Getting word of another special edition from the UK isn’t surprising, as we’ve grown almost numb from the carnival of , and Citroën models that have been given a few extra gubbins for a few extra quid. But when the Union pairs a Toyota Aygo with Tabasco – as in, the legendary Louisiana hot sauce – consider our eyebrows raised. Except, that doesn’t exactly appear to be what this is – it’s the Toyota Aygo Tobasco. As in the alternate spelling for the pepper that makes up the hot sauce, not the condiment itself.
The Aygo+ Tobasco edition gets a choice of three colors: Orange Spice, Black or Dark Gray, and all come with orange side mirrors and door handles. Inside, orange is splashed all over, on the speedometer and tach, vents and door speakers. Orange upholstery is also on offer.
We don’t know how much you have to love the pepper to check this box, but it’s there if you’re feeling saucy. It joins a suite of other upgrades for the tiny Aygo+ such as new seat trims and a new stereo. Hit the jump for the press release with the details.
Cancer sucks. And pediatric cancer sucks the worst. Without hesitation, we would trade all the exotic cars in the world for a cure.
But you know what doesn’t suck? So it’s pretty cool that will auction off the first one to benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation For Pediatric Cancer. The organization, based in Chattanooga, TN, is an official charity of the American Le Mans Series, which is presumably why it was picked. At the Viper reveal at New York, Chrysler also announced it would .
So the first 2013 SRT will cross the stage at Barrett-Jackson Orange County, which goes down June 22-24. It’ll be interesting to see what it brings in, considering the first 2013 427 convertible’s .
And if you aren’t deep-pocketed enough to get in on the Viper hunt, helping out the Hatcher Foundation doesn’t require bidding – you can .
There have been a number of iconic racing liveries over the course of history – JPS and Gulf spring immediately to mind – and every historic racing fan has his or her favorite. But few are as downright awesome as Martini. The Italian vermouth label has sponsored everything from Lancias to , but many of its very awesomest have been . Like this bitchin’ 917/LH.
This long-tail version (Langheck in German) of the all-conquering 917 racer was fielded twice at Le Mans: once by Porsche Salzburg in 1970, and once by Martini Racing (which gave it its enduring paintjob) in 1971. It qualified first and second at those respective runnings, but proved fragile over the course of the 24-hour race and failed to finish both times.
The overall results don’t mean that this isn’t a devastatingly beautiful example of motor racing history, or that it’s anything less than priceless. Better check it out in our gallery of images from the show floor before it’s secreted back off to Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.
We love Mini’s sense of humor, and its April Fools’ Day pranks this year were among . While we really, really wanted the Cowley camper to be real, actually went ahead and built the Amphibious “Yachtsman” – and then brought it to the , just as promised to in its fake April 1 press release.
Considering that some car companies have been known to release , we’re even more bemused by Mini’s antics.
Click to read the entire absurd press release, then go ahead and check out our of high-res images of the Yachtsman.
has over a hundred years of heritage from which it can call upon when the right marketing angle presents itself. Like, for instance, when it launches a for the 2014 model year, as it has just done at the 2012 . As such, the automaker has brought a mint 1966 Chevrolet SS 427 Convertible to display alongside its new family sedan.
We’ll get this right out of the way: the 1966 ‘Vert has nothing in common with the 2014 sedan, other than its nameplate.
Regardless, it’s always fun to ogle over a classic muscle car, and this ‘66 Impala is, perhaps, the very best of its full-size breed. The 427-cubic-inch V8 was factory rated at 390 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque – plenty more than necessary to turn those 7.5-inch-wide bias-ply tires into plumes of smoke, and the four-speed manual and 3.55:1 gears mean it’s properly equipped for 1960s-style stoplight showdowns.
Check out this classic Impala SS in our high-res image gallery, and before we all get too sentimental for the old times, remember two points: First, as awesome as this machine undoubtedly is, it could never be sold today due to safety and emissions reasons. Second, most of the millions of Impalas sold over the years were much more pedestrian models than this stunning blue SS.
Caveats aside, we want this car rumbling away in our virtual garage. Badly.
We have to admit to being fairly smitten with the promise of the low-slung Acura NSX concept that debuted at the back in January. But for this moment – and for the next several moments – “promise” is all it is, because Acura says we shouldn’t expect an NSX in showrooms until sometime around 2015. (Back in January, Acura advised that the production car is “expected to debut in the next three years.”) Until then, Honda’s premium outpost is going to do whatever it can to stoke the fires to keep interest high, including and this – a drophead spinoff that will be Tony Stark’s ride in this summer’s The Avengers blockbuster from Marvel.
