has officially shown off its latest , and . Droptop fans are still waiting on their own version of the 991, and our spy photographers have just managed to capture a few images of the upcoming convertible. The 2012 Porsche 911Cabriolet should arrive on the auto show circuit in the next few months before it heads to your local dealership.
You can expect to find the same 3.4- and 3.6-liter flat-six engines tucked in the back as seen in the hardtop Carrera and Carrera S. Each will be paired with the PDK double-clutch or the all-new seven-speed manual gearbox. Whichever engine and transmission you decide to go with, expect to pay around $90k-100k for the privilege.
History lesson, folks. Those of you familiar with the classic Jensen Interceptor from the 1960s and 1970s can completely skip this introductory paragraph. For the rest of you, the Interceptor was a two-door GT Coupe (or convertible or hatchback) built by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976 in the UK. Powered by a V8 ranging from 383 to 440 cubic inches (some even equipped with the famous Six Pack trio of two-barrel carburetors, and a handful of FF models included all-wheel drive), the Interceptor married a muscular drivetrain with bespoke, hand-built coachwork.
Suffice it to say, like many British enthusiasts, we have a very soft spot in our hearts for the original Jensen Interceptor, so when we heard that , the company that already bought and is , was working on a revival, our interest was piqued. The company is being contracted by Healey Sports Cars of Switzerland (another classic British marque), which apparently holds the rights to the Jensen name.
CPP says the car will be developed in Coventry and built at a starting in 2014. There’s no word on what will power the revived Jensen, but anything short of Chryser’s 392 Hemi that powers the latest SRT8 models would be a bit of a disappointment. CPP promises to show the car off by late 2012, which is still a far way off, so here’s hoping everything moves forward smoothly. Check out the rather fetching official renderings in our gallery and the press release .
In the words of Rick James, adrenaline is one hell of a drug – just ask the unidentified motorist seen above. You see, a local news crew caught up with him shortly after a fairly spectacular traffic accident. As he tells it, a vehicle rear-ended his van, flipped onto its side and then slid into a power pole, knocking out an electrical transformer at the same time. As anyone who’s seen a transformer go down can tell you, a light show ensued, complete with plenty of arcing electricity, a shocked finger and one stunned driver.
If it sounds dramatic when we tell it, you should hear the tale straight from the horse’s mouth. Admittedly, we have no idea if this is a new video or not, nor if the motorist in question is intentionally trying to overdramatize things, but it’s the first time we’ve laid eyes on the footage, so watch it along with us: to partake in the hilarity.
A Roush-tuned is a modern muscle car gone manic. Our own , which straddles the performance line between the and the . If you like the sound of that but are looking to get a vehicle that’s even more exclusive, Roush now has you covered with its RS3 Hyper-Series.
The Hyper-Series cars have everything that the standard Roush RS3 wears as far as performance upgrades go. The Roush team decided to dress these coupes up a step further, however, by offering one of four unique exterior graphic and interior color treatments. Buyers can choose between Mat It Mango, Gas It Green, Punch It Purple and Launch It Lemon. On the outside, a corresponding color stripe accompanies the side graphic while the interior receives matching suede door panels, shift boot stitching and a pair of shift knobs. One knob is black while the other matches the color choice of the vehicle.
Roush is only building 25 of each version, and each vehicle gets a unique serial number as well. The Hyper-Series hits the market beginning in October 2011. Check out the limited-edition 2012 Roush RS3 Hyper-Series Mustang in the gallery.
Like a kid forever awaiting the presence of his deadbeat dad at his birthday party, we’ve been promised the return of Alfa Romeo to the United States so many times that we’ve stopped feeling disappointed when it is invariably “postponed” again. But that numbness isn’t shared by dealers across the country. Many of them are reportedly and understandably upset at the of the brand’s reintroduction to America.
Although the lion’s share of the 102 Fiat dealers that have sprung up across the country (and 28 more to come by year end) have grown out of existing franchises, all have had to invest significantly in bringing Fiats to their showrooms. And while the range has been selling well, it’s the only model they have to offer. Though no explicit promises were made, many of these dealers were counting on receiving Alfa Romeo to fill their new showrooms.
