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We haven’t heard much about Perana in quite some time, but not nearly as long as it’s been since the name AC last came up on our radar screen. The progenitor of the iconic Shelby Cobra, AC Cars is one of those great many British sportscar manufacturers that has long since disappeared into obscurity. There has been talk here and there of reviving the marque with a new model, but none of that seems to have materialized. Until now. Sort of.

Perana, as you may recall, is (or was) the name of an upstart automaker producing a devastatingly beautiful sportscar called the Z-One penned by no less accomplished a design house than Zagato. Now, the design (or, at least, what appears to be the same design) has resurfaced under the AC badge.

Called the 378 GT Zagato, the AC-ified Z-One is apparently being produced on the same line in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where the Perana was, and where, incidentally, some Noble models are, as well. The numeric nameplate is taken from the cubic-inch displacement of the 6.2-liter V8 engine.

It’s certainly not the first time Zagato has designed for an established British marque, the production version of the V12 Zagato it designed for Aston Martin having been unveiled as this one was being announced at the other end of the Geneva Palexpo. AC and Zagato also collaborated on a one-off Bristol variant back in 1957, a model that is scheduled to be showcased alongside the new 378 GT at Pebble Beach later this year where AC will be the featured marque two years after the Z-One made its U.S. debut on the very same manicured lawns.

That’s not where the collaboration is expected to end, however, as a roadster based on the same platform but featuring more Cobra-like bodywork is next in the pipeline. We’re not sure where that leaves Perana, but we’ll be watching to see where this goes. In the meantime you can see the full press release and spec sheet below, with high-res images (including some deliciously retro color schemes) in the gallery above.

Continue reading Perana Z-One resurfaces with AC badge as 378 GT Zagato

Perana Z-One resurfaces with AC badge as 378 GT Zagato

Saab is dead. Long live Saab?

Well, at least in the Swedish Racing Elite League. Says Jan “Flash” Nilsson, driver and Managing Director of Flash Engineering, “I have longed for 40 years to see the fight between Saab and Volvo on the race tracks. It becomes reality this summer and my biggest dream is to get all Saab fans to the TTA races to cheer us on.”

In addition to the Volvo Polestar S60 TTA sedan, the Saab 9-3 fielded by Flash Engineering and Team Tidö will go up against efforts from BMW and Citroën. And, intriguingly, the team will have the support of what’s left of the Saab company in Sweden – Flash will be sponsored in part by Saab Parts, the organization created to handle Saab repairs now that the automaker is in receivership, along with the Saab Dealer Organization.

Check out the complete press release below, which is chock full of historically significant Saab cars and drivers, along with the high-res gallery of the racing Saab 9-3 above.

Continue reading Saab 9-3 to live on in Swedish Touring Car racing

Saab 9-3 to live on in Swedish Touring Car racing

When it comes to handing out awards, nobody works harder than J.D. Power. With surveys concocted to measure dependability, brand reputation, customer retention, quality, and whatever else the company can dream up, we sometimes wonder whether the company’s plaudits aren’t becoming a little like “participant” medals awarded at the end of kids’ sports seasons.

This latest J.D. Power survey, the 2012 Customer Service Index, measures service satisfaction at dealerships. The most interesting find is that overall satisfaction at dealers is nearly four percent greater than at independent repair facilities. Visits to dealers among owners of vehicles less than three years old are up as well.

Of course, the numbers that people will be most interested in relate to how each brand fared in the survey. J.D. Power ranks each marque on a 1,000-point scale, “based on dealer service performance during the first three years of new-vehicle ownership, which typically represents the majority of the vehicle warranty period. Five measures are examined to determine overall customer satisfaction with dealer service (listed in order of importance): service quality; service initiation; service advisor; service facility; and vehicle pick-up.”

The brands are broken into either luxury or mainstream categories, and the top performers in each list are clustered fairly close together. Lexus scored 861 points, followed by Cadillac (852) and Jaguar (849) on the luxury side. The mass market competitors finished even closer, with Mini leading at 809 points, followed closely by three General Motors brands: Buick (805), GMC (803) and Chevrolet (801).

See below for the full press release.