We first saw this car thanks to some intrepid movie set shots by would-be paparazzi , but this is the first official acknowledgement and image of the car that we’ve seen. Early in March, we told you of an NSX convertible that was very similar to the Detroit showcar, which some interpreted as Acura planning both a fixed-head coupe and a roadster for production. However, those drawings look an awful lot like the car shown here with the exception of small details like a unique wheel pattern and differing seatbacks, so while it’s possible that Acura is pondering a topless NSX, the renderings could have simply been to protect design rights to the movie car, especially considering that neither Stark’s ride nor the patent drawings appear to have headlamps.
We’ll have to wait and see what Acura decides regarding its all-wheel-drive hybridsupercar, but we suspect that even if it does greenlight a convertible version, we probably won’t see it until 2016. Which is… a really long time to keep believing in a promise.
While the 2014 may have many charming qualities and boast a plethora of engine options, one feature it reportedly won’t be offering is all-wheel drive. According to GMInsideNews.com, reps have said all-wheel drive is not part of the short-term or long-term plan for the new large sedan.
While the Impala will share a platform with the Cadillac XTS and – both of which do offer AWD – apparently General Motors wants to keep the Impala front-drive-only to help differentiate it from the and . While it remains to be seen whether the lack of all-wheel drive will hurt the Impala’s chances of competing with the and , which both offer it, Chevy’s people have reportedly called all-wheel drive a “very slim piece of the full-size sedan market.”
Last week we brought you Inside Line’s list of the 10 cars most likely to be . The came out on top among the ladies. But what’s most likely to be owned by a guy? Minivans? Fuel-efficient hatchbacks? Hybrids?
No.
At the top of is the very masculine, testosterone-oozing . It should be no surprise that 95.3% of 458 owners are men. We sure would like to meet the other 4.7%.
Ahem. Anyway, in second place is the , then the , the and then, at No. 5, the . So far, we’ve pretty much recited every male motorhead’s ultimate wish list. Seriously, what self-respecting man doesn’t put himself to sleep every night running through the gears of any of those cars?
At No. 6, is the perennial , then the at No. 7 with 87.9% male ownership. No. 8 is the obligatory closely followed by the at No. 9. Rounding out the list at No. 10 is the consummate mid-life crisis with 86.9% male ownership.
So where does that leave the Ford F-650? Are there really that many women buying that monster?
After we saw of a long-wheelbase for China, we knew it one was coming. Now has confirmed that the car will indeed bow at Auto China 2012, otherwise known as the , which kicks off on April 23.
The LWB 3 Series has an 4.3-inch wheelbase stretch and will be offered with three powertrains. The smallest is the 184-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that’s not available in North America. The 240-hp, 2.8-liter sold here in the 328i will also be available, as will the 300-hp, turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder. The LWB 3 Series models will carry the “Li” suffix like we’ve seen on the , so the three models will be designated 320Li, 328Li and 335Li.
Click to see the press release, and be sure to check out our .
If you’ve attended major international auto show in the U.S. this season, you’ve likely seen this car: Edsel Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster. We last August, then again in January at the . It is, frankly, a most beautiful specimen, and since we hadn’t yet taken the opportunity to capture it with our own lenses, New York seemed like the perfect place to hold an impromptu shoot.
The Speedster has a very long history going back to 1932 when Edsel Ford, then president of , returned from Europe and asked design director E.T. Gregorie to pen a sports car similar to the ones he saw running around Europe. It started out as a 1934 Ford, but was radically altered to make a low slung, two-seat sports car with technology that wouldn’t appear on production Fords for many years. It originally weighed 2,100 pounds and was powered by a 75-bhp Model 40 flathead V8 that was later replaced by a 100-bhp Mercury V8.
Edsel Ford enjoyed the car until his death in 1943, at which point the car began a journey of many ownerships, ultimately vanished and then resurfaced in 1999 when it was sold to a collector for $1.76 million. When the collector died, the Speedster was given to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House who oversaw a complete restoration of the car. It now travels the auto show circuit, on display in a place of honor within the display.
has announced that in honor of the brand’s return to the Chinese market, it’s bringing two design concept to the later this month. The first is a sharp-looking with an all-black exterior, a set of very large wheels and a two-toned interior with light-colored leather seating surfaces. The seatbacks are embossed with some sort of symbol, what looks to be gusts of wind. Chrysler says this special 300C was “created specifically with Chinese elements in mind,” but we’ll have to wait a couple weeks to find out exactly what that means.