Instead, the relaunch of the stoic marque has been delayed again. When it does finally arrive, the MiTo hatchback is set to lead the charge together with the 4C sportscar, followed by the Giulietta five-door hatch. The Giulia is set to replace the 159, not next year as originally planned, but in 2014. And while plans for a -based SUV have reportedly been scrapped, a new sedan is said to be in the works to succeed the long-gone 166 and share its platform with the next . For our part, we won’t be holding our breath any longer before we just blow out the candles and get on with things.
has a rich heritage when it comes to camper vans. But while the German automaker may only offer the -built in North America, overseas, it tends to that heritage quite closely, and for its latest model, Wolfsburg has partnered with outdoor outfitter for the special edition you see here.
Spun off the Transporter’s line (which somewhat ironically isn’t offered in its namesake or any other state in the union), the Berghaus edition packs all the regular features of the standard model and upgrades with some unique touches. That means four seats, an electrically-operated pop-up roof, onboard kitchen and folding dinette. What distinguishes the Berghaus edition, however, is its long list of extra equipment, including a bike rack, folding awning, 18-inch alloys and special badging both inside and out.
It also comes with a special rucksack, a pair of sleeping bags, gloves, hats, mugs, water bottle, flask and more. All that kit is driven by a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel and six-speed manual transmission with ABS, traction control, engine braking and stability management. Only 80 examples will be offered in the UK (no word on further distribution in other markets), and you can scope out the full details in the press release .
teams up with Berghaus on special edition California camper van
Marc Cameron and Paul “Moose” Curtis, are an artistic twosome that are exceedingly skilled at turning dirt, grime and muck into art. In fact, the pair have teamed up to create our favorite kind of art – the sort that features automobiles as the subject. Starting with a spot on a dirt-covered wall in Munich, Moose and Cameron remove the buildup of gunk in various layers leaving behind their desired image.
It’s called “reverse graffiti” or “grime writing,” and rather than covering a wall in paint, Cameron and Moose actually clean a portion of the area they’re working on. Some stencils, a few helping hands and a high-pressure power washer are the tools at work, and the resulting image not only illustrates how polluted public surfaces can be, it’s also wonderful spin on a form of art that’s typically frowned up.
to watch a reverse graffiti come to life, a project Cameron and Curtis coordinated with German’s . Also, click through the gallery to get a closer look at some more of Marc and Paul’s work, including the . If you are interested in learning more about Marc’s unique work, feel free to email him – Cameron @ Cameron2210.com or check out his website using the link below.
Cadillac ATS prototypes have been a lot more visible of late, and the future entry-level Cadillac appears to be spending a lot of its time over in Germany. Just last week, we posted a slew of cladding-free that revealed the tidy shape of the rear-wheel-drive sedan. Now we have video of the well-camo’d Caddy as it runs the famed Nürburgring – in a big, fat hurry.
Beyond the jump is very clean rolling footage of an ATS prototype as it goes hard through the corners with tires-a-smoking. If you listen hard enough, you can hear some high-revving engine notes, but with the screaming tires it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s lying in wait under the bonnet.
With all the ATS news hitting the Interewebs of late, we’re guessing the full reveal of the future little brother of the isn’t all that far off. to watch the video for yourself.
is hard at work reinventing its design language, and those who’ve had an early look say we’re all in for a surprise. wants to reinvent its luxury arm into just that, . One of the steps required to make this transformation is to incorporate premium style into the existing lineup of products. Our spy photographers caught a camo-clad running undergoing testing, and the new design language is hidden under the automotive hefty bags.
We can’t see much of what’s going on, but we know Lincoln plans to make its products markedly different from its Ford cousins. Everything from the instrument panel and switch gear to the headlamps and sheetmetal creases will scream Lincoln. And it sounds like it will do so in a manner that’s quite pleasing to the eyes.
Besides the new look, Lincoln will step to the luxury plate with new powertrains that provide power while also returning improved fuel economy
is there to make extreme supercars. That’s what it’s always done and that’s what it always will do. But even for the Raging Bull marque, some of its supercars have been more extreme than others. It broke new ground when it produced the , and then followed up with the Reventón Roadster, giving those with the scratch on hand a chance at owning a machine even more exclusive than the company’s “standard” offerings.
Sant’Agata is preparing to tap back into that customer base with the Sesto Elemento, a -sized concept car that is set to enter limited production as an exclusive track toy for those with the means. But will Lamborghini stop going down this road when all 20 examples of the Sesto Elemento are signed, sealed and delivered? Hardly.
