RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery
After t, we didn’t think could find another way to toy with our emotions. We were wrong. Rob Kauffman, the owner of RK Collection and co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, has teamed up with Toyota Racing development to produce a street-legal, NASCAR-inspired high-performance .
Those words don’t seem like they should go together, but the parts list for the RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition reads like the shopping list for a potential dream car. The most important piece of that list sits under the hood: a 358 cubic inch TRD NASCAR V8 engine producing 680 horsepower, which is paired with a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission.
It’s as if Rob Kauffman was reading our dreams and then built the most exciting Camry on the planet. The RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition will be waiting for our cameras (and our hearts) at the rapidly approaching SEMA Show in Las Vegas. for the press release.
2010 Suzuki SX4 by RoadRace Motorsports – Click above for high-res image gallery
has recalled almost 70,000 models, including a handful built in 2007 as well as those constructed between 2008 and 2010. The recall centers around faulty screws that are used to attach the vehicles’ side view mirrors. Over time, vibrations can cause the screws to loosen and the mirror may fall off. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, if that happens, a lack of visibility may lead to an accident.
While Suzuki has not yet come up with a repair schedule for the issue, the company says that replacement screws are being shipped to dealers right now, and that the problem will be taken care of free of charge. Owners can contact their local Suzuki dealer for more information. for the company’s statement on the recall.
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK testing in Death Valley – Click above for high-res image gallery
We love it when automakers go through the trouble of releasing their own spy shots. Our spy photographer friends, however, could easily see this as their own hard work being done for them. In any case, what we have here is a brand new set of photos of the next-generation testing in the Death Valley heat, prepping for its debut in 2011 ( perhaps?).
One of the new features that will debut on the 2012 SLK is its roof. This glass-paneled hardtop contraption can automatically be tinted to control how much light shines through the roof in an effort to keep the interior cooler on bright, sunny days when the top isn’t down. We’d expect this sort of technology to make its way onto the Big Daddy after the SLK’s launch, and could even be used on side windows for the rest of Merc’s product line.
Scroll through our image gallery below to see high-res shots of the SLK testing in Death Valley. Mercedes-Benz’s prolific press release is available , as well.
Ken Okuyama K.O 7 Roadster – Click above for high-res image gallery
We and have been thinking about it ever since. We’ve wondered aloud what it would be like to drive designer Ken Okuyama’s beautiful K.O 7 Roadster, and now, thanks to Motor Trend, we have an idea. The buff book recently got to spend some time with .
The K.0 7 Roadster is powered by a 210-horsepower, 1.8-liter 2ZZ-GE engine, which has been bored out to a full 2.0 liters. In their testing, M/T recorded a 0-60 time of five seconds flat. More importantly, they also state that the butterfly-doored bantamweight is “heroic in the twisties” and is more fun to drive than a Elise R, a car with which the K.0 7 shares modified underpinnings.
The former Design Director for Pininfarina, Ken Okuyama is part of the team that brought us the Enzo as well as the and . The K.0 7 Roadster is Okuyama’s vision of melding the craftsmanship and precision found in fine watches with the heart and soul of a lightweight sportscar. Okuyama is only looking to build a few of these per year, but at a price of around $240,000, the K.0 7 was never going to be a mass-production piece. Low-volume also means flexibility, however, and Okuyama admits he is looking at even more powerful engines from Cosworth, or perhaps the powertrain from the dearly departed
The Green Hornet’s multiple Black Beauties – Click above to watch video
We have to admit that we’re more than a little excited about the upcoming Green Hornet movie. Aside from being one of the most awesome comic-book heroes ever to grace the pages of pulp, the crime-fighting guru of the series spends his vigilante nights tangoing with both the law and various shady characters from behind the wheel of a heavily modified Chrysler Imperial. Justice, thy name is body-on-frame.
To make the movie, workers constructed a total of 29 1964-1966 Imperials for various portions of filming and stunt work, and the producers have just released a quick video giving us all a quick behind the scenes look at the building the Black Beauty. There are even a few quick action shots taken from the movie thrown in for good measure. The Green Hornet is slated to hit theaters next year, so if you’ve got an old Imperial languishing in the back yard, now’s the time to get that thing running. to check out the video for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Chris!
What happens when a KTM X-Bow and an smash into each other on the drawing board? We get the Roding Roadster 23. This is no longer just a unique-looking, lightweight sports car that because the car has now been caught in action. Despite the hate-it-or-love-it styling, this Roding Roadster 23 looks like it’s an absolute blast to drive.