The 300C, however, is a wallflower compared to this design concept that unabashedly wears its Chinese pride like a flag draped around its shoulders. Said to be inspired by the Year of the Dragon, the black Wrangler features dragon decals on its sheetmetal, some small and some very large, as well as a very ornate image of a dragon on the underside of the hood. The all-black exterior is set of with gold accents on the black wheels, as well as gold trim around the headlights and trademark seven-slat grille. Lastly, the lighting has been upgraded with a set of high-tech LEDs set within the Wrangler’s traditional round headlamps. It may be strange to see all that Chinese iconography on something so American as a Jeep Wrangler, but it’s no more stranger than an .
If there’s any place a SUV can feel at home, surely it’s Manhattan. Only fitting, then, that the updated has debuted at the .
The revised luxury crossover has been treated to a mild facelift, but as with so many things, it’s what’s inside that counts with the new . The cabin has been updated with a series of cosmetic and functional changes (new steering wheel, new shifter, etc.), but the bigger news is its fresh electronics. Cadillac has imbued the angular high-rider with its new CUE infotainment and connectivity system, complete with an eight-inch capacitive touchscreen. Other additions include the Safety Alert Seat system and active safety features like automatic front- and rear braking, adaptive cruise control, and so on.
In short, it looks to be a better SRX than the one it succeeds, and you can check it out in our gallery of live shots above and the stock shots from the manufacturer below.
The streets of Gotham are about to look a lot different. After being inundated with legions of bulky Ford Crown Victoria and the occasional or for years, New York City’s hack pool is slated to get a fresh crop of yellow ugly thanks to its “Taxi of Tomorrow” program.
Chief among those vehicles figures to be the , also unveiled at this week’s , but the Japanese automaker isn’t the sole manufacturer to be in the good graces of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. The seen here has also gained approval, and its maker, the snappily named Vehicle Production Group, notes that this is the first purpose-built vehicle to gain the board’s approval since the Checker Cab.
And not only is the MV-1 purpose-built for taxi duty, it was designed with the Americans with Disabilities Act in mind – the square-rigged design is built around a 56-inch by 36-inch door for wheelchair access, and VPG will fit MV-1s with either manual or power ramps as requested. The American-made, body-on-frame MV-1 will also be available powered by Compressed Natural Gas.
It remains to be seen how many taxi companies are eager to buy vehicles from a startup automaker, but VPG says it has approval for up to 13,000 units. We imagine much of the MV-1’s success will come down to pricing and reliability, as well as acceptance of the vehicle’s unusual appearance. Of course, Nissan’s new NV doesn’t look like it will be contending for any design laurels, either…
The brand celebrates its 100th birthday this year, and the 1912 is where it all started. To commemorate the occasion, ‘ utility brand has created special Heritage Edition packages for both the Sierra pickup and Yukon sport-ute, and both make their public debut here at the 2012 New York expo.
An option group priced from $1,820 to $2,645, the Heritage Edition package adds cosmetic upgrades like new paint colors (including the Heritage Blue you see here), embroidered headrests and floor mats, large chrome wheels, chrome door handles, a power liftgate and an original GMC logo.
to read the full details in GM’s press blast and see the Heritage Edition package from all angles in our attached high-res image gallery. Oh, and happy hundredth, GMC!
You’d expect someone with a nickname like “hotshoe” or “leadfoot” to be behind the wheel of a . “Slowhand” less so, but that’s the nickname of one Eric Clapton, who in addition to being one of the most highly acclaimed rock and blues guitarists of all time also happens to be a huge nut for the Prancing Horse marque. In fact, Clapton is understood to have a couple of years back, where he presumably got the reddest of red carpet treatments while placing an order for a custom Ferrari.
That unique one-off, called the SP12 EPC has been dropping on and off of our radar, with some a couple of weeks ago and some hasty of the custom creation leaving a dealership in the UK a few days thereafter. But if those didn’t provide clear enough a picture for you, a batch of alleged patent renderings have now surfaced showing every line of the car’s bespoke shape. Check it out in the gallery for a closer look.
