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Last year was a good one for Harley-Davidson. According to Asphalt and Rubber, the American bike manufacturer saw its sales increase by 5.9 percent globally compared to 2010. Sales in the U.S., meanwhile, were up 5.8 percent. All told, Harley-Davidson managed to move 235,188 units last year, with 151,683 of those heading to owners in the States. Those figures mean the manufacturer managed to post a net income of $105.6 million last year. By contrast, during the fourth quarter of 2010 the company saw a net loss of $46.7 million.

The global recession hadn’t been kind to the company. With a model line designed to cater to the wealthy and their lust for toys, Harley-Davidson suddenly saw itself posting yearly losses. Those at the helm sold off MV Agusta and pulled the plug on Buell all together in an effort to keep Harley-Davidson up right.

Those moves seem to have helped. The company posted $4.6 billion in revenue last year, which marks an increase of 11.6 percent over 2010.

Harley-Davidson sales grew 5.9% in 2011

We’ve never found ourselves with an excess of driveway space, but if that changes any time in the near future, there’s a chance the vacant asphalt could make us a buck or two. Parkatmyhouse.com allows users to upload photos of their driveways, garages or yards and then rent the space for parking on a monthly basis. The program is just getting underway here in the U.S., though UK drivers have been using the site for some time now. Across the pond, parking via the site can cost anywhere from $10 to $30 per day, and the service’s organizers say Parkatmyhouse.com has earned users more than $5 million.

Currently, the service is looking to get off of the ground in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C., so if you have space and are willing to put up with someone’s vehicle in your way day in and day out, head over to the site and sign up. It may just pay for your new garage in no time.

ParkatmyHouse lets you rent your driveway for parking

Detroit in January isn’t exactly the proper place to go topless in a 650-horsepower tire smoker, but that doesn’t mean rumors of the 2013 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Convertible’s impending debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show aren’t accurate. And these spy shots prove that the car is very much ready for its big debut.

We’re expecting the soft-top Shelby to pack the same 5.8-liter supercharged engine as its hard-topped sibling, which means the asphalt will be punished with those aforementioned 650 ponies along with 600 pound-feet of torque. For the coupe, that power equals a top speed of over 200 miles per hour.

So, here’s the big question: Will the 2013 GT500 Convertible be the least expensive way to a wind-in-your-hair blast at supercar speeds? While we all ponder that question, let’s all take a gander at the spy photos in the gallery above. And let’s pray to the god of sunshine that the GT500 Convertible does indeed drop its top in the snowy climes of Detroit in January.

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible caught enjoying the weather ahead of Detroit reveal?

Lotus has been busily preparing its new Exige R-GT rally car, and the automaker just put the racer through its first shakedown tests in Turin, Italy. So far, the Lotus team is happy with the vehicle’s progress, but testing will continue in 2012 as the company prepares to take on the 2012 FIA World Championship. Don’t expect the Exige R-GT to take on too many gravel stages, however. Lotus says the rally car will lock horns with competitors in the FIA GT Class on the asphalt events in Monte Carlo, Tour de Corse and San Remo.

Lotus began working on its rally fighter in July, 2011, which is a pretty quick turn around for the vehicle’s first shakedown run.

But the Exige R-GT Rally Car isn’t the only tasty piece of news from the company. Lotus also fired up the company’s IndyCar engine for the first time as well. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Lotus Exige R-GT rally car gets first shakedown test

Lotus Exige R-GT rally car gets first shakedown test

Accomplished Sports Coupe Rekindles Hope For Scion

When it comes to wringing out a performance car, nothing beats track time. Public roads are crowded, chock full of regulations and policed. Race circuits are lawless expanses of curvy asphalt with just one golden rule: Keep it on the pavement.

Under invitation from Scion, we loaded into a widebody 777 for the long trek across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. Our objective was to drive the automaker’s highly anticipated, all-new FR-S sports car. Upon arrival, we were pleased to learn that Scion had rented Sodegaura Forest Raceway for our full day behind the wheel.

