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It’s funny how a couple of letters can change the meaning of a word entirely. Take “racy” and “racing,” for example. One implies a certain charge of sexuality, while the other refers to the competition of getting from Point A to Point B the quickest. Pamela Anderson, for example, would be one we’d categorize under the former, but now the Canadian model/actress/bombshell is breaking into the latter by launching her own racing team.

Downforce1 by Pamela Anderson is the name of the new team that will be fielding an Aston Martin Vantage GTE in both the (European) Le Mans Series and the International GT Open, wearing white and blue livery with the glamour model’s signature and bearing the logos of PETA (the animal rights group for which Anderson is a spokesperson) and ICM (the talent agency that manages her career). The team is apparently being managed by a Swiss outfit with ten years of experience in GT racing.

This is not the first time we’ve seen a model lending her image to a racing team: Paris Hilton was connected to a MotoGP squad a couple of years back, and now Pam appears to be following in her high-heeled footsteps. And apparently she’s not stopping at GT racing, either, as the effort could spawn a NASCAR team as well. In the meantime, Anderson hopes to be present at as many of the races as her schedule will allow. Which ought to be plenty distracting for the racers.

So what is it about models like Pam headlining racing teams? Beyond the usual barrage of innuendos – the airbags have, after all, been removed – maybe the former Baywatch starlet herself put it best in a recent interview with British tabloid The Sun: “Fast cars and fast women go together.” Who are we to argue?

Pamela Anderson goes from racy to racing with her new Downforce1 team

According to reports citing Japan’s Nikkei daily, Mitsubishi Motors North America will be cranking up production at its Normal, Illinois plant, but not because the company expects a 100-percent increase in demand here to match the 70,000 units the plant will soon be cranking out. Instead, the plant will be making Outlander Sport models intended for export from the U.S. to markets like Russia and Latin America. To make way for the increased Outlander Sport output, the slow-moving Galant family sedan will leave the building. No replacement has been announced.

Mitsubishi has plants worldwide, but those in closest proximity to strengthening markets are reportedly running at full tilt, so the move makes use of plants in markets where demand is slack. Mitsubishi has seen its fortunes in the U.S. atrophy, and even though sales improved somewhat last year, this production shift shows that turnabout is fair play, with the offshore parent using its American assets to make cars for markets that would typically be producing the goods, not consuming them.

Mitsubishi to double production at Illinois plant

The highly anticipated 2013 Scion FR-S – the sister car of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 – goes on sale this spring, and the automaker’s website now shows that the cost of entry will be $24,930 including destination. That base price gets you an FR-S equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, though Scion’s site doesn’t yet say what the cost will be for cars equipped with the six-speed automatic.

As we already know, the FR-S is equipped with a 2.0-liter boxer four that sends 200 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque exclusively to the rear wheels. And just yesterday, we learned that the FR-S is good for 22/30 miles per gallon (city/highway) with the manual transmission, or 25/34 mpg with the automatic ‘box. We’ve already had a chance to drive Scion’s new sport coupe, and while it’s certainly not the most powerful vehicle in the class, we found it to have excellent balance and declared it a more engaging steer than vehicles like the Honda Civic Si and Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

Head over to Scion’s website for more information.

2013 Scion FR-S priced from $24,930

We have fairly modest dreams when it comes to ferrying our remains to our final resting place. After all, it can’t cost that much to rent the The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile for a few hours. Should you have slightly more expensive tastes, there’s always this Rolls-Royce Phantom Hearse. The specialty vehicle is set to be unveiled at the Tan Expo funeral home show in Bologna, Italy. With 23 feet of length from stem to stern, this Phantom is longer than even the long-wheelbase version of the sedan. Interestingly enough, designers retained the rear doors for additional live passengers while incorporating a large rear cargo area for the dearly departed.

According to builder Biemme Special Cars, the vehicle’s tail is constructed entirely of aluminum using over 600 bits and pieces. The same 6.75-liter V12 engine found in the standard Phantom, which means your earthly remains will get to graveside with the help of 453 horsepower.

How much will it cost? Biemme hasn’t handed out a specific figure just yet beyond saying the vehicle will likely fetch more than €500,000. That’s $663,950 at current conversion rates.

