Mazda invited Bullz-Eye.com to the Frankfurt Motor Show. Check out BE’s experience below!

Mazda invited us to join them in Frankfurt as they unveiled the new CX-5 Crossover SUV at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The crossover market is exploding, and this new vehicle gives Mazda with a strong entry in the small crossover segment. The CX-5 is a completely new vehicle for Mazda from the technology to the design language. Mazda CEO and President Takashi Yamanouchi proudly introduced the new vehicle at the auto show along with Chief Designer Masashi Nakayama and Program Manager Hideaki Tanaka.

As you can see from the photos above, the styling on this all-new crossover is sporty and aggressive. CX-5 becomes the first production model to feature Mazda‘s new design theme, “KODO – Soul of Motion.” Chief Designer Masashi Nakayama explained: “With the CX-5, our focus was on expressing a strong sense of vitality and agility. We looked at videos of cheetahs; their agile footwork and how they use their entire body as a spring to accelerate rapidly and change the direction instantly. They emanate great energy throughout their entire body. Inspired by their efficient yet beautiful movements, we aimed to push the SUV appearance to new levels with KODO design language.” The prominent front and rear fenders and sculptured body sides give the CX-5 a distinctive look, and we’ll start seeing the new front grille and face of the vehicle showing up on other Mazda cars.

Read the full article.

The Honda CR-Z EX NAVI is a hybrid that Bullz-Eye.com is reviewing and they say that the looks of this sporty car are eye catching. BE’s test model is north shore blue with gray interior and boasts a six-speed manual transmission including three driving modes of normal, sport and eco.

Check out the full photo gallery of the 2011 Honda CR-Z 3DR EX Navi and watch out for our upcoming review on Bullz-Eye!

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Last weekend, Vance and Hines was gracious enough to open its doors for journalists and members of HOG (Harley Owners Group). For those of you unfamiliar with who Vance and Hines are, they are a race team that started back in the late 80s, but have managed Harley’s NHRA race program with the V-Rod since 2006. They also make some of the sweetest performance parts for Harley and many other bikes.

Here, Vance and Hines develops and builds not only their V-rod race bikes, but their own competitors engines as well. They are a family owned and staffed business with proven race results in various race series. They campaign bikes in the NHRA, produce the parts for the XR1200s in the AMA Pro XR1200 series, and also builds parts for dirtbikes as well.

One may not think of Harley and precise race applications, but Vance and Hines shows otherwise. For instance, an engine for the V-Rod drag bike takes 20 days to be milled out of a 70lb. chunk of solid aluminum. This attention to detail has led Vance and Hines to a 6 sec. pass at 199mph, and 3 championships in the NHRA pro stock division.

If you would like to see their work go around corners, check out the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series. This is a spec series where racers pilot identical XR1200s, all equipped with Vance and Hines performance parts.

Not to mention, the parts available for their road and race applications are all made in the U.S.A.

Equus is the top of the line in a growing and stylish Hyundai brand. We were very impressed with the largess, design and luxurious appointments of the Equus. The moment you get behind the wheel it’s very clear that the Equus is a serious player in the luxury market. While we test the 2011 Hyndai Equus check out this gallery and watch out for our full review.

Check out the full article.

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Bullz-Eye has plenty more shots of the Woodward Dream Cruise for your enjoyment. Check back often, since we should have more photos as they come from GM.

Gerardo Orlando of Bullz-Eye.com checks out the Infiniti Etherea Concept at Pebble Beach!

I’ve seen tons of beautiful cars, old and new, this weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It’s an amazing celebration of the automobile, and this morning we found ourselves on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach as Infiniti introduced its Etherea Concept for the first time in North America. It was a little cloudy and chilly as you can see from the photos, but the view was spectacular. Tomorrow morning we’ll be back for the Concours as some amazing classic automobiles will be on display on the same spot.

