Filed under: Concept Cars, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Aston Martin, Design/Style
Aston Martin will be shepherding perceptions of its forthcoming Cygnet as much as it can, and it will doubtlessly be monitoring the reception that the Toyota-turned-Aston microcar receives as closely as it can.
On that former front, the company has begun video marketing for a car it still only suggests will go into production at the end of this year. The intent, of course, is to make the Cygnet appear as cool as possible, and the method used in this application is the French sport of parkour. Follow the jump to watch the vid and then answer this question for us in Comments: Did it work? Thanks for the tip, Victor!
Gallery: Aston Martin Cygnet
[Source: Aston Martin via YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Aston Martin tries to build street cred with Cygnet
Video: Aston Martin tries to build street cred with Cygnet originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Sedan, Tesla, Electric
Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com and erstwhile founder of Weblogs Inc. (of which Autoblog and AutoblogGreen are a part) is a big fan of Tesla, and now he’s announced that he’s giving one away. Calacanis is already the owner of an early Tesla Roadster which he let us drive in late 2008. Even before he took delivery of his Roadster, Calacanis announced his intention to buy the company’s second vehicle, the Model S. When Tesla unveiled the sedan last spring, Calacanis made good on his promise and put down deposits on two of the upcoming electric car, including serial #1.
Now Calacanis wants to give away his second Model S by getting his newly established Twitter account @auto to number 1 on the micro-blogging service. That position is currently held by actor and cougar-catcher Ashton Kutcher who has over 4.2 million followers. As this is written, @auto is up to almost 1,000 followers after only one hour. If you want a crack at a free Model S, just follow @auto.
Gallery: Tesla Model S in motion
[Source: Jason Calacanis]
Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis giving away his Tesla Model S (you know, when he gets it) originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials
This just in from Hard Numbers News: From 2000 to 2007, an average of 16.8 million vehicles were sold in the States. In 2008, that figure dropped to 13.2 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the tally for 2009 is expected to put the sales needle somewhere around 10.4 million. According to Bloomberg, that would make last year the worst for new car sales since 1982, when there was not only a recession but also 25 percent fewer Americans.
The good news: sales began to rise at the end of 2009, having sustained themselves nicely after the revelry of cash-for-clunkers. The final data isn’t in yet, but Bloomberg’s survey of analysts suggests two months of gains in November and December. Predictions estimate that Ford, Toyota, Honda and Nissan saw increases, with General Motors and Chrysler looking at slipping sales.
The silver lining? Meager sales could “indicate significant pent-up demand.” That kettle of demand is going to take some time to boil, but a rise in household spending is penciled in for late 2010, along with greater availability of credit, and a drop in unemployment numbers is in the forecast as well. The road to recovery will be a slow one, but hopefully with the turn of the calendar year will come a turn in fortunes for the U.S. economy.
[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]
Bloomberg: U.S. auto sales “probably rose” in December originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM
A top Apple Inc. executive is reportedly be being considered for the chief executive officer post at General Motors. Over the last couple of years as the Detroit auto industry descended into financial oblivion, numerous observers from (mostly) outside the business promoted the idea of hiring Apple CEO Steve Jobs run GM. However, for a variety of reasons – not the least of which was Jobs’ health – that never came to fruition.
This time around, according to an (admittedly unsubstantiated) rumor on Silicon Alley Insider, rather than Jobs, executive search firm Spencer Stuart is said to be promoting Tim Cook. Cook is the chief operating officer at Apple and second in command to Jobs, filling the CEO slot on an interim basis last year while Jobs was on medical leave.
Cook would certainly be an interesting choice, and if hired, would join fellow tech industry vet and new GM CFO Chris Liddell who is coming over from Microsoft. It’s not clear, however, if he would be the best choice. As COO, Cook has had plenty of operational experience at Apple, and by all accounts, he has done an outstanding job running day-to-day operations. However, according auto industry analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics, the CEO at GM is traditionally the big picture/visionary position. In that respect, Cook would seem better suited to the President/COO role, a job recently awarded to Mark Reuss.
[Source: Silicon Alley Insider]
Rumormill: Apple COO Tim Cook for General Motors CEO slot? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Honda
As the 2011 Honda CR-Z gets prepares its assault on your heart and pocketbook, it is showing its face in more and more places.
This time, the 126-combined-horsepower hybrid eco-runner has been spotted in a video, from which a number of stills have been taken. While there aren’t any additional specs to come with it, you can at least see what you’ll look like driving down the road while you get somewhere above 50 miles per gallon. We note that while we still look forward to its tidy packaging and (hopefully) nimble dynamics, the front-end looks rather unfortunate with a U.S.-sized number plate.
