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I had a choice to make for the race day of this year’s Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Do I stick to the more photogenic middle portions of the course or do I head to the finish line to potentially see history made? The decision was easy. If the infamous ten-minute mark was going to be broken, I wanted to be there to see the car at the checkered flag. After all, the chances seemed quite good. “Monster” Tajima had smashed the qualifying record the previous day and had looked incredibly fast during the practice sections. The track conditions and weather were ideal in the morning, and the first few groups showed plenty of promise. In fact, a few track records were broken in the morning groups of cars, including Rhys Millen’s recent fastest time in the Time Attack 2WD class.

There was an atmosphere of excitement and tension near the finish line as it was announced Tajima had started his run, and we all waited impatiently to hear the shriek of his Suzuki’s twin-turbo V6. It soon arrived, echoing around the surrounding mountains. Within 30 seconds Tajima came tearing around the last turn, the rear tires breaking loose momentarily as he fought to keep it pointed towards the finish line. The Suzuki came tearing across the finish line, and we all looked at one another, wondering if the record had been broken.

Make the jump to read the rest of the story about race day at Pikes Peak.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Pikes Peak 2010: Tajima fastest man on the mountain, but ten minute mark remains unbroken

Pikes Peak 2010: Tajima fastest man on the mountain, but ten minute mark remains unbroken

Brace yourselves. There’s another level of electronic nannyism coming to the Ford range of crossovers and SUVs soon. The company has developed a new system that should help counteract understeer in the same way stability control nixes pesky oversteer in almost every new car on the road. The safety gurus at the Blue Oval have come up with a new system called Curve Control that works in coordination with a number of vehicles sensors to determine if the vehicle is turning as sharply as the driver needs it to. If necessary, the system can sample data from the steering wheel angle, wheel speed and vehicle pitch to cut engine power and engage the brakes to slow the vehicle by up to 10 mph per second.

Curve Control will come standard on the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer, and the company says it plans to spread the tech to 90 percent of its high-riding 2012 models.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: Ford Explorer to get ‘curve control’ system

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings about the possibility of BMW producing a hybrid sports car based on its Vision EfficientDynamics concept. Now, though, the German magazine Autozeitung report that the new sports car could potentially be named M8, and more importantly, that the plug-in hybrid motor from the concept will be ditched in favor of something sweeter.

Instead of a wholly electric motor, these new rumors suggest that the production M8 will use a version of the E60 M5’s 5.0-liter V10, but with two electric motors added on for good measure. These two electric mills will be mounted at the front and rear, similar to the layout seen in the Vision EfficientDynamics concept, and should produce around 150 horsepower, combined. Add the V10 to those whirring motors and we expect total output to be somewhere between 600-700 hp. If this is the future of hybrid sports cars, we’re okay with it.

The magazine also reports that the M8 will be about five inches longer than the original Vision concept, and that a two-plus-two seating configuration will be offered inside. If the project remains on track, expect to see BMW’s hybrid supercar debut at some point in 2012.

[Source: Autozeitung via TeamSpeed, BMWblog]

Rumormill: BMW developing M8 hybrid sports car

It seems a bit odd calling this the 28th Annual Dana Point Concours d’Elegance when it’s only been in this city for three years and has only had that name officially for one, but after spending a good portion of Sunday at the St. Regis and its Monarch Bay golf course, it really felt like this is where this show was always meant to be. With dramatic views of the ocean, the rolling greenery of the links and the surrounding mansions, the venue feels like it was built solely to play host to Southern California’s premiere concours.

Second only to Pebble Beach in prominence among the California concours, Dana Point has really come of its own. With nearly 200 judged entries and perhaps an equal number of display vehicles, it’s a big show that still manages to feel manageable, and the field of entrants was once again amazing. This year’s show honored 100 years of Alfa Romeo, 80 years of Pininfarina and 20 years of the Ferrari F40, as well as drag racing legend Don “The Snake” Prudhomme. Classes included American Pony & Muscle Cars, Corvettes to 1967, Kustoms & Hot Rods, and the second annual exhibit of Supercars, as well as a new category for vintage motorcycles.

With proceeds going to support the Ocean Institute, the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and other Southern California youth charities, the Dana Point Concours is run as a Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Concours, but with some of those additional classes thrown in to showcase particularly interesting and relevant automobiles. Just take a look at the photo above and you’ll see the wide variety of outstanding vehicles that this show attracts. Click through the rest of the gallery and you’ll see everything from a Bugatti 57SC to the nicest Oldsmobile Starfire you’re ever likely to encounter.

