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Monterey has seen its share of debuts and this year stays true to form. We’ve already seen the unveilings of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, the new Boss 302 Mustang, the Infiniti G25, Jaguar XKR175, and McLaren MP4-12C. It doesn’t end there, either. Tucked among the exotica at Concorso Italiano was the new Zagato-styled, Hi-Tech-built and Superfomance-sold, Perana Z-One sports/GT.

It’s beautiful. And the build quality is exquisite. The panel gaps put all the high-priced Italian vehicles surrounding it to shame. The styling is definitely that of a European GT, a shape that holds its own in the company of an Alfa Romeo 8C, Aston Martin or a Ferrari 599. With that Corvette engine under its long nose, however, it’s reminiscent of classic Italian/Amercan collaborative sports car efforts from companies like DeTomaso, Iso and Bizzarrini.

We weren’t alone in being smitten by this new $100,000 sports car either. It was mobbed all day, even amidst the dazzling variety from the likes of Lamborghini and Maserati. We’re hoping to arrange some seat time on the Perana Z-One, but for moment, feast your eyes on the gallery below and you’ll understand why we see big things in this vehicle’s future.

Photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright (C)2010 AOL

Monterey 2010: Perana Z-One makes U.S. debut

Monterey coverage continues with one of Friday’s staples. Concorso Italiano has been one of Monterey’s largest gatherings of primarily Italian vehicles for years. Laguna Seca Golf Ranch played the hospitable host, giving throngs of Italian-car lovers the opportunity to get up close and personal with hundreds of le belle macchine.

Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, DeTomaso and Ferrari, were well represented – long lines of each marque appearing almost mirage-like down the fairways of Laguna. You know those shots you’ve seen of exotic cars lined up outside the factory? Multiply those by ten. It is absolutely crazy. Special gatherings honored the Ferrari F40, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary of U.S. citizenship. The Italians were never really that great at dates, as the F40 was originally intended to be a 40th anniversary treat for Enzo himself to celebrate the company’s 1947 birth. Unfortunately, it appeared around 1990 instead. Don’t even get us started on the F50.

Concorso has hosted several smaller manufacturers over the years as well. Not just the oddball makes that few people have ever heard of, but also fledgling companies that have sometimes risen to prominence – or fallen infamously. This year, Superformance showed off the new Zagato-penned Perana Z-One. The European GT styling combined with Corvette power reminds us of the classic Italo-Amercan mashups from DeTomaso, Iso, Bizzarrini and the like. The Z-One is gorgeous, and we were blown away by its build quality. We’re negotiating some seat time to give you the full rundown, but for now, check out the gallery and you’ll see why Concorso Italiano has become one of the world’s greatest events for lovers of Italian machinery.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Frank Filipponio / AOL

Monterey 2010: Concorso Italiano celebrates all things Italia

With a burst of light and a swoosh of its car cover, the McLaren MP4-12C made its North American debut this evening in Pebble Beach. Gooding auctions unveiled the new supercar at its preview reception, the same locale that has seen the debuts of other significant vehicles from the past few years – namely the Rolls-Royce Hyperion and the Pininfarina P4/5. But tonight McLaren was definitely the star of the show. Besides giving Americans their first glimpse of its latest model, McLaren also talked a bit about the new company they are introducing to build and sell not just the MP4-12C, but a whole range of road vehicles.

This isn’t like the way things were done with the F1, where it was basically a special project inside the technical and racing operations…no, it’s a whole new passenger car company that will have an assortment of vehicles apparently. In fact, McLaren Automotive has already announced the list of 35 cities that will be hosting McLaren dealerships, and the rumor mill is in full swing telling us that a successor to the big-daddy F1 is in the cards for as early as 2012. The last bit of info we gleened from the presentation was that they seemed to talk a lot about their winning history in both Formula 1 and sports car racing and how they love to win. Perhaps a not-so-subtle hint that a racing version of the MP4-12C will be built? Makes sense to us. While we’re waiting for spy shots of that project, do yourself a favor and check out the hot new McLaren in our gallery below.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: McLaren MP4-12C makes North American debut, ushers in new McLaren order

Bugatti made big news last month when it unveiled the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. The 1200-horsepower supercar smashed the production car speed record by reaching nearly 268 mph at the Volkswagen proving grounds, and it even made the fastest ever lap around the Top Gear test track in the hands of the Stig.

