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Could Williams emerge as the outsourced competition department for Jaguar? It very well might if Adam Parr has his way. The chairman of the Williams F1 team and its related subsidiaries is enthusiastic about his company’s collaboration with the British automaker, and is keen to see it move forward into new areas.

Currently, Williams is helping Jaguar develop the C-X75 concept into a roadgoing supercar. And while the micro-turbines housed in the show car’s engine bay aren’t likely to make the production cut – at least, not initially – the hybrid element of the drivetrain is. That’s where Williams comes in, supplying its expertise with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System it developed for use in F1 towards road-going application on the production C-X75.

Williams could, potentially, be called back in to service to develop hybrid systems for other Jaguar road cars if its work on the C-X75 turns out well, but Parr is also looking towards Le Mans. Jaguar has no less than seven victories at the famed endurance race to its name, including five in the 1950s and another two in 1988 and 1990, and is rumored to be working on a new LMP1 racing prototype, but whether Williams is in on the program remains to be seen.

Williams hopes for further collaboration with Jaguar

The Circuit of the Americas isn’t quite finished yet, and Austin isn’t quite ready for the Formula One circus to roll into town. But apparently someone forgot to tell David Coulthard and the Red Bull Racing team.

Last week we reported on Red Bull’s plans to run a demonstration event in downtown Austin over the weekend, but apparently their plans went a little further than that as their veteran driver took one of their F1 cars for a little spin in and around the Texas capital city.

The event included the foreshadowed run along city streets, but also took DC and the team out for a run through a good ol’ Texas cattle ranch, and around the site of the grand prix track that is currently little more than a dirt road.

It’s not every day you get to see an F1 car go off-roading, much less on a ranch or in America altogether, so check out the videos after the jump as well as the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Ready or not, David Coulthard and Red Bull Racing arrive in Austin [w/video]

Ready or not, David Coulthard and Red Bull Racing arrive in Austin [w/video]

If the muscle car era started in 1964, only to be reinvigorated in the last decade or so, we need a tidy way to label all those memorable cars that came before or don’t have the massive cubic inch engines needed to qualify for the muscle category. We’ll just call ‘em classics.

In the gallery after the break, you’ll see a smattering of old Fords, some turned lovingly into hot rods, along with old Cadillacs, Corvairs and convertibles. There’s the scattered Studebaker and even a few surprises… like The Most Interesting Man in the World.

We’ve gone ahead and labeled our classics gallery to the best of our abilities, but a few of these could be off by a year or two and some are pretty much identifiable due to their extreme modifications. No matter, each one is a certified classic – we hope you enjoy the gallery, and we’ll see you next year in Woodward!

Classic American cars collect to Cruise

Bentley 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. We’ve gotten up close and personal with the 2012 Continental GT Coupe on more than one occasion, but we knew that more derivatives lurked in the future. The next one is now here, and it arrives in the form of the 2012 Bentley Continental GTC.

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 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

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.

Continue reading 2012 Bentley Continental GTC goes topless as summer winds down

2012 Bentley Continental GTC goes topless as summer winds down

Racing is built on a foundation of tired sayings packed with monumental truths. Recently, few have been more poignant for the crew of the supercharged NC Miata we’re set to co-pilot in the 2011 Targa Newfoundland than, “You have to start before you can win.” Last week, Bill Cardell, our valiant pilot and part-time lumberjack, wound up accidentally felling an aspen tree on himself while doing some work at a mountain cabin. He’s currently awaiting a second set of x-rays to determine just how lengthy his recuperation will be, but either way, he’s facing a few long weeks out of the saddle due to a broken humerus. Cardell, while in seemingly good spirits, finds nothing funny about the situation. Needless to say, squeezing into the cockpit of a race car isn’t on his doctor’s prescription pad, which leaves Nancy and I without a driver.

In a moment of solidarity, your author managed to high-side my ‘82 Kawasaki GPz750 on day one of a two-week motorcycle ride. The next morning, one very haggard ER doctor told me that while my bones were intact, there’s a good chance that I’ve torn my rotator cuff.

“That’s bad,” I said.

“Yes. It’s very bad,” he agreed after a pause that conveyed a mix of disdain and admiration for my appreciation of the obvious.

Even so, I’ve regained much of the movement in my left shoulder, and the pain has subsided to an ever-present dull ache. If I can ride 2,300 miles on the arm, I can sure as hell use it to hold up pace notes. I’ll circle back with the medical establishment after our return from Canada.

Meanwhile, Cardell’s nephew, Brandon Fitch, will take over the forced-induction Miata’s controls. Fitch formerly served as crew chief for both vehicles and has worked with Flyin’ Miata for the past five years. As such, he’s had plenty of seat time with our car as part of his work in product development, and word has it he’s plenty quick to boot.

The race kicks off on September 10, and I’ve been ordered to stay indoors and intact until then. That’s advice I’ll likely heed. Our best get-well wishes go out to Cardell as he stitches himself back together.

