The Auto Blog .ru

Is everything made by Aston Martin better than everything made by Ferrari? Is the Porsche 911 really nothing more than a glorified Volkswagen? Is a three-wheeled Reliant Robin the best possible choice as a replacement for the out-of-service space shuttle? And, finally, Who is the Stig?

These are the ongoing questions asked time and time again by fans of the hit British motoring show Top Gear. And, in the case of the Stig, that topic is also one of Google’s most often searched queries. Interestingly enough, those in the know claim they’ve had the answer for quite some time.

If you don’t want the elaborate ruse to be spoiled, stop reading now. Still with us? Okay, good. It’s Ben Collins. Allegedly. In this particular case, though, the evidence seems almost indisputable since it comes from financial information obtained from Collins Autosport, Ben Collins’ own company.

According to the paperwork, the former Formula Three racing driver had a big increase in pay in 2003, which just so happens to be the first year in which the White Stig took over for the recently deceased Black Stig. That income was reportedly from “driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme.” So there you go. Mystery solved?

P.S. – Can we get that autobiography already, then?

[Source: Telegraph]

Identity of the Stig revealed… again [spoiler alert, maybe]

Not everything that trawls the potholes of Woodward Ave. during the Dream Cruise was made in America. A lot of the cars aren’t from around here; they’re imports. We’re not just talking about Japanese cars, either. The imports at Woodward often hail from Europe, and are just as classic as anything that Detroit screwed together.

Truth be told, we didn’t capture as many foreign cars as we would have liked between dodging raindrops and trying fill all of our other galleries. But we went ahead and built a high-res gallery with the shots we got because, well, we got some really good ones of classic Porsche 911s, and we figured the Porschephiles among you could use some new desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Autoblog Staff / AOL

2010 Woodward: Rides that aren’t from around here

Not everything that trawls the potholes of Woodward Ave. during the Dream Cruise was made in America. A lot of cars aren’t from around here, and for all intents and purposes are imports. We’re not just talking about Japanese cars, either. These imports more often than not come from Europe, and are just as classic as anything that Detroit screwed together.

Truth be told, we didn’t capture as many imports as we would have liked in between dodging rain drops and trying fill all of our other galleries. But we went ahead and built a high-res gallery with the shots we got because, well, we got a few really good shots of some classic Porsche 911s, and we figured some of your Porsche fanatics might like a new desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Autoblog Staff / AOL

2010 Woodward: Imports that aren’t from around here

Take note, MotoGP fans. The series’ next stop will be right her in America at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As the second and final stop here in the United States, this will be the last time you’ll be able to see the fastest motorcycles ridden by the most talented riders in the world for a while.

And we’ve just been made aware of yet another reason why you might want to make the pilgrimage down to Indy for the weekend’s festivities. It seems that the Grand Marshall for the event will be none other than certified gearhead and comedian Jay Leno.

As part of his duties, Leno will be presenting the winner’s trophy at the end of the race, but he apparently won’t be taking any hot laps of his own. Says the comedian:

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the greatest spectator tracks in the world. Thankfully my R1 will stay in the Big Dog Garage as I plan to watch and cheer on our three Americans right from the pits.

[Source: Indianapolis Motor Speedway via Asphalt & Rubber]

Continue reading Jay Leno to serve as Grand Marshall at Indianapolis MotoGP

Jay Leno to serve as Grand Marshall at Indianapolis MotoGP

The crew from Suzuki and Road & Track officially hold the new Land Speed Record for the Blown Gas Coupe Category. The team wheeled out their modified 2010 Suzuki Kizashi to the Bonneville Salt Flats and managed to average an impressive 203.720 mph across two high-speed runs, besting the previous record by a little less than a second and a half. R&T commissioned legendary engine builder Richard Holdener to rework the engine in the Kizashi before it hit the salt, and as a result, the car wore forged internals and a beefier turbo that shoved a full 16 pounds of boost into the four-cylinder as the Sam Mitani-helmed Suzuki headed down the dry lake bed.

