The original Grand Theft Auto video game debuted for the Playstation in 1997, but it wasn’t until the power of the Playstation 2 arrived that we were introduced to the sandbox-style of gameplay that has made the GTA series so iconic. Part of what has made that sandbox style so appealing is the ability to jack any vehicle in the game and go joyriding across its ever expanding locales.
The last full-fledged GTA was the fourth installment that came out in 2008. It’s been a long time coming, but next year the game’s developers at Rockstar North will debut Grand Theft Auto V, which sets itself in a fictional and stylized version of the Los Angeles and Hollywood areas of California. The story is set around a father who moves to the area to start a new life, but as usual, his old one catches up with him.
Rockstar North debuted the game’s first trailer today, and as usual, the selection of vehicles to steal, drive and use as tools for vehicular manslaughter are featured front and center. Check it out for yourself .
Superminis are big business for European automakers, and Peugeot has just released its latest salvo in the form of its new 208.
Available in both three- and five-door body-styles, the 208 represents a complete overhaul of the French carmaker’s core model. Its wheelbase is the same as the 207 it replaces, but while overall exterior dimensions have shrunken, Peugeot says interior volume has increased.
Meanwhile, weight has decreased, and the new 208 range is motivated by a pair of 1.0- and 1.2-liter gasoline engines with about 75 and 100 horsepower, respectively, designed to replace the 207’s 1.4 and 1.6 models, with a range of five diesel engines paired with stop-start ignition and hybrid assist on most models to return exceptional fuel economy and emissions figures.
The new Pug range is certainly distinctively styled, particularly the three-door shown above, with its sculpted doors and unusual chrome trim flourish at the rear of the windowline (a treatment not shown on the family-oriented five-door). The interior is no less interesting, with on select models and a .
Peugeot is also expected to roll out a 208 GTI based on the three-door that promises to channel much of the beloved 205 GTI hot hatch’s sporting characteristics in the new form. That may still be a year away, but for now, you can check out the standard models in the high-res image gallery and the press release and video .
If you’re old enough to remember the gas shortages of the 1970s, then you probably remember the long lines to get fuel. If you aren’t old enough and you’d like to experience those lines for yourself, head to New England. A massive October snowfall has left many without power, including gas stations. That means that those gas stations that still have power are getting swamped, and tanker trucks aren’t getting through because of the weather. Add it all up, and you have the makings of a small crisis.
WTNH talked to Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, who surveyed the devastation via helicopter. Malloy is asking residents not to top off their tanks, adding that if you have three-quarters of a tank “we’re going to get through this.” The mayor insists that there is enough gas to go around and that deliveries are being made.
to watch video of the WTNH report. There is also post-jump video from the JB Allen Report that shows that at least some gas stations have, in fact, run out of gas over the last couple of days. Has the situation improved? What say you, New England Autoblog readers? Let us know in Comments.
The chief executives of any two companies will inherently have something in common to share. All the more so for the CEOs of automakers, never mind how big or how small. But Akio Toyoda and Ulrich Bez share more than job descriptions. The heads of and also share a passion for motorsports and actively race themselves.
It’s a relationship helped broker the deal to turn the Toyota iQ into the Aston Martin Cygnet. It’s one that has seen not only their teams but they themselves compete against each other in sports car racing. It’s also one that only stands to intensify next season in endurance racing when both field LMP1 racers. But before that happens, the two pencil-pushers turned hot shoes swapped cars at the Nürburgring, Toyoda taking to the wheel of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, and Bez piloting the . to watch the video footage.
will officially debut the next-generation at the later this month, but ahead of the crossover’s official debut, we’re getting our first look at one of the vehicle’s new features: a hands-free power liftgate. How does it work? Simply kick your foot under the Escape’s rear bumper (as long as the key fob is in your pocket) and the liftgate will open. When you’re done, wave your foot under the bumper again, and the hatch automatically closes.
It’s a neat-o-nifty feature, no doubt, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this technology. In fact, Ford on the , and the folks at debuted this feature on the . Regardless, it’s a bit of added convenience that other vehicles in the segment don’t yet offer. to see a video demonstration of the hands-free liftgate, and be sure to check out our latest batch of Escape spy shots if you missed them earlier this week.
