It's incredible that there can be so many goings on around a little car show. There was a spot of turmoil in the last shortened season of Top Gear, a few grumblings of unhappy presenters, and then the hallowed BBC couldn't figure out when the next season was going to begin. But here we are, the date has arrived: Top Gear version 12 will commence on November 2nd, 2008, A.D. I guess then we'll start to find out what they're doing in Vietnam...
[Source: Top Gear]
Top Gear Series 12 officially starts November 2nd
F1 head's daughter gets racy in new ad
Bernie Ecclestone has three daughters -- four if you count Formula 1 -- and the one you see above is Tamara, posing with a checkered flag. Why? To help PETA fight the fur trade, of course. Under the slogan "Going fur-free is the winning formula," Tamara has done a series of print ads in Europe that appear to say "If you really care about animals, not only will you not wear fur, you won't wear any clothes at all. And you'll be hot. Like Natasja Vermeer and Eva Mendes hot. Or Steve-O." Vive l'Europe.
[Source: AutoWeek]
duPont Registry's 11 "Best of" cars set horsepower, price records
The duPont Registry has listed the best cars in eleven categories, and taking the cake for 2009 Car of the Year is the Bugatti Veyron Gran Sport. Other winners, like the ZR1 for Bang for the Buck and Continental Flying Spur Speed for Performance Sedan, make up the usual murderers' row of marques and models. What isn't usual is that in just one year, the total price of all the cars jumped 200% to $4.5 million because of a certain Bug and a Koenigsegg, and that the total horsepower climbed 57%, from 4,276 to 6,723.
Oddly, though, duPont says that the era of hi-po supercars may have peaked, and things could be going green – but neither the list nor the facts on the ground bear it out. Of the eleven cars, only the Tesla and the Ronn Motors Scorpion could be considered green, and one of them doesn't even exist yet. As for the rest, we don't know what the opposite of green is, but none of the nine other cars are expected to have less horsepower in their follow-up guises. Which means there's still time to get some thrills in, as long as you've got at least $110,000 to spend... Check out the full press release after the jump.
[Source: duPont Registry]
Continue reading duPont Registry's 11 "Best of" cars set horsepower, price records
Midnight Club: Los Angeles in stores now, we play with the real cars
Click above for high-res gallery of MC:LA event
We got a look at a pre-production version of Midnight Club: Los Angeles back in August, and it definitely whetted our appetite for the real thing. Well that time has come, and the latest racing sim is now available in stores. Rockstar Games, the publisher of MC:LA, recently invited us out to Willow Springs Raceway to play the final version of the game and experience some of the actual cars on track including the Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8 and Saleen S302 Extreme Mustang. While it's hard to beat the real thing, MC:LA does a decent job of making a unique driving game with an incredibly real driving environment. We generally prefer more realistic racing simulators like Gran Turismo or Forza, but we also enjoy being able to drive on recognizable streets in LA and had fun tuning and customizing the cars in the game's performance shop. You can get full details on the MC:LA in the press release after the jump, and be sure to check out the galleries from our day at the track and plenty of screen shots from the game.
UPDATE:
The release date of Midnight Club: Los Angeles has been pushed to October 21st.
Gallery: Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Continue reading Midnight Club: Los Angeles in stores now, we play with the real cars
Cobalt owners take their cars home to Lordstown
Click above for high-res gallery
Many people choose their car because it is an extension of themselves, their personality, their style and their passion. These folks tend to forge a deep attachment with their automobile, an inanimate object void of emotion. Despite that fact, a vehicle has wants and needs of its own, and some can be more demanding than a small child. As with any parent, there are curious automobile owners who often wonder, where did my baby come from? Recently 134 Chevrolet Cobalt fans got the chance to find out.
Back on September 27th, GM opened up the Lordstown, OH plant for 85 lucky owners and their guests. It was a rare chance for many to view the inner workings of an automotive assembly line, without a need to join the UAW. Event attendees received a full facility tour, on site lunch meet and greet, and of course freebee swag. Not surprisingly, the majority of the Cobalt fan base stemmed from the website CobaltSS.net.
The SS is about the only Chevy compact that can muster up an emotional following, as evident in the video of John Heinricy tossing the 2008 model around the Nurburgring. The turbocharged ECOtech powered econo car is just one of the models currently produced at the Lordstown plant. The massive facility is also slated to make the Cobalt replacement, the Cruze. Check out the gallery below to view photos from the event.
Continue reading Cobalt owners take their cars home to Lordstown
Top Gear Australia already in trouble after two episodes
So we've downloaded the first two episodes of Top Gear Australia, and our assessment of the series so far seems to be right in line with how Aussie nationals are receiving their own home brew version of the wildly popular Brit-based car show. Viewership for the first episode that aired September 29th was estimated to be around 925,000 blokes, and while producers were hoping to crack the 1 million mark with episode two, viewership for the show last Sunday actually fell to 674,000. For those averse to bittorrenting, we can tell you that while episode two was a big improvement over the series premier, it was still very awkward to watch these Australian impersonators of Jezza, Hampster and Captain Slow recite their poorly written scripts for an audience that didn't know when to laugh.
Episode two does have a segment comparing the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon, but while you would think that match up is important enough to devote a 13-part mini-series to, Top Gear Australia's coverage is no longer than a quick bathroom break and not very insightful. In fact, after drag racing and brake testing both cars side-by-side, for some reason they decide to lap the track with just the Falcon and never hands either of them over to the Stig.
