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If you were watching the Malaysian Grand Prix early Sunday morning, you may have picked up on something that seemed a little fishy. Sergio Perez, who’s only in his second year on the Formula One grid having debuted with Sauber just last season, was way up in second place, ahead of proven race winners and World Champions. That was surprising enough, but what raised some eyebrows is what happened when he closed the gap in front of him to Fernando Alonso, who was leading the race in the Ferrari F2012.

According to Autosport, after impressively whittling down the gap Alonso had opened up behind him, Perez (pictured above in the parc ferme with Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali) received a radio message from Sauber strategists advising him to be careful. Shortly thereafter, Perez went wide off the track and lost Alonso. The young Mexican pilot still finished second – an unprecedentedly strong finish for Sauber – but many wondered if the message wasn’t a code passed on from Ferrari, which supplies Sauber’s engines.

Of course, Sauber, for its part, is denying the rumors, but it wouldn’t be the first time in F1 that a leading team had told a midfield or back-marker team to which it supplied engines to reel in one of its drivers in the interest of preserving the front-runner’s position. We’ll probably never know the truth, but one thing’s for sure: Perez is a rising talent in Formula One, and Alonso had better get used to watching out for him.

Did Ferrari order Sergio Perez to back off of Fernando Alonso in Malaysia?

Toyota has just released a teaser image of what it says is an all-new, designed-in-America sedan that will debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show next week. It isn’t immediately clear if the vehicle will be a concept or production car, but Toyota has issued no showcar qualifiers, suggesting it’s something that will be in dealers soon. Described as having “an elegant yet athletic look,” the teased rear end most likely belongs to the next-generation Avalon full-size sedan.

While we can’t be sure until the wraps are removed in New York, the Avalon is our best guess based on descriptions of the redesigned Avalon from Toyota dealers who were shown it last year in June. The dealers drew comparisons between the redesigned Avalon and upscale cars like the Audi A7 and Jaguar XJ, suggesting it will transition from a traditional sedan to a four-door coupe shape. The teaser image provided today by Toyota supports this, showing a severely sloped C-pillar and little-to-no rear deck. And while the cut lines for the trunk aren’t visible in this rendering, we wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a hatch.

Toyota’s new sedan, whatever it is, will makes its worldwide debut on April 5 at the New York Auto Show. We’ll be there covering it live, so keep your computer tuned to Autoblog for more.

Continue reading Toyota teases all-new Avalon ahead of New York debut

Toyota teases all-new Avalon ahead of New York debut

Why don’t they make four-door convertibles anymore? Because the roof mechanism would just be too darn big, that’s why. But there’s at least one company out to change that. And, of course, they’re Dutch.

That outfit is Savage Rivale, the braintrust behind the Roadyacht GTS. Rather than a wafting parade car like the Chrysler Phaetons of yore, the Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS is more like a four-door Lamborghini Gallardo. With a retracting hard top.

The vehicle is still in the development phase, with the (fixed-roof) race version set to debut next month at the Top Marques show in Monaco. But in the meantime, the Dutch firm has released an animated clip of the Retractable Telescopic Multi Panel (RTMP) roof mechanism it has developed for the Roadyacht with Inalfa Roof Systems.

The mechanism is based around a retractable arm that deploys with the glass panels and then forms the backbone for the structure once in place, with locking mechanisms in the C pillars. It’s about as thorough a rethink of the folding roof as the one former Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fioravanti created for the Ferrari 575 Superamerica (and later adapted for the Renault Wind and Ferrari 458 Spider), but it’s a little hard to imagine, so we’ll let the video clip after the jump speak for itself.

Continue reading Savage Rivale shows crazy multi-panel retractable roof for Roadyacht GTS

Savage Rivale shows crazy multi-panel retractable roof for Roadyacht GTS

Jeep has released details on six new concepts the company crafted for this year’s Easter Jeep Safari, including the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept. And while that vehicle boasts a slew of off-road goodies, including tow hooks, aggressive Goodyear Wrangler rubber and a rear light bar, we’re more interested in the wicked Mighty FC Concept pictured above.

Engineers built the Mighty FC as a tribute to the Jeep Forward Control that was offered between 1956 and 1965. Using a 2012 Wrangler Rubicon as a platform, the company stretched the wheelbase, stuck the cab ahead of the front axle and threw in a custom drop-side cargo box. Underneath, the Mighty FC uses a set of Mopar eight-lug portal axles, which offer a surprising amount of ground clearance without having to resort to a lift. If you like what you see, the axles are available for a combined price of $23,500. The truck rolls on 40-inch tires, and a King coil-over suspension handles the bumps and bruises of the trail.