We know what you’re thinking: You’d love to buy a new , but only if it were more… black. Fortunately, dear friend, the division has answered your prayers with a raft of special editions called Altitude.
The name was selected by online poll, and the vehicles were previewed by a series of “production-intent” concepts at successive auto shows. Now approved for production, includes a , a and a , all distinguished by their blacked-out trim inside, out and upside down.
Check ‘em out in the trio of galleries with the high-res shots we snapped for your viewing pleasure here on the show floor in .
climbs to higher Altitude with murdered-out specials
Move over, Batmobile, and make room in the geekosphere for the latest comic book superhero ride.
, as you may be aware, signed a multi-picture deal with Marvel to have its carsfeatured in a raft of superhero movies. The Japanese luxury brand’s cars were there at the end of Captain America, they were there in Thor, and they’ll be there in full force in the highly anticipated upcoming superhero spectacular, The Avengers.
Most prominent of these will be the NSX-like roadster Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has been on set, but that won’t be the extent of it for the Honda brand. Feast your eyes on the MDX which Acura has prepared for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division – the fictitious government agency that brings the gang together.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. with the Sentinel Package is, according to its , packs the same Palladium-powered titanium engine, nine-speed transmission and diamond quartz brakes as the Stark roadster, albeit packed into a more capacious form. It’s got an aerial drone stored in a briefcase in the back, a cloaking device, bulletproof body, repulsor cannon and advanced targeting system.
So what would a fictitious vehicle like this set you back? MSRP (with destination and Sentinel package) is pegged at a nearly $6 million. Suck on that, .
Not every reveal at the was as exciting as the . As evidence, we present the 2013 . The compact crossover joins the and in the “subtle change, seemingly just for change’s sake” category at the show.
has endowed its bestseller with a modestly revised front fascia, while giving it a new rear bumper, black side sills and standard 18-inch wheels. Inside, some new fabrics and chrome are on display. More importantly, the 2013 Outlander Sport does boast some mechanical changes in the form of revised rear suspension tuning and a recalibrated CVT. Some new exterior colors round out the package.
The biggest news regarding the Outlander Sport, however, is that production will be shifted to the U.S. in July, but .
Be sure to check out our of high-res images of the refresh, and skip to read the full press release.
Visitors to the will be able to take a closer look at the ,’ just days after the company’s prototype made its first flight. The two-place airworthy machine is perhaps best considered a roadgoing low-wing aircraft (not a ‘flying car’), as its technical specifications are anything but earthly.
For starters, the curb weight of the composite and aluminum Transition is just 970 pounds, with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds (useful load is 460 pounds). It is powered by a 1.4-liter Rotax 912ULS, a water-cooled flat-four developing 100 horsepower.
In aircraft mode, the thick automated electromechanical folding wings open and a gearbox transfers power to a four-bladed pusher propeller just behind the cockpit. Top speed in the non-pressurized Transition is about 115 mph, with a flying range of just over 400 miles. In terrestrial mode, with the wings folded and a license plate hanging in the slipstream, power is sent to the rear wheels and the top speed falls to just 65 mph. Fuel economy is about 35 mpg, with an on-road range in excess of 600 miles.
According to Woburn, Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, the company has more than 100 reservations for this novel contraption. If you have Popular Science dreams, get out your thickest checkbook, as the current anticipated base purchase price is a lofty $279,000.
As if last year’s wasn’t enough, Shelby has just taken the covers off their lastest creation, the “1000″ at this year’s . The muscle coupe comes in two flavors – the 950 horsepower street version and the track-only 1100+ horsepower S/C – although the difference seems like a moot point when it comes to a car’s capability on the Pirelli street tires. A massive Kenne Bell 3.6L supercharger is the main source of the increased engine output, while a variety of chassis and drivetrain enhancements ensure that the additional horsepower and torque is delivered to the pavement.
Besides being the most powerful production car ever to come from Shelby, the 1000 will also be one of the most exclusive. Shelby President John Luft tells us that just 100 of the examples will be built with a starting price of close to $200,000. If the idea of a six-figure seems like a hard sell, then you’re underestimating the lure of the Shelby brand. While the company has refused to take orders for the car before its debut, Luft informs Autoblog that the company already has a waiting list of more than 30 customers anxious to plunk down their hard earned cash for the model.
You can read full details on the 2012 Shelby 1000 in the press release by and take a look at our live photos of the car’s debut in the gallery above.
