PorscheCayman R – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s good to know that even as the year winds down, the rumormill is still cranking along at full capacity. Auto Bild is suggesting that may be looking to share a production facility between models like the , and . According to one insider, the company’s factory in Osnabrück is being geared up to take overflow production of the two sports cars should the need arise. That would mean that the Osnabrück plant would only start minting Caymans and Boxsters once the production at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen facility has maxed out.
The news comes courtesy of Ludger Teeken, CEO of the Osnabrück plant. Teeken says that steps have already been made to prepare the plant to be able to produce models should the need arise. Meanwhile, Golf production is set to kick off at the plant in early 2011.
America’s Cup champion says German automaker BMW is ending its sponsorship at the end of the year by mutual agreement.
BMW has been part of the syndicate since 2002, contributing in the areas of structural engineering and lightweight, composite construction.
BMW Oracle Racing swept Alinghi of Switzerland in two races in February to win the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sports. Its radical trimaran design was the fastest boat in the history of the America’s Cup.
BMW Oracle Racing is owned by Larry Ellison, CEO of software maker Oracle Corp.
The reason for the bust-up? BMW is said by sources to want to separate from technology partner Oracle over business issues.
The BMW-Oracle team won the America’s Cup in February with a convincing 2-0 victory.
“In winning the 33rd America’s Cup, we achieved all of our ambitious goals,” said Ralf Hussmann, general manager BMW sports marketing. “We will continue to be involved in the sport on a national level.”
[Source: BMW Image: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty]
Frogger has claimed yet another victim. According to NBC affiliate WYFF 4, a 23-year-old man was taken to a hospital in Clemson, South Carolina after being struck by an SUV. Authorities say that Jimmy Dixon yelled “go” before attempting to dash across the intersection of Highway 123 and College Avenue at around 9 p.m. Monday. He didn’t get far before bouncing off of the front of a 2010 SUV.
Dixon was transported to Anderson Memorial Hospital where he remains in stable condition. In a refreshing dose of common sense, WYFF 4 NBC reports that the authorities have no intention of charging the driver of the SUV.
We can’t help but wonder how well Dixon would have fared against the flotilla of rolling logs, alligators and snapping turtles on the other side of the road had he made it across the highway. Here’s hoping he doesn’t try a repeat performance.
A greener kind of spare tire – Click above to watch video
Man’s indomitable spirit and ingenuity are wonderful things – they allow for man to persevere in the most trying of situations. Aron Ralston hacked off his own arm and survived after a boulder trapped him in Blue John Canyon, for example. In this case, one man was tasked with a problem and a need to solve it at any cost. His trailer was missing a wheel – or maybe a wheel and an axle – and a spare was apparently nowhere in sight.
Rather than succumb to the pressure and admit defeat, he did what anyone entering survival mode would do – improvise. Finding a sturdy tree branch, he fashioned it into a support device and set off down the road. Disaster averted.
to see the human spirit in action (or to watch a clever idiot put his and other vehicles at risk – we’re really talking about one and the same here).
Autoblog’s Top 10 Concept Cars of 2010 – Click above to read the list
Just under 70 concept cars were rolled out by automakers from around the globe at this year’s major auto shows. These swoopy, futuristic showstoppers usually preview what’s to come in terms of new designs and technology, and in some cases, concept cars directly foreshadow full-on production models that aren’t too far down the pipeline.
We’ve scanned back through our full raft of concept car coverage over the past year to pick these examples, our ten best concept car and truck reveals from 2010, ranked in order as judged by our staff. See what we were most eager to point our cameras at , then sound off with your own favorites (or take us to task for ours) in Comments.
2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG – Click above for image gallery
Now that we’ve seen the facelifted 2012 in its bread-and-butter C250, C300 and C350 forms, it’s time to start thinking about the holier-than-thou, unabashedly hardcore . The folks at Germany’s EvoCars have stumbled upon what appear to be production-spec images of the AMG-laden 2012 C-Class, and while the brash bulginess of the current car has been toned down somewhat, there’s certainly nothing sedate about this new menacing Merc.
The biggest question about the next-generation C63 is whether or not Mercedes-Benz will ditch the current car’s glorious naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 in favor of the new twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter mill that will be used in the , and . EvoCars states that only the new will receive the 5.5-liter heart, and that power of the 6.2 will be bumped up for use in the sedan. Still, with either engine, we’re sure the C63 will be as lively as ever out on the road.
Chevrolet Cruze hatchback design drawings – Click above for high-res image gallery
Most cars never look quite as cool as their conceptual and pre-production versions, and it would appear that the hatchback will be no exception. Carscoop was able to get its hands on design drawings of the car used for trademark filings with the European patent office.