The car is expected to bow for the first time in Japan sometime next month, but we hear it could show up earlier at the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, find all the images below in the gallery.
Gallery: 2011 Honda CR-Z video stills
Yes, There’s More: 2011 Honda CR-Z video captures leak out originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Travis Pastrana spent New Year’s Eve preparing to drive his Red Bull Subaru WRX STI off of a boat-mounted ramp, over 250-or-so feet of water, and onto another ramp floating on a barge. In earlier practices for the jump, at first he didn’t stick the landing, then he skipped the landing part entirely. The New Year’s event would be for keeps, though.
Follow the jump to watch the jump and see how it ended. Hat tip to Jon C!
[Source: ESPN via YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Travis Pastrana New Year’s jump… does he make it?
Video: Travis Pastrana New Year’s jump… does he make it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz
As we head into the second decade of this millennium, the concept of a luxury sedan with the kind of performance you might expect of an exotic supercar is not particularly novel anymore. With choices ranging from the Jaguar XFR and Audi RS6 to the Cadillac CTS-V, the options are relatively plentiful. But it was not always so. Those of us old enough to have been aware of cars in the 1980s will surely remember the car that really set the segment alight.
AMG, then very much its own company, had been creating high performance versions of Mercedes-Benz cars for road and track since 1967. It wasn’t until 1986 that the firm really grabbed the world’s attention with what it called the Hammer. Starting with a run-of-the-mill 300E mid-size sedan, AMG stuffed the 5.6-liter V8 from the 560SEC coupe under the hood and then provided suspension and brakes to support it.
The Hammer wasn’t the first hot rod European sedan, having been preceded by Mercedes’ own 300SEL 6.3 and the original BMW M5. However, the Hammer took things to a whole new level with a top speed of over 190 mph and sub five-second 0-60 acceleration. Only about 30 or so Hammers were built, including at least one wagon version, but without them, we might well have missed out on some of the magnificent machinery we get to drive today. Reminisce along with the boys at Inside Line as they take a look at one of the most amazing sedans of the last century.
[Source: Inside Line]
Inside Line revisits the glory that is the 1986 AMG Hammer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hatchback, Chrysler, Electric
Unfortunately, BitGravity founder Barrett Lyon had only seen some of the more positive stories about the company on TV shows like Modern Marvels before things started to go south. Lyon wanted to get an EV but wanted something a bit more practical than the Tesla Roadsters that some of his friends were buying. The LiV Surge as the renamed EV Innovations was calling its PT Cruiser conversions seemed to be just what Lyon was looking for.
Lyon tells the sad tale of his experience on his blog ranging from the late delivery of a DOA car all the way through his legal action to get his money back. Anyone else thinking of buying from EV Innovations may want to take Lyon’s story into account. Thanks to Ken for the tip!
[Source: Blyon.com]
Green Intentions: Tech entrepreneur finds a lemon in his quest for an EV originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc.
In just a few hours, the Naughties will be no more. And while we’re all for looking back on the decade that was with rose-tinted glasses, our critical eyes inevitably fall to the vehicles released in the last ten years. There was a balanced amount of successes and disappointments, but rather than come up with yet another top picks list, we decided it would be best to pose the question to you: What’s your vehicle of the decade?
Naturally, we’ve got our own picks, but at the end of the day, it’s your opinion matters most. So sound off in Comments before you head out on the town and enjoy the final moments of one of the most compelling decades in automotive history.
Enough of the top ten lists, what’s your ‘Vehicle of the Decade’? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Videos
Apparently Automobile and New York Times contributor Ezra Dyer took a fair amount of flack for his snowy Audi R8 escapades, so he’s compiled his greatest motive moments of 2009 into one predictably ridiculous montage. We’d describe the antics ourselves, but a chilled bottle of champagne is goading us from afar and Dyer does a far better job:
Do not even watch this video if you have a heart condition or think you might be pregnant, for it includes the following graphic material: Goading Michael Schumacher into driving like a maniac in a Ferrari 599 GTB; shooting my Cadillac with machine guns, at night, using tracer bullets; jumping a Subaru; jumping off a sand dune without a Subaru; Lamborghini doughnuts; shots of speedometers reading x-tremely high speeds. And there’s even more. Your ticket buys you the whole seat, but trust me when I tell you that you’ll only need the edge.
The “Most Awesome Video Ever” awaits after the jump, and in keeping with the extreme theme, Mötley Crüe
provides the soundtrack – fair warning.