Some favorites this year included just about everything in the gallery, but especially the low mileage original ‘57 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, ‘32 Ford Phaeton Hot Rod, ‘58 Ferrari 250 Tour de France, ‘59 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Pinin Farina Cab, 1980 Kawasaki K2, “Animal House” Death Mobile, that crazy cute 1957 Fiat “Eden Rock” Yacht Tender, and the fantastic ‘52 Muntz Jet Convertible. The Muntz, however, wasn’t our top pick. That honor had to go to the Bugatti among the classics, Don Prudhomme’s funny car collection among the American cars and the Alfa Romeo TZ2 GT Coupe as the car we’d most like to drive. Click below to check out the massive gallery and pick out your favorites.

Photos by Frank Filipponio/ Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

2010 Dana Point Concours d’Elegance at the St. Regis

Pennzoil has launched a new line of products, and they want you to be as happy about it as they are. To assist in that cause, the company has partnered with the RCR Street Performance Group, a newly formed offshoot of Richard Childress Racing, on a special edition 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS that you can win in the “Get Your Key to Clean” promotion.

The Camaro has been kitted and fitted with a Magnussen supercharger, custom headers, Wilwood six-piston big brake kit, carbon fiber aero bits, 22-inch wheels, a reupholstered interior trimmed in Pennzoil colors and a whole lot more. Did we mention the ‘old school’ grille? You can go to Pennzoil’s site to register, but before you do that you’ll want to read the press release after the jump for all the details. Oh, and don’t forget to peruse the gallery of high-res photos below.

[Source: Pennzoil]

Continue reading Pennzoil teams up with RCR Street Performance Group to build 2010 Chevy Camaro retro-racer

Pennzoil teams up with RCR Street Performance Group to build 2010 Chevy Camaro retro-racer

No one ever said that evolution is pretty. Take the best-of-breed BMW M Division product: the E30 M3. Little more than a homologated race car, the first generation M3 was potent, nimble, and with its small displacement 2.3-liter inline-four fed by a retweaked M1 intake, it was light, too. Long story short, the OG M3 remains an ideal performance car.

Today, we have the X5 M. Looking at the bright blue truckish thing parked in the driveway, it’s difficult – if not impossible – to see any sort of relation to BMW’s vaunted and aforementioned M3 beyond its badges. You can’t imagine what the missing link between the two might be. However, perhaps even mentioning the E30 M3 is being too puritanical. After all, very few vehicles could compare – let alone compete – with the street version of history’s most winning road-race car. And you can bet your Roundel subscription that BMW will never competitively race an X5 M.

What then? It’s not a newsflash, but the 2010 BMW X5 M doesn’t remind you of sporty BMW products of yore. Of course, going back almost 25 years and looking at the first M3 through 1986-eyes, you would notice the hopped-up street car bears basically no resemblance whatsoever to BMW’s hottie 1961 product, the Isetta 600. For those of you not up-to-date on your bubble car history, the Isetta 600 was a stretched, four-seat version of the 297cc, one-cylinder Iso-derived Isetta 300. The 600 featured a two-cylinder 0.6-liter moto engine and semi-trailing arm rear independent suspension. Actually come to think of it, the Isetta 600 and the E30 M3 at least shared a rear-suspension design. The X5 M then, in terms of BMW’s history, is truly an alien from another world. A world where family haulers thrash muscle cars for pinks. But does any of that matter? Are companies not free to reinvent themselves, especially here in America, where the X5 M is built? Perhaps most importantly, is the X5 M any good, let alone worthy of the vaunted M badge? Make the jump to find out.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 BMW X5 M is illogically sound

Review: 2010 BMW X5 M is illogically sound

Despite the fact that few people would actually argue that the Aston Martin DB9 really needed a nip and tuck, that’s exactly what it’s getting for 2011. Given how well the DB9 has held up over the last seven years, the changes have been kept pretty discreet. The lower front grille has been reshaped and new mesh inserts have been added, while the rocker panel crease now sweeps up into the rear wheel arches.

