The El Toro Marine base in Irvine, CA has seen its fair share of automobiles. The open runways are a playground for sports cars, and on any given day, you can find high performance driving schools or testing sessions utilizing the vast expanse of pavement. This week, however, El Toro was on the receiving end of something very, very different. Rhys Millen and the rest of his crew have been hard at work over the last six months creating a monster of an automobile built for just one thing – win the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. They have brought out the car, dubbed the Hyundai Genesis PM580, for a test and tune session ahead of race day on June 27.
El Toro seems an unlikely place to test a car that will be making an ascent up a 14,000 foot mountain, but Rhys told us it’s actually quite ideal. The runways offer nearly identical amounts of traction as the paved portions of the mountain course, and provide more realistic feedback than the smooth surface of a racetrack.
While this might sound like an opportunity for serious hoonage, the Millen camp is all business. Their mission is simple: climb Pikes Peak in less than ten minutes. The team knows that everything has to be perfect if they are going to achieve their goal, so their preparation is methodical and meticulous. Many have tried to break the ten minute mark in the past twenty or so years, and while many of come close – very close – none have been able to do it. However, after spending a day with Millen and his crew, we think he’s got the potential to do it if anyone can. Make the jump to find out why.
2011 Land Rover Range Rover – Click above for high-res image gallery
It may seem hard to remember now, but back in the day – before roamed the earth alongside SUVs aplenty – the Range Rover was the be-all-and-end-all in the luxury sport-ute market. Today Range Rover may have some stiff competition, but JLR is keen to prove its top of the line is still the king of the hill, and to that effect has released a series of upgrades to the 2011 model.
First and foremost is the diesel drivetrain: a new 4.4-liter LT-TDV8 with 308 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque () replaces the old 3.6-liter unit, coupled to a new ZF eight-speed automatic. The 7.5-second sprint to sixty may be a far cry from the 5.9 seconds it takes the gasoline-burning supercharged 5-liter V8, but for a heavy oil-burner returning over 30 miles per gallon on the European combined cycle (the first Range Rover to break that particular efficiency barrier), that’s nothing to cough at. Speaking of the Supercharged model, that engine carries over essentially unchanged, but mated as well to the eight-speed auto. The diesel also benefits from the Supercharged model’s Brembo braking system.
Other revisions include an upgraded Terrain Response system, some minor cosmetic changes, new wheel options, an optional Exterior Design Pack and a special 40th anniversary Autobiography Black edition. These details – more of which you can read about in the press release and view in the video – are unfortunately limited to the European model, so we’ll have to sit tight for the revisions to reach American shores. No word on plans to bring the diesel model across the pond, so for now we’ll just have to add this to the growing list of torque-tastic diesels to admire from afar.
Rossi SixtySix – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s always refreshing to see a car move from rendering to real life. When we , we were immediately smitten with the car’s design. It promised to blend the hefty horsepower and handling prowess of the C6 with legendary looks of the ‘63-’67 Stingrays. That was nearly two years ago, and we had all but written the SixtySix off as nothing but a sexy piece of vaporware. According to CorvetteBlogger, we were wrong. The company has just finished all of the tooling necessary to bring the vehicle to life, and the first car will get an unveil this weekend at Detroit’s EyesOn Design event.
The car has undergone a few changes on the road to reality, namely in the front end. We’re not entirely smitten with the new nose design, but the rest of the car has stuck fairly close to the renderings we fell for not so long ago. Under the new bodywork, the drivetrain remains unmolested, and word is that the company can perform the whole conversion, including the cost of a brand-new C6 Corvette, for around $130,000. Yeah, it’s good looking, but for that kind of money, one could conceivably lay his hands on a , or even a very drivable original ‘63 .
The explosive burble from the V10’s exhaust coming off the back straight seems powerful enough to vaporize insects in mid-air. The Howitzer-like concussions shock through the firewall and slam into our spines an instant before the combustive dissonance has time to reverberate off the outside wall and into our eardrums. The menacing acoustics force the othercars on the circuit to back off, while trackside spectators crane their necks to look up and cheer as the rockets by.
We’re at California Speedway attending the “The Ultimate Lamborghini Experience.” This annual event allows owners to play with their exotics in a controlled environment free of driving citations and other pesky… um, slow cars. Since we don’t own an Italian exotic, we have to thank Lamborghini of Beverly Hills for graciously bringing along the automaker’s latest and greatest. In this case, it’s the .
2011 Horex is “Das Neue Motorrad” - for high-res image gallery
Recently, we reported the scheduled release of an , known to us only as Das Neue Motorrad, the news came with much anticipation, the excitement being twofold. First, the prospect of finally seeing a new motorcycle from the land of Bavaria, a place with such a rich two-wheeled history but very few modern offerings, and second the secrecy leading up to the release, coupled with the companies claims to offer “revolutionary designs” and an engine concept “currently seen nowhere in the industry” which peaked the interest of moto-junkies around the globe.