Of course, the Jeep J-12 Concept (above, left) is equally delicious in its own right. An extended version of the JK-8 pickup, the concept began life as a 2012 Wrangler Unlimited, though the frame has been stretched a total of 18 inches. With a full six-foot bed, custom hood and unique fenders, the concept is straight awesome. Build it, Jeep.

The automaker also showed off an accessorized version of the standard Wrangler as well as a Wrangler Traildozer concept (above, right). The latter of the two was built by partnering with the off-road gurus at American Expedition Vehicles. With a 470-horsepower 6.4-liter V8 and a Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, the machine has the go-bits to tackle any trail. Dana 44 axles with electronic locking differentials at the front and rear are also part of the package.

Likewise, the Wrangler Apache concept (above, left) gets its power from the same fire-breathing Hemi, though that vehicle uses a Mopar conversion kit for the swap. With a beefy lift and 5.13 axles, the Apache should have no problem taking on the rocks of Moab.

Unfortunately, Chrysler has yet to release a full batch of official images for each vehicle, so went to their headquarters in Auburn Hills, MI, and shot them ourselves. Look below for the lot of them, as well as Chrysler’s official press release.

Continue reading Jeep drops details on six Easter Jeep Safari Concepts

Jeep drops details on six Easter Jeep Safari Concepts

With the price of a barrel of oil beyond $100 per drum, global oil powerhouse Royal Dutch Shell is raking in some serious coin. But while Shell is bringing in the big bucks, it still cannot pay one very important client.

Bloomberg is citing four sources who claim that Shell is finding it difficult to pay Iran about $1 billion due to financial sanctions put in place by the United States and Europe. The bill is reportedly the result of about eight million barrels of oil. On January 23, the European Union placed the ban on oil from Iran, but gave companies until July to wind down business with the world’s second-largest producer of oil.

Shell is in a tough spot because it is stuck between obeying sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to scrap its nuclear program and paying the National Iranian Oil Co, which supplies about 100,000 barrels of crude daily. But while Shell is at risk of angering Tehran, other oil companies stopped getting oil from Iran months ago.

It doesn’t appear that it will be easy for Shell to pay its bill, but there may be a way. Bloomberg reports that the oil giant could approach the British government to help settle the debt.

Shell struggles to pay $1B oil bill to Iran due to sanctions

Under its current management, Lotus has proven nothing if not ambitious. Lotus can’t achieve its goals without help from the outside, however, and thus has has teamed up with established racing teams to field cars under the Lotus name in countless motorsport series, hunted for new capital from external investors and collaborated with Mansory to customize its vehicles. It’s that last joint venture that the British automaker is now preparing to expand.

The collaboration goes back a little over a year when Lotus brought Mansory in to tart up the Evora with some extra carbon fiber bits that debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. That led to the production Evora GTE (pictured above) and subsequent special editions based thereon, but now Lotus and Mansory are preparing to roll out an entire customization range not only for the Evora, but also the Elise and Exige models.

The catalog, according to Lotus, will include custom “bodywork, trim and special finishes”, although not much more information was released at this point. The collaborative effort, however, is gearing up to unveil a new variant at the Paris Motor Show come September, so follow the jump for the full press blast and watch this space for more.

Continue reading Lotus ramps up partnership with Mansory

Lotus ramps up partnership with Mansory

There’s no lack of choices in timepieces for automotive enthusiasts, but unfortunately most of them come down to simply slapping an automaker’s name or logo (or that of a racing series or driver) on an existing timepiece and calling it a day. That, however, is not the route Maserati has gone with its new timepiece.

In fact, you’d have to turn this watch over to see the Trident logo on the casebook. Instead, Bulgari has opted to let the design and the mechanical precision it encases speak to the same themes it shares with its new automotive partner.

The Octo Maserati watch is built around the highly sophisticated Calibre GG7800 automatic chronograph movement which Bulgari crafts itself at the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Bulgari in Le Sentier, Switzerland. Rather than displaying its time through the ordinary combination of hands sweeping around the dial, the Octo watch places a jumping hour window at the 12 o’clock position and retrograde displays for the minutes, date and chronograph counters.

