Nelson Ireson, Senior Editor
Articles
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James Bond drives Aston Martins, so they must be pretty awesome, right? Right. But it looks like some of the 2007-2008 production wasn't quite as awesome as it should have been, as Aston is...
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Drunk Driver Parks Corvette In Emmy-Winning Puppeteer's HomeWe're big fans of booze, in the right context. We think it's safe to say that context isn't behind the wheel of your C6 Corvette as you park it at speed in someone else's living room. But that's just what Pat Leeper, 63, appears to have done late last month in Burbank, CA. The house will require...
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New Photos Of BMW's 1-Series M CoupeBMW's 1-Series M Coupe has been teased, leaked, and spied. Today it gets another visual update with a handful of under-the-covers photos from BMW's M-Power site. Between what we've already seen and the new detail shots, we can piece the car together in our minds, though we'll have to wait a while...
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Video: Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale Hits The TrackSleek lines, the raw Ferrari-tinged engine note, and more go-fast focus than the grand touring GranTurismo make the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale the Trident we want. This video just spikes our desire. Tail-out, tires screaming, engine wailing, the MC Stradale lives it up on track in this video...
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$75,000 2011 Camaro Convertible In Neiman Marcus "Christmas Book"The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible isn't due for mass retail sale until next spring, but a special-edition run of 100 convertibles is being built for the Neiman Marcus "Christmas Book," a high-end shopping list for the holidays. The book and the car are on display today in Neiman Marcus'...
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Video: Official Unveiling Of The Porsche 911 Carrera GTSBilled as the most powerful Carrera ever, the new Porsche 911 Carrera GTS slots in between the standard Carrera S and the hardcore GT3. What, you didn't notice a gap there? Well, Porsche did, and this car does a great job filling it. More power and more capability than the standard Carrera but all...
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The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a new, more stringent rating system for 2011 model-year cars. So far the only two cars to get top marks of five stars...
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Video: Reborn Lancia Stratos Testing At BaloccoThe Ferrari F430-based new take on the legendary Lancia Stratos is well underway, and this video gives us a better look at exactly what to expect as it undergoes chassis tuning at the Balocco test track in Italy. As an added bonus, we also have video of the car undergoing its final wind tunnel...
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2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Starts From $62,990, Coming This YearCadillac's CTS-V line of cars is one of the most exciting in the affordable luxury performance segment, offering 556 horsepower from a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 in sedan, coupe and wagon body styles. Today Cadillac released pricing on the wagon, which starts from $62,990 when it hits lots later...
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Fireball Run Videos: Remainders From The Track DaysThe 2010 Fireball Run is, sadly, over, but the memories and friendships live on. So, too, do the videos. These are the rest of the autocross videos we took but didn't have time to post from the road. First up you'll see me behind the wheel of the High Gear Media 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS, attacking...
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Spy Shots: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class CoupeMercedes-Benz's last C-Class coupe, the CLC, wasn't a great success, particularly here in the U.S., in part because of its awkward styling and in part--towards the end--because it was actually based on the previous-generation car, with only minor styling tweaks to update its look. Now Mercedes is...
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Hunt For Porsche Tuner Gemballa Ends With Body Found In South AfricaThe tagline "Where's Uwe?" has floated around the Web since February, with everything from kidnapping to tax evasion speculated as the reason behind the disappearance of Uwe Gemballa, founder of famous tuning house Gemballa. The sad conclusion to the story came yesterday when Gemballa's body was...
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As overall car sales--and most of the rest of the economy--remain cool, the luxury market continues to heat up, with several manufacturers posting record sales in recent months. Mercedes-Benz in...
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Video: BMW Teases Its "Secret Car"The "dontblogaboutthis.com" site has crossed the bridge to official BMW promotion, with a new Facebook competition to get a chance behind the wheel of the "secret car" on the racetrack--presumably before it's unveiled. In the video we see a few enticing snippets of the car, which is looking more...
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274-HP 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Priced From $24,145Hyundai almost certainly isn't the first name you think of when you think performance or luxury, but the brand is working hard to change that, most notably with the introduction of the Equus sedan for the U.S. Even its lower-range models are pushing the brand-perception envelope--the new Sonata is...
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Tesla Recalling 439 Roadsters For Electrical Fire RiskThe first of the modern electric sports cars to market has had a rough time of ironing out its mechanical issues, though the current Tesla Roadster 2.5 solves many problems in previous iterations. It's still not 100 percent, however, as Tesla today announced a voluntary recall of 439 of its...
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Viper V-10 Powered 2011 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak RevealedIt's hard to beat American muscle for hauling tail in a straight line, and Mopar's Drag Pak for the Dodge Challenger is among the best out-of-the-box Stock Eliminator/Super Stock configurations you can buy. For 2011, the deal gets even better: Viper V-10 power for just $85,512. Like previous Drag...
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2010 Paris Auto Show: 2011 Ford Fiesta RS WRC UnveiledTiny, American (sort of), ridiculously fast, and dedicated to rally competition, the Ford Fiesta RS WRC is a gravel-to-pavement lover's lust item. And it just made its global public debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. Built around a 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Fiesta RS...
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The 2010 Paris Auto Show is winding down, but there's still much to be seen, including Audi's punchiest version of the A1, the 1.4 TFSI.
Packing a supercharger, a turbocharger, and 185 wild horses,... -
Fireball Run Video: High Gear's Camaro SS Passes Valentino Balboni On TrackCamaro SS versus Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni. Sounds like a foregone conclusion, right? Not so fast--Team High Gear Media took to the track at Heartland Park Topeka and managed to catch and pass the LP550-2 piloted by none other than Balboni himself. You may remember my...
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Fireball Run Day 7: The High Gear HandoffYesterday was my last day on the Fireball Run. Today High Gear freelancer Tim Healey takes over my seat in the Camaro alongside Joel to head for the finish line in Galena, Illinois and I sit in the Kansas City airport. I wish I didn't have to leave, but the keyboard calls with a French accent as...
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Fireball Run Day 6: The Mission To Find Missing Kids In ActionBy now you've read all about our experiences on the Fireball Run from the participant perspective. But there's another side to the Fireball Run that's more important: the mission to help find missing kids. Today's stop in Dodge City may have even led directly to the location of one of the children...
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Lamborghini Drops Sixth Teaser For New Paris ConceptThe 2010 Paris Auto Show gets underway this week, and that means so is Lamborghini's upcoming Paris concept. Today we have a new teaser image of the concept in addition to Lamborghini's original sports car "manifesto." The game is about to change for Lamborghini, and this is how it will happen...
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Fireball Run Day 5: The Glorious GrindThis morning Joel and I awoke in Gallup, New Mexico at 6:00 a.m. and by 9:00 a.m. we were in the midst of a police escort headed toward Albuquerque to guide us past President Obama's motorcade. And that was the least exciting part of the day. I've tried to communicate how intense it is navigating...
Nelson Ireson