We’ve previously only seen pictures of just one Super Sport model – the record-setting car with the polarizing orange and black paint scheme – but now we know that the Bugatti factory has spewed out at least two examples. The Super Sport made its North American debut at the Quail Motorsports Gathering earlier today with gorgeous blue carbon fiber paint. We have to say we much prefer it over its counterpart.

We’ve heard the record-setting Super Sport is also in town and will be at Laguna Seca, so we’ll hopefully be able to bring you more photos of that car, and expect plenty more coverage from the Quail Motorsports Gathering throughout this weekend.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport makes North American debut

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Having food in your car is usually a bad idea, as leaving your lunch on the seat can make the whole interior stink, or, even worse, attract bears. One Colorado teen recently learned this lesson the hardest way possible, as a peanut butter sandwich left on his back seat attracted a black bear with the unusual skill of grand theft auto.

Police estimate that the bear was searching out a midnight snack and opened the door of this kid’s unlocked Toyota Corolla on his own and entered the vehicle. When the door somehow closed on its own, the bear went from Yogi looking for a pic-a-nick basket to something out of the Exorcist. At some point during the bear’s utter smackdown of the Corolla’s interior, the transmission made its way out of Park, sending the compact sedan and it’s assuredly un-licensed driven rolling down the driveway and into the woods. There’s no explanation of how the bear eventually exited the Corolla, but we do know he left behind a large steaming present on the driver seat.

Follow the jump to check out the carnage. The first clip is of a British news show that provides most of the details, including images of the bear inside the Corolla, and the second clip is a grand tour of the devastation from the Colorado teen himself.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Bear steals car for peanut butter sandwich, trashes interior, poops on seat

Video: Bear steals car for peanut butter sandwich, trashes interior, poops on seat

The Monterey auctions kicked off last night with a special Ford-only sale put on by RM. Despite an offering of significant race cars and a slew of concept cars, bidding was sluggish and many of the final sale prices were well below the pre-auction estimates. Some of the concepts like the 2000 Ford Prodigy Concept and the 2002 Lincoln Coninental Concept Shell sold for just $14,000 each, while many of the high profile cars sold for less than half the estimates. The 2003 Ford Supercharged Thunderbird Concept went for $60,000, the 2004 Lincoln Mark X Concept sold for $92,500, and the 2004 Ford Mustang GT-R Concept went to a bidder who only had to fork over $100,000.

The top sales of the day were actually a pair of Lincolns, one a 1962 Continental “Bubbletop” Kennedy Limousine ($429,000) and the other a 1933 KB Custom Dietrich Convertible Sedan ($385,000). Some most significant cars were no-sales, including a 1903 Ford Model A that is the oldest existing Ford ever sold (high bid of $325,000) and a 1964 Cooper Ford “King Cobra” that didn’t meet the reserve at $450,000.

You can see the Ford concept cars and many of the other vehicles at RM’s Thursday night auction in the gallery below, and be sure to check back for more auction photos and results this weekend.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: Blue Oval bargains kick off RM auction

Ford Mustang Boss 302 is back for 2012! [w/video]

The car that Mustang fans have been hoping Ford would build for a very, very long time is finally here: the 2012 Boss 302…

2011 Infiniti G25 arrives Stateside, priced at $30,950

The Infiniti line-up is set to expand this September with the introduction of the G25, a new entry-level sedan packing all the amenities of its bigger brother, but with less power and a budget-minded price tag.