After dozens of laps at unrestricted speed – few have been offered as much track time – we answered many of our own nagging questions. Does Scion’s new rear-wheel-drive coupe deliver all that it promises? How is the power delivery from the naturally aspirated flat-four engine, and is it sufficient? Is the handling balanced and the chassis up to the task? Most importantly, why would someone choose the Scion FR-S over its clone, the Subaru BRZ?

Continue reading 2013 Scion FR-S [w/video]

2013 Scion FR-S [w/video]

City officials in San Pedro, California, have long had their eye on a section of bluff-top road in the area. Constant erosion had threatened to walk away with the asphalt altogether, and that’s exactly what happened during a storm on Sunday, November 20. A massive section of the Paseo del Mar roadway vanished down the bluff, leaving road crews to ponder on how to go about repairing problem. The city first discovered cracks in the road surface last spring, though the extent of the storm’s damage was something of a surprise.

For now, the city is urging residents to stay away from the road until a solution can be found. The Los Angeles Police department has stepped up patrols in the area to keep would-be sight-seers away from the unstable road. Some area activists have accused rampant bluff-top development for accelerated erosion, though the slide could simply be nature at work.

San Pedro, CA suffers massive slide, takes road with it

A BMW dealer in the Netherlands has leaked what it says is a tasty bit of information on the upcoming diesel 5 Series. According to 5post.com, the vehicle will boast a tri-turbo inline six-cylinder oil burner good for around 381 horsepower. That number is a far cry from the 500-pony speculation that had been making the rounds until recently, but that doesn’t mean that the big 5 Series will be any slouch on the road. The dealer also let slip that the vehicle will arrive packing 516 pound-feet of torque, which should be more than enough for the big sedan’s all-wheel drive system to rip up massive handfuls of asphalt to throw at lesser machinery.

Speaking of all-wheel drive, word has it that the 550d will only be available with all four corners turning, at least initially. Production is set to kick off in March of next year, and true to form, there’s no telling whether or not the big, powerful diesel will be available to U.S. buyers. There’s also some indication that this potent engine will show up in hardware like the next-generation BMW X5 and X6, though there are no fuel economy estimates to be had at this time. Presumably, a Touring variant like the one shown above will be on offer overseas, as well, making it this Bimmer a covet-worthy alternative to a premium crossover.

2012 BMW 550dx to be AWD torquemonster with 516 lb-ft

Mercedes-Benz has given the company’s 2012 C63 AMG Black Series a life of its own. The newest commercial for the vehicle shows exactly what happens when dealers shut off the lights and go home for the night. The coupe sets about prowling the streets of some unnamed metropolis in a quest to quench its insatiable thirst for asphalt, frightening away vagrants and using its exhaust note to bark at the moon. Looks like fun. Buyers may want to think about installing a cage in the garage if they plan to bring this Black Series home.

Our short time with the non-Black Series C63 coupe left us wanting plenty more, and the video after the jump is only whetting our appetites for this even snarlier two-door. Click over to check watch the film for yourself.

Continue reading Mercedes releases drool-inducing C63 AMG Black Series featurette

Mercedes releases drool-inducing C63 AMG Black Series featurette

Keep your secrets, friends. That’s the best advice we can give you about keeping your favorite roads traffic-free. Once the word gets out that a particular stretch of asphalt offers a challenging drive, you can all bet that every wannabe heel-toe hero in the area will descend upon it. We’ve seen it happen on hallowed turf like Rte. 129 in Tennessee, and now it appears that the Nürburgring is beginning to suffer the same fate. The track was recently so packed with drivers that a traffic jam ensued, turning the Green Hell into one giant lead-follow course.

Of course, a gaggle of bunched-up vehicles on what’s supposed to be a no-holds-barred road course generates its own issues, as you’ll see in the video after the jump. With cars careening toward slower traffic, one near-miss ensues when a Porsche 997 almost bounces off a Boxster. The Nürburgring’s operators have officially raised lap prices in an effort to make the track safer for everyone. Hopefully those safety improvements will show up sooner rather than later. Hit the jump to see the traffic travesty on the Nürburgring for yourselves.