The Roadster 23 weighs just 2,030 pounds and is powered by a six-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. The run from 0-62 miles per hour happens in just under four seconds. Better yet, the car appears quick – not just in the straights, but around turns as well. The drivers in the video, which is waiting , toss the car around like a toy. It almost looks like the car prefers being sideways.
Unfortunately, the “23″ in the name refers to the number that will be built. So it’s highly likely that the one you see in the video is the only one you will ever see.
2010 Honda Insight – Click above for high-res image gallery
has not yet given up in the entry-level hybrid fight. There’s , for one thing, but the older hybrid isn’t being left in the dust, either. reports that some of the lessons from the Jazz are being applied to the Insight – most importantly that the “stop” time of the Insight’s stop-start cycle can now be up to 90 seconds long in Eco Mode.
Because of “obscure patenting reasons” that made the system assume a worst-case humidity situation, the previous limit was just 30 seconds. This change can save a lot of gas in city driving. There are no new mile-per-gallon numbers to tout just yet, and the change isn’t likely to affect America’s EPA figures (the government agency’s test cycle doesn’t recognize the benefits of start-stop), but it’s a nice, green upgrade nonetheless.
Honda has also apparently adjusted spring rates and made changes to the rear camber angles, the V-shaped rear suspension brace and adjusting mounts for a “better driving experience,” explains Autocar. Wonder ?
Another day, another change in the winds surrounding the Aston Martin Lagonda. After last month’s revelation that the high-riding Aston would remain nothing more than a bad dream for fans of the brand, Ulrich Bez, CEO, recently let it slip that the crossover had been given the green light. The luxury utility is slated to ride on the platform, but the company is keeping drivetrain details to itself for the time being.
The Lagonda Concept and has since existed under a hail of disparaging comments from journalists and enthusiasts alike. Last month, Aston Martin owner David Richards officially announced that the project would be scrapped. And while there was much rejoicing at the time, it appears the Bez sees dollar signs in the mega-buck crossover market, pedigree be damned.
He may not be far off of his mark, either. famously stepped into the SUV market with its and has been laughing its way to the bank ever since. It wouldn’t surprise us if Bez and the rest of the Aston Martin crew are hoping for a similar performance.
Sure enough, has been playing with ASIMO for 10 years. To mark the occasion, Honda has rolled out a new website dedicated to the life and times of its humanoid robot. There are baby pictures, adorable stories and even a video or two to sink your teeth into. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing. Of course, ASIMO itself is the result of over a quarter of a century of work on humanoid robot technology that Honda hopes will one day aid in human mobility. Additionally, the Japanese company wants ASIMO to evolve into a robot that can help people in their everyday lives, potentially taking over household chores.
For now, though, ASIMO has been busy meeting heads of state and conducting orchestras. Important work, sure, but meanwhile, ‘ one-year old is headed to outer space to lend a hand or two at the International Space station.
Damn kids.
If you want to check out the Honda ASIMO festivities, head over to the company’s robot-themed site. There’s even an iPhone app available for download. for the press release.
While has yet to unveil a wagon derivative of its /i40 family sedan, while the car has been undergoing testing around the globe. The load-lugging Korean is a lock for Europe and will doubtlessly surface in other markets, but to date, there has been no word as to whether the wagon will haul itself into U.S. showrooms.
While there’s still no official word from Hyundai, Autoblog has learned that American executives definitely want the car and are working to build a business case for it. Further, according to our source:
“We can’t comment on future product plans. But we certainly are aware of the upsurge in popularity of well-executed wagons, especially in markets like Europe where consumers demand the high degrees of versatility and fuel economy that wagons deliver. The Elantra Touring has been a terrific addition to our lineup and is a huge hit with its customers. A great wagon can bring in incremental customers who otherwise might not consider a given brand’s sedan.”
Despite and recently in favor of lifted, more crossover-like two-boxers, we still see a clear area of opportunity for a large, stylish and fuel-efficient wagon. As we’ve , hatchbacks and wagons sell in better numbers than many automakers would seem to give the bodystyles credit for, and we suspect that with the new Sonata’s , adding a second format would help them close the gap with their Japanese rivals. And while we’d love to see an affordable base model, the smart money suggests that Hyundai would have a better chance of profiting from a Sonata wagon if it were to launch with a single, higher-margin upscale model – a loaded 2.0-liter turbo, say.
What do you think – should Hyundai sell a Sonata wagon in the States? Vote in our poll below and then leave your thoughts in Comments.
Each Fall, Mother Nature puts on a spectacular display in many parts of the country. As winter approaches and days become shorter, there isn’t enough sunlight for trees to support photosynthesis. Starved of their source for energy, the leaves on many variants lose their green chlorophyll and expose bright reds, yellows and purples – hues from glucose trapped in the drying foliage.
