What separates an old car from a classic? In many cases, not a lot. Beautiful sheet metal, a legendary powertrain or world-class performance could make a world of difference, and so can attention to detail.
We’re suckers for a well-stamped curve, an intricate chrome grille or even an elegant hood ornament. And then there are the engines. You won’t find many plastic covers in these beautiful bays, but you will find plenty of interesting details and, in some cases, a boat-load of chrome.
We strolled the streets of with cameras in hand to capture some of the best and brightest details from the 2011 Dream Cruise. Click on the image gallery above to browse everything from the to the engine bay of a .
What’s the fastest you’ve ever driven? We’re sure many of you have crested the century mark. Some of you may have seen 150 miles per hour crawl by on the speedo, and perhaps a lucky few have experience 200. We can all but guarantee that none of you have gone as fast George Poteet, though.
Poteet is the man who strapped himself into a Bonneville Blown Fuel Streamliner known as , and proceeded to run down the salt flats at a tremendous rate of speed. Using a set of (the same type ), Poteet captured footage of his 426 mile per hour flying mile run.
For that speed, you need a serious engine, and the Speed Demon comes prepared. A 347 cubic-inch V8 mill gets paired with a pair of Turbonetics “Demon” turbochargers. The result is over 2,200 horses and a thrill ride that few get to experience.
What does it feel like to trip the lights fantastic at 426 miles per hour? Click to see for yourself.
Episode #244 of the Autoblog Podcast is here. This week, Chris and Dan are joined by Zach Bowman, fresh off vacation. Topics we cover include the Ford and Toyota partnership to develop hybrid truck powertrain, the cancellation of both the Mazda RX-8 and the Ram Dakota, Volkswagen’s reveal of the Up! production fuel-sipper and the production confirmation of the Cadillac ELR. Your questions and comments power the last third of the podcast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our , thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #244:
and
In the Autoblog Garage
2011 Jeep Patriot Latitude
2011 Chrysler Town & Country
Hosts: , , Runtime: 01:20:32
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“I’m not a doctor, but I play one on television.” If that line sounds familiar from old television commercials featuring soap opera stars in white coats, bear in mind that the theme extends far beyond the annals of fake medicine. People get mixed up between actors and the characters they play all the time.
Tom Cruise, for example, has driven all sorts of vehicles on the silver screen, from cars to motorbikes to speed boats, often pulling off scarcely believable stunts and feats in the process. But how much of that comes down to camera trickery and special effects, and how much can be chalked up to actual driving talent?
We got a pretty good answer when Cole Trickle himself set the lap record (however short-lived) on Britain’s Top Gear, but Cruise wasn’t about to stop there. So while David Coulthard and the Red Bull demonstration team were Stateside for a show in Texas, they met the Hollywood mega-star out in Southern California to let him try his hand at driving an Formula One car.
The seven-hour test at Willow Springs started in a road car, where Coulthard and Cruise drove the 2.5-mile track to get a feeling for the layout before the Mission: Impossible star climbed into the F1 car for 24 laps. At the end of the day, Cruise managed a top speed of 181 miles per hour – just four mph off of DC’s trap speed – while scrubbing 11 seconds off his first lap – a marked improvement that left Coulthard impressed at Tom’s skills.
Stay tuned for video footage when it’s released and check out the official snapshots in the gallery for a closer look.
Think of the name Gemballa and you’re bound to conjure up images of hyper-tuned . That is, after all, what they’re known for. But Gemballa today is different than the company we knew just a couple of years ago. After the company’s namesake founder under rather suspicious circumstances, Gemballa was restructured and by necessity put under new management. And that new management appears to be ready to do things a little differently.
For starters, Gemballa has launched a new racing team. And guess what? They’re not racing Porsches. They’re racing McLarens. The newly formed Gemballa Racing is, in fact, one of the first teams to take delivery of the new McLaren MP4-12C GT3. Two of them, in fact.
The team is registered as an independent company from the aftermarket Porsche tuner, but shares some common ownership, as team owner Steffen Korbach is part owner as well of Gemballa itself. He’s hired Sascha Bert, a former F3 and GT driver, to manage the team, which aims to go racing next year.
Will this prove an entirely separate venture that just happens to share its name with the tuning house, or will this emerge as the first step of many to take Gemballa out of Porsche’s shadow and into its own right? We’ll have to wait and see, but for now you can read the full press release after the jump and check out the trio of images (which look like little more than Photoshopped versions of stock McLaren photography) in the high-res image gallery.
is currently in the middle of a product update that started with the all-new Mulsanne and has now moved on to the Continental GT. on , but we knew that more derivatives lurked in the future. The next one is now here, and it arrives in the form of the .
