For better or worse, nothing is quite as divisive as modern design. The current is controversial enough in its own right, but the S-Type that came before was even more so. With its pinched grille and comically retro lines, the S-Type was the very antithesis of the model that followed. So how about making the old girl even more of a love-it or hate-it affair? Not an easy task, but Panzani Design has clearly risen to the challenge.
Reaching back a few years to when the S-Type was still around, the Italian tuner has given the retro Jag saloon such up-to-date features as 20-inch wheels mounted on a track widened by 10 centimeters and enormously flared arches to accommodate them. There’s also a new front bumper with integrated LEDs, a carbon fiber hood with vents, mesh lamp covers, side skirts, spoiler, diffuser, little round mirrors and what looks to be a very intricately crafted interior.
The result is all decked out in matte gray and called the Vintage GT. It may not be your cup of tea, but it’s worth a second glance, so check it out in the gallery below for all the angles.
is very proud of that . It’s taken the necessary steps to protect the phrase, which includes applying for for the trademark rights as it pertains to both vehicles and clothing.
This was a wise move, because some enterprising folks have apparently already tried to cash in on the phrase. A company called Pure Detroit has started selling clothing with the tagline, while also claiming to be an exclusive clothing provider for the automaker.
Chrysler is not exactly thrilled with Pure Detroit, but according to The Detroit News, it initially attempted to solve the matter away from the court system. It asked Pure Detroit to stop using the phrase, and to send a portion of any proceeds received to charity. Pure Detroit has evidently decided to give Chrysler a Bronx Salute, leaving the automaker with no choice but to make this an official legal matter.
The was supposed to begin reaching customers late in 2010, but a last-minute change . The battery-packing Sonata was originally fitted with an on/off switch to disable the synthetic engine audio that would come on whenever the vehicle was being driven under electric power, but a forthcoming regulation changed that.
Hyundai ordered a last-minute change deleting the switchgear because of a bill passed by Congress (and later signed by President Obama) that made non-defeatable noise-making devices mandatory for hybrids and EVs. Automotive News reports that the ball is in the court of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the agency plans to set a proper timetable in the next three years.
While the law banning the EV alert noise on/off switch will likely stop automakers from adding the switch in the future, we’re thinking NHTSA should still act fast in coming up with a date. The move would help automakers to know what they can and can’t do, preventing more product delays in the future.
Mini CoupeSpy Shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
We’re inching ever closer to seeing the Mini Coupe in showrooms. The clipped is set to land on dealer lots as soon as this Autumn, and it looks like the company’s engineers are hard at work ironing out the very last wrinkles in the platform. Our spy photographer commandos managed to click off a few photos of the most recent tester out and about wearing what must be nearly production-ready sheetmetal. If we were the betting types, we’d lay a shiny nickel on the vehicle you see here being all but identical to the final iteration.
In these photos, we can clearly see that the vehicle’s retractable spoiler tucks cleanly into the trunk when not in use, though the somewhat awkward roof aero treatment is still sticking around. Up front, the Coupe wears the same corporate clothing as the Cooper line, and buyer should expect to find the same line of four-cylinder engines under the hood as well.
Ralph Gilles does a burnout in a 2011 Dodge Charger R/T – Click above to watch video
Jay Leno recently got the chance to spend a little time with the and Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles stopped by to answer the funny man’s questions. If ever there was a guy who could accurately compare the Charger to its predecessors, Leno would be it. The man knows a thing or two about Mopar history and exactly what has made the original models so sought after to begin with. He’s also an unabashed fan through and through, so it’s interesting to see his take on the newest iteration of the Charger legacy.
While we always enjoy the chance to listen to Gilles talk shop and Leno crack jokes, the best part of the clip is watching the Dodge CEO himself educate the comedian on how to properly execute a burnout with Hemi power at one’s command. Is there anything more enjoyable than a CEO behaving badly?
Probably not.
If you listen closely, you might even hear Gilles say that Chrysler is investigating whether or not to bolt a manual transmission into the Charger due to high interest. We like the sound of that action. to watch the video.
