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For those Porsche fans who were unable to acquire a 911 Sport Classic, of which only 250 were built, Stuttgart is now offering some of the bits that make up the Sport Classic car on an à la carte basis. Among the most popular items are likely to be the Fuchs wheels that feature the classic five-spoke design used from 1966 until the early-1980s. The wheels come in 8.5×19 front and 11.5×19 rear sizes.

Those who bought a Porsche (except the 911 Turbo) in the last couple of years with the dual clutch PDK gearbox can now also get the turbo steering wheel retrofitted to their car. The non-turbo steering wheels all had spoke-mounted toggle switch shifters. The Turbo wheel features racing-style metal paddles mounted on the back of the wheel.

While the paddle shift wheel is only visible to the driver, owners of a 997 series 911 can share in Porsche’s racing heritage on the outside as well. A new aerokit front fascia and replacement rear wing makes new 911s look like the racers from the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. All of these parts are available in Europe now and should be offered Stateside soon.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Porsche offering Sport Classic, PDK steering wheel retrofits for 911

Porsche offering Sport Classic, PDK steering wheel retrofits for 911

In the middle of the decade, Saleen was on a roll. The company had just launched its new S281 Mustang based on the S197 platform, the twin-turbo variation of the S7 was underway and Ford had contracted the specialty manufacturer to assemble its GT supercar. Business was good, and both of Saleen’s assembly plants in Irvine and Detroit were at full capacity. The top of the mountain came in early 2007 when Saleen introduced the Parnelli Jones Mustang, still one of our favorite Mustangs of all time.

Unfortunately, it was all downhill from that point. Founder Steve Saleen announced his departure in the summer of 2007 and the investment firm with a controlling stake in the company declared that it was looking for a buyer in late 2008. Just a few months later, most of what was left of Saleen was sold to MJ Acquisitions, a Detroit-based company that owns various automotive manufacturing businesses.

Needless to say, we had our doubts about the future of Saleen. Would the new owner uphold the identity of the brand that was built over the past 25 years? Would they be able to keep their loyal base of customers without Steve at the helm? Most importantly, would a new Saleen have the resources and personnel to create an all-new product worthy of the brand? Saleen gave us the opportunity to drive one of its first production S281 Mustangs based on the the car’s new-for-2010 body style, and we think we have the answer. Continued after the jump.

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

Continue reading Quick Spin: 2010 Saleen S281 is the real deal with the wrong motor

Quick Spin: 2010 Saleen S281 is the real deal with the wrong motor

With an all-new Audi A8 arriving in the coming months, a higher performance S8 can’t be far behind. This particular image originated from a reader on the World Car Fans forum, but it certainly looks plausible. The wheels are straight off the R8 V10 and the front fascia is an evolution of the look we’ve seen on S and RS models from Audi for the past several years.

Power will no doubt be plentiful, although we don’t yet know which engine will power the new model. The previous generation used a 450-horsepower 5.2-liter V10, but the new A8 has already been spec’ed out with a 500 hp 6.3-liter W12.

The S8 will surely have at least that much power, although Audi has been on an engine downsizing kick lately. The latest S4 and S5 cabrio went from a V8 to a supercharged V6. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the engineers at quattro GmbH cook up a new boosted V8 with over 500 hp for this and other future high performance Audis.

We expect to see the real S8 arrive by the time of the Paris Motor Show in September, but this reader rendering will have to do for now.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Audi S8 leaked? Nope, it’s a ‘chop

Volkswagen has fleshed out its latest generation Polo lineup with the introduction of a new GTI variant. This latest GTI has the same output as the last hot Pol,o but now produces it on one-quarter less petrol. Each and every one of its 177 horsepower now comes from VW’s twin-charged 1.4-liter TSI inline-four with direct injection, a turbocharger and a mechanical supercharger. The combined fuel efficiency goes from 29.8 miles per gallon to 39.9 mpg on the EU test cycle.