Speaking of which, while a Stig is a Stig is a Stig when they're all wearing white suits, the Top Gear Australia test track on which the great one drives is a poor substitute for the original. It's got too many long straights and not enough turns, and the show's camera placement that should show off how a car moves is not flattering at all.
We give the show a C so far and will continue watching (err, downloading) to see if it gets better. We hope it does, otherwise we won't have much to look forward to when our own Top Gear USA airs.
[Source: AdAge via Jalopnik]
Paris 2008: Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION
Click the image above for a high-res gallery of the Mercedes ConceptFASCINATION
When Jaguar launched its latest XK coupe, the ad campaign that accompanied it was called "Gorgeous". When the Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION eventually becomes the next E-Class, the first thing Mercedes should do is call Jag to see if Gorgeous needs a friend. The shooting brake is absolutely stunning in person, the ultimate rendition of MB's current design language. Whereas a few of the 3-pointed-star's current cars have signature elements that ring true, this E-Class-Coupe-Wagon is the first time the entire theme sings in sweet harmony. The interior is the kind of thing that bespoke dreams are made of, with richly stained wood alternating between low-gloss metal and buttery suede. It is as if Mercedes discovered its inner passion, and if the next E-Class shares these qualities with the ConceptFASCINATION, then BMW and Audi better start worrying. You can discover more about the concept in the press release after the jump, as well as view it live in the gallery of high-res images below.
Gallery: Paris 2008: Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION
Gallery: Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION
Paris 2008: Ford unveils three custom versions of Ka
Click above for high-res shots of the Ford Ka Digital, Grand Prix and Tattoo
Ford's Ka has always had an expressive design, and the second generation of the little city car is set to continue that trend with three new custom packages that will debut with the new model in January. All three of them make quite a statement, though we'll leave it to you to decide if that's a good or a bad thing.
Ka Digital: Hi-Liter green is the name of the game, with an offset stripe across the top of the car and on the sides, along with a glow-in-the-dark colored grille. Inside, that same shocking color is applied liberally throughout, appearing on the dash, doors and seats.
Ka Grand Prix (above): Traditional red and white racing colors make a more subdued impression than the green of the Digital, and the two colors cover all the same features on the Grand Prix. A rear spoiler and white alloy wheels round out the racing-theme.
Ka Tattoo: For Ed Hardy fans, Ford rolls out the Tattoo edition of the Ka with a large decal on the roof and a smaller matching one on the fender. Metallic colors and trim cover the interior, which gets tattoo-like embellishments on the seats and floor mats.
All three special editions will be available on the Zetec model, though pricing has yet to be announced. If we were forced to choose one as our favorite, it would definitely be the Grand Prix, if only by default. Check out the gallery below for high-res shots of each.
[Source Ford]
Continue reading Paris 2008: Ford unveils three custom versions of Ka
Super rich may avoid super expensive cars because of bad image
Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe
If you've got it, flaunt it. The super high-end automotive market has been counting on that attitude for years, and it may now be coming back to bite them. It seems that sales of luxury marques such as Bentley, Maybach and Aston Martin have been on a downward trajectory over the last year. Despite the fact that there are a number of people who still have plenty of dough to purchase these expensive toys, public perception is causing some of them to hold back and keep those fat wallets in their pockets.
To combat the problem, some high-end brands are choosing to aim even higher. If ex-customers with a net-worth of less than $5 million find it socially unacceptable to make a purchase, Bentley has said it will begin marketing to those with at least a net worth of $25 million. Let us add that we've driven a few Bentleys and Rollers and can say with certainty that they are definitely conspicuous in a sea of CamCords and Mustangs.
[Source: Advertising Age]
Airstream unveils toy-toting PanAmerica trailer
Click above for more images of the Airstream PanAmerica
Being able to complain that hauling your 34-foot Airstream around means leaving your full-dresser Harley at home for vacation strikes us as an enviable problem to have. For those of you with a surfeit of high-end toys and a longing to hit the road, Airstream has you covered with its new PanAmerica model. Being a high-end product itself, the PanAmerica sports Airstream's trademark aluminum construction and mid-century modern styling that ensures it's perpetually in vogue. The best part of the trailer, however, is that it sports a garage in its aft compartment that can swallow a pair of motorcycles, some ATVs, or our current favorite, a red Radio Flyer wagon. The garage has an 11-foot depth and is comprehensively equipped with tie downs and wheel clamps so your scooter will stay put while you drag everything over mountain passes.
The dragging part will require a pretty beefy tow vehicle. You'll want your pickup to have the largest available engine to cope with the 11,500-pound gross weight rating. Once you've docked your rig at camp, it's nothing but traditional Airstream class inside, meaning stainless appliances, indirect lighting, and snazzy cabinetry. It all looks like some kind of 1950's Brasserie, and if we had 85 large to drop on a jet-age home away from home (and a truck brawny enough to pull it), we'd be blogging from various bucolic undisclosed locations on a daily basis.
[Source: squob.com]
BREAKING: GM and Chrysler talking about merger
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z again, with interior shots
2010 Mazda3 unveiled ahead of LA Auto Show
Spy Shots: Nissan 370Z caught undisguised
GM on Corvette ZR1 cancellation rumor: "Not true."
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 3
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3, return of the "hummer"
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
Paris 2008: Le Day 1 Wrapup
