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The facts are still coming in, but what is known is that on March 30 an armada of exotics, said to number from 25 to 30, was escorted by two New Jersey state troopers with their lights flashing down the Garden State Parkway at triple-digit speeds to Atlantic City. On top of that, all of the civilian cars had their license plates taped over. Among the drivers was supercar fan and NFL player Brandon Jacobs, recently of the New York Giants but now with the San Francisco Forty-Niners. According to NJ.com, Jacobs “told Rides Magazine in October that he often cruises with the Driving Force Club,” a car club out of New York, but it isn’t clear that this was a club outing.

One more established fact: someone has a lot of splainin’ to do. Authorities began receiving complaints that very day, with one beginning, “I had the great pleasure today of nearly being killed by, not one, but two, Lamborghinis traveling in excess of 110 mph in a (New Jersey State Police) escorted ‘caravan’…”. Others wrote in to say that the cars were weaving across all three lanes and that an elderly driver was so shocked she almost ran off the road. One motorist even labeled it “Death Race 2012.”

An NBC New York report indicates that Jacobs called a sergeant in the NJ force that he’s friends with and requested the escort. That sergeant and another officer have been put on leave without pay, the station commander has been transferred while his role is investigated. And speaking of investigations, they’re coming from everywhere, with even the state Attorney General looking into the matter. At least everyone involved can use history as a guide: police did the same thing on the same road with a different supercar group two years ago. Check out an NJ Today video on the story by scrolling below.

Continue reading NJ police in trouble after allegedly giving 100-mph escort to supercar club including NFL’s Jacobs

NJ police in trouble after allegedly giving 100-mph escort to supercar club including NFL’s Jacobs

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra, and it seems ol’ Carroll and his band of hot rodders are intent on celebrating the legendary roadster for the entire year. Back in January, Shelby kicked off a series of nationwide 50th anniversary events with the debut of the Anniversary Mustangs at the Detroit Auto Show, and earlier this month, the company showed off the very first Cobra and the new 2012 Shelby 1000 at the New York Auto Show.

The most recent celebration happened this past weekend at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, where dozens of Shelby Cobra owners gathered for a 50th anniversary reunion put on by the Team Shelby Pacific Coast Division. All kinds of Cobras crowded into the parking lot in front of the museum, from 289-powered slab-sided Cobras to original 427 side-oiler models to the modern continuation Cobras.

In addition to the Cobras gathered outside, the NHRA museum also had a display of significant vehicles dubbed the Speed Merchants of Venice. The collection included the very first production Cobra CSX2001, generously loaned to the museum by collector Bruce Meyer, as well as a Cobra used at the Shelby School of High Performance Driving, an FIA Cobra race car, a “Dragonsnake” Cobra drag car, and an original daily driver Cobra with more than 130,000 miles.

You can see all of these and more from the Shelby Cobra 50th anniversary reunion in the photo gallery above.

Shelby Cobras gather for 50th anniversary reunion

We’ve already seen the production-ready 2013 SRT Viper. In fact, we named it Best In Show after it officially debuted at the 2012 New York Auto Show earlier this month. But what we haven’t seen is the full color palette that will be offered, and our spy photographers recently caught a Viper prototype out testing sporting a fresh coat of yellow paint, as well as some new, more sedate wheels.

As for that color, we aren’t sure how we feel about it just yet, granted, we’ll want to see it in person and without all of the hastily bolted-together panel gaps of this prototype. Moreover, we’d like to see how the new SRT looks in a proper GTS white/blue paint job. Be sure to let us know what you think of the new yellow paint in the comments.

The don’t-call-it-a-Dodge Viper officially launches this year, boasting 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque from its monstrous 8.4-liter V10. We’re eagerly awaiting our first stint behind the wheel, but for now, this new batch of high-res photos will have to suffice.

2013 SRT Viper looking fly in yellow?

BMW has created the BMW i sub-brand for its upcoming production plug-in models, which currently include three concepts: the i3, i8 and the i8 Spyder. After keeping that third model away from our eager cameras at the New York Auto Show, BMW finally showed off the i8 Spyder Concept in the metal at the Beijing Motor Show today.

The car itself we’ve already learned plenty about, but seeing it on stage shows once again that BMW is serious about putting cars like these on the road (toned down from the concept’s style, of course, perhaps with something like this). We’re more than ready for the through-the-road, plug-in hybrid that packs a 96-kW (131-horsepower) electric motor in front and a turbocharged three-cylinder gas engine offering 223 hp in back. 0-62 in five seconds and maybe 78 MPGe? Yes, please.