As the smoke has cleared and rumors ceased, lifting of the veil has exposed Horex as the new motorcycle brand from Germany. So just how do they define revolution? That would be with a supercharged 15-degree monoblock V6, of course. Horex is said to have patented the for two-wheeled vehicles. The compact design allows for fitment of six rounds in a space traditionally fit with four. For additional ‘whee-factor,’ a radial supercharger feeds the 1200cc beast,producing a tractable delivery of the claimed output of 198hp and 110 lb-ft of torque, which is routed to the tarmac via belt drive.
The chassis and suspension wrapping that powerplant compete a package that not only looks legit, but should also live up to performance expectations. 50mm forks sort out the bumps and the attached dual-radial-mounted brakes should have no trouble halting the Horex from substantial velocities. From the looks of things, the frame and swing-arm components appear to exhibit top-notch fit and finish. The styling is definitely of a classic nature, minus the ram-air type intake ports on the front of the fuel tank.
The price of admission will be €20,000 ($24,600 USD), and that’s only if you are in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, but at least it probably includes taxes. We’ll have to wait and see what exchange rates are when the Horex finally makes it to the rest of Europe and the U.S.
The irony in all of this is that Horex is not new at all – it’s a reincarnation of the classic brand founded in 1923 which produced motorcycles up until purchased the company and ceased bike production in 1960. So make that Germany’s newest-old motorcycle company, for the record. Revolutionary?…well, probably not, we just can’t wait to hear the exhaust note!
Three horsemen of the Revolutionary War – Click above for high-res image gallery
Is there anything more American than taking someone else’s hard work and claiming it for our own? Probably not. Maybe it’s some sort of collective synaptic impulses left over from our former masters in the empire or some sort of instinctive will to survive at all costs brought about by our ancestors being made to carve out a life on an uncivilized continent. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t seem like the impulse will let up any time soon. The recent recent is a perfect example. If you need a refresher, check it out after the jump.
In the midst of the patriotic daze brought about watching George Washington behind the wheel of , we failed to point out that Chrysler isn’t exactly the most American car company at the moment. As Consumer Reports has noted, with Canada owning a full 10 percent of the company and Italian carmaker holding the reigns to another 20 percent, the company isn’t as ‘apple pie’ as it would have buyers believe.
Then there’s the annoying fact that the Challenger itself is built off of a modified platform and constructed in Ontario, Canada. Of course, the same sort of criticism can be leveled at Chrysler’s , which, while built in the U.S., also rides on a Benz-derived platform and also shares Italian and Canadian ownership ties.
Still, none of these facts make these ads any less effective, just hypocritical in the most ironically patriotic fashion.
The Alpina B5 has been a couple of times and seen , so it’s pretty clear what we’ll be in for. However, before the car’s official unveiling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, Alpina has released a sketch of what will be one of the hottest 5ers that doesn’t begin with an “M.” There will be two turbos stuck to the engine lurking behind that highly slatted front end, and we’re told that “there will be an eye towards fuel economy with this car.” But presumably, just one very, very little gnat-sized eye…
Ron Gettelfinger has been in the United Auto Workers for 44 years, the last eight of those years in the role of president. He’s taken his share of lumps from the people he faced across the table and his own constituents, but he’s led the UAW through some of the toughest years its faced in a decades, summed up , “We did what we had to do to get to tomorrow.” And now he’s out, with his chosen successor, Bob King, voted in by a landslide to replace him.
King’s candidacy was challenged by Gary Walkowicz, a bargaining committee member from Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant, and it’s the first time someone has run against an endorsed candidate in 18 years. But that’s part of Gettelfinger’s legacy and a sign of the times – there are still strong and various currents of opinion about which way the UAW needs to go. However, with former lead Ford negotiatior King winning 2,115 votes to Walkowicz’s 74 when the ballot counting was stopped, the front is still unified enough.
In addition to crowning King err.. king, General Holiefield, James Settles, Joseph Ashton and Cynthia Estrada were elected vice presidents and Dennis Williams was voted in as secretary-treasurer.
BMW microNavigation – Click above for high-res image gallery
That ultra-expensive in-dash navigation system can be a huge help when finding a destination in an unfamiliar area. Unfortunately, if you’re just a visitor, it might not be clear where to park your car or enter the building once you get there. Current navigation systems, both in-dash and hand-held types, have limited databases of such detailed information.
That’s why is developing a microNavigation system called Pathfinder to supplement the data stored onboard the car. Pathfinder allows you to download more detailed information about your destination in the form of a MicroMap to a memory card before you leave the house. When the card is inserted into the car, the data is added to the built-in navigation information. The more detailed information can even work with a camera used for lane departure warning to tell the driver which lane they should be in to catch ramps and entries to highways or parking structures.
