Lamborghini on the fence between building the Estoque or the LM00X SUV

Apart from this long-rumored SUV - it’s been codenamed as the ’LM00X’ - the other choice is the production of the Estoque. The Italian automaker is considering both vehicles, but has made it known that only one is going to be green-lighted for production. A few days ago, a report came out that Lamborghini is teaming up with Porsche to build its very own SUV that will be based on the latter’s latest GT architecture. While this news poses...

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2011 Audi R8 V8 Limited Edtion

The interior will get crimson red accents to the sides of its Black Fine Nappa Leather-upholstered seats and headrests, red stitching on the flat bottomed, leather-covered multi-function steering wheel and instrument cowl, crimson red leather finish for the monoposto, red leather for the knee pads and passenger door handle, stainless steel pedals and illuminated door sills with bright aluminum inserts carrying the R8 logo. This special...

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Hennessey Venom GT readying for Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Lotus-derived, American-tuned supercar packs plenty of punch with its 6.2-liter LS9 V8 engine that produces an insane 800 horsepower. And if you just happen to be spending your time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, you can get a chance to see the Venom in all its glory. As a preview of the Hennessey madness that will befall all of us come Goodwood, the American tuning company has released a video featuring the Venom GT partaking some...

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2012 Ford Mustang "Blue Angels" Edition

This year, the one-off, aviation-themed Mustang GT was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of naval aviation. It comes with a specific blue-and-yellow color scheme that takes itself from the colors of the ’Blue Angels’ fighter group with a yellow "Blue Angels" script and crest on the doors. Likewise, the crest can also be found on the interior of the car, where they are stitched into the leather Recaro seats. Every year, Ford rolls...

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2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Racer

Judging from the rendering, the race-spec V12 Zagato looks pretty much like the street-version with a couple of notable additions, including the prominent rear wing, the table-top front lip, and the black wheels. In preparation for the car’s racing debut at the Nurburgring later this week, Aston Martin gave the eager public a first-hand look at the race-spec version of the V12 Zagato. It might only be a rendering of the car, but at the...

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2011 Peugeot RCZ Asphalt LE

The new Asphalt LE edition will be distinguished by a special matte Telluric - that’s fancy for gray - body and can be ordered only with the top-of-the-range GT trim version. The Asphalt package also includes a black roof, "Asphalt’ badging, and 19" Solstice black alloy wheels complimented by matching black brake calipers. For the interior, the package adds bespoke "Asphalt" branded and stitched Nappa leather trim, an Alcantara / leather...

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1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Cabriolet

Its original owner was high society elite, Edith C. Field, who succeeded in winning third place at the 1955 Pebble Beach Concours. Since the mid 1950s, this particular Aston Martin has been through the hands of four owners, including its current owner. As of late, the Aston Martin DB2/4 Drophead Coupe has been fully restored to its Concours state with over £200,000 - or $288,000 at the current rates - invested in its complete restoration....

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Batman’s new ride will be a Lamborghini Aventador

We bring this up because, apparently, the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, will feature none other than the Lamborghini Aventador as Bruce Wayne’s new set of wheels. In the past few years, supercars have been all the rage in blockbuster movies, having appeared in a growing number of them that involve superheroes. Iron Man began that trend when Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., was seen riding the Audi R8 a few years back....

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2009 Nissan GT-R Agent Orange

The new Alpha 10 conversion kit features an AMS Alpha 10 Turbo System, a balanced and blueprinted VR38 AMS Race Engine, and an AMS Alpha 10 transmission by Sheptrans, among other things. These additions take the sports car to 1,000 HP and 679 lb-ft of torque running on 93 octane fuel. AMS Performance has already tested this monster and has earned an official quarter mile time of 9.1 seconds at 163 mph. AMS Performance’s version of Godzilla...

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Gas Mileage, Summer Driving Tips, Top Gear USA: Today's Car News

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Good News, Business Owners: The IRS Is Upping Your Mileage Rate

While the IRS typically sets mileage rates prior to the start of the year, this year’s extraordinary rise in gasoline prices has prompted the agency to issue a mid-year revision. Said IRS Commissioner Doug Stone, “This year’s increased gas prices are having a major impact on individual Americans. The IRS is adjusting the standard mileage rates to better reflect the recent increase in gas prices. We are taking this step so the reimbursement...

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2012 Scion tC and xB Models Priced

If you’re in the market for a new Scion tC or xB, we’ve got good news and bad news. Since we’re glass-is-half-empty people, we’ll give you the bad news first: you’ll pay more for a new Scion than you did in 2011. Now the good news: you’ll get more content, and the base price of both Scion models only increases by $300. There’s a special edition of the Scion tC for 2012 as well, called the tC Release Series 7.0 (or simply the tC RS 7.0). Scion...