BMW is also making official the “eDrive” name, which is the new catch-all name for all of the electric drivetrain components: motor, battery and motor management system. First hinted at in 2008, the eDrive designation will be used “for the drive technology of all future electric and plug-in hybrid cars,” so get used to seeing it a lot.

Continue reading BMW i8 Spyder takes to the stage bearing eDrive name

BMW i8 Spyder takes to the stage bearing eDrive name

“So here’s the pitch. It’s a movie about a car. But it’s not really about a car. It’s about something else. What that is isn’t important. But it’s got a car in it. Not just one car, but lots of cars. Thousands of them actually. And they’re in almost every scene. But only in the background. And get this: They’re all… wait for it… yellow! And the best part is, we don’t have to pay anything for it, in fact, they’re going to pay us to put our cars in the movie. And it’s going to make our cars famous. But that’s not all. Imagine this: It’s not just one movie, but a hundred movies. And TV shows. Thousands and thousands of hours of entertainment, and our new Nissan NV200 is going to be the star! Okay, not the star, but an extra. A bright yellow extra. I’m telling you, this idea – it can’t fail!

At least that’s the thesis floated by Automotive News to help explain why Nissan is so stoked over winning the Taxi of Tomorrow contract with its NV200 compact van. Beginning in late 2013, the entire New York City taxi fleet will be converting to Nissan’s aesthetically challenged people mover, which will replace the ubiquitous Ford Crown Victoria.

Whether this leads to any burnishing of the Nissan brand remains to be seen, but regardless, AN says the contract is worth 40,000 units in New York alone over the next 10 years. We have to expect that at least some taxi companies outside of the Big Apple won’t be shy about ponying up the thirty-large Nissan is asking for its Mexican-made cab either, as the day when every last Ford Crown Victoria extant has joined the Checker Marathon in cabbie Valhalla is certainly coming.

How Nissan’s NYC taxi contract may be a ticket to Hollywood fame

Iran just became a bit less interesting for automotive enthusiasts with the announcement by Porsche that it will no longer do business there. The announcement was made Monday by United Against Nuclear Iran and New York Public Advocate Bill De Blasio.

“Consumers here have the power to force these companies out of Iran and tighten the screws on Tehran’s regime,” De Blasio said in the statement. “Our message is clear: you can do business with the Iranian regime or you can do business with the American consumer – but you can’t do both.”

This follows news that Hyundai will also stop selling or servicing its cars in Iran. But despite the ongoing international embargo against Iran, car shoppers there still have plenty manufacturers from which to choose. Fiat, Isuzu, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Suzuki, Toyota and Volvo are all still selling and/or servicing their models there. Sadly, for Iranians, nothing on par with Porsche.

But then again, most Iranians aren’t exactly flush with cash. A Bloomberg report from March says car sales in Iran were down 20 percent with prices up by about the same amount. For example, an imported Lexus RX350 sells for about $151,000 over there. Even in good times, that’s a tough monthly payment for the average Iranian. In that same report, a Tehran car dealer said he hasn’t replenished his stock of Porsche models for months because no one can afford them.

So either for political or economic reasons, we may soon see other carmakers pulling out of the Iranian car market. Check out the UANI press release below.

Continue reading Porsche officially stops doing business in Iran

Porsche officially stops doing business in Iran

Ford design chief J Mays tells Automotive News that the controversial grille design that debuted on the 2013 Lincoln MKZ at the New York Auto Show won’t necessarily be pasted onto the front of every Lincoln model. Mays means something quite specific, though: the perimeter of the grille and headlight form will remain, but the “grille texture” – the horizontal lines on the MKZ – could be reworked on other models.

Says Mays, the split-wing outline “is what makes a Lincoln.” But with Lincoln commencing “a pretty long year journey,” his comments to AN give his design team latitude while the brand seeks its new, younger consumers instead of being “trapped” into one grille style.

It’s an interesting position to take – allowing the possibility of different faces – when the brand only has four models (we’re not including the aging stepchild Navigator in this discussion) and is devoted to rebranding itself and making an impression among groups who haven’t paid attention to it in some time – if ever. Of course, Mays isn’t saying that other models won’t have the MKZ grille, but we look forward to seeing how this plays out.

J Mays: Split-wing grille won’t look the same on every Lincoln

As we’ve reported in the past, one major issue confronting the U.S. auto industry is its ability to recruit talent to live in Detroit, home of General Motors and spiritual birthplace of Chrysler and Ford. According to the Detroit Free Press, advertising cooperative Commonwealth, a joint venture between San Francisco-based Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and New York-based McCann Erickson Worldwide, isn’t having the same problem.