The Polo GTI gets a similar rounded five spoke wheel design to its big brother, the Golf GTI, along with the obligatory red brake calipers and trim on the grille. Note, too, that this is the first Polo to get LED eyeliner running lamps and corner markers along with bi-xenon headlamps. In proper GTI fashion, the seats are covered in a plaid fabric just like the originals of three decades ago. In fact, with the growth of the Golf over six generations, this Polo is actually almost the same size as the original Golf.

Interestingly, the Polo GTI only comes with the quick shifting seven-speed DSG gearbox and sprints to 62 miles per hour in just 6.9 seconds, and handling will be aided by VW’s electronic differential lock, which is said to reduce oversteer.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Officially Official: Volkswagen Polo GTI, 177 hp, 40 mpg and plaid seats!

Officially Official: Volkswagen Polo GTI, 177 hp, 40 mpg and plaid seats!

Land Rover, which has worn the “beleaguered” tag for too long, is getting more and more rays of light its way. The latest bit of sunshine comes in the form of a hiring flurry – according to Autocar, the company’s Solihull factory is upping its 5,000-strong workforce by the not-insignificant number of 275 workers due to strong sales.

The 2010 model line has begun to show what Land Rover is really capable of – the LR4 and RR Sport especially – and March’s sales numbers were the best in the company’s history, with over 11,300 new keys handed over. Congrats to Land Rover and its 275 added employees…

[Source: Autocar Image: Matthew Lewis/Getty]

Feel-Good Post of the Day: Land Rover is hiring

It’s not every day that a company like Devon Works comes along. For its first project, Devon gave birth to the GTX, an all-American supercar that took the lap record at Laguna Seca. Unfortunately, the demise of the Dodge Viper on which it’s based meant the GTX will never reach production, but though ts focus has changed, Devon has not been deterred. We recently reported on their follow-up in the form of the Tread 1, an innovative belt-driven timepiece. But don’t think for even a minute that Devon’s given up big gears for little ones entirely. Because hot on the trail of the Tread 1, Devon’s graced us with initial details and photos of its next project.

The Devon Edge is a one-of-a-kind custom sport bike, built for the Californian firm by Japanese chopper guru Shinya Kamura. But while Kamura (of Zero Engineering fame) specializes in custom Harleys, the Edge is decidedly sportier, apparently based on a Ducati 999 sportbike engine and chassis with a unique coating of metal bodywork. The Edge will be unveiled this coming weekend at the Quail Lodge Motorcycle Gathering, after which it will be displayed at Devon’s flagship store in Beverly Hills with a $200,000 price tag. If you’ve got no plans to be at either, better take a closer look at the images in the gallery below, because you’re not likely to see it down at your local biker bar any time soon.

[Source: Devon Works]

Devon to unveil custom Edge sport bike by Shinya Kamura at Quail Lodge

Different people like different things, and this is especially true with cars. Even with something as specific as the new 2011 Shelby GT350, customers want to have options. When the car was unveiled at Barrett-Jackson earlier this year it only came equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and a Ford Racing supercharger good for 500 horsepower, but according to Shelby they will now be offering both a naturally aspirated and an automatic version to customers. The company cites qualifying the GT350 for SCCA racing as the main reason for offering a non-supercharged model, although the overall price point may have been a factor as well. Leaving the supercharger off the options list will save you $7,000, and there will still be 412 horsepower to play with from the 5.0-liter V8.

Supercharged or not, automatic or manual, each GT350 will be a serious performer. The car comes standard with a Shelby-tuned Ford Racing suspension system, Baer front and rear brakes, Borla exhaust and new compound of Goodyear tires. Each GT350 will only be available in legendary White with Guardsman Blue stripes, and all will be built as a post-title program at Shelby’s Las Vegas facility. The upfit package (base car not included) now starts at $26,995 for the naturally aspirated model and $33,995 for the supercharged version. Follow the jump for full details.