Monterey 2010: Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance creates ultimate photo-ops

While the skies were gloomy and even a bit weepy this year, at least we didn’t have fog like last year. The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is one of our favorite events in Monterey every year, and it’s nice to actually see the cars.

Also of interest:

• Spy Shots: More evidence of 400-hp Taurus SHO?
• 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302: First live photos!
• Swedish man may pay largest speeding fine ever
• Jaguar XKR175 kicks off the kid brother mantle at Pebble Beach
• Dan Akerson: New GM CEO a car guy after all?
• Iranians can’t buy Toyotas anymore

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 8.13.10

Few things get the automotive universe fired up quite like a good old-fashioned grudge match, and from the sound of things, we may be on the verge of seeing the battle royale with the cheese of grudge matches. Evidently, Top Gear’s Bill Thomas was strolling around the Koenigsegg factory shortly after Bugatti launched the Veryon Super Sport to 267.81 mph.

At the time, the Bug’s record-breaking drive was still confidential knowledge, but being the kind of bloke we wouldn’t mind buying a beer, Thomas felt the need to share Bugatti’s accomplishment with Koenigsegg boss Christian von Koenigsegg, potentially igniting a powder keg of speed and competition the likes of which the production auto world hasn’t seen in quite some time.

Apparently, upon hearing the news that the Veryon Super Sport was now top dog of the production car world, Koenigsegg immediately began rattling off possible places to do his own high-speed testing with his newest machine, the Agera. That sounds an awful lot like we can expect a new Swedish sports machine to arrive any time to attempt to whisk the title away from the French. And there might even be a little three-way action from America’s Shelby SuperCars. See? Isn’t competition fun?

[Source: Top Gear]

Koenigsegg considering a challenge to Veyron SS speed record?

Well aren’t you all a lucky bunch today… getting a double-shot of Jay Leno action. When we touched on CamberTires earlier this week, there was some debate as to whether the new rollers was the next big thing or the next automotive gimmick. We haven’t entirely made up our own minds one way or the other, but as the comments illustrated in the last post, Jay Leno has beaten us to taking a closer look the new tire design.

Inventor John Scott stopped by for an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage to show off his wares and to attempt to convince the rest of us that the CamberTire could actually increase grip, reduce tire ware and generally improve the handling dynamics of a vehicle.

For this particular episode, Leno solicited the help of a stand in pilot to lend his opinions, so you won’t see the comedian himself put the CamberTire through its paces. Instead, Leno’s own tame racing driver took a Mitsubishi Evo X through the canyons around the garage for a quick thrashing. You can watch the video after the jump for yourself to see if it answers any of your questions. Thanks for the tips, everyone!

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading Video: Jay Leno’s Garage talks with CamberTires inventor

Video: Jay Leno’s Garage talks with CamberTires inventor

Oh, Mercedes. When will you learn that the CLC was just a bad idea? BMW did so with the chopped-trunk 318ti, but Mercedes seems determined to make its counterpart work. To that end, the Silver Star automaker is reportedly working on a new derivative.

Drawing its inspiration from the CLS Shooting Break concept (pictured above) and its underpinnings from the B-Class, the CLC Shooting Brake (hopefully they’ll get the spelling right this time) is expected to slot in below the C-Class Estate wagon, but presumably with a svelter roofline.

That doesn’t mean they’ll get the door count right though: the jury’s still out on whether it’ll be a proper shooting brake with three doors (like the existing CLC, but longer) or five doors like a conventional wagon. Engine options, meanwhile, are tipped to revolve around turbocharged fours, ranging from 108 horsepower and 1.2 liters to a 272-hp CLC22 AMG with 4Matic all-wheel drive. Sources expect the CLC Shooting Brake to arrive around September 2013.

[Sources: Autobild]

Rumormill: Mercedes working on B-Class-based CLC Shooting Brake

Last week’s American Le Mans Series race at Mid-Ohio was a nail-biter right down to the checkered flag with lots of action in each of the four classes. Unfortunately, the race wasn’t shown live on TV… though it was streamed over the interwebz. If you missed the action the first time around, you can catch yourself up this Sunday in an interesting new way.