[Source: New York Times]
Continue reading Video: Dyer’s most eXtreme moments of 2009
Video: Dyer’s most eXtreme moments of 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Concept Cars, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Aston Martin, Design/Style
Aston Martin will be shepherding perceptions of its forthcoming Cygnet as much as it can, and it will doubtlessly be monitoring the reception that the Toyota-turned-Aston microcar receives as closely as it can.
On that former front, the company has begun video marketing for a car it still only suggests will go into production at the end of this year. The intent, of course, is to make the Cygnet appear as cool as possible, and the method used in this application is the French sport of parkour. Follow the jump to watch the vid and then answer this question for us in Comments: Did it work? Thanks for the tip, Victor!
Gallery: Aston Martin Cygnet
[Source: Aston Martin via YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Aston Martin tries to build street cred with Cygnet
Video: Aston Martin tries to build street cred with Cygnet originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Sedan, Tesla, Electric
Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com and erstwhile founder of Weblogs Inc. (of which Autoblog and AutoblogGreen are a part) is a big fan of Tesla, and now he’s announced that he’s giving one away. Calacanis is already the owner of an early Tesla Roadster which he let us drive in late 2008. Even before he took delivery of his Roadster, Calacanis announced his intention to buy the company’s second vehicle, the Model S. When Tesla unveiled the sedan last spring, Calacanis made good on his promise and put down deposits on two of the upcoming electric car, including serial #1.
Now Calacanis wants to give away his second Model S by getting his newly established Twitter account @auto to number 1 on the micro-blogging service. That position is currently held by actor and cougar-catcher Ashton Kutcher who has over 4.2 million followers. As this is written, @auto is up to almost 1,000 followers after only one hour. If you want a crack at a free Model S, just follow @auto.
Gallery: Tesla Model S in motion
[Source: Jason Calacanis]
Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis giving away his Tesla Model S (you know, when he gets it) originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials
This just in from Hard Numbers News: From 2000 to 2007, an average of 16.8 million vehicles were sold in the States. In 2008, that figure dropped to 13.2 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the tally for 2009 is expected to put the sales needle somewhere around 10.4 million. According to Bloomberg, that would make last year the worst for new car sales since 1982, when there was not only a recession but also 25 percent fewer Americans.
The good news: sales began to rise at the end of 2009, having sustained themselves nicely after the revelry of cash-for-clunkers. The final data isn’t in yet, but Bloomberg’s survey of analysts suggests two months of gains in November and December. Predictions estimate that Ford, Toyota, Honda and Nissan saw increases, with General Motors and Chrysler looking at slipping sales.
The silver lining? Meager sales could “indicate significant pent-up demand.” That kettle of demand is going to take some time to boil, but a rise in household spending is penciled in for late 2010, along with greater availability of credit, and a drop in unemployment numbers is in the forecast as well. The road to recovery will be a slow one, but hopefully with the turn of the calendar year will come a turn in fortunes for the U.S. economy.
[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]
Bloomberg: U.S. auto sales “probably rose” in December originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM
A top Apple Inc. executive is reportedly be being considered for the chief executive officer post at General Motors. Over the last couple of years as the Detroit auto industry descended into financial oblivion, numerous observers from (mostly) outside the business promoted the idea of hiring Apple CEO Steve Jobs run GM. However, for a variety of reasons – not the least of which was Jobs’ health – that never came to fruition.
This time around, according to an (admittedly unsubstantiated) rumor on Silicon Alley Insider, rather than Jobs, executive search firm Spencer Stuart is said to be promoting Tim Cook. Cook is the chief operating officer at Apple and second in command to Jobs, filling the CEO slot on an interim basis last year while Jobs was on medical leave.
Cook would certainly be an interesting choice, and if hired, would join fellow tech industry vet and new GM CFO Chris Liddell who is coming over from Microsoft. It’s not clear, however, if he would be the best choice. As COO, Cook has had plenty of operational experience at Apple, and by all accounts, he has done an outstanding job running day-to-day operations. However, according auto industry analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics, the CEO at GM is traditionally the big picture/visionary position. In that respect, Cook would seem better suited to the President/COO role, a job recently awarded to Mark Reuss.
[Source: Silicon Alley Insider]
Rumormill: Apple COO Tim Cook for General Motors CEO slot? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Honda
As the 2011 Honda CR-Z gets prepares its assault on your heart and pocketbook, it is showing its face in more and more places.
This time, the 126-combined-horsepower hybrid eco-runner has been spotted in a video, from which a number of stills have been taken. While there aren’t any additional specs to come with it, you can at least see what you’ll look like driving down the road while you get somewhere above 50 miles per gallon. We note that while we still look forward to its tidy packaging and (hopefully) nimble dynamics, the front-end looks rather unfortunate with a U.S.-sized number plate.
