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Official: Gazoo Racing drums up twincharged 320-horsepower Toyota GT86

Schumacher — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:35:26 GMT

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Toyota

As if turbos weren't enough.

Gazoo Racing (full name: Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring) has unveiled a concept racing version of the famed Toyota GT86 that features both a turbocharger and a supercharger to offer up 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque.

The car, officially called the Sport FR Concept, oozes high performance out of its fenders and includes Gazoo brakes, spoilers and suspension tuning, according to FT86Club.com. However, few specifics were available.

Toyota teamed up with Gazoo earlier this year to help jump start it's small-displacement engines. Earlier this year, Toyota gave the green light to the iQ Supercharger. Gazoo was expected to build about 100 of those cars.

Gazoo Racing drums up twincharged 320-horsepower Toyota GT86 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Aston DBS spied

Automotive — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:35:50 GMT

We've got the best shots yet of Aston's £200,000, 550bhp DBS replacement

BMW, Mercedes look to grow by shrinking

AutoNews — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:35:49 GMT

Sometimes you have to think small to grow bigger. Hoping to lock down its position as the U.S. luxury market leader, BMW is getting ready to introduce some of the smallest products it has ever sold here.

2011 RM Auctions in Monterey - LIVE BLOG

Schumacher — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:20:22 GMT

Filed under: Car Buying, Classics, Misc. Auto Shows, Specialty

Drew Phillips and I were looking over the RM docket for tonight's auction and realized something: There are going to be more $1m+ vehicles going up on the block tonight than any other night we can remember. Among the highlights include 300 SL coupes, Daytona Spiders, a Ferrari 750 Monza and one magical Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadsterthat's sure to hit upwards of $5,000,000.

We'll be live-blogging it all after the jump, and just as an explainer: all prices listed include a 10 percent commission for the auction house, so if something - say, the 300SL above - hammers at $760,000, the final price would be $836,000. We'll just be listing the gavel price. And with that, let's get to it.

Continue reading 2011 RM Auctions in Monterey - LIVE BLOG

2011 RM Auctions in Monterey - LIVE BLOG originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Life Inc.: Cursing and other parts of buying a car

AutoNews — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:20:47 GMT

Life Inc.: I just bought a new car. It wasn't the best experience. Here are 10 tips to hopefully give you a smoother ride at the dealership.

Citroen C-Zero

Automotive — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:32:59 GMT

Citroen reveals its version of the Mitsubishi i â€“ complete with an electric engine!

What automakers have in store for 2010

AutoNews — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:33:02 GMT

Despite the slow economy and even slower auto sales, a wide range of new cars is waiting on the other side of 2009.

New S60 shapes up to beat 3-Series!

Automotive — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:33:00 GMT

Volvo sets sights on BMW with saloon stunner with choice of cutting-edge engines; hybrid on way.

SEMA 2009 Worst of Show: This car stinks...

Schumacher — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:22:00 GMT

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Sedan, Dodge, Specialty
Worst of Show - Click above image for hi-res gallery

Stinks. You might think that we're talking about the overall design of this shockingly orange scissor-door/scissor-trunk Dodge Charger R/T. Or the build quality, what with panel gaps that you can insert your index finger into, wheels so large the tie-rods can't hold them and the world's saddest piece of vinyl covering the trunk's goofy hinge. You might even be under the impression that we're referring to the poor Charger's taillights, which set a new SEMA low. But you'd be mistaken. While this poor, 26-inch dubbed Charger has no doubt been beaten to death with the SEMA stick, we're actually talking about its odor. Quite literally, it smells like synthetic cat urine.

The why and the how of this particular example of aftermarket hubris and wretched, mindless - and let's not forget pointless - excess don't really matter now, as the poor thing will spend the next 15 years quietly rotting in the side yard of some shop in Joliet, Illinois waiting to either shrug off this mortal coil or get turned into a fine LeMons car right around 2025 - whichever comes first. Despite the poor design and execution, the pointy end of our query-arrow is pointed straight at the heart of where the offending aroma came from. Did they finish off the interior with a nice shellacking of formaldehyde? Or, is this rough, slouching-towards-Bethlehem beast already sleeping outside, doors scissored up with cats as tenants? Who knows. But it's easily the Worst of Show; a sad, unfortunate offering at an otherwise entertaining and action-packed event.