The good news is that the Cruze hatchback manages to stay fairly faithful to the . The predictable bad news is that the front fascia looks less aggressive and ditches the LED light strips for standard fog lamps. What’s more, the wheels will be smaller than the oversized auto show setup seen in Paris, and the rear taillamps will most likely be toned down a notch. The design and the show car are actually very similar looking. However, you can’t have the sweet without the sour, so the really bad news is that the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback has not been greenlit for U.S. roads.
The three amigos of Top Gear have once again gotten themselves into hot water over a stunt they pulled during a recent holiday special. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were attempting to recreate the from Iraq through Turkey, Syria and Jordan before winding up in Bethlehem. The gimmick seems innocuous enough until you hear that during various portions of the drive, all three hosts donned a traditional piece of headwear typically worn by Muslim women – the niqāb. The plan was to use the burkhas to disguise the three hosts during their run through the deserts, though rather predictably, it seems that the trio have offended more than a few of the show’s 6.6 million viewers.
According to The Daily Mail, watchers found issue with what many perceived to be hosts making a mockery of the world’s largest religion. So far, neither Top Gear nor any of the hosts have come out to speak about the dust-up one way or the other. To see the entire hour-and-fifteen minute special, check it out by clicking .
Subaru flat-four coffee table has better ‘Ringtime than IKEA version – Click above to watch video
Using an engine as the base for a table isn’t new. Gearheads have been turning . However, someone has taken the engine-table idea a step further though by affixing a glass top onto the flywheel and allowing the table to rotate. The fact that you can watch the pistons turn as it rotates only serves to up the cool factor.
The power source of choice for this application? An EJ25 workhorse from a . Hopefully its not an early EJ25D though – the head gaskets could leak and ruin the carpet. Check it out in action .
It seems that Hollywood may be on to something after all. According to Hisham Awad, Future Protected Vehicles project leader for British defense contractor BAE Systems, the Raider unmanned skirmisher was inspired by the Batmobile, or, more specifically, the Tumbler from the two most recent Batman flicks starring Christian Bale.
“Well, why not? In all seriousness, we decided that we didn’t have a monopoly on inspiration, and if we saw something in a film that we thought might be a good idea, why not take a look at it and see if there’s something practical we can develop?”
That’s a sound argument. “It turns like a motorbike and it has the same wheel configuration,” says Awad, though we also note a somewhat more conspicuous machine gun up top. Apparently, such a Hollywood/military connection isn’t all that rare – today’s troop carriers are said to be modeled after James Cameron’s armored vehicles from Aliens.
So, what’s next? Awad reportedly mentioned the Light Cycles from Tron, but we’re leaning more in the direction of The Green Hornet’s Black Beauty. Anybody got Kato on speed dial?
is really getting around. On December 11th, forked over a Leaf to its . Nine days later, the automaker shipped 10 of its . Then, on December 22nd, Portugal took delivery of its first batch of Leafs, with the Portuguese electric mobility consortium MOBI.E getting nine of the automaker’s electric vehicles, becoming Nissan’s first commercial Leaf customer in all of Europe.
Additionally, Carlos Tavares, executive vice president of Nissan, handed off one Leaf to the Portuguese government, which it intends to use for test drives. Prime Minister José Sócrates, who accepted Nissan’s electric car on behalf of the nation’s government, stated:
We are extremely pleased to be introducing the electric vehicle in Portugal. After three years of collaborative work between the Government, public entities, the corporate consortium which developed the MOBI.E solution and Nissan, we have achieved the first smart, built-in charging network on a national scope, therefore we are the first country to welcome electric vehicles. By combining in a pioneer manner our commitment to renewable energies, the implementation of the smart charging network and the introduction of electric vehicles, Portugal will be in the lead of the transition to a more sustainable future.
Additional European Leaf deliveries are scheduled to occur in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands in early 2011. Check out the entire press release .
2011 Toyota Corolla – Click above for high-res image gallery
November’s automobile production, not to be confused with total sales, has dropped by 6.7 percent in Japan as compared to a year ago. According to data published by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, November 2010 automobile production hit 802,009 total units. However, the overall drop fails to tell the whole story.
Japan’s production of standard cars – vehicles with an engine that displaces two liters or more – shot up 3.7 percent year-on-year in November. Likewise, truck production rose by 3.3 percent to 101,853 units and bus output increased by 11.7 percent, hitting 10,348 units. So, larger vehicle’s fared well, but how about the small autos?
Overall, passenger car production dropped off by 8.2 percent, falling to 689,808 units. Output of small cars – vehicles with an engine that displaces between 660 cc and 2.0 liters, just outside the tiny Kei car class – declined by 30.3 percent and mini cars (under 660 cc) were down 4.2 percent. Though production numbers have no direct connection to sales, the reported figures seem to suggest that Japan’s enthusiasm for smaller autos, which are likely to be more fuel efficient than larger vehicles, is waning.