Now that the Kizashi has one record under its belt, Road & Track is planning to try for a second, naturally-aspirated record by unbolting the turbo and going hog wild. Now all we have to wonder is how much it’s going to take to convince Suzuki to offer those slick seam-welded steel wheels as an option on the Kizashi Sport. Hit the jump to take a look at a video of the car during its record-setting run, as well as a press release detailing the occasion.

Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL
[Source: Suzuki]

Continue reading Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

The 95th running of the Indianapolis 500 this May represented the 100th Anniversary of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.” The unbroken streak halted a total of five years during our involvement with the two World Wars. It’s hard to believe we’ve had this legendary race for that long, but the centennial was certainly deserving of recognition – and although perhaps a bit incongruous to some, it was celebrated in grand style at no less than the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. As America’s premier race, why not have America’s – and perhaps the world’s – premier classic car event host the festivities?

A large class of past Indy winners and notable contenders gathered in Pebble Beach on Sunday. Take a look at our gallery and you will see most, if not all, of the entrants – many on rare special loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum:

1911 Marmon “Wasp”
1920 Peugeot 3 Litre
1928 Miller “Front Drive Special”
1934 Ringling & Henning “Wonder Bread Special”
1938 Maserati 8CTF “Boyle Valve Special”
1950 Kurtis “Cummins Diesel Special”
1953 Kurtis Kraft KK 500B “Bardahl Special” B
1961 Cooper T51 “Kimberly Cooper-Climax Special”
1961 Watson “Bowes Seal Fast Special”
1965 Lotus 38 “Powered by Ford”
1972 McLaren “Sunoco Special”

Some incredible cars with the strongest of pedigrees are in there, and the best part of this class was seeing how much things have changed while some things seem to stay the same despite the era. Take a look at the gallery below and see the evolution of Indy race cars over a century.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: A century of Indianapolis 500 entrants féted at Pebble

For those who may not have noticed, Italy is ready to get a new automaker… back. The name’s De Tomaso, and if you’re up on your car history, you’ll recognize it as the father of classics such as the Pantera and Mangusta. But after lying dormant for decades, the company has been rescued by Italian automotive industrialist Gian Mario Rossignolo. Under his direction, De Tomaso is expected to launch a new lineup. It’s the dawn of a new era for the brand, and it has launched a new logo for its bright new future.

Replacing the old badge with the abstract T (far left) is a new icon (far right) that more clearly encompasses the D and the T in a more modern, muscular shape. It’s the work of branding guru Peter Arnell, who recently took up the position of Chief Innovation Officer for the resurgent automaker. We’re looking forward to seeing what it’ll eventually adorn, with sources tipping a sports car, a luxury sedan, a sport ‘ute, and most recently, a Mini rival. Whatever it is, expect a new De Tomaso to be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

[Source: autoblog.it]

De Tomaso unveils a new logo for a new future

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?

If ever there were a single car that could be said to embody the Japanese concept of “kaizen“, or continuous improvement, it is the Porsche 911. Over its nearly half-century run, the range-topping sportscar from Porsche has been in a state of continual evolution, and with the possible exception of the 1998 transition from the air-cooled 993 models to the water-cooled 996, it would be hard to argue that any of the variants were truly all-new.

Nonetheless, a heavily reworked 911 is expected to be launched next year as a 2012 model that will still be instantly recognizable as a 911. Autocar is reporting that the new car will continue to share its front structure with the new Boxster, but the multi-link rear suspension will be revised and the rear-engined machine will get longer overall.

Like so many other modern cars, the face of the new 911 will likely incorporate a row of LEDs to function as daytime running lamps while the mirrors move back from the A-pillars to the doors. Despite the racing debut of the 911 GT3R hybrid this year, a similar setup for the road car still seems to be a ways off. The first hybrid 911 we see for the road will likely be a mild adaptation of the system in the Cayenne Hybrid with a smaller motor and lithium ion battery similar to the one used in the Mercedes-Benz S400.