[Source: Shelby American]

Continue reading Shelby to offer naturally aspirated, automatic GT350 models

Shelby to offer naturally aspirated, automatic GT350 models

	Report: Nissan Leaf battery pack costs only £6,000 ($9,000) or $375/kWh! So that’s the secret.		Japan: still the future – Daihatsu unveiled Chevy Volt-like concept 17 years ago Back to the now.
	A week with the i-MiEV proves that range and charging continue to hamper the experience Be prepared.	Other news: Want to reduce your stress and live a slower-pace lifestyle? Drive an electric car Hybrid sales rose again in April, still trail overall industry growth on Autoblog Green" href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/05/05/hybrid-sales-rose-again-in-april-still-trail-overall-industry-g/">Hybrid sales rose again in April, still trail overall industry growth 2011 Audi Q7 to get supercharged V6, 8-speed auto for America on Autoblog Green" href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/05/05/2011-audi-q7-to-get-supercharged-v6-8-speed-auto-for-america/">2011 Audi Q7 to get supercharged V6, 8-speed auto for America

AutoblogGreen for 05.06.10

Call it a sign that the recession is abating, or count it as an indicator that, for the extremely wealthy, the recession hardly ever crossed their minds. But any way you cut it, classic Ferraris continue to fetch record prices at auction. And exceptional though it was, this past weekend’s Sporting Classics of Monaco event, held by Canadian firm RM Auctions, was no exception.

The event marked the first time that the venerable auction house – a growing force to be reckoned with on the classic car scene – held an event during the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. Yet RM still managed to rake in a mind-blowing €33,235,917 ($45 million), matching the all-time record for single-day auction results, which RM itself set in Maranello in May 2007.

The headline results were boosted by the sale of a rare 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB, which went for a high bid of €2,800,000 ($3.8 million), exceeding its estimate and fetching the highest price ever paid for such an example. Several other Ferraris went for seven-figure prices as well, including a 1957 250 GT Tour de France ($3.2M), a 1959 250 GT California Spyder ($2.8M), and a pair of mid-60s-era 275 GTBs that each fetched a million and change.

The rare Prancing Horses were joined by such other notable examples as a 1960 Maserati Birdcage ($3.3M), a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C Zagato Spider ($1.2M), a Le Mans-spec ‘63 Shelby Cobra 289 ($1M) and a whole slew of Rolls-Royce classics. Follow the jump to delve further into the auction results, and check out the high-resolution images of the headline Superamerica in the gallery below.

[Source: RM Auctions]

Continue reading $3.8M 1962 Ferrari Superamerica boosts record $45 Million at RM Auctions in Monaco

$3.8M 1962 Ferrari Superamerica boosts record $45 Million at RM Auctions in Monaco

It takes a serious piece of engineering to really impress Jay Leno. Even by auto journo standards, the guy has driven more lust-worthy sheet metal than ought to be possible, so when he starts gushing on a car, you know it’s something special. Such is the case with the Koenigsegg Trevita CCXR. Odds are the supercar-obsessed among us will recognize that smattering of consonants and vowels as the same 1,018 horsepower, twin-supercharged 4.8-liter V8 beast that weighs a fraction of what the Bugatti Veyron weighs.

Leno recently had a chance to go over the carbon-fiber work of art with none other than Koenigsegg head honcho Christian von Koenigsegg himself. According to the Swede, there are only three Trevita CCXRs in existence, and Leno was brave enough to drive one of them around Los Angeles for a day.

Watching the video, it’s clear the car is on a totally different level from most supercars. Yes, you can take the top off, but there’s enough space on board to store the carbon fiber lid so that you don’t need an entourage of shop hands following you around. It has a ridiculously low ride height, but also boasts a suspension that can raise the vehicle high enough to tackle most speed bumps. Are we in love? How could we not be? Unfortunately, if Leno can’t afford the price tag, we seriously doubt we can pull it off either. Hit the jump to see the clip for yourself.

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading Video: Jay Leno drives the Koenigsegg Trevita CCXR

Video: Jay Leno drives the Koenigsegg Trevita CCXR

It’s no secret that Lamborghini is working hard to get its Murcielago replacement, the Jota, out the door. We’ve already caught sight of heavily camouflaged prototypes in testing, and it appears that the highly anticipated supercar is on the move again, this time on public roads.

