Click above to view the Fiat 500 Aria concept in hi-res
Having already had to increase production several times over, the Fiat 500 continues to win the hearts and minds of consumers around the world... tree-huggers included. But that isn't about to stop Fiat from seeking out even more buyers, especially those of environmental conscience. And so reports indicate that the Italian automaker is preparing a hybrid version of the popular retro-mini.
Previewed by the unveiling of the 500 Aria concept at this year's Geneva Motor Show, the 500 hybrid is tipped to join an electric motor and battery pack to Fiat's 0.9-liter two-cylinder gasoline engine. The diminutive yet stylish hybrid is also expected to employ start-stop technology and a dual-clutch transmission to further reduce emissions and increase fuel economy, which promises to increase the green factor for the entire Fiat group. Intriguingly, however, Fiat is reportedly planning to unveil the 500 hybrid at Goodwood Festival of Speed next summer.
By the time Sunday rolls around during Monterey Week, we're pretty exhausted. Too many cars and so little time. Still, that doesn't stop us from getting to the 18th fairway before the sun comes up to see the cars drive onto the grass. Duesenbergs, Bentleys, Cadillacs, Ferraris, Bugattis, and more come rolling into the show, causing us to scurry back and forth to photograph as many of them as possible. There was so much to look at this year -- the Lamborghinis, Lancias, V16 Cadillacs, 250 GT California Spyders, GM's Motorama, and Leno's tank car -- before we knew it, the Best of Show had been crowned and the day was over. We can't go through all of the class winners and special awards, but if you are interested, you can view them on the Pebble Beach Concours web site. We've put together a comprehensive gallery of high resolution photos for you, many with captions in case you aren't familiar with the cars. Enjoy!
Click above for high-res gallery of the VW CC Gold Coast
Volkswagen has used the occasion of this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to unveil its new CC Gold Coast edition. The most obvious change that sets the CC GC apart from more plebian CCs is the tri-coat paint – DuPont's light brown 'Pepe Pepper' to be specific, which reportedly has gold, brown and silver tones all mixed in for your ocular pleasure. Of course, such a high-end exterior color must be paired with an equally special interior hue, in this case it's leather done up Starbucks-style in 'Latte Macchiatto Cornsilk' with Bronze Piping on the seats and matching accents on the dash and door trim. Also on the docket are 19-inch propeller style wheels that fill the wheel arches rather nicely. A unique ground effects package rounds out the visual mods. Underhood is the familiar 3.6-liter TFSI engine with 280 horsepower and 265 lbs.-ft of torque mated to the automaker's stellar DSG double-clutch 6-speed automatic transmission. We know the regular CC is arriving this fall with a starting price tag around $27,000, but no details on the availability or pricing of the Gold Coast edition have been released yet.
Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Pininfarina RR Hyperion
Spend enough time roaming the streets of Rome and you're likely to encounter a fair share of people who fancy themselves more Catholic than the Pope. No wonder, then, that the Italians have now tried to out-Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce, presenting a one-off drop-top Drophead that endeavors to embody an even greater presence than the Phantom cabrio itself.
The Pininfarina Hyperion was unveiled just this past weekend at Pebble Beach, and our man Drew was on hand to bring you the best shots of the one-off coachbuilt special from the show stand as it was unveiled and from the fairway where it was displayed in all its glory. But just in case you didn't get enough, Pininfarina has released ten more high-res shots of its one-off Roller for your viewing pleasure. Click on the top gallery to view the new factory shots, and on the two galleries after the jump to see the Hyperion in Monterey.
Click above for high-res gallery of the featured Lamborghinis at Pebble
While Pebble Beach is perhaps best known as a place to honor classic American and European cars, sports cars have always held a special place in the hearts of the Concours committee and judges. With 45 years under its belt, Lamborghini is certainly deserving of a special place on both counts. As a featured marque here at Pebble, Lamborghini was extremely well represented with a selection of exquisite rare examples. Nine vehicles were on display being judged by 40-year test pilot Valentino Balboni among others.