Spotting celebrities at a Formula One grand prix is nothing new. The glitzy racing series in often exotic locales attracts the rich and famous like proverbial flies to honey.
The cameras rarely turn to the celebs present for race commentary, but then Rowan Atkinson is no ordinary celebrity. He’s a celebrity who drives a McLaren F1, gets to lend him their sixteen-cylinder prototype and tops the Top Gear “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” leaderboard.
Mr. Bean himself was in attendance for this past weekend’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix, where ’s Felipe Massa and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton got at it again with disastrous consequences. The look on Atkinson’s famously expressive face said it all. to watch the clip.
Considering how long the has been in production, we’re surprised that nobody thought of this sooner. The enthusiasts at Omix-Ada Inc. have designed what they’re calling the world’s first power folding soft top kit for the beloved Wrangler, which can be fitted to any 2007-2012 model year four-door model. (The company says a kit for the two-door Wrangler is expected to arrive later in 2012.)
The Rugged Ridge package comes complete with a vinyl top, power top frame, hydraulics, wiring harness and installation pack, and the top itself includes a zip-out, removable, tinted rear window. Omix-Ada says the whole kit comes ready to install with “no fuss or mess.”
We can’t help but notice that the top looks sort of flimsy during operation, but nevertheless, it’s a neat aftermarket tweak to one of the most iconic off-roaders ever to grace our roads (and trails). We’re not sure how well the hardcore purists will receive something like this, but there are plenty of people buying four-door Wranglers as lifestyle vehicles, too. Check out a pair of videos showing the power folding top in action, along with Omix-Ada’s press release.
Good brakes may be less important in stock car racing than in other forms of motorsport, but on a plane, they’re pretty darn important. That’s what Rick Hendrick found out – the hard way – last night when his private jet crashed off the runway in Key West, Florida.
Hendrick’s Gulfstream G150, registered to Jimmie Johnson (one of Hendrick’s star drivers), slid straight off the runway and almost into the water when its brakes apparently failed upon landing. On board together with the NASCAR team owner were his wife Linda and two pilots. Fortunately, CNN reports that no one was seriously injured.
The incident must have been especially traumatic for the Hendricks, who lost seven members of their family – including their son Ricky who drove for and ran the team with his dad – in a 2004 plane crash. However, the Hendricks aren’t the only ones to have been affected by plane crashes: Fellow NASCAR team owner two such incidents, while off-road racer and his brother Jeff were killed in a small plane crash in California a couple of weeks ago.
Click past the jump to watch an Associated Press report on the crash.
While its styling has refined over successive generations, you don’t buy a for how it looks. You buy one for how it works. And the same could be said of a BlackBerry. The favorite communications tool of businesspeople worldwide and a number of private consumers as well, the BlackBerry is – like a Porsche – more about function than form. Leave it to Porsche Design, then, to up its style factor.
Having already produced phones on its own, Porsche Design has long been rumored to be working on a project for Research In Motion, the Canadian company responsible for unleashing the addictive device upon the world. And here it is.
The co-branded “Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry” packs a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video camera, eight gigs of internal (expandable) memory, a QWERTY keyboard and BlackBerry 7 OS into a slick forged stainless steel case with leather back and a touch display screen. A personal concierge service is included with the P’9981, which still doesn’t make its estimated $2,000 price tag any more reasonable. Then again, it’s the kind of thing you’d expect a style-conscious business executive to be talking on when he cuts you off in his . Details in the press release .
In a world where physics holds no sway, one cop is ready to take on corrupt politicians and the mobsters that pay them off… or something. Honestly, we don’t care about the plot to Singham – a Bollywood remake of the 2010 Tamil film of the same name. What we do enjoy is watching two Mahindra SUVs playing bit parts in an action-adventure that’s one part Lethal Weapon and two parts Naked Gun. If nothing else, the lead character is inspiring a last minute revision to our Troopers Halloween costume. Check out the absolute best part of the film .
Hemmings reports that Craig Breedlove is preparing to jump back into the land speed record game in an attempt to break through the 800 mph barrier. Breedlove made a name for himself while vying with Art Arfons for the world land speed record back in the ’60s. His efforts eventually landed him the title in his jet-powered Sonic 1, and he would later set a total of 23 FIA speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe. Breedlove was recently named the recipient of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Spirit of Competition Award, becoming only the third individual to receive the award since its inception.