The 45-jewel movement is backed by a 38-hour power reserve and encased in a 45-millimeter brushed steel case with scratch-resistant, anti-glare sapphire crystal front and back. The blue-lacquered dial is designed to recall a Maserati’s grille, and the piece is affixed to the wrist by a blue calfskin strap with butterfly clasp. We dare not ask what a timepiece like this will sell for, but trust that it will be sufficiently Maserati-like in its sticker. So the closest we’re likely to get is the high-resolution images in the gallery and the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Bulgari crafts sophisticated Octo Maserati watch

Bulgari crafts sophisticated Octo Maserati watch

Whether you fondly remember your prom or are doing your very best to forget it, something tells us it would have been way better had you arrived in the machine you’re about to see in the video after the break. Yes, it’s a limo – and what high schooler wouldn’t want to get dropped off in a stretched machine – but the real draw is that it’s very likely the fastest limo in the lot.

Starting life as a Dodge Challenger SRT8, this blacked-out limo was crafted by LA Custom Coach after four and a half months of bending, stretching and welding. It boasts a completely custom interior done up in a unique black and red scheme along with a 24-inch LED screen and a full bar… but not for those headed to the prom, of course.

Want to procure one for your big day? That might be tricky, as this is said to be the first of its kind. On the upside, though, its owner says it won’t be the last. Check out the stretched Challenger SRT limo in the video after the break, but beware the horrid yet somehow appropriate soundtrack.

Continue reading Stretched Dodge Challenger SRT limo is a prom date’s dream ride

Stretched Dodge Challenger SRT limo is a prom date’s dream ride

BMW has announced it is recalling a whopping 1.3 million 5 Series and 6 Series vehicles from the 2003 to 2010 model years. Of those, Reuters notes that some 368,000 examples were sold in the U.S. – most of them sedans like the one above.

It doesn’t sound like too difficult of a problem to fix, but the automaker says the cars’ battery cable covers could be incorrectly mounted. BMW says no accidents or injuries have occurred because of the issue, but there is the potential that affected models may fail to start, or worse, catch fire.

Owners will be receiving a letter soon and will be asked to visit a BMW dealer for about a 30-minute repair session.

A company spokesman tells The Wall Street Journal that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been notified. Just 9 months ago, BMW was penalized $3 million for failing to report safety defects to NHTSA quickly enough. It looks like they may have learned their lesson. Read the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading BMW recalling 1.3 million 5 and 6 Series models worldwide

BMW recalling 1.3 million 5 and 6 Series models worldwide

The redesigned Ford Explorer is already selling quite well, and it looks like the three-row crossover is about to add another variant to boost the bottom line a little more. Ford posted on its Facebook page a 26-second video that teases a high-performance version of the Explorer.

The video show only a mesh grille, a beefy exhaust and what appears to be body-color wheels. There’s not much else we can share about the brawny family hauler, but we think it’s safe to speculate that an EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6 with 350 or so horsepower lies in waiting under the hood of this Explorer Sport.

The good news about this tease is that we won’t have to wait long to see the finished product. Ford tells us that the powerful CUV will be officially unveiled on the Ford Explorer Facebook page on March 28. Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself, and stay tuned for more information on this hi-po ‘ute as we get it.

Continue reading Ford teases performance-oriented Explorer

Ford teases performance-oriented Explorer

Back in the summer of 2010, Eric Clapton stopped by the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, with one request: could they build him a 458 Italia with a V12? Nearly two years later, this is what resulted.

Reportedly called the SP12 EPC (bearing the initials of the famous rock guitarist), the one-off product of the Ferrari Special Projects division first surfaced with a few photos the other day, but now we’ve got video footage of the car moving under its own power away from a London dealership – presumably en route for delivery at the multiple Grammy Award winner’s home.

With styling cues borrowed from the 512 BB – an early mid-engined Ferrari that was never officially homologated for sale in the United States – the SP12 EPC is said to be based on the 458 Italia. Which isn’t a bad place to start. The big question on everyone’s mind, however, is what resides under the hood? Did Ferrari manage to shoehorn in the twelve-pot as hoped, or did it stick with the 4.5-liter V8 in the donor car? Hard to say, but sources point towards the latter.

Follow the jump to watch the blurry, shaky footage and listen to the custom creation rumbling, and share your thoughts – eight cylinders or twelve – in the Comments section below.

Continue reading Footage shows Eric Clapton’s bespoke Ferrari leaving London dealership

Footage shows Eric Clapton’s bespoke Ferrari leaving London dealership

CBS’ 60 Minutes sat down with Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne last night to discuss the automaker’s resurrection and the touch-and-go period in 2009 when the Fiat executive began talks with the federal government over a controlled Chrysler bankruptcy. Marchionne said that when he arrived at Chrysler, the company’s employees were all afraid the company wouldn’t survive. Now, he says, that fear is gone. The segment explains how Marchionne saw early on how well Chrysler strengths, specifically in minivans and light trucks, could dovetail with Fiat experience in small-car technology. The executive calls Chrysler the “other half” of the Fiat coin from a product perspective.