Continue reading Lexus, Mini take home dealer satisfaction laurels in latest J.D. Power survey

Lexus, Mini take home dealer satisfaction laurels in latest J.D. Power survey

As a Formula One entity, Renault has gone from engine supplier to full manufacturer (having acquired the Benetton team back in 2000) and back to engine supplier (having all but completely divested the team now under the Lotus banner). The French automaker’s competition engine works also powers Caterham and Williams this season, but most importantly, the Red Bull Racing team that is returning once again as World Champions. So whereas previous Renaultsport special edition hot hatches celebrated the company’s own achievements, the latest celebrates Red Bull’s.

Named the Red Bull RB7 edition after last year’s car, the special Clio RS packs a 203-horsepower four mounted to the Cup chassis that would otherwise be an option. The body is painted matte black with yellow highlights, a tone-on-tone checkerboard roof, the requisite special badging and 18-inch wheels done up in a black finish and shod with the same Bridgestone rubber that kept the Mégane Trophy glued to the Nürburgring for its lap record.

Inside it’s got yellow Recaro buckets and the RS Monitor performance telematics system. The special edition will only be available, however, in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Spain. Details to be found in the press release after the jump with high-res images in the gallery above.

Continue reading Renault celebrates Red Bull partnership with special edition Clio RS

Renault celebrates Red Bull partnership with special edition Clio RS

We can appreciate a good track car as much as the next enthusiast, but we’re beginning to bemoan their creation as a way out for automakers to charge wealthy customers obscene amounts of money for cars they’re not even legally allowed to drive on the road. (As least, not in countries were homologation can’t be circumvented with a sufficient bribe to the right bureaucrat. Which we’re not entirely sure includes these United States.)

It’s the road that Lamborghini is expected to take with the “production” version of the Sesto Elemento concept, and it appears to be the way Jaguar plans to bring its C-X75 concept to production. At least, the jet-powered one, anyway.

The C-X75, as you may recall, bowed at the 2010 Paris Auto Salon with an awesomely innovative powertrain: two micro-turbines acting as range-extenders to electric motors. Reports then began to surface that Jaguar intended to build the supercar, only that the commercially available version would pack a 1.6-liter turbo four being developed with the Williams Formula One team and packing about 500 horsepower instead of the turbine setup. (Not too shabby, but still no turbine.)

Then parent company Tata invested in a turbine outfit called Bladon Jets near Jaguar’s headquarters in Coventry, leading to the development that a limited quantity would be offered with turbine power like the concept’s. The latest reports, however, indicate that even those would be confined strictly to the track.

Now don’t get us wrong, we applaud Jaguar and Tata pursuing the technology of getting this experimental powertrain into a “marketable” car, however much it may cost. We’re just not sure that keeping it confined to the race track, given the prices they’ll be bound to charge, is the right way to go about it. Agree or disagree? Cast your vote in the poll below.

View Poll

Jaguar to confine turbine-powered C-X75 to track use? [w/poll]

Tearing It Up In The Deep White With The Original Stig

There are lots of fine race driver names in the history of motorsports. Sterling Moss, Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton (a.k.a. Marquis de Portago), and the ever popular Dick Trickle come to mind. We’d need to put in a strong vote, however, for Swede rally sensation Stig Blomqvist, winner of the 1984 World Rally Championship drivers’ title. He drove for the Audi Sport factory team between 1982 and 1985, his Group B championship-winning season starting in a long-wheelbase Audi Quattro A2 and finishing in a short-wheelbase Sport Quattro S1.

Lucky for us, we recently had the chance to belt in beside The Stig as he powered over a west central Swedish parcours buried in deep snow. Better still, we were able to ride shotgun with the legendary shoe piloting what was essentially the same Sport Quattro S1 he drove for the last part of the ‘84 WRC season.

Continue reading 1984 Audi Sport Quattro S1 [w/video]

1984 Audi Sport Quattro S1 [w/video]

While the top brass gets their minds made up as to whether there will be a next-generation Dodge Avenger, the folks at Dodge have gone ahead and added a new top trim to the current model. The 2012 Dodge Avenger SE V6 gets the Pentastar V6 tuned to 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque mated to a six-speed automatic, along with 18-inch alloys, dual exhaust, and a rear spoiler.