Mechanically, the DB9’s 6.0-liter V12 powertrain has been carried over, as has its 470 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. The most significant upgrade for 2011 is the adoption of an adaptive damping system similar to the one already available on the DBS and Rapide. Thanks to the improved handling offered by the damping system, Aston has decided to drop the Sport Pack previously available on the DB9. Production of the upgraded models has already started and customers should be getting the new cars in the coming weeks.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Continue reading Officially Official: Aston Martin refreshes the DB9

Officially Official: Aston Martin refreshes the DB9

First and foremost among the predicted changes on the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 is more power from an enlarged 6.4-liter Hemi: a bump of 55 horsepower and 40 pound-feet of torque. That would put the big coupe at 480 ponies and 460 lb-ft., and rumor also has it that power will get to the wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission developed by Chrysler and ZF. Also according to Allpar’s inside man, output levels will remain the same on the R/T model, while the base SE will get Pentastar V6 engines with 40 more horses and 20 more lb-ft, for 290 hp and 270 lb-ft. in total.

Most of the other supposed changes seem meant to make life easier for Chrysler and Challenger buyers. The floorpan is being reworked so the car fits more easily into Charger and 300 production, an electric power steering pump is coming onboard and an upgraded interior is in the offing. Cosmetically, the muscle car picks up the Charger’s door handles, the Magnum wagon’s hatch release button for its trunk, and the lower front grille gets turned upside down.

[Source: Allpar]

2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 to get 480 HP?

The current (second generation) of the modern Mini has been with us for a couple of years now, so that must mean it’s time for a refresh. BMW, which owns the reborn British brand, has updated the front fascia on all three Mini models for the coming model year to visually differentiate them and improve their pedestrian protection performance.

Of special note are the new integrated ducts on the fascias of the Cooper S and John Cooper Works models, offering a slightly meaner look to the Mini’s cute and cuddly face. The black reflector headlamps that debuted on the 50th anniversary Camden model are now available as an option across the board and all of the Mini variants now have LED lighting at the rear.

Inside, the Minis are now available with a high-resolution screen within in the oversized central speedometer that can display video from an iPod or whatever other device that has been plugged in via the USB port.

On the engine front, updated gas engines were announced several months ago (base engine up to 122 horsepower, the turbo will now crest 180) but the diesel engines have been redone as well. Two versions of the 1.6-liter oil-burner will be available, with 90 or 112 horsepower and 159 and 199 pound-feet of torque respectively. Both diesels are more efficient than before with a rating of 61.9 miles per gallon (U.S.) and CO2 emissions of just 99 grams per kilometer. For the first time in 2011, there is also a Mini Cooper D convertible available… but not in the States.

There’s plenty more for the truly Mini-obsessive among us, check out all the sordid details after the break.

[Source: Mini]

Continue reading Mini shows off updated 2011 Cooper lineup

Mini shows off updated 2011 Cooper lineup

After hinting at doing so for a couple of years, Gordon Murray has finally revealing his new T.25 city car at an event at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford, England. The 1,212-pound car is just over four feet wide, less than eight feet long and seats three adults in a 1+2 layout. Like Murray’s McLaren F1, the driver sits front and center and the passengers sit behind on either side.

The whole front section of the body is hinged at the front and flips forward for access in a manner not dissimilar to BMW’s Isetta microcar of the mid-Fifties. Power comes from a 51 horsepower, in-line three-cylinder engine mounted in the back to propel the T.25 to 62 mph in 16.2 seconds while achieving 61.9 miles per gallon. The diminutive size allows it to turn in just 19.7 feet and park perpendicular to the curb and the design’s hinged cockpit and narrow width allow three T.25s to be parked in a single parallel parking space.

[Source: Gordon Murray Design]

Continue reading Officially Official: Gordon Murray’s T.25 city car revealed

Officially Official: Gordon Murray’s T.25 city car revealed

Nobody actually needs image and fashion statements like Bentleys,and Rolls-Royces, but those who choose to buy them anyway naturally want to have the latest and greatest. And we don’t blame them. As such, Bentley reportedly wants to get on a schedule of introducing a new model at least every 18 months, if not sooner. Expect to see further variations on existing models like the Continental SuperSports coupe and convertible in lieu of completely new platforms.

The rapid turnover of model variants goes hand-in-hand with Bentley’s ongoing migration back to performance-oriented luxury and away from the more staid approach that took precedence under Rolls-Royce ownership. Ever since Bentley and Rolls were split up and sold to Volkswagen and BMW respectively, the two brands have developed distinctly different character traits, and you can expect that pattern to continue.