When the Jota launches in 2011, it will have some relatively big shoes to fill, but Lamborghini is definitely prepared to do battle with the next generation of supercars. The Jota will be lighter, more powerful and more high-tech than the outgoing Murcielago – curb weight is estimated to be around 3,300 pounds, and a new 7.0-liter V12 is in the works, rumored to produce over 700 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque. Seven-speed transmissions, in both automated manual and sequential styles will be on hand, helping the Jota storm to 60 mph in just three seconds, on its way up to a top speed of 220 mph.

When will we see the production-ready Jota? Mum’s the word on that one, but don’t be surprised if it makes an early appearance at the Paris Motor Show later this year, with the first sales being made in mid-2011.

[Source: Auto Express]

Spy Shots: 2011 Lamborghini Jota hits the road

Click above to watch the video after the jump

If you watched the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby over the weekend, you saw Super Saver race to victory by two and a half lengths. That’s a 20 foot victory to non race fans, or just enough room to wedge a Dodge Ram Quad Cab between Super Saver and the competition.

If you weren’t among the NASCAR-sized crowd of 155,000 fans in attendance at Churchill Downs, you likely know that we mention the Ram because it was the official truck of the event, and the Auburn Hills, MI-based automaker got creative with the video to let us know all about it.

Hit the jump to watch Chrysler’s rough and rumble pickup as it hangs with the thoroughbreds. The 30-second spot makes good with the deep voice guy, pretty pictures and a mention of its Motor Trend Truck of the Year award – possibly Chrysler’s best commercial in a while.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Ram named official truck of Kentucky Derby [w/video]

Ram named official truck of Kentucky Derby [w/video]

Five-hundred-fifty horsepower is an awful lot of muscle. But when it’s being produced by six liters of displacement, 12 cylinders and two turbochargers, you have to figure even more is possible. Bentley themselves knew this to be true, so they squeezed an extra 50 or so out of the Continental’s enormous engine for the Speed version. But there was still more to be extracted, so they developed the Supersports model with over 620 horsepower.

Determined that there’s still more to coax out of those colossal specs, German tuning house Wheelsandmore has just released its own tuning package for the Supersports that brings output up to 702 horsepower, with a commensurate bump to 650 lb-ft of torque (up from the standard 480, the Speed’s 550 and the Supersports’ 590) to create the Continental Ultrasports 702.

All they had to do to get the bonus 80 horses was tweak the ECU and fit a new exhaust. But true to their name, Wheelsandmore didn’t stop there, fitting a set of 21-inch, 3-piece modular rims on Dunlop Sport Maxx tires, and an electronically adjustable suspension that drops the ride height to less than 8 inches off the ground at speed. Check it out in the high-res image gallery below.

[Source: GlobalMotors.net]

Wheelsandmore Bentley Continental Ultrasports 702: Clunky name, sinister car

We love our British buff books, but many times the double-digit price tag means that we’re relegated to reading them solely at the bookstore and not at home. EVO has come up with a compromise, and is now offering an interactive online magazine. The good part is that it’s free, but the bad part is that it’s not the full magazine. Still, it’s one of the better e-magazines we’ve seen, with embedded video, audio clips, photo galleries, desktop wallpaper and plenty of other cool stuff to click on.

The first issue starts off in typical EVO fashion with plenty of supercars. The editors review both the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lexus LFA before comparing four super convertibles – the Jaguar XKR, Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet, Audi R8 Spyder and Ferrari California. Plus there’s quick takes of the Spyker C8 Aileron and Volkswagen Golf R, the cars of the Geneva Motor Show, an update on the long-term Pagani Zonda and one of our favorite “classic” EVO videos.

Sound like your thing? Click here to view the first issue or head over to EVO to register and get your free copy every month.

EVO lauches new interactive e-magazine

As a rule of thumb, crashes aren’t as big a deal when you’re on track in a professional race as they would be on public roads. But once in a while, the world of motorsports suffers a crash so spectacular that it eclipses convention.