This makes five trims for the Avenger line, with this model starting at $21,495 before destination. That puts it $2,500 over the current range topper, the Avenger SE, which starts at $18,995 and comes with a 173-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder shifting through an ancient four-speed auto. The four-cylinder SE is rated at 30 mpg highway, while the Pentastar engine only drops that a fraction to 29 mpg highway.

Stacked against the competitive set Dodge has in mind, like the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima, the current SE is in the ballpark regarding specs while being less expensive. With the SE V6 and six-speed tranny to update refinement and give it a 110-hp boost, Avenger sales – which are already up 112 percent this year – could rise even further. Follow the jump for the press release on the newest addition to the family.

Continue reading Dodge adds Avenger SE V6 trim for 2012

Dodge adds Avenger SE V6 trim for 2012

Lotus has put a halt to all development of future models. The news comes after the Malaysian government sold its controlling stake in Lotus parent company Proton. According to EVO, the company’s takeover regulations require all involved parties to enter into a “lockdown” wherein anything outside of normal business is brought to a halt. For Lotus, that means stalling development for 60 days and pushing back launch dates for vehicles like the Exige S, Evora GTE and the upcoming Esprit successor. Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is currently engaged in talks with DRB-Hicom, Proton’s new owner, in an attempt to ensure the industrial conglomerate holds onto the sports car maker.

Odds are we won’t know what the future has in store for Lotus until after the due diligence period comes to a close. In the mean time, Lotus will continue to build and sell cars as well as engage motorsports efforts. It will also be the featured marque at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Lotus model development on lockdown as company looks to change hands

Land Rover has made no secret of the fact that the company aims to flesh out its stable between now and 2017 with the addition of around 40 new model variants. Now Inside Line has given us the first hint of what the first of those models may bring to the table. According to reports, the company is in the beginning stages of developing a new leisure range to slot below the current LR2. Details are scarce at the moment, but the vehicle will reportedly be the smallest Land Rover to wear the company’s badge if it gets the nod for production.

The company also intends to give hardware like the LR2 and LR4 a significant update with freshened exteriors and interiors that are more carlike in an attempt to lure in more buyers.

Land Rover is likely hoping to replicate the warm reception of the Range Rover Evoque in a less expensive, more accessible package. Sounds good to us.

Land Rover mulling sub-LR2 “leisure” model

Although Jaguar may not be racing all that much these days, motorsport competition was an integral part to forming its identity decades ago. And it’s that legacy that Jaguar aims to tap into with its latest development.

The British auto marque has of late been participating in numerous classic racing events, but is now intensifying and organizing its efforts under the Jaguar Heritage Racing banner. Managed for the factory by specialist firm JD Classics of Essex, the program will see the C-Type and D-Type (click on the image above to enlarge the two classic cats) challenging revival events at venues as varied as Goodwood, the Nürburgring and the Mille Miglia, where the initiative will make its first appearance this May.

Although limited in scope to classic racing events, the renewed effort will see the factory getting back onto the track in an arguably more substantial way than it has with the Jaguar RSR XKR GT2, retapping the racing spirit not seen in Coventry since winning Le Mans with the XJR-12 in 1990 and selling its F1 team in 2004 – but which could, if recent rumors come to fruition, resurface again with a new LMP1 in the near future. In the meantime you can read more about the Jaguar Heritage Racing program in the press release below.

Continue reading Jaguar launching factory-backed heritage racing team

Jaguar launching factory-backed heritage racing team

A brand like Mini is as much about image as it is about the vehicles it produces. Hence a seemingly endless array of branded merchandise, joined by this latest collection made in collaboration with Carmina Campus.

The fashion brand directed by Ilaria Venturini Fendi – youngest daughter of the famed fashion-design family – is distinguished by its use of recycled materials, and in the case of the Mini collection, uses all manner of discarded components from the Mini product line. Everything from seatbelts and convertible-roof canvas to scraps of metal bodywork and leather upholstery have been repurposed into a range of travel and city bags for both men and woman.

The collection includes everything from briefcases and laptop bags to purses and suitcases. Only fifty individually-numbered pieces will be made, with prices ranging from 350 to 700 euros (~$450-900) available in store and online. Details in the press release below and the extensive high-res image gallery above.

