Sports Cars
Report: Audi E-Tron to Get R4 Badge
Audi has already confirmed that the E-Tron concept that made its world premiere at the Frankfurt Auto Show last month will see production, and now recent reports suggest the car will go under the R4 badge. The news comes from the U.K.’s AutoExpress, which also suggests gasoline versions may be available and that this vehicle…
SEMA Preview: Street-Legal Drag Pack Dodge Challenger Headed to Vegas
Chrysler has announced it will be bringing four specially-made Mopar vehicles representing each of the company’s brands to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, including one very special 556-horsepower Challenger designed as a street-legal version of the company’s Drag Pak 1/4 mile racer. Named the Dodge Challenger 1320, after how many feet there are in…
Report: Nissan Launches 40th Anniversary Edition 370Z
To celebrate 40 years since the original 240Z landed in North American, Nissan has announced a limited edition 370Z 40th Anniversary Edition model. Starting out as a well-equipped manual-transmission Touring model, this limited edition vehicle also gets the Sport Package, which includes the SynchroRev Match transmission, a front lip spoiler and rear spoiler, Nissan’s impressive…
Report: 2010 Porsche Turbo Cuts 10 Seconds off Nürburgring Time
Porsche’s updated 2010 911 Turbo model has cut an impressive 10 seconds off its predecessor’s Nürburgring lap time. The significantly revised sports car can now boast a 7:39 lap time around Germany’s most famous race track. Unfortunately for Porsche, this time is still more than 10 seconds away from the car’s Japanese rival, the Nissan…
SEMA Preview: WALD Black Bisson GT-R Headed to Las Vegas
There will no doubt be numerous modified GT-Rs at this year’s SEMA Show. One of the nicest, is sure to be WALD’s Black Bisson model. WALD’s U.S. distributor, Jonari Corp., has said it is building a GT-R for the aftermarket trade show. The car will feature the full aero kit including side skirts, rear fender…
Leaked: Design Sketches of Subaru-Branded Toyobaru Slip Out
Several sketches showing what Subaru’s new compact sports car might look like have been leaked by the folks at AutoCar. The car has become known by the name Toyobaru because of the joint partnership between Toyota and Subaru that lead to the its creation. Earlier this week Toyota unveiled its version of the affordable sports…
VIDEO: Toyota FT-86 Concept Makes Video Game Debut in GranTurismo 5
Toyota’s new FT-86 Concept car hasn’t even received its official unveiling at the Tokyo Auto Show and yet its already made its video game debut. Toyota has released a short clip of the FT-86 in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 game. There are plenty of great clips of the stunning new Toyota, and even a…
SEMA Preview: GReddy Tuned Genesis Coupe to Make Over 350-hp
As though there was any doubt, the 2009 SEMA Show is gearing up to be an exhibition of modified Hyundais. The tuning experts at GReddy have announced that they will be bringing a Genesis Coupe 2.0T, with all sorts of aftermarket goodies and an expected power output of 350-hp and 320 ft-lbs of torque. Called…
Report: Next 6 Series “Best-Looking BMW in Years” Says U.S. Boss
Jim O’Donnell, the man in charge of BMW North America has said that the next iteration of the company’s 6 Series will be the “best-looking BMW in years.” O’Donnell made the comments to Automobile magazine prior to the Frankfurt Motor Show. Calling it, “really stunning,” O’Donnell said that both the coupe and convertible models will…
Report: New Entry Level Sports Car a Top Priority for Porsche, Says R&D Boss
When Porsche first introduced the Boxster it was a fun and reasonably affordable (if somewhat underpowered) sports car. Since then it has grown in pretty much every way, with more power, larger engine choices and a significantly higher price tag. Numerous rumors have emerged hinting that Porsche is looking at bringing in a sub-Boxster model…
SEMA Preview: Steeda Previews Q-Seires Mustang Ahead of Official Debut
Mustang-tuner Steeda has just released one photo of its upcoming 2010 Q-Series Mustang, which will get a full unveiling at the SEMA Show in early November. Other than the look of this pony car (which we very much like), not much else is known. The bodywork was designed using CAD and then wind tunnel tested…
Report: Nissan Planning Next-Gen R36 GT-R for 2013
Nissan’s product planning head has made known plans to keep the GT-R legacy alive with an all-new R36 version of the car expected to debut by at least 2013. Global product boss Andy Palmer made the comments to the folks at PistonHeads, during a recent visit to Nissan’s Nürburgring Technical Center this week. Palmer cited…
Report: First Hurst Camaro To Be Auctioned Before SEMA Show