The lineup of seldom-seen Lambos included the earliest known Lamborghini 350GT, the earliest known Miura, the earliest Miura SV, the Miura Roadster fresh from a yearlong restoration that swapped its army green paint for the correct blue metalflake, a 350GTS, 350GTZ by Zagato, an early LP400 Countach, and three one-off concepts - the 1990 P140, 1996 Raptor, and the Gallardo Concept S. A truly spectacular selection of models representing the fabled Italian marque. Check out the gallery below and follow the jump for the full press release.
Gallery: Lamborghini at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours
Click image above for high-res gallery of pics of the Ferrari California Spyders
The 250 GT California Spyder is one of Ferrari's most celebrated (and valuable) models, most often remembered by the general public for its starring role in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This year marked the Spyder's 50th anniversary, and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance celebrated the occasion by giving the car its very own class. Six variations of the car were produced, all of which were displayed on the 18th fairway including the original prototype and a competition version that raced at both Sebring and Le Mans. Follow the jump for more information on these amazing cars and enjoy the high resolution gallery below.
Click above for high-res gallery of Jay's Tank Car in Monterey
We were as surprised as anyone to see Jay Leno's name on the entry list for this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Then we saw that he would be arriving in a 1953 Chrysler. As nice as 1953 Chryslers may be, Jay's is pretty special. It's an imposing custom hot rod that is powered by a 28.4-liter Chrysler built tank engine. Most people call it the Tank Car, and last year this time it was on display across the country at the Woodward Dream Cruise. The heart of the Tank Car is the 1792 cid V-12 Continental-designed, Chrsyler-built tank engine that in turbocharged form puts out something like 1,600 hp and 3,000 ft-lbs. of torque. The engine alone weighs 2,000 lbs and easily qualifies Jay's car in this year's featured 20+ liter class.
While performance isn't this car's main goal, it can scoot along pretty well with all of that power being routed through an Allison 6-speed transmission. Switching from the original 3-speed trans doubled Leno's gas mileage, which now stands at around 5 mpg. As bad as that might seem, it comes across as almost reasonable when you hear it guzzles 80 quarts of oil every time Jay swings through a Jiffy Lube. We have to admit that we were among the many fans who rushed to see the car as Jay entered the Pebble Beach fairway. It's really a spectacular sight, even at an event that is known to stop even seasoned auto afficianados in their tracks every few seconds.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LS460 AWD.
The Moscow International Auto Show is shaping up to be a serious event. Audi is showing off the RS6 sedan, Mazda is bringing a new crossover concept, Mitsubishi will debut the redesigned Pajero Sport and plan on plenty of Lada love to spread around. Lexus is joining the ranks of other top-tier automakers showing their wares in Moscow with the unveiling of an all-wheel-drive version of its LS460 flagship.
The AWD system fitted to the LS460 is the same found on the LS600h, and includes a Torsen LSD integrated into the rear drive shaft that receives power from the 381 hp, 4.6-liter V8 via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. In normal driving conditions, torque is split 40/60 front-to-rear, with as much as 70 percent of the power being shoveled to the rear wheels depending on conditions.
Russia's affection for stately sedans is one of the reasons that BMW decided to launch the redesigned 7-series in the planet's largest country, and Lexus is obviously trying to tap into one of the world's fastest growing automotive markets with the introduction of the LS460 AWD.
Click above for a high-res gallery of Infiniti in Monterey.
Infiniti ramped up its presence in Monterey this year with the new G37 sedan and G37x coupe, the latter equipped with the automaker's advanced ATTESSA E-TSO all-wheel-drive system and seven-speed automatic gearbox. We're looking forward to seeing if the AWD coupe can retain the engaging driving characteristics of its RWD counterpart, while providing the security of all-wheel-drive for those of us that like to make a run into the mountains during the snow season.
Infiniti also used its time on the peninsula to show off the first image of the G37 convertible (we curbed our urge to take a picture of the picture), along with the release of the revised M35 and M35x. The 2009 model benefits from the automaker's scratch shield paint, new seven-speed auto 'box and an increase in output to 303 hp, while still boosting fuel economy by one mpg. We're eagerly anticipating the 3.7-liter V6 finding its way under the hood of the M sometime around the turn of the decade, with some G-inspired styling to match its newfound horsepower.
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