According to the latest reports from the Old World, the Reventon and Sesto Elemento are destined to go down in history as the first in a long line of million-dollar exotics from the Bolognese automaker.
So what will the next billionaire’s Lambo entail? Far too early to say, but according to reports citing CEO Stephan Winkelmann, don’t expect it to follow the same extreme-lightweight approach as the Sesto Elemento, as improving on that formula would be too much even for Lamborghini. Given that a good three years separated the debut of the Reventón from the debut of the Sesto Elemento last year, it’ll be 2013 at the earliest before we have any idea.
We only know him as Chris, but his words are reverberating around the automotive and business sectors at the moment. He’s the star of an . Chris was asked why buying American was important to him, and his response centers on the fact that did not take bailout money unlike General Motors and .
Chris has decided to post a video of his own to address some of his critics and to try to set the record straight. The Ford fan responds to criticism that this ad was staged, and also explains why he chose to buy his . In addition, Chris also watched and recorded a Fox News segment, and that clip has talking heads Megyn Kelly, Mike Tobin and Steve Moore offering up their take on the Ford spot. to see the original ad, Chris’ response and the opinion of Fox News.
Buying a new car can be a bit of a daunting experience for many, but it can also be a lot of fun. Especially when you get to configure your car just the way you want it. For , that often includes ordering special graphics packages. But while you’d expect to find stripes running up the hood and down the flanks of a , the Bowtie brand’s graphics packages are also available for the econo-sedan, the plug-inhybrid and yes, even the hatchback.
The options range from a simple racing stripe to a full vinyl wrap, and can – with options like the one pictured above – run as much as $2,860 on the options list, or as little as $208. We’ve had some fun with the online configurator and you can do the same by , or check out some of the most outlandish examples compiled in our image gallery.
If you’re looking for the ultimate example of life imitating art imitating life, look no further than the /Playstation GT Academy. The program pits thousands upon thousands of gamers playing Gran Turismo 5 against each other in a fight over a spot on Nissan’s actual racing team. Now that competition is jumping onto television screens as a reality program.
The international competition is the subject of a new reality TV show that is set to air its first of five episodes on the Speed Network starting tomorrow, September 20. The show documents how a group of gamers were honed into a select team of actual racers, and the series was shot at England’s legendary Silverstone race track. As is typical with such reality shows, the winner will be announced in the final episode.
Whether you had opportunity to enter the competition or not, it looks to be an interesting watch. for a preview video and for the full press release for all the details.
We spy, with the lens of our spy guy, a rather unique that’s taken to the track. Spotted lapping Germany’s Nürburgring, this particular LS is wearing puffed-out fenders, a strongly styled decklid spoiler, what appears to be a faux nose hiding new bodywork, deep side skirts and a pair of vents on the hood. Something sporty is afoot, and we’re itching to know more.
Toyota is clearly testing a super sporty version of its flagship luxury sedan. What’s not clear, however, is what exactly is going on underneath the bodywork. We do know that this is work of the automaker, and not an aftermarket tuner testing some new performance parts out. The license tags on the car are from Cologne, and the car was spotted at the automaker’s garage nearby.
Could we be staring at a Lexus LS F in disguise? The automaker has , and this luxury sedan is certainly wearing some athletic upgrades. Funny, we thought for sure that a variant of the was going to be next in line to get the F Sport treatment. Could this just be a one-off piece for the or , or is it indicative of something more?
Final amusing note: The wheelman at the helm of this mystery “LS F’ must be new to the ‘Ring – that giant “L” on the rear window indicates he’s a Learner.
To hear John Krafcik tell it, the is just another . Allow us to rephrase that. According to the company’s North American CEO, the searing Vitamin C orange coupe shown here is something we should’ve seen coming, the predictable end result of the relentless innovators at his Korean employer.
Yet to be fair, even now, “innovation” isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Hyundai. But perhaps it should be. After all, this is the same company that’s led the way with radical customer relations plans like Hyundai Assurance (income loss payment coverage and buy-back, guaranteed trade-in values, etc.) and brash products like the 2011 , which passed on cylinders five and six in favor of forced induction – to say nothing of its and brave aesthetics. From marketing to product, Hyundai has rather quietly built a solid case for itself as an innovator.
