Autoblog

There have got to be cheaper ways to go for a swim, but one driver apparently couldn't find one. The 33-year-old Dutch man from the town of Woerden in the Netherlands went by his local Audi dealership to check out a brand spankin' new R8 supercar... and then proceeded to drive it into the nearest river. The driver was reportedly speeding – 80 mph according to police, but closer to 125 if you ask some of the bystanders – in a 50 zone when he hit a bump, lost control and skidded into a dyke. Although local law enforcement authorities are reportedly investigating the incident, nobody was hurt. The same cannot be said, sadly, for the car, which is reportedly in a repair shop where the dealer's insurance company will surely declare it a write-off.

After Intersection magazine gave another Audi product the treatment by lowering it into a swimming pool in England – the same one that Jeremy Clarkson drove a Rolls-Royce into, by the looks of things – we can't help but wonder and worry if this isn't a developing trend. In the meantime, we'll do our part to remind the motoring public that although the R8 is an incredibly capable car, it is not a submersible Lotus. Thanks to everyone who sent in the tip.

[Source: AutoJunk.nl]

While the world watches in awe as the Corvette ZR1 wretches the performance crown from its competitors, some people are already concerning themselves with its successor. How could GM possibly improve on its best 'Vette yet? Popular Mechanics speculated on what the 2012 Corvette could have in store, and some of the answers they've dug up are a bit surprising. Dual clutch gearboxes? Nope. Mid-engine? Nope. How about losing a few cylinders? Heresy! Before all of the V8 loyalists get their panties in a bunch, remember that you can do a lot with a twin-turbo six. While the Nissan GT-R is the latest example of huge pressure-induced horsepower from a six, the Jaguar XJ220 and past Noble efforts have proven the engine configuration more than adequate. While we don't have any problem with the idea of a high-boost 3.6-liter direct-injection sixer, we know that there's still plenty of room for a range-topping V8 engine and we feel confident that America's preeminent sportscar will soldier on with one -- at the very least -- as an option.


[Source: Popular Mechanics]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Last week, General Motors' Bowling Green, KY assembly plant began manufacturing the fastest, most powerful production Corvette in its 55-year history. We got our first official look at the 2009 Corvette ZR1 at the Detroit Auto Show in January and, at that time, Chevrolet officials hadn't finalized the numbers. Over the intervening months, GM continued to tease us with bits of information, including the ZR1's 205 mph top speed, 638 horsepower, 605 lb.-ft. of torque, and 7:26.4 lap time at the Nurburgring. Throughout all of this, we've been waiting patiently for one of the most anticipated invitations of 2008: the ZR1 First Drive.

That wait finally ended a few weeks ago when we got the call to arrive at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. All we needed was cooperative weather. As the sun crested the horizon on the appointed day, the darkened skies threatened to put the kibosh on our time with the King. But a few hours later, the clouds dissipated and the fun was officially underway.

UPDATE: Video of Corvette ZR1 on the Lutz Ring added after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk / Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Click image above for a high-res gallery of concepts from Pebble Beach

The Pebble Beach Concours has something for every car enthusiast, even if classic cars aren't your thing. Every year we take the time to tear ourselves away from the fairway and head up to the front of the lodge where the concept car lawn showcases some of the latest show cars. Many of the cars made their debut at the Detroit Auto Show this year including Chrysler's green concepts, the Jeep Renegade, Dodge ZEO, and Chrysler ecoVoyager. GM brought out the Cadillac CTS Coupe and the Buick Invicta, Lexus showed off the LF-A Roadster, and Mercedes-Benz displayed the F700 that debuted in Frankfurt. Other featured cars included the Pininfarina Hyperion, Lamborghini Reventon and Gallardo LP560-4, Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport and Spyker C8 Aileron. Enjoy the high resolution gallery below.

Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of Bugatti Grand Sport in Monterey

Just a day after the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport was unveiled on the Pebble Beach lawn, the Gooding & Company auctioned off the rights to chassis #1 and the opportunity to work with the Bugatti factory to build the car to their exact specifications. With the Grand Sport prototype up on the auction block, bidding started at $1.7 million and finally rested with a final offer of $2.9 million. The auction premium of 10 percent then brought the total to $3.19 million. In case you were wondering what it's like to witness the sale of a multi-million dollar car, you can watch a video of the auction after the jump as well as read more about the Gooding & Company auction highlights in the press release.