Intersport Productions, the creators of one of the greatest racing films ever, Truth in 24, has applied its skills to the Mid-Ohio footage. The cameras were rolling throughout the weekend and the editors have spent this week putting together a 90-minute special that apparently goes beyond just the race to tell a narrative about the whole process of competition. The docu-drama, called Road Warriors, will air this Sunday, August 15, at 12:30pm EDT on CBS.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

Tivo Alert: Mid-Ohio ALMS race to be shown Sunday as 90 minute docu-drama

The gang at Hurst Performance Vehicles are unleashing their first ever turbocharged machine in honor of the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the BFGoodrich Radial T/A. Only 50 of the Redline Series Hurst Camaros are to be produced annually with each powered by a force-fed 3.6-liter V6. Power will flow to 18-inch Hurst T1 wheels with new Radial T/A Spec tires.

Hurst installs what it calls a “remoted-mounted” turbocharger on its modified exhaust, which actually doesn’t sound like a very good idea if you’re concerned about lag. Output should be about 360 horsepower and 320 pound-feet at the rear wheels – a 50-percent bump from stock. Inside, the turbocharged Camaro gets a pistol grip shift lever, custom leather upholstery and floor mats and an optional gauge package.

The Redline Series Camaro will sticker in the mid-$50,000 range depending on the options selected.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Hurst to strap turbocharger on just 50 V6 Camaros per year

B-segment cars have been getting a whole lot of attention lately, what with super-good offerings like the Ford Fiesta, Mazda2 and Honda Fit setting the bar high for the class. Toyota has its friendly little Yaris, but that model hasn’t seen any sort of real update since its debut in late 2006, but large changes are in the works.

Toyota’s North American operations have reportedly been pushing for the Yaris to grow in size, and we should get a conceptual preview of what to expect at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. Toyota is also working on a hybrid powertrain for the Yaris in Europe, though reports state that this engine isn’t slated for the United States. Odd, especially since Toyota has always talked about expanding its Prius nameplate to include a range of hybrid vehicles.

For now, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more rumors, and we’ll wait to see what Toyota has in store for a Detroit Show debut next January.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Toyota to replace Yaris in U.S., concept coming to Detroit?

Sorry ladies, but it looks like the dark and seedy world of car thievery is still dominated by the males of our species. A new report in Justice Quarterly reports that while women typically have no problem breaking a window, shattering a steering column lock and hotwiring their way to freedom, they tend to have more limited access to facilities that can turn a single stolen car into multiple sellable parts. For whatever reason, the crews that run chop shops just don’t tend to trust a lady thief like they would her masculine counterpart.

Apparently, the auto theft world, and more importantly, the automotive disposal world, is dominated by male “gatekeepers” who decide who gets to play and who doesn’t. Fair? Of course not, but who said anything about the filthy underbelly of our society exhibiting anything close to political correctness?

You know what that means, ladies – time to get out there and start popping locks. Or something.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line Image: Rockstar Games]

Glass Ceiling Stealing: Car theft easier for men

One particularly worthwhile criticism of the custom motorcycle scene in general is that builders often choose to make super expensive eye candy that’s nearly impossible to ride and is therefore completely devoid of any real usefulness. American Chopper aside, thankfully we’ve been seeing a gradual shift away from blinged-out two-wheeled jewelry over the last few years, and this year’s AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building offers some prime examples.

Most notable is winner Freddie ‘Krugger’ Bertrand, who is no stranger to the scene, having placed as high as third in the Championship in three separate years. His title-winning machine for 2010 is pretty spectacular – power from a liquid-cooled Harley-Davidson V-Rod engine means that it’s fast, but it’s the transforming frame that’s truly exceptional.

With the flick of a switch, the bike can be changed from a cruiser (23.8-inch seat height, 30-degree rake, 4.7 inches of trail and 6.7 inches of ground clearance) to a sportbike of sorts (30.5-inch seat height, 23-degree rake, 3.1 inches of trail and 9.3 inches of clearance). There are two sets of foot controls that the rider can use, depending on which mode the bike is in.