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2011 Nissan Leaf Proves It Can Tackle Laguna Seca: Video

With cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt hitting the roads since Refuel 2010, this year’s event was the first time that production plug-in vehicles from mainstream automakers were represented at the event.  Open to anyone with an electric car, the event gave everyone from Tesla Roadster owners through to DIY converters the chance to push themselves and their cars to the limit in a safe, controlled event.  On...

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Rebel Attack: Greenpeace Uses The Force Against Volkswagen

So this morning I checked my Twitter feed for more VW stories and came across a tweet from Auto123.com about a campaign by Greenpeace to steer VW away from the Dark Side. I fondly remember the wonderful VW ad for the new Passat in America with Lord Vader Jr. It was a hugely popular video that went viral and it boosted VW’s image. However, I am more interested in the ads themselves. Who knew Greenpeace had a sense of humor? The ads are...

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Is Mazda planning on a revolutionary new engine system?

According to Autocar, the next-generation engine, codenamed the ‘16X Renesis’, has been in development since 2007, but it was only recently that a new wrinkle was divulged about this new powertrain. Instead of the long-held practice of using traditional spark plugs to ignite the engine, Mazda is looking into using laser beams to serve the purpose of igniting the fuel and air mixture inside the engine. With the increasing advancements being...

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2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom TB Gold Edition Design Study

Turkish designer, Timur Bozca, understands that and his latest study all but confirms the route to take when dressing up a Rolls-Royce Phantom: add as many expensive materials - like say, gold, for example - on the car to drive up the extravagance. The first thing he did was use the aforementioned gold material to cover some of the car’s exterior, including the grille, the rims, the outline on the lights, the badging, and even the plate...

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Furious 6 Set to Hit Theaters in May 2013

A while back, Universal had promised that the F&F franchise would continue to evolve from its car-saturated roots into a "heist action" series. What that will do to the sixth film is still unknown, but we’re not sure how car-loving fans will feel if their beloved four wheeled machines are given a cameo instead of a leading role. When the big wigs in Hollywood got together to put together a little movie about the street racing "fad"...

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2012 DeltaWing Concept Sportscar

his car is the DeltaWing Concept Sportscar, a creation that was born from the collective minds of DeltaWing Racing Cars LLC and back-to-back American Le Mans Series championship winning racing team, Highcroft Racing. Described as a new and experimental race car, the DeltaWing Concept Sportscar aims to introduce a new approach to competitive racing, one that strives for increased performance through increased horsepower and aerodynamic...

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Barrett-Jackson Auction: Orange County 2011

Big tents may not be the most exciting thing to think about, but this one is special and measures nearly two football fields in length. This became the epicenter of high octane bidding action for the weekend and the primary filming location for the Speed channel. We were able to get on the auction block for a period of time to witness the variety of different cars coming down the line. This auction house has always been known to provide...

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2011 McLaren MP4-12C ’Chrome’

We don’t know if this shiny piece of McLaren goodness is a special edition model or maybe even just a one-off that’s going to be auctioned sometime down the road, but it sure looks more delicious than just about any MP4-12C we’ve ever seen. A lot is being made about McLaren and the launch of their new dealership network - the first showroom being at One Hyde Park in London. However, while the star-studded event drew some very important...

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Speed Thrills: The Peregrine Falcon tops out at a speed faster than your McLaren

When considering the broad scope of the fastest animal on the planet, the Top 10 list would probably consist mostly of birds, but in fairness to the land and water-based creatures, we’re going to hold the Peregrine Falcon and other high-speed birdies in a different category altogether. You see, when measuring the speed of birds based on traveling speed measured in level flying, the Peregrine Falcon isn’t the king of the air. Actually,...

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2011 Joss JP1

The car that’s expected to appear at the event is a final prototype model, leading to the first production version that’s slated to enter the market later this year or possibly at the start of 2012. The evolution of this car is a long time in the making, having made its original debut with the first prototype model seven years ago in Melbourne. From the Land Down Under, an Australian automaker is in the process of developing the country’s...

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Top Gear USA set to return on July 24

We’re not expecting the moon because the first season of the show had its fair share of ups and downs, but if the triumvirate of Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust, and Rutledge Wood are funnier and a little less annoying, then it’s poised to make for a successful season. Plus, if producers can come up with more death-defying acts, such as Tanner Foust’s near-death experience, then we’re sure we will be pleased. We certainly enjoyed the new exploits...

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2011 Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M Conversion Edition by Anderson Germany

The design aspect of the 16M Conversion Edition begins with a Hyper Blackpaint finish that is then combined with Scuderia Stripes in carbon steel with a yellow border. Carbon fiber elements are then put in and make up the engine grille, rear diffuser, mirrors, and covers under the hood. Other features that lend more to the 16M style include a front air dam, side skirts, a rear apron, and an adjustment of the exhaust system. The exterior...