During the ceremony, the racer announced that he intends to return to Bonneville in 2013 – the 50th anniversary of his first record on the salt flats – with someone else at the controls. Breedlove already has a pair of GE jet engines lying around as well as some of the engineering necessary to put the power units to work in a LSR car. At this point, it’s unclear exactly who will pilot Breedlove’s new machine or what the design will look like, but a motorsports legend returning to the scene of his greatest triumph is something worth keeping tabs on, even if he isn’t in the driver’s seat.
For a quick refresher on Breedlove in his glory days, watch the excellent in-period video of a 1963 record-breaking effort .
The North American-spec won’t officially debut until the in just a couple of weeks, but thanks to the automaker’s own Japanese website, we’re now getting our first glimpse at the production version of the new crossover – at least the JDM version, which isn’t expected to differ much. previously teased us with a shot of a , which, flashy as it may have been, gave us a good idea of exactly what the final design would look like.
In addition to the CUV’s decidedly predictable exterior, Honda’s Japanese site gives us a sneak peak inside the CR-V, where things don’t appear to change all that much from the current model. Under the hood, Honda will continue to employ its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, though a new six-speed automatic transmission is expected to be on tap for 2012, which should aid fuel economy and performance.
We’ll have the full details on the new CR-V in the not-too-distant future, but in the meantime, see it for yourself over on to get a glimpse at what’s to come.
Engine notes are a funny thing. They don’t add anything to a car’s performance capabilities. They don’t improve emissions or lower fuel consumption. They don’t contribute to ride quality or overall refinement – in fact you could argue just the opposite, at least indirectly. Yet automakers spend a great deal of time and resources to ensure their cars sound just right.
Few engines emit the kind of throaty, raspy burble that a V8 crafted by AMG does. The performance division just makes some of the best sounding engines around. But you don’t have to take our word for it: to watch – and more importantly hear – the new Coupe sliding around a wet track – without any background music, voiceover, or even much color to distract from the sweet, sweet sound – of the 6.2-liter, 450-horsepower V8 revving in all its glory.
You’re a Miami police officer, so high-speed blasts down the highway probably aren’t anything new to you. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that when you’re late to your off-duty moonlighting gig, you’d run your marked, Miami-Dade Police cruiser up to 120 miles per hour through traffic and do whatever it took to clock in on time, right?
For officer Fausto Lopez, this also means leading an on-duty Florida Highway Patrol police officer on a five-minute chase down the turnpike when she wanted to pull him over for reckless driving. And since it’s hard to get to work in handcuffs, we imagine Lopez didn’t make it to his gig at the appointed hour.
There are two videos of the tense incident , the first is an ABC News report, the second is priceless dash-cam footage of the pursuit. As Lopez is being cuffed, he apparently says, “Oh man, I can’t believe this.” He’s not the only one. Lopez is apparently only been charged with one count of reckless driving.
One of the benefits of the strengthening ties between and is a mutual expansion of their joint product portfolio. The shared leadership of the two auto groups has seen Fiats arrive in North American showrooms and Chryslers proliferating overseas. Which is all well and good, but where’s the excitement? Where are the performance models for which the Italian auto industry is so deeply loved? Well, we finally have our answer.
We’ve been anticipating the launch of the Abarth sub-brand in North America ever since the basic first arrived – if not longer – and Chrysler has now confirmed its arrival as a fait accompli. When the doors open at the Los Angeles Convention Center at the end of the month for the , the Chrysler Group will finally unveil the American version of the Fiat 500 Abarth.
Few details have been disclosed as to the U.S.-market Abarth’s specifications, but what we do know is that the 500 Abarth arriving on American shores will pack an all-new 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged four, kept in check by upgraded brakes, handled by a sportier suspension, controlled by a higher level of technology and conveyed by a more aggressive appearance.
The much-loved European-model Abarth 500 offers up either 130 horsepower or 160, the latter with the Esse-Esse kit. We’re hoping for the higher end of that spectrum, of course, but we’ll have to wait until the LA show to find out for sure. In the meantime, we’ll just have to live with the pair of preview images and the press release – along with written, photographic and video run-downs of the Abarth brand’s heritage – .