Upstate New York is unquestionably a spectacular venue for a driving introduction to the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG. Against a brilliantly painted backdrop, the facelifted full-size coupe, fitted with an all-new twin-turbocharged V8, is a near-perfect chariot for a tour of the Hudson Valley. The 536-horsepower rear-wheel-drive two-door, with its signature greenhouse sans B-pillars, offers an excellent view of the colorful canvas outside the glass. Whether gliding effortlessly down the turnpike, or rustling up a wake of fallen leaves on an autumn country road, the automaker’s flagship in this rarified segment seems to have few peers.
What is it like to drive the blown CL63 AMG? Is the big coupe able to effectively balance performance with luxury and technology? Are there any other full-size two-door vehicles on the market for this low volume to compete with? to find out…
Barring a last-minute hitch, it looks like and will soon be that have bound them for the last four decades. Though the U.S. maker has yet to issue a formal confirmation, it’s negotiating a deal that would have it sell off most or all of the remaining 11 percent stake it holds in its Japanese affiliate.
It appears that Mazda is as eager as Ford to go its own way.
No, it isn’t a bitter divorce. Ford and Mazda will likely still maintain some ties – in Thailand, for example, where their suburban Bangkok plant has just begun producing an all-new generation of compact pickup trucks, including the . But the two makers are already unwinding their manufacturing alliance in booming China.
And, perhaps most importantly, they’ll likely curb future product development programs that helped both companies squeak through the hard times of the not-too-distant past. One of the earliest examples of that alliance was the old Ford Escort, the U.S. maker’s first attempt to build a so-called “world car.”
More recent examples include the B-car platform that eventually went on to become both the and . Conventional wisdom is that these are virtually identical subcompacts – but as I was reminded during back-to-back drives this past week, there’s a surprising amount of difference between the American and Japanese production vehicles. Though they may have started out working together, the two companies soon branched off, yielding some surprisingly different results in terms of design and, more importantly, driving dynamics.
Continue reading…
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of , and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.
We’ve seen more than our fair share of spy shots over the past couple of years showing test mules for the much-anticipated successor to the Pagani Zonda. What we’ve been lacking on, however, are details of the car’s specifications. Now Britain’s Autocar weekly claims to have the inside scoop on how the supercar codenamed C9 is shaping up, and it’s looking good.
First of all, the engine: AMG is once again developing the Pagani’s powerplant. But whereas the current Zonda’s V12 is naturally aspirated, the new unit – thought to be derived from the SL65’s – is tipped to carry twin turbochargers. That should help the C9 churn out some 700 horsepower and 730 lb-ft of twist – considerably more than the current model.
All that muscle is reported to be transmitted to the rear wheels via an X-trac seven-speed sequential transmission, all the while reducing carbon emissions by half. That’ll make the C9 – or whatever it’s called when it finally hits the market – Euro 5 compliant, but that’s not all. Autocar says Pagani is developing the car specifically to meet American federal regulations, meaning that the C9 will be sold Stateside whereas the current Zonda could not.
Construction is expected to take advantage of the carbon-titanium weave that Pagani developed for the ultra-exclusive , keeping weight down to around 2700 lbs. Production is supposedly to expand to 40 units per year, but Autocar expects that, despite similar pricing and a big improvement in performance, the current Zonda will continue to be built to order alongside the new model.
2007 World Champion Kimi “Räikönnen” – Click above for high-res image gallery
Someone at Ferrari World has some esplanin’ to do. A gaggle of readers with keener eyesight than us happened to notice something a little fishy about wall of World Champions in Abu Dhabi’s newest exotic-car-themed amusement park. If you look closely at the image above, you’ll notice that under 2007, the park has the winner displayed as “Kimi Räikönnen.” The only problem there is that Kimi’s name is actually spelled Räikkönen. That’s one very large mural to have replaced for a couple of swapped consonants.
Does anyone know how to say, “It’s my first day” in Arabic?
Ferrari World has already to the adoring public, so the mistake is there for the world to see for the time being. We’re guessing that the slip-up will be fixed sooner rather than later. Thanks for the tips, Seppo, Anne and Pasi from Finland!
The Automotive Recyclers Association is ready to go to war with and . Why? The ARA claims that the automakers warn against the use of recycled auto parts, saying that the use of these components will void vehicle warranties. The ARA filed an official letter of complaint with the Federal Trade Commission saying that the actions of the automakers fly in the face of the Magnuson-Moss Act of 1975, which was enacted to make warranties more straightforward.