Click above for high-res gallery of group of Veyrons

Starting with McCall's Motorworks Revival at the Monterey Jet Center on Wednesday night and ending with the announcement of the winner of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, we are pretty much on automotive overload after our weekend trip to Monterey. There are so many amazing automobiles in the same location at the same time that it would be nearly impossible to show you all the incredible cars we come across. Ferraris and Lamborghinis become regular cars in the Monterey Bay, seen at every stop light and Starbucks drive through. We were even starting to get used to seeing Bugatti Veyrons around town. There was one at the Jet Center party, two at Concorso Italiano including the Pur Sang, an Fbg Veyron by Hermes was at the Quail Lodge, and we witnessed the unveiling of the new Grand Sport version on Saturday night. All of that was topped on Sunday when Bugatti parked four Veyrons in front of the Pebble Beach Lodge. What's amazing is that we hadn't seen two of these four yet, bringing our total count for the weekend to seven. While it was hard to get them all in one photo because of the crowds, we managed to snap a few images of them all together that can be seen in the gallery below.

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.

Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

It's got the preposterously huge wing, and race-burlesque stripe job; could this Viper spotted at the Nurburgring possibly be a Viper ACR? The red and black Viper was nabbed on one of the 'Ring's cameras, and there's also reports of a black Viper with graphite stripes tearing around the German racing venue. While the pictures showed up on the Viperclub forums, nobody's got any lap times, unfortunately. Could the ACR turn laps as fast as the scorching GT-R or ZR1? Who knows, but there's no doubt that it'll be fast. That big, silly wing is acceptable in this instance, as it will actually work to enhance downforce on the drive wheels. It'd be the first thing removed for street duty, were we the owners of a Viper GTS. Alas, we're not Viper ACR owners, though the idea of an astoundingly fast car that can kill you if you don't know what you're doing just seems right in these days of electronic safety nets. Cowboy attitude aside, we hope that this Viper owner managed to not stuff it into any hazards, and that his lap times eventually bubble to the surface. Thanks for the tip, Gustavo.

[Source: forums.viperclub.org]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.

The wraps – and the roof – have come off the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport here in Monterey, finally answering a question few have asked and even fewer will sample.

As you'd expect, Bugatti hasn't just hacked the roof off the Veyron and gone to the pub. The windshield is slightly higher, the daytime running lights have been tweaked and then there's the showpiece: a removable, transparent polycarbonate roof, which blends the A-pillars into two painted carbon fiber strips that lead into the massive air intakes feeding the 1001 hp, quad-turbocharged, W16.

If you stow the roof at home for the world's fastest open-air, four-wheeled experience and the heavens decide to open, a folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be – according to Bugatti – "opened like an umbrella." With the soft-top in place, speeds are limited to an incredibly low 130 km/h (81 mph), otherwise, the Grand Sport can hit 252 mph with the polycarbonate roof and 224 mph with the top removed.

Bugatti made several structural enhancements to ensure the Grand Sport shares the same chassis rigidity and safety standards as its fixed roof counterpart. The monocoque has been reinforced around the side skirts and transmission tunnel, the doors feature new longitudinal beams, and the air intakes have been redesigned to include ten-centimeter-wide carbon fiber elements to protect occupants in the event of rollover.

Only 150 examples will be made available, with the first 50 going to registered Bugatti customers. The first model will be auctioned off at the Gooding & Company auction tomorrow night, with all the profits over the 1.4 million euro ($2.05 million) sticker going to charity.

Hit the jump for the press release.

Live Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above to watch the video

Not that the deal would need to be sweetened, but buying the latest Ferrari supercar comes with perks. For a group of European customers who came to Maranello to take possession of their new 430 Scuderias, that included a hands-on advanced driving course to show them what their new rides could do. And who better to demonstrate the capabilities of the fastest car ever to lap Fiorano than the driver who helped develop it? Follow the jump and you'll find a video of Michael Schumacher glad-handing the millionaires and their new rides around Ferrari's private on-site test track, posting hot laps and drifting around the wet handling course. Prepare to be jealous.

[Source: FerrariWorld channel on YouTube]