1974 Volkswagen Scirocco designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro
The has completed its takeover of Italdesign Giugiaro (IDG) with the purchase of a 90.1 percent stake in the design studio. The shares in the company were purchased by – “owned” by VW Group member – and the remaining 9.9 stake is still in the hands of the Giugiaro family. The buyout was originally reported back in and the studio/small volume manufacturer are now part of the ever-expanding auto conglomerate. The top management of the company, including founder/chairman Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son and vice-president Fabrizio, remain in place.
Volkswagen and IDG have a relationship going back decades, when the elder Giugiaro penned the 1970 Volkswagen Porsche Tapiro Concept as well as the first generation and Scirocco. It’s unclear if IDG will continue working with outside clients or will now dedicate itself to VW Group projects.
Maserati Quattroporte by Novitec Tridente – Click above for high-res image gallery
Used to be – not so long ago, even – that if you wanted something exotic and sporty with four doors, your choices were largely limited to the . Maybe the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, if your budget and tastes veered more towards the statesmanly. But these days, buyers have more choices in the form of the , and even the . And while Maserati reportedly has a pair of new QPs in the works, for those still enamored with the current model but hoping for a little extra kick, Novitec Tridente has something in store for you.
Novitec who, you ask? The Dutch tuning firm massages all manner of Italian automobiles – like the and , for example – under its unadorned name, but may be more familiar to exotic car aficionados under the Novitec Rosso label, the division that tunes models. A couple of years ago, the company launched a unit dedicated to tuning Maseratis, and these are its latest releases.
The upgrade package can be fitted to either the or the top-of-the-line , bolting a supercharger, intercooler, new intake manifold and fuel injectors and a remapped ECU to the 4.7-liter V8 to boost output up to 590 horsepower, a stout 160 and 150-horse boost over stock, respectively. A new, electronically adjustable sport suspension is also fitted with 21-inch modular wheels and Pirelli P Zero rubber, along with some discreet aero bits and a variety of interior upgrade options. The result? Try 0-62 mph in 4.6 seconds and a 183 mph top tend. Details in the press release after the jump and photos in the high-res image gallery below.
Back in 2004, there was no , no , no or . Just the CLS: the four-door coupe that started it all. But after six years of production, the first-gen CLS has ended its production run after more than 170,000 units made and sold.
In its place, Mercedes is expected to introduce the second-gen CLS at the upcoming Paris Motor Show next month. And it’ll be a tough act to follow, borrowing cues from the and concepts.
The final unit of the current model, a CLS 550 with the AMG styling package, is being delivered to an American customer who will undoubtedly enjoy the pioneering svelte lines of his new four-door coupe as it races its way into the history books.
2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Geely isn’t wasting any time in shaping up its newest acquisition’s product line. The Chinese automaker officially to purchase from earlier this week, and already the Swedish brand’s new chairman is making noises about a new large luxury sedan to go toe to toe with the likes of the and . Li Shufu, Volvo chairman and co-chair of Geely, said that the brand already competes with luxury German carmakers in most markets, but lacks all of the hardware to do so effectively. To remedy the problem, Li wants to put the rush on a new saloon to take the fight to the Bavarians.
According to the Financial Times, Volvo repeatedly ran into roadblocks when it attempted to develop a large four-door under Ford. Evidently the Blue Oval was concerned about a long-wheelbase Swede nabbing sales from – another brand Ford owned at the time. A new Volvo sedan is far from a done deal, though. Li says that the thought of a range-topping sedan is his, and he’ll have to convince the company’s new board to give it the green light. With an ambitious goal to double Volvo to 600,000 units in five years primarily through growth in large-car loving China, a D-segment player sounds like a good bet – at least for select markets.
HMC Hidalgo – Click above for high-res image gallery
Now here’s a pleasant surprise. The designers at Helvetic Motor Company have officially pulled back the sheets on their Hidalgo, and we have to say that while we were expecting the worst, this Swiss Miss is actually pretty sharp. When a builder announces their intention to reskin a perfectly amiable vehicle like the , that typically means bad-news bears. But the Hidalgo seemingly manages to blend heaping helpings of Bugatti Atlantic-era styling with the benefit of the Silver Arrow’s considerable running gear. Power from the 5.5-liter V8 has been kept to the stock 355 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque, enough to make this an interesting alternative to today’s contemporary BMW-powered Morgans.
