2010 Concorso Italiano celebrates Alfa Romeo centenery – Click above for high-res image gallery
The year 2010 marks the 100th birthday of Alfa Romeo, the great Italian automaker that has given us some of the most lust-worthy road and race cars of, well, the last century. It was fitting, therefore, that Concorso Italiano celebrated the occasion with gusto. They even let the Alfas spell out the annual message to the heavens: a simple “100.” It would have been interesting to see them try to use 100 cars to do so; goodness knows there were at least that many Alfas on hand.
Check out the gallery and you’ll see a small sampling of the great variety of Alfas on display. As much as we like the new 8C Competizione, we have to say our favorite Alfa Romeo at Concorso was probably John Shirley’s . Just take a look at !
Ferrari F40s at the 2010 Concorso Italiano – Click above for high-res image gallery
Concorso Italiano threw a party for the legendary Ferrari F40, and the turnout was, well, almost as good as the car itself. Thousands of show attendees were treated to more than a dozen examples of Enzo Ferrari’s final project.
As you probably know, the F40 was named to celebrate Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, and the celebration at Concorso honored the 20th anniversary of the car’s 1990 arrival here in the States. (Let’s not quibble over the fact that Ferrari the company was actually born in 1947, meaning the F40 should have actually arrived in 1987. The show car was first unveiled in 1987 and that’s good enough for us.)
The late arrival of what some still view as the ultimate supercar did nothing to dampen the spirits of the men and boys who fell in love with it at first sight and still carry a torch for it today. The F40 celebration was one great reason to go to Concorso Italiano this year. If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend in person, hit the gallery below to see how the lineup of F40s looked at one of Monterey week’s biggest exhibitions.
2008 Fioravanti SP1 at the 2010 Concorso Italiano – Click above for high-res image gallery
Concorso Italiano is always fun. Every car has a story behind it, and this year, the organizers pulled off something of a coup.
Back in ‘08, a was spied at Fiorano. Once initial speculation settled down, the prevailing wisdom suggested that the car in question was a one-off coachbuilt special designed by former Pininfarina (and now independent) stylist Fioravanti for a wealthy customer. Those reports wound up being true, and yesterday that very car was on display at Concorso Italiano.
Dubbed SP1 (for Sport Prototype 1) the Ferrari F430-based machine was commissioned by a prominent Ferrari collector in Japan. It was the first product out of Maranello’s Portfolio program – an initiative that lets the extremely wealthy collaborate with various Italian design houses (including Fioravanti, Pininfarina and Zagato) with full factory support on custom, unique vehicles. While most of these clients prefer anonymity, it’s hard to keep a low profile when you’re driving a custom Ferrari.
Making its only U.S. appearance, the Fioravanti SP1 was one of Concorso’s centerpieces, parked next to the F40 gathering and a stone’s throw from the stage. Photos can’t do the car justice. Looking at the SP1’s creases and curves, you see influences from a variety of cars in the Ferrari family. It’s so cohesive, yet it’s difficult to accurately convey the sheer presence that this car exudes in person. We did our best to capture it, however. Take a gander at the image gallery below, and maybe you’ll feel the vibe as well.
Lancia Stratos – Click above for high-res image gallery
The revival project that we’ve been hearing about for the past week or so is much farther along than we thought, as engineers did some running at northern Italy’s Balocco test track in late June. For the first time, we’ve seen the new car alongside an original Stratos and the designers have done a remarkable job in recreating the classic’s unique shape, size and proportions.
This new Stratos arrives during the 40th anniversary year of the Marcello Gandini-designed Stratos Zero concept, whose name was later resurrected for the rally car and homologation special. Like the 1970s-era Stratos, power reportedly comes from a Ferrari engine, this time a V8 probably donated from the F430. (The original used the 2.4-liter Dino V6.) that the new car is so true to the concept of the original that it even has door-mounted helmet storage. The bodywork has apparently been crafted in carbon fiber and as many as five prototypes may already be running. If so, this is not likely the one-off that was originally speculated, but a car that could see a limited production run like the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.