The car is expected to bow for the first time in Japan sometime next month, but we hear it could show up earlier at the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, find all the images below in the gallery.
Gallery: 2011 Honda CR-Z video stills
Yes, There’s More: 2011 Honda CR-Z video captures leak out originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Travis Pastrana spent New Year’s Eve preparing to drive his Red Bull Subaru WRX STI off of a boat-mounted ramp, over 250-or-so feet of water, and onto another ramp floating on a barge. In earlier practices for the jump, at first he didn’t stick the landing, then he skipped the landing part entirely. The New Year’s event would be for keeps, though.
Follow the jump to watch the jump and see how it ended. Hat tip to Jon C!
[Source: ESPN via YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Travis Pastrana New Year’s jump… does he make it?
Video: Travis Pastrana New Year’s jump… does he make it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz
As we head into the second decade of this millennium, the concept of a luxury sedan with the kind of performance you might expect of an exotic supercar is not particularly novel anymore. With choices ranging from the Jaguar XFR and Audi RS6 to the Cadillac CTS-V, the options are relatively plentiful. But it was not always so. Those of us old enough to have been aware of cars in the 1980s will surely remember the car that really set the segment alight.
AMG, then very much its own company, had been creating high performance versions of Mercedes-Benz cars for road and track since 1967. It wasn’t until 1986 that the firm really grabbed the world’s attention with what it called the Hammer. Starting with a run-of-the-mill 300E mid-size sedan, AMG stuffed the 5.6-liter V8 from the 560SEC coupe under the hood and then provided suspension and brakes to support it.
The Hammer wasn’t the first hot rod European sedan, having been preceded by Mercedes’ own 300SEL 6.3 and the original BMW M5. However, the Hammer took things to a whole new level with a top speed of over 190 mph and sub five-second 0-60 acceleration. Only about 30 or so Hammers were built, including at least one wagon version, but without them, we might well have missed out on some of the magnificent machinery we get to drive today. Reminisce along with the boys at Inside Line as they take a look at one of the most amazing sedans of the last century.
[Source: Inside Line]
Inside Line revisits the glory that is the 1986 AMG Hammer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Hatchback, Chrysler, Electric
Unfortunately, BitGravity founder Barrett Lyon had only seen some of the more positive stories about the company on TV shows like Modern Marvels before things started to go south. Lyon wanted to get an EV but wanted something a bit more practical than the Tesla Roadsters that some of his friends were buying. The LiV Surge as the renamed EV Innovations was calling its PT Cruiser conversions seemed to be just what Lyon was looking for.
Lyon tells the sad tale of his experience on his blog ranging from the late delivery of a DOA car all the way through his legal action to get his money back. Anyone else thinking of buying from EV Innovations may want to take Lyon’s story into account. Thanks to Ken for the tip!
[Source: Blyon.com]
Green Intentions: Tech entrepreneur finds a lemon in his quest for an EV originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Etc.
In just a few hours, the Naughties will be no more. And while we’re all for looking back on the decade that was with rose-tinted glasses, our critical eyes inevitably fall to the vehicles released in the last ten years. There was a balanced amount of successes and disappointments, but rather than come up with yet another top picks list, we decided it would be best to pose the question to you: What’s your vehicle of the decade?
Naturally, we’ve got our own picks, but at the end of the day, it’s your opinion matters most. So sound off in Comments before you head out on the town and enjoy the final moments of one of the most compelling decades in automotive history.
Enough of the top ten lists, what’s your ‘Vehicle of the Decade’? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Videos
Apparently Automobile and New York Times contributor Ezra Dyer took a fair amount of flack for his snowy Audi R8 escapades, so he’s compiled his greatest motive moments of 2009 into one predictably ridiculous montage. We’d describe the antics ourselves, but a chilled bottle of champagne is goading us from afar and Dyer does a far better job:
Do not even watch this video if you have a heart condition or think you might be pregnant, for it includes the following graphic material: Goading Michael Schumacher into driving like a maniac in a Ferrari 599 GTB; shooting my Cadillac with machine guns, at night, using tracer bullets; jumping a Subaru; jumping off a sand dune without a Subaru; Lamborghini doughnuts; shots of speedometers reading x-tremely high speeds. And there’s even more. Your ticket buys you the whole seat, but trust me when I tell you that you’ll only need the edge.
The “Most Awesome Video Ever” awaits after the jump, and in keeping with the extreme theme, Mötley Crüe
provides the soundtrack – fair warning.
