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 people, most notably F1 drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, and McLaren CEO Ron Dennis, one car that was displayed at the event caught the most of our attention. It was a McLaren MP4-12C, except that it wasn’t just any other MP4-12C. This bad boy was dressed up in chrome.

Add that to the fact that it also carries quite a powertrain under its hood, one that features a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing a mouth-watering 592 horsepower at 7,000rpm and 443 lb/ft of torque between 3,000 and 7,000rpm, and you’ve got a truly one-of-a-kind MP4-12C.

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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, it doesn’t even crack the Top 10. The title for fastest bird in this kind of flight goes to the Spine-Tailed Swift, which can hit a top level flying speed of 106 mph. Compare that to the Peregrine Falcon, which can hit a top speed of just about 60 mph in level flight - impressive in its own right, but not Top 10 material - and the Spine-Tailed Swift blows it out of the water.

The cheetah may reign supreme as the fastest animal on land, but when you take into account the air above and the water below, the title of fastest animal on the planet belongs to the Peregrine Falcon.

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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 first supercar. Developed by Joss Development, the JP1 is a car that’s fast taking shape in time 

 for its debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne from July 1 to July 10

“We had an amazing reception for our JT1 prototype in Melbourne [in 2004], but building a car business is very involved,” explained JOSS Developments Technical Director, Matt Thomas.

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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 of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James "Captain Slow" May on the first episode of Top Gear’s 17th season, so you can bet that our expectations for the second season of Top Gear USA are set really high. And now we know that we can ride the momentum set by Top Gear into next month when the season debut of Top Gear USA airs on July 24, 2011.

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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 is then finished off with a new set of 20" three-piece glossy black wheels with a carbon and yellow border to match the Scuderia stripes. The interior is a little less drastic with the addition of carbon black leather and Alcantara and yellow diamond Kederrand seams.

There aren’t exactly a ton of tuning kits for the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M simply because there’s not much to change on the special edition to begin with. It’s cool, fast, beautiful, and, unfortunately, sold out. So what’s there to do if the itch for a Scuderia Spider 16M suddenly develops? Well, you can hop on the phone and give Anderson Germany a call, for starters. The tuning firm’s latest package allows ownership of a 16M style vehicle without the limited edition hurdle to jump over. The kit starts off with a Ferrari F430 Spider with a number of additions to not only make it 16M ready, but to allow for more horsepower as well.

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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 to fill its orders.

BMW’s newest special edition hasn’t even been out for a week yet and already there are reports stating that the BMW M3 CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) has completely sold out. That’s right, according to German magazine, Autobild, any hopes of owning one of the 67 available units may be dashed. That being said, we’ll play it on the safe side and wait for the official confirmation from BMW before sticking a fork in this special edition.

The newest and coolest feature on the new M3 CRT is the CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) components. What makes the CRT unique is that BMW has taken the leftover CFRP and reprocessed it with synthetic resin to create a bonnet that has the strength of a conventional steel hood at a quarter of its weight. This new hood is even 50% lighter than an aluminum hood. Add this component to the 4,360 cc V8 producing a total of 450 HP at 8,300 rpm and a peak torque of 324 lbs-ft at 3,750 rpm and you get 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph.

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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 show you, it can do a pretty mean burnout, too. On top of that, it was done for the Coats for Kids charity event, which makes sense because charity benefits like this could always use a spectacle that includes a 900-horsepower burnout from, of all things, a highway patrol car.

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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 fastest climb up Pikes Peak.

What makes the record even more special was that Tajima had to battle through an overheating engine to achieve his record-breaking time.

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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, that includes American muscles.

The special Edition Mustang comes in two different color schemes, a "Performance White" version and a more retro-styled "Grabber Blue" paint finish. Both styles offer special pin stripes on both the bonnet, as well as on the side of the car. On top of that, there’s also a rear boot lid spoiler, a set of 18" chromed alloy wheels wrapped in 235/50 R18 tires, and special leather seats on the interior. As for the powertrain, the Mustang V6 Sport Appearance, which comes in both coupe and controvertible versions, boasts of a 3.7-liter V6 engine that produces 309 horsepower and 279 lb/ft of torque.

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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 around the Nurburgring race track with an impressive time of 7:55. With this new time, the M5 will be placed above models like the Porsche Panamera Turbo (7:56) and the Cadillac CTS-V (7:59). This new lap time also matches the ’Ring time of the Ferrari F430.

The record lap was completed by a BMW driver, but don’t put it in the record books just yet. This is actually an unofficial time, surely to be followed by the real thing shortly.

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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 the most insane machines on the planet. Whether it’s a high-powered go-kart or a sports car dressed as a gypsy tent, there’s no shortage of vehicles that can escape the sharp eyes – and impeccable driving – of Clarkson, Hammond, and May.

The gargantuan machine was even featured in the pilot episode of Top Gear’s 17th season, where folks from the Paramount Group asked Richard Hammond to drive the vehicle in some of the most impossible stunts known to cars. There’s no shortage of cupcake stunts here; the car was driven over, around, and just about all other directions to determine whether it can live up to its name as the world’s toughest vehicle. It even went through a McDonalds drive-thru so Hammond could order a burger and survived a lion attack.

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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 behind the wheel, the car lapped the Nurburgring race track in 7:22.85 purely for exhibition purposes.

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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 panels, and 20", black-painted wheels wrapped in high-performance summer tires. Dealers will also offer two additional features: exclusive, 21-inch, black-painted wheels and a black ground-effects package.

The Camaro will once again star as "Bumblebee" in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and as a celebration of this event Chevrolet is unveiling the special edition Transformers Special Edition Camaro Coupe. The special edition will be available in July for the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Europe, South America, and Middle East markets.

The interior of the special edition Camaro gets black leather interior accented with yellow stitching on the instrument panel, center console, armrests, and seats. The Autobot Shield logos find their way inside as well with embroidered versions on the front headrests and center console lid.

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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 have in this world have. Wouldn’t you opt for a high-powered, street-legal, electric sports car as your choice in burning all that money away? Well, German automaker, e-Wolf, has something that should interest you. It’s called the Alpha-1 SRF - ’SRF’ stands for Silent Radical Force - and it’s about the most awesome-looking electric sports car you’ll ever find.

The only thing that sets this thing back is the price tag, which you’ll find out after the jump. But like we said, if you’re the type to burn that much money at a moment’s notice, then you won’t have any trouble paying to take this awesome electric sports car home to your garage.

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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 as expected, there’s been a lot of buzz as to what the troika of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May have in store for us. Now we’ve already seen the previews of Season 17, but now that the first episode has finally aired, we can take a look back at what transpired in those 60 minutes.

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