Continue reading Even the Nürburgring gets traffic jams

Even the Nürburgring gets traffic jams

Police in the UK have begun investigating the cause of a 34-vehicle pileup on the country’s M5. The fiery collision claimed the lives of seven motorists and saw an additional 51 individuals injured. Of those, 42 were treated at local hospitals.

According to BBC News, a subsequent investigation has revealed that fireworks display by a local rugby club could be to blame for the event. According to police, the Taunton Rugby Club sponsored a fireworks display that led to a massive bank of smoke that obscured the roadway. The club is currently cooperating with the investigation and police are investigating the legality of the fireworks show.

A total of 15 individuals are still being treated for injuries sustained in the accident, which occurred Sunday. While all of the vehicles involved in the crash have been removed from the scene, police say that over 130 feet of asphalt has been ruined by spilled fuel, and an additional 197 feet of road surface has been destroyed by severe fire. Click past the jump to watch an Associated Press report on the incident.

Continue reading 34-car UK pileup kills seven… are fireworks to blame? [w/video]

34-car UK pileup kills seven… are fireworks to blame? [w/video]

YouTube has served up some pretty impressive motorcycle saves over the years, and Gino Rea can now count himself among the hallowed few who have managed to pull a bike out of a tailspin and come up grinning.

The World Supersport rider found himself in a nasty high-side during last weekend’s race in Portugal when the rear of his Honda went wild. Instead of simply accepting his date with the asphalt, Rea held on and actually managed to keep the machine vertical throughout the thrashing. Unfortunately, he did manage to push fellow rider Brock Parkes off of the track with him at one point.

The video is impressive enough, though BikeSportNews managed to snap a few incredible photos that show just how far Rea was removed from his steed before planting himself back in the saddle. Our hats go off to the rider. Rea finished the race 14th. Hit the jump to check out the impressive bit of riding for yourself.

Continue reading Gino Rea fights the high-side… and wins

Gino Rea fights the high-side… and wins

It appears that Ducati riders in Ecuador respond to different stimuli than riders in North America. This shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise – we’re used to ‘Ooooooh’-ing at primetime commercials from other lands that could barely get past Cinemax censors here. In the case of four Ducati ads from the Italian firm’s Ecuadorian agency, though, the response might less “Ooooh” and more, “Oh.”

The four single panels are apparently from April 2011, and in just two lines and a simple drawing present four hypothetical people, their intriguing powers, and their brand of bike. When it was thought that these were Ducati North America efforts, the local HQ disavowed them and said they might be spec creative. But it turns out they’re real ads, and a few clicks on Uncle Google reveals that some folks like them.

Check them out in the gallery and see what you think – good for us, or best for others?

Ducati ads defy all logic

We tend to keep our one-wheeled shenanigans pretty simple. Blame it on an old bike or anatomical deficiencies all you like, but the truth is, getting one wheel in the air on asphalt is a nerve-racking proposition. So when we see skills like those in the video after the jump, we can’t help but fire up a round of the old slow clap. The clip shows one talented individual with a bike’s nose in the air for a solid minute and a half, and he could clearly ride it much longer if he wanted. Now, this isn’t a plain vanilla wheelie. Oh no. This rider takes the time to exit the freeway, make a right through an intersection and change lanes all while on the rear tire.

This is typically where we say something along the lines of “don’t try this at home.” And this case is really no different… so, don’t try this at home. And if you do, just make sure you’re wearing the proper gear when you get the itch to point your motorcycle toward the sky. Hit the jump to check out the clip for yourself.

Continue reading The art of the wheelie

The art of the wheelie

There are some who get paid to soar above us mere mortals, professional jumpers. Basketball stars like Kobe Bryant, martial arts movie stars like Jackie Chan, even NFL players like Calvin Johnson who have made reputations with their vertical leap. Then there are crazy people, like “Al the jumper.”

