1995 BMW M3 CLS Lightweight – Click above for high-res image gallery
We know we already ran an eBay Find of the Day, but since you , we thought it only fair to bring you another. File this one under “D” for “Don’t see that every day.” For a Buy It Now price of $49,000, you can lay your loving mitts on a genuine 1995 CSL Lightweight. According to the seller, the vehicle has never been raced or abused, and the photos make the factory-built racer look like a slice of cherry pie. There are a scant 36,619 miles on the clock, and the ad makes it clear that this particular example needs nothing but a driver behind the wheel. A driver with a flush bank account, that is.
If you’re wondering why we’ve gone all drooling ape over this car, you should probably know that this is one of the rarer M3 models out there. The seller notes that there were just 100 of these particular racers imported to the States, each with weight-adding bits like the spare tire sent to the dumpster in an attempt to keep weight as low as possible. Reports vary as to exactly how many pounds managed to shed from the standard car, but estimates say that the models hit the scales at around 200-300 lbs less than their regular counterparts. Throw in even stiff springs and a host of go-fast parts that were user-installable for a little extra track dominance and you’ve got the beast you see above.
Did we mention this sucker is street legal? Head over to for a closer look. Thanks for the tip, Sid!
2011 Subaru WRX STI vs Robot Spider – Click above to watch video
Needless to say, we’re already fans of the . , in turn, is apparently a fan of 80’s pop band A-Ha and their breakthrough video for Take On Me. A new ad for the sporty Japanese sedan shows car versus robot spider duking it out in sketchbook form. The ad touts the WRX STI as “pure performance”, while the 305 horsepower turbocharged boxer and symmetrical all-wheel drive system are clearly useful in fleeing a fate of mechanized death.
Check out the ad , as well as the A-Ha video for a refresher on life in 1985. Thanks for the tip, Kevin!
When we were but knee-high auto obssessives, our two favorite rides at Disney World were Space Mountain and Indy Speedway. One gave us a genuine feeling of speed while the other let us pretend for a few fleeting moments that our driver’s license wasn’t quite so far away. Now it looks like the youngin’s out there will have a new car-themed attraction to check out in the Magic Kingdom. Motor World Hype has managed to get their hands on a few quick shots of the amusement park’s new Cars-themed ride.
Called Radiator Springs Racers, the attraction is set to open sometime in 2012. In addition to the marginally-creepy looking cars in this particular ride, Disney is planning a whole section of the park dedicated to the Pixar film. The opening should coincide nicely with the Summer 2011 release of … and it may just give us still-car-obsessed adults a good reason to revisit our youth.
Epson Inkjet vs. Ariel Atom – Click above to watch video
If we had to pick a printer company on the merits of its advertising stunts alone, Epson would hands-down be our favorite. Along with cranking out an awesome 1:1 scale racer not too long ago, the company recently decided to pit its newest printer against an Ariel Atom 3. The premise is simple: The printer would begin printing a scale replica of said track at the exact same time as the Atom would begin slinging corners. The company even bolted the printer to the car and threw in a genuine command center for little extra drama.
Which machine comes out on top? You can probably guess given who’s sponsoring this shindig, but we won’t spoil it for you, either. to check out the spot for yourself. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a sudden urge to go buy some ink cartridges.
Olek’s crocheted Morris Minor – Click above to watch video
We can only hope that the art world has as much trouble understanding us we have trying to fathom its hows and whys. Brooklyn-based, Polish-born artist Olek just closed her installation, “Knitting is for Pus****” in which she swaddled a host of everyday objects in vividly colored crocheted garb. Everything from bicycles to televisions and living, breathing people got the yarn treatment, including a plaster remake of a 1959 Morris Minor. Near as we can tell, the vehicle isn’t in any sort of operational state, so don’t start thinking you can strip the threads and have yourself a decent project vehicle.
As of writing, the current bid is at $1,525 with the reserve not met and a little over nine hours . If you’re thinking this is your next must-have piece of modern art, head to the interwebs and get your bid going. If nothing else, it’d be a great way to get into a Morris Minor-shaped blanket. for a look at the installation’s opening.
The Stig on 60 Minutes – Click above to watch video
Good news if you haven’t had your fill of Stigate just yet: the world’s ex-famous tame racing driver will show up on this week’s 60 Minutes. According to CBS, host Steve Croft spent some time across the pond in an attempt to get a little closer to both the man in white and . Croft even strapped into a for a little one-on-one time with the Stig himself. Unfortunately, The Stig didn’t turn out to be the quote machine the CBS producers had hoped.