Commonwealth plans to embed itself in the middle of Detroit with 280 workers mostly imported from such marketing powerhouse cities as New York and San Francisco. The firm has already begun moving into the Palms Building which also houses the popular Fillmore Detroit performance venue. Says Todd Grantham, associate partner and Goodby’s managing director for Detroit:

“You just have to be the type that comes in here and knows, I can build something here. That’s how we attract people. What we want is the people who come in here and go, ‘Wow, this is a blank canvas. It’s all around me and now I can do something.’”

Whether or not the advertising firm will be successful in its ploy to bring more young professionals to Detroit remains to be seen, but Quicken Loans’ Dan Gilbert seems to be making a pretty good go of it with his various operations. So far, there are at least three such willing transplants interviewed in the video down below. It’ll surely take a lot more than three enterprising transplants to succeed, but at least it’s a start. If nothing else, we’re certain that there are already a good deal of talented individuals already in Detroit waiting for a chance to prove their worth.

Continue reading Chevy’s new ad agency Commonwealth picks downtown Detroit as home [w/video]

Chevy’s new ad agency Commonwealth picks downtown Detroit as home [w/video]

If Ford actually comes to market with a new GT, then we’ll be right there with them.

With the debut of its audacious 1000 horsepower GT500 at the New York Auto Show earlier this month, you might be wondering what direction Shelby will be headed in the future. After all, they can’t just keep adding more horsepower to the Mustang. Can they?

Shelby president John Luft tells us that while they will continue producing post-title Mustang packages (they have a product plan for the pony car through 2020), the company is also considering branching out to other vehicles in the Ford lineup.

“Our plans include everything from the Mustang to looking at future development of the EcoBoost motor,” he told us. “There could be a Focus or Fusion development in our future.”

The plans don’t stop there, though. Luft revealed to us that Shelby is considering producing another halo sports car like they did in the late 1990s with the Series 1.

“We always pose the ‘what if’. If you remember when the Series 1 was developed, that was a purpose-built halo sports car for the Shelby brand. We always put those things in the plan because maybe down the road we would want to readdress a purpose-built Shelby sports car. It doesn’t mean we’ll build it, but we always want to challenge ourselves to put it on the table and talk about the practicality of it.”

Keep reading for more insights into Shelby’s plans for the future.

Continue reading Shelby considering new halo sports car, Focus and Fusion models for the future

Shelby considering new halo sports car, Focus and Fusion models for the future

The 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel finally rolled out for North American buyers at the New York Auto Show earlier this month, and the oil-burning V6 that we’ll be able to purchase this September musters 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque shifted through an eight-speed automatic. The more important numbers are 28 miles per gallon, a 740-mile range, and a 7,716-pound tow rating when you need to realign the Earth’s crust.

Our friends across the water have been enjoying this model for three years already, and while we’re getting used to our first taste of torquey Porsches, the Europeans appear set to receive a second helping: a new report in Car and Driver asserts that Porsche will add a V8 diesel to Euro markets “in the near future.” Naturally, don’t even think about it coming here.

C/D posits two options for which diesel it will get called up: the 4.2-liter diesel V8 used in the Audi A8 or possibly a brand-new diesel that Porsche could share with Bentley.

Porsche Cayenne Diesel to get two more cylinders, albeit not in U.S.

We record Episode #278 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we’re joined by David Kiley of Autoblog and AOL Autos. Drop us your questions via our Q&A module below, and chime in to direct our conversation. Our main focus will be recapping what we saw at the New York Auto Show, but who knows where the conversation will take us! Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven’t already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #278

• Dodge Dart pricing
• Next Mustang to be non-retro?
• Is Chevrolet preparing an Impala SS?
• NHTSA proposes brake override system mandate

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #278 LIVE

Automakers aren’t the only ones who produce concept cars. So do design studios, contract manufacturers, racing teams and even component suppliers. Case in point: Alessi Fiberglass. Back in 1979, the company displayed a supercar concept called the AR-1 at the New York Auto Show. The idea, it would seem, was to show off what they could do with fiberglass. Nobody ever expected they’d build it. And they didn’t. At least, not until now.

33 years later, Alessi has resurrected the AR-1, modernized it, and brought it to market. In place of the original show car’s Buick V6 is a mid-mounted, supercharged a 6.2-liter Corvette V8 making up to 600 horsepower. Not enough? Alessi also offers a twin-turbo version with 750 horsepower on tap.

The AR-1’s steel frame is covered with, of course, fiberglass bodywork. Pricing has not been revealed, and Alessi says it will build no more than 50 examples. In addition to the attached photo gallery, you can take a closer look in the video clip posted after the jump.