It’s not often that a mainstream automaker sets its sights on building a world-class supercar, but a few standout examples come to mind: cars like the Acura NSX, the Ford GT, the , and the .
Of course, none of these projects simply materialized overnight. Each took years of development, fine-tuning, tweaking and, in the case of the LFA, going back to the drawing board. spent years on the car’s development and put some of its best personnel on the job. Lexus has now documented the LFA’s development in a ten-minute video.
to watch it in full and see how the LFA went from idea to aluminum concept car to carbon fiber reality, through its rigorous development at the Nürburgring, the tragic loss of Hiromu Naruse and the victorious Nordschleife lap time.
Andy Richter is piloting a from Burbank, California to New York City as part of a stunt for Conan O’Brien’s self-titled late night talk show. It’s officially been one year since Team Coco found a home on TBS, and to celebrate, the entire Conan crew is packing up for a special performance at the Beacon Theater in the Big Apple. While the rest of the crew is turning to the miracle of commercial flight for the trip east – including O’Brien himself – Richter is saddling up in the newest compact from Chevrolet for a three-day road trip across the continent.
Hilarity is bound to ensue. The Team Coco site has been configured to allow viewers to follow along with Richter’s big Sonic adventure, and the comedian will also be tweeting along the way to keep everyone abreast of his progress. Keep an eye out for tweets with the hashtag . In the meantime, to see O’Brien sending Richter off yourself.
Now we’re not suggesting that you’re a lawbreaker, but if you’re a social networker and you’d like to know where speedtraps are – for no reason at all – then Escort might be able to help. Makers of the Passport line of detectors, Escort has started a mobile app-supported network called Escort Live that featuresBluetooth notifications.
When an Escort detector using a special Bluetooth-enabled cord – called SmartCord Live – registers a trap, it sends that info to the cloud, which then forwards that location to your smartphone to warn you of the trap if you’re about to be in range. It can also identify red light cameras and other types of road surveillance systems.
The app works with certain Apple iPhone and Android handsets, and a subscription to the service through 2012 costs $79.95. That strikes us as rather pricy, but we suppose it’s cheaper than a speeding ticket. Check out a video of it in action .
Motorcycle manufacturers are on the teaser warpath as we get closer to the annual EICMA show in Milan. MV Agusta is the latest company to roll out a quick clip celebrating its latest effort; the 2012 Brutale 675. The machine is the naked sister to the wicked , and with a three-cylinder configuration and a €9,000 price tag, the Brutale 675 is expected to square off against bikes like the Triumph Speed Triple and the Ducati Street Fighter 848. What sort of hardware will it bring to the fight beyond its three pot mill? MV Agusta isn’t saying for certain.
The teaser shows off a few quick, shadowy glimpses of the bike, but we are treated to a solid view of the wild exhaust on the Brutale 675 as well as clear shots of the machine’s front end. Stay tuned for full details once MV Agusta pulls the sheets off at EICMA 2011, but in the meantime, to check out the video for yourself.
General Motors is celebrating the this year – and treating us to some nice historical footage, like this three-minute video celebrating the Bowtie brand’s motorsports heritage. While Chevy’s racing involvement in recent years has been mostly focused on NASCAR and its , the marque enjoys a wealth of history in almost every racing series.
Among the treats in this promotional piece are a few seconds of Bruce Larson’s USA-1 Camaro Funny Car and Jim Hall’s famous Chaparral 2 sports car, vintage NASCAR action from the era in which the term “stock car” still meant something, and there’s a mention of Juan Manuel Fangio’s stint as a Chevy driver in 1940. Of course, patron saint of Chevy Racing, makes an appearance, as well.
Although the video teases us with some cool old footage, it also relies on still photography and the “” – a lot. It would be great to see some more racing clips and less static shots of cars like the . In fact, we’d love to see GM commission a longer documentary about Chevrolet’s racing history, one without as much heavy handed promotion of the company’s current products. Check it out and decide for yourself.
The last full-fledged GTA was the fourth installment that came out in 2008. It’s been a long time coming, but next year the game’s developers at Rockstar North will debut Grand Theft Auto V, which sets itself in a fictional and stylized version of the Los Angeles and Hollywood areas of California. The story is set around a father who moves to the area to start a new life, but as usual, his old one catches up with him.