Uncovering The Real Mission Of Aston’s New Coupe And Volante
2012 Aston Martin Virage – Click above for high-res image gallery
Few automakers sell sexy as well as .
Others may try, but competition demands they back up their stellar good looks with performance – oh, the burden. Take and , the two Italians, as an example. Their sensual bodywork drops jaws at one hundred yards, but they also have to shoehorn in uber-powerful engines or else consumers will cry foul. is another example. The German’s luscious was just that, but needed a V10 to truly stand proud. It seems that consumers simply won’t tolerate sleek bodywork unless there’s performance to substantiate it.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Aston Martin seems to have escaped the wrath. None of its models offer the most powerful engine in their class, or the best performance. We don’t need to tell you that Astons aren’t the best at anything. Well, except looking, smelling and feeling damn sexy.
Times are changing. Customers are demanding more substance behind the style, more bang for their buck and innovative, modern technology. Seeming to acknowledge that life is much more than a beauty contest, Aston Martin has introduced the all-new Virage Coupe and Virage Volante.
has joined forces with graphic-designer Stephan Sagmeister to celebrate the company’s 40-year commitment to culture the world over. The German automaker is currently sponsoring over 100 artistic endeavors around the globe, and Sagmeister cooked up a pretty clever way to add to the stack. BMW documented the company’s history as a patron in a new tome by the decidedly unpretentious title CULTURE. But this isn’t just any old book. Aside from being personally signed by Sagmeister himself, the books all feature an individual cover design that, when arranged, would create a seven-by-seven graphic image of the BMW headquarters in Munich.
But wait, there’s more.
As it turns out, each book also comes with its own remote-control running gear. If you get bored reading about the hordes of musicians, artists and designers that BMW has sponsored over the years, you can simply flop the book on the floor and commence to driving it about. Sounds like a winner to us. for the full press blast as well as a video of Sagmeister signing the volumes.
The is serving duty as one of the safety cars for the 2011 MotoGP Championship, which kicks off this weekend at the Grand Prix of Qatar. The 1M Coupe that will be handling safety car duties has been smartened up a little from stock, starting with an Akrapovic sport exhaust.
BMW also added a big rear wing, a chin spoiler and BMW Motorsport’s fabled tri-color paint scheme. To cap the look off, BMW has finished the wheels and exhaust tips in black. No word yet on whether the accessories on the MotoGP pace car will be made available to the public, or if this car is a one-shot deal. Check out more pics of the safety car by visiting our friends at 1Addicts (link below).
Regardless of what the purists think of it, found a winning business model with the SUV. And based on that success, the German automaker is proceeding with to build its little brother at its Leipzig plant.
The new model, tentatively dubbed “Cajun,” will be produced alongside the Cayenne and the . The decision by the company’s supervisory board paves the way for over 1,000 new jobs to be created at the plant as well as at its headquarters in Stuttgart, with the addition of a 1.54 square-mile expansion of the Leipzig, Germany, plant to begin later this year. Details in the press blast after the jump.
[Source: Porsche]
: Porsche greenlights Cajun production for Leipzig
Touring car racing fans are eagerly anticipating the return of to the DTM series. The Bavarian automaker last competed in DTM (or its progenitors, anyway) a whopping 18 years ago, but late last year announced it would return to the German touring car series in 2012. Now it has revealed the means to that end.
Rather than field its own entries, BMW will be supplying the vehicles and factory support for three independent teams: BMW Team RBM, BMW Team Schnitzer and Reinhold Motorsport GmbH. Both RBM and Schnitzer have a longstanding relationship with BMW Motorsport, while Reinhold is a completely new outfit. Each of the teams will be fielding two of the new M3 DTMs that are currently under development.
The move to DTM comes on the back of some big shakeups in BMW’s racing program. Although it two years ago, and its works World Touring Car Championship effort at the end of last year, it has recently pitched the division into the WRC with Prodrive and launched the DTM program to pick up where it left off in the WTCC. Follow the jump for the official announcement, along with three additional press releases – one from each of BMW’s partner teams – for the true tin-top fanatics among us.