Rolls-Royce Phantom hearse is a classy, costly way to go

A Twitter user with the handle miami4me2c discovered something interesting at a Toyota dealer in Miami and thankfully shared pictures of this unusual Prius C Two window sticker. Remember, the base Prius C starts at just $18,950, and the upgraded Two trim normally starts at $19,900. With the options that dealer Al Hendrickson has added to the car, it should cost $20,839, but then someone at the dealer added a “Market Value Adjustment,” which comes in at an astonishing $6,995. Total cost for the “cheap” Prius at this particular dealer? $27,834. We agree with what you just thought: that’s completely absurd.

Or is it? We called Al Hendrickson Toyota with some questions for the general manager – why so much? and are people still interested at this price? – but were asked to leave a message and have not yet heard back. But think about it. This is one of the most popular high-efficiency vehicles in the U.S. right now, selling 1,200 units in the first three days it was on sale, and Toyota is increasing production to meet demand (both here and in Japan).

We admit that the market values this car, but does it do so enough to tack on an extra 33 percent? We doubt it – especially when you can get a regular Prius Liftback or Prius V for around that much – but maybe someone down in Florida thinks so. Either way, Toyota representatives wouldn’t comment and we know that dealers are independent and don’t have to follow the MSRP. Still, $7,000 extra? C’mon, man.

Miami Toyota dealer tacks $7,000 onto price of Prius C

While China is still the big dog when it comes to growth markets for automakers, Iraq looks to be heating up. As the country slowly stabilizes, the country’s 30 million citizens find themselves with a growing income and a need for more reliable transportation.

But, according to Automotive News, the biggest factor in the resurgence of Iraqi car-buying is a decrease in violence by insurgents. Last year only (?!) about 1,500 Iraqis were killed by roadside bombs, snipers or other violence. That’s compared to more than 34,000 in 2006. As you might imagine, safer streets lead to much greater satisfaction derived from Sunday drives.

Ready to cash in on the auto-buying-boom are Volkswagen, Ford and GM. All three see huge potential in a country still driving thousands of VW Passats procured via an oil trade with Brazil in the 1980s.

Apparently, one popular car in Iraq is the Dodge Charger – nicknamed “Obama” by Iraqis. Then again, the LA Times said last year that the Chrysler 300 was known as “the Obama,” so maybe the term goes for any large American sedan.

Iraq could become next major car market

Nearly two weeks ago, we reported news of a “quality assessment” issue with the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that was holding up deliveries and further production. We checked in with Chevrolet spokesman Monte Doran today to get some clarification on where things stand with the 580-horsepower coupe after being alerted by a reader that Camaro5 forum members with the car on order are growing increasingly frustrated with the delay, seemingly unable to get a clear status update on the fate of their vehicles.

General Motors is declining to say what the nature of the problem is, but Doran says the automaker is confident they are close to a fix that will enable deliveries “in the weeks, not months.”

Doran estimates that GM has built “a couple of hundred” 2012 ZL1 models, but only one was delivered to a customer, and that example was handed over due to a dealer error and subsequently reclaimed pending the update. Any ZL1s that were delivered to dealers are back at Chevrolet’s Oshawa, Ontario plant awaiting the fix.

Given that the ZL1 was to launch in spring, the high-performance coupe was already looking at an unusually short model year. This stoppage could mean that the 2012 model year run will be even shorter. Doran says GM hopes and expects that when production does resume that it will do so with 2012 models, but he admits that depending on timing, it’s possible that Oshawa could transition directly to 2013 model year builds. Either way, contrary to rumors, ZL1 models already built will be delivered as 2012 models. Doran also indicates that GM has instructed its dealers to not accept further orders for 2012 models at this time.

GM acknowledges that this is an unfortunate situation – particularly because the ZL1 is a hotly anticipated model where some eager customers have had their deposits in for six months or more – but Doran says Chevy wants to focus on “getting the car right” so that customers are satisfied in the end.

While the delay is no doubt frustrating for those who have been waiting months for their cars, we couldn’t help but wonder aloud to Doran if the very abbreviated 2012 model year production may result in their increased collectability down the road. He paused and replied, “You’re not the first person to suggest that.”

Chevy Camaro ZL1 production delay could mean very limited 2012 model year

This week, our sister site Translogic heads off to Paris to check out the Vélib’ bike-sharing and Autolib’ electric-vehicle sharing programs.