Sharing the same lower lines as its sibling hardtop coupe, the GTC opts to let the sun shine in via a power-operated retracting softtop. Under the hood sits the same 6.0-liter W12 engine that produces 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque in the coupe. Paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, the Continental GTC will run from 0-60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds. Keep your Church’s Warrik leather driving shoe pushed to the floor and 100 mph will pass by in 10.9 seconds as you proceed towards a top speed of 195 mph.
This second-generation Continental GTC boasts the same upgraded interior amenities as the coupe, including the (thankfully!) updated nav system, plethora of color choices and optional Naim audio. Twenty-inch wheels are the standard set, while 21-inch rollers are available as an option.
For those who have the means, Bentley is taking orders now, and lucky customers will take delivery towards the end of 2011. The rest of the world will get to see the car in person at the .
Ready to take a deeper dive into the world of the 2012 Bentley Continental GTC? Click past the jump for the full press release, then take a gander at the convertible from all angles in our gallery.
While competes with , and on this country’s NASCAR tracks, the pace cars leading them around have remained defiantly American – at least at Daytona, anyway. In the 50 years they’ve been running the Daytona 500, has the pace car been an import: the 914 that paced the race in 1971.
Apart from that one exception, it’s been all Detroit – Pontiacs mostly, but also , Chevrolets, Dodges, Plymouths and Fords. But just as Toyota has rubbed and bumped its way up the field over the past decade plus of competition, it’s now got one of its own up at the front as the official pace car for next year’s race.
That’s right. When the 2012 Daytona 500 kicks off the Sprint Cup season come February, it’ll be the new setting the pace. And while some may bemoan the use of an “import” for the task, Toyota would argue that nothing could be more American. After all, the Camry has been built in America (first in Georgetown, Kentucky, and now in Lafayette, Indiana) for 25 years now. And for 13 of the past 14 years, it’s been the top selling car in America. So maybe, just maybe, the Toyota Camry has earned the honor.
A and free rein at California’s legendary Laguna Seca circuit sounds like a near-perfect way to spend a day. BMW agrees with that line of thinking, and it was kind enough to bring a long a camera. Well, you could easily replace “kind” with “annoyingly torturous” since we aren’t the ones wearing the helmet and driving suit.
Regardless, we still enjoyed the clip and we think you will too – especially when you hear just how ruthlessly the sound from 560-horsepower twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 assaults your eardrums. to check it out.
has announced “that there is a risk of delayed payment of August wages to Saab Automobile employees as some of the funds that were committed by investors may not be paid in time to effect such salary payments.”
This news should come as no surprise to anyone paying attention to the Swedish automaker’s dire situation over the last several months, but this concluding statement may raise a few eyebrows: “There can however be no assurance that the necessary funding will be obtained or the funds collected.” Sure, deep down we all know that, but it sounds pretty ominous coming from the company’s official PR department, no? Read the brief statement straight from the horse’s mouth .
We’ve just given you . Now, Toyota is ready to give you pricing, and it’s good news if you’re in the market for this mid-size mainstay. Pricing stays the same for some of the 2012 trims, while it’s actually gone down for a few others. The 2012 Camry family hierarchy shakes out with the base-model L before moving up to the LE, XLE and SE trims. The Camry Hybrid is only available in LE or XLE guise.
Pricing for the 2012 Camry L starts at $21,995. If you want to move up to the LE, you only need $545 more for a total of $22,500, which is about $200 less than the 2011 LE. Another $500 brings you to the four-cylinder-equipped Camry SE, which costs $23,000 and is priced $965 lower than the 2011 model it replaces. The V6 SE will cost $26,400, which is consistent with 2011 pricing. In the market for the top-shelf XLE? Have at least $24,725 ready for the four-cylinder model, and $29,845 if you prefer the V6. The 2012 Camry XLE four-cylinder is priced a full $2,000 less than the 2011 model, while the XLE V6 remains priced the same as the 2011.
If you’re leaning towards the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid, you’ll be saving $1,150 over the 2011 Camry LE. The 2012 Camry Hybrid LE starts at $25,900, while the Camry Hybrid XLE starts at $27,400, an $800 deduction compared to the 2011 unit.
It may be hard to believe, but the has already been on the market for five years. And while it was cutting edge then and is still eminently fresh and desirable by any account, sooner or later it’s going to need a bit of a touch-up up to keep ahead of the competition. And this could be our first look at what to expect.
