| Electric sports car to be ready for 2009
Santa Rosa, California - The US electric car manufacturer ZAP has announced that it is planning to produce by 2009 an electric sports car for under 30,000 dollars. The two-seater Zap Alias is said to have a top speed of over 250 km/h with two in-wheel engines producing an output of 320 hp. The range is listed at over 160 kilometres. Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h is in six seconds. Two wheels are positioned in the front with one at the rear. The British sports car maker Lotus Engineering is working with ZAP on the Alias. It is also helping Tesla to build an electric Roadster, which is set to begin production in March this year at the Lotus factory in England with a price tag of under 100,000 dollars. According to ZAP, the idea of the Alias is to bring an affordable, highway-capable electric vehicle onto the market to capitalise on the growing interest in clean energy cars.
Extremely Cool Lotus Cortina
Ford's 1960s profile-raising competition program included recruiting Lotus boss Colin Chapman to give the new Cortina a sporting makeover. Chapman's brief was to develop a Group 2 competition version; Lotus would then build the 1,000 cars required for homologation. Launched in 1963, the Lotus Cortina featured the Elan's Ford-based, DOHC, 1.6-liter engine in the two-door bodyshell. Lotus Cortinas dominated saloon racing's 2-liter class, often challenging for outright honors. Works cars were driven by Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Peter Arundell, and Jackie Ickx, while Sir John Whitmore, driving an Alan Mann-entered Lotus Cortina, was European Touring Car champion in 1965. The Lotus Cortina offered here is one of the original Works racing saloons campaigned during the mid-1960s by legendary Formula One World Champion Jim Clark, while touring car champions Sir John Whitmore and Jack Sears also competed in this same car.
the has-been
He's a bigger man because he's smaller than he used to be. Huckabee's triumph over his own imperfections makes him a refreshing alternative to Romney, who comes across as too perfect, and Giuliani, whose campaign slogan is nobody's perfect and who has done altogether too well in staying on message. Weight loss has some policy benefits, too. At a time when Republicans don't have much else to say to Americans about health care, Huck offers his own story as a do-it-yourself substitute for a credible health-care plan. Yet, as Huckabee rises from curiosity to contender, a potential downside of downsizing becomes clear. The man is better off than he was 110 pounds ago, but does Mike Huckabee have too much riding on whether he can stay thin? Appearance is an issue for anyone in the public eye.
Banks target ultra-wealthy
PORTLAND, Ore. - The conference started with a cookout at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Elbow Beach in Bermuda and ended with a talk by 23-year-old Lauren Bush, an anti-hunger activist, former model and niece to President George W. Bush. In between, executives at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. taught scions of wealthy families how to invest in hedge funds.
Last October's "Next Generation" gathering was a small prod in Goldman Sachs' push into the lucrative profession of private banking.
It's an area of finance that New York-based Goldman - the world's largest securities firm by revenue and profit - doesn't dominate. Instead, Swiss and U.S. banks reign. .
GM trots out 'Vette with 620 horses
The Chevrolet Corvette has long been known as a superb performance value, offering speed and handling that would cost you twice as much in a European sports car. With the ZR1, which will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, General Motors is taking the Corvette into supercar territory with a supercharged V8 that, GM says, will produce at least 620 horsepower. In contrast, the base model Corvette is powered by a 6.2-liter, 430 horsepower V8, while the high-performance Corvette Z06 is powered by a 7.0-liter, 505 horsepower engine. "Chevrolet's goal with the ZR1 is to show that an American supercar can deliver, at a price that trumps exotics that cost two, three, or four times as much - and does so with exceptional driveability," said Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper in a GM announcement.
Professor's accused killer could face death
Oakland police then went to Dennis' home on Hansom Drive and found evidence of a bloody confrontation. Police said Thomas admitted to the slaying and said he was trying to gain financially when he arrived at Dennis' home Saturday. He also said he drove to San Mateo County in hopes of dumping Dennis' body, according to police. Dennis met Thomas three decades ago when Dennis was mentoring inner-city youths in Oakland. The relationship continued after the program. Sources said they had a sexual relationship that turned violent. While Dennis continued teaching, both .
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