2008

They've been called budget supercars for years now, and the latest crop of factory hot-rods are seriously infringing on that performance territory. Take Mitsubishi's new FQ-400 special for the UK, unveiled today: 3.8 seconds 0-62mph puts it on par with the Corvette ZR-1, Nissan GT-R, Lamborghini...

When dealing with the amount of money and prestige involved with a custom Bentley Continental, it's easy to get carried away - and there are plenty of examples to attest to that. But sometimes a custom house pulls off an upgrade that actually enhances the original, and that's exactly what we have...

Famed Italian coachbuilder and design house Pininfarina is most widely recognized for designing stunning cars like the Ferrari 599 but the company also dabbles every now and then in the area of coachbuilding special one-off creations for wealthy clients. Back in 2006 we saw the personalized Ferrari...

Next year Volkswagen will launch a new petrol-electric hybrid version of its Touareg in its BlueMotion range but before that another version of the handsome SUV will get the environmentally conscientious banner. Just launched in Europe is the new Touareg TDI BlueMotion, which comes with a 225hp...

Questions about safety, affordability, ultimate value and even performance are all well-worn topics for fans of the Daimler-built Smart ForTwo minicar, but to date mechanical problems haven't been a hot topic - aside from balky transmissions. Now Daimler has decided to fix the problem by offering a...

The brand-new E-Class Coupe may be based on the old C-Class's underpinnings, but it's styled like the new car and is priced aggressively, making it a perfect car to buy and then build on. And that's exactly what Brabus has done. The primary upgrade to the standard E550 Coupe is the addition of a...

As General Motors sacrifices and sells off about half of its brand portfolio and Chrysler downsizes through bankruptcy, Ford has stayed above the fray. But with the end of production of the Mercury Sable coming this Thursday, talk of the brand's potential demise has come back to life. Early in...

Bentley may best be known for its hedonistic land yachts that can cost as much as a house, but lately the carmaker has become increasingly recognized for its environmental efforts. Bentley has already laid out a three-stage plan to reduce emissions of its fleet by 15%, launch new powertrains that...

Before Chrysler was ever involved in alliance dealings with Fiat, the Auburn Hills-based carmaker was already tied with Nissan over several platform swapping and production sharing deals. In February of this year, however, plans for Nissan to build a Chrysler compact car based on its Versa in...

General Motors is trimming its model lineup to get rid of its underperforming sport models across all its brands. Just yesterday, it was revealed that Chevrolet will no longer offer the Impala SS variant for 2010, nor will it offer the 2010 Cobalt SS sedan. Following in the footsteps of these two...

After a very unfortunate naming/translation incident with their Audi RS6 'White Power', Avus Performance have followed up with two more strong contenders for the tuning market's elusive 'most tasteful' award. Proving they have what it takes to build on - but not screw up - high-performance German...

As Chrysler pushes forward during its bankruptcy period and prepares for its new face and alliance with Fiat, many are wondering what will come along for the ride and what will be left behind. News today from within Chrysler reveals that the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger, as oft-maligned as...

Germany’s Novitec Rosso is one of favorite tuners when it comes to modifying exotic metal and the company’s latest package for the Maserati GranTurismo S shows exactly why. This is just the second tuned Maserati from Novitec’s recently established ‘Novitec Tridente’...

BMW is having a hard time making much money on the 1-series because it is capped in its upper price range by competition with the 3-series, yet it still features much of the same technology and is nearly the same size as its bigger brother. To help remedy this situation, BMW is looking to cut build...

After a tough go of things last week, Avus Performance is trying to spring back with a new matte black Audi A5 dubbed simply the A5 Coupe Matte Black. Though it offers a healthy boost to the pulling power of the V6 TDI under the hood, the main focuses are handling and appearance modifications...

BMW’s next-generation 6-series isn’t due to arrive until late 2010 at the earliest as the current model was only given its mid-cycle facelift a little over a year ago. Prototypes of the new car, however, are already testing in Europe and have been captured by spy photographers for the...

It's not everyday you get to see a hot lap with one of the best drivers ever to have lived, and it's definitely not everyday that it's done in a street-legal supercar. But today is that day. The Ferrar 430 Scuderia piloted by Michael Schumacher in this clip is based on the F430, but further...

Love it or hate it, the BMW 3-series Coupe has a lot going for it - price, performance and features are all at a sweet spot for the market. That makes it a prime candidate for aftermarket add-ons, as owners of the popular car seek to differentiate their particular example. Enter Lumma Design with a...

Chrysler may be on the brink of bankruptcy but that hasn't stopped the company from trying to claw its way back into the now burgeoning electric market - with the help of the U.S. Postal Service. This week the company showed off four all-electric Chrysler Town & Country minivan concepts, which it...

Ferrari has already shown off a new ‘Laboratorio Technologico’ 599XX experimental car based on the regular 599 GTB Fiorano, which was designed as a test-bed for future technologies and available only to a select group of client drivers. While that model showcases Ferrari’s racing...