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BMW M3 CRT already sold out!

If this rumor does hold any water, don’t expect BMW to amp up their production efforts to quench the demand. An insider has already stated that the company only has the resources and timeframe to produce 67 units, and a total of zero of those units will be making their way over to the States. Once again, the US gets a big fat goose egg on the cool special edition models and what’s worse, the BMW M3 CRT didn’t even need the US market...

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Video: Utah Highway Patrol wows with 900-horsepower burnout

This, dear folks, is a Dodge Charger patrol car. But while most police vehicles of this stature are already more powerful than their standard variants, this particular Charger patrol car is unlike any of its brethren either. Why, you ask? Because it has an output of 900 horsepower. In a world of don’t-ask-don’t-tell, we’ll spare the questions of why the Utah Highway Patrol has a car this powerful in the first place. What’s important to us is that this Dodge Charger is absolutely and insanely packed with ponies. And as the video will...

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Video: Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima destroys Pikes Peak record

The Japanese legend raced up the mountain in a blistering time of 9:51.278, easily eclipsing his previous record time of 10:01.408, which he set back in 2007. Taking his Suzuki SX4 Hill Climb Special up Pikes Peak, Tajima was virtually flawless in his ascent becoming the very first man to hit a sub 10-minute time in one of the most legendary races in the world. And in spectacular fashion, Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima delivered yet again, shattering his previous mark in the Unlimited Class by over 10 seconds and setting a new record for the...

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2011 Ford Mustang ’V6 Sport Appearance’ Limited Edition

So it really isn’t all that surprising to find out that Ford is unveiling a special edition Mustang exclusively for citizens of the Rising Sun. The car is being packaged as the "Mustang V6 Sport Appearance" and comes with a unique color scheme with plenty of added goodies to go with it. Seeing as its home to one of the world’s biggest automakers, it goes without saying that the Japanese have a deep understanding of their cars. And yes,...

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BMW M5 laps Nurburgring in 7:55

The BMW M5 is powered by a high-revving 4.4-liter V8 engine with an M TwinPower Turbo package that delivers an impressive 560 HP at 6,000 – 7,000 rpm and a peak torque of 502 lb-ft from 1,500 rpm. The model will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and, when the speed limiter is removed, is capable of hitting an impressive top speed of 190 mph. Just a few days after its official launch, the 2012 BMW M5 has just become the fastest sedan...

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2011 Paramount Group Marauder

But of all the cars that they’ve driven in their time as Top Gear hosts, there’s a good chance that they’ve never seen anything quite like the Marauder. Built in South Africa by the Paramount Group, the Marauder is quite arguably the baddest, meanest, and gnarliest set of wheels we’ve ever seen. One of the beautiful things about being a host of Top Gear – among other things, of course – is the chance to get behind the wheel of some of...

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Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package laps Nurburgring in 7:22

Lexus stated that this wasn’t an "official" lap time, but just a warm up to a possible official attempt later this year. However, despite that fact, this lap time places the LFA Nurburgring Package in 10th place for the fastest production vehicle on the Nurburgring track, and it did it with minimal effort. We can’t wait to see what it can do when it goes balls to the wall! The Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package just proved it is worthy of its name. During this past weekend’s ADAC 24 hour race at Nurburgring with Gazoo Racing’s Akira Iida...

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2012 Chevrolet Camaro Transformers Edition

The new Transformers Special Edition package can be added to the 2LT and 2SS models for only $3,000. The package starts off with a Rally Yellow exterior paint job to match the ones found on Bumblebee, which are then combined with black rally stripes that stretch over the hood, roof, and decklid. Towards the back of the muscle car, Chevrolet has added a unique high-wing spoiler, Autobot Shield logos on the center caps and front quarter...

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2011 e-Wolf Alpha-1 SRF

Based on the chassis of Radical Sports Cars, the Alpha-1 SRF is not your ordinary electric sports car. It’s got the look of an LMP1 racer, except that its street-legal. So you pretty much get the best of both worlds with a car that resembles those LeMans racers, but is legal to drive out on the road. Let’s say you have enough money to last you at least a few lifetimes and you’re looking to splurge it on something that not a lot of people...

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Top Gear Season 17: Episode 1

Certainly, there were plenty of things talked about on the first episode, not the least of which include a hulking piece of four-wheeled monstrosity from South Africa, a review of BMW’s latest pride and joy, a race between a new rally car and a smoking hot Olympic gold medalist, and a certain American rock legend trading in his shock-rock world for the driver seat of a Kia Cee’d hatchback. Season 17 of Top Gear has finally arrived and...