The segment also spends some time looking at the upcoming Dodge Dart, with Marchionne saying the car is “mechanically outstanding.” The executive played a strong hand in improving both Fiat and Chrysler quality, at least according to Consumer Reports. The besweatered Marchionne also spends a bit of time talking about American workers and the labyrinth of bureaucracy within Chrysler when he arrived. Hit the jump to watch – it’s well worth the 13 minutes of your day.

Continue reading Watch Sergio Marchionne on last night’s 60 Minutes

Watch Sergio Marchionne on last night’s 60 Minutes

Dutch website NU recently reported that Volvo expects low demand for its C30 Electric, and therefore it decided to stop building the mostly electric car (it has a small, ethanol-burning heater to keep passengers warm). The original source for this information was a story in the Belgian newspaper The Age that cited Volvo’s government affairs director, Anders Kärrberg. Turns out, this isn’t quite right.

First, Volvo has always said the C30 Electric is a limited program. When the company started making the attractive EV in last summer, the public plan was to make just 250 units. So, the fact that the automaker is getting ready to finish up building the 250 units and then reevaluate the situation is not a surprise.

We asked Volvo’s Malin Persson about the situation, and she told Autoblog that “[it has] never been our aim to continue with production of C30 Electric for a longer period of time.” She added that:

• [Volvo Car Corporation] will not end the production of the C30 Electric – but it has always been a project limited in numbers and time.
• Approximately 200 cars have been built from the first generation, another 50 remain to be built before summer.
• In the second generation, starting after the summer, 100 cars will be built in cooperation with Siemens and with Siemens technology.
• The know-how and experience VCC has gained and will gain from the C30 Electric project will be extremely valuable when taking decisions about the way forward when it comes to electric cars.

So, instead of reporting that Volvo is stopping C30 Electric production, the reality is that 100 vehicles has been added to the build order. How aggressively Volvo continues to push on with electric technology beyond its C30 program – in something like the XC60 plug-in hybrid – remains to be seen. Kärrberg told The Age that Volvo thinks EVs will only make up one percent of the market in the next eight years, thanks to expensive batteries and a hodgepodge of government incentives.

Despite rumors, Volvo not ceasing electric C30 production plans

It was a big weekend for Sean Kennedy, Mark Heidaker and the team at Hennessey. The trio managed to walk straight past the previous world record for the standing mile with a top speed of 257.7 mph. Kennedy took the wheel of Heidaker’s Hennessey-prepped Ford GT for the feat. The vehicle used to be both twin-turbocharged and supercharged before Heidaker decided he needed a little more thrust. Hennessey then ditched the supercharger for a more efficient twin-turbo setup. The work seems to have paid off. Putting down that sort of speed in the span of a standing mile is nothing short of amazing, and the engineering behind the machine deserves all sorts of respect.

Of course, commanding the roided-out GT to do your bidding is also plenty impressive.

Tucked beneath that wild wrap is a white GT with a blue stripe, one of our favorite color combinations on this iconic shape. Hit the jump to see the run from inside the cockpit.

Continue reading Watch a Hennessey Ford GT set a new standing mile world record

Watch a Hennessey Ford GT set a new standing mile world record

When Mini first put the 211-horsepower, JCW-equipped Countryman on video, we were told to “expect the unexpected” while watching the taller, all-wheel-drive MINI make donuts and roostertails in snow and sand with a man on the roof.

Now the next round of “unexpected” fun has arrived, and as you can see above, it involves a human kite. Follow the jump to watch.

Continue reading Mini JCW Countryman gives new meaning to the term “power kite”

Mini JCW Countryman gives new meaning to the term “power kite”

That’s right, the potential Republican Potentate is an AMC muscle car; according to the Secret Service, anyway. The Republican race for the presidential nomination is getting serious, and National Public Radio reports that the the Secret Service is stepping in to offer its protective services to the potential nominees. When this happens, code names are given to the protectees; for example, President Reagan was called “Rawhide” by those watching out for him. Mitt’s new Secret Service handle? Javelin.

The candidates are presented with the list of potential security handles, and Romney apparently thought a nod to the car company his old man ran suited him just fine. Does it say something about the way he sees himself? Kenosha, Wisconsin-based American Motors Corporation was ever the cash-strapped scrapper; a bit of a contrast from Romney’s well-funded election machine, but he won’t be the first person to romanticize the last independent.

