forbidden fruit
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The last bona-fide Type R model sold by Honda in the U.S. was the sprightly Integra Type R, sold under the Acura brand in the late 1990s. Many Type Rs have come and gone since then, but none of them have been sold in the U.S. With details of Honda's latest Civic Type R emerging, some U.S. Honda fans have got a little fed up of being denied the company's most exciting products. And they've started a petition to try and get Honda to change its mind. As Motor Trend reports, the petition states, "Honda enthusiasts demand that the discrimination against our market stops right here. There is no...
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VW Amarok Pickup Gets Tuner Treatment, Turns Into Something America Would Love
Yes, Volkswagen really does build a pickup—unbeknownst to those here in the largest pickup market in the world. And when you put a fuel-efficient but burly turbo-diesel V-8 into it, the result is something that we can't help but think would be a hit in the land of stars and stripes. The...
Bengt Halvorson -
2014 SEAT Leon Cupra Sets Nürburgring Record For FWD Cars: Video
The Volkswagen Group’s Spanish unit SEAT can now lay claim to the Nürburgring lap record for front-wheel-drive production cars, with its 2014 Leon Cupra hot hatch recently setting a 7:58.4 lap with racing driver Jordi Gené behind the wheel. The Leon is a small hatch based on the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2014 Audi S1 Revealed: Geneva Motor Show Live Photos
Audi’s A1 subcompact sold overseas has just received a mid-cycle update, and as part of that update the range has been expanded with a sporty new S1 variant. Audi hasn’t revealed the full details on its updates to the regular A1 but the automaker has revealed the S1, which will be...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Opel Astra OPC Extreme Road-Going Racer: Live Photos And Video From Geneva
In 2002 Opel revealed a wild concept based on its Astra that essentially packed all the best bits from various racing versions of the popular compact into a single package that would be drivable on the street. Now, at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, Opel has revealed a successor based on its latest...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Land Rover Defender Black & Silver Specials Set For Geneva Motor Show
Most cars have a lifecycle of six to eight years, with a facelift half way through the model cycle helping keep them fresh in the face of new competition. Some, however, soldier on for decades with minimal changes. One of those is Land Rover's iconic Defender SUV, deemed so fit for purpose by its...
Antony Ingram -
One of Audi’s main features for next month’s 2014 Geneva Motor Show will be this sporty new S1, which is based on its A1 hatchback sold overseas. The car is one of the only premium models in the sporty subcompact segment, with its only main rival being the MINI John Cooper Works. Sadly, with the A1 range not coming to the U.S., at least in this generation, we won’t be seeing this S1 on local soil. That’s a shame because it looks like it would be a bundle of fun on your favorite stretch of road or race track. The car is available in three- and five-door bodystyles, the...
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Updated Volkswagen Scirocco Previewed For Geneva Motor Show: Forbidden Fruit
Volkswagen fans, grab the nearest handkerchief to soak up your tears: the best-looking version of the Golf platform is updated ahead of its public debut in Geneva, and it's still not coming to the U.S. The sleek coupe-hatch lines of the Scirocco have been updated, but like the Golf, Volkswagen...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi Marks 20th Anniversary Of The RS 2 With New RS 4 Avant Nogaro
It was 20 years ago that Audi’s first RS model hit the scene, the legendary RS 2 Avant. The car was a high-performance version of Audi’s 80 Avant wagon, the predecessor to the A4 Avant, and it would set the tone for a string of new RS models to be launched over the next two...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
VW Allegedly Confirms All-Wheel-Drive Polo R
Volkswagen’s new Golf R looks set to receive a little brother based on the Polo subcompact sold overseas. Likely to be called the Polo R, the latest VW hot hatch is said to be adopting an all-wheel-drive system and a 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The information...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Forbidden Fruit: We Drive The Volkswagen Scirocco R
Some cars just draw looks, and the Volkswagen Scirocco R is one of them. From two utility workers stuck in traffic in their work van to a guy in an old compact crossover on the highway, we got stares, smiles, thumbs-ups, and questions. Everyone wanted to know what the sleek, stylish coupe was. It's...
John Voelcker -
Peugeot CEO Confirms Sporty 208 R
In a drive to boost profits, Peugeot is planning to expand its offerings with high-performance versions of its regular cars. We saw this first with the RCZ R based on the stylish RCZ coupe, and soon we’ll see sporty 308 GTI and 308 R models based on the French automaker’s 308 Golf...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford’s final Falcon rear-wheel-drive sedan for the Australian market will see the return of an ‘XR8’ performance variant in lieu of the current lineup offered by in-house tuner FPV. Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F], which has announced plans to end production in Australia by 2016, will be introducing a facelifted Falcon swan song in 2014, but there won’t be any FPV versions, meaning the company will be wound up. Instead, the revived XR8 will be the performance range-topper when the facelifted Falcon goes on sale late next year. Powering the car will be the same supercharged...
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Volvo Starts Production Of Long-Wheelbase S60L In China
Volvo has started production of a new long-wheelbase S60, aptly named the S60L, but unfortunately the car will be limited to the Chinese market, as is the case for many of the smaller long-wheelbase sedans. Production is taking place at Volvo’s new plant in Chengdu, China. The S60L...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Audi Launches DTM-Inspired A5
Audi is celebrating the granting of the 2013 DTM championship title to its star driver Mike Rockenfeller, by launching a special edition A5. Rockenfeller earned the title, his first in DTM, behind the wheel of a 2013 Audi A5 DTM race car fielded by factory team Audi Sport Team Phoenix. The special...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes A45 AMG Takes On Downhill Skateboarder: Forbidden Fruit Video
It's turbocharged Mercedes hatchback versus gravity in this race down South Africa's Franschhoek Pass.
Stephen Edelstein -
Forbidden Fruit: 2014 BMW X5 M50d
BMW has no triple-turbo love for the U.S. it seems, as the automaker has just revealed its second-generation X5 M50d performance diesel SUV based on the latest 2014 X5 range, and it’s not coming to local showrooms. If you’re unfamiliar with the X5 M50d, it’s a sporty SUV from...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Forbidden Fruit: 2014 Subaru BRZ tS
Following the reveal of the Subaru’s BRZ tS concept car a fortnight ago, the Japanese automaker has now launched the production version, though sadly the car is only offered in the automaker’s home market. But what exactly is the BRZ tS? It’s simply a version of the Subaru sports...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Jaguar’s stunning XF Sportbrake is about to spawn an XFR-S performance variant and we have our first spy shots of a prototype testing at the Nürburgring. The XF Sportbrake is essentially the wagon version of the svelte XF and it boasts a usable 59 cubic feet of storage despite sharing a footprint with the sedan. The new XFR-S Sportbrake should be launched late in the year and come to the market with the same specification as the XFR-S sedan. This means a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 will be spinning the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and limited-slip...
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Audi SQ5 TDI Hits The Track With Allan McNish At Silverstone: Video
Are you looking forward to the arrival of the Audi SQ5?
Nelson Ireson -
Chris Harris Drives The Mercedes A45 AMG and BMW M135i: Video
We've driven the CLA45 AMG, the only version of the A-Class platform we're scheduled to get in America. But in Europe, the hot compact car market is a bit more diverse. In fact, Mercedes and BMW both offer luxury hatches: the A-Class and 1 Series. The epitome of the A-Class is the A45 AMG, which...
Nelson Ireson -
Forbidden Fruit: A. Kahn Design’s Custom 2009 Ford Focus RS
In 2009, Ford unleashed on the market a version of its humble Focus hatchback powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter straight-five good for 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. Oh, and all of that was channeled through the front wheels only. Sadly, this beast, known as the Focus RS, was based...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Forbidden Fruit: 2013 Peugeot RCZ R
French automaker Peugeot has taken the wraps off its most powerful road car to date, the 2013 RCZ R sports coupe, which makes its official debut this week at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. The stylish and somewhat quirky RCZ has been around since 2009 but the latest variant adopts...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2013 Opel Insignia Country Tourer: Forbidden Fruit
Joining the updated Opel Insignia range at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show in September will be the all-new Insignia Country Tourer, revealed today as the Opel brand’s new flagship. The vehicle is based on the Insignia Sports Tourer station wagon but gets some off-roading attributes such as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran