Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Golf GTI Pirelli

The Golf GTI Pirelli is back (but only in the UK right now). Celebrating its arrival after a 25-year absence, the Pirelli-themed Volkswagen hatchback features an enhanced version of the 2.0-liter T-FSI powerplant boosted to 230 PS (about 227 hp). Power is sent to the front wheels through a traditional 6-speed manual, or VW's very nice twin-clutch DSG gearbox. The added 30 horses over the stock VW GTI drops the sprint time to 60 down to just 6.8 seconds and raises the hatchback's maximum speed to 152 mph.

Differentiating itself from the standard GTI, the Pirelli version features a front splitter, side skirts, smoked rear lenses and tinted windows. Of course, it also gets 18-inch 5-spoke aluminum wheels wrapped in, you guessed it, Pirelli P-Zero tires. The Pirelli theme is carried to the interior with custom yellow-stitched sport seats and tire-tread imprints in all four seating positions. With a few added mechanical upgrades, several exterior enhancements, and a lot of interior branding, the GTI Pirelli package appears to be a slick package. That is, assuming you don't tire of it. (Oh, come on, we just had to say that.)

After checking our archives, we noticed that Volkswagen actually previewed the GTI Pirelli at the Wörthersee show last year, and we're happy to report that the spokes on each wheel are still exaggerated versions of the letter 'P'.

[Source: Volkswagen]

There are lots of ways to crank more power out of an engine -- bore it out, bolt-on superchargers, turbochargers, intercoolers -- if you're reading Autoblog, you know the drill. Putting that power down on the road is another story altogether, though. No matter how advanced the technology in the car, it all has to meet the tarmac the same way it has for over a century. Pirelli is celebrating 100 years in motorsports, and to commemorate the anniversary it has unveiled the newest version of its flagship high-performance tire, the P Zero.

Affectionately referred to as P Zero the Hero, the latest version of the vulcanized performance icon is rated for speeds up to 370 km/h (230 mph). That's a mighty high top end that few cars can reach, and even fewer drivers will ever hit, but in speed ratings you don't want to be pushing the limits of adhesion at the risk of both car and driver.

The latest Pirelli P Zero is already being fitted to some of the best-performing cars on the road. It's standard equipment on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Lamborghini Murciélago and Gallardo, Audi R8 and S8, Aston Martin DB9, Maserati Quattroporte, Jaguar XK, the upcoming Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and an array of high-performance models from Mercedes AMG, Porsche and BMW. Sure, other manufacturers make high-performance tires. But there's only one P Zero.

[Source: Gizmag]

Lamborghini has been on something of a roll lately. It had a record year last year with 2,087 units sold. It introduced special editions of the Murcielago and Gallardo, as well as upgraded the "regular" Murci to LP640 status. A roadster version of the LP640 was a no-brainer and showed up soon after. They also let slip that a super lightweight version of the bread-and-butter Gallardo would be debuting in Geneva. So there are lots of reasons to smile if you're with Lamborghini or an enthusiast who follows the way of the bull. One particular highlight must have been seeing a Murci Roadster pop up in Batman Begins. As playboy Bruce Wayne, the Dark Knight escorts a pair of lovelies to dinner and makes a most dramatic exit after an impromptu dip in the fountain. Uma Thurman will also be piloting a Lambo on the small screen in Pirelli's mini feature "Mission Zero", though this time a Gallardo Spyder. Well, it looks like we might be seeing even more of Lamborghini on the big screen in the near future.

Despite the good press for Lamborghini, there have been rumblings that VW might want to shed its supercar brand. And even with more than 2,000 sales last year, that was less than half of archrival Ferrari's U.S. total. Even though Volkswagen has said it is committed to keeping Lambo, and Bugatti for that matter, a sales boost sure would help. Lamborghini's highest profile vehicle, the Murcielago Roadster LP640 was a star of the recent North American International Auto Show last month in Detroit, but getting it into the next Batman movie should get it even more international attention, and that appears to be the plan. Brandweek recently sat down with Automobili Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, to discuss the company's U.S. strategies. Follow the read link for the whole interview.

