cars

Mecum Miami Vice Testarossa 9

Miami Vice Ferrari 512 TestaRossa Bringing Coked-Up 80s Cool to Mecum 2015 Monterey Auctions

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What was the epitome of South Beach chic in the 1980s? White. White car, white house. White blazer and belt. A white “carphone” to match. All bought with an empire of white powder. To fit the profile, the detectives in Miami Vice had to live the part of druglords as their undercover personas. Fast cars and fast women… all wrapped up nicely with a solved case at the end of the hour. Perhaps even more iconic than the art deco beachfronts and rampant turquoise from the show? The Ferrari 512 TR hero car of the show. Unlike Hawaii 5-0 Magnum …

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2015 Divergent BLADE Concept 9

700HP, 2.2s 2015 Divergent BLADE Concept – The Tesla of Small-Batch Supercars?

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Verrrry interesting new supercar concept to share! Meet the 2015 Divergent Microfactories Blade. The product of a Palo Alto-based tech startup, the Blade highlights the rapidly falling barriers to entering the automotive business. One-time giant fixed costs like factories and industrial presses are on the outs thanks to innovations in material science. While billed by many as the 3D-printed supercar, that does not strictly seem to be the case. Yes, many components in the Blade are produced in an unconventional fashion — but are the truly 3D printed pieces on display, or mostly hidden details? The main chassis evolves from …

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2016 Audi A4 37

2016 Audi A4 Redesign Majors on Engines, Efficiency and Cabin Tech

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This, ladies and gentleman, is the long-anticipated 2016 Audi A4. You are forgiven for the totally understandable surprise/horror at the lack of a new design. We have been muttering the same thing to ourselves prepping this article’s images. THIS!? Is It? Apparently. A hyper-subtle exterior makeover is all we will receive, despite the new A4 being all-new in every way. An all-new multi-material platform is lighter, the 2.0T engine is all-new, while the cabin is finally up to date on tech. The new A4’s design outside does have scientific merit, if not sex appeal. How? Just a 0.23 drag coefficient …

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Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015 – DAY TWO Gallery + Action GIFS

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Updated 6.28.15 — Now With More Action GIFS! Weekend complete for Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015! A huge swath of OEM, race team and collector passion for the moving motor show icon this year — with stunning cars bellowing skyward as they race up Lord March’s driveway at Goodwood House. And even if you missed it… we have a delicious treat to share!  600 all-new, high-res photos of the latest exotic and sports cars, modern racers, vintage racecars and classic icons. Splitting the photo megaload into three posts so we do not destroy web-manity with a single obese web page. …

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Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015 – New Cars Mega Gallery in 188 Pics

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Day one complete at a glorious and very sunny 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed! A huge swath of OEM, race team and collector passion for the moving motor show icon this year — with stunning cars bellowing skyward as they race up Lord March’s driveway at Goodwood House. And even if you missed it… we have a delicious treat to share!  600 all-new, high-res photos of the latest exotic and sports cars, modern racers, vintage racecars and classic icons. Splitting the photo megaload into three posts so we do not destroy web-manity with a single obese web page. Leading off? …

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Update1 – 3.9s, 510HP 2016 Alfa Romeo GIULIA Quadrifoglio Sounds Sublime On Track!

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Update1 – Rendered Color TestWOW! First look at the new Alfa Giulia today leaves us floored! On-Stage Debut Romeo & Juliet appear to be in fine form these days — running sideways around 90-mph corners at the fantasy Verona racetrack! The numbers and initial details for this production-spec GIULIA (proniunced ‘Julia’) Qaudrifoglio are mouth-watering. 510 horsepower via a twin-turbocharged V6. Rear or AWD. Torque vectoring and active aero. Style to make you weak in the knees from up front. Fresh LED designs and a wide V have a sporty feel that vaguely recalls the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept, but …

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2015 ALPINE Celebration Concept 18

2015 ALPINE Celebration Concept – Mid-Engine 2016 TT-Fighter in HD LeMans Lap

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Surprise reveal for the next chapter in Alpine sportscars! This 2015 ALPINE Celebration Concept is a mid-engine prototype that represents the first look at the brand’s move to a stand-alone marque in the RenaultSport fleet. Initiated as a collaboration with Caterham a few years ago, the plan was to acquire a low-cost and proven sports-car chassis from the English. Custom bodywork and RenaultSport engines would provide authentic French zing for the machine – which would become a halo sportscar for the entire Renault/Dacia lineup — worldwide. HD Le Mans Lap Renault ran into major troubles synchronizing its big-company safety, reliability …

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900HP, 3.6s 2016 Mercedes-Maybach by BRABUS – A Dictators Delight!

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How do you make a presidential motorcade reach 220-mph — a top speed quicker than any F1 car? You add the Brabus 900 V12TT to the new Maybach! For the working rich, a much more humble 80HP upgrade is also available for the Maybach S500. Revamped styling outside, giant wheels and a ghastly cabin makeover round out the upgrades to this new fatcat bahn-stormer. 2016 Mercedes-Maybach by BRABUS BRABUS refines the new Mercedes-Maybach 662 kW / 900 HP, 1,500 Nm, top speed 350 km/h plus,    high-tech forged wheels, sporty-elegant design and even more luxurious BRABUS fine leather interiors   The …

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2015 Torino Design WildTwelve Concept

SHOCK! 2017 Ford GT Will Race LeMans 2016 – HD Track Test Video + 75 Photos

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Alternative headline grabbers?   FTW! New Vmax Bomber! Shock & Awesome! Stormin’ Normandy! Ford Libs LeMans for 6th Time in 2016? Now on to this heartwarming news: the 2017 Ford GT supercar will race in Le Mans next year, the 50th anniversary of the Ford GT’s first win in 1966. Since 1944, we add 1967, 68 and 69 to reach five overall American trips to Le Mans, France. Le Sarthe for Ford means nothing less than agony, ecstasy and a lasting legacy. The 2016 24-hour race one year from tomorrow will mark a high water mark in Ford Performance’s return …

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LeMans 2015 Spotters Guide to All Racecars c/o Nissan GT-R LM Nismo – Truly Innovative Excitement?

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Innovation That Excites. Sound familiar? Of course it does. This Nissan tagline raises half an eyebrow when attached to cars like the Altima or Versa. Arguably neither innovative nor exciting, it is almost like calling Taco Bell haute cuisine. It just is not in any way. Categorical denial of tagline principles! But the new 2015 LMP1 car from Nissan is actually hugely innovative and hugely exciting. It is the newest entrant in the top class to compete with the Ultra-boring Audi Sport R19s, Porsche 919 and somewhat dull Toyota Gazoo TS040. The GT-R LM NISMO is also a total wildcard …

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RM Monterey 2015 – Pinnacle Portfolio: Up Close With 21 Exotic-Car Icons

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Get ready to move some funds around! RM Sotheby’s just revealed a new entry into the 2015 Monterey classic auction: the Pinnacle Portfolio. 20 of the most desirable and collectible modern and classic supercars. Maserati MC12, McLaren F1 LM Road Car, Ferrari F40 LM and regular, 250GT’s, CCXR Koenigsegg…. the list really is drool-worthy. Each is likely to draw a unique type of buyer, despite them all coming from one very large home before. Check out the high-res preview photos of 21 Pinnacle cars below. RM Monterey 2015 – Pinnacle Portfolio 2015 – Monterey – The Pinnacle Portfolio 1994 Ferrari …

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World Endurance Championship

LeMans 2015 – Toyota TS040 Hybrid Gets New Nose, More Power and New Suspension Setup

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  What the TS040 lacks in outright drama, it clearly makes up for with outstanding engineering and bulletproof reliability. Le Mans 2014 was one of the three World Endurance Championship races that the TS040 Hybrid did not win — but the team cleaned up by going 5 in 8 overall during the 2014 season. This dominance was enough to score Toyota the World Championship titles for the car as well as its drivers — which is certainly an impressive feat. The newly-renamed Toyota Gazoo Racing team wants to keep the winning glory in this 2015 season with the ultimate crowning …