Vélib’ boasts 20,000 bikes and 1,800 stations throughout the city, where anyone with a credit card can check out a bike on the fly. More exciting is the EV-sharing program, which uses Pininfarina-built Bollore Blue Cars that are available to subscribers for rental at rates ranging between €9 (around $12 USD) and €16 per hour (@ $21). The program was launched in December 2011, with 250 cars and 250 stations, and though it has faced some problems, the number of cars is expected to increase to 3,000 by next year.

Click past the jump to watch the full episode.

Continue reading Translogic tackles how Parisians share transportation

Translogic tackles how Parisians share transportation

How do you make a 4,300-pound roadster accelerate to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds? Easy, just fit it with a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 that cranks out 621 horsepower and – wait for it – 738 pound-feet of torque. Sounds bonkers, right? Welcome to the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG.

We’re all very familiar with the *63 AMG models, the majority of which are now fitted with a brand new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8, but for those who want the ultimate in high-performance machinery (at an extremely high-dollar price), the *65 AMG cars are simply out of this world. We first feasted our eyes on the new-for-2013 SL63 AMG at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, but the SL will now be taking the stage at next month’s New York Auto Show to debut off its range-topping spec.

The 6.0-liter V12 is hardly a new engine, though there have been a few updates including new turbochargers, manifolds and wastegate channels. The big change for 2013, however, is the pairing of Merc’s seven-speed AMG Speedshift transmission. (Historically, the 65 AMG cars were mated to a five-speed auto, since it was the only transmission in the automaker’s parts bin capable of handling such massive amounts of torque.)

Like the rest of the SL line, the SL65 AMG has lost a bit of weight in its overhaul – 254 pounds versus the 2012 model – mostly thanks to an all-aluminum body-on-white. The full suite of SL goodies are on tap in the 65, including the nifty Magic Sky Roof, Airscarf, speed-sensitive steering and a new sport suspension based on Merc’s Active Body Control. Inside, the cabin is trimmed in only the finest of leather – including the costly Designo options – and features goodies like a Bang & Olufsen surround sound system and the latest version of Mercedes’ Command infotainment software.

Pricing has yet to be revealed for the SL65 AMG, but expect it to be around the $200,000 mark. Hit the jump for the full details in Mercedes-Benz’s press blast, and stay tuned for live impressions direct from New York in just a few weeks.

Continue reading 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG revs up for Big Apple debut

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG revs up for Big Apple debut

It’s called “The Chase”, and on the surface it doesn’t exactly have anything to do with cars. In reality, we’re not so sure it has a lot to do with anything other than serving as promotional material for Philippe Gamer and the Space Patrol Crew, but that’s fine. It’s a fun video with four animated girls and a car chase scene unlike any other we’ve ever seen.

You’ll see about four minutes of animated insanity that includes what appears to be hundreds of police cars, a couple of log-toting semi trucks, some extremely unrealistic loops and lots of explosions. Oh, and four Nissan models, driven by the female lead characters. Apparently, the studio had previously done work for Nissan and the already digitally rendered vehicles were reused for The Chase.

Topping it all off is a plot twist worthy of M. Night Shyamalan. We won’t spoil it for you, but the director says it’s “a story about the art of aging.” We should also warn you that some language makes this one unsafe for work. See for yourself in the video below.

Continue reading Watch this animated car chase… with a twist

Watch this animated car chase… with a twist

Everyone knows that, when buying pretty much any kind of merchandise, paying with cash is by nearly all accounts the best option. Sometimes, though, cash isn’t in plentiful supply for the average American consumer, and some items need to be procured post haste. Enter the wide world of credit.

But what if you don’t have a credit card? For many consumers, the rent-to-own industry is waiting in the wings to provide the item they need with a payment plan they can afford. One consumable we’d never have imagined for the rent-to-own business, though, is tires. Somewhat surprisingly, it’s apparently a booming business.

Back in the heyday of the early 2000s, a number of businesses sprouted to provide consumers will new wheels for their cars and trucks – mostly gaudy oversize chrome ones, we imagine – but that business model dried up when the recession set in. The solution, according to Ken Butler, chief operating officer for rent-to-own superpower Aaron’s, was to offer the customer something they’d need instead of something they merely want.

Bingo. Tires are a necessity for every car and truck on the road, and, in case you haven’t gone tire shopping recently, they’re expensive. Thing is, they are also wear items, and we’re not certain how that works into such a rental scheme. If nothing else, it makes these parting words from Butler sound somewhat ironic: “The sustainable part, the legitimate business, is the tires.”