Once the car is parked, the data can be transferred to a smartphone or other mobile device for the final leg of the trip. The phone can guide you directly to your destination and in can even remember where you parked. When more vehicles are offered with their own mobile data connections, this data could even be downloaded directly straight to the car on the fly. Of course, all of this requires the creation of far more detailed maps than exist today, and it’s not clear if current map data providers will produce these microMaps. Is incorporating much of this information from its search index, however, and following its and General Motors’ , it could soon be the default provider for every automaker.
Bentley Dynamo Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Skeptics, naysayers and pessimists, you can go ahead and skip this post. It’s not for you. The rest of you out there, let’s take a moment to imagine a world in which had remained as dedicated to its quest for speed as it was in the late ’20s. What would have happened if the company now known more for how many hides it can cram into a cabin than its -besting racers had stuck to creating truly innovative automobiles? What if Bentley suddenly decided its heritage was worth more than a badge on the hood and some fancy luggage?
Chances are, the luxury coupe world would be a much more interesting place, populated by the likes of the Bentley Dynamo Concept. Marc Senger decided to sketch out what a modern interpretation of the automaker’s infamous would look like. We’ve got to say, we’re completely smitten. The car hits plenty of the right notes – open wheel, massive 4.3-liter blown four-cylinder engine and Continental GT haunches just for good measure. What’s not to love? The concept even uses a double-hinged hood. You can check out the rest of Senger’s work on his .
The R-Class hasn’t taken the States by storm, but a few exterior and drivetrain upgrades make it more competitive in its class.
Reports out Japan say the next MX-5 could be packing a rotary engine and a hybrid motor. And if you believe that one, we’ve got a bridge you might be interested in…
It might be a movie prop or an ambitious kit car, but either way, this roofless Corvetteconcept looks good in Hollywood.
StopTech BMW M3 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The boys and girls at have taken the knife to the new – cutting unsprung weight and upping the horsepower to improve on the car’s strong points. The company started by ditching the stock brake system and replacing it with – you guessed it – StopTech components. Up front, the car now wears forged aluminum six-piston calipers that clamp down on two-piece 15-inch rotors, while the rear has been treated to four-piston pieces that squeeze 14-inch discs. The company claims that the new hardware saves a total of 17.6 pounds of unsprung mass spread between the four corners.
The stock wheels were also sacrificed in favor of new rollers from APP. Even at 19 inches, they manage to be 3.3 pounds lighter per wheel than what came from the factory. StopTech then turned to Collaction AG Widnau to give the car’s horsepower a mild bump. Final figures now sit at 450 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, though neither company is saying exactly what went into making that happen. We’re guessing a slight ECU reflash was part of the recipe.
The whole kit and caboodle was then wrapped in a special silver by CFC – a company that specializes in unique vehicle wraps. Tasty.
put out a new video showing how it transforms a “run-of-the-mill” into the track-only ACR-X model. The work is handled at the same facility in Detroit that creates the Viper Competition Coupe race cars, but the process is quite a bit different. The Competition Coupe is built from the ground up at the preparation shop while the ACR-X is assembled at the Conner Ave. assembly plant and then retrofitted with race gear. This process allows the ACR-X to be built at about half the cost of the Competition Coupe.
The ACR-X is fitted with a host of kit, including a roll-cage, brake cooling ducts, competition fuel cell, extra dive planes, fire suppression system and bigger brakes. The ACR-X gets the same racing seat used in the Competition Coupe, available in two sizes to fit the driver. Get all the details in the video .
2010 Chevrolet Sail – Click above for high-res image gallery
In 2007 broke Chinese sales records with over one million vehicles sold. That sounded pretty impressive at the time, but just three years later GM’s sales have come so far so fast that the General is now officially selling more vehicles in the Land of the Great Wall than it is in the States.
The Detroit Bureau reports that GM’s China sales are up 54 percent in 2010 versus the first five months of 2009, with 1,032,665 cars and trucks sold so far this year. The General isn’t doing nearly that well here in the U.S, with 882,277 units sold during the same period.
The biggest reason GM’s sales continue to outpace the growth of its competition is the shot in the arm provided by the brand. The Bow Tie brand’s sales are up 104 percent on the year, led by a 113 percent increase in sales of the . GM sold 14,524 copies of the Cruze in May alone, while the new-for-2010 Sail already hit 7,616 sales. While Chevy is quickly growing in the Chinese market, the still hot brand is starting to show some signs of leveling off. Sales of the Tri-shield are up a mere 22 percent so far this year. appears to be stealing a bit of Buick’s thunder as well, as the Wreath and Crest is up 98 percent on the year.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery
There’s a lot to like about the . After all, we’re talking about a sleek, 563-horsepower super-Benz with functional gullwing doors and a soundtrack to melt your heart. It’s the embodiment of German engineering… or is it? Inside Line cites unnamed sources who say that the SLS AMG actually began life as the next-generation .