The golden age of horsepower ended a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, right? Well, no. In reality, it seems that every new model year brings more and more ponies from the likes of the reborn and along with the stalwart .
According to the internet rumormill, that pattern isn’t going to change any time soon. Car and Driver reports that the will boast as much as 620 horsepower. Naturally, the powerplant providing all those ponies will be a supercharged V8, in this case bored out to displace 5.8 liters instead of the 5.4 we’ve been seeing for the last several years.
Car and Driver’s math tells us, assuming the power and weight estimates are in the ballpark, to expect a scorching 12.0-second quarter mile time from the 2013 GT500, a top speed that could be as high as 190 miles per hour and a sticker price of roughly $60,000.
For what it’s worth, that the supercharged and intercooled 6.2-liter LSA V8 engine that will power its – the top run (so far) of Chevy’s muscle car lineup – will put out around 550 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. Naturally, that’s all subject to change…
2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery
In this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama proclaimed that there would be one million electric vehicles on the road in the United States by 2015. recently celebrated the building of the company’s worldwide. More and more automakers are turning to the battery pack and electric motors to improve fuel economy or remove petrol from the equation altogether, but do Americans know what any of this means? Not really, at least according to a recent study.
MediaPost reports that marketing firm Synovate recently polled 1,898 would-be car buyers to gauge their knowledge of hybrids and electric cars, and the results are not encouraging. Only two-thirds are aware that hybrids use both petrol and battery power for propulsion, and a large portion didn’t know hybrids even had batteries onboard. And while we enthusiasts know that most hybrids can run for short distances on electricity alone, only one-third of those polled were aware of that little tidbit.
The results of this poll are likely disheartening to advertisers who have tried tirelessly over the years to explain how hybrids work. And with plug-ins and electric cars starting to flood the market, the education of the car-buying public has just begun. Case in point? Less than half of the nearly 2,000 car-buyers polled knew that plug-in hybrids can run on electric power alone. So… just what is that plug for, then?
Marketing types, and we enthusiasts, have a tough road ahead.
Gallery:
Photos copyright (C)2011 Sam Abuelsamid / AOL
[Source: ]
2011 HRT F111 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Better late than never, they say. And whoever said it could very well have been talking about the . In its debut season last year, the upstart team’s two cars – driven by an array of pilots over the course of the championship – retired nine times and failed to score a single championship point. But that’s okay, because neither did the other two newcomers, Lotus and Virgin.
This year, though, Hispania has gone back to the drawing board, bringing in veteran designer Geoff Willis to thoroughly work over last year’s Dallara-sourced car. After every other team unveiled their new cars and ran them at the successive pre-season tests, HRT was still building theirs, showing us some in the meantime and running the old car to test the new tires. But now they’ve finally put on the finishing touches, shown it to the world and took it out on the track for the first time.
While they were at it, HRT has also announced its final driver line-up, filling in that last TBA on the 2011 driver roster with the hiring of Tonio Liuzzi (who lost his seat at Force India) to drive alongside Narain “Tata Money” Karthikeyan this season. Check out their new Cosworth-powered ride in the high-res image gallery below.
has reportedly approved the , a microcar concept it showed off at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, for production. The minute Pixel is advertised as the most efficiently-packaged four-seater in the world. It comes in at just under 10 feet long, and is nearly a foot shy of the Tata Nano’s overall length.
Assuming the report from Autocar is accurate, the Pixel will take the place of the previously-proposed once the doors have been converted to traditionally-opening units and the gauges have been engineered.
The Pixel will be powered by the Nano’s 60-horsepower, 1.2-liter diesel, which will be mounted under the back seats, turning a five-speed gearbox. No word yet on when Tata plans to have the car on sale, but it seems to be pushing through quickly.
