Volvo recently launched their naughtiest car ever, the all new S60. At the launch Volve also quietly started what they called the Volvo Subject60 tour. The tour travelled to five European cities in five weeks and the six secret experiments were integrated in a party at each city, and then monitored by anthropologist Dr Katarina Graffman. The aim was to compare people’s actual behavior with their preconceptions, the Naught City Study also comprises an extensive quantitative survey.

“I observed people’s behavior during all five events, and the Parisians clearly came out as the most self-centered, natural exhibitionists. The Parisians were flirting and posturing, making an effort to be caught by the cameras. They disrespectfully walked over arranged flowerbeds, and they sang naughty songs out loud in our karaoke car. It was quite lovely to see them act out their naughtiness”, says Dr Katarina Graffman who has been travelling together with Lykke Li and Face Hunter around Europe with the Volvo Subject60 tour hitting Berlin, London, Milan, Paris and Madrid.

The quantitative study, with 2500 respondents, also proved the Parisians to be particularly naughty:

-       Even though 98 percent of the Parisians consider themselves well behaved, 58 percent state that they have a naughty side. 46 per cent of the Parisians are proud of their naughty side.

-       87 percent of the Parisians wish that they dared to be even naughtier. That wish is stronger than for any of the other cities in the study.

-       34 percent of the Parisians flirt on a weekly basis.

Naughty enough for you? Videos, images and more information are available at http://www.volvocars.com/uk/all-cars/volvo-s60/pages/5-things.aspx?hub&mct=1

Im not really too sure what to say about this picture, but it was just simply so good I had to post it. The picture showcases the rear-end of a Lotus 49 Cosworth. The picture was take at the 2010 Monaco Historic Grand Prix.

Renault will soon be launching an electric car that is rumoured to take less time to charge than a mobile phone. The DeZir design is set to be introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October, and from the teaser images Renault has released, it’ll be a beauty.

The DeZir will charge in just 20 minutes with a 400V outlet, or eight hours with a standard household outlet. DeZir goes from zero to 62mph in five seconds and will also reach a top speed of 112mph.

Mercedes released details on a prototype it’s calling the SLS AMG E-Cell. The gullwing variant gets four, 12,000-rpm electric motors producing an equivalent 525 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque. It’s reported to go from 0-60 in just under four seconds.

The motors are placed near the wheels, but not in the hub, so they don’t count as unsprung mass. A 400-volt lithium-ion battery provides the juice.

Another big difference between the E-Cell and the standard SLS is the front suspension, which gets an independent multilink setup with pushrod damper struts. The vertically-arranged dampers in the series SLS took a hike to make room for additional drive shafts. No word on timing, but the E-Cell could see a small series production run.

Im a huge fan of modified hotrods. This insane modified car was spotted at the Greenwood Car Show, and it’s enough to make anyone impressed and a little scared all at once.

Called the Defibrillator, it is based on a steel-bodied Ford, but then chopped, shaved and modified. Powered by a 1957 Chrysler “Fire Power” 392 Hemi, and the nitrous system blows out through the nose of the skull.

The new Audi S4 2010 is here and its looking good! The S4 has a 3 liter, direct-injection six is supercharged, not turboed like, say, Audi’s 2.0-liter TFSI.

Price $53,400
Power 333hp, 325 lb.-ft.
Engine 3.0L supercharged V6
Drivetrain All-wheel drive, 7-speed S tronic
0-60 4.9 seconds
Top Speed 155 mph (electronically limited)
Weight 3,924 lbs.
Power to Weight 11.8 lbs./hp

Virgin Racing are no longer looking to really challenge any of the main teams in Formula One. Virgin are now setting their sights on a 10th place finish in the Championship.

Formula One’s rules governing prize money are complicated, but only the top 10 in the Constructors’ Championship are given a handout. If you finish in the top 10 then that could mean $25 million bonus, and that is a great deal of money for one of the newcomers like Virgin, Lotus or Hispania.

When informed of the potential pot on offer, it perked up the ears of team owner Sir Richard Branson who was unaware of just how much money was at stake.

“There’s some money? You never told me that,” Branson said to CEO Graeme Lowdon, who replied: “It does make a difference.”

Lowdon added: “We have a long-term plan for the team, so getting a 10th-placed finish in the championship would be a bonus.

“If we get a point then it really would make a massive difference.”

When told the exact figure, a shocked Branson said: “Bloody hell, well yeah, I would like to get 10th place.

“Whereas I said I wouldn’t mind about 10th place, I’ve suddenly taken a big interest.”

A Hello Kitty Ferrari 360, now I have seen it all! This Ferrari 360 was spotted in Jakarta, Indonesia.

[Detik and GTSpirit via Carscoop]

Shadow Hawk is the new Super Terrain Vehicle! Its a combination of a truck and a car and its builders say the STV comes with 46 inch wheels, active suspension, and “caster and camber control systems to challenge the sports cars of today and dominate off road environments.”

Personally, I just think it looks cool!

Jalopnik have reported that Lance Stroll has become the youngest ever person to be signed by Ferrari Racing. 11 year odl Lance is two-time Canadian Karting champion.

Lance will be the youngest ever recruit of the academy, but according to Ferrari Driving Academy director Luca Baldisserri, “He is very young, but he has already shown in karting that he is exceptionally talented. We will follow him step by step in his forthcoming events in North America and he will soon also take part in our courses at Maranello.”