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Ferrari Bringing FXX-K + 488GTB and More to 2015 Goodwood FOS in New Concours Strategy

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Ferrari is the most-collectible car brand of all time. Vehicles from the company’s storied past have owned the top-ten vehicle value charts for at least the last 20 years — with that dominance set to continue indefinitely. Especially considering the brilliance of the current range! As the dominant force in supercars, racing and exotics — Ferrari can be choosy about the events it attends officially, and the coolness of the cars they bring along to show. Case in point? The FXX K has not been seen again in public since its debut at Yas Marina the other month. The F12 …

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BMW Art Car Collection Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Fresh Museum Display + World Tour (125 Photos) 117

BMW Art Car Collection Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Fresh Museum Display + World Tour (125 Photos)

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Who would have thought that a custom CSL in 1975 would become such a core element of the BMW legacy. 17 models so far have been made over in the BMW Art Car program, with the majority pure racecars — but not all. In fact, each car’s birth is quite a story in itself. The inspirations and visions of the artists involved are as varied as the subjects themselves. But as each car is unique, along with each artist — one core theme comes through from at least half the artists: speed whipping the paint back and up the lines …

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HAMANN Presents Dueling Good/Evil 2015 BMW M4 Art Cars

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  Good and evil?! That is a stretch — they are both beyond good. The first HAMANN Art Car 2015 M4 is the white-base example, with the second a dark base. Timo Wuerz handled the design of the dark car, with its brush-strokes all swept back by the wind of a racetrack. An explosion of reds and yellow flame tones emerge from the BMW roundel up front, contrasted with the dark blues and black swipes of the clean edges. They are both quite striking, to say the least. The white car employs a friendlier color palatte with or ribbon-like flowing …

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2015 RIMAC Concept_One EV Hypercar 4

1088HP RIMAC Concept_One eHypercar Nearing Production + Now Raceable in DRIVECLUB

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Three massive tech leaps have lowered the barriers to hypercar creation dramatically: — affordable cad-cam and engineering software — small-batch carbon fiber chassis and panel creation — electric propulsion to deliver the power of race-car gasoline engines, but with all companies essentially starting from the same block. Years of experience are no longer (as big of…) an advantage for EV supercars Without any of the above, designing and creating a car from scratch easily required banks of computer servers and million-dollar industrial panel stampers. Therefore, the time is right for startup tech companies all over the world to take the …

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New LED Foglamps for 2015 Berlinetta Lusso by Touring SuperLeggera 8

New LED Foglamps for 2015 Berlinetta Lusso by Touring SuperLeggera

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Updated 5.23.15 The Berlinetta Lusso made its concours debut this weekend at Villa d’Este sporting a new grille design integrating twin round LED foglamps. These are a triple LED setup, and look stunning lit with the headlamp’s white DRL accent. Touring Superleggera has pulled back the silk on its latest masterpiece: the Berlinetta Lusso. The Lusso is a full redesign of the Ferrari F12’s exterior, adding a level of timeless sophistication to go with the mechanical brutality of the F12 on full throttle. You may have noted that the latest Ferrari range lacks a super-lux flagship: the place of the …

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Quattroroute 2015 Zagato Mostro photos 10

2015 ZAGATO Mostro Is Custom Carbon Supercar Aimed at GT3 Drivers

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  A very exciting reveal this weekend in Lake Cuomo! Zagato has graced the Villa d’Este COncours with their latest creation: the Mostro powered by Maserati. Honoring ten decades of Maserati Zagato specials and the 1957 ‘Monster’ in particular, this exotic supercar design is being produced and sold to five pre-selected customers. The car is built on a carbon tub with a front-mounted Maserati V8 engine, believed to be the 4.7-liter, dry-sumped screamer from the GranTurismo lineup. Power is sent to the back wheels via a rear-mounted six-speed transaxle. Double wishbones and 19-inch wheels round out the simplistic and race-car-like …

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SLS Prior Design 900GT Widebody 1

AMG SLS Widebody 900GT By Prior Design Is Radical Design Upgrade

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Holy hell! Get a load of the latest badass bodykit for the AMG SLS: the Prior Design 900GT Widebody. The kit comes in around $30k and consists of two dozen new body pieces — which come ready to paint as standard, with CF available. the four-part front bumper including the four lateral gills the six-part front wings, the two-part bonnet with air inlets the likewise two-part side skirts including blade the four-part rear wings the two-part rear bumper including diffuser the five-part rear valve spoiler As you can see, the effect is almost unreal on the SLS as a 2015 …

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ALPINA X3 – Gorgeous M Sport Styling and Performance Tweaks

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PART FOUR of FOUR The Alpina X3 My favorite Alpina upgrade of this four-pack? Easily this aggressive X3 makeover. Versus the stock X3, the Alpina is virtually unrecognizable. Granted, comparing the Alpina X3 to the base model is not a fair comparo. This Alpina truck started as the X3 M Sport, which is already a little-known way to make the humdrum design really pop with some M style.   The fact that there is no X version of the X3 (yet) helps to make this Alpina SUV ultra unique and exclusive. 2015 BMW X3 xLine 2015 BMW X3 M Sport …

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ALPINA B3 Wheel Colorizer 18

2015 ALPINA B3 – Digital Wheel Colorizer and USA 3 series Upgrade Showcase

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PART THREE of FOUR The Alpina 3 series Now on to the ever-popular 3 series: a sedan so incredibly fun to drive, you are shocked when people buy anything else! The 3 series is arguably the most improved by the ALPINA style. Even outside the core design tweaks and green/blue paint colors, the Alpina 3 series is *thisclose* to its M3 and M5 siblings on overall stance, traction and visual aggressiveness. ORIGINAL: The import and BMW distribution of the ALPINA B6 and B7 to the US is big news. They are all extremely rare and extremely cool, especially the new …

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BMW ALPINA B4 BITURBO

ALPINA B4 Mods Available for USA BMW 4 series Owners

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PART TWO of FOUR The Alpina 4 series The import and BMW distribution of the ALPINA B6 and B7 to the US is big news. They are all extremely rare and extremely cool, especially the new ALPINA B6 Gran Coupe. These ALPINA specials are a fantastic M car alternative, with more engines, xDrive and even diesel engines able to Alpina-fied. But the great thing about the ALPINA upgrade catalog is that all the parts that make these complete models are also available indivudally. There is a slight benefit to this for current BMW owners: you can target specific upgrades and …

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ALPINA B5 Mods Available for USA BMW 5 series Owners

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PART ONE of FOUR The import and BMW distribution of the ALPINA B6 and B7 to the US is big news. They are all extremely rare and extremely cool, especially the new ALPINA B6 Gran Coupe. These ALPINA specials are a fantastic M car alternative, with more engines, xDrive and even diesel engines able to Alpina-fied. But the great thing about the ALPINA upgrade catalog is that all the parts that make these complete models are also available indivudally. There is a slight benefit to this for current BMW owners: you can target specific upgrades and install them over time. …

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2016 Chevy Camaro Unveiled At Employee Event

455HP, 4.2s 2016 Chevrolet CAMARO – Official Debut in 150 Images + Tech Specs

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This is it! The 2016 Camaro Six is official today with a huge debut in Belle Island, Detroit. Headline numbers are a curb weight drop by more than 200 pounds, plus a top-level (for now) engine making 455-horsepower via 6.2-liters. A new turbo engine joins the Camaro RS and SS models, with outputs of the four estimated at 275-horsepower, up to 335-hp for the 3.6-liter V6 of the RS.   Other major things to know right off the bat are: — all-new exterior design with a far more scultped and creased bodywork, giving the classic Camaro shape a highly interesting …

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2016 Ford Mustang GT

2016 Ford Mustang GT Launching Black Pack, New Cali Special and GT Performance Pack

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  If the current 2015 Mustang GT has not hooked you yet with its sublime redesign, the 2016 is likely to close the deal. The most striking exterior change are the new hood vents in the GT. These are contrast-black on the California Special, shown here as a white convertible. They are body-colored on the new Mustang GT Black Pack, which wears gloss-black alloys, badging and other trim elements. A new hood vent design pulls more hot air from under the hood and also houses LED amber blinkers. These serve as side marker repeaters and are highly visible on the …