Apparently leaked out together with some otherphotos, this solitary shot is believed to be a design mock-up of the front-end of the next R8. The nose features Audi’s latest hexagonal grille shape and a very sharp-looking set of all-LED headlamps that (with apologies to Bryan Adams fans) cut like a knife across the car’s face.
Mechanically, the new R8 is likely to carry over the existing choice of V8 or V10 engines with Quattro all-wheel drive, although prototypes have reportedly been seen with 2.5 and 3.0-liter TFSI engines driving the rear wheels only. What is understood is that the much-derided R-tronic transmission will finally be replaced with a better dual-clutch gearbox.
Sources speculate that Audi could be preparing to unveil the new R8 at the rapidly approaching , but that could prove little more than wishful thinking. One way or another, we’ll find out soon enough, so watch this space for more.
has manufactured and sold 15 million models across 100 countries since it debuted way back in 1983. It’s a number that’s nearly unfathomable. If all of those polite four-doors were still roaming the earth, there’d be one for every man, woman and child in Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. combined, and you’d still have a almost a million vehicles left over. Even more eye-widening is Toyota’s claim that of the Camry models built and sold over the last 15 years, 90 percent are still happily enduring a daily commute on nearly every corner of the planet. By sheer volume and longevity, the Camry is nothing short of an engineering and manufacturing wonder.
Almost by default, the Camry has grown to become the vehicle by which all other mid-sized creations must measure themselves, and over the past two years, , , and have unveiled products designed specifically to lure buyers from the Toyota model’s swollen ranks. In response, Toyota City has turned out the seventh-generation Camry – a model that’s been altered with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it delicacy. But as millions of current Camry owners will tell you, that may not be a bad thing.
The collaboration between fashion houses and automakers is a longstanding tradition. Think Nautica edition Mercury Villager, Eddie Bauer edition , or most recently, the . Now its big brother is getting in on the action with the Fendi edition GranCabrio – the droptop known as the Convertible on this side of the Atlantic.
Set to be unveiled next month at the , the GranCabrio Fendi is distinguished by such unique touches as a special dark gray paint with flecks of gold, special leather and wood trim in the cabin, yellow highlights inside and out, a fitted leather luggage set (similar to ) and the requisite special badges.
The individually-numbered special edition, well-appointed as it looks, is sure to be popular with the affluent boulevard cruiser set in locales ranging from Rodeo Drive to Monte Carlo. We’ll have the up-close-and-personal for you live from the Frankfurt show floor, but in the meantime, you can check out the images in the gallery and the full press release after the jump for more details.
teams up with Fendi for special edition GranCabrio
If you miss the classic wedge shape of the Lancia Stratos, there are a few things you can do about it. You could buy yourself a vintage example, which will set you back a pretty penny. Or you could have Pininfarina build you one based on a F430, and run the risk of legal action from Maranello. Or you could buy a KTM X-Bow and bring it to the creative folks at Montenergy.
The Italian carrozzeria has developed a body kit for the Dallara-built carbon-fiber chassis called the Stratosferica that gives it the look of the Stratos with the handling of the Austrian motorbike company’s four-wheeled track monster. The conversion will set you back 12,000 euros (around $17,300 USD), but a simpler canopy addition called the Monte Carlo is also available and will take you most of the way there for less cash.
An engine upgrade is also available to boost the -sourced TFSI four from 237 horsepower up to 310, which just sweetens the deal to a downright mouthwatering degree. Check it out in our galleries, or watch the pair of rudimentary video clips .
Jay Leno seems to own just about every car he’s ever desired, but not even the late-night talk show host has a Bugatti Type 51. So we’re sure it was with great anticipation that Mr. Leno took delivery of a gorgeous, race-ready Type 51 for a few minutes in his envy-inducing garage.
Beyond the jump is the latest installment of Jay’s garage series. Leno is admittedly very fond of models, and he seems to know an awful lot about the Type 51. He talks up the twin overhead cam engine, shows off it’s start-up process (it’s got more steps than Ikea furniture assembly) and demonstrates one of the sweetest engine sounds we’ve ever heard.
to watch the video for yourself. We’re guessing Jay will own the Type 51 by the time you’ve finished with the 12-minute clip.
A captured running round the ‘Ring is nothing to get excited about – the physics-defying rig was practically born there. A camo-clad X6 M wearing a hood with a massive scoop? Now that’s worth talking about, and it’s precisely what our spy photographers have just snapped at their asphalt-laden Nürburgring office. The extra dose of air is understood to be a requirement of the rumored tri-turbo engine lurking beneath the hood.
We’ve already heard how the . We’ve also heard . Naturally, it would only make sense to find the same powerplant making its way over to the nearly identical X6.