Porsche 911 GT3 tackling a gentle left – Click above to watch video
Watching a Porsche 911 GT3 manhandled on public roads is a wonderful way to spend time. How much time? How about 16 minutes and 24 seconds? That’s what Olaf Dobberkau and Alexandra König – the winners of the 2010 Deutsche Rallye Series – have compiled for our viewing pleasure. Unlike other motorsports videos, it’s mercifully devoid of a crap soundtrack, and instead it’s filled with the sonorous sounds of the GT3’s flat six and the squeals of the tires fighting for traction. It’s an endless series of slides and drifts, and it’s awaiting you . Thanks for the tip, Cpmarcelm!
Ferrari P4/5 Competizione – Click above for high-res image gallery
is up to some very naughty things with his . Forged from the embers of a re-bodied F430 and a desire to wade into the deep end of the 24 Hours Nürburgring, the P4/5 Competizione is insanity writ large. Glickenhaus has been so kind as to share a few visions of his creation with the rest of the world via the wonder of Facebook, and from what we can tell, carbon fiber has never looked so good.
Judging from the photos, Glickenhaus and his team have completed work on the carbon fiber shell – giving the P4/5 Competizione both the low weight and strength needed to do the deed around the Green Hell for 24 straight hours. They’ve also begun snugging in the mechanical bits, and it looks like the roll cage is tucked into place as well. From what we can see, the vehicle will retain many of the sexy lines that Pininfarina first debuted on the showcar, though with the hardware necessary for going fender to fender with some of the world’s greatest racers. Check out the slew of photos on .
We take Mercedes’ gullwinged supercar back to the theater to right a childhood wrong.
With fuel prices in a lofty spot thanks to the holidays, it’s hard to think of the price of gas as a bargain, but according to the former president of Shell Oil, that’s exactly what it is compared to what we’ll see just one short year from now.
What were the biggest blunders of 2010? BP and Toyota top the list.
As a species, we’ve been obsessed with pushing ourselves ever faster since we first took to two legs. It should be no surprise, then, that the internal combustion engine and the land-speed record have evolved at roughly the same pace over the last century or so. In order to celebrate the Bloodhound SSC’s quest for land speed supremacy, designer Stefan Marjoram took on the ambitious project of creating a massive poster commemorating and comparing history’s official land-speed record holders. Even better, if you have the wall space and are so inclined, you can pick up a massive 16.5 x 23.4-inch copy for yourself.
Marjoram says that he did his best to keep the vehicles size relative to one another in order to underscore just how much land-speed record vehicles have changed over the years. While the drawings are simplified, stylized interpretations of the quickest machines throughout history, this sucker is something we’d be proud to hang on our wall. If you’re interested, head over to for more details.
After surviving some of the most heinous abuse that the engineers at cold dream up, the same 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 engine that pulled logs, raced in Baja and towed 11,300 pounds for 24 hours straight will be dissected in front of the crowds at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The stunt gets started on January 15 at 11 a.m., and Ford is hoping to be able to show off exactly how well its new V6 workhorse held up against the equivalent of 160,000 miles of torture.
Ford has come out with a bare-knuckle advertising campaign to prove that it’s smaller-displacement, turbocharged engine can not only dish out equivalent power while using less fuel, but that it can stand up to the kind of work that pickup trucks are meant to endure. After wrapping up competition in the Baja 1000, Ford pulled its Ecoboost engine to perform dyno tests, and found that even after all of the beatings, the lump still churned out the same 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque that it left the factory with. Not too shabby. Stop by the Ford display at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show to check out the dissection, and to see the press release.
Next-Generation Porsche 911 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The is due for an update, and if the rumors kicking around the internet are to be believed, 2012 will bring one of the most significant changes to the sports car in generations. The German automotive magazine Auto Bild is reporting that the next 911 will look a good deal different from the current generation thanks to some serious changes in the vehicle’s proportions. The rear-engine coupe is expected to be over 2.2 inches longer and wear a roof line that’s nearly half an inch lower than the outgoing design.
In addition, Auto Bild suggests that the engineers at Porsche have cooked up a new 3.4-liter boxer good for 345 horsepower in base configuration. As usual, Carrera S models will wear wider flanks, this time with the flares adding some 2.4 inches. The meaner of the two cars will also pack a 3.8-lilter boxer six that puts out 395 ponies. All told, the base 911 will be able to make the dash to 60 mph in less than 4.8 seconds while the Carrera S should be able to do the same dance in less than 4.5.
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We’re recording Episode #210 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we’ve put some topics below. Drop us your own feedback and questions or vote on your fellow readers’ submissions to help determine what we discuss this evening. You can subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast if you haven’t already to hear your question answered.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #210
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