The Road to Targa Newfoundland, Part 1: Bill breaks an arm

If you thought a 202-mph run seemed like a hell of a pace for a Škoda Octavia, hold on to your hats, folks, because the Czech automaker’s team at Bonneville has set a new record.

With a beefed-up turbocharger and intercooler, enhanced aerodynamics and the requisite safety modifications, the 600-horsepower Octavia vRS Bonneville Special set the record in the 2.0-liter forced-induction production car category with a certified 227.070 mph run. Actually, the Škoda hit a top speed of 228.647 mph through the traps on the return run, but as per regulations, that was averaged out with the 225.513 mph it hit on the five-mile run out across the salt flats.

Any way you look at it, that’s one heck of a run, claiming the record for Škoda and helping it celebrate the tenth anniversary of its vRS performance badge. Follow the jump for the official announcement and scope out the updated image gallery for more.

Continue reading Škoda tops 227 mph, claims 2.0-liter production speed record at Bonneville

Škoda tops 227 mph, claims 2.0-liter production speed record at Bonneville

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 Woodward 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 grille of a Rolls-Royce to the engine bay of a Mustang signed by Jack Roush.

Taking time to enjoy the little things

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 Speed Demon, and proceeded to run down the salt flats at a tremendous rate of speed. Using a set of RePlay XD cameras (the same type we used for our Woodward Dream Cruise coverage), 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 past the jump to see for yourself.

Continue reading This is what a 426-mph flying mile looks like in HD

This is what a 426-mph flying mile looks like in HD

Toyota-Ford tie-up, Mazda RX-8 and Dakota cancelled, VW Up!, Cadillac ELR

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 UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #244:

• Ford and Toyota to partner on hybrid powertrain
• Mazda RX-8 and Ram Dakota both dead
• Production Volkswagen Up! revealed
• Cadillac ELR headed for showrooms

In the Autoblog Garage
2011 Jeep Patriot Latitude
2011 Chrysler Town & Country

Feedback
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

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Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #244

Autoblog Podcast #244

“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.

Tom Cruise test drives F1 car at Willow Springs

Think of the name Gemballa and you’re bound to conjure up images of hyper-tuned Porsches. 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 was murdered 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.

Continue reading Gemballa goes racing with McLaren MP4-12C GT3

Gemballa goes racing with McLaren MP4-12C GT3

Bentley 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. We’ve gotten up close and personal with the 2012 Continental GT Coupe on more than one occasion, but we knew that more derivatives lurked in the future. The next one is now here, and it arrives in the form of the 2012 Bentley Continental GTC.

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 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

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.

Continue reading 2012 Bentley Continental GTC goes topless as summer winds down

2012 Bentley Continental GTC goes topless as summer winds down

While Toyota competes with Ford, Chevy and Dodge 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, only once has the pace car been an import: the Porsche 914 that paced the race in 1971.

Apart from that one exception, it’s been all Detroit – Pontiacs mostly, but also Buicks, 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 2012 Toyota Camry 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.

Continue reading 2012 Toyota Camry chosen as Daytona 500 pace car

2012 Toyota Camry chosen as Daytona 500 pace car

A 2012 BMW M5 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. Click past the jump to check it out.

Continue reading 2012 BMW M5 tackles Laguna Seca

2012 BMW M5 tackles Laguna Seca

Saab 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 after the break.

Continue reading Saab warns salary payments may be late… again

Saab warns salary payments may be late… again

We’ve just given you our first impressions of the redesigned 2012 Toyota Camry. 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.

Continue reading 2012 Toyota Camry pricing good news for those shopping in mid-size market

2012 Toyota Camry pricing good news for those shopping in mid-size market

It may be hard to believe, but the Audi R8 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 other photos, 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 Frankfurt Motor Show, 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.

Is this the face of the next Audi R8?

Patron-Saint Of Mid-Sizers Gets Massaged

Toyota has manufactured and sold 15 million Camry 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, Ford, Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen 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.

CLICK HERE to read AutoblogGreen’s First Drive review of the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Continue reading 2012 Toyota Camry

2012 Toyota Camry

The collaboration between fashion houses and automakers is a longstanding tradition. Think Nautica edition Mercury Villager, Eddie Bauer edition Ford Explorer, or most recently, the Gucci edition Fiat 500. Now its big brother Maserati is getting in on the action with the Fendi edition GranCabrio – the droptop known as the GranTurismo Convertible on this side of the Atlantic.

Set to be unveiled next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, 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 the set previously offered by rival clothier Salvatore Ferragamo) 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.

Continue reading Maserati teams up with Fendi for special edition GranCabrio

Maserati 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 Ferrari 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 Audi-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 after the jump.

Continue reading KTM X-Bow gets a roof, thinks it’s a Stratos [w/videos]

KTM X-Bow gets a roof, thinks it’s a Stratos [w/videos]