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Ford's Fiesta small car is just beginning to make its mark in the U.S. with a trial-run for social-media types ahead of its expected American debut early next year. To help get the car's identity - if somewhat loosely interpreted - out to its target audience, Ford is taking on ESPN's X Games with a trio of rally-prepped Fiestas. The X Games will run from July 30-August 2 in Los Angeles. Behind the wheel of the three Fiestas will be the famous Swedish driver Kenny Brack, driving for Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution, and also ROCKSTAR Energy Drink drivers Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan. “The...
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Bridgestone scraps 'tire gap' policy for remainder of 2009 F1 season
Bridgestone has scrapped its policy of leaving a gap between the two types of tire compounds supplied to formula one teams in 2009. At the remaining rounds of the season following next Sunday's German grand prix, the sport's official tire supplier will instead revert to supplying consecutive...
Kenneth Hall -
Prodrive bringing assortment of race cars to Goodwood Festival of Speed
British motorsports and tuning firm Prodrive will be displaying and running some of the most iconic cars from its 25 years in motorsport at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The very first car Prodrive built in 1984, a Rothmans Porsche 911 SCRS, will run up the hill, as will its very...
Kenneth Hall -
BMW confirms plans for 3-Series GT
BMW has just taken the wraps off its new 5-series GT, which goes on sale early next year and shares its design with the next-generation 5-series sedan, also due next year. The concept of the vehicle has proven so popular – at least to BMW’s management - that a smaller version based on...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
IND Distribution presents the first Dakar Yellow E92 M3 in North America
Though it's often overshadowed by the fantastic E30, the E36 M3 has become a favorite of aficionados, and no color showed off that M3's pavement prowess as well as the brilliant Dakar Yellow. Now IND Distribution has taken that familiar color and laid it over the newest M3, and it's sure to stir a...
Nelson Ireson -
Alfa Romeo will celebrate 99th birthday with Goodwood spectacular
A year shy of the Italian sporting marque’s 100th birthday, Alfa Romeo will be preparing for next year’s centenary with a historic hill climb by the 8C Spider convertible at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Also on show will be the 1924 P2 Gran Premio, which...
Jeremy Weber -
Toyota is considering abandoning its plans to host the 2010 Japanese grand prix, a spokesman for the Japanese carmaker has revealed. The admission comes after two waves of media reports insisted the event scheduled for Fuji Speedway next year is in doubt: most recently on Wednesday, but also dating back a month ago in the Asahi newspaper. Wednesday's reports, carried by other domestic newspapers as well as the national news agency Kyodo, cited sources in saying the decision to pull off next year's calendar is expected to be confirmed officially later in July. "It's true that (Fuji Speedway)...
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BMW adds real-time fuel price and weather to in-car computer system
In-car access to real-time information is already available in some formats - traffic alerts are a prime example. But now real-time weather, fuel prices and stock indices will all be available to new BMW owners. BMW's ConnectedDrive continues to push the boundary of in-car data technology in the...
Ralph Hanson -
Formula 1's Sir Frank Williams marks 40 years in motorsport at Goodwood
For 40 years now, Frank Williams has been involved in owning and building some of the fastest cars on earth - Formula 1 racers. From his brief partnership with Alessandro de Tomaso in 1970 through today's Williams F1, Williams' teams have fielded more than 600 race entries in the world's premier...
Kenneth Hall -
Spy Shots: Modified Gumpert Apollo Speed Hits The ‘Ring
German sports car manufacturer Gumpert unveiled a faster version of its Apollo supercar back at March’s Geneva Motor Show named the Apollo Speed. Building on previous versions like the Apollo Sport and Apollo Race, the new Speed had been further engineered to tackle high speed runs. Setting...
Alex Kaufmann -
Preview: 2012 Mercedes Benz C-Class Coupe
The switch in nomenclature from the CLK to the E-Class Coupe made a bit of a stir when word began to leak last year. Earlier this month, the issue was broken back open when it was revealed that the new E-Class Coupe is actually based on the C-Class platform - much like its CLK predecessor. So what...
Nelson Ireson -
Germany says no to Porsche's request for aid
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, the company that owns Porsche AG and has sought a controlling interest in Volkswagen AG, will not be on the list of government loans in Germany this year according to the latest reports. Porsche is already actively seeking help from outside sources, however. Porsche...