[Source: Autocar]

Rendered Speculation: 2012 Porsche 911 to look strangely familiar

While the Lotus booth at the Jet Center Party in Monterey had several outstanding cars on display, two of them had us drooling more than the rest. The first was the all-new, million-dollar Lotus Exos T125 single-seat racer and the other was the car you see here – the Lotus Evora Cup GT4 car. The Evora’s shape is pleasing enough in stock form, but add a few wings and scoops and it is totally bad-ass…especially in British Racing Green.

This Evora will be used in a new single-make series along the lines of the long-running Porsche Cup. The car is also eligible for GT4 class racing against the likes of the Audi R8 LMS and Porsche 911s. While the 4.0-liter, Toyota-based V6 has been bumped up to 400 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, that’s still not earth-shaking power. It’s hoped that the Evora’s relatively light weight and Lotus’s handling expertise, however, will be enough to keep it in the hunt against those more powerful machines.

Lotus hinted it will be lapping Laguna Seca in this puppy later in the week, and we’ve already penciled it in. If that happens we’ll be sure to bring you more pics, but for now, check out the gallery of photos from Wednesday night’s Jet Center Party below.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: Lotus Evora Cup GT4 has us shaken and stirred

The annual Monterey classic and exotic car festivities may culminate in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, but there are literally dozens of events during the week to keep everyone happy. Check out our official Autoblog Monterey Calendar if you doubt us. Our favorite way to kick off the week is always Wednesday night’s McCall’s Motorworks Revival at The Monterey Jet Center. The Jet Center Party, as it’s more informally known, brings together some of the most significant cars from all of the other events, along with many of the celebs and VIPs, lots of fabulous food and beverages, and an awesome assortment of classic warplanes and new jets for sale. It might sound like an odd mix, but it makes for a perfect start to our week in Monterey every year.

While the Lotus booth was truly a worthy centerpiece this year, with its all-new, million-dollar Lotus Exos T125 single-seat racer, Lotus Evora Cup GT4 car, Takuma Sato’s Indy Racing League Lotus Dallara and a production Lotus Evora, there was plenty more to see as usual. Bonham’s brought over several of their top offerings; a few race cars made it over from the track, some vintage Jaguars snuck over from Quail, and Bentley, Jaguar, Audi, Porsche; and several other manufacturers had their usual grand displays. There were even a few oddball, one-off and fledgling builders on hand, like the Singer 911 and Morgan.

Highlights included the Jaguar XJ13 and XK-SS, Audi Sport Quattro and R10, Lola T220, the bare metal Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, Maserati A6GCS, Porsche 550 and 917 Spyders and that super rare drag pack Shelby GT350 Mustang. Heck, we even got to hang out with Takuma Sato who said he’s really enjoying his rookie season in IndyCars and that ovals are a real test of your concentration. He also said he loves the way the Lotus Evora Cup GT4 car feels. Real nice guy.

Click below to check out our gallery of photos from Wednesday night’s Jet Center Party.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: McCall’s Motorworks Revival kicks things off

The full-on competition version of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is now officially available to order for race teams in preparation for the 2011 season. Mercedes-Benz will start delivering the GT3-class race cars in February of 2011, leaving plenty of time for teams to do their own preseason testing.

The GT3 class for production based sports cars is truly heating up these days with Mercedes joining Audi, BMW and, of course, Porsche. The American Le Mans Series has dipped its toe into GT3 waters this year as well with the GT Challenge class. At present, GT Challenge is currently limited to Porsche 911s but hopefully, Porsche will open it up to other GT3 contenders.

AMG and HWA AG are developing and producing the SLS GT3, and track testing began in June with veteran Mercedes-Benz DTM and GT driver Bernd Schnieder at the wheel. Before customer deliveries begin, the SLS will appear in some VLN endurance series races at the Nürburgring Nordschleife later this year. The SLS AMG GT3 costs €334,000 before value added taxes (about $430,000 U.S.). Check out the official press release after the break.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 order books open for 2011 race season

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 order books open for 2011 race season

Yes, it’s a Mini. Yes, it’s a crossover. Yes, it makes sense.