If you’re thinking the car looks like something you’d like to get your hands on, you should probably be on the phone with HMC right now. The company is apparently only planning on building six examples per year at most, each one with a price tag of $410,000 at today’s current conversion rates. Hey, we never said nostalgia was cheap.
Big Dog quadri-cycle – Click above for high-res image gallery
Friday afternoon, we had the opportunity to walk around the site of the first-ever while exhibitors were getting set up. Among the wheeled contraptions we encountered was the contraption you see above: the Big Dog. This human-powered conveyance was designed and built by of Royal Oak, Michigan in his basement and garage. Big Dog is actually the third such vehicle Wilson has constructed, with his original inspiration coming from a similar device he saw at the Burning Man festival several years ago.
Looking closely at the 600-pound machine (which stands a towering eight feet, six inches tall), it’s clear that Wilson put serious thought and craftsmanship into it. Note the inboard-mounted rear disc brakes and the elaborate gear-change and chain mechanism. The centrally-mounted propane tanks are there to support the flame effects from the tower. We’ll add photos of that if we catch it being demonstrated this weekend.
Gallery:
Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 AOL
[Source: ]
1995 McLaren F1 to be auctioned by Gooding & Company – Click above for high-res image gallery
Gooding & Company’s auction coinciding with this year’s Pebble Beach Concours is coming up in a few short weeks, and the lineup of available cars is shaping up to be quite impressive. Already dozens of incredibly compelling and valuable collector cars are scheduled to make their way across the block, but the car that has caught our attention the most so far is a 1995 McLaren F1.
The F1 is singularly special in its own right, but this particular car is even more attractive to buyers in the United States since it’s one of the few examples actually registered in the country. The car was sold originally to Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, who was one of the sponsors of McLaren’s race team back in the mid-1990s. This F1 comes finished in classic Magnesium Silver paint with a black interior and comes with its factory-delivered luggage and tools. The estimated price? A mere $2.5 to $3.5 million. Follow the jump for full details in the press release from Gooding, and be sure to check out the images below.
Gallery:
Photos by Paul Litwinski (C) 2010 Courtesy of Gooding & Company
2010 BMW X6M – Click above for high-res image gallery
The good people at AutoExpress are doing their best to fan the flames of the X4 rumors. The site claims to have snagged a bevy of information on the Bavarian brand’s product plans, including a more detailed account of what we can expect out of the much-rumored . Supposedly the new high-rider will borrow a heaping helping of design cues from the , so if you aren’t a fan of that brute, odds are you won’t like the new model, either. Unlike the big boy, the site claims that the X4 will make use of a double-gated hatch in the rear similar to what’s found in the – a smart choice to help load and unload parcels.
AutoExpress also lays out drivetrain possibilities, including the likelihood of one very thrifty 2.0-liter turbo diesel mill that promises around 50 mpg. The site says that in that configuration, 0-60 is likely to click off in a somewhat loping 8.6 seconds, though there will be more potent variations available, including one powered by a turbo 3.0-liter inline-six with north of 300 horsepower.
It all sounds good, but BMW itself hasn’t said word one about seriously mulling a new ‘ute.
Gallery:
Photos by Damon Lavrinc / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
N.Technology Porsche Panamera touring car – Click above to watch video
We’re guessing that had to do some head scratching when it came to figuring out which motorsports arena would best suit its big . After all, the company prides itself on forging its wares in the fire of competition. Heck, it even managed to find a suitable arena for the high-riding in the Trans-Siberia Rally. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the scientists at Stuttgart to locate a racing league that would suit the portly Porsche’s talents: The N.Technology team chose to campaign a modified version of the fast four-door in the Italian Supercar series.