The story apparently goes like this. engineers were already hard at work on the next-gen Viper, with an aluminum chassis already completed and a new suspension on the way. caught wind of the project and decided that the chassis would be the perfect starting point for the upcoming SLS. The two teams reportedly worked side-by-side on the project until cash crunch caused the Dodge team to focus its resources elsewhere. The end result was a brand-new SLS for Mercedes and a hole in Dodge’s Viper lineup. IL bolsters its account of the Viper-turned-SLS with the fact that early SLS test mules caught by spy photogs were fitted with ill-assembled Viper sheetmetal.
While it’s hard to blame Mercedes for utilizing existing engineering work (it did, after all own Chrysler at the time) to bring the SLS to market faster and cheaper, we’re thinking it would have been nice to have a new aluminum chassis Viper on the streets. Here’s hoping that the makes us forget about our loss.
Edmunds’ Top 10 ‘Dark-Horse’ cars – Click above for high-res image gallery
We all know the typical sales winners of the automotive universe. Come hell or high water, Honda Civics and will still float off of the lot. Granted, that’s good news for most automakers, but at the same time, there’s a wealth of under-appreciated models languishing under the beady eyes of inflatable gorillas across the country. The good people of Edmunds have taken it upon themselves to wrangle up a top 10 list of those long forgotten winners and filed them under the collective banner of “Dark-Horse” candidates. Sexy.
We’re absolutely down with cars like the 2010 , 2010 and the 2010 , but the 2010 has us scratching our heads. While the car is a perfectly decent little compact, the market is awash with other excellent options. Need proof? Look no further than another Edmunds Dark-Horse selection, the 2011 . We suppose that with all the hype surrounding the new Blue Oval hatchback that it can’t as easily be considered a forgotten option, at least at this point. for the full press blast and check the gallery below for the top picks.
Stingray Speedster Concept – Click above for gallery
Now, isn’t this curious? The eagle-eyed crew over at Corvette Blogger have managed to get their hands on a few shots of what appears to be a speedster version of the ever gorgeous . You may remember the car from its starring roles in both the saga and the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. At the time, the car appeared to be a hard-top only, but as these photos demonstrate, it looks mighty fine without a roof, too. So what gives? Is this some sort of re-imagining of the old concept? Is it a movie prop?
We’re going to stick pretty close to the Corvette Blogger hypothesis and say it’s a little bit of both. The car was spotted sulking around Beverly Hills, so either we’re looking at Sideswipe’s latest set of clothes, or someone has finally managed to come up with a decent re-body kit to help the C5 look a little less dated. Either way, we like what we see.
2010 Jaguar XKR Goodwood Special – Click above for high-res image gallery
has reportedly confirmed that a more powerful, more vicious version of the will go into production later this year. According to Autocar, the car is based off of the (pictured), and has already lapped the Nürburgring in 7 minutes, 58 seconds during testing. Not bad at all.
Official details on powertrain and chassis upgrades haven’t been revealed just yet, but if the Goodwood Special XKR is anything to go on, expect the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 to get a slight boost in power (for reference, the lime green XKR cranked out 530 horsepower and 515 pound-feet of torque), as well as a lowered suspension, tweaked exhaust and larger wheels. What’s more, Jaguar has confirmed that this new XKR will have a top speed of at least 186 miles per hour (the all-important 300-kph mark in Germany).
Our only request: Keep the lime green paint in check. The isn’t the only car that can pull off citrus.
Mazda Miata – Click above for high-res image gallery
Rumors that the next-generation could tip the scales at 2,200 pounds and boast an impressive 50 miles per gallon without losing a lick of horsepower in the process. And while initial reports had the Miata achieving those impressive numbers with the help of Mazda’s forthcoming , Best Car Japan is hearing something different from Mazda HQ.
The Japanese magazine reports that the 2012 Miata will receive a rotary mill with a displacement of 1.2 or 1.3 liters, helping the roadster drop a few pounds in the process. However, the Wankel has proven to be anything but fuel efficient, so to achieve lofty fuel economy numbers the rumored rotary would be of the hybrid variety. That sounds a bit far fetched, but the Wankel/hybrid marriage has already been consummated in the form of a created by FEV. The little Fiat contains a rotary that acts as a generator for a Lithium-Ion battery pack.
While it’s an intriguing idea, our money is on a small, efficient four-pot with turbocharging. After all, one of the most attractive qualities of the Miata is it’s diminutive price tag, and hybrids tend to add a lot of cost – not to mention weight – to the bottom line.