Whether we like it or not, even niche automakers are expanding their lineups to appeal to a broader range of shoppers. This may seem like automotive blasphemy, but think back a few years ago when Porsche introduced the Cayenne. We all threw temper tantrums and hugged our 911s, but now we begrudgingly accept that, as far as SUVs go, the Cayenne is pretty damn good and has been the brand’s #1 selling model since day one. So in comparison, adding the 2011 Countryman to the Mini lineup isn’t nearly as big of a culture shock.

In an effort to show Mini owners and enthusiasts that the Countryman is indeed worthy of a Cooper badge, the automaker brought a few of the new crossovers out on its 2010 Mini Takes The States cross-country road rally. Mini is wholly confident that people will be impressed with what the Countryman has to offer, not only with functionality, but with driving dynamics, as well. We saddled up to find out for ourselves.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing / AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Mini Countryman

First Drive: 2011 Mini Countryman

You can buy a lot of sports car for $295,000. A fully loaded Lamborghini Gallardo; an Audi R8 and matching R8 V10; three Nissan GT-Rs and a Mustang GT; a 911 Turbo, a Cayman and a Boxster… we can play that game all day. But buying a great car (or cars) is just part of the equation. Insurance, storage, fuel and track time can add up quickly, even for the well-off among us, but the folks over at Skip Barber have a different idea.

The world-famous driving school is offering a lifetime pass for a not so affordable $295,000, but that lofty figure includes just about all the learning and racing your heart desires. Lifetime Fast Fast Pass owners can register for an entire season in advance, race at one of the school’s 10 tracks or show up at any event and fill any open spots. One thing lifetime pass owners can’t do is bump another driver from a purchased spot; a damn good rule if you ask us.

The latest offer from Skip Barber comes after the driving school offered a $150,000 unlimited pass, $100,000 national pass or a $75,000 regional pass. School officials are gauging interest in the passes, and if too many die-hard drivers purchase a lifetime pass a cap may be placed on the amount of available spots. If you’ve got the means, get in quick.

[Source: Skip Barber]

Lifetime membership to Skip Barber available for $295,000

Honda is finally set to launch the Fit hybrid in Japan this October and pricing is rumored to start at ¥1.59 million or about $18,600 at current exchange rates. That’s a $4,700 premium over a standard gasoline powered Fit in Japan, but $3,500 less than the Insight, which makes it the cheapest hybrid available across the Pacific.

The Insight and Fit are built on the same platform, so the five-door Fit will likely use the same 1.3-liter mild-hybrid powertrain as its sibling. When we reviewed the Insight last year we concluded that its packaging sacrifices weren’t really worth the price premium over the Fit. If the Fit hybrid were offered here, the starting price would likely be somewhere around $18,000 based on the current prices of the Fit and Insight. We checked with Honda officials and they still have no plans to offer the Fit hybrid in the United States.

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Honda Fit Hybrid to cost $18,600* in Japan

Last seen turning the Porsche 911 Turbo into the SPR1R, Swiss tuner Sportec has turned its attention to the Panamara Turbo with the creation of two upgrade packages. The stage 1 kit bumps the standard 493 horsepower to 560, and adds 60 more pound-feet of torque for a total of 576. The underhood tweaks translate into a 0-to-62 time of 3.9 seconds, 0.3 quicker than stock. It can be yours for £2,900 ($4,626 U.S.).

The stage 2 kit adds a sport exhaust with remote-controlled butterflies to the stage 1 setup, delivering 575 hp and 598 lb-ft. You drop another 0.1 second off that 0-to-62 time, but it’ll cost you more: £7,990 ($12,745 U.S.). Follow the jump for the press release and check out the gallery of photos below.

[Source: Sportec]

Continue reading Sportec works over the Porsche Panamera Turbo

Sportec works over the Porsche Panamera Turbo

You can’t accuse the guys at Road & Track of lacking ambition. The magazine has announced plans to tackle the seemingly impossible by building a Suzuki Kizashi to do battle at Speed Week on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The crew will be shooting for not one, but two different land speed records. On the low end is the naturally-aspirated gas coupe record which, for some odd reason, sits at a lowly 103 mph. The plan is to unbolt the factory turbo and run the car as a naturally aspirated machine. That shouldn’t be so much of an issue considering that the stock Kizashi can knock off that kind of speed without so much as turning a wrench under the hood.