The field is made up of other massive bruisers, complete with front-mounted V8 power plants. On any given race day, you can easily see a Chrysler 300C tango with a – something that few other race leagues on the planet can boast. Evidently, the big Panamera is off to a good start – the car managed to take the checkered flag on its very first outing. We haven’t been able to lay our hands on any footage of the N.Technology car dishing out heaping spoonfuls of hurt to the rest of the field, but we have found a quick clip of last year’s season for a little taste of incredibly compelling action. to see for yourself.
According to the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Monthly Statistical Report,U.S. gasoline deliveries for the first half of 2010 averaged 8.88 million barrels per day, 0.6 percent lower than the corresponding period a year ago. Though the drop in demand is minuscule, it does provide us with an indication that despite low gas prices and a rebounding economy, U.S. demand for gas continues to wane.
The numbers for the month of June paint a more vivid picture of our declining need for gas. June gasoline deliveries of 9.18 million barrel per day were the lowest level for any June on record since 2004 and were 0.5 percent lower than June 2009 deliveries. To gain a better understanding of the numbers, gasoline prices in 2004 barely cracked $2, whereas prices now sit at a nationwide average just north of $2.70.
API chief economist John Felmy offered additional insight into the declining demand for gas:
The listless economic recovery continues to take a bite out of gasoline demand. It’s clear from the gasoline deliveries data that consumer confidence in the economy remains shaky. This certainly supports API’s position that increased taxes or other anti-jobs policies by Congress or the administration could increase unemployment and harm our economic recovery.
While economists like to attribute decreased demand for gasoline to our shaky economical situation, we’d also point out that advancements in fuel-saving technologies lead to a dwindling need for gas. for more info from the API.
[Source: American Petroleum Institute Image: - C.C License 2.0]
Vovlo tests the world’s naughtiness – Click above to watch video
Some habits die hard. Swedish manufacturer has always been one for extensive research. The company’s reputation for safety is based largely on its understanding of the mechanics of a collision thanks to impossibly thorough field studies. So it should come as no surprise that when we all thought Volvo was putting down the clipboard in favor of a cocktail glass by throwing a slew of parties in some of the world’s most iconic cities, the carmaker was actually studying human behavior. Go figure. Why? The move was part of the quest to unearth the Capitol of Europe as part of the S60 marketing campaign.
Each of the company’s parties included a few clandestine experiments designed to test participants’ naughtiness, including seeing how many people would try to talk their way into a fake VIP room, hit on an actress who was pretending to be married or sprint through a well-manicured flower bed. Volvo held the same experiments in Berlin, London, Milan, Paris and Madrid. Not surprisingly, the City of Light took the crown by a wide, wide margin. for a look at a video of Swedish sins.
Barry Goldwater’s one-off George Barris 1953 Jaguar XK120 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Long before Barry Goldwater would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 presidential election, the politician apparently had a taste for wildly customized cars. Unsatisfied with the exquisite design of his 1953 XK120, Goldwater commissioned the legendary to turn the car into something special. Barris took the time to work in headlight and tailfin assemblies from a ‘53 , along with a -style spare tire carrier and a shortened rear bumper. Inside, the dash was reworked in unfinished aluminum, complete with an array of aeronautical gauges. We’re quite sure we prefer the bog-standard XK120’s sheetmetal, but this car’s interesting history and one-off nature is hard to ignore.
The car has spent the last 20 years of its life tucked away in a California shop and has emerged via the glory of eBay Motors. The body has weathered the years between 1953 and now without too much wear and tear, though the interior has moved on to the great beyond. The car’s 3.5-liter, DOHC I6 is still in place, as are all of those oddball gauges. The car is available in Newport Beach, California with its reserve not met at $15,639 at the time of writing. If you want it, hop on over to and get to clicking. There are only four days left on the auction right now.
2011 Audi A7 Sportback – Click above for high-res image gallery
There’s a new automotive segment being born as we speak. Previewed by the , and , modern four-door sportback sedans combine the functionality of a hatchback with seating for four or five, all wrapped in a shapely, sleek package. previewed its own offering at the by way of the Sportback concept, and now the production model has officially been unveiled in Munich.
