Gran Turismo 5 at the Nürburgring – Click above for the high-res image gallery
is taking longer to push to market than most automakers need to bring a vehicle from CAD drawing to the showroom floor, but Polyphony Digital is taking every opportunity to show off just how fantastic the racing simulator will (eventually) be. Spectators arriving at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring were surprised with a series of GT5 demo stations featuring the Grand Prix, Nordschleife, and the 24 Hours courses.
We have been both expecting and demanding that the full Nürburgring experience be included in every copy of the long-awaited game when it finally (hopefully) hits store shelves in time for Christmas, and it looks like our expectations will be met. Check out our ever-increasing gallery of GT5 images below. The first eight shots come straight from Germany, and the quality of the images is very impressive. And make sure to check out the of tent city. In true Euro form, almost every virtual vehicle is a wagon.
Word out of Germany is that things aren’t looking any better for . The famed Porsche tuner is well on its way through bankruptcy after founder and CEO in South Africa back in February. Judging by our less than trusty Google Translator, Auto Bild says that the company had trouble paying its employees and Uwe set up a shadow corporation with his mother as the sole stock holder just before pulling a Houdini. The article says that he was seeking investors in his new venture in and South Africa when the tuning legend vanished off of the face of the Earth.
With the founder missing and no leads to his whereabouts, South African police are beginning to suspect the worst. Likewise, the company has gone from being one of the world’s most renowned Porsche tuners to being raided by tax men and other law-enforcement agencies. Either way, we don’t expect to be seeing new Gemballa creations anytime soon, as the shop has apparently been shuttered after nearly 30 years.
Baby Cobra replica – Click above for high-res image gallery
Shelby Cobra. A mere mention of the beast is enough to send enthusiasts’ hearts aflutter and cause the minds of those lucky enough to have piloted such a beast to reel with fast-paced memories. Unless, of course, you are talking about the untold gallons of fuel the (up to) 7.0-liter V8 engines of these venomous snakes guzzle.
But does it have to be that way? Is is possible to have your cake and eat it too? Well, that depends on what exactly you are looking to recreate. If you’re feeling a real need for speed and nothing but a fire-breathing monster will do, we have bad news for you. But, if you just want to look like you’re piloting a vintage race car, you may be in luck.
In standard form (which isn’t very cheap at over $40,000 U.S. or £27,724), the so-called from Japan is powered by a tiny 660cc engine (yes, that’s less than a tenth of the size of the original 427 cubic incher with fewer than half as many cylinders) yanked from a .
A hefty options list can reportedly drive that price much higher into the stratosphere, but something tells us even the turbocharged, 720cc mill with 158 horsepower will still post significantly improved fuel efficiency over its forebearer. Yes, it’s completely ridiculous… and yes, we’re completely smitten with it.
Better get yours now before Shelby’s crack legal team gets wind of this thing…
Early last year, our very own Drew Phillips doing its best to blend in among the other, less-outrageous creations at the Grand National Roadster Show. At the time, he wondered what it must be like to throw a leg over a trike powered by a supercharged with over 1,000 horsepower. Now we know. The owner is a kindly soul by the name of Tim Cotterill who decided to have a short film made about the creation.
The action focuses mainly on long, dreamy shots of the Rocket II doing what it does best – generating speed and shoveling bucketfuls of fuel down the engine’s throat via two double pumpers. The sound of this thing is beyond intoxicating, and the craftsmanship only helps to return us to our wide-eyed elementary school selves. Crafted by none other than the Blastolene – the same crew that’s responsible for Jay Leno’s tank car – the Rocket II wears the kind of over-the-top style that makes us downright giddy.
to see the 10-minute feature for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Brian!
2010 Suzuki Kizashi Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery
Miami isn’t exactly a driver’s town. It’s a tangle of perfectly perpendicular secondary streets demarcated by lengthy stoplights and the occasional drawbridge or toll booth. Perched on the very tip of Florida, it’s one of the last places we would voluntarily spend time behind the wheel, but despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic, hair-raising lane changes and lawless nature of the traffic patterns, high-end metal is the norm down here.