Judging by the short trailer for the piece, it looks like Croft also spent some time with a few of the more talkative people involved in putting the show together, including Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond and executive producer Andy Wilman. The show airs this Sunday, October 24 at 7 p.m. EST. for a look at the teaser.
Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S with MC Sport Line – Click above for high-res image gallery
MC. The letters are sacrosanct to fans of the Trident marque and its venerable racing prowess. They stand for Corse, and you may recognize them from the , the Enzo-based homologation special that’s still kickin’ ass and taking names in the FIA GT1 series. More recently the Modenese automaker rolled out a racing version of its coupe bearing those same letters, which has since been followed by a roadgoing version of said racer called the . There’ve been MC Sport Line accessories for the GranTurismo S as well, but until now the has been left out of the fun.
Kicking things off for its four-door model, Maserati has unveiled the Quattroporte MC Sport in Sydney at the Australian International Auto Show. So what are we looking at, a road-going version of the touring car currently being flogged around Italy’s best circuits in the series? Unfortunately not. What you’re looking at here is the existing – already one heck of a car – with some added trim: carbon fiber interior accents and aluminum pedals, and little else. Not much on their own, but then this is how Modena kicked off the MC program for the GranTurismo, so we’re hoping this is the harbinger of things to come.
Do you remember the exact moment when you discovered that you loved the automobile? We’re not so sure we can pin down that exact moment ourselves, but this video shows the precise second that one young man earns his wheels.
A camera fixed on the face of a youngster taking his first ride in a shows that internal combustion isn’t required for the automobile to dig its claws into our hearts. The video starts out slowly enough as the young fella chats it up with who appears to be a family friend or relative, but about 22 seconds in said driver slams the Tesla’s go pedal, producing one of the most genuine expressions of fear and excitement we’ve ever seen.
We knew the Tesla Roadster packed a serious battery-powered punch, but we didn’t know it could make you call out for your mommy. to watch this boy receive the call and reminisce about your own induction to the class of auto fandom in the comments. Hat tip to Robinson!
Panoz Abruzzi on the track at Petit Le Mans – Click above for high-res image gallery
Panoz recently , the Abruzzi, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. We finally have a better look at the Abruzzi on our own home soil thanks to a surprise on-track appearance at Petit Le Mans a few weeks ago.
The Panoz Abruzzi is powered by a front-mounted V8 engine producing 640 horsepower and over 600 pound-feet of torque, while it’s styling is derived from pre-war classics such as the 1935 Delahaye.
It has been five years since Don Panoz and his racing team have experienced a win in the American Le Mans series. They plan to change that next year when they enter the Panoz Abruzzi into the 12 hours of Sebring using the race-prepped version, which also got some track time at Road Atlanta. While the race version didn’t compete in the Petit Le Mans, it was shown off during the parade lap as well as in the Panoz Motorsports booth.
Cadillac CTS-V is the new smoke monster – Click above to watch video
The is a lot of things. It’s a luxury two-door that’s also a muscle car. It’s a mounted under the hood. And it’s also a smoke machine. invited a slew of vehicles out for its first annual with the event, and while a few dedicated drift cars showed up, a handful of other lust-worthy rides arrived to ruin their rubber. The CTS-V Coupe was on hand, sharing the track with a 575 Maranello, , 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series.
The fared exceptionally well against the rest of the competition and took home the title of Best Drift in New Car. Check out the tire-shredding, sideways action in the beautifully shot video .
Gallery:
Photos Copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing and Chris Shunk / AOL
Mater and Lightning McQueen ride again – Click above to watch video
Everyone’s favorite animated autos are back. Pixar just released the first teaser trailer for Cars 2, and the film looks to bring back the same cast of wayward four-wheel stars as before. Details are still scarce at the moment, but judging from the trailer, Mater and Lightning McQueen will leave Radiator Springs and partner up for some Mission Impossible-style antics. We’re guessing that hilarity ensues.
Pixar says that we can expect to see Cars 2 hit theaters sometime during the summer of 2011, but the animation studio isn’t saying much beyond that. to take a look at the brief trailer.
Gran Turismo 5 continues to while enraging with baited breath, for that one day when we can place the disc into our Playstation 3. The game was supposed to be released on November 2nd, but an announcement on the US Playstation blog said it was pushed back… again. The only clue to the new release date was that it would be available this holiday season. What does that mean exactly? Apparently it means that you will have to shake off your hangover and pick up a copy of the game on New Years Day… or Eve… or the day after New Years Day. Honestly, we’re not entirely sure and we don’t think Polyphony Digital is either.