The Etherea Concept is very impressive and is worthy of such a prestigious location for its introduction. I love the lines on this car, and the suicide doors punctuate the bold design. It’s clear from this vehicle and the JX Concept introduced yesterday that Infiniti will continue to be aggressive in its styling. The Etherea is an “exploration” of a future model so it will be interesting to see the final product, but they’re definitely headed in the right direction.

Check out the full gallery!

The first day was all about the history and pedigree of the Chevy small block. Today, we experienced how the small block is being used nowadays and a firsthand account of cruising on Woodward. We started the day at the birthplace of ZO6, ZR1, and Grandsport Corvette motors. Then, we cruised Woodward in the Chevy parade and ended the day by sampling applications of the small block in both Chevy cars and others.

The GM Performance Center is where traditional craftsmanship and modern attention to detail meet to create some of the highest performing motors on the planet. Here, every 430hp Grand Sport motor, 505hp Z06 motor and 638hp ZR1 motor take shape. Each motor is built completely by hand and signed by the technician that builds it.

To ensure correct specifications, advanced torque wrenches are used to give the builder a guide when each individual fastener is bolted to the motor. In fact, each bolt’s torque is registered in a massive database for each engine to ensure quality even after the engine leaves the factory. No other facilities offer this level of attention to detail, not even many of Mercedes’ AMG engines.

Read the full article.

Gerardo Orlando and Bullz-Eye.com were invited to Pebble Beach for the annual Concours d’Elegance and the introduction of the new Infiniti JX Concept crossover. You can read what BE thought about the event and check out a complete gallery of the new ride.

The Infiniti JX Concept is a preview of a new 7-passenger/3-row luxury crossover that joins the Infiniti lineup in spring 2012. The JX Concept was unveiled by Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura: “The JX Concept advances the Infiniti design language, sharing design cues of the Infiniti Essence concept, yet interprets those elements in ways suitable to the needs of a family luxury crossover. From the dramatic front grille and headlight design to the crescent-cut D-pillar and greenhouse shape, the JX Concept shines as a fresh, bold alternative to the many flavors of vanilla currently dominating the three-row luxury crossover segment.”

Check out the entire article.

Bullz-Eye is truly enjoying driving and testing a 2011 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition in some fabulous Midwest weather. The Sparkling Black Mica Miata has a hard top that drops in seconds and is one fun car to drive. Check back for our full review of this sports car in a few weeks.

Check out the full gallery!

Richard Hammond has been running a series on Top Gear’s website about his favorite cars from the past. This week was on the original Golf GTI, the first hot hatch. What makes the original GTI legendary is its simplicity: low power, low weight, Guigario design, and all fun. It was supposed to be a brief fling for VW, but turned into something much more.

Hammond sums up the GTI as:

It was pioneered by a young engineer: Alfons Löwenberg. In 1974, he got his workmates together in their spare time at Wolfsburg to work on what they called the ‘Sport Golf’. They had no idea that their creation would go on to become one of the stone-cold, rock-solid, gold-standard, class-A motoring icons. It was just a sporty version of a small car.

But it went on to have a following of a breadth and level of intensity that eclipses pop stars. Proof that they had no idea about the future comes when you learn that they planned to make 5,000 cars, and it wasn’t going to be available in right-hand drive. Just a bit of fun then, a little special. Several million later, and it’s a legend.

What the GTI proves ahead of all else is that you don’t need much to make a great car. Its modern progeny may have exponentially more power, features, and sophistication, but no one has gotten the original recipe of the GTI right. A bit of simplicity would go a long way in bringing back the feeling of the original GTI in any car trying to make an impression.

It is with this in mind that it is exciting to see hot hatch variants come out from the B segment cars, such as the Ford Fiesta and Fiat 500 Abarth since traditional C-segment hatchbacks are too big and expensive. These smaller, lighter descendants are sure to bring the fun back to a segment that takes itself too seriously.

The full article of Richard Hammond’s thoughts on the MK1 GTI can be read here.