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2016 Aston Martin VULCAN in 40 New Photos from Dubai and Manhattan

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Updated 5.10.15 The 2016 Aston Martin Vulcan has been a real showstopper since its surprise reveal in Geneva. Replacing the One-77 as the ultra-fast brand flagship, the Vulcan will be a track-only wonder when it arrives to its 25 ultra-wealthy owners. But boy is this car hard to photograph in auto show environments! Its gloss-black lower aero treatment is delicious and highly advanced, but washes out in most indoor light. So in-person viewing will be extra important to clinch prized deposits. To that end, the Vulcan swooped into Dubai recently to be the local showroom’s electro-magnet… drawing in the great …

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2016 Volvo XC90R 8

Volvo Announces $500M Factory in Charleston, South Carolina – First USA-Made Volvo Cars in 2018

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Volvo made its big factory announcement this morning — right in my backyard!  Yes, Volvo is coming to Charleston to be closer to car-revs-daily!? Just kidding. Volvo chose this Southeastern Atlantic state for a number of reasons — all related to the firm’s ambitious goal of making up to 200,000 cars a year here by around 2020. The first Volvo plant anywhere in North America, Volvo is clearly seeking the strategic and financial advantages that come with building its cars close to their intended market. Why South Carolina? Every state is willing to kick big tax incentives to manufacturers these …

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2015 Volvo S60 T6 Drive-E 5

Road Test Review – 2015 Volvo S60 T6 Drive-E With Ken Glassman

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2015 Volvo S60 T6 Review By Ken Glassman A Hooligan Volvo Sedan? Yes, but . . . Ever since the 1960’s Volvo’s built their reputation by being a boxy (homely?) vehicle that was reliable, fuel efficient, roomy, and most of all . . . a very safe vehicle. It sold safety, when American cars were selling big engines and style, and Japan was selling cheap cost. College professors, wearing tweed sport coats with patches on the elbows, and young conservative families interested in safety seemed like the average buyers. But in the last 20 years or so, all car companies …

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4.6s 2016 BMW 340i xDrive and new Plug-in 330e Lead Refreshed Range

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A big round of updates for the BMW 3 series range! The changes bring new LED lighting front and rear, a PHEV model called 330e, and the new 340i badge to replace the 335i. This update reflects an all-new turbo engine up front. The 3.0-liter inline-six is now dubbed B58 versus the previous N55. The new engine has a just of 20 horsepower up to 320, with a torque mountain of 330-pound-feet coming on from just 1350 RPM. That is one eager motor! The US range includes a 320, 328i or 328d and new 330e featuring plug-in hybrid technology. A …

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1972 Lamborghini Miura SV 21

RM Amelia Island 2015 – Top 10 Most-Valuable Auction Cars in 80 New Photos

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Started this article to share an update on RM Auctions — which you may have noticed is now co-branded as RM Sotheby’s. Just before the Amelia Island 2015 event in March, Sotheby’s announced a 25-percent equity share purchase of RM, based in Blenheim, Ontario. Sotheby’s is in the big three of global auction companies, so their interest in RM makes sense to broaden and co-mingle both buyer groups. RM is certainly a powerhouse of an auction company, with its car sales generating massive interest among collectors and fans alike. Amelia Island 2015 was no different: $60-million in sales in just …

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Mecum Indy 2015 – 1993 Toyota Supra Official Fast Furious Movie Car Seeking $150k+

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Movie cars sometimes have a hard life after the filming stops. They have sometimes been abused to the point of no return – with only one or two of the original six-pack of action stars making it to the premiere on four wheels. This 1993 Toyota Supra is the exception. Thanks to fairly gentle use in The Fast and The Furious, this Paul Walker whip survives today in perfect condition. One of one, this Supra is a perfect slice-of-life from the early 2000’s SoCal car scene. The time is right for a big-money sale in 2015, 14 years after the …

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2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4-Door 65

2015 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 4-Door – HD First Drive Video + 150 Photos

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With a base price of $25,000, the 2015 MINI Cooper S 4-Door Hardtop overlaps closely with an unlikely competitor: the new Focus ST. Both are fun-running favorites with a cultlike following, and both achieve 60-mph in the low 6.0-second range through six-speed manuals. Though the Cooper S is down 65 horsepower versus the Focus ST, the MINI’s Cooper S upgrade is more important than ever for 2015. As with the MINI hardtop, the base Cooper runs a three-cylinder to the Cooper S’s turbo four. Power is up from 134 horsepower in the Cooper to 184 in the Cooper S, a …

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2015 Volkswagen C Coupe GTE Concept 17

Updated With 18 New Photos – 2015 Volkswagen C Coupe GTE Concept

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Updated 4.21.15 With 18 New Photos VW + China = Love   You probably know that Chinese car buyers love VWs and they love limousines. Seems like a perfect opportunity to combine the two into a stylish market-leader, right? Perhaps. The VW Phaeton has indeed been a relatively big hit in China, which is the car’s leading/only market along with Germany. Phaeton ≠ S-Class But there are three big issues with the Phaeton achieving big sales in China (or anywhere else…): 1 — it is ancient inside with very, very poor technology compared with the new S-Class 2 — its engines are …

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2015-Berlinetta-Lusso-by-Touring-sfdcSuperLeggera-35

2015 Berlinetta Lusso by Touring SuperLeggera Is F12 In a Tuxedo!

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  Touring Superleggera has pulled back the silk on its latest masterpiece: the Berlinetta Lusso. The Lusso is a full redesign of the Ferrari F12’s exterior, adding a level of timeless sophistication to go with the mechanical brutality of the F12 on full throttle. You may have noted that the latest Ferrari range lacks a super-lux flagship: the place of the 456 and 612 is now a far more shouty and hardcore proposition. Touring Superleggera has given the F12 the classy formality of many timeless supercars from years past — including the 375MM made specially for Ingrid Bergman and many …

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2015 INFINITI Q70L Bespoke Edition Is Ultra-Posh Flagship Limo – Bested By Taurus on Tech?

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  LIMOUSINES FOR ALL? The chase for Chinese limo buyers is almost becoming a caricature. Based on all the attention lavished on this tiny segment of China’s 10-million-unit auto market, you might think that everyone’s first car there is a LWB limo with individual thrones in back and a chauffeur up front. That is emphatically not the case. Most Chinese car sales are humdrum little sedans made of sawdust and hope, powered by smog and costing a pretty penny for the privilege. LIMOUSINES FOR SOME! But there is a logic in snagging limo buyers. First off, the profit margins are …

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2015 QOROS 2 PHEV Concept 4

Update1 – 2015 QOROS 2 SUV PHEV Concept Previews Upcoming Juke-Fighter

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Updated 4.21.15 with 10 Real-Life Photos Qoros is by far our favorite Chinese car brand — plucking exceptional talent from the UK car scene like Gerte Hildebrand of MINI fame and Jamie Barrett from the RCA design program. The goal is to bring global car safety, design and equipment standards to China-made vehicles. This is more than lip-service: QOROS has the only Chinese vehicles to pass the tough EuroNCAP crash tests and on sale across the highly competitive European car market. Qoros recognizes the opportunity for new brands in the crossover and SUV space — with this latest Qoros 2 SUV …

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2016 McLaren 540C Is New Smoothie Supercar With Road-Friendly Torque

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McLaren just revealed its second model in the new entry-level range: the 540C. Along with the 570S, the McLaren Sport Series hopes to take a huge bite out of Porsche 911 Turbo sales with its advanced tech and hypercar brand. The 540C is a lightly tweaked version of the 570S with new nose detailing and a subtly tweaked diffuser around back. The main difference in the two cars is that the 540C will be slightly cheaper, and much more comfortable in everyday traffic. This comes from slightly more friendly tuning to the suspension and a remapped twin-turbo engine. This latest …