Gallery: SEMA 2009: Stinking Scissor Trunk ChargerSEMA 2009 Worst of Show: This car stinks... originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Astra wins Golden Steering Wheel

Automotive — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:33:02 GMT

Vauxhall's latest takes the compact crown in the Golden Steering Wheel awards.

Review: Toyota Venza falls short

AutoNews — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:33:01 GMT

The Venza, a new, hard-to-define crossover-wagon thing, may well be Toyotaâ€™s predicament embodied in steel, rubber and glass. And plastic. Loads of cheap, sloppily installed plastic.

BMW M3 GTS

Automotive — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:33:02 GMT

Ultimate M3 arrives boasting 450bhp V8 and track-inspired suspension

Cars are approaching â€˜autoâ€™ pilot mode

AutoNews — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:33:00 GMT

A new breed of prototype automobile can drive without the help of unreliable humans, and major car companies are paying attention.

SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals are anything but stock

Schumacher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:22:01 GMT

Filed under: SEMA Show, Etc.

Lisa Angeline, aka Catwoman - Click above for high-res image gallery

This year's SEMA show in Las Vegas didn't have quite the gravitas of years past, as the state of the economy and the automotive industry in particular seemed to be a wet blanket over the whole proceedings. Thank goodness there were plenty of friendly faces throughout the halls to keep our spirits up.

One smiling face especially caught our eye, although we weren't sure why. The eyes and smile were familiar but we couldn't quite put our finger on where we had seen them before. And then it hit us, it was our beloved Catwoman (a.k.a. Lisa Angeline) from last year's BatSmart gallery! We hardly recognized her stripped of her catsuit. We saw her in the Vertical Doors booth. We know this with great certainty because the name of the company was written in very strategic locations - like on the banner above her head and (*ahem*) elsewhere. Smart folks behind that BatSmart. But to be honest, we weren't really paying too much attention to the cars there, so perhaps this strategy is flawed.

This happened quite a bit during the week. We'd go down to shoot a certain car, and an hour later, we'd be scratching our heads wondering what we had come down for in the first place. Take a look at the gallery and you'll probably agree - down year or no, the distractions were quite spectacular.

Gallery: SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals
Photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.SEMA 2009: Booth Professionals are anything but stock originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

MINI creates fleet of art cars

Automotive — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:33:00 GMT

For its 50th anniverssary MINI gave ten artists a car and a paintbrush and turned the results into a book

CEO lays out ambitious Chrysler road map

AutoNews — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:33:02 GMT

Chrysler's new chief executive, Sergio Marchionne of Italy's Fiat, says he is not "promising a miracle," but his ambitious turnaround plan for the automaker is raising eyebrows.

Porsche Boxster Spyder

Automotive — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:32:59 GMT

The new Boxster Spyder is due next year, inspired by the legendary James Dean 550 Spyder.

2010 Suzuki Kizashi to start under $19k

Schumacher — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:22:00 GMT

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Suzuki
2010 Suzuki Kizashi - Click above for high-res image gallery

We liked our time behind the wheel of the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi. It drives like a little sports sedan and doesn't look half bad, and now Suzuki's newest sedan has another attractive quality: it's priced to sell. The Kizashi will start at $18,999. The base Kizashi isn't exactly a stripper model either, as power windows, doors and mirrors are standard along with a nine-speaker stereo, eight airbags, stability control and ABS.

Move up to the SE model that ranges in price from $21,499 to $22,749 and enjoy 17-inch alloys, a power driver's seat, leather steering wheel and cruise control. The next model is our personal favorite, the GTS. The sportiest of Kizashi models comes with a six-speed manual or a performance-tuned CVT (get the manual) for $22,499 to $24,849. Among its standard features are an up-level 425-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system with ten speakers, Bluetooth audio capability, hands free calling and voice command. Also standard are 18-inch wheels and a power moon roof. The top-shelf SLS model ranges from $24,399 to $26,749 and includes luxury amenities like heated leather seats, a universal garage door opener, auto head lamps, proximity sensors and rain sensing wipers.

All of the aforementioned prices are subject to Suzuki's $735 destination and shipping charge.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi
[Source: Suzuki]Continue reading 2010 Suzuki Kizashi to start under $19k2010 Suzuki Kizashi to start under $19k originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

LA Auto Show Design Challenge

Automotive — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:33:01 GMT

Designers envision what young drivers will want from their cars in the year 2030.

Clunker deals: old Ford pickups for new ones

AutoNews — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:32:59 GMT

The most common deals under the government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program, aimed at putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road, replaced old pickups with new ones.