We’re fighting for our right to merge against a , Ferrari F430 and a murdered-out as we make our way toward South Beach, contemplating the implications of dinging a car worth more than our mortgage when it dawns on us: The high rollers around us should make way – we’re driving one of the most unique cars in the country.
was kind enough to hand us the keys to one of the only models in existence. In fact, this is the same prototype that at the New York Auto Show, and while the suits in Japan have demanded that this Sport eventually meet with the Great Crusher in the Sky, the company’s PR team have managed to keep the sedan from meeting its untimely fate long enough for us to do battle with traffic.
Gallery:
Photos by Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
Land Rover LRX spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
When the new hits the market, it’s goal is to change the way the world perceives . Unlike the rest of the marque’s range, the LRX isn’t likely to boast unbeatable off-road prowess with fuel-sucking power – quite the contrary, in fact. Land Rover has officially announced that in addition to the , a diesel hybrid version of the LRX will be on the road in 2013. These two new-to-Land Rover features should go a long way in broadening the brand’s attractiveness to new sets of buyers interested in smaller vehicles like the new LRX, though the move might risk alienating traditionalists, particularly if the model’s off-road ability is severely compromised. (Note: The LRX name still isn’t in the books yet, and to this day, Land Rover is referring to the crossover as the “all-new compact Range Rover”).
Near the end of this year, Land Rover will start testing its first diesel hybrid prototype, which has been dubbed “range_e.” This development vehicle, which rides on a Range Rover Sport platform, will use LR’s existing 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 and a ZF eight-speed automatic mated to an electric motor. The goal is to produce a powertrain that can achieve a range of around 20 miles solely on electric power, while emitting less than 100 g/km of CO2 emissions. A conventionally powered production-bodied LRX was already spotted testing just .
While this technology is still a few years away, Land Rover has assured us that the front-wheel-drive LRX will be available right away when the range launches next year. Never fear, though – Land Rover will still offer the LRX with an honest-to-goodness four-wheel drive system, and we look forward to getting both some on- and off-road time in the new baby Rover. The full details are available in LR’s press release available after the jump.
Gallery:
[Source: Land Rover Images: KGP Photography]
: Land Rover confirms hybrid and front-wheel-drive LRX models
2011 Ford Fiesta – Click above for high-res image gallery
Actually, the marketing campaign started well over a year ago with the Fiesta Movement social media effort. The primary advertising campaign is now moving into the more traditional print and broadcast areas as well as a new phase of the “Movement.” The first 60-second TV ad will air Tuesday night during American Idol and then spread to movie theaters to lead in the big summer blockbusters.
The more interesting aspect of the campaign will be the online webisodes that feature Fiesta Movement agents in short films. What’s not to like about to advertise a hip new car? Another webisode may be a play on last year’s Fiesta vs. Corvette comparison on Top Gear with the little Ford facing off against a Lamborghini this time.
The tag-line of the campaign will be “It’s a pretty big deal” referring to all of the features and equipment that are either standard or available in the Fiesta including the seven airbags, push-button start, heated leather seats, SYNC and especially the 40 mpg highway fuel economy. Ford is heavily promoting this as a premium small car rather than just a cheap, small car. One of the print ads features a comparison of the air bag count as compared to the .
In spite of that premium feel, Ford is still promoting value although not necessarily the way they have in the past with a low-ball entry level price. Instead, the hatchback Fiesta, which starts at just over $15,700, is being pitched against the Honda Fit Sport.
With down-sizers, urban dwellers and younger buyers being the primary target market a big part of the campaign will also involve ad buys on urban and adult contemporary radio stations as cable channels like BET. .
may still be dreaming the , but it’s not helping the company’s new get off the ground. According to Automotive News, the world won’t be seeing the aircraft until 2012. Once upon a time, the Japanese company had planned to take to the skies as soon as this year, but two rounds of delays have pushed that date back by a heady 24 months. The site doesn’t say exactly what caused the setback other than a few component issues.