Recycled auto parts have been in wide use for decades, and the ARA says that the use of these gently used components is a $22 billion industry. Further, those recycled parts are not of the aftermarket variety; they’re simply OEM parts that are re-applied after the donor vehicle goes out of service. The ARA goes on to say that the automakers have presented no clear evidence that shows why these components aren’t acceptable for use in repairs.
So if recycled parts originate from the OEM, are environmentally friendly, are cheaper for the customer and are fully warrantied by the recyclers, then why are Honda and Hyundai warning against their use? The ARA feels the reason is money. If Honda and Hyundai insist that their brand new parts are used, the companies bring in more revenue.
Of course the views of the ARA represent but one side of this story, so it will be interesting to see if the FTC will rule on this matter.
McLaren MP4-12C GTR renderings by Jon Sibal – Click above for high-res image gallery
Could you imagine McLaren making a supercar and not racing it? Of course not. Even though the Woking, England-based outfit might have envisioned the original McLaren F1 purely as a road car, history naturally had different plans for it – and with spectacular results. So we were hardly surprised back in March when began coming in that The House That Bruce Built was planning a competition version of the new MP4-12C.
As was the case with the F1 and indicated by those earlier reports, McLaren’s plans, according to AutoWeek, involves teaming up with independent racing garages to turn its road car into a racer. In this case, that firm is said to be , a British outfit that’s racked up a considerable number of victories in GT and open-wheel racing. But CRS will hardly be going it alone. Reports have McLaren’s own people working on the design to be implemented by the outfit.
Lest you think there will only be a handful of MP4-12C competition cars on select tracks, reports have CRS building a fleet of some fifteen GT3-spec versions and another batch of GT2 machines that could find their way to Le Mans by 2013.
Something tells us we’re going to be wading through news of various lawsuits against for a good while. According to various news sources, the Japanese automaker is now facing accusations that it clandestinely sought to buy back vehicles with unintended acceleration issues in order to hide the problem from the public. Part of the alleged buy-back deal involved having owners sign a confidentiality statement that forbade them from talking to anyone – including regulators. In addition, those who took part in the program could not sue Toyota later down the line.
The lawsuit also points to internal Toyota documents that may indicate that company technicians and engineers were actually able to replicate the problem. At the heart of the suit, plaintiffs are alleging that Toyota acted negligently by failing to act on complaints of unintended acceleration for years.
The lawsuit bundles together more than a dozen plaintiffs into one larger, easier to handle suit.
Toyota, meanwhile, says that those who sold back their vehicles were simply asked to sign a waiver of liability – consumers weren’t required to sign and the waiver didn’t say anything about confidentiality. Thanks for the tip, Rudy!
[Sources: , , Reuters via Image: Ramin Talaie/Getty]
Navigon no longer makes hardware for sale in the U.S., but if you still pine for the days of the 2090S you bought from Radio Shack then they might have some software for you. The German company has released an app for Android phones (to go with its already released app for the iPhone) with a few features aimed at enhancing your journey.
Reality View Pro is meant to provide better intersection visuals, Traffic Live and red light and speed camera warnings assist with getting there quickly and without extra premiums. Google search keeps you in touch with the local action, and text-to-speech can read street names so you actually find that action.
Speaking of Google, though, since the Android OS is a Google property, most of those phones will free. If you’re looking reasons to spend $39.99 on the Navigon option, Reality View might do it – an augmented reality function that provides information overlays when you point your phone’s camera at a point of interest. The Navigon app also comes with the whole U.S. road map preloaded, so no waiting for a connection if you get thrown off course. Oh, and that $39.99 price is only for two weeks – after that it goes up to $59.99.
Peugeot 308 GTI – Click above for high-res image gallery
Some automakers call their cars by name. Others give them alphanumeric designations. The trouble with the latter is that, if you follow a formula, sooner or later the sequence is going to either run out or repeat itself. That’s the issue that Peugeot is looking at with the next generation of its popular hatchback range.
The current model is called the 308, so it would follow logically that its successor be called the 309. After that the French automaker would have to either abandon the traditional _0_ naming scheme that identifies all its products (and the _00_ for minivans and crossovers) and dip into the _1_ range, but even before that comes up, Peugeot’s facing the issue that it already produced a model called the 309 between 1985 and 1993.
Rather than reuse the same nameplate, sources speculate that Peugeot could go for a name designation like it did with the RCZ coupe. The formula would likely follow across the range, leaving sister-company Citroën to stick with its alphanumeric C_ and DS_ naming scheme.