Forget rental cars, how about rental tires?

You can buy a bunch of information for $107,000.

Consumer Reports is learning all sorts of things about the Fisker Karma now that it has purchased one for testing, only to have it die with less than 200 miles on the odometer. After 48 hours in the dealer’s repair shop – under warranty – the car is back in the CR fleet and is starting to get put through its paces.

With that public breakdown making waves, CR discovered that lots of Karma owners have been reporting their own issues with their new and expensive plug-in hybrids. Things like needing a new differential after less than 1,000 miles, a car shutting itself off at 35 mph and lots of trouble with the shifter. Most of these reports were put up by owners on FiskerBuzz. Of course, before CR got its Karma, the company issued two recalls, one for a software glitch and another for battery issues.

So, with all the problems, how does CR like the Karma on the track? The design is “simply stunning,” it says, but the range-extending gasoline engine is loud when the 22-kWh battery is depleted. And the Fisker’s SUV-like 5,395-pound weight doesn’t help with handling. On the inside, CR says the touchscreen is also less than ideal, with a grayscale look and plenty of menu flipping that “makes MyFord Touch look like a brilliant design.” Ouch.

Then there’s this:

Just this weekend, for example, the speedometer and energy meter display disappeared when driving, on top of having several other rogue warning indicators appear last week. It is expected we’ll be revisiting the dealership soon. We’ve had cars in the past that have been troublesome, but never anything like this.

You can see what CR wrote about the car here and check out their new video review after the jump.

Continue reading Consumer Reports finally posts Fisker review, finds litany of owners suffering from bad Karma

Consumer Reports finally posts Fisker review, finds litany of owners suffering from bad Karma

Race #1 of the 2012 Formula 1 season is officially in the books. Along with a talk of a more exciting season after inconclusive winter testing, everyone has had a few words about the way the new cars look, one of the most common being “ugly.”

The stepped noses used on most of the field are how every team, save for McLaren and Marussia, dealt with new regulations. In the video after the jump, Mercedes F1 driver Nico Rosberg explains the look of his car from front to back. With Michael Schumacher putting up a good time in mixed conditions during the first two Free Practice sessions, there just might be a swan in there somewhere.

Continue reading Watch Nico Rosberg explain why F1 cars are so ugly this season

Watch Nico Rosberg explain why F1 cars are so ugly this season

Today is the day that racing fans have been looking forward to. The cars have been unveiled, the drivers announced, the calendar confirmed and everything is in place. Today is race day.

After an off season that saw two teams resolve their naming-rights dispute, one driver sued by a team owner over a brawl in a Shanghai night-club, and the much-anticipated return of a former world champion, the 2012 Formula One World Championship got underway today in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix.

Follow the jump to read how it unfolded.

Continue reading 2012 Formula 1 World Championship kicks off with Australian Grand Prix [spoilers]

2012 Formula 1 World Championship kicks off with Australian Grand Prix [spoilers]

We won’t press it yet, but let’s just say our hand is hovering over the big red “Vaporware!” button we keep armed for just such announcements. DiMora Motorcars still owes us – and LV Resorts – the $2-million SLS 2 sedan with its 1,200-horsepower Volcano V16 engine, Barotex fibers and MP3-enabled horn.

While we wait for it, DiMora has seen fit to announce not just a new car, but a new division with two new cars said to be “nearing completion.” The Neoclassic Automobiles Subsidiary will, depending on your credulity, be producing the Adina Sportster and Vicci 6.2 Super-Coupe. The Adina is a Morgan-like roadster powered by a General Motors LS3 V8 with 431 horsepower.

The Vicci (pictured) gets either the LS3 or the Corvette ZR1’s LS9 with 638 running through a six-speed manual, six-speed automatic or – prepare to step in your Wayback Machine – a four-speed auto. Its faux Talbot-Lago lines hide a carbon fiber dash, paddle-shifters and a stereo that displays engine diagnostics. Assuming it gets made.

Follow the jump for the press release with info on two possible, but unlikely, limited-edition future cars.

Continue reading DiMora sketches out new neoclassic lines

DiMora sketches out new neoclassic lines

Samuel Hübinette, two-time Formula D champion, will not return for the 2012 Formula Drift pro championship season. “Two of our main sponsors changed their marketing direction, so we decided that the best thing to do with the Dodge Challenger SHR drift car is to focus on doing demos,” said Hübinette, driver and team owner of Team Samuel Hübinette Racing. But don’t think team SHR has lost its competitiveness. While drifting has been put on the back burner, Hübinette (the “Crazy Swede”) has refocused his team on rallycross and off-road truck competitions.