The HondaJet carries an MSRP of $3.9 million and is slated for production in Greensboro, North Carolina. That is, so long as the company can get its ducks in a row.
Nissan GT-R – Click above for high-res image gallery
We’re beginning to hear the first rumblings about the next round of updates to the , and if the rumors are to be believed, goal of keeping pace with the refreshed (and its ) will continue through the 2012 model year.
As with its German counterpart, the R35 is expected to undergo a host of evolutionary changes, including some reworked aero bits, suspension and brake upgrades, and a retuned 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 that’s likely to output over 500 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque.
The exterior updates will likely be limited to a new front splitter, rear diffuser and a revised wing, all in an effort to increase downforce and drop lap times. And about those lap times…
We’ve heard from our sources on the ground in Germany that the revised GT-R underwent a new round of testing at the Nurburgring last month and that the newly estimated lap times were (of course) below the original GT-R’s 7:26 run. How low? We’re hoping to find out when it arrives early next year.
Koenigsegg CCR Evolution vs. the Swtizer P800 Nissan GT-R – Click above to watch video
Mindless entertainment should still be entertaining, and the runway supercar shootouts posted by the folks at GTBoard.com always deliver. This time it’s two races pitting an 800-horsepower versus the 806-horsepower Koenigsegg CCR Evolution; one in which the CCR gets its rolling start in second gear, the following in first gear. The P800 actually holds its own which isn’t so bad seeing that the CCR has walked away from pretty much everything. for the showdown.
2010 Ferrari Concorso in Pasadena – Click above for high-res image gallery
Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, CA is most known for the annual Rose Parade on January 1st, with intricate floats and marching bands bringing in the new year. The famous street hosted a different kind of celebration this past weekend, though, with the Ferrari Club of American putting on a Ferrari Concorso on three blocks of the downtown portion of the city.
More than 100 Ferraris were on display, both current and vintage models. All four of the modern Ferrari supercars were present – , , and – as well as the latest models like the . There was even a. Most of our time, however, was spent in the area of judged cars filled with pre-1999 models. Noted collector Bruce Meyer was kind enough to bring out his famous, the Petersen Museum showed off a rare , and there was a multitude of gorgeous and 250 series cars including a and not but . You can see all of our photos from the event in the high-res gallery below.
Say what you will about Alfa Romeo’s latest 8C-derived styling direction, but we’re going to miss the angular beauty of the current Brera and its drop-top Spider sibling. But before the achingly gorgeous two-doors sail off into the sunset – never having made it to American shores – Alfa has released an updated version.
The beneficiary of the latest from Fiat Powertrain Technologies, the Brera and Spider have now been made available with the 1750 TBi and 2.0 JTDM engines. The former is a turbocharged, direct-injection gas-burning four with 1742 cubic centimeters of displacement, 197 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque and propelling the Brera and Spider to 62 mph in 7.7 and 7.8 seconds, respectively, and a 146 mph top end. The latter is a 2.0-liter turbo diesel with 168 horses and 265 lb-ft of torque, capable of 8.8- and 9-second sprints to 62 for the coupe and convertible en route to a 135 mph terminal velocity.
In addition to the new engines, which you can read more about in the press release after the jump, Alfa is also making the Italia Indepenent trim level – previously a – available across the range, with matte titanium paint, 18-inch black alloys hiding red brake calipers and special interior trim. Have a closer look in the gallery below to see what we’re missing on the Atlantic’s Western shores.
After winning three out of the seven races so far this season and topping both championship standings, Red Bull’s dynamic duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber must be looking mighty tempting to any number of rival teams on the grid. But the most alluring, according to recent reports, could be .
For his part, Vettel is widely regarded as the personal favorite of one Bernie Ecclestone, who could be helping to broker a deal that would see the young German wearing red in the near future. Vettel, however, is on a long-term contract with Red Bull, leaving the possibility open for a few years from now.