[Source: New York Times]
Continue reading Video: Dyer’s most eXtreme moments of 2009
Video: Dyer’s most eXtreme moments of 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
The 32nd Annual Ault Park Concours d’Elegance, held in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, had over 230 rare and historic vehicles in the scenic gardens of Ault Park. ‘We had an amazing event this year, particularly considering the current economic conditions. Not only did we have record attendance for Sunday’s Concours, our Friday night fundraising event and Saturday countryside tour and garage party were extremely well-attended’ said Sue Willis, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Concours d’ Elegance Foundation.
This years event celebrated ‘Excellence in German Design and Engineering,’ land speed record vehicles, and Morgans 100th anniversary.
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With six feet of hood separating the driver from the front of the Mercedes 500K, there had to be something important under all that elegantly styled sheet metal. In this case, it was a legend – and an enormous engine. The early thirties saw Daimler-Benz begin to design high-speed touring cars, with the 500K one of the proudest accomplishments. the eight-cylinder, 5-liter big-bore engine was supercharged with the ‘K’ standing for Kompressor, and engaging it rewarded drivers with a distinctive C-note from the 500K’s whining blower. The steering was stiff at lower speeds, but one look at the body (there were nine options) made it clear that speed would never be a problem. The car has four-wheel independent suspension, and is capable of hitting over 100 mph in top gear. This car was rebodied from a 540K to a 500K Special Roadster in 2000, and the engine and chassis numbers are matching.
He has long been revered as one of the many legends surrounding the world’s most uncompromising sports car brand ? Valentino Balboni, a remarkable test driver with his own personal cult status. Automobili Lamborghini now presents a model in his honour and bearing his name ? the Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni.
The latest version of the Gallardo, Lamborghini’s most successful model of all time – overall, more than 9,000 units of the model range have already been produced – boasts not only its own distinctive design and exclusive equipment, but its technology is unique too, as indicated by the model badge: the 550 stands for the power output in hp and the 2 is for rear wheel drive.
For several decades, Valentino Balboni has had a distinct influence on the character of the super sports car bearing the sign of the bull. With his fine-tuning and testing work, he has helped to shape many automotive legends, from the Lamborghini Miura of the 60s through to the current Gallardo and Murci?lago models. Balboni was hired in 1967 by company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini himself. From early on, it was evident that the young Balboni had a special feel for cars, that most sensitive of all instincts that connects to the ?life blood’ of an automobile and defines the soul of a test driver.
‘A Lamborghini must always combine the precision of a race car with the reliability of a good friend,’ says Balboni. Since 1973, he has sat at the wheel of every prototype built by the brand, and even most production cars have passed through his hands before being delivered to their customers. This has turned Balboni into one of the most important representatives of the brand, with an outstanding reputation and status among the brand’s fans and customers worldwide.
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The DKW F7 was produced from 1937 through 1938 and was one of the early vehicles to use a front-wheel drive configuration. Power was from a two-cylinder two-stroke engine that gave the car a top speed of about 50 mph.
This DKW F7 was recently on display at the Ault Park Concours. It sat next to another pre-WWII, German FWD drive car, the Adler Trumpf JR.
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With a spyder body by Fantuzzi, number 2089 was a private entry in both the 1955 and 1956 Mille Miglia races, finishing 1st in Class (4th overall) and 2nd in Class (56th overall) respectively. Owned and driven by Francesco Giardini, it also competed at other venues in period, such as LeMans, Monza, and the Targa Florio. It is powered by a 2-liter twin cam 6-cylinder engine. In 1959 the car was rebuilt at the Maserati factory in a GT configuration with its present Pininfarina coupe body. It won the Art Center College of Design Award at Pebble Beach in 2005.
We came across this vehicle at the recent Le Belle Macchine d’Italia. It is a very important and significant automobile – it is a very early Maserati and one of the few cars ever created with a 16-cylinder engine.
The engine has two banks of eight-cylinders and a single crankcase. It displaces 4000ccc and produces around 280 horsepower. Wearing lightweight Zagato coachwork, the car ran the flying 10 kilometers at 246.6 kilometers per hour on September 28th of 1929.
Sadly, the weather at Le Belle Macchine d’Italia was not very cooperative so our photographs do not do full justice to this elegant and impressive vehicle, but we hope to see it again in the future.
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The Sabra was born when Autocars, an Israeli firm, commissioned Reliant, a British car company to build them a sports car. The Sabra Sport was to be sold as a new entry in the growing US sports car market in the early 1960’s. Total production is estimated at 208, with 55 sold in the UK under the name of Sabra, and 153 were exported to the US under the name of Sabra. The Sabra Sport was introduced at the 1961 New York Auto Show. The car came with either a re-moveable hardtop as seen here or a convertible top – not both.
