model boxes stacked up it would take you about an hour to realise that you have been standing at the same section, going through each and every scale model, making sure that you dont miss out on what you are looking for.

For first timers though, the enthusiast would go ahead and pick up whatever catches his charm and ofcourse, whatever his wallet allows. Speaking of which, such scale models are available between Rs. 75, all the up to thousands of rupees, depending on the model, the scale, the brand and ofcourse, the level of detail.

One of leading manufacturers of scale models in the market today are Maisto. The Taiwanese company has been around for quite some time now. While looking for some specific models at my favorite toy shop, I happened to see a shiny red ZX14 in a 1:18 scale. Not only did I jump with excitement, but it also meant that Maisto has come up with their new collection. Quickly looked around for what all was available, but sadly the Ninja was the only one what the toy-keeper had. After researching a bit around others shops, internet and enthusiasts, I came to know that the following models are now available in India -


Ducati 1098S Tricolore (1:18)


Honda CBR 1000RR Fireblade 2007 (1:18)


Ducati Hypermortard (1:18)


Kawasaki ZX6R 2007 (1:12)


Honda CBR 600RR 2007 (1:12)

Hyundai-Kia becomes 5th largest carmaker

Korean manufacturer Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, became the world's fifth largest carmaker, overtaking giants Honda. Is a Korean threat coming?

CLICK HERE for the PRESS RELEASE

Indian Army's Dare Devil team graces the World Records

(* This image is copyright of the Guinness Book of World Records)

The Indian Army's 'Dare Devil' motorcycle team who have been known for their various 2 wheeler related feats have bettered their record of carrying the maximum number of people on a particular number of bikes. The team secured a name in the Guinness Book of World Records once again by managing to carry 251 people on 11 Enfield Bullets over a distance of 240 meters.

Congratulations guys!

Their past records for a similar feat are as follows:

40 men on 7 bikes for 400 meters (Gwalior, 1991)

81 men on 9 bikes for 200 meters (Pune 1993)

140 men on 11 bikes for 100 meters (Pune, 1996)

201 men on 10 bikes for 100 meters (Jaipur, 2001)

Wallpapers of the day! (29th July 08)

Click on the thumbnails for a larger view (1600 x 1200)

Widescreen users CLICK HERE

Car: Mercedes Benz C63 AMG
Bike: Yamaha R1

Crash: BMW M3

The BMW M3 is one beast when it comes to factory-tuned exotics. But recently, a kid from United States decided to play around with this animal and ended up ruining the evening for a lot of people - known and unknown. CLICK HERE to see what was left of a spanking new white 2008 M3.

FIAT increases 500's production

FIAT, who recently unveiled the 500 mini-car in India for a hefty price tag of 15-lakh INR, are facing a lot of demand vs. supply issues worldwide for the hot mini. While FIAT targeted a 1,20,000 units to be sold in the 2008 fiscal, the tremendous demand made them jack up the production to a 1,40,000 units within a few months of 2008. However, the demand for the 500 is still not being satisfied - which in itself comes as a great news for the Italian carmaker.
Hence, FIAT have decided to beef up the global production of the 500 to a stagerring 2,00,000 units annually!

SCOOP!: FIAT Linea

Here are a couple of shots of the FIAT Linea caught on test. The sedan is about to be launched in India in competition with cars like the Aveo, Ikon, Dezire and Accent. The car will be powered by a 1.4-litre FIRE engine with a power output of 76bhp. There will also be a diesel variant in the form of a 1.3-litre Multijet producing 90 bhp.

Honda introduces new Jazz

Honda Motor recently introduced the 2009 model of the Jazz. The Jazz took birth in 2001 and like most Honda cars, redefined the small car market with great design and practicality along with the trademark Honda reliability. Known as the 'Fit' in some markets, the car has been one of the highest number crunchers in the automobile market for Honda. The new car has grown bigger, following the footsteps of the new Accord, Civic and the upcoming City. The car is expected to come to India in 2009.

For the complete Press Release and Images, Click Here