[Source: Brandweek]

The first Pirelli film titled "The Call" was more of a satanic, tire-smoking standoff than a forum for promoting tires. But it was artsy, very well photographed with plenty of cool special effects and intriguing; a thinking man's endorsement of Pirelli tires.

The next film called "Mission Zero" premiers Monday at pirellifilm.com but I had a chance to screen it Sunday. "Mission Zero" is a no-holds-barred action film with Uma Thurman driving a yellow Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder trying to evade assassins shooting at her from an old Mopar B-body with a fake supercharger. The conflict stretches from Beverly Hills to the Los Angeles port and is action for the sake of action. Very little to think about in this short film, which was directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break), except why a Lambo can't outrun a sled from the late '60s in a 20-mile chase. The action isn't limited to the asphalt. There are knives, machine guns and a shoulder-fired rocket; all of which sometimes feels like a bad homage to the "Kill Bill" series.

But enough nit-picking. The film is free and it features Uma in a yellow Lambo. She now joins my personal cinema hall of fame populated by hot blondes with cool cars: Suzanne Somers in a T-bird, Susan George in a Charger, Joy Harmon on a DeSoto. Go girl!

[Source: pirellifilm.com]

It seems like everywhere you look nowadays there's a microchip being put into objects and applications that would have seemed like science fiction a decade or two ago. Nowhere is that more noticeable than in the automotive world, with all the electronic gadgetry on today's cars and trucks. Ask old school mechanics and they'll bemoan the number of technical degrees needed to do their jobs in this modern age. And with so much riding on our tires, it was inevitable that computers would get into our tread.

Specifically we refer to Pirelli, which has apparently been working on a "CyberTyre" for some time now. The idea is that an embedded microchip can relay information to an onboard computer to analyze road data that allows the car to make changes or issue warnings to make the driving experience safer. We imagine such data coming from your rubber as road temperature that could tip off the driver to slippage in low temp or low traction situations, or perhaps your wheel will remind you that you've already gone past the mile limitation on that donut you've been using for a month.

To help move this closer to reality, Pirelli recently bought the patent for this type of tire-monitoring technology from Italian auto technology and design company Fioravanti. Along with the microchip system, Pirelli is also working on additional low-pressure monitoring systems under the X-Pressure name. It's a whole array of technologies designed to tell you that your tires are low. There's X-Pressure Optic (a visual warning on the stem and cap), X-Pressure Acoustic (warnings through your radio), and X-Pressure Acoustic Blue, which actually calls your cell phone with a warning using Bluetooth. And then there's the Safety Wheel System, which uses a compressed air canister located inside the wheel rim to add air as needed. The future is now people, and it's in your tire.

Source: Motor Authority]

We thought we heard rumblings that the 2007 Pirelli Calendar was on its way, but it turns out we missed its official debut that occured on November 16th. No worries, though, as our friends over at Jalopnik tipped us off to its arrival. If you click the read link you'll be taken to the Pirelli Calender Club website where you can view all 26 photos in this year's calendar. The models include five of tinsel town's most talented ladies: Sophia Loren (trust us, she looks 100x better than the shot at right taken at the calendar's premier), Penelope Cruz, Hilary Swank, Naomi Watts and Lou Doillon (who?). The photographers responsible for this year's snaps are the Dutch duo of Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and their vision is marked departure from recent editions of the Pirelli Calendar. Known in the past for featuring nude or topless shots of the world's most desireable women, this year's edition drops the glitz and glamour and puts each model in a room with a bed and a sheet. Sure, there's a nipple here and some arse there, but as the Jalop guys point out, "the whole calendar's pretty tame compared to past years' nip-slip mania. Damn puritan culture cycles." Seriously, and our sincere thanks go out to Adobe, creator of Photoshop CS2, which no doubt had a hand in Ms. Loran's transformation.

[Source: Pirelli Calendar Club via Jalopnik]