The biggest question we have is which one he thinks he is? A Javelin SST with the optional Go-Pack would indicate he thinks he’s a serious performer, while a Pierre Cardin edition might match up more with the tastes of a man accustomed to the finer things. In any case, it will be hard to look at a Javelin from now on and not see Mitt’s well-coiffed, perfect-teeth grin.

This is Mitt Romney

The massive tent at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction is an impressive sight. Occupying 120,000 square feet and stretching a quarter mile, it sufficiently houses the hundreds of collector cars and thousands of visitors that pass through it every January. Even so, the tent needs to be rebuilt annually, and the auction company has been pushing for a permanent facility for more than a decade. Now it looks like their wish will be granted, as the Scottsdale, AZ city council has approved construction of a new building on the WestWorld grounds where the current event is held.

The new facility is estimated to cost around $40 million, but Barrett-Jackson says that it’ll save money in the long run on temporary infrastructure costs. The building will also be designed to better accommodate the constant flow of cars driving up to the auction block as, well as have dedicated areas for SPEED’s TV crews and food and vendor services. Barrett-Jackson says that it also plans to build a new headquarters and car museum on land adjacent to WestWorld.

Official details on the plans for the new building are in the press release from Barrett-Jackson after the jump.

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson to build permanent $40 million facility in Scottsdale

Barrett-Jackson to build permanent $40 million facility in Scottsdale

Motorsports history buffs take note: an important piece of racing nostalgia has come up for auction. The Toleman TG184-2 Formula One Car Ayrton Senna drove in his rookie season is available for bid in the Silverstone Auctions Spring Sale.

This is the car that carried Senna to his second-place “victory” in the rain-drenched 1984 Monaco GP, as well as third and seventh-place finishes in the British and Canadian GPs, respectively.

Silverstone Auctions hasn’t announced what the vehicle is expected to fetch. The Toleman has been completely restored, and the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine behind the cockpit is in top running order.

The auction will take place at the Silverstone circuit in The Wing building on May 16th. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

Continue reading Ayrton Senna’s rookie-season F1 racer heads to auction

Ayrton Senna’s rookie-season F1 racer heads to auction

The Saab brand may be meeting its demise, but that doesn’t mean that its cars won’t live on for years to come. And we aren’t just talking about its passenger cars, either. Take, for instance, the Saab 9-3 TTA touring car we showed you last week. The racer, constructed by Flash Engineering and Team Tidö, is currently preparing to do battle in the Swedish Racing Elite League, with entries from Volvo, BMW and Citroën clearly in its sights.

Recently, the widebody 9-3 TTA completed its first round of testing in France, with Swiss driver Fabian Thuner piloting the car around the country’s Alés track. After a few more tweaks, the car will then be sent to Sweden where it will undergo official testing in Karlskoga and Anderstorp, driven by the actual TTA drivers who will pilot the car during the Swedish Racing Elite League competition.

For now, click past the jump to see (and hear!) this seriously awesome 9-3 racecar for yourself. We’ll definitely be keeping our eyes on this one.

Continue reading Watch and hear Flash Engineering’s awesome new Saab 9-3 touring car

Watch and hear Flash Engineering’s awesome new Saab 9-3 touring car

Everything’s bigger in Texas, and that includes the pickup truck market. The market is so big, in fact, that truck manufacturers regularly unveil new models at the Texas State Fair, and create special models just for the largest of contiguous states in the union. For Chrysler, that means the Ram 1500 Lone Star – a special edition available only in Texas that accounts for 30- to 40-percent of its 1500-series truck sales in the state, or about 80,000 units sold since its introduction ten years ago.

Now that the model has reached that decade milestone, the American truckmaker is keen to get the party started – Texas-style – with an even more special special edition. The Ram Lone Star 10th Anniversary starts out with the Ram 1500 Crew Cab with bucket seats and upholsters them in perforated Katzkin leather with special logos to match those on the dashboard, floormats and the emblems on the outside.

A 5.7-liter Hemi V8 does the pulling duty with 390 horsepower and 407 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, bolstered on the equipment list by 20-inch wheels, an auxiliary power outlet, trailer hitch and more that you can read about in the press release after the jump. The package adds a reasonable $1,500 to the base price for an all-in MSRP of $36,440, with deliveries beginning in the second quarter of the year – but only if you live in Texas.

Continue reading Ram celebrates Texas with special 10th anniversary Lone Star edition

Ram celebrates Texas with special 10th anniversary Lone Star edition