Walter Röhrl takes on the Porsche 904 GTS – Click above to watch video
Walter Röhrl is a magician behind the wheel of… anything, really. From Group-B WRC monsters to exotic Nürburgring beasts, Röhrl is probably capable of beating your local Autocross club’s fastest using a riding mower.
Recently, the automaker brought the stunning 904 GTS out of its museum and on to the racetrack. Our man Damon Lavrinc was lucky enough to get time in the shotgun seat, but the track was like an ice rink and . Thankfully, Porsche set aside time for Röhrl to push the car around on a dry track. The result is pure driving excellence and the clip is .
Fire up your imagination, because a brand new exotic car configurator has come online. It’s time to turn your attention to the 2012 Ferrari FF. You can pick out the exterior color, wheels and a slew of interior color schemes and optional extras.
Our Ferrari FF will wears Avorio (Italian for ivory) paint on the outside, to mimic the kind of conditions we hope to force upon . However, should you desire something different, Ferrari offers a grand total of 44 colors to choose from. And that’s just for the outside – the interior has an equally dizzying amount of color options. Head over to the and be sure to share your ideal setup in the Comments.
The 2012 SLK’s driving experience was a good one. It did, however, leave us wondering about a few things. We’re looking forward to some time behind the wheel of the lighter SLK250. The SLK350’s smaller-engined sibling could end up being the better of the two offerings – that is, until the V8 AMG model enters the mix.
At the recent Geneva Motor Show, a source within Mini revealed to Autoblog that the automaker will be bringing a new concept, dubbed “Goodwood,” to the Shanghai Motor Show next month.
Trust us when we say that we’re going to sleep more soundly tonight knowing that somewhere in the world, this creation exists. We have no idea what the BMW engineers are up to with this one, though we love the idea of an M3-powered spiritual successor to the El Camino throne (bonus points for the camouflage as racing stripes motif, too).
Also of interest:
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just can’t seem to help itself when it comes to sharing frosty videos of the next-generation undergoing . The German automaker has released this second clip to accompany the first, complete with plenty of shots of the muscle-bound sedan getting sideways on the powder. We’re a little handicapped by the fact that we don’t speak German, but that certainly didn’t stop us from enjoying watching the big four door do what it does best on the white stuff.
We still can’t help but feel a pang of remorse for the loss of the naturally-aspirated V10 that powers the current M5, but from what we hear, the new twin-turbo V8 will give us plenty to sing about. Unfortunately, rumor has it that buyers won’t be able to pick up their next-gen M5 with a manual transmission. Still, we’ve got our fingers crossed that BMW will still offer a third pedal in the meanest of the fives. After all, if American buyers can take home the new with a row-your-own gearbox, a manual transmission option shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for the M5. to check out the video for yourself.
Steven Wade has been cranking out blog posts about all things for the last six years at the helm of , a blog he helped create. Eventually, the strains of a family, full-time job and keeping Saabs United afloat meant that selling the site was necessary. Meanwhile, ‘Swade,’ as he is known, decided to quit his day job to focus on his love for all things Saab.
With the day job out of the way, the newly unemployed Wade has now been picked up by Saab to handle social media duties as the company tries to connect more with its customer base. Needless to say, this is a huge step for Wade, who will be helping Saab connect with its loyal base of customers and fans on an intimate level.
We can’t think of a better man for the job, given Swade’s immense talent, knowledge of Saabs, of love for the brand. Good luck and Godspeed.The automaker’s official statement is yours for the reading . Thanks for the tip, Johan!
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Autoblog Podcast #221 is here, and the two Chrises, Zach and Dan chat about the 2012 BMW 6 Series, whether or not the Cadillac XTS has a shot, and debate whether or not the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is hot, or a hot mess. Questions and feedback wrap it up, and it’s an hour and twenty three minutes of fun this week. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week!
Autoblog Podcast #221: Cadillac XTS, 2012 BMW 6 Series and Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
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2011 Lexus IS 350 AWD
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is very proud of that . It’s taken the necessary steps to protect the phrase, which includes applying for for the 