The car was not accepted well in the US for several reasons. First it did not come equipped with several amenities such as sun visors, back-up lights and an interior dome light. The Sabra Sport was offered at ,500 comparable to the Austin-Healey 3000, but its performance was more in line with MG Midget selling for only ,000.
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Preeminent international auction house, RM Auctions, is delighted to announce the consignment of a champion 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 ?Scuderia Filipinetti’ Le Mans Race Car and a historic 1953 Ferrari 166MM Spider Scaglietti to its highly anticipated Sports & Classics of Monterey event, August 13th to 15th in California.
The recently consigned 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 ‘Scuderia Filipinetti’ Le Mans Race Car ? chassis number 194378-S-410300 – holds a unique place in Corvette history. Entered by Swiss racing patron, Georges Filipinetti with a Zora Arkus-Duntov prepared motor, and driven by Henri Greder and Umberto Maglioli, this L88 Corvette made its Le Mans debut in 1968. It returned for the 24 Hours of Le Mans five more times ? consecutively ? up until 1973, a record that remains unbroken by any single chassis.
‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to present this champion L88 Corvette at auction ? it is surely one of the most successful international Corvette racing cars in history,’ said Ian Kelleher, President and Chief Operating Officer of RM Auctions.
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The Bonhams automotive auction in Carmel, California on August 14th, will offer the ex-Jacques Swaters, Ecurie Belgique 1948 Talbot-Lago T26C for sale without reserve, estimated to sell for m to .3m
The bespoke French race car, chasis number 11006, was delivered new to Georges Grignard who campaigned it for two years – even winning the 1950 Grand Prix de Paris – and then, after buying another Talbot-Lago, sold it to Roger Laurent, Jacques Swaters and Charles de Tornaco – three amateur Belgian drivers who dreamed of an all-Belgian racing team.
Laurent was a race veteran of 37 years while de Tornaco had been racing since the age of 20 and had several successes to his name, chiefly 3rdplace at the 1923 24 Hours of Le Mans and 3rd at the 1924 24 Hours of Spa. Together with Swaters and Andre Pilette, Ecurie Belgique was born with number 11006 as its weapon.
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International cars took center stage on day two of the 14th consecutive Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. Just like with day one (featuring American cars), day two was blessed with nice, warm weather. Over 150 vehicles were carefully arranged on the show field and offered a wide variety of sheet metal to impress the un-ending stream of onlookers throughout the day. From the large and stately pre-War cars from Renault, Alfa Romeo, and Lagonda to competition Porsche, Lola, and Ferrari models, the list of cars was as vast as it was diverse.
Filed under: Auction Action, Etc., Bentley
Bentley Continental GT by Romeo Britto – Click above to enlargeWith dozens of exterior paint shades and even more choices for the interior, there’s no shortage of color combinations on the Bentley Continental GT. Beyond that, the British automaker’s Mulliner customization division will be glad to set yours up any way you want… for a price, of course. But some people are never satisfied with the options laid out before them; people like Romero Britto, the creator of the rather, um…”intriguing” example you see here.
The Brazilian pop artist, whose work hangs in such prestigious museums as New York’s MoMA and Guggenheim and the homes of celebrities and notables including Elton John, Governor Schwarzenegger and the Rothschilds, comes from an impoverished village and uses cheerful colors and lively shapes to brighten people’s spirits. Do they belong on a Bentley? That’s a matter of taste, but curious connoisseurs can see it in person in Britto’s exhibition at the Automobil Forum Unter den Linden in Germany from July 10 to September 6, after which the one-of-a-kind creation will be auctioned off to benefit multiple sclerosis and the mentally handicapped. Details in the press release after the jump.
[Source: Bentley]
Continue reading Bentley gets a Brazilian: Continental GT by pop artist Romero Britto
Bentley gets a Brazilian: Continental GT by pop artist Romero Britto originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Motorsports, Motorcycles
Ducati is using this weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California as the backdrop to launch its new 848 Nicky Hayden Special Edition sportbike. The new machine, which will only be available here in the States, features the same 134-horsepower L-twin Evoluzione powerplant, wet-clutch and six-speed gearbox as the rest of the 848 line.
As the first of the 2010 848s introduced, the new Special Edition ushers in a revised LED dash cluster, optional 30mm mirror extensions for those with long-torsos and improved aluminum cam belt tensioner pulleys to go along with its new patriotic livery.