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2015 Volkswagen C Concept GTE 20

2015 Volkswagen C Coupé GTE Previews Phaeton Replacement

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VW + China = Love   You probably know that Chinese car buyers love VWs and they love limousines. Seems like a perfect opportunity to combine the two into a stylish market-leader, right? Perhaps. The VW Phaeton has indeed been a relatively big hit in China, which is the car’s leading/only market along with Germany. Phaeton ≠ S-Class But there are three big issues with the Phaeton achieving big sales in China (or anywhere else…): 1 — it is ancient inside with very, very poor technology compared with the new S-Class 2 — its engines are too large and draw massive VAT …

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2015 Mercedes-Benz MARCO POLO Glampers Primed For Lux Travel Adventures

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  Mercedes-Benz globally has three core businesses: trucks/buses, vans and cars. The US market has been almost exclusively focused on just one of these divisions, with the launch of the M-B Sprinter lineup 12 years ago one of the first times Americans have seen the three-pointed star on a truck of any kind. Everywhere else in the world, Mercedes logos bigger than your head are everywhere in cities, construction sites, farm tracts and anywhere in between. Part of the Mercedes-Benz USA focus on cars is now eroding — to the great benefit of shoppers able to buy some of the best …

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2015 Peugeot 308R HYbrid Concept 1

Update1 – 500HP, 3.8s 2015 Peugeot 308R HYbrid Concept Adopts QUARTZ Details

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Here is an exciting debut for Auto Shanghai in a few days — the Peugeot 308R HYbrid Concept. The design is a fantastic look at how the latest Pug concept styles can join the production range. The Quartz and Exalt concepts are some of the best design from any manufacturer lately, with crisp proportions and functional bulges along with a organic and flowing surface treatment. The Quartz SUV concept is actually back for the Shanghai show, where it will accompany this hot 308 with matching French Racing Blue paintwork, box-weave grilles and lower intake brightwork. Both show a contrast-black matte tail …

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Range Rover Classic 1

Land Rover Heritage Division Launched + Own This 1987 RR Classic For $20k!?

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We’ve been trying to find a way to write about this absolutely flawless 1987 Range Rover Vogue SE that is up for sale with no reserve from RM Auctions on May 2, 2015. Have you ever seen a more radiant and almost-brand-new classic Rangie!? Finished in Tuscan Blue, the 1987 model was the USA relaunch model for the brand. Four doors, a fantastic cabin and a driving position so unique and special, anyone would instantly fall in love. Just 150 horsepower from the big Buick-derived Rover V8, but enough to make the RR feel like a king as it romps …

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LeMans Homologation Specials - 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR SuperSport 30

LeMans Homologation Specials – 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR SuperSport

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The CLK GTR has an altogether less impressive record than the McLaren F1 GTR and Porsche 911 GT1 it was designed to beat. The CLK GTR was the most eagerly-sought road model, however, with 300 buyers trying to own one of the 25 road cars to be produced by AMG and the re-established M-B factory racing team. Re-established? Mercedes took the ultimate in gentlemen’s intermissions from LeMans after the tragic accident of 1955 killed dozens of spectators. A car out of control and taking flight before a huge crash was too similar to the 1930s Silver Arrows accidents, wherein famous …

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Collecti-Bangers Faceoff! 1977 Lincoln vs 1975 Jaguar XJ12C

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PHOTO POLL BELOW! The vast majority of all cars are not collectable. They will not appreciate past a certain nostalgia point, no matter how rare or how cool they are. Usually, these cars just finish out their days in quite, affluent dignity before being junked or liquidated at low-ball auctions. But every once and a while, these cars are included in a big-money sale like RM Sotheby’s. Usually in the catalogs because they are part of a large estate of more desirable vehicles, they shimmy their way across the auction block with little hope of a big score from buyers. These …

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2015 Volkswagen GTI SuperSport 43

3.6s, 503HP 2015 Volkswagen GTI SuperSport Concept in 50 Photos + Video!

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  Amid the growing kerfluffle between VW Group Chairman Ferdinand Piëch and VW Group President Martin Winterkorn — VW has just launched a digital concept to ignite extra passion around the GTI sub-brand. No one will want to “distance” themselves from this latest concept for GT6! With a 503-horsepower VR6 TSI and a thumping shove of torque, this AWD scorcher promises a virtual sprint to 60-mph of just 3.6-seconds. The GTI SuperSport is the car’s name, and it is available to download after updating to the game version 1.18. Four color choices are available on this baby AMG-killer of a …

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MINI Augmented Vision Concept Preview Future SuperTech Driving Possibilities

MINI Augmented Vision Concept Previews FutureTech Driving Possibilities

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  Augmented Reality has now become Augmented Vision — both derivatives of the hot VR technology that is sweeping certain corners of the venture-capital-backed startup industry. AR takes real-world visuals and is able to annotate, animate or ‘bring to life’ static displays. The easiest way to understand it is: see a shark billboard, view billboard through AR apps or glasses, and shark starts snapping and moving in 3D. Normal world in background, just added excitement via AR.  Firms like Facebook, Google and Microsoft have put huge investments in place under the belief that AR and VR will become primary user …

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Shell Oil and Gordon Murray Partnering on Project M for Reborn T.25 City Car

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A car funded and developed by an oil company feels more than a little dishonest right from the start. After all, there is no bigger conflict of interest: oil companies would naturally want all cars to use as much fuel as possible. It is in their core interests to increase gasoline consumption on a grand scale. Even so, deep-pocketed oil companies are also interested in two things: branding and green-washing. By branding the Shell lubricants business as an innovator and supporter of advanced technology, Shell and Gordon Murray’s Project M can be a grand public-relations coup among some. Oil companies …

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SEAT 20V 20 concept Matt Richardson/SEAT UK 07973 523456

Best of Awards – 2015 SEAT 20V20 Concept In 55 New Outdoor Photos

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Updated 4.6.15 With 55 New Outdoor Photos The SEAT 20V20 Concept looks fantastic out in the sun in these latest photos. Our primary question now is what platform this design study is running underneath: Audi Q5 or Audi Q7. But either way, we love its angular design and think the design would fit perfectly even on a $150,000 Lamborghini SUV, let alone a $30,000 SEAT. A best of 2015 concept, for sure. 2015 SEAT 20V20 Concept   The New SEAT 20V20 concept is only the second SUV showcar to come out of VW’s Spanish off-shoot, but you wouldn’t know they …

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2015 Honda S660 Is JDM Mid-Engine Targa With Turbo Triple Engine + 6-Speed Manual

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Honda’s renaissance in sporty cars might be topped by the NSX supercar, but the effects of a sporty focus runs up and down the range. This K-car is a very positive step forward for Honda, even if it is primarily aimed at the Japanese Domestic Market. With style and LEDs like much pricier and more powerful sports cars, the S660 is the most affordable way into a mid-engine, open-top thrills. Weight distribution is 45-percent front, 55-percent rear, promising much of the light nose and nimble thrills of the Porsche Boxster for perhaps a quarter of the price. Power comes from …

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2015 Subaru BRZ STi Concept Widebody Packs 400HP Super GT Turbo!