Throwing caution and any semblance of good judgment to the wind, Al jumps over moving vehicles. Lots of them, seemingly often. A Lamborghini Gallardo, a Mercedes SLK, a Nissan 300ZX – the guy may be nuts, but he does seem to have impeccable taste in sports cars.

His YouTube videos prove he’s a pretty decent gymnast and the guy can, of course, dunk. One of his homemade highlight reels implores Nike to hire him, although we also see what happens when he mistimes his jump over a speeding car. Let’s just say that Al and asphalt are well acquainted.

Which bring us to the (hopefully) obvious conclusion we’ve drawn after watching Al’s uploads: Please, don’t try this at home with your own Lambo.

All the videos, including his most recent and famous jump over a Lamborghini Gallardo, can be viewed after the jump.

Continue reading Crazy Swedish man jumps over speeding Lamborghini

Crazy Swedish man jumps over speeding Lamborghini

Kawasaki has released a slew of images of the 2012 ZX-14R, a motorcycle that will feature new electronic enhancements, a reworked engine and slightly restyled bodywork for next year.

As reported by Asphalt & Rubber, the engine block will be stroked to 1,441cc and the cylinder head will be ported and polished for greater flow. In addition, the ZX-14R will make use of a higher compression ratio and new cam timing. No one’s saying exactly how much power that will all add up to, but Kawasaki calls the bike the world’s fastest-accelerating production motorcycle.

In addition to the reworked innards, the 2012 ZX-14R will also come packing traction control (sounds like a good idea…) for the first time as well as a throttle-by-wire system. The KTRC traction control system will offer the rider three different settings, all selectable from the handlebar and viewable from the gauge cluster. The bike will also features a few changes to the frame for a little more rigidity. Stay tuned for more details.

Kawasaki shows off 2012 ZX-14R, calls it world’s fastest-accelerating motorcycle

Cadillac really is ready to challenge all comers in the luxury automobile segment, then Mercedes-Benz is a great target to shoot for. As such, perhaps it’s not surprising that Caddy put together a video showing how it can easily dispatch one of the German automaker’s products. The battleground is a straight stretch of asphalt with a starting line, finish line and hit-the-gas-now light tree. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a little bit of America versus Germany automotive action, no? Problem is, from our vantage point, Cadillac isn’t exactly fighting fair.

General Motors’ luxury arm picked out a Mercedes-Benz C300 as its desired target. There’s really nothing in Cadillac’s stable right now that lines up directly with the C300 (the CTS is too large and the ATS isn’t here yet), so the American automaker decided to trot out… an Escalade.

Now, we’re all for vehicles of different shapes and sizes lining up in one-on-one motorsports combat, but there’s nothing fair about this fight. The C300 is an entry-level luxury sedan powered by a modest 228-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 engine (it’s not even the most powerful ‘regular’ C-Class – that distinction belongs to the 302-hp C350). In the other line sits a gurgling, much more expensive luxury SUV with its 6.2-liter 403-horsepower V8 power plant loping eagerly under the hood.

Why not put an Escalade Hybrid up against an SLS AMG? If the ‘Slade managed to beat that, then we’d really have something to talk about, eh?

Click past the jump to watch Cadillac show up a Mercedes-Benz that didn’t deserve it.

Continue reading Cadillac beams over Escalade beating Mercedes-Benz C300 in drag race

Cadillac beams over Escalade beating Mercedes-Benz C300 in drag race

Mike Ryan is our kind of insane. Not only did the man fling his Freightliner race truck up the winding side of Mount Washington earlier this year, but the professional stunt and race driver has also joined forces with drifting legend Sam Hubinette for a little exhibition show during round six of the Formula Drift Championship.

In preparation of wowing the masses at the FD gathering, Ryan came out for a little shakedown session with the big Freightliner. Things didn’t exactly go smoothly at first, with Ryan fighting the truck all over the impromptu course, but it didn’t take long to get the kinks ironed out.