More likely for the near future, however, could be Webber. The 33-year-old Australian driver – fresh from back-to-back victories at the and grands prix – is on a year-to-year contract with Red Bull, which could leave him free to switch teams in the off-season. Red Bull chief Christian Horner has hinted at his intention to retain the driver currently topping the standings, but until a contract is signed… mind you, contracts in F1 aren’t worth what they once were.
While Fernando Alonso continues to impress, Ferrari is widely speculated to be dissatisfied with their second driver Felipe Massa, and could cut the Brazilian lose for next season. Alternative reports place Renault’s Robert Kubica in the Scuderia’s hot seat, but only time will tell.
These kind of conversations go on all the time. An automaker will consider variations on the theme of a particular model, and the rabid media will occasionally pick up a snippet of that chatter and blow it way out of proportion. We can’t say whether rumors of a two-door M coupe are reality or just spitballing, though many would argue that such a model is a necessity for success.
A two-door M could be offered in both V6 M37 form, and with a V8 as the M56. InsideLine has a rendering that shows a pretty spiffy premium coupe with a unique roof pillar treatment. It’s a nice rendering, but we can posit that the production version won’t be wearing a piece of C-pillar finery to make a ‘61 Valiant jealous.
2011 Land Rover LRX – Click above for high-res image gallery
It was only a matter of time before our army of steely-eyed spy photographers were able to snag a handful of shots of the upcoming LRX. Proving once and for all that doesn’t have the market cornered on psychedelic vinyl body wraps, the Indian-owned British SUV manufacturer’s answer to the CUV question was spotted busting a move on public streets. If you can look past the electrified coral reef patterns smeared all over the vehicle’s body work, it’s easy to see that this may be the most interesting thing to roll out of the brand’s tea-drinking consciousness in years.
So far, we know that the LRX may or may not sail under a different name once it lands in showrooms next year. Whatever Land Rover decides to call it, the baby-ute should be available in both flavors. That’s right, we said 2011 will bring a FWD Land Rover to the scene. If that’s not enough to put a twist in the knickers of brand purists everywhere, reports have also suggested that buyers will also be able to opt for a .
So why are we so excited? This has to be one of the best-looking, most innovative models we’ve seen from Land Rover since England was still invested in crushing lesser cultures for the good of Queen and country. The LRX isn’t square, isn’t powered by a V8 and will actually attempt to address real-world concerns like fuel economy. Even better, judging from the short overhangs front and rear, the all-wheel drive version will possibly be able to keep up with its big brothers once the going gets off road.
It’s not all that often that a messy divorce pops up with a billionaire on one side and somebody who wants part of the money on the other, right? Actually, this occurs far too often and a divorce involving wealthy individuals can be downright messy and ultimately destructive to those involved. It appears as though the divorce between chief executive officer Elon Musk and soon-to-be ex-wife Justine Musk is playing out as one of those mega-litigious affairs, and the impact may be extend well beyond just the two involved.
In case you haven’t followed the Musk soap opera, here’s what’s going on. The divorce saga has been going on seemingly forever, as these things take lots of time. Justine Musk recently began blogging about the whole fiasco a couple of weeks ago on . Justine is fighting the court battle to secure a few things that she feels entitled to. What does Justine want? Not much, just the house, alimony and child support, $6 million in cash, 10 percent of Elon’s stock in Tesla, 5 percent of his stock in SpaceX, and throw in a as well.
Naturally, Elon is none too thrilled about the demands and has decided to fight this one in court. As the battle ensues, Elon stands a chance of losing much more than just the things listed above. If the divorce goes awry, Tesla could lose that could . How does the divorce play into government funding? A stipulation in the paperwork states that government funds will be withdrawn if Musk doesn’t hold enough stock in the company.
So is Justine being fair? Are her demands legit? As she said on her blog:
Is that what I deserve? I don’t know. Who exactly deserves that kind of wealth? But based on our life and history together, is that reasonable? I think so.
One more thing to think about: by not agreeing to a settlement, Elon Musk risks losing even more as the post-marital agreement could be ruled illegal or fraudulent, and California law would then grant 50 percent of all communal property to Justine.