Best Buy, Gamestop and Amazon.com have updated their respective pre-order pages to reflect a new release date. lists 12/31/10, has 01/01/11 and shows a date of 01/02/11. For some reason, believes the game will be available on November 1st, which is awfully hopeful. Wal-Mart has apparently given up listing a release date, which may be the wisest move of all. Thanks for the tip, Billfred!
So there are a lot of farm animals in New Zealand – last we checked there were at least six sheep for every one human. And they graze in paddocks, essentially giant sweeps of countryside. And when the sheep aren’t around, or, it appears, sometimes even when they are, the average New Zealander likes to engage in a sport called “paddock hacking.” That is when you take a clapped out junker and fly that sucker over and through and into anything else occupying the paddock. Think of it as 24 Hours of Lemons meets Home on the Range. With sheep.
Now, since we can’t find any official information on Paddock Hacking, we’ve pieced this together from what’s in the video above. That video was sent to us by a New Zealander who’s working on a pilot for a television show on the subject. We have no idea what kind of season-long dramatic arc you can get from Death Race cars and trucks rampaging over green antipodean hills, but it’s fun enough for now. for the action.
The Chevy Volt has finally made the leap from science fiction to fact, and we’ve got the definitive first drive.
The History Channel has bombarded the web with a couple of quick teasers for the first season of Top Gear USA, and snugged between the epic visions of powersliding muscle is word that the show will debut on November 21st.
When a Gulf-liveried Ford GT gets wrecked by a local tuner, two forums play the role of judge and jury.
Also of interest:
Journey gets Pentastar engine, new interior for 2011
GT2 RS have been spoken for
Challenge entrants reveal 1,000-pound car concepts
Ferrari 458 Challenge testing at Monza – Click above to
The curves. The Power. The… Ferrariness. It’s hard to get too much of the , and, luckily, we’ve come across some video of the race-ready testing at Monza. The four-minute flick only shows a few angles of the pride of Maranello, but what we can guarantee is crisp images, ridiculously perfect exhaust melodies and a powerful desire to drive a 458 on track. At a few points it looks like the 458 Challenge isn’t being pushed too hard, but every now and again we would catch a glimpse of the glowing red front brake rotors, assuring us that the driver is giving the lighter, lower 458 a considerable workout. to enjoy the video for yourself, if only to hear just how wonderful the Challenge sounds.
Chevrolet teases vehicles ahead of the 2010 SEMA show – Click above to watch video
is getting ready to unload a slew of vehicles at the 2010 SEMA show and the Bow-Tie brand has released a to give us a taste of what to expect. , and heavy-duty pickup trucks will be taking center stage in Chevy’s booth. The video is quick but features two designers discussing the event, quick cuts of vehicle close-ups and a Corvette prominently displaying the “Jake” logo inside and out. We previously saw the Jake logo make its way onto the , so we’re quite curious to see what has planned for an updated version.
Take a sneak peak at what Chevrolet has in store for this years SEMA show by watching the video .
Top Gear America debuts on The History Channel on November 21 – Click above to watch video
We have a date. The History Channel has bombarded the web with a couple of quick teasers for the first season of Top Gear USA, and snugged between the epic visions of powersliding muscle is word that the show will debut on November 21st. Now, we know that saying this show has big shoes to fill is an understatement the size of Clarkson’s ego, but judging from what we’ve seen so far, TG USA looks well worth watching.
It may not have the same charm as the UK production, but we’re guessing it will have no problem flipping all of the right octane-laced switches. for a taste of what Rutledge Wood, Adam Ferrara and Tanner Foust have planned for the first season and let us know if we’re wrong.
Inframe interviews Chris Bangle – Click above to watch video
If you’ve ever wondered how former design guru Chris Bangle’s mind works, you’re in luck. has rolled out a special documentary on the man behind some of the more controversial design elements in the BMW stable, and the site has even been so kind as to roll out a teaser video to give us an idea of what to expect from its documentary on Bangle.
Over the course of the quick five-minute clip, the designer touches on everything from his time with to the inner workings of the separate companies under the BMW banner when he arrived at the German manufacturer at age 35. Bangle also shares what he has tucked away in his own personal garage at the moment, including one very special classic. We won’t spoil it for you. to see the video for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Chris A!
A is quite an enticing piece of machinery. is building just 500 examples of its 2011 911 GT2 RS and – unsurprisingly – they’re all spoken for. The twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six powered can run from 0-62 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds. If there’s enough room, the car will keep accelerating until it hits 205 mph. It’s an amazing piece of German engineering and the price tag is an equally amazing $245,000.
Want to see one in action? Stop drooling all over the images in the gallery and take a look at the video .
Gran Turismo 5 continues to while 