[Source: Auto Observer]

Bentley to shorten product cycles, focus on performance

Elton John puts on auctions throughout the year for his AIDS foundation. The latest auction fete, held at Elton’s manor, included an Audi A1 “spin painted” by British contemporary artist Damien Hirst. The A1 is still so far off that it hasn’t even been priced yet, but one hopes the MSRP will be a scant fraction of the £350,000.00 ($527,205 U.S.) that the Hirst-hued model took home. Art may be dead, but apparently it is more expensive than ever…

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading 2011 Audi A1 sells for over $525,000 at auction… and it’s pink

2011 Audi A1 sells for over $525,000 at auction… and it’s pink

The first Barrett-Jackson Orange County auction is about wrapped up Costa Mesa, California today, and while the numbers might have been a bit lower than hoped-for this time around, there were still good prices for top-level machinery. Barrett-Jackson knows what it’s doing, and Orange County is definitely a car-lovers’ paradise, but there will surely be some doubters about this venue’s long-term viability.

Take a look at the attendance though – at the turnout of vendors and manufacturers, of bidders and gawkers – and you’ll see that the only thing lacking was an abundance of really high-quality offerings. For every numbers-matching LS6 ‘70 Chevelle SS convertible, there were ten daily-driver VW Beetles. The overall take was boosted by several charity lots, as is often seen at Barrett-Jackson events, but beyond that cluster of noteworthy vehicles, there wasn’t much for bidders to excited about.

There was a fringe benefit to this, however. It gave us a chance to wander around the grounds a bit more than usual. To that end, we’ve pulled 50 of our favorite photos from the hundreds we shot over the weekend and posted them in the wrap-up gallery below. Clicking through should give you a sense of what it was like to be at Barrett-Jackson’s OC event this weekend. You’ll find the good, the bad and the fugly in there, but each and every one of these cars sold, so who are we to judge?

Barrett-Jackson OC ‘10: Highlights and Lowlights

Ever see an IMSA race from the late ’70s or early ’80s? If so, you probably saw one of the Greenwood widebody C3 Corvettes thundering through the field. Those massively-flared fenders barely contained the fury of the twelve-inch wide rear slicks as they clawed for traction. For fans of those racing cars, there was good news from the Greenwood garages, too. At the time, John Greenwood offered those body kits, as well as suspension and engine upgrades for the street, much like Callaway or Pratt & Miller do today for the C6 Chevrolet Corvette. At this weekend’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Orange County, a particularly nice example of Greenwood’s handiwork crossed the block.

We half-expected Bruce Wayne to be the high bidder, as this car was done up in a Dark Knight-worthy ebony that accentuated the flares and spoilers in bat-tastic fashion. The info card even referred to the ride as the “Batvette,” which struck us as an ideal moniker. Powered by an original and stock L-82, with glass tops and aluminum wheels, this matching-numbers, 18,200-original-mile Corvette sold for just under a dollar per odometer mile: $18,000. Check out the gallery below.

Barrett-Jackson OC ‘10: Batvette by Greenwood

Social media has been a critical element of Ford’s marketing strategy during the run-up to the 2011 Ford Fiesta launch, so it comes as no surprise that it’ll play a part in the customer delivery experience as well. In-showroom kiosks will play Fiesta Movement videos and act as photo booths for new owners. Before driving off the lot, Fiesta owners receive a USB thumb drive pre-loaded with an audio tutorial explaining the Fiesta’s features and and how to use them. Naturally, this can be played back through the Sync system right in the car.

Once in front of a computer, drivers can then use the thumb drive to install a program that lets them access and modify their delivery photos, then share them with other Fiesta owners. The desktop application also provides a wiki with tips on how to use the Fiesta, get podcasts and other related information. It’ll be interesting to see how Ford follows up the Fiesta launch when the new Focus arrives at the end of this year.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford plans unique delivery strategy for new Fiesta owners

Ford plans unique delivery strategy for new Fiesta owners

Check eBay Motors or Craigslist for a ‘62 Cadillac convertible and you’re likely to find a slew of them for less than ten grand. A particularly nice example might fetch twice that. So why did this particular Series 62 convertible bring in $40,000 at the first Barrett-Jackson auction in Orange County, California? Probably because OC-dwellers loves them some Louis V.