Typically, most automakers stick to a relatively strict five-year product cycle for their highest-selling, most important products. The Honda Civic, for example, debuted in September of 2005, so realistically, a new model should be just around the corner, right? Not exactly.
In an interview with AutoWeek, American executive vice president John Mendel said that changing market conditions and tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations have strongly affected the development of the next-generation Civic, meaning that the new model won’t come until sometime in 2011. AW also reports that the Civic’s redesign has been altered along the way – the new model was supposed to be larger than the current model, but now it has been redesigned to be closer in size to the current one (pictured above).
What’s more, with hot new products like the 2012 on deck, Honda will certainly have to up the ante on the Civic’s level of equipment, style and refinement. The Civic is still one of the world’s best-selling cars: about one million are moved each year. And with the U.S. accounting for approximately one-third of those sales, Honda would be wise to ensure that the next-generation Civic will be attractive enough to keep it in the top tier of high-selling vehicles in the States.
Aston Martin One-77 – Click above for high-res image gallery
If you have the money, influence and inherent coolness to purchase one of the 77 Aston Martin One-77 super mega cars, it would be a good idea to put in your order as soon as humanly possible. That’s because while a limited run of 77 vehicles makes for a very exclusive exotic car club, one buyer may have made it even harder to join the sacred One-77 fraternity.
The Times of London reports that one buyer, believed to be of Middle-Eastern descent, has purchased 10 of the 77 super . The buyer is reportedly picking up 13 percent of one of the rarest new rides on the planet, but the models will each be differentiated by color and interior trim.
The folks at Aston Martin aren’t spilling the beans on who the buyer could be, so this One-77-hoarding mad man lucky dog looks to be shucking the spotlight, at least for now. The total price for the 10 One-77s is $17 million, but now that the market for the most exotic of Astons has just shrunk by 10 units, we’re thinking that the secret owner’s collection could make all the 7.3-liter V12-powered One-77s more valuable. Thanks for the tip, David!
Consumer Reports‘ latest survey results are another ding for . While and have made gains in brand loyalty, Toyota’s brand loyalty among consumers has dipped 13 percent, causing it to fall from the top position it held at the end of 2009. Honda is in first place now, with 68 percent of Honda owners described as “likely to purchase another Honda for their next new car,” followed by Ford with 61 percent loyalty and Toyota with 57 percent.
While Toyota’s fall may be the result of negative perception in the marketplace as a result of the brand’s recall fiasco, it still in the first quarter of this year. North American sales were down but didn’t bottom out thanks to higher incentive spending, sales rose elsewhere around the world, and the company is reaping the benefit of cost savings enacted last year. A drop from a close first to a close third after more than eight million cars have been recalled isn’t so bad, and with $20 billion in cash, the company has the money, and apparently the time and mindset, to keep the ship moving.
The other two makes that CR mentions, and , both lost ground: Chevy dipped five percent in brand loyalty from February to April (from 57 to 52 percent), Dodge dropped four percent in the same period (from 28 to 24 percent).
[Source: Consumer Reports Image: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty]
The current Volkswagen Beetle will be going out of production later this year, but VW has promised an all-new replacement by 2012. So far VW hasn’t released any teasers or sketches that indicate what the New New Beetle might look like, but we have to assume anything that retains that name will have to also have a rounded, bug-like shape. But the problem with any retro design is where do you go next?
Artist David Cardoso has created some renderings of a car that very clearly says Beetle, with its prominent wheel arches and round headlamps and greenhouse. At the same time Cardoso moves those elements forward by stretching the greenhouse and integrating those arches while ringing the headlamps with the de rigueur LED running lights. With VW’s recent jump into the electric vehicle arena, a battery powertrain would be an excellent way to set a new Beetle apart from the crowd, much as the original air-cooled boxer did. If the Beetle were to be a dedicated EV, the compact electric drive system could facilitate some improved interior packaging as well.