Continue reading Carmina Campus repurposes Mini parts into bag collection

Carmina Campus repurposes Mini parts into bag collection

According to Chevrolet, the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will kick off without an Impala on the starting grid. That’s news itself, considering how intertwined the Impala is with Chevy’s NASCAR presence, earning 70 wins since 2007.

Even more intriguing, though, is that Chevy says it “will be racing a vehicle based on a new nameplate to the brand’s lineup.” That means the 2013 racer won’t be a Malibu or Cruze. Whatever it may be, Chevrolet says that both the race version and the production version will be debuted “in the coming year.”

As far as speculation goes, it’s hard not to point a finger in the direction of the Chevrolet Caprice, which is currently available in the United States for police duty only. Will everyday consumers finally get another crack at a high-performance rear-wheel-drive Chevy sports sedan? If so, what will it be called, and will it wear the coveted SS nomenclature?

We have no idea. What we do know, however, is that Jim Campbell, vice president of Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, says the automaker is testing camouflaged vehicles and that the production version will be “just like” the race car. We’ll just have to wait and see about that… In the meantime, see the complete press release below.

Continue reading Chevrolet to replace Impala in NASCAR for 2013, new production model hinted

Chevrolet to replace Impala in NASCAR for 2013, new production model hinted

A design studio and contract manufacturer, when Pininfarina builds a car it’s typically under another brand’s auspices. That could change, however, with the Cambiano.

Unveiled just last week at the Geneva Motor Show, the 680-horsepower plug-in hybrid coupe concept – which we had the opportunity to examine close-up in the ramp-up to the show – is being considered for limited production.

If built for public consumption, the Cambiano is tipped to ditch the concept’s diesel turbine in favor of a more conventional electric powertrain with its range extended by a diesel engine. If Pininfarina were to build just ten examples, the pricetag on each would amount to about 1 million euros (approximately $1.3 million at today’s conversion rates) but if ramped up to 70 or 75 units, each would fetch around 400,000 euros (about $525,000).

Pininfarina mulling limited production run of Cambiano PHEV concept

It’s pretty obvious that automakers’ definition of the word ‘coupe’ these days is a far cry from the traditional meaning. (We do live in the world of the “four-door coupe,” after all.) That said, Car and Driver reports that Mini will call the company’s two-door Paceman Concept the Countryman Coupe once it hits production.

While it’s true that both the Paceman Concept and most coupes have two doors, the vehicle is more of a CUV/hatchback/crossover, at least to our eyes. Even so, the fact that the vehicle will reportedly share the Countryman moniker is no shock. Both vehicles wear the same nose front fascia, grille, headlights, fenders and hood. Even so, based on the automaker’s current naming convention, that means we’ll have to get used to saying something like “Mini Cooper S Countryman Coupe.” Because that won’t get confusing or anything.

Last we heard, the three-door Countryman will go on sale in 2013 as a 2014 model, and rumor has it that the production model will debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year. A few patent drawings have already made their way to the web, indicating the final version will be remarkably similar to the concept we’ve already seen.

Mini changing Paceman name to Countryman Coupe for production

General Motors is recalling 2012 model year Buick Regal sedans for, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 108: lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.” Specifically (and in layman’s terms), it means that the Regal’s parking lamps may be defective.

Vehicles affected by this recall were built between February 22, 2011 and February 22, 2012 – a grand total of 3,633 Regals.

GM will begin notifying owners about the recall this week, and dealers will reprogram the Regal’s body control module (that controls the parking lights) free of charge. Follow the jump for the full details in NHTSA’s official statement.

Continue reading Buick recalls 2012 Regal over lighting concern

Buick recalls 2012 Regal over lighting concern

This year’s Geneva Motor Show served up a scintillating buffet of vehicles, but the Lamborghini Aventador J may very well have been our favorite. With no roof, no windshield and all of the insane running gear of the standard Aventador, the roadster is the embodiment of exotic. But according to Top Gear, the car went from design sketch to reality in record time. Designer Filippo Perini told TG he first sketched up the Aventador J in mid-January after CEO Stephan Winkelmann asked his crew to to come up with something special for Geneva.