From a design standpoint, it’s obvious that the A7 Sportback was penned alongside the all-new flagship . Audi’s signature LED running lamps are intact up front, in a more angular shape than what you’d see on the or , and the chopped rear deck is not only a throwback to fastback sedans from many decades ago, but its design mimics that of the larger A8, as well. The most striking view, however, is the side profile, which looks to be one part shooting brake and one part coupe, though if we’re honest, we wish the A7’s front overhang were reduced just a bit. Interestingly, at one point, Audi refers to the A7 has having a boattail, which initially made us cringe, but staring at it a bit more, this notion makes a degree of sense.
Powertrain details are slim as of this writing, but Audi says that the A7 Sportback will debut with four different V6 offerings, two petrol and two diesel. Expect the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 from the , and to be on hand, as well as the 3.0-liter TDI V6 found in the SUV. Audi will offer the A7 in both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations, with the Multitronic CVT and seven-speed S-tronic transmissions being used, respectively. Interestingly, unlike the A8, the A7 will make use of electric power steering, so we hope Audi’s boffins have done their homework on dialing in feel and linearity.
Inside, we expect the standard raft of Audi amenities, including the automaker’s new MMI Touch infotainment interface. From there, the latest in Audi technology will be on hand, including wireless internet connectivity. The interior is very much akin to that in the new A8, and we fully expect that it will offer premium creature comforts while still being driver-focused.
No official confirmation for North American consumers just yet, but we expect an all-wheel drive model to make it to these shores – presumably with a gasoline and S-tronic gearbox only configuration.
Hit the jump to read the full details in Audi’s press release, and click through the attached gallery for high-res shots. We fully anticipate that Audi will open the floodgates on further information and images in the near future, so stay tuned.
The internets are abuzz with word that the recent partnership between and Renault may allow the the long dead Roadster to be revived. The folks at Autocar report that a source within Smart says the company has had its eyes on bringing the roadster back to market for awhile now. Evidently, the purveyor of pint-sized transportation is interested in branching out from its city car roots – something that the recent partnership with Renault just might facilitate. Renault has a host of experience producing inexpensive small cars that Smart just might be able to capitalize on.
Autocar doesn’t say exactly which Renault model Smart would use as the basis for the reborn , but there is some indication that other products may be part of the company’s plans as well. The article even made mention of a potential Mini Countryman competitor, meaning that Smart is eying jumping into the CUV fray. Either way, any new blood in the Smart portfolio is bound to help. With fuel prices down, American buyers aren’t interested in making the kind of sacrifices that the requires, but an ultra-compact convertible? That has some potential.
1983 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 5.0 H.O. – Click above for image gallery
There’s a disturbance in The Force. Darth Vader owned a blue Z28. Tell us the truth…you thought all of Vader’s vehicles were black, right? Well, this particular vehicle of his shows that he has, or had, a bit of a sunnier, more playful side as well. This teal proves that the Dark Lord of the Sith must have had at least a smidgen of good left in him. How can you be pure evil and still drive an aqua ? Can’t be done.
Up for sale right now on with no reserve and a low £650 starting bid (about $1,000), this British offering would make a fun project for someone who has progressed beyond building X-Wing LEGO kits and 1/250 scale Millennium Falcons. The rare car (well, rare for Blighty, anyway) is said to have been owned by British actor David Prouse, the man inside Darth Vader’s getup in the original trilogy, and it has 250,000 miles on its tired 5.0-liter H.O. V8 and will need to be towed. There’s a bit of rust, but the body looks relatively straight and although it needs a tractor beam to move right now, it has a newer differential and should need just a carburetor to get back to running condition. Check out the listing on and the gallery of pics below. Thanks for the tip, Leo!
Mini Countryman – Click above for high-res image gallery
Rally and the original went together like sugar and grits. That pint-sized Brit made a habit of showing up at stages, mopping the floor with the competition and motoring home with trophies in tow. The wringability of the little hatches helped catapult them into the storied halls of motorsports lore – something that the new generation of Mini machines has been quick to capitalize on. Now that the brand is set to introduce the Countryman, there’s some concern as to whether or not the high-riding CUV can adhere to the brand’s ethos of punching above its weight.