Born in Sweden, Hübinette earned an early reputation for pushing motorcycles, cars and snowmobiles to the limit. He worked for Volvo Cars as a test driver in product development and was on the company’s Touring Car racing team from 1997 through 2000. Since moving to the United States 2004, he has secured a bronze medal in the X Games, won two Formula Drift championships, and driven in the Baja 1000. He is also a working stunt driver in Hollywood productions.

Not only has Hübinette been one of the top names in drifting, but he maintains the record for most Formula D victories. “We will miss having a competitor like Samuel this season,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula Drift.

Continue reading Samuel Hubinette retires from Formula DRIFT

Samuel Hubinette retires from Formula DRIFT

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class wowed us at the Geneva Motor Show with its handsome styling and luxe interior fitment, so much so that we wondered aloud if this is the new family of small cars that Daimler has promised the U.S. market for 2013. According to a firsthand tip, the A-Class has already made a trip to Hollywood for a close-up. Taking advantage of the well-established motion picture industry, Mercedes-Benz sent its small wonder to Los Angeles for a 5-day working vacation to shoot a commercial.

Camera department pro Nic Restrepo tells Autoblog:

“This is such an awesome car! WAY nicer and better looking than its competition (A3…). This AMG-badged model had all the big Benz amenities; Self Park assist, lane departure, blind spot warning, Alcantara covered racing seats, dual clutch trans etc. The interior on this thing is head and shoulders above ANY compact I’ve ever worked with. The dash has this beautiful carbon fiber cloth that’s soft to the touch like suede, and it’s layed on like a fabric, feels like a pillow…a carbon fiber pillow.”

It looked great while being chased around by the Pursuit Systems ML63, and the A-Class made a good impression with the French Rallycross driver hired to fling the car around for the shoot. All who laid eyes upon the car seem to agree with our impression from the show floor, that there’s a lot of big-Benz nice packed into an exciting small package. Disappointingly, though, the little Benz’s corporate minders told the crew that the car is not headed to the U.S. Whether that’s a ruse or the truth, we’ll soon find out as Mercedes still has a couple tricks up its sleeve as the auto show season winds down.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class comes to Hollywood, but not to stay

We’ve been expecting for some time that Mercedes-Benz would choose to grace its New York Auto Show stand with a variant on its new A-Class family as part of a push to bring a new range of small cars to North America. However, it now seems more likely that Los Angeles audiences will get a vision of Mercedes’ entry-level future, not New York. That’s because Mercedes has officially confirmed that it will show something called the “Concept Style Coupe” at an art, music, film and food festival in LA curated by none other than Mike D of the Beastie Boys.

Transmission LA: AV Club, a “multi-disciplinary festival,” runs from April 20 to May 6, and sponsor Mercedes promises an “artistic staging” of the concept car (expected to be a sedan), the production version of which is rumored to be dubbed CLC. The 17-day festival will be held at the Geffen Contemporary at LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

All of which begs the question: With the New York Auto Show staged earlier (press days are April 4 and 5), what will Mercedes show in the Empire State? It’s too significant of a market to the Three-Pointed Star to let the show pass without debuting something significant. See the complete press release below for more.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz CLC to get Beastie introduction in LA?

Mercedes-Benz CLC to get Beastie introduction in LA?

Continue reading 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate: Wrap-Up [w/videos]

2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate: Wrap-Up [w/videos]

A tornado with 130-mile-per-hour winds touched down in the tourist area of Branson, MO, in late February. Among the many damaged businesses was the Branson Auto Museum, which lost its roof, according to Old Cars Weekly. The majority of the 100-plus cars in the museum survived the disaster, though at least seven were damaged by debris.

Branson Auto Museum manager Sue Uygun tells OCW that the museum plans to rebuild and reopen in the same location as soon as possible, but will be closed for at least a couple of months. The museum was launched on May 15, 2009 in a former crafts mall and had recently begun expanding its collection to include more antique tractors and farm implements.

Click past the jump for a press release on the tornado rebuilding efforts from the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Continue reading Branson Auto Museum pledges to rebuild after tornado

Branson Auto Museum pledges to rebuild after tornado