The 848 Nicky Hayden SE will carry a ,495 sticker price – a reasonable 0 over the asking price for last year’s 848 – and will hit Ducati dealerships in America on July 7th after being on display throughout the U.S. GP festivities starting on the 4th. Click past the break for the official press release.
Continue reading Ducati launches 848 Nicky Hayden Special Edition at U.S. Grand Prix
Ducati launches 848 Nicky Hayden Special Edition at U.S. Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Government/Legal, Green, Japan
Now that hybrid cars have taken the top sales spots in Japan for the last few months, that country’s Transport Ministry is reportedly launching an investigation to determine whether it’s wise to require hybrid automobiles to emit an artificial sound when operating with the internal combustion engine switched off. The thinking is that hybrids may be more dangerous to the blind due to their quiet operation under electric power.
According to an unnamed official, the government’s 13-member panel – consisting of a diverse group of scholars, vision-impaired groups, consumers, police and automobile industry officials – “decided to consider introducing a sound-making function” on all hybrids at its first meeting on Thursday, July 2. The panel hasn’t yet decided what sound hybrids should make. We’ll cast our unofficial vote in the direction of cowbells.
The issue is well-known in America, where the government has launched Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Acts in each of the last two years to study the supposed problem. Naturally, there is some opposition to artificial noise generators on hybrids. “On the other hand, we should pay attention to residents (along roads) as hybrids are excellent in reducing noise,” added the Transport Ministry official.
Gallery: 2010 Lexus HS250h
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: AFP via Google]
REPORT: Japan could require hybrids to emit sound originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Motorsports, Japan, Honda, Toyota, Earnings/Financials
Toyota’s Timo Glock at the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji SpeedwayIn any game of chicken, it’s all about who flinches first. Ever since its first running in 1963, the Japanese Grand Prix has bounced between Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit, the former dominating in the ’60s and ’70s before the latter got the exclusive in the late-’80s through 2006, at which point Fuji took over again. The rivalry is about more than just the tracks, though: With Toyota owning Fuji and arch-rival Honda owning Suzuka, the back-and-forth has become something of a turf war between the country’s automotive powerhouses.
Two years ago, the two tracks worked out a deal that would have the race alternating year to year, sort of like Germany’s arrangement between Hockenheim and the Nürburgring. However, emerging reports suggest that tightening belts at Toyota could spell trouble for Fuji Speedway. The costs of hosting a Formula 1 grand prix event continue to escalate, and those costs may be harder to justify for the cash-strapped auto giant – especially if ticket sales don’t cover the budget. Honda is likely in no better a financial situation, as evidenced by their unfortunate withdrawal from the sport. But if Toyota flinches first, Honda might win the race… in one sense or another.
[Source: F1-Live | Image: Mark Thompson/Getty]
REPORT: Toyota woes spell trouble for Fuji Speedway originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Videos, Supercars, Misc. Auto Shows
Brenda Priddy’s long-lens outfit has captured the first shots off the Devon Motor Works GTX supercar during aerodynamics testing.
The butterfly-doored coupe looks very promising in bare carbon fiber, as is word that the prototype was spotted at Willow Springs raceway with British Le Mans champion Justin Bell behind the wheel for testing duties.
This GTX mule certainly has some interesting details to it, including the aforementioned up-and-forward doors, as well as a U-shaped vented hood, center-exit exhaust, a big (and likely temporary) adjustable wing, and funky contrasting fender treatments which may or may not see production.
It isn’t altogether clear what engine will be powering this beastie, but Priddy’s people reportedly overheard the engineers talking of extracting 650 horsepower out of the drivetrain. California-based Devon, you may recall, was the sole bidder Chrysler reported for its Viper franchise, and it’s certainly conceivable that despite the failed bid attempt, the car seen here would still feature a certain 8.4-liter V10 underhood. Indeed, given that Devon continues to tout its creation as “America’s next great supercar,” that scenario seems rather likely.
The GTX is slated to make its first appearance at next month’s Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance (we’ll be sure to grab some live photos), and the coupe is tipped to go on sale in the U.S. first in 2010, with other markets to follow. Check out the gallery of renderings below as well as a video of the teasers after the jump.
Gallery: Devon Motor Works GTX renderings
[Source: The Detroit Bureau]
Continue reading Spy Shots: First-ever in-the-fiber shots of Devon GTX supercar emerge
Spy Shots: First-ever in-the-fiber shots of Devon GTX supercar emerge originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: BMW
How many cars have you owned over the course of your life? Three? Five? Ten? How about 135, and all from the same company? It may seem like unfathomable customer loyalty, but that’s just what one Herr Klaus Hammerschmidt has done in taking delivery of his latest Bavarian motor work. You might think he’d mark the occasion with a new 135i, but instead the 73-year-old retiree picked up a brand-new M6 coupe, complete with the Competition Package, from the flagship BMW Welt showroom in Munich.