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The most important question with this stunning new BRZ STi concept is: have they finally added a turbo!? Yes and no. Yes it is a turbocharged racing engine from the Super GT race series, but no it is not a turbo version of the standard BRZ boxer engine. Grrrr! But do not fret — the below info pack from Subaru promises more STi products and models in the US market in the future, which is very promising. In the short term, this likely means a broader catalog of upgrades as  the aftermarket accessories. But in the medium and long term, it …

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All-New 2016 Scion iA Poised to be Best Subcompact 4-Door With Sporty Chassis and Upscale Cabin

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Scion’s littlest car in history is also set to be one of its most chuckable and sporty handlers!  This new four-door compact sedan will be priced around $16,000 with just one well-speced trim level and choice between six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The 106-horsepower four-cylinder sedan is closely related to the new 2016 Mazda2, but offers a sedan bodystyle not available on the Mazda. The style is quite fresh from nose and profile angles, with shapely creases and an overall lean and sporty look. The roof is fairly low, which is refreshing versus the too-tall Ford Fiesta and Chevy Spark. …

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2015 Subaru BRZ Series

First Drive Review – 2015 Subaru BRZ Series.Blue on Video in Crystal White

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How fantastic does this BRZ look! Despite the pouring rain, the pearlescent Crystal White paint of this Series.Blue BRZ really pops with its LED accents glowing inside Texas Motor Speedway. The nose feels pointer on this recalibrated suspension with its STI wheels, body kit and underbody aero fascias — but the rear-drive all-star is still a joy to drift. A perfect driving position, steering and shift linkage are delightful as ever, while the blue lather and suede of the seats offer a bit of premium appeal to this 500-unit special edition. 2015 Subaru BRZ Series.Blue   2015 Subaru BRZ Series …

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First Drive Review - 2015 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 80

First Drive Review – 2015 Mercedes-AMG GLA45 Is Tiny, Fugly and Massively Overpriced

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Lots of excellent cars driven and reviewed lately. Even if they are not a match for my personal budget or priorities, they almost all have true redeeming qualities for their intended target markets. The happy train really stops on this GLA45 AMG. This is very unusual. We have been huge Merc fans since their latest brand renaissance starting from around 2012. The cars are incredibly sexy, comfortable, fast and cool. If any machine should epitomize the new young-and-fun Mercedes appeal, it should be this GLA45 AMG. After all, this is the brand’s smallest and most-affordable new platform, paired with an …

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Concept Flashback – 2007 Mazda TAIKI Explores HyperLight Supercar Back-Channels

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Let’s imagine you want to make a supercar. The normal way to achieve massive performance is a giant engine. But is there an alternative route to supercar speed? The TAIKI concept believes there is. The little ticks down the aerodynamics chart are actually really giant leaps forward in aero slipperiness. Dropping a coefficient of drag from 0.30 cD to a 0.29 cD is actually a 10X improvement in how smoothly the car can pass through the air. This change continues its exponential level of change as you approach 0.01 — so the benefits of drag reduction are quite powerful. More …

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1956 Maserati 300S Wins Amelia Island 2015 Stirling Moss Award

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We find this Maserati 300S to be instantly lovable, perhaps even more-so than the Ferrari 290MM of the previous article. The nose feels lower, more shapely and more humble in the nose design. The simple drilled vent circles are delightful, as is the Maserati trident emblem sunken within the oval primary intake. Just subtle, but clearly focused on winning races versus style contests. Ironic that this very look would make it so special more than 60 years later. 1956 Maserati 300S Best in Class – Cars of Stirling Moss 1956 Maserati 300S Lawrence Auriana – Greenwich, CT

2016 Chevrolet Camaro RENDERING 3

All-New 2016 Chevrolet #CamaroSix – Spec Renderings + May Launch Event Signup

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The first details on the upcoming 2016 Chevrolet Camaro are starting to trickle out of Detroit — with two teaser images today showing the new front subframe and the new 6.2-liter V8’s special Tri-Y exhaust manifold. Not too illuminating on what the car will be like — but there are a few important snippets: — the exterior and interior will be all-new with no carry-over panels — the front and rear suspensions are also claimed to be all-new versus the current 5th-generation car — there is some rumble about packaging and dimension changes for the new Camaro. Will it be …

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Geneva 2015 Galleries – The FRENCH – Renault, Citroen, DS and Borgward!?

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  PART FOUR When we found photos of this classic turd named Borgward, we naturally assumed from its hideous design, nauseating paint and unusual presence at a new-car show that it was French. It is actually German Belgian. Sarray. The Borgward design feels like a Karmann Ghia pretending to be a Buick, but less appealing than either. The Bakelite two-tone pastels are never a good idea. Only white with pink details would be worse. What is this? A white and pink Citroen van concept!  Home run, chaps. Time for a white-wine lunch? Moving on… So, why Geneva photos a week …

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2015 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster Sextet Lights Up Amelia Concours Weekend

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If one Aventador Roadster is shockingly loud, low and wide when you meet it in real life… imagine a string of a six blasting around your block for two days straight! Heavenly? Yes. These beasts are truly incredible in the flesh. The candy-colored paints here add a bit of light-hearted fun to what is really the benchmark supercar. Thrills, chills and only a half-million-dollar bill!? Sign me up. The Aventador Roadster is a nice mid-way point before stumping up to the real hypercar heroes — each costing well in excess of a million bucks. Lamborghini has made the Aventador Roadster …

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2015 BMW Z4 GTLM CSL Homage Livery Meets 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL Racecar At Amelia Island Concours

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  It is hard to beat BMW’s on-track photos of this impressive pair of racecars. At Sebring, sun setting and cars in formation!? Yes please! The new 2015 Z4 GTLM CSL wears an official Homage Livery for this year, 40 years since the first BMW USA Motorsport victory. TO celebrate this anniversary, the new Z4 GTLM CSL matches its forebear’s BMW Motorsport colors that have come to define the brand. This incredibly intense Z4 widebody fired up with the deep rumble of sheer power, with its rear slicks and massive downforce package the added proof. Relative to this giant-killing Z4, …

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2015 Bugatti VEYRON FINALE 10

Update2 – 2015 Bugatti VEYRON FINALE Goes Out On Top – Fastest Car Ever Made

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Updated 3.7.15 With 16 New Photos The highest honor for the Bugatti Veyron is that ten years after its launch, it still defines the ultimate in hypercar performance. Holding any Olympic record for a decade in this era is almost unheard-of — and the same goes for ultimate top speeds in sportscars. Yes, the Hennessey Venom hit 270.4-mph (one-way) in perfect weather on a NASA runway. But would the same driver be confident doing 250-mph on the Autobahn on a dewey morning? Not likely. The Veyron GS Vitesse Finale goes out on top — just like it came in. PREVIOUS …

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2016 Hyundai Tucson 3

2016 Hyundai Tucson Impresses in 25 New Geneva Pics + Advanced 48-Volt PHEV

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Updated 3.6.15 With 24 New Photos The new Hyundai Tucson looks really, really cool in Geneva! Can you believe this compact SUV will compete with the Nissan Juke and Fiat 500X? It just seems so much larger and more substantial. In fact, it is actually quite wide for this new generation, but still has the compact length needed to make it easy to park and drive in cities around the world. We are also impressed to see a 48-volt hybrid version on the stand. This four-fold leap in transmittable power is a big architecture change in the car world, and …

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2015 Nissan SWAY Concept Shows Future Golf and Focus-Fighter

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This new Nissan SWAY Concept is a really stylish and handsome design study. From the nose and tail, it is low and wide and seriously cool-looking. The contrasting copper accents are a nice detail in the lower bumpers and sills, while also forming a nice floating roof. This copper section becomes a horseshoe around the clear glass roofline in a very premium and advanced way. In profile, the Sway falls a bit from its cool perch. Clearly a front-drive hatchback with an oddly short but tall hood, the Sway hopes to hide these humdrum details with hugely flowing surfaces. The …

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2016 McLaren P1 GTR Meets 1997 McLaren F1 GT LongTail In Geneva 6

2016 McLaren P1 GTR Meets 1997 McLaren F1 GT LongTail In Geneva

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Updated 3.3.15 Seeing the 1997 F1 GT LongTail at the Geneva show really drives home how different it is than the original road car. A dramatically-flared rear fender and lower aero upgrade beside the doors is a big part of the upgrade, along with a giant front splitter and pointy rear end. 1997 McLaren F1 GT LongTail The 2016 McLaren P1 GTR is now in full racing mode. Scary-fast and ready to blast out of the pits at the Circuit de Catalunya later this year with the elite crop of owner-drivers who will join the ultimate racing experience. The P1 …

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Updated With 25 New Photos – 2015 Porsche Cayman GT4 Is Rock-Hard Cockster!