Second place went to Thunderstruck Custom Bike’s Sniper, which is a much more traditional-style long and low chopper powered by a highly customized Indian Power Plus engine. We’re more interested in the third place bike, The Machine by Yuri Shif Custom. It’s got an air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine made up of parts from a BMW R71 and a Russian K-750. Oh yeah, and a supercharger sitting up top.

Fourth place went to Garage 65’s Kcosmodrive and fifth went to another bike we love called the Beezerker from Speed Shop Design. Check out all five machines in our high-res image gallery below and see the press release after the break.

[Source: AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building]

Continue reading Fred Krugger’s Veon is a deserving Custom Bike winner at Sturgis

Fred Krugger’s Veon is a deserving Custom Bike winner at Sturgis

While the skies were gloomy and even a bit weepy this year, at least we didn’t have fog like last year. The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is one of our favorite events in Monterey every year, and it’s nice to actually see the cars. The Tour, if you’re not familiar, is an event that includes a large portion of the entrants in Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, but as its name implies, the cars are moving. The best part is that it’s free to anyone with a lawn chair.

The cars leave the Pebble Beach grounds around 8:30AM and snake through 17-Mile drive, loop through Monterey and then head down Highway 1 to Big Sur before turning around and coming back up into Carmel for lunch. Mercedes-Benz was the sponsor this year so there were plenty of SLS, SLK, S Class, GL, ML… LMNOP models on hand to serve escort duty for the “real” media, VIPs and racers like Sir Stirling Moss, who led the whole parade in an old Gullwing. Nice cars for sure, but the Tour is also our first glimpse at what’s going to be vying for Best of Show on the 18th fairway at Pebble on Sunday.

Unlike last year when the Horch just shown like a freshly polished diamond in a coal pile, we didn’t spot any clear favorites this year. That’s not to say there aren’t a ton of great cars here this year – just not one superstar. Several cars did manage to stand out as the entries chugged past us along PCH though.

That’s the magical part of the Tour, the cars careening down the coast with hundreds of spectators and photographers lining every turn-out. All five of your senses are involved here, with everything from horseless carriages to 1950s dream cars whizzing by, spewing an intoxicating mix of fuel vapor, oil, exhaust, brakes, clutch and various other overheated material scents as the ground rumbles under your feet, particularly with the race cars. And come on, how often do you get to see GP cars on the street?

Check out the amazing gallery of 109 high-res images by clicking below. We’re still in the process of labeling them all, so shout it out in the comments if you can identify any of the ones we’re missing.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / Frank Filipponio / AOL

Monterey 2010: Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance creates ultimate photo-ops

When we reported last month that Ford may push the Taurus SHO up to 400 horsepower, it caused quite a stir in the comments. Speaking at the annual SHO Convention held this year in Dearborn, Steve Ling, Ford’s North American car marketing manager told us, “365 horsepower is good. 400 is better.” Words are one thing, but new spy shots from ace photog Brenda Priddy and her gang confirm that Ford is definitely planning something for the 2012 Taurus SHO.

This Limited-badged Taurus caught hot weather testing in the South West is pretty easy to spot as a SHO. The SHO-specific wheels are the dead giveaway, but out back we also see the SHO’s two large tailpipes poking out of a modified rear valence. What’s particularly interesting is the car’s front end, which is heavily wrapped, most likely to obscure design changes to the 2012 SHO’s front end that will further separate its look from standard Taurus models.

While we there’s no evidence in these spy shots confirming that Ford is pushing the car’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 up to 400 horsepower, the fact this car was caught hot weather testing could indicate that engineers are there to see how a more powerful version of this engine acts when the mercury skyrockets. That said, they could also just be testing how any changes to the front end design affect engine cooling for the current engine.