And yet… even though we knew it was coming, we still weren’t prepared for the Veloster. Aggressive family sedan styling aside, we haven’t seen Hyundai allow its design team to so comprehensively stretch its creative legs as we have in this little four-door coupe. Did we say four-door? Indeed we did. Following hatchback naming conventions of three- and five-door bodystyles, this tangerine bolide is actually a four-door. It’s got a conventional, longish driver’s side door and a traditional lift-up hatchback. But stroll over to the passenger’s side, and things get deeply funky – there’s a second aperture behind a subtly shorter front door. We’ve seen similar setups like this in the past, a rear-hinged demi-door to ease access to a tight back seat, but this isn’t a suicide solution. The Veloster employs a normal front-hinged rear door, albeit one with the handle hiding in the gloss black C-pillar.
There aren’t a lot of all-wheel-drive convertibles on the market – but most of them come from German automakers. In fact nearly all of them come from the portfolio: the , and , the , , Spyder and Grand Sport. But is not about to let its arch rival keep that entire market – however small and specific it might be – all to itself. And to that end, it has just made the available with its xDrive all-wheel traction system, as evidenced by its appearance as an option on .
Of course, . While it was at it, BMW has also made the system available on the fixed-roof 6 Series coupe as well. xDrive is a new feature for the 650i, joining a larger segment that includes a wider variety of challengers including the , and BMW’s own , which offers xDrive as an option on sedan, wagon and coupe models, albeit not on convertibles.
Over the course of his nine seasons on the Formula One grid, Kimi Raikkonen only drove for a handful of teams, making his debut with Sauber before switching to McLaren in only his second season, then to after five seasons for another three more that included his solitary World Championship. But since his departure two years ago, the Finnish driver has been linked to more teams than he ever drove for in the first place.
Rumors have had him plotting his return with Renault, Red Bull, , and even a test role with Pirelli. All this in addition to competing in the World Rally Championship, NASCAR, and potentially at Le Mans, making the 2007 World Champion arguably the most versatile – and enigmatic – pro driver in the world. But while previous negotiations have apparently all failed (or failed to satisfy his conditions) they’re not about to die. At least the rumors won’t.
The latest reports place Raikkonen at Williams, the team reportedly confirming that it recently hosted the former champ at its headquarters in Grove, England. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Kimi has signed with the once-great team, but we can’t imagine him sightseeing in the British midlands without purpose, either.
It’s no great secret that Williams – wielder of seven Drivers’ Titles, nine Constructors’ Championships and 113 grand prix victories – is very far from its glory days, but with a new engine supply deal with Renault and an injection of fresh management and cash, there’s no telling how quickly the team could find its pace once again. Especially with a proven talent like Raikkonen behind the wheel.
At the in Maine, John Petsche drove a highly modified motorcycle into the .
Powered by a six-horsepower industrial diesel engine and fueled by store-bought vegetable oil, Petsche’s two-wheeler hit a top speed of 56.535 miles per hour, sufficient to set a record in the the 350-cc Alternate Fuel class.
The donor bike uses a single-speed drive with a centrifugal clutch, which limits its performance, but Petsche plans to upgrade the drivetrain to improve acceleration and surpass his record-setting top speed next year.
Petsche says he built his motorcycle to demonstrate the potential of off-the-shelf technology (and, literally, off-the-shelf fuel). By combining preexisting components from generators, go-karts and junked vehicles, Petsche built a low-cost bike that he says gets 100 miles to the vegetable oil gallon.
We’re in the final hours of the six-hour ALMS race here at Laguna Seca, and while the real battle is playing out between and in LMP1 and and in the GT class, we’re here to catch the west coast debut of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid.
After its last October and its race earlier this year, the Hybrid and its crew packed up and headed west for this second to last race of the season. While the Hybrid isn’t a contender – it’s running in an exhibition class of one since the tech isn’t approved in the GT regulations – it continues to be a rolling and racing test-bed for high-performance hybrid technology. And it’s doing well.
So what’s next for the tech? LeMans, of course.
911 GT3 R Hybrid takes to Laguna, electric tech bound for 2014 LeMans
trekked to the headquarters of Automobile Magazine in order to show off the . John and Doug arrive in the office of editor Jean Jennings, and things don’t exactly get off on the right foot.
After their initial introductions, Doug and John discuss the 2012 Ford Focus in front of the magazine staff. A boring PowerPoint presentation leads to some track time with the car, and it’s all captured in five short videos.