The latest involved a driver by the name of Ricardo Teixeira. After working his way up through Formula BMW, Formula 3 and GP2, the Portugese-Angolan driver now races in the new Formula Two championship.

This past weekend the series went to Marrakech, Morocco, for a double-header. Teixeira scored a career-best fifth place in the first race, but in the second, he hit the back of another F2 car, sending him airborne. He landed (fortunately) right-side up, only to hit a concrete wall, and was lucky enough to walk away from the shunt relatively unscathed. Follow the jump to watch the footage from rival Paul Rees’ car, where you can see Teixeira’s car doing an impeccable Superman impression.

[Source: Autosport]

Continue reading Video: Formula 2’s Ricardo Teixeira goes airborne in Morocco

Video: Formula 2’s Ricardo Teixeira goes airborne in Morocco

As a rule of thumb, crashes aren’t as big a deal when you’re on track in a professional race as they would be on public roads. But once in a while, the world of motorsports suffers a crash so spectacular that it eclipses convention.

The latest involved a driver by the name of Ricardo Teixeira. After working his way up through Formula BMW, Formula 3 and GP2, the Portugese-Angolan driver now races in the new Formula Two championship.

This past weekend the series went to Marrakech, Morocco, for a double-header. Teixeira scored a career-best fifth place in the first race, but in the second, he hit the back of another F2 car, sending him airborne. He landed (fortunately) right-side up, only to hit a concrete wall, and was lucky enough to walk away from the shunt relatively unscathed. Follow the jump to watch the footage from rival Paul Rees’ car, where you can see Teixeira’s car doing an impeccable Superman impression.

[Source: Autosport]

Continue reading Video: Formula 2’s Ricardo Teixeira goes airborn in Morocco

Video: Formula 2’s Ricardo Teixeira goes airborn in Morocco

Click above to watch the video after the jump

When a pearly white Aston Martin One-77 arrived with a convoy celebrating Silverstone’s new grand prix circuit, we couldn’t help but let out a few excited giggles. After all, we’re talking about the handmade, exceedingly rare, V12-powered super Aston of our wildest dreams. In white.

After the jump is video of the One-77 trolling around the UK in an easy search of people willing to stand and stare at its awesomeness. We should warn you that the nearly three minutes of video isn’t nearly as exciting as the audibly sexy test footage we showed you a couple months back, but it’s an Aston One-77, it’s white, and it makes us drool. Enjoy.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: White Aston Martin One-77 goes for a spin

Video: White Aston Martin One-77 goes for a spin

The red-and-white blur in the shot above is an upside-down Mini. The car, driven by Kain Magro in a Mini Challenge support race for a V8 Supercar round at Queensland Raceway in Australia, flipped over at high speed on the last lap of the race and cartwheeled numerous times through the sandtrap, over the fence and into the crowd.

Incredibly, no one was killed, and only two spectators and the driver were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Follow the jump to watch the accident. Thanks to everyone who sent a tip.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Mini crash during Australian race ends with car in crowd

Mini crash during Australian race ends with car in crowd

The FIA GT1 World Championship just kicked off its inaugural season since its organizing body, SRO, split the former FIA GT Championship into separate series for the GT1 and GT2 classes. Already, manufacturers are lining up to participate.

At the opening round of the new series, six different vehicles were on the grid, including the Nissan GT-R, Corvette C6.R, Lamborghini Murcielago R-SV, Matech Ford GT, Aston Martin DBR9 and Maserati MC12. But if the latest reports become reality, that impressive lineup could see a new challenger from a decidedly more niche manufacturer.

According to some reports, Veritas is preparing a fixed-roof GT1-spec version of its RS III supercar – complete with BMW-sourced V10 – for participation in the series. The reports emanate from the Top Marques show in Monaco, where the automaker reportedly indicated its racing ambitions. If Veritas gets its act together on time, they could be joining the series mid-season as soon as the Nurburgring round this coming July.

[Source: Motorpasion - translated]

Veritas RS III to join FIA GT1 World Championship?

Ford Raptor 6.2 dyno’d again, makes even more power