We’re also hoping they’re testing new brakes for the SHO, because the current car’s stoppers have enough trouble hauling down this heavy sleeper sedan without another 35 hp making matters worse.

[Source: SEMA.org]

Spy Shots: More evidence of 400-hp Taurus SHO?

You know who you are. You care deeply about the environment and know the importance of looking cool. Also, you’ve got buckets of cash. You’ve been waiting to throw down $80 grand on a Fisker Karma but you’re tired of the seemingly endless delays. Well, here’s another eco-friendly vehicle on which to spend that stack o’ cash – the BlackTrail BT-01.

Yes, it’s a bicycle. But it’s not just any bicycle. This, my affluent amigo, is an avant-garde, hybrid-electric piece of rolling retro art. It’s got a classic leather saddle with matching handlebar grips, power pack cover and valve stem covers. We repeat, leather-wrapped valve stem covers! Oh yes, it also comes with its own theft deterrent device in the form of a set of leather-padded handcuffs. You heard us.

What, you want more? Okay. It’s got integrated LED lights front and rear. OLED display with speed indicator and battery status. At its 30-50 km/h (20-30 miles per hour) cruising speed it will carry you 160 – 200km (100 – 120 miles). If that’s too pokey, you can travel 25 – 30 miles at its maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph)!

While it’s not yet offered for sale in America, we expect it soon will be. Production is limited to 667 units with at least 41 already being sold at €59,500 ($75,930 U.S. at today’s exchange rate). Throw in the airfare to go get it and you’re looking at $80,000.

Hit the jump for a better look at this breakthrough bicycle with someone who could actually afford to buy one if he wanted to, Jay Leno. Scroll a little further down for bonus video of an on-sidewalk presentation.

[Source: PG-Bikes via Engadget]

Continue reading Video: Jay Leno rolls like a million bucks on $80,000 BlackTrail BT-01

Video: Jay Leno rolls like a million bucks on $80,000 BlackTrail BT-01

The drag racing world is a scary, scary place. It’s a realm where engines are built to hold together just long enough to scoot down the quarter mile before they’re torn apart and rebuilt for the next run. It’s a world where if your vehicle is turning anything close to double-digit fuel mileage, it’s not producing enough horsepower.

Typically, these types of monstrosities are little more than trailer queens that are rolled onto the strip and then back into their awaiting shuttles home. That’s not the case with the new Vauxhall Red Victor 3 – a custom-built racer that has a twin-turbocharged 8.8-liter General Motors V8 under the hood good for 3,000 horsepower.

The car uses 1967 Victor FD sheet metal, though the company says that the whole contraption is entirely street legal. How’s about them apples? The car was built specifically for the Power Festival at Silverstone (how appropriate…), which kicks off August 28. Vauxhall predicts that the car should run 240 miles per hour in the quarter at 6.5 seconds. Yup. That’s pretty quick. Hit the jump for a look at the full press blast.

[Source: Vauxhall]

Continue reading Vauxhall shows off street legal (!) 3000-horsepower Red Victor 3

Vauxhall shows off street legal (!) 3000-horsepower Red Victor 3

The current situation over in Iran is pretty grim, what with major countries like the United States and Europe imposing new sanctions on the Middle Eastern country. The reason? International concern over the country’s nuclear program.

Because of this situation, Toyota has decided to cease exports of its vehicles to Iran. The automaker issued a statement saying that this decision was made after considering “the international environment,” and that it would “continue to closely monitor the international situation.”

Toyota’s sales in Iran have fallen drastically over the past few years – only around 220 vehicles were sold this year, up until the company’s decision to remove Iran from its export list. This is indeed quite a change, as Toyota sold nearly 4,000 vehicles in Iran just two years earlier.

Currently, no American automakers have a presence in Iran, and with Toyota moving to stop exports to the country, we’ll be interested to see if other manufacturers follow suit. Currently, major European automakers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW continue to export to Iran.

[Source: CNN, BBC News]

Iranians can’t buy Toyotas anymore