As we were with that particularly famous alien lady from Total Recall, we’re excited to learn more about this diesel-drinking tri-turbo X6. Horsepower and torque figures should be high enough to make us giddy, while the price tag will most likely have enough numbers to bring us back down to eart. Stay tuned as we learn more about what’s going on under the hood, but for now you, can check out this test mule from a handful of angles in the gallery.
When we think Woodward Dream Cruise, thoughts of muscle cars and golden oldies pass between our ears. But while we’re all about the painstakingly restored classics, there is always a little room in our hearts for anything emanating from the land of misfit rides.
Whether you’re talking about Elvis himself, a murdered out , a perfectly restored (who does that?) or a run of-the-mill emblazoned with airbrush artwork from the band Kiss, Dream Cruise 2011featured more than its fair share of automotive oddities. We even saw a , and it was still running! And the with the ill-conceived aero kit? You may want to skip that one.
We can go on all day, but you’re better off if you simply click on our image gallery of the strange sights from the 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise.
Berlin is facing a rash of vehicle arson this year with more than 320 vehicles set ablaze in 2011 so far. Authorities claim that at least 140 of those incidents have been politically motivated, with the arsonists leaving notes at the scene. Those crimes have targeted luxury makes like and as part of growing unrest among Germany’s lower classes. The notes typically contain some sort of anti-gentrification message. As for the rest of the torchings, law enforcement says those crimes are largely copycat in nature or simply vandalism for vandalism’s sake.
Nationwide, Germany is facing unemployment of around seven percent while Berlin deals with nearly double that figure at 13.5 percent. Most of the fires take place at night, all but ensuring that criminals get away without fear of being caught. The city’s police force has escalated patrols and added helicopter surveillance, but with over 3,000 miles of city streets to cover, the police department can’t be everywhere at once. Thanks for the tip, Toy Yoda.
, we showed you the first video of the coming 458 Spider, but now we have a batch of images and more information to share with you.
Engineering a mid-engined exotic with a retractable hardtop is a bit tricky. Which is why it’s never been done before – that is, until now. Feast your eyes on what Maranello’s crafty engineers have wrought.
The convertible version of the fills the space left by the F430 Spider and the 360, 355 and 348 Spiders before it. But whereas those went with cloth roofs, the newest variation on the theme uses a folding – or more accurately, flipping – hard panel. The mechanism is similar to the one on the Superamerica, but whereas that model’s roof panel simply rests under the open sky on the rear deck, the 458 stows under the deck lid, protecting it from collecting dust or rain that would otherwise be deposited on the driver and passenger when deployed.
The function is simpler than most folding contraptions and resulting form is more pleasing to the eye as well, but the one disadvantage is that the 4.5-liter direct-injection V8 (with all its 562 prancing horses and trademark crackled red cam cover) is now hidden below decks instead of displayed as on the 458 Italia coupe. Which only goes to show that while you can come close to having your proverbial cake and eating it too, even this level of performance roadster has its trade-offs. This, though, strikes us as one we could live with. You know, if we really had to.
Follow the jump for the video and full press release, and be sure to scope out the initial batch of high-resolution images in the gallery as we gear up for the 458 Spider’s debut at the just a few weeks from now.
, we showed you the first video of the coming 458 Spider, but now we have a batch of images and more information to share with you.
Engineering a mid-engined exotic with a retractable hardtop is a bit tricky. Which is why it’s never been done before – that is, until now. Feast your eyes on what Maranello’s crafty engineers have wrought.
The convertible version of the fills the space left by the F430 Spider and the 360, 355 and 348 Spiders before it. But whereas those went with cloth roofs, the newest variation on the theme uses a folding – or more accurately, flipping – hard panel. The mechanism is similar to the one on the Superamerica, but whereas that model’s roof panel simply rests under the open sky on the rear deck, the 458 stows under the deck lid, protecting it from collecting dust or rain that would otherwise be deposited on the driver and passenger when deployed.
The function is simpler than most folding contraptions and resulting form is more pleasing to the eye as well, but the one disadvantage is that the 4.5-liter direct-injection V8 (with all its 562 prancing horses and trademark crackled red cam cover) is now hidden below decks instead of displayed as on the 458 Italia coupe. Which only goes to show that while you can come close to having your proverbial cake and eating it too, even this level of performance roadster has its trade-offs. This, though, strikes us as one we could live with. You know, if we really had to.
Follow the jump for the video and full press release, and be sure to scope out the initial batch of high-resolution images in the gallery as we gear up for the 458 Spider’s debut at the just a few weeks from now.