The really impressive feat will be seeing whether or not the Kizashi can topple the blown gas coupe category. That record sits at a more respectable 202 mph, which means the Road & Track team will need to work the little Suzuki up to at least 203 mph. To do that, the crew turned to Richard Holdener – a man with plenty of experience pulling other worldly speed out of common cars. Hit the jump for a look at the first three in a series of videos about the build.

Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL
[Source: Road & Track]

Continue reading Video: Road & Track working on 200 mph Suzuki Kizashi for Bonneville?!

Video: Road & Track working on 200 mph Suzuki Kizashi for Bonneville?!

We first spotted Singer’s 911 Concept in Monterey last year at the historic races at Laguna Seca. From afar, it just looked like another classic Porsche 911, but a closer look revealed much, much more. We met up with Singer and the car back in Los Angeles for a photoshoot and were astounded at the creativeness, attention to detail and absolute beauty of the car. Singer told us that they were hoping to build a production version, but with a targeted selling price of a little under $200,000, we feared that the concept might be the only one ever built.

Thankfully, as it turns out, there are at least a few wealthy car enthusiasts with a taste for a hand-built, vintage 911 with carbon fiber bodywork, custom interior and a modern Porsche flat-six power. Singer completed its first production 911 late last week and delivered to its lucky new owner at their facility in Sunland, CA with a small gathering of those who helped make the car happen.

The car is finished in Singer Racing Green with a Grow Green and Terra Cotta striping package and is heavily optioned with a 410 horsepower 3.82-liter flat-six, Brembo brake package, Bilstein coilover suspension, RSR steering wheel, Heuer chronograph clock, leatherweave seats and more. Building of the second production car will start later this month with a third beginning in October. Check both the mean green machine and the stunning orange Laguna Seca model in our high-res galleries below.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Do Want: Singer Vehicle Design delivers its first production 911

There are no shortage of reasons why we love the Ferrari P4/5, and by extension, owner Jim Glickenhaus for bringing it to fruition. The Pininfarina-penned one-off drew its inspiration and design cues from the legendary P3/4, one of the most achingly beautiful – and devastatingly fast – Ferraris ever devised. Just one problem: the original P3/4 was a homologated race car, harking back to the days when you could drive your machinery to the track, race for the day and then blast back home. Those days are far behind us, but that’s no problem for our old friend Jim. He’ll just make another one.

And so was born the P4/5 Competition project, creating a racing version to compliment the street-legal coachbuilt special. Unlike the Enzo-based road car, Glickenhaus chose to base the Competizione model on an amalgamation of F430 underpinnings, using the 430 Scuderia’s chassis (to ensure that it would be able to be converted back to street use once its racing days were over) and the F430 GT2’s drivetrain to keep it up to speed with the competition.

The project is now well under way, and Jim has released the rendering you see above to give us a heads-up on what the final product will look like. Of course the design is largely the same as the P4/5 roadcar, but upgrades with some race-specific components, from the front splitter to the rear wing and a livery inspired by racing Ferraris of yore. Reports indicate that it will be classified as an experimental racer in the same vein as the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid. For our part, we can’t wait to see it turn its wheels in anger at some of the world’s most legendary circuits.

[Sources: PistonHeads, Jalopnik]

Ferrari P4/5 Competizione rendered as development prances on

Dual-clutch transmissions have become increasingly popular in small cars and have even appeared in high-performance machines like the Porsche 911 and Bugatti Veyron. Now, Mitsubishi Fuso has become the first commercial truck maker to offer one of these fancy new gearboxes in a hauler.

The new six-speed M038S6 “Duonic transmission” features wet clutches and incorporates the ability to creep in traffic for smoother operation. Although Duonic-equipped trucks will probably be driven mostly in fully-automatic mode, the transmission can also be manually shifted. Mitsubishi Fuso is 85-percent owned by Daimler, with the remainder being held by Mitsubishi.

[Source: Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation]

Continue reading Double-clutch transmissions graduate to the world of commercial trucks

Double-clutch transmissions graduate to the world of commercial trucks