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Toyota to show GRMN Hybrid Concept II at Nürburgring

The new GRMN concept weighs 3,300 pounds and has a gasoline-powered V6 engine positioned mid-vehicle--a move Toyota says should improve performance and stability. An electric motor powers the front wheels of the all-wheel-drive system and contributes 50 hp to the combined 295-hp output. The GRMN Hybrid Concept II is a sports convertible co-developed by Gazoo Racing. It is a slightly modified version of the gasoline-electric concept Toyota...

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Saab unions threaten bankruptcy action over unpaid wages

Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs said it is not possible to say when salaries will be paid. "That depends on when and if we can secure short-term funding, for example through the real estate deal," Gustavs said. "This is really bad news and we are working intensely to do something about it. There are no guarantees but we are not giving up." Saab has been forced to halt production at Trollhatten because of the cash shortage. Earlier this...

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Nissan Altima prices to start at $20,410

Enhancements for the new model year include a new Value Package, priced at an MSRP of $490, which includes Bluetooth(r) Hands-free Phone System, leather-wrapped steering wheel, steering wheel audio controls, auto /on/off headlight and auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink(r) Universal Transceiver. Also available is the continuation of last year's Special Edition Package. Both are offered with Altima Sedan 2.5 S. The Bluetooth(r) Hands-free...

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Bring a Trailer exclusive: 1995 Acura NSX-T

The Acura NSX (New Sportscar Experimental) debuted at the Chicago auto show in February 1989 and in Tokyo in October of the same year. The car was praised for its lightweight, aluminum body and low-slung form, coming in at only five inches taller than the Ford GT40. The 270-hp, 3.0-liter V6 engine is original, along with the transmission, chrome wheels and interior. The only major service repairs include a new clutch plate, disc, flywheel...

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Final Bugatti Veyron 16.4 spoken for

“In the Veyron the Bugatti team has created a vehicle that has already become an icon of automotive history. Both technologically and in terms of design, the Veyron is still far ahead of its time. The Grand Sport is a further pinnacle of achievement in the open-top sports car segment, and we intend to maintain the same standard in our future Bugatti products.” The development of the Bugatti Veyron represented one of the greatest technical...

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Ford Focus Titanium sedan, an AutoWeek Drivers Log Car Review

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: After spending an evening in the upmarket 2012 Ford Focus Titanium, I'm decidedly torn. My feelings about the chassis, brakes, steering--everything about the driving dynamics--remain the same as with our SE Sport tester a few weeks back: brilliant. For a C-segment car (granted, one tickling $27,000), the Focus is incredibly composed and unflappable in all but the most ridiculous street driving. The interior ...

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Video: Chevrolet Racing Track to Street Season 2 Episode 5

In addition to the lap around the track, Chevrolet has also provided a second video featuring in depth interviews with drivers like Richard Westbrook as they describe what it’s like to be on and off the track. This video came out before the team’s win at LeMans, but after watching the Gavin make the quick lap around LeMans, it seemed necessary to go into the the team’s preparations for the 24 hour long event.  In Chevrolet’s latest Track to Street series, Corvette Racing takes us along on a hot lap around the LeMans track. This...

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Video: McLaren MP4-12C vs. Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Mercedes

In this video, the MP4-12C is pitted up against the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Audi R8 V10, the Mercedes SLS, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, and the Lamborghini Gallardo Performante, all driven by Ex-Stig Ben Collins to make it as fair as possible. At the end of each drive, Collins goes into detail about each supercar, making this a must see! We don’t know if British magazine, CAR, saw it coming, but they have released a video stacking the McLaren MP4-12C supercar against many of its rivals just in time for the announcement that the supercar has...

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Tag Heuer Formula 1 Gulf Edition Watch

The special edition timepiece is based on the steel 44mm wide Tag Heuer Formula 1 Big Date watch with a Swiss quartz movement and a time, subsidiary seconds dial. It features a black dial with a light gray cross-hatching pattern and contrasting Gulf racing stripes in orange and blue, as well as the orange and white Gulf logo. The Formula 1 Gulf Edition is available in either a steel or rubber strap. Tag Heuer has been rather...

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Could Strikes Threaten The Launch Of The 2012 Chevy Sonic?

That’s exactly what’s happening, as workers for supplier LINC Logistics have voted to authorize a strike if a labor deal can’t be reached after five days of negotiations. LINC employees have been working at the plant without a contract since joining the UAW this spring, and the eighty-eight LINC staffers represent almost half of the non-GM employees at the plant.  Chevrolet has gone to great lengths to remind buyers that their upcoming...

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2011's Worst-Quality New Cars

Automakers are smart to crow when they earn coveted quality awards. But when the hammer comes down--particularly on brand-new vehicles--the results are usually kept a little more quiet. One of the benchmark studies of new-vehicle quality has been released for the 2011 model year, and this time, J.D. Power's 2011 Initial Quality Study found that the marked progress made in the past four years is over. While the overall number of problems...

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