Hammerschmidt says he began driving when he was just 12, taking the wheel of his dad’s car while papa worked the pedals. His first car was a 1800ti in 1963, and since then he’s had 26 M cars, 29 Alpinas and another 80 standard BMWs. Before you go pulling out the calculator, that works out to an average of nearly 3 new cars every year. Not a bad way to spend a lifetime’s earnings if you have the means. And at just 73, he’s likely to go through a few more before his days are up. Follow the jump for the video.
[Source: BMW]
Continue reading VIDEO: German man takes delivery of his 135th BMW
VIDEO: German man takes delivery of his 135th BMW originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Bentley, Motorcycles
As similar as the two industries are, there aren’t as many automobile/motorcycle crossovers as you might otherwise think. A handful of carmakers (Honda, Suzuki, Peugeot, BMW, Triumph once upon a time…) also make motorcycles. Ford has their Harley-Davidson edition F-Series pick-up trucks. Some small sports cars use motorcycle engines, and there are some big motorcycles (really big) that use car engines. Fiat sponsors world champion Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP Yamaha bike. And, once in a while, we see a custom chopper decked out to look like a particular automobile. We’ve eyeballed our share of Ferrari-inspired motorbikes, but this is something else entirely: a Bentley chopper.
Of course, there’s nothing particularly Bentley about this chopper other than the trim, so don’t go expecting a 6.75-liter V8 or a twin-turbo W12 sprung between two wheels. But the fit and finish look rather impressive. The greenish-grey paint finish is complemented by a soft tan leather saddle and capped with a “Flying B” emblem on the gas tank. Pretty sweet ride from the look of things, and even if it is a one-off, it’s one more link between between motor vehicles with two wheels and those with four.
[Source: Jalopnik]
Born to be Bentley: One-off Crewe chopper originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc.
Today, we in the United States celebrate Independence Day; a day full of backyard celebrations with family and friends, tasty food on the grill, an abundance of refreshing beverages, and, in towns across America, fireworks displays that close the day of celebration in grand fashion. As we like to do each year on July 4th, we’re giving you just one bit of required reading before you head out for all the festivities. Without that document, we have nothing to celebrate, but because of it and the courage of those who fought for its ideals, we have 233 years of history to commemorate today.
So, Happy Independence Day from all of us here at Autoblog. Drive safely and have fun! Your regularly scheduled programming follows.
[Image: soul motor | License: Creative Commons NC-SA 2.0]
Happy Independence Day from Autoblog originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Porsche
With every iteration of the 911, Porsche makes incremental improvements to its iconic sports car and naturally, the next generation will be no exception.
This latest 911 prototype was caught at the Nurburgring sporting 997 sheetmetal, but it’s what’s on top and out back that deserves note. A double-bubble roof panel has been fitted, while underneath the rear camouflage is a sizeable wing and additional ducting. Look closely and you’ll see a small sill at the base of the rear windscreen that’s assumed to be feeding the rear-mounted flat-six – likely necessary keep the boxer cool while Porsche engineers figure out how the new contoured roof affects aerodynamics. If previous reports are to be believed, we can expect the next 911 to debut sometime in 2010, but we wouldn’t rule out an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.
Spy Shots: Next-gen Porsche 911 sporting double-bubble roof originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Aftermarket, SUVs, Mercedes-Benz
What is it lately that people don’t seem to understand about hardcore off-roaders? They’re not supposed to be aerodynamic, and they’re not supposed to be pretty. And yet here we are yet again – after the modified Hummer recently spotted on eBay – looking at one of the world’s most serious rock-climbing workhorses that’s been smoothed out in controversial fashion, and in metallic Barney purple, no less.
What we have on one hand is the Mercedes Geländewagen, the same essential truck that Magna Steyr has been building for the Three-Pointed Star for some thirty years now. It’s got the aerodynamic profile of a barn. Attached to a parachute. On the other, we have the E-Class, one of the most aerodynamically slippery cars on the market. Part of the same company’s line-up, but just about as different as can be. And yet, thanks to what looks to be a not inconsequential amount of elbow grease, the two have come together to breed this remarkable concoction, which, we gather, was recently put up for sale on eBay. While we can’t locate the auction itself, one has to figure that the owner is going to have a hard time selling a vehicle that’s been so extensively “personalized.”
Gallery: Custom Mercedes-Benz G/E Class
[Source: Autogespot]
Behold: The one-of-a-kind Mercedes G/E-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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