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Reviewing the latest photos and video of the Cayman GT4 is quite perplexing. Who is this $84k machine aimed at?> Perhaps 911 GT3 aspirers, but for half the cash? The 4.2-second sprint to 60, intensely upgraded aero all around, sport exhaust and slammed ride height all point firmly toward the racetrack. But even Porsche knows it has a problem: there is no Cayman badge on the back of the car.  Just Porsche and GT4 letters to mark out the model. And that is the crux of it: this is a halo Cayman that hopes to ramp up excitement around the …

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2015 SEAT 20V20 Concept SUV 2

2015 SEAT 20V20 Concept SUV Is Large and Remarkably-Handsome Design Study

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   The New SEAT 20V20 concept is only the second SUV showcar to come out of VW’s Spanish off-shoot, but you wouldn’t know they are amateurs based on this car’s cool style and perfect size. Large by Euro standards, this new “twenty twenty” SUV brings the interior roominess of a BMW X3 but width of an X5 — while lower than both. The 20V20 is a very, very appealing design and would surely be a big seller for SEAT in crossover-mad markets like the UK. 2015 SEAT 20V20 SEAT PRESENTS THE 20V20 SHOWCAR 02/03/15 Prospect of an extremely dynamic, four-door …

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2015 Bugatti VEYRON FINALE 2

2015 Bugatti VEYRON FINALE Marks End of an Era – Should Wear $25M Pricetag

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Who could ask for a more hardcore record-smasher than the Bugatti Veyron! A car so intense with its focus on ultimate performance, most engineering and management teams would have abandoned the folly hundreds of times. Bugatti plugged forward. Where tires and wheels did not exist to handle the Veyron’s 250-mph planned top speed, Michelin custom-made the PAX run-flat system and vulcanized some special rubber that could stand the heat. Milled-from-solid alloy wheels to fit these special shoes – with the PAX lip integrated therein. The same scenario played out with the glass, the heat, the aero, the price, the cabin …

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2015 Jaguar F-Type by STARTECH 4

2015 Jaguar F-Type by STARTECH Packs Deeper Front Bumper, Carbon-Fiber Aero and Rifled Exhaust Pipes

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These cool new F-Type upgrades from Brabus’s JLR line, StarTech, really do enhance many sides of this gorgeous coupe. And best of all, the mods fit the cabrio’s just as nicely. The key pieces of the package are the deeper and completely-new front bumper, CF chin splitter, and winged CF side sills. The rear end trades its factory diffuser for this new carbon-fiber shroud, and the exhausts are made significantkly cooler than stock. Inside is a feast of new surfaces and leather-quilting on all sides. Definitely a sexy and touchable upgrade to the Jag’s cabin. 2015 Jaguar F-Type by STARTECH …

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Hypercar Heroes - 1999 Lamborghini Diablo GTR - Restored By Reiter Engineering 22

Hypercar Heroes – 1999 Lamborghini Diablo GTR – Restored By Reiter Engineering

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The 1999 Diablo GTR was the ultimate Lambo from the 20th century — with power from its V12 up 50 from the SVR and now belting out 590 ponies, the GTR was a shock to the system. Custom-built in a run of just 30 cars, the Diablo GTR was a track-day special and dominated in the one-make SuperTrophy series. This fantastic example is completely restored to as-new condition by the current SquadraCorsa race partners of Lambo, Reiter Engineering. Despite being replaced by the Murcielago shortly after the GTR arrived, this Diablo is arguably more enticing these days than its successor. …

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OP_ED Part 2 – Cadillac #DAREGREATLY Campaign Previews 2016 CT6 Limo + de Nysschen Progress Report

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  It is so irritating when writers quote themselves. Drives me nuts. But this one is very, very relevant. On July 3rd, 2014 – we jotted out the below Editor’s Opinion article attempting to diagnose what was making Cadillac feel so ill. We scathed… This really is not an old-man brand anymore. But sadly, it is definitely run by losers. Not losers in life, mind you. They must be smart and successful – but they are definitely, definitely not cool people. They live in Michigan and are sheltered C- and D-county (aka, rural) people who have never even stood on …

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850HP 2016 Aston Martin VULCAN Is All-New Tactical Strike Flagship with 7.0L Racing V12

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  WOW! This new Aston Martin flagship has some serious thrills in store for its lucky owners. Named to honor the famous Avro Vulcan bomber, the Aston Vulcan will seek to match the excitement, adrenaline and glory of the first tactical nuclear strike plane ever produced. Luckily, this new track-only Aston delivers the goods without any fallout or blowback…. To continue the theme, the Vulcan was designed in a time when nuclear bombs had to still be dropped. Although the ICBM would arrive in the 1960s along with the production bomber, this plane was still a critical part of the …

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Cool Gift Ideas – NOMO Design Auto Icon Screen Prints Show History and Evolution of Famous Car Makes

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  What to do for interesting and informative wall decor between the teenage years of Blue-Tac posters and the mid-life oil on canvas? How to keep you automotive passion visible, brand loyalty powerful and left-brain active … without dusting off those old Porsche posters? These new screen prints from Chicago-based NOMO Design are a fantastic way to relive the evolution of iconic brand styles every day. Highlighting the major design features of BMW noses over the last 80 years? Fantastically interesting, relevant and stimulating to all car-guys and gals. Jerome Daksiewicz is the designer behind this project, which is on …

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Racing Icons – 1954 Mercedes-Benz ‘Blue Wonder’ Race Transporter in 69 RARE Photos

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Part publicity stunt, part engineering exercise — and all fun and playful. The 1950s Mercedes-Benz Racing Division needed a rapid transport vehicle to supplement the big trucks with closed canopies that typically moved racecars and teams among the European circuits. Lower, faster and far more nimble than the big trucks, the Blue Wonder could navigate under any bridge or within any narrow city streets — areas typically off-limits for a heavy heauler. Powered by a race-ready engine from the 300SL and plopped into Mercedes sedan chassis, the ‘Blue Wonder’ was billed as the fastest transporter in the world. A top …

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2016 McLaren P1 GTR Yellow 12-vert - Copy

986HP, ~2.2s 2016 McLaren P1 GTR Revealed Before Geneva and Catalunya Track Driver Program

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  The 2016 McLaren P1 GTR is now in full racing mode. Scary-fast and ready to blast out of the pits at the Circuit de Catalunya later this year with the elite crop of owner-drivers who will join the ultimate racing experience. The P1 GTR is significantly stripped and optimized for track duties versus its P1 road-going hypercar base-point, which was no shrinking violet itself when it comes to extreme performance. The P1 GTR is an in-house way for McLaren to bring its racing expertise to regular owners, with full pit-crew support and the chance to touch the P1 GTR’s …

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2016 Lotus Evora 400 3-tile

400HP, 4.1s 2016 Lotus Evora 400 Is Leaner and Meaner 2+2 With Designed-In Downforce

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First look tonight at the new Lotus Evora 400 — a tweaked and updated version of the promising sports-car with mid-mounted V6 power, a supercharger with 50 extra horsepower to deliver 4.1-second sprints to 60-mph, and even an available IPS automatic transmission. The big news of the Evora 400 is its cooler style, better aero slipperiness combined with almost double the downforce of the existing Evora S. Inside, the new Evora 400 is far more advanced with new controls and new tech throughout. The center stack is incredibly modern and delivers Porsche-beating design details for things as everyday as the …

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2016 Skoda Superb 6 copy

2016 Skoda Superb Revealed in Prague With Audi A8-Rivaling Roominess and Superior Design?!

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Skoda is very proud of the Superb, their flagship of the line and packing a gigantic back seat that is in the same league as the standard-wheelbase A8 limousine. How and why is this possible in a car that is priced under the VW Passat? How comes down to the mass-market MQB chassis componentry and lack of an aluminum-spaceframe chassis or alloy bodywork. Front-drive is the name of the game, but this is also a side benefit. The trunk is bigger than any Audi sedan. Why? That is a bit more complicated. Think of the Superb as the Phaeton of …