Despite the apparent similarities between the Aventador and the new Aventador J, the two models share only a handful of body components, including the front hood, fenders, headlights and rear fenders. Everything else is bespoke just for the concept.

If you like what you see as much as we do and want to take one home, too bad. The world’s only Aventador J is already sold to an unnamed collector for the lofty sum of $2.74 million at current conversion rates.

Lamborghini Aventador J Geneva star conceived, built in six weeks

When we initially reported on the incredible Drendel Family Porsche collection that would be up for sale at Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island auction, we figured that many of the cars would command impressive sums. Now that it’s over, we doubt that even the auction house could have guessed just how successful the sale could be.

Held in conjunction with the Amelia Island Concours in the beginning of March, the auction smashed eleven world records for Porsches. A 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder broke the record for both the most expensive Porsche and a 917 at $4.4 million, a 1955 Porsche 550 dropped the hammer at a record $3.685 million, and a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo sold for $3.245 million. Other records broken include top prices for a Porsche 935, 962, 911 GT1, 906, 934, 924, 968 and 944. In total, ten cars sold for more than a million dollars, and all sales combined for a final sum of $36 million.

See below for more details on Gooding & Company’s 2012 Amelia Island auction as well as a full list of the most expensive cars sold.

Continue reading Million dollar Porsches highlight record-breaking Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction

Million dollar Porsches highlight record-breaking Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction

Fastest roadster ever. That’s one heck of a claim, but if anyone can assert it, it’s Bugatti. And the Alsatian automaker has brought 1,200 horsepower to back it up.

What we’re talking about, of course, is the Vitesse – the “best of both worlds” version of the famed Veyron. First announced in February and officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse (as it’s known in full) has just had its full details released along with a fresh batch of rather fetching high-resolution images, which we’ve included in our gallery for your viewing pleasure.

So what are we looking at here, exactly? In short, a Grand Sport (that’s the targa-topped model) with the engine from the Super Sport (the record-holding top-speed model). That means a quad-turbo W-16 engine with 1,200 horsepower, good for a 255 mph top speed with the wind in your hair.

That, for comparison’s sake, is incrementally faster than the 253 mph top end of the “base” Veyron, yet slower than the 267 mph of the Super Sport with the same engine and a fixed roof. Crucially, however, it’s faster than the 229 mph top end of the 1,001hp Veyron Grand Sport roadster. Want to know more? There’s plenty to digest in the full press release and spec sheet after the jump.

Continue reading Bugatti opens up about Veyron Vitesse with more details, images

Bugatti opens up about Veyron Vitesse with more details, images

It appears that a British arbitration panel has shattered any hopes of seeing a small diesel Mahindra pickup truck in the States. According to PickupTrucks.com, the panel ruled in favor of the Indian automaker in Global Vehicles’ lawsuit against the company, saying the contract between the two companies had expired. Furthermore, Mahindra was not found to have violated any U.S. laws. The ruling is the final chapter in a saga that began six years ago when the companies announced that Global Vehicles would distribute Mahindra T20 and T40 compact diesel pickups in America.

In 2010, the deal began unraveling, with Mahindra saying Global Vehicles allowed the contract to expire. Global Vehicles, meanwhile, pointed the finger right back at its former Indian partner. It wasn’t long before the American company then sought arbitration.

Global Vehicles has been ordered to pay court costs.

In a separate case, a group of would-be Mahindra dealers sued the Indian company in U.S. District Court, but that suit was thrown out after the judge ruled Global Vehicles was not the recognized agent for Mahindra in the United States.

Global Vehicles’ plans for Mahindra in the U.S. officially toast

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation of the 2003 and 2004 Infiniti M45 late last year over inaccurate fuel gauge readings, and now that probe has resulted in an official recall. The culprit has been identified as a faulty circuit board that causes the gauge to register more fuel in the tank than the car actually has.

According to NHTSA, Infiniti will begin notifying owners in mid-April, at which time they can take their sport sedans to the dealer to be replaced free of charge. Follow the jump for the official word from NHTSA with more details.

Continue reading Infiniti recalling 2003-2004 M45 sedans over potential fuel gauge issue

Infiniti recalling 2003-2004 M45 sedans over potential fuel gauge issue