Check out Top Gear’s take on the original Stratos . For a good history lesson on the Lancia Stratos, pick up the September 2010 issue of at your local bookstore, as one of this month’s feature vehicles is a 1976 Stratos, and the article has an informative backgrounder on the car’s journey from design concept to rally icon.
Perana Z-One – Click above for high-res image gallery
Monterey has seen its share of debuts and this year stays true to form. We’ve already seen the unveilings of the , the new , the , , and . It doesn’t end there, either. Tucked among the exotica at Concorso Italiano was the new Zagato-styled, Hi-Tech-built and Superfomance-sold, Perana Z-One sports/GT.
It’s beautiful. And the build quality is exquisite. The panel gaps put all the high-priced Italian vehicles surrounding it to shame. The styling is definitely that of a European GT, a shape that holds its own in the company of an Alfa Romeo 8C, or a Ferrari 599. With that Corvette engine under its long nose, however, it’s reminiscent of classic Italian/Amercan collaborative sports car efforts from companies like DeTomaso, Iso and Bizzarrini.
We weren’t alone in being smitten by this new $100,000 sports car either. It was mobbed all day, even amidst the dazzling variety from the likes of and . We’re hoping to arrange some seat time on the Perana Z-One, but for moment, feast your eyes on the gallery below and you’ll understand why we see big things in this vehicle’s future.
2010 Concorso Italiano – Click above for high-res image gallery
Monterey coverage continues with one of Friday’s staples. Concorso Italiano has been one of Monterey’s largest gatherings of primarily Italian vehicles for years. Laguna Seca Golf Ranch played the hospitable host, giving throngs of Italian-car lovers the opportunity to get up close and personal with hundreds of le belle macchine.
, , Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, DeTomaso and , were well represented – long lines of each marque appearing almost mirage-like down the fairways of Laguna. You know those shots you’ve seen of exotic cars lined up outside the factory? Multiply those by ten. It is absolutely crazy. Special gatherings honored the Ferrari F40, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary of U.S. citizenship. The Italians were never really that great at dates, as the F40 was originally intended to be a 40th anniversary treat for Enzo himself to celebrate the company’s 1947 birth. Unfortunately, it appeared around 1990 instead. Don’t even get us started on the F50.
Concorso has hosted several smaller manufacturers over the years as well. Not just the oddball makes that few people have ever heard of, but also fledgling companies that have sometimes risen to prominence – or fallen infamously. This year, Superformance showed off the new Zagato-penned Perana Z-One. The European GT styling combined with Corvette power reminds us of the classic Italo-Amercan mashups from DeTomaso, Iso, Bizzarrini and the like. The Z-One is gorgeous, and we were blown away by its build quality. We’re negotiating some seat time to give you the full rundown, but for now, check out the gallery and you’ll see why Concorso Italiano has become one of the world’s greatest events for lovers of Italian machinery.
McLaren MP4-12C North American debut – Click above for high-res image gallery
With a burst of light and a swoosh of its car cover, the McLaren MP4-12C made its North American debut this evening in Pebble Beach. Gooding auctions unveiled the new supercar at its preview reception, the same locale that has seen the debuts of other significant vehicles from the past few years – namely the Rolls-Royce Hyperion and the Pininfarina P4/5. But tonight McLaren was definitely the star of the show. Besides giving Americans their first glimpse of its latest model, McLaren also talked a bit about the new company they are introducing to build and sell not just the MP4-12C, but a whole range of road vehicles.
This isn’t like the way things were done with the F1, where it was basically a special project inside the technical and racing operations…no, it’s a whole new passenger car company that will have an assortment of vehicles apparently. In fact, McLaren Automotive has already announced the list of 35 cities that will be hosting McLaren dealerships, and the rumor mill is in full swing telling us that a successor to the big-daddy F1 is in the cards for as early as 2012. The last bit of info we gleened from the presentation was that they seemed to talk a lot about their winning history in both Formula 1 and sports car racing and how they love to win. Perhaps a not-so-subtle hint that a racing version of the MP4-12C will be built? Makes sense to us. While we’re waiting for spy shots of that project, do yourself a favor and check out the hot new McLaren in our gallery below.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery
made big news last month when it unveiled the . The 1200-horsepowersupercar smashed the production car speed record by at the proving grounds, and it even made the in the hands of the Stig.