Nelson Ireson -
Modern supercars have pushed the envelope of performance so far that they require all sorts of technology to keep the average driver from instantly destroying themselves and the car. Hence all-wheel drive to deliver the power, self-shifting transmissions and, of course, traction and stability control. But to the hardcore driver, all of that stuff just gets in the way. Today, Lamborghini has unveiled a special-edition Gallardo that cuts through to deliver a purer experience - the Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni. Named after Lamborghini's famed test driver, who has helped shape the brand's...
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BMW Releases New Photos Of M Sport Package For 7-series
Up until the end of last year BMW was in the process of developing a brand new performance saloon positioned above the latest 7-Series flagship and destined to enter the premium four-door coupe segment. Then the global economic crisis hit and on the back of weak financial results BMW decided not to...
Jeremy Weber -
McLaren expanding with Middle Eastern office in preparation for 2011 launch
McLaren's plans to introduce new models in the next couple of years has been met with much anticipation from fans of the brand, which is unsurprising considering the company engineered and built one of the fastest and most acclaimed production cars of all time - the McLaren F1. With three new...
Kenneth Hall -
HSV boosting power and economy for E-Series 2 lineup
Even V8 performance groups like Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) cannot afford to ignore the new spate of environmental consciousness that’s sweeping the globe. Whether it’s a case of consumers griping about how much they have to pay for fuel, or a genuine desire for greener performance...
Jeremy Weber -
Audi updates satellite navigation system
Advanced multimedia and navigation systems are becoming increasingly central to daily life with modern cars. Especially at the luxury end of the segment, where BMW's iDrive, Mercedes-Benz's COMAND, Lexus's new haptic system with Enform and Audi's MMI all compete for top honors. The latest iteration...
Alex Kaufmann -
Spy shots: 2010 Opel Meriva MPV
GM’s next-generation Opel Meriva compact MPV has been caught undergoing testing once gain. Though it remains in full camouflage, many details are still discernible, including the overall shape, which remains close to the original Meriva concept from last year's Geneva Motor Show. A very...
Ralph Hanson -
Electricity and high-performance cars may or may not mix, depending on your frame of reference, but whether you're a Tesla fan or a Formula 1 devotee, it's easy to agree that an all-electric Porsche 911 would be a welcome creation. Porsche's Wolfgang Durheimer recently discussed the issue, but despite his hints, revealed no plans for production. Even if Porsche does build an all-electric 911, it's too late to be the first to do so - RUF has completed and is preparing for production of the Greenster (pictured below), a pure EV built from a production 911 Cabrio. But don't let your mouth start...
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House passes bill to double DOE fuel-efficient vehicle fund to $50 billion
Former president Bush signed the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program into life last year, but for the past 8 months, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sat on the money, carefully evaluating applications to see which companies would make the best use of the...
James Martinez -
Novitec Rosso releases new photos of 696hp tuned Ferrari 430 Scuderia 16M
Last year we reported on Italian tuning house Novitec Rosso and its work with Ferrari's extreme 430 Scuderia. In March Novitec followed Ferrari's reveal of the convertible version of the supercar known as the '16M', with its own, pumped up version, and today the company released a number of new...
Jeremy Weber -
Lexus wants to build RX 450h hybrid in Canada?
The RX line of SUVs has been Lexus' best-selling luxury utility vehicle since its launch in 1998, and the new generation takes the vehicle into a larger, more powerful realm, while at the same time adding new efficiency-enhancing measures in the hybrid model. Currently, the RX SUV range is...
James Martinez -
Spy shots: RWD Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2
Modern supercars have pushed the envelope of performance so far that they require all sorts of technology to keep the average driver from instantly destroying themselves and the car. Hence all-wheel drive to deliver the power, self-shifting transmissions and, of course, traction and stability...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Dodge Challenger SRT8 gets German makeover
German running gear specialist KW Automotive has chosen a very peculiar vehicle for its latest modification program, one of the purest examples of a modern-day American muscle car, the Dodge Challenger SRT8. As with any production car, there are always weaknesses and in the case of the Challenger...
James Martinez