Continue reading Alessi Fiberglass brings the AR-1 supercar to market… 33 years later

Alessi Fiberglass brings the AR-1 supercar to market… 33 years later

The 2014 Chevrolet Impala just made its debut at the New York Auto Show, and stuck there on its vaguely-Hofmeister-esque C-Pillar is a new version of the classic Impala mascot. The gracefully leaping African antelope is a little smoother and more rounded, but still the well-established icon it’s been since its 1958 introduction. It may seem a small detail, but changing a long-established bit of iconography is tricky. Designers must carefully balance any tweaking against recognizeability and consumer goodwill.

“We kept the stylized interpretation of the animal, and made the impala more muscular. We also added defined edges, to give the impala a sleek form and make it look like it was running fast” says Joan Kallio, lead creative designer for Chevrolet global badging, and the latest version of this chrome animal glyph is surely smoothed and stylized compared to the squiggly 1958 original. If the car is as successfully refined as its logo, the new Impala will do fine. Check out the press release after the jump.

Continue reading The Chevrolet Impala mascot over the years

The Chevrolet Impala mascot over the years

Remember Jetgate? Back in the pre-bankruptcy days of late 2008, when the Big Three CEO’s were traveling to Washington to plead their case for funds, Ford’s Alan Mulally, General Motors’ then-CEO Rick Wagoner, and Chrysler’s former chief Bob Nardelli were publicly chastised for flying in corporate jets to the tune of $20,000 per round trip.

Two years earlier, Ford president Mark Fields became a target of outrage when a Detroit-area TV station discovered that his employment contract included $50,000-$70,000 worth of private jet service per week to ship Fields between Dearborn and his home in Florida.

Now this: The New York Times is reporting that Ford spent spent $178,571 on personal air travel for Mulally last year. While Ford no longer has a fleet of corporate jets, according to the report, it pays a charter service to transport Mulally and his kin. And that’s not all. Since this benefit is classified as “security measures,” Mulally gets off the hook for paying taxes on it, as he doesn’t have to report the benefit as income, according to the Times. Mulally received nearly $30 million in compensation last year, according to other reports.

While Ford refused comment, the article calls out the company for using this “common corporate tax trick” that it says robs the federal government of tax revenue from CEO’s like Mulally, meaning that taxpayers are essentially subsidizing his perks.

While the report concerns various corporate executives, it singles out Mulally, suggesting that any potential danger to Ford’s CEO has to be less than that posed to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who flies commercial airlines. The Times also says that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs “received no security services from Apple last year before he died.”

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Ford CEO Alan Mulally called out as a tax dodger [w/poll]

If you were confused when we chose the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R ALMS race car as the second-best debut (behind the 2013 SRT Viper production car itself) at the 2012 New York Auto Show, then maybe you’re not familiar with the Viper’s racing pedigree. Fortunately, the American Le Mans Series has produced this excellent mini documentary that helps explain why the Viper’s return to racing is a very big deal.

While the Viper had been racing in various series both domestic and international before entering the inaugural season of ALMS in 1999, it began a streak in this fledgeling North American motorsport that was, in a word, dominant. During the 1999 season, Team Oreca won six ALMS races in a row in the GTS class with their Viper GTS-R racecar. The only reason the team didn’t sweep the eight-race season is because they missed the first two races. Team Oreca and the original Viper GTS-R came close to sweeping the 2000 season, though, winning eight of ten races, only falling twice to their arch rivals from Corvette Racing. Their winning streak spanned two seasons and 12 consecutive races. They also won their class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Unfortunately, factory support for the program ended in 2001 and the Viper’s dominance quickly evaporated as private teams could not match Team Oreca’s OEM-backed success. Still, under the wing of Team Oreca and backed by Dodge, the Viper GTS-R amassed an impressive record of 16 race wins in 18 starts. And that’s why the car’s return to ALMS’ GT class is a very big deal. Check out the video after the jump.

Continue reading Watch this mini-documentary about Viper’s domination of early ALMS

Watch this mini-documentary about Viper’s domination of early ALMS

Hot on the bumpers of the New York Auto Show, the oddball Mercedes-Benz G-Class officially shows its ever-so-slightly redesigned face to the world. As we’ve discussed previously, it looks a whole lot like last year’s model, but distinguishing tweaks outside include the dashes of LEDs underneath the headlights and new side mirrors.

The momentous advances have come inside and under the hood. The 612-horsepower, 738-pound-foot twin-turbo V12 G65 AMG is now a reality along with a 544-hp, twin-turbo V8 G63, both of them sitting above a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 in the carryover G550 (the G500 in Europe) and a diesel V6 in the Bluetec G350. Don’t get your hopes up for that G65, though – Mercedes-Benz has confirmed to Autoblog that the V12 monster will not be coming to the United States.

Inside, the dash and console get a thorough resculpture, with bezeled dials in the cluster and discrete control pods replacing the flat planes in the previous model. Additional comfort and luxury options can be checked if one wishes for radar-based cruise control, Blind Spot Assist and Parktronic. The ESP programming has even been reworked to play nicely with trailers.

The 2013 G-Class will be available at European dealerships in June with U.S. sales to follow in August. Prices for our market haven’t been released just yet, but we do know that the European version will start at €85,311 for the G350, which we also won’t get (along with the cabriolet models). The current G550 starts at $107,000, so you should plan on adding a few grand to that to get in the 2013-model-year’s big, square door.

Scroll down to read all about the new G-wagen models and have a gander at the new celebrity hotness in the high-res gallery above.

Continue reading Mercedes introduces 2013 G-Class, including 612-HP G65 AMG

Mercedes introduces 2013 G-Class, including 612-HP G65 AMG

New York Auto Show recap with John McElroy of Autoline

Episode #277 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Chris, Dan, and Executive Editor Chris Paukert are joined by John McElroy to chat about the New York Auto Show. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #276:

• New York Auto Show recap

In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Nissan Versa SV
2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S
2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid
Long-Term 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Chris Paukert

Feedback
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com

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Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #277

Autoblog Podcast #277

Do you miss the opportunity to buy a Volkswagen Scirocco? You’re not alone. Of all the Volkswagen Group products offered overseas but not in these United States, the Scirocco tops our list. (Though we understand there are plenty out there pining for a Transporter van.) Discontinued in its previous iteration in 1988, the Scirocco made its triumphant return to the market in 2008, but with the global financial crisis setting in around the sometime, Volkswagen wasn’t up to spreading itself thin enough to bring it here.

That could change with the next-generation model, however. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen is working on a next-generation Scirocco, and this one could very well make it Stateside. This according to Volkswagen of America CEO Jonathan Browning, who admitted as much while speaking with journalists at the New York Auto Show this past week. While it’s unclear if he’s referring to a facelifted version of the current model (expected to launch next year) or an all-new model, the prospect of finding a Scirocco – any Scirocco – in U.S. showrooms is tantalizing.

While he was at it, Browning reportedly also suggested the Passat Alltrack – which was shown in “concept” form in New York – could be sold here in diesel form, which strikes us as tantalizing (if expensive). Further, Browning reiterated that the company is looking into a mid-size crossover to slot in between the Tiguan and the Touareg, something we’ve heard before and fully expect to happen.

Volkswagen weighs next Scirocco, diesel Alltrack for U.S.

The next year and a half will be an interesting period for Nissan. The automaker has announced that it will launch five new models over the course of 15 months, starting with the 2013 Altima that made its debut at the New York Auto Show last week. What’s next? Take a close look at the image above and those mysterious shapes under the white sheets aren’t exactly tough to decipher.

Left to right, first up is clearly the Versa hatchback, the five-door follower of the not-so-highly regarded sedan that launched late last year. Want another glimpse of what could be in store for the large-rumped Versa? Have a glance at its overseas cousin, the Tiida. The North American model will no doubt be different, but the Tiida indeed previews what could be in store.

The next two models aren’t really a surprise – that big crossover is the Pathfinder that we’ve already seen in just-about-done concept form, and the middle car is the midsize Altima sedan. Moving one more space to the right, there’s a smaller CUV that is, without question, the next-generation Rogue. Lastly, that’s the new Sentra hanging out at the far right. The next Sentra has already been tipped to receive an Altima-like front fascia, and that’s immediately noticeable even under the white sheet.

The 2013 Pathfinder will go on sale later this year, following the launch of the new Altima. As for what’s next, your guess is as good as ours. As Car and Driver reports, the fact that Nissan has confirmed that one of these cars is the new Sentra makes us think it’ll be the next one to arrive, not to mention the fact that it’s the one most desperately in need of replacement.

Nissan teases new Sentra, Rogue and more

We’re almost ready to record Episode #277 of the Autoblog Podcast with John McElroy joining us, and you can check out the topics below, add your own to the Q&A and join us live via UStream, as well, and we’ve embedded our UStream player after the jump. Thanks for listening!

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #277

• New York Auto Show

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #277 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern

Autoblog Podcast #277 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern