2014 Chevrolet Corvette already for sale on eBay

While we are still waiting for some official details from Chevrolet for its seventh generation Corvette, you can already bid for one on eBay. This may be the perfect chance for someone to be the very first owner of the upcoming Corvette C7, or the first person to be scammed into sending money to an unknown source for the Corvette. Also, don’t get fooled by the current bid - it’s only $4,250 - because this is just a deposit for the car. The full amount will have to be paid upon receiving it and if you decide to back out, they get to keep 10% of your deposit.

While the summary on eBay doesn’t offer many details on the next C7 Corvette, it does reveal that the future sports car will keep its usual V8 engine, mated to either a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox. The specific Corvette on eBay is only the base model, but the winner of the bid can add any options he wants once it is paid for.

The Chevrolet C7 Corvette is set to arrive in mid-2013 and rumors say it will be powered by a 5.5L small block V8 engine that will deliver about 440 HP.

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Lexus revives sedan lineup and confirms LF-A Roadster for 2014

Lexus may have pulled one over on us by revealing an LF-A contest instead of a special edition LF-A supercar, but at least we’re getting some good news to put us in better spirits. A Lexus insider has revealed that the company plans to revive its sedan line-up, adding a coupe based on the wild LF-LC concept, possibly a coupe derived from the GS, and a new, smaller five-passenger crossover. The biggest news, however, is the launch of a roadster LF-A for mid-2014.

Next to the changes we’ve seen so far in the GS, ES, and LS, Lexus will also be working on a re-engineered IS for the spring of 2013. It will be built on a shortened version of the GS platform and will feature the same 2.5-liter and 3.5-liter engines, as well as a new exterior design that will differentiate it from the IS. Next, there will be a GS Coupe - placed between the IS-C and LF-LC - priced at about $60K.

As for a production version of the LF-LC concept, it has been confirmed for late 2014 as a competitor for the Aston Martin Vantage and the Porsche 911 Turbo. Lexus’ SUV line-up will see redesigns for the RX and LX in 2014 and 2015 respectively, while a smaller CX will compete against the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 and will arrive in the fall of 2013.

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2013 Scion FR-S by Fox Marketing and Takata Racing

The countdown towards one of the most highly anticipated auto shows of the calendar year has officially began.

Well, technically, there really is no official countdown leading up to this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. But don’t tell that to the guys over at Fox Marketing, who seem to be gearing up for the event with a couple of Scion FR-S projects.

A few weeks ago, they teased us with a program they’re building for Yonaka Motorsports. Now, they’re releasing another program, this time for Takata Racing. Confused? Don’t be.

Similar to the Yonaka FR-S, the Takata version will be a race-prepared model of the Scion sports coupe, complete with lively decals and a new body kit that includes a front grille, side splitters, and a rear racing wing, among other things.

Details on the car’s engine program are still vague at this point, but Fox Marketing has given indication that the Takata Racing FR-S will carry what they’re saying as the only HKS-powered supercharged in the US.

How much of an improvement will that give to the FR-S’ output is still unknown, but the mere mention of ’supercharger’ already has us salivating to find out.

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2013 Honda Civic WTCC Race Car

The new Honda Civic is getting its first taste of official racing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. In preparation for its full entry in the 2013 season, the Civic WTCC race car is going to be thrown into the fire beginning at Suzuka in October. From there, it will enter three races and will be driven by Tiago Monteiro.

With October less than two months away, the Japanese automaker is giving its new racer one last test run at the Vallelunga circuit, near Rome, Italy. The car itself is based on the European Civic hatchback model where it carries a host of special aero packages, including an extended front and rear skirt, a large rear wing, and an interior that’s been fully customized to handle the rigors of full-fledged auto racing.

Most importantly, the Civic WTCC will not be carrying a standard engine, but rather a bespoke 1.6-liter 4 cylinder direct injection turbocharged HR-412E engine. No details on output have been released yet, although Daisuke Horiuchi, WTCC Development Project Leader at Honda R&D, has said that this particular engine could have a future in production models.

"We believe the innovations that have led to this revolutionary engine will also lead to benefits beyond the race track, helping us to further increase the efficiency of our road car engines," he said.

Looks like there’s more to the Honda Civic WTCC Race Car than meets the eye. Could it be that whatever lies under the hood of this race makes its way out of the track and into public streets in the future?

While it’s tempting to find that out now, it’s probably more important for Honda to give the race car the full shakedown first leading up to its racing debut at Suzuka this October.

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McLaren Dubs the V-12 as "a Thing of the Past"

We mentioned a few months ago about how advancements in turbocharging is starting to render V-8 and larger engines obsolete. As much as readers may not have wanted to hear that, it is true. For additional confirmation, we now have supercar builder, McLaren, in our corner.

In a recent interview with De Telegraaf’s Autovisie, McLaren managing director, Antony Sheriff, was quoted saying that “the V-12 engine is a thing of the past” and “the engine belongs in a museum.” Just as we pointed out, Sheriff claims that a boosted V-8 can pump out the same horsepower and more torque than a naturally aspirated V-12, plus it is lighter, less complex, and boasts better fuel economy.

Sheriff went on to further solidify our stance, as he explains that turbocharged V-6 engines may have a place in the supercar world as replacements for naturally aspirated V-8 engines. Granted, this is only the opinion of one automaker and it is not one of the big-three supercar builders – Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Porsche – so it doesn’t mean the V-12, V-10, and V-8 engines are going away just yet.

Having said that, we still hold firm in our belief that, in the next decade, the V-12 and V-10 engines will not be able to survive in a world of $5-per-gallon gasoline. Inside of this time period, smaller displacement engines and electric motors will replace these large, fuel-hungry engines. For now, we at least know that McLaren is on-board with the much-needed changeover.

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2013 Opel Insignia OPC

After bringing the standard Insignia facelift out for a few test runs, Opel is now testing the OPC version of the sedan in its new version. The model is expected to be launched along with the standard version, sometime at the end of 2012.

Just like the standard model, the exterior changes for the Insignia OPC version will be minimal. They will include newly designed bumpers with different air intakes, a new grille, a new rear bumper, and new tail-lamps.

The interior will also be redesigned and will get a larger satnav/info screen with new buttons placed on top of the screen. The air outlets are newly shaped with a chrome strip around them, while the dashboard will receive more chrome in order to make it look more exclusive.

Under the hood, Opel will mostly focus on improving the car’s fuel economy, even though it is very possible to see some improvements for the 325 HP 2.6 Liter V6 engine.

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2013 Toyota GT-86X Drift Car by Speedhunters and KW

The fellas over at Speedhunters.com have found a pretty good way to spend their time. Together with KW, the two companies have paired up to build a special Toyota GT-86 drift car that comes with a ridiculous body kit and an even more ridiculous Toyota Supra engine. It even has a cool new name: the 86X.

To give the car a decidedly drifty look, Speedhunters and KW fitted a TRA Kyoto 6666 Customs GT Rodeo Special Rocket Bunny wide body prototype fender conversion on the sports car to go with a new livery design that was done by the fine folks over at As Technical University. In order to give the car a full drifting dress down, the entire interior was modified to serve its drifting purpose. Instead of the usual digs that come with a GT-86, KW and Speedhunters took all the unneeded components out in favor of FIA seats, a GS Performance steering wheel, a Takata FIA harnesses, an automatic circuit breaker setup, custom dashboard switches, a throttle pedal assembly, and a custom steering column.

The 86X Drift Car will also be set up with two different 2JZ-GTE Supra engines, one of which produces 640 horsepower and 605 lb/ft of torque. The second engine - a 3.4-liter 2JZ-GTE Supra engine - will produce a staggering 800 horsepower and 738 lb/ft of torque. The powertrain is then mated to a four-speed transmission from Mid-Valley. The car also uses an Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) triple disc race clutch and an ACT custom flywheel, a driveshaft courtesy of Ingar at Powertrain, and rear axles by The Driveshaft Shop.

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