We’ve previously only seen pictures of just one Super Sport model – the record-setting car with the polarizing orange and black paint scheme – but now we know that the Bugatti factory has spewed out at least two examples. The Super Sport made its North American debut at the Quail Motorsports Gathering earlier today with gorgeous blue carbon fiber paint. We have to say we much prefer it over its counterpart.
We’ve heard the record-setting Super Sport is also in town and will be at Laguna Seca, so we’ll hopefully be able to bring you more photos of that car, and expect plenty more coverage from the Quail Motorsports Gathering throughout this weekend.
The Monterey auctions kicked off last night with a special Ford-only sale put on by RM. Despite an offering of significant race cars and a slew of concept cars, bidding was sluggish and many of the final sale prices were well below the pre-auction estimates. Some of the concepts like the and the sold for just $14,000 each, while many of the high profile cars sold for less than half the estimates. The went for $60,000, the sold for $92,500, and the went to a bidder who only had to fork over $100,000.
The top sales of the day were actually a pair of Lincolns, one a ($429,000) and the other a ($385,000). Some most significant cars were no-sales, including a that is the oldest existing Ford ever sold (high bid of $325,000) and a that didn’t meet the reserve at $450,000.
You can see the Ford concept cars and many of the other vehicles at RM’s Thursday night auction in the gallery below, and be sure to check back for more auction photos and results this weekend.
The car that Mustang fans have been hoping Ford would build for a very, very long time is finally here: the 2012 Boss 302…
The Infiniti line-up is set to expand this September with the introduction of the G25, a new entry-level sedan packing all the amenities of its bigger brother, but with less power and a budget-minded price tag.
While the skies were gloomy and even a bit weepy this year, at least we didn’t have fog like last year. The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is one of our favorite events in Monterey every year, and it’s nice to actually see the cars.
Koenigsegg Agera – Click above for high-res image gallery
Few things get the automotive universe fired up quite like a good old-fashioned grudge match, and from the sound of things, we may be on the verge of seeing the battle royale with the cheese of grudge matches. Evidently, Top Gear’s Bill Thomas was strolling around the Koenigsegg factory shortly after launched the Super Sport to .
At the time, the Bug’s record-breaking drive was still confidential knowledge, but being the kind of bloke we wouldn’t mind buying a beer, Thomas felt the need to share Bugatti’s accomplishment with Koenigsegg boss Christian von Koenigsegg, potentially igniting a powder keg of speed and competition the likes of which the production auto world hasn’t seen in quite some time.
Apparently, upon hearing the news that the Veryon Super Sport was now top dog of the production car world, Koenigsegg immediately began rattling off possible places to do his own high-speed testing with his newest machine, the Agera. That sounds an awful lot like we can expect a new Swedish sports machine to arrive any time to attempt to whisk the title away from the French. And there might even be a little from America’s Shelby SuperCars. See? Isn’t competition fun?
Oh, . When will you learn that the CLC was just a bad idea? did so with the chopped-trunk 318ti, but Mercedes seems determined to make its counterpart work. To that end, the Silver Star automaker is reportedly working on a new derivative.
Drawing its inspiration from the (pictured above) and its underpinnings from the B-Class, the CLC Shooting Brake (hopefully they’ll get the spelling right this time) is expected to slot in below the C-Class Estate wagon, but presumably with a svelter roofline.
That doesn’t mean they’ll get the door count right though: the jury’s still out on whether it’ll be a proper shooting brake with three doors (like the existing CLC, but longer) or five doors like a conventional wagon. Engine options, meanwhile, are tipped to revolve around turbocharged fours, ranging from 108 horsepower and 1.2 liters to a 272-hp CLC22 AMG with 4Matic all-wheel drive. Sources expect the CLC Shooting Brake to arrive around September 2013.
Last week’s American Le Mans Series race at was a nail-biter right down to the checkered flag with lots of action in each of the four classes. Unfortunately, the race wasn’t shown live on TV… though it was streamed over the interwebz. If you missed the action the first time around, you can catch yourself up this Sunday in an interesting new way.
Intersport Productions, the creators of one of the greatest racing films ever, , has applied its skills to the Mid-Ohio footage. The cameras were rolling throughout the weekend and the editors have spent this week putting together a 90-minute special that apparently goes beyond just the race to tell a narrative about the whole process of competition. The docu-drama, called Road Warriors, will air this Sunday, August 15, at 12:30pm EDT on CBS.
Hurst Camaro – Click above for high-res image gallery
The gang at Hurst Performance Vehicles are unleashing their first ever turbocharged machine in honor of the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the BFGoodrich Radial T/A. Only 50 of the Redline Series Hurst are to be produced annually with each powered by a force-fed 3.6-liter V6. Power will flow to 18-inch Hurst T1 wheels with new Radial T/A Spec tires.
Hurst installs what it calls a “remoted-mounted” turbocharger on its modified exhaust, which actually doesn’t sound like a very good idea if you’re concerned about lag. Output should be about 360 horsepower and 320 pound-feet at the rear wheels – a 50-percent bump from stock. Inside, the turbocharged Camaro gets a pistol grip shift lever, custom leather upholstery and floor mats and an optional gauge package.
The Redline Series Camaro will sticker in the mid-$50,000 range depending on the options selected.
2010 Toyota Yaris – Click above for high-res image gallery
B-segment cars have been getting a whole lot of attention lately, what with super-good offerings like the , and setting the bar high for the class. has its friendly little , but that model hasn’t seen any sort of real update since its debut in late 2006, but large changes are in the works.
Toyota’s North American operations have reportedly been pushing for the Yaris to grow in size, and we should get a conceptual preview of what to expect at the 2011 . Toyota is also working on a hybrid powertrain for the Yaris in Europe, though reports state that this engine isn’t slated for the United States. Odd, especially since Toyota has always talked about expanding its nameplate to include a range of hybrid vehicles.
For now, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more rumors, and we’ll wait to see what Toyota has in store for a Detroit Show debut next January.
Click above for high-res image gallery of the top five bikes from the 2010 World Championship of Custom Bike Building
One particularly worthwhile criticism of the custom motorcycle scene in general is that builders often choose to make super expensive eye candy that’s nearly impossible to ride and is therefore completely devoid of any real usefulness. American Chopper aside, thankfully we’ve been seeing a gradual shift away from blinged-out two-wheeled jewelry over the last few years, and this year’s AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building offers some prime examples.
Most notable is winner , who is no stranger to the scene, having placed as high as third in the Championship in three separate years. His title-winning machine for 2010 is pretty spectacular – power from a liquid-cooled Harley-Davidson V-Rod engine means that it’s fast, but it’s the transforming frame that’s truly exceptional.
With the flick of a switch, the bike can be changed from a cruiser (23.8-inch seat height, 30-degree rake, 4.7 inches of trail and 6.7 inches of ground clearance) to a sportbike of sorts (30.5-inch seat height, 23-degree rake, 3.1 inches of trail and 9.3 inches of clearance). There are two sets of foot controls that the rider can use, depending on which mode the bike is in.
Second place went to , which is a much more traditional-style long and low chopper powered by a highly customized Indian Power Plus engine. We’re more interested in the third place bike, . It’s got an air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine made up of parts from a BMW R71 and a Russian K-750. Oh yeah, and a supercharger sitting up top.
Fourth place went to and fifth went to another bike we love called the . Check out all five machines in our high-res image gallery below and see the press release .
Gallery:
[Source: AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building]
2010 Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance – Click above for high-res image gallery
While the skies were gloomy and even a bit weepy this year, at least we didn’t have fog like . The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance is one of our favorite events in Monterey every year, and it’s nice to actually see the cars. The Tour, if you’re not familiar, is an event that includes a large portion of the entrants in Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, but as its name implies, the cars are moving. The best part is that it’s free to anyone with a lawn chair.
The cars leave the Pebble Beach grounds around 8:30AM and snake through 17-Mile drive, loop through Monterey and then head down Highway 1 to Big Sur before turning around and coming back up into Carmel for lunch. was the sponsor this year so there were plenty of , SLK, S Class, GL, ML… LMNOP models on hand to serve escortduty for the “real” media, VIPs and racers like Sir Stirling Moss, who led the whole parade in an old Gullwing. Nice cars for sure, but the Tour is also our first glimpse at what’s going to be vying for Best of Show on the 18th fairway at Pebble on Sunday.
Unlike last year when the just shown like a freshly polished diamond in a coal pile, we didn’t spot any clear favorites this year. That’s not to say there aren’t a ton of great cars here this year – just not one superstar. Several cars did manage to stand out as the entries chugged past us along PCH though.
That’s the magical part of the Tour, the cars careening down the coast with hundreds of spectators and photographers lining every turn-out. All five of your senses are involved here, with everything from horseless carriages to 1950s dream cars whizzing by, spewing an intoxicating mix of fuel vapor, oil, exhaust, brakes, clutch and various other overheated material scents as the ground rumbles under your feet, particularly with the race cars. And come on, how often do you get to see GP cars on the street?
Check out the amazing gallery of by clicking below. We’re still in the process of labeling them all, so shout it out in the comments if you can identify any of the ones we’re missing.
When we that Ford may push the up to 400 horsepower, it caused quite a stir in the comments. Speaking at the annual SHO Convention held this year in Dearborn, Steve Ling, Ford’s North American car marketing manager told us, “365 horsepower is good. 400 is better.” Words are one thing, but new spy shots from ace photog Brenda Priddy and her gang confirm that Ford is definitely planning something for the 2012 Taurus SHO.
This Limited-badged Taurus caught hot weather testing in the South West is pretty easy to spot as a SHO. The SHO-specific wheels are the dead giveaway, but out back we also see the SHO’s two large tailpipes poking out of a modified rear valence. What’s particularly interesting is the car’s front end, which is heavily wrapped, most likely to obscure design changes to the 2012 SHO’s front end that will further separate its look from standard Taurus models.
While we there’s no evidence in these spy shots confirming that Ford is pushing the car’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 up to 400 horsepower, the fact this car was caught hot weather testing could indicate that engineers are there to see how a more powerful version of this engine acts when the mercury skyrockets. That said, they could also just be testing how any changes to the front end design affect engine cooling for the current engine.
We’re also hoping they’re testing new brakes for the SHO, because the current car’s stoppers have enough trouble hauling down this heavy sleeper sedan without another 35 hp making matters worse.
The drag racing world is a scary, scary place. It’s a realm where engines are built to hold together just long enough to scoot down the quarter mile before they’re torn apart and rebuilt for the next run. It’s a world where if your vehicle is turning anything close to double-digit fuel mileage, it’s not producing enough horsepower.
Typically, these types of monstrosities are little more than trailer queens that are rolled onto the strip and then back into their awaiting shuttles home. That’s not the case with the new Red Victor 3 – a custom-built racer that has a twin-turbocharged 8.8-liter V8 under the hood good for 3,000 horsepower.
The car uses 1967 Victor FD sheet metal, though the company says that the whole contraption is entirely street legal. How’s about them apples? The car was built specifically for the Power Festival at Silverstone (how appropriate…), which kicks off August 28. Vauxhall predicts that the car should run 240 miles per hour in the quarter at 6.5 seconds. Yup. That’s pretty quick. for a look at the full press blast.
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Live Unveiling _ Click above for high-res image gallery
The was unveiled this morning at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and we were at the track bright and early to see it take a lap around the famous race course. Due to some early morning rain, the lap actually never happened (we weren’t told and were up at the corkscrew for about an hour waiting in the rain), but we managed to make it down to the pits to catch our first glimpse at the car.
We’ll spare you going over the details again – you can see the from our post this morning – but what we can bring you are the first live photos of the Mustang Boss 302, including a few of the “Laguna Seca” edition. Enjoy!