We’ve heard repeated murmurings in the past about a collaboration between the rally gurus at that could result in the honkin’ Countryman doing battle in the most grueling rally arena of them all – the . A new report says that the two companies will announce something pertinent to their work together later this week. We’re hoping that means a first look at the rally beater, but since we haven’t heard word one from Mini just yet, it’s hard telling. Autocar seems to think that the announcement may have more to do with the team’s schedule than anything else, saying that it expects Mini to hit the WRC by the time Rally Italy rolls around in May of 2011.
Saab: A History in Pictures – Click above for high-res image gallery
Sure enough, fans of the Dutch-owned Swedish manufacturer will descend on Aurora to participate in this year’s 2010 Saab Owner’s Convention. Why Aurora, Ohio? Because 30 years ago, that was where took the checkered at the “Longest Day at Nelson Ledges” 24 hour endurance race. To mark the occasion and celebrate escaping the steely death grip of , the three-day event will feature a keynote address from none other than the company’s charismatic head honcho, Victor Muller. Word has it that Saab’s current chairman, Jan-Åke Jonsson will say a word or two as well. Perhaps tellingly, in past years, GM sent lower-level executives to gladhand at the Saab Owner’s Convention, but this is the first time in memory that such high-ranking officials have committed to make the scene.
Meanwhile, a track day will kick off with test drives of the new Aero Sedan open to any and all who choose to participate. Saab will also have a Aero Convertible on hand to pour over as well. As you might have guessed, there will also be a handful of car show events on the schedule, complete with awards for people’s choice, Concours d’Saab and best Saab Fleet in North America. Fortunately, the whole collection doesn’t have to be in Aurora to pick up the gold on that last one. The shindig starts tomorrow, Thursday, July 22 and runs through Sunday, July 25, so if you’ve got a Saab-loving bone in your body, you know where to be. Hit the jump to see the full press blast.
German pedestrians flood the Autobahn – click above to
The Germans certainly know how to do a block party. According to the , residents between Duisburg and Dortmund have closed 40 miles of the famous for one massive street festival. Organizers of the event handed out 20,000 tables in order to help create the longest table in the world as part of the celebration. At some point, the road was even closed to cyclists due to congestion.
Near as we can tell, the whole event was held to celebrate the Ruhr region as part of the area’s nomination as the Cultural Capital of Europe, 2010. Residents came out in droves to participate in everything from singing and dancing to street shows to mark the occasion. We’re guessing there was plenty of good food on hand, too. Sounds like a pretty good time to us, but we have a hard time believing that anyone on this side of The Pond would be okay with shutting down the for a similar summer shindig. Check out some video footage of the big party on the Trans Europe Express – complete with appropriate Kraftwerk soundtrack – . Thanks for the tip, Gary!
In span of about two-and-a-half years, Arizona’s highway speed camera program, run by Australian company Redflex, mailed 1,105,935 tickets, or close to 1,125 tickets every day. In 2009, a group called CameraFraud went to work to get the cameras taken down, and after a year of effort they’ve been successful: Redflex shut the 78 fixed and mobile cameras down at midnight, July 16.
The group convinced Arizona’s new governer, Jan Brewer, that the cameras were all about money. Brewer’s predecessor, Janet Napolitano, had cited the fact that the cameras would bring in $120 million every year for the state. But since tickets needed to be delivered by process servers to those caught speeding in order to be legally binding, 66% of the violations were never paid. Instead of reaping $120 million annually, over the entire 2.5 years.
There remain some Arizona municipalities with speed-detecting cameras still in use, and CameraFraud is now taking aim at them. Also, the shutdown doesn’t affect the red light cameras, a program run by American Traffic Solutions, which are still in operation.
According to the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Monthly Statistical Report, U.S. gasoline deliveries for the first half of 2010 averaged 8.88 million barrels per day, 0.6 percent lower than the corresponding period a year ago. Though the drop in demand is minuscule, it does provide us with an indication that despite low gas prices and a rebounding economy, U.S. demand for gas continues to wane.