While this Series 62 Custom Convertible was pretty stock underhood, the car featured a tangerine metal-flake paint job courtesy of House of Kolors, a custom touchscreen sound system with over 1000 watts of power, and ginormous 22-inch wheels. All that aside, it was the monogrammed top and interior that really put this special caddy into the 40K range. What seemed like a square mile of genuine Louis Vuitton leather and “vinylized Egyptian cotton” – just like the handbags! – was used to fabricate the custom top and to cover almost every interior surface save for the gauges. Whether this car will be driven or used as a tear-down for its handbag raw materials is a question only the new owner can answer. Check out the gallery below.

Barrett-Jackson OC ‘10: Louis Vuitton-trimmed 1962 Cadillac fetches $40K

Some readers might think the spoiler-warning headline above is itself a spoiler, but trust us: we haven’t given away anything that the TiVo crowd would rather keep hidden. So before you go rushing to conclusions, consider that this season (arguably more than any other in recent memory) is packed with “the mighty.”

With a quartet of world champions on the grid – two of them multiple winners, no less – no fewer than four teams have shaped up as frontrunners in contention for the title. It’s a given that some of these “mighty” drivers will park their “mighty” cars on the podium at the end of each grand prix. It’s just a matter of finding out which ones make it and which don’t. Follow the jump learn how things played out at the Mediterranean seaside track in Valencia, Spain.

Continue reading 2010 European Grand Prix: How the mighty have fallen [SPOILERS]

2010 European Grand Prix: How the mighty have fallen [SPOILERS]

Not only is this one of just 48 Lamborghini LM002 Americans produced, but it’s the only “Rambo Lambo” we’ve ever seen finished in color-shifting DuPont ChromaLusion paint. That may be a good thing, depending on your personal sense of style and how it meshes with your image of Lamborghini. These Italian Hummers were built for military use but never really caught on. Maybe those expensive and fragile Countach V12s in the engine bay had something to do with it. Even after Lamborghini switched to the more robust Diablo mills, the trucks were still relegated to private service, mainly in the fleets of wealthy sheiks and celebs.

The 5.2-liter, 420-horsepower Diablo V12 in this particular LM has just 3,068 original miles on it, and in addition to the chromatic color-shift paint, it features bespoke magnesium wheels, revised hood and trim, along with polished aluminum skid plates. It once belonged to renowned wildlife artist Christian Lassen, who had it painted this quad-toned hue. At Barrett-Jackson’s inaugural Orange County auction, this LM002 hammered home $75,000. Check out more photos in the gallery below.

Photos by Frank Filipponio/ Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Barrett-Jackson OC ‘10: Color-shifting Lamborghini LM002

Toyota will be out in force at next weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The highlight of Toyota’s participation will be a celebration of its success in the World Rally Championship in the 1980s and 1990s with at least three of its winning cars. The Group B Celica Twin Cam TA64 that won numerous rallies including the Safari and Ivory Coast events will be joined by the Group A Celica ST185 from the early 1990s and the later Corolla WRC.

Toyota will bring along the Lexus LFA, a new supercharged edition of the iQ minicar and a Land Cruiser that raced in this year’s Dakar rally. The festival runs July 2-4, 2010.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota to celebrate rally heritage at Goodwood

Toyota to celebrate rally heritage at Goodwood

This big-block ‘70 Plymouth Roadrunner was at SEMA last year, but many readers may better remember it from its appearance as a feature car in Hot Rod magazine, a spot on the television show RIDES, and its big-screen debut in The Fast and the Furious franchise. Vin Diesel’s character, Dom Toretto, showed up in the closing minutes of Tokyo Drift behind the wheel of this malevolent Mopar, and it made enough of an impact that it returned in the 2009 follow-up as well.

Underhood, there’s a supercharged 500-cubic-inch Mopar wedge pumping out 750 horsepower. To those familiar with the car, it’s known simply as Hammer. The bidder who brought home this Plymouth also got a GMP limited edition 1:18-scale die-cast model of the car. Its closing bid of $175,000 made Hammer one of the top sellers at the 2010 Barrett-Jackson Orange County auction. Check out our mini-gallery below.

Barrett-Jackson OC ‘10: 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner “Hammer” has fame, nets fortune