Within a matter of hours, Hubinette had Ryan pirouetting around the asphalt and oval track like an drift hero. Fortunately for all involved, the whole experience was recorded for posterity. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.

How to drift a semi in 18 easy steps

Our history with the tricycle is somewhat spotty. The inherently unbalanced design is only associated with skinned knees and brushes with asphalt in our memories, but apparently not everyone had the same experience. A trio of daredevils have taken to slinging themselves down mountain passes on modified big-boy trikes with nothing but the soles of their shoes for deceleration. Judging by the footage after the jump, the crew can crest speeds of 55 miles per hour, blowing by traffic and generally abandoning all regard for their well-being in the process. We love it.

Now, we’d be derelict in our duties if we didn’t mention that you’d have to be completely mental to try this on your own. If you do decide to take to public streets on a homemade trike, just don’t tell the authorities we told you to do it. Hit the jump to see the insanity for yourself.

Continue reading Epic trike racing blows our minds

Epic trike racing blows our minds

Drifting isn’t a real sport.

So sayeth the peanut gallery that thinks drifting is just a bunch of wheel-spinning youngsters who’ve watched way too many selections from the Fast and Furious library. I’m here to tell you that it’s very much a sport, and the men and women behind the wheels of their sideways machines dance the thin line between aggressive fury and smoke-filled poetry.

I’m sweating my ass off in the middle of the Mojave Desert for my first lesson on drifting, and my teacher for the day is none other than Mr. Michael Essa. He’s late, it’s hot and I’m surrounded by a pit road filled with random examples of rear-wheel-drive Japanese machinery in all the colors of the rainbow. Plus three more hues that I’ve never seen before.

Who exactly is this guy I’m waiting for? If you’re already a fan of drifting, than you know that Professor Essa is the bespectacled pilot of the GSR Autosport BMW Z4. Essa is a professional drifter who competes in the Formula Drift series alongside the likes of Vaughn Gittin Jr., Rhys Millen and Samuel Hubinette, amongst others. Mike is passionate about his sport, skilled behind the wheel and also capable of ducking under the hood and turning some wrenches. At the moment, however, I don’t know any of this… because I’m melting into the asphalt of the Streets of Willow, and Essa is still late.

Continue reading Sliding Sideways Through The Desert: A day spent drifting with Michael Essa [w/video]

Sliding Sideways Through The Desert: A day spent drifting with Michael Essa [w/video]

General Motors has finally let one of its biggest cats out of its bag: The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be officially rated at 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque.

Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro, is justifiably proud of his creation, saying, “The Camaro ZL1 delivers supercar performance and technology in the sports-car segment. For sheer power, the ZL1 delivers more horsepower than a Ferrari 458, more torque than an Aston Martin DB9 V12, and a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.”

The supercharged engine is the most powerful mill ever put in the engine bay of a Camaro – besting the rated output of the 1969 Camaro ZL1’s 427-cubic-inch V8 by 150 horses – and it can be mated up with either a six-speed manual gearbox or, importantly for mass appeal, a six-speed automatic fitted with Drive, Sport and Manual modes for increased driver involvement.

You may be wondering how Chevrolet expects all that power to reach the ground in any meaningful fashion that doesn’t involve incinerating a fresh pair of tires. And the answer would be with Performance Traction Management and third-generation Magnetic Ride Control. Magnetic Ride control uses Magneto-Rheological fluid in the shocks and is computer controlled with readings that adjust damping a staggering 1,000 times per second, and has Tour, Sport and Track settings.

Performance Traction Management, not surprisingly, is a traction control system with five distinct modes appropriate for everything from rain to race, which is calibrated for use at drag strips conditioned with VHT (a traction compound sprayed on asphalt).

Inquiring minds want to know: How will Ford and Dodge respond to the 2012 ZL1? We’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, click past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to pack 580 hp

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to pack 580 hp