A special pre-production Hurst-modified Camaro will be put to auction ahead of the car’s official unveiling at the 2009 SEMA Show. Proceeds from the car’s sale will benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund. Hurst is also expected to announce a new performance series of Camaros (a first for Hurst) at the SEMA Show. General Motors…
Report: Light Weight Audi A5 Hints at Future RS5 Quattro Coupe
Audi is stoking the fires of speculation about a high performance RS5 Quattro Coupe model by releasing info of a new light weight A5 prototype. Thanks to an aluminum (rather than steel) frame, along with a carbon fiber hood and trunk, the Aluminum A5 prototype weights just 2,888 lbs. That is a total of 242…
Report: Nissan GT-R SpecM Confirmed
After releasing the limited edition Nissan GT-R SpecV (pictured above) last year, rumors of a more comfort-oriented SpecM model have surfaced. Those rumors have now reportedly been confirmed by GT-R project chief Kazutoshi Mizuno, when he ran into the folks from PistonHeads at Nissan’s Nürburgring test facility. The SpecM edition is geared slightly more towards…
Tokyo Preview: Subaru WRX STI Carbon Gets Hard-Core Light Weight Roof and… an Automatic Transmission?
Along with the Hybrid Tourer Concept, Subaru will have on display a hot-looking Carbon edition of its high-performance WRX STI model at the Tokyo Auto Show next month. The model gets its name from a new carbon fiber roof that has been fitted to the car. Using the light weight and incredibly strong material so…
Report: Electric Porsche Could Be Ready in Five Years Says Company Boss
Porsche engineers are working “intensively” on an electric sports car that could be brought to market in as little as five years says company head Michael Macht. The comments were made to German magazine Welt am Sonntag, just after the Frankfurt Auto Show, where fellow German automakers Audi and Mercedes-Benz displayed electric concept cars. Macht…
Report: C7 Corvette to Get Split-Window Design
The next generation of the Corvette will come with a rear split-window design. GM’s global design boss Ed Welburn said that the next Corvette, known as the C7, will take on some retro styling cues, like the two-part rear window that first appeared on the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe. That design actually only ever…
Report: GM Gives 500-Plus Horsepower Camaro Z28 the Green Light
Chevy’s on-again, off-again plans to build an ultra high-performance Z28 version of the all-new Camaro are back on again. Ed Welburn, GMs VP of global design, told the folks at Inside Line, that it will see production and that the new body design has already been completed. The new Z28 would get a version of…
Spied: Lotus Exige Caught Testing Out Evora V6
According to a report by LeftLaneNews, Lotus has been spied testing a version of its Exige, powered by the same V6 engine that can be found in the new Evora. While some Exige models make as much as 260hp using a supercharged four-cylinder, the Evora’s V6 (sourced from the Toyota Camry) makes 276 ponies without…
Frankfurt 2009: MINI Gets Sportier with New Coupé
MINI confirmed it will produce the Coupé model unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show alongside the MINI Roadster. Powered by the same John Cooper Works turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder as the current line of top-level MINIs, the Coupé makes 211hp and 192 ft-lbs of torque, with a bump to 206 ft-lbs possible thanks to an overboost…
Frankfurt 2009: Lotus Exige Cup 260 Pictures
Lotus displayed its Exige Cup 260 race car at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The race-ready version of the Exige is powered by the same 257-hp supercharged 1.8-liter 4-cylinder as the street car, while weighing just 1,958 lbs. Carbon fiber components include the roof, seats, dash-top, tailgate, center tunnel, front access panels, front splitter, side intake…
Frankfurt 2009: Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racer
Lotus displayed its Evora Type 124 endurance racer at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The Type 124 (the 124 was the next number in line in Lotus’ naming sequence, but coincidentally, the 24 also represents 24 hour endurance racing) will make its racing debut at the 2010 Nürburgring 24 Hours in May. Lotus engineers tuned the…
Frankfurt 2009: Mazda MX-5 Superlight Revealed
Mazda unveiled its MX-5 Superlight concept roadster at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Though pictures were leaked ahead of the show, seeing the Superlight version of the MX-5 in person was still impressive. Created by Mazda’s European design team to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first MX-5, the Superlight version weights 2,194 lbs (995 kg),…