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2016 Hyundai Tucson Breaks Cover Ahead of Geneva Show Packing New DCT

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Warning: this is not a concept. This fresh and big-SUV design is in fact the real Euro-spec Hyundai Tucson! This seriously stylish upgrade of the compact Tucson crossover also includes new engines and a brand-new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission on some trim levels. You can really see the Hyundai first-mover advantage coming into play: as this Hyundai crossover looks far more grown-up than the new Chevy Trax or Honda HR-V, but is likely to be priced at similar sub-$20,000 base prices when it arrives stateside this Fall. 2016 Hyundai Tucson   The all-new Tucson All-New Tucson represents significant step forward …

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2015 RINSPEED Budii Bringing i3-Based EV Wackiness To Geneva

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  Rinspeed is a reliable Geneva Auto Show attendee – typically with one of the most avant-garde designs on the entire showfloor. This year, the concept is called the BUDII and is based on the BMW i3. A new style and complete infotainment redesign takes the dashboard completely out of the picture, in favor of an adjustable-side steering column. This column on a robotic arm can also fold itself away for automated driving modes. This next skill of the Budii also reveals one of its most interesting aspects: the periscope-style rising sensor pod to allow a birds-eye view of the …

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2015 Volkswagen Tanner Foust Racing ENEOS RWB Beetle 992

2015 Volkswagen Beetle Rear-Drive Widebody by Tanner Foust Racing

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What is the best way to make the VW Beetle a credible sports-car? Make it rear-drive! But a race-prep overhaul and a widebody package from famous Japanese Porsche tuner RAUH-Welt Begriff on top of that? Yes yes yes! 2015 Volkswagen Beetle Rear-Drive Widebody by Tanner Foust Racing   2015 Volkswagen Tanner Foust Racing ENEOS RWB Beetle ft. RAUH-Welt Begriff Widebody This Volkswagen Beetle that represents a collaboration between Volkswagen rallycross driver Tanner Foust and famed Porsche tuners RAUH-Welt Begriff is set to be unveiled this week at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The Tanner Foust Racing ENEOS RWB Beetle …

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2016 Chevrolet Equinox 1

2016 Chevrolet Equinox Facelift Revealed in Chicago

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The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox just had its best-ever sales month in January 2015, which is proof that the large and affordable crossover is still a hit with shoppers. For 2016, the Equinox features an all-new nose and tail look, along with a classier glasshouse shape and upgraded interior. Chevrolet Equinox – 2016 Fresh Face: Chevrolet Introduces Restyled 2016 Equinox Premium cues, new safety features enhance Chevy’s record-selling compact SUV CHICAGO – Chevrolet today introduced the 2016 Equinox – a contemporized version of the popular compact SUV. Updates include new styling with premium accents, new wheel designs and new available safety features, …

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Update1 – 2015 Nissan 370Z NISMO Roadster Concept Could Be Yours….!

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  This 370Z NISMO is remarkably sexy, considering we have already seen the latest 370Z NISMO as well as the standard 370Z Roadster. Combine those two, however, and real sparks fly. The gorgeous snowflake white metallic paint with NISMO red accents in the lower aero pieces are fantastic, and the car wears a sexy single-piece spoiler that totally changes the 370Z Roadster’s silhouette. Overall, a striking vision indeed. This NISMO Roadster runs an automatic, which is also different from the manual-only helm of the NISMO 370Z hardtop. So what is the catch?! When will it arrive? Perhaps by August of …

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2016 Mazda MX-5 Aero Accessories Concept 2

2016 Mazda MX-5 Aero Accessories Concept Packs Fresh Splitters, Wheels, and Sills for Chicago

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Sweet BBS alloys in gloss-black, splitters all around, a Brembo big brake kit and even a luggage rack atop the trunk for those cross-country trips?! We’ll take them all except that luggage rack, thank-you-very-much!     2016 Mazda MX-5 Aero Accessories Concept MAZDA UNVEILS 2016 MX-5 MIATA ACCESSORIES CONCEPT DESIGN AT CHICAGO AUTO SHOW CHICAGO, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The only thing better than the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata is a personalized 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. Today at the Chicago Auto Show, where the first-generation MX-5 Miata was introduced to the world in 1989, Mazda revealed an MX-5 …

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2015 Chevrolet Colorado GearOn Special Edition Packs Anything Via Cargo Management System

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With a name like Colorado, you would definitely expect the vehicle to excel there. And as the fittest state in the nation, Colorado folks love to get outdoors and live the active lifestyle that most people just see in glossy magazine or TV ads. This means skiing, camping, kayaking, biking, hiking and boating.   The new Colorado GearOn Special Edition is a handy way to have a truck that is ready to haul anything right from the factory. Unique style like the gloss-black running boards, gloss-black wheels and body-color grille are a cool look, but the real action for the …

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INFINITI QX70 Larte LR3 Widebody from AHG-Sports

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Larte Design is making some waves in tuner-loving Germany! The wildest of the three upgrade kits, dubbed LR3, is fitted here to the QX70 by AHG-Sports, who also completes a comprehensive dechroming and black-on-black styling overhaul. The results speak for themselves! INFINITI QX70 Larte LR3 Widebody from AHG-Sports INFINITI QX70 LR3-WIDE BODY from AHG-SPORTS Since five years AHG-Sports has been extremely positively talked about as in-house tuning department of the car dealer Günther, which is represented four times in Hamburg especially with cars of the precious Nissan-offshoot Infiniti. And cooperation agreement recently reached with LARTE Design resulted in additional opportunities …

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Superformance GT40 Mk1 – Gulf Racing Livery in 90 Gorgeous Photos + 2 Videos

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Update1 – Republishing this with new gallery formats. While editing these photos just now, I am trying to think of the right description for the beauty shown by the Superformance GT40 Mark I. (And its humble photographer…!) All I keep thinking is: “These Photos Are Wet-Your-Pants Gorgeous!” The 100-plus photos below hopefully make up for the very disappointing camerawork in my GT40 ride-along. Yes, for most of it, I am narrating into an iPhone that was not actually, ahem, recording… VIDEO PART ONE Ride-Along VIDEO PART TWO Overall, owning a Superformance GT40 is now near the top of my long …

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Concept Flashback – 2012 Jeep Mighty FC

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The 2012 Jeep Mighty FC is hilarious to behold, and a really cool concept idea overall. Beyond the many Jeep pickup truck conversions and concepts, the Forward Control recreates an actual Jeep production truck from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s. Overall, the Mighty FC builds on Jeep’s very impressive concept repertoire: this truck is not just a runner, but it hit the Moab Jeep Jamboree for some extreme off-road proving. Versus most concept cars that are barely rollers, this is an impressive level of engineering. Two things: How!? and Why!? How? The Forward Control is created by the very-simple-sounding …

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Jaguar Land Rover Reveals its 007 SPECTRE Cars: C-X75, Range Rover Sport SVR and Defender Big Foot

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The irony of Jaguar Land Rover partnering with the ultimate secret agent is deep. First off, the entire script of SPECTRE was stolen in the Sony hack in late 2014. Then, a garage full of Range Rovers was also pinched from a garage somewhere in Europe ahead of production. So … not exactly a secret that JLR would be a strong player in the next Bond film. But we had yet to get confirmation that the C-X75 would be the baddie’s car of choice, nor seen the RRS and Defenders that will be used alongside the Aston Martin DB10. Just …

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2015 F1 Cars Comparo – Infiniti RB11 vs McLaren-Honda MP4-30 vs AMG W06 vs Ferrari SF15T

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Formula One is back soon for one of the most exciting seasons in years: with grudges galore, tech battles, pitlane drama and gossip flowing like champagne. A shuffle of drivers sends Vettel to Ferrari, Alonso to McLaren and even a few new boys in the mix. The big four contenders have all revealed their cars for 2015, and while visual judgment of the machines is not a determining factor in their racing success, it is still interesting to see them all side-by-side from various angles. The latest look ditches the old dong-nose style of 2014, thank goodness, and aerodynamics are …

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1973 Vauxhall Firenza 25

1973 Vauxhall Firenza Showed Rare Sports-Coupe Elegance and Futuristic Style

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Okay, okay. At first glance, this Vauxhall Firenza looks impossibly dated and recalls a Chevy Chevette for anyone in the USA. But think of the Firenza in the context of the Ford Mustang II, Pacer and Gremlin. The 1970s was a pretty gross period in car design overall. Shrinking engines, sloppy style and floppy suspensions are preeminent themes of the 1970s, from the cheapest cars to the priciest Lamborghini’s. The Firenza was a flagship sports coupe for the Vauxhall brand, introducing aerodynamic shrouds for the headlamps under flat glass, a single-piece nose design with integrated airdamn, and a pointy hood …

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RM Amelia Island 2015 Preview – 1930 Bentley Blue Train Is Reborn!

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Part mystery, part fantasy – but all legend! The Blue Train Bentley is back with this just-finished recreation of one of the most legendary Flying B’s ever made. As the official RM write-up below charts, the car was created the beat one of the quickest trains on a route to France. This might seem easy today, with six-lane motorways throughout the world and pavement allowing high-speed progress for even the most unskilled drivers. But in the 1930s, the idea of averaging more than 90-mph in a car, across long distances, was pure fantasy and hyperbole. Like something right out of …

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2015 Porsche Cayman GT4 9

380HP 2015 Porsche Cayman GT4 Is Hardcore, Track-Attack Cockster!

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The new Cayman GT4 is a huge bit of news! An ultra-hardcore model with 380-horsepower and a chassis overhaul complete with 911 GT3 tech bits throughout, this sweet new Cayman flagship will make many Porsche Club members thrilled. The GT4 is not just the huge wing and aerokit all around. It also crosses a threshold Porsche has so far been reluctant about: a pricing overlap with the base 911. The base 911 Carrera 2 is a cruiser at heart, though, and will not really compete directly with this new $85,000 Cayman GT4. Overlap is good. Let the Cayman GT4 have …

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Houston Auto Show - 2015 Scion FR-S RS1 Is Damn Sexy In Real-Life 3

Houston Auto Show – 2015 Scion FR-S RS1 Is Damn Sexy In Real Life!

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The Scion FR-S Release Series 1.0 is almost a direct production version of the TRD project car shown this Spring with the Lexus LFA around Scion’s Epic marketing campaign events. The prototype TRD Project Car and the production model are almost exactly the same outside, but the TRD project car wears wider rubber on different wheels, has a front-mounted intercooler of some kind, and a racing-prepped cabin.   2015 Scion FR-S RS1 TRD Project Car The production RS1 looks just as good, and is amazing news for buyers looking for a showroom racer – modded and looking mean right from …

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viper 2015

HD Video – 2015 Dodge Viper – DNA of a Supercar

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  Dodge is thrilled to have the Viper back in the fold for 2015: a price cut of $15,000 for the base trim is only part of the plan to reinvigorate this lethal snake. The second part is to give the Viper some more screen time. Remember the excitement about the 1994 Viper TV series!? We were 12 years old at the time, and crushed when it was not renewed for a second season. But this is 2015. We are all older and more powerful now. The 640-horsepower Viper is packing 8.4-liters in its jeans, with bulges to kill — …

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Concept Flashbacks – 2010 SEMA Mercedes-Benz GLK Tuner Cars

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Shocked and appalled by hideous custom Mercedes-Benzes prowling the world’s roads? Wish there were an upgrade kit that fits the refined aesthetic of the Merc brand? If only Mercedes would commission a few tuner custom show cars of its own, it would have control and be able to yay/nay any questionable elements. For the US launch of the GLK in 2010, MB-USA did just that: four custom GLK’s for the SEMA show in Vegas. Unfortunately for those who do not like loud, brash designs…. what resulted are four of the wildest, silliest concept GLK’s ever seen. Removing the constraint of …

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e63 wagon

HD Road Test Review – 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model

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Updated 1.5.2015 With 63 New Photos   When it comes to the rarest of Mercedes-Benz AMG cars and trucks, the S-Models are the absolute top of the pops. And the E63 AMG S-Model 4Matic Estate? The ultimate in rare supercars – the S-Model Estate is certainly up there with the most-exclusive cars available. By our estimates, fewer than 200 total S-Model E63 AMGs will come to the United States per year, but even one is a huge blessing.   The E63 Estate is just one click slower to 60-mph than the S-Model sedan. That makes this the 3.6-second wagon king. …

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me412

Update1 – 2004 Chrysler ME 4/12 Was Quad-Turbo V12 Hypercar

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Updated 1.5.15 With 30 Extra Photos It is hard to go wrong with mid-engine hypercar concepts, and this one is no exception. There are really interesting and lavish details throughout, the success of which led to the long-running hood strakes in many production Chrysler models. Little else from this quad-turbocharged V12 concept made it to the roads, but the ME Four Twelve concept capped a record number of concept cars for Chrysler under Daimler. The company released at least three wild concepts ever year between 1999 and 2004, but none are as desirable as this car. Or, in fact, the …

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356 zagato

1958 Porsche 356 Carrera Zagato Speedster Is Worlds Only Aluminum-Bodied Example

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Zagato Classic has recreated their first-ever Porsche project here: a 356 Speedster that was lightened and made quicker for a racing customer in Paris. The tailfins are particularly delightful as functional and style-enhancing elements, as is the lower and lighter windshield. If you are thinking: hey, this Zagato 356 Speedster actually looks much more like the 550 Spyder — you are correct. The commission of a new aluminum body for the steel-skinned 356 meant Zagato could make the car as streamlined as Porsche’s most-successful racer ever (at the time): the 550. Shown below on the grass, you can see the …

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2015 Ford Mustang Colors and Wheel Visualizer

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Updated 1.1.2015 With the four wheel styles. A few months ago we created a digital colorizer for the new Mustang – a car that is so highly anticipated that even Ford teams are clamoring for access. Rendered colorizers are fun, but not really helpful as a shopping tool or a real-life guide. We promised a real factory color guide in that article, and are proud to deliver it today! A few observations after spending much, much time on the Ford.com site and the Ford Media Center this week: — The car looks amazing. Even better than expected in the lighter …

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1971 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6

1971 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG in 44 High-Res Photos

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For a race car to become an icon, it typically needs to achieve much more on the track than this 1971 300 SEL. A single second-place trophy at Spa racing against Ford Capri’s and Chevy Camaro’s? That is the win that this first-ever AMG model has in its quiver. So disposable that the original car was even sold off – and never to be seen again? It is true. This is the sole Mercedes-Benz replica created in 2005 to celebrate AMG joining the official Daimler Benz family. So what does it represent today, beyond an amazing sample of a Merc …

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atsv

2016 Cadillac ATS-V Latest Photos + Colors and Wheels Preview

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Updated 1.1.2015 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Colors and Wheels Preview A variety of sexy new photos of the 2016 ATS-V Coupe and Sedan via CadillacATS-V.com forums, plus the official GM reveal photos. To cap it off, we have a preliminary colors guide to the six shades, two wheel styles and three cabin colors for this new set of Wonder-Twins. Whenever a fresh pair of high-performance cars’ tech specs can elicit a “holy shit!” from your scribe — sitting solo in the office — you know something amazing is coming. The ATS-V Coupe and Sedan photo and specs caused numerous swear words …

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Concept Flashback – 2006 Mitsubishi EZ MiEV

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  If the Concept D5 Mitsubishi van represents a hard and blocky view of the future, this EZ MiEV is a much softer look into next-gen van style and tech.With its ultra-rounded and white pearlescent exterior features, the resemblence of this concept to the iPod from Apple is intentional. But things in this bubble van are just getting started with the exterior design and wrap-around glass. With a flat-battery platform an in-wheel electric motors, the EZ MiEV takes cabin versatility to a whole new level. The seats fold to form a full eight-foot bed with room for two adults. The …

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