Nelson Ireson, Senior Editor
Articles
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Always wished you could slip behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula One car? Well, now you can--virtually, of course, courtesy of Ferrari's official Virtual Academy simulator.
Launched today, the... -
2010 Paris Auto Show Preview: MINI Cooper Design Concept TeasedIf you think the Countryman was hit with a MINI ugly stick, you may not want to see what's under that cover. If you're a bit more open-minded, however, you may be getting a glimpse of the upcoming facelift for the MINI Cooper S and Clubman S. Billed as a "design concept," the front-end bits...
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Photo Update: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Inspired Cigarette BoatCigarette Racing's custom AMG 46' Rider would be pretty awesome in its own right even if it weren't inspired by the SLS AMG. Twin-turbo 552 cubic-inch Mercury racing engines cranking out 1,350 horsepower each have a tendency to imbue awesome on things. The knife-edge boat is capable of over 130 mph...
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Video: Fire-Breathing Underground Racing Twin Turbo Lamborghini LP670-4 SVHow to build an Italian flamethrower: take the lightweight, hyper-fast Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV and throw a pair of turbos at it. Run it up to about 150 mph, then come off the gas. Instant three-foot flames. Brilliant. This teaser video shows us the handiwork of Underground Racing's...
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Report: Ferrari Enzo Successor Will Sport HY-KERS HybridThe fantastic new Ferrari 458 Italia is the fastest car to round the company's Fiorano test track, but it won't hold that title indefinitely: a successor to the Enzo hypercar is already in the works--and it will be a hybrid, according to Chairman Luca di Montezemolo. The move comes in contrast to...
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MINI Countryman WRC Clears Shakedown Phase, Shows OffMINI's return to rally is fast approaching. The Countryman World Rally Car has just cleared the shakedown phase in the hands of famed racing firm Prodrive, and now heads on to further development. Shakedown testing established the fundamental core of the car's functionality and systems as working...
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The duo at Red Bull haven't always seen eye to eye this season, and competition from McLaren is heating up, but both Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are contenders for the win, and the driver's...
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Video: Consumer "Disciples" Help Improve Chevrolet CamaroThe business of focus grouping in the auto industry can be a bit of an echo chamber. The group you select shapes the responses you get. Chevrolet is putting this two-edged sword to use with the ongoing development of the Camaro, and in this video, we get a look at the "15 Disciples" group of...
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Next-Gen Mercedes-Benz S-Class To Get Magic Carpet Ride...ControlLurking under the surface of some of the industry's top luxury sedans is a range of active suspension systems. Some are as simple as variable-rate anti-roll bars, others up the ante with magneto-rheological or air-ride dampers and complex electronic controls. Somewhere in the future lies...
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Report: 2011 Nissan GT-R SpecM To Be Called "Egoist"Egoist: Noun. A believer in egoism; an egocentric or egotistic person. That's the definition of the new name reported to be attached to the 2012 Nissan GT-R luxury model that was expected to be called the SpecM. But how will that sit with Americans? Highly individualized, buyer-centric...
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Video: Mazda Gives A Glimpse At Kodo-Themed Mazda2, Mazda3The audio sounds like the background to a James Garner TV montage, but the visuals are pure cutting-edge Mazda design. Wrapping the Kodo design theme around a compact three-door hatchback model, the video gives us an idea of what the next Mazda2 or Mazda3 could look like. While we're big fans of...
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Video: 2011 Bentley Continental GTBentley just threw the doors open on the new second-generation 2011 Continental GT, and now we have a video to go along with the photos and fact sheets. While it's light on information, the passion and attention to detail that goes into every Bentley is on full display. And yes, you do get to see...
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The Internets are romping and stomping with the "news" that the 2011 Chrysler 300C platform may spawn a sub-Quattroporte Maserati model, but we're just looking at the details, as we reported that...
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Bonus Gallery: 2011 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMGYou've already seen the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, and you've already combed through the full spec sheets, but now you've got another opportunity to ogle the super sedan thanks to a fresh dump of photos straight from Mercedes--this time focusing on the powertrain, with cutaway diagrams of the...
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Video: Clarkson On The Stig's Betrayal: "I'm Hurt"Ben Collin's cash grab for a book deal despite his contractual confidentiality agreement has left Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson at a loss for words. As he stumbles his way through his feelings on the matter in this interview, we get perhaps the best take yet on what exactly is going on behind the...
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Mazda SKY Rotary Engine Under DevelopmentThe rotary engine is a love-it or hate-it piece of engineering. Marvelously simple and compact yet viciously inefficient, variants of the spinning triangle have seen use in Mazda's cars for over 40 years. But that robust classic tech won't do the job anymore. The next Mazda rotary will have to be a...
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Brough & Howarth: The $37,000 Car WaxYou've just put a new set of $38,000 tires on your Bugatti Veyron after getting the $21,000 service and replacing the $12,000 set of wheels. You've had her hand washed by a pro, but you want that little something special to finish the job and make the paint look as much like a black hole as your...
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Report: Ferrari Planning High-Efficiency California Concept For 2010 Paris Auto ShowGreen, green, green. That's all we hear these days. How to get green, go green, not do things that aren't green. It's enough to make a person a bit green in the face. But Ferrari's shade of green at the upcoming 2010 Paris auto show may be the sort that indicates envy, as a report out today has the...
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As the rest of the world slowly amps up for the 2010 Paris auto show, the hyperluxurious designers in Crewe have been hard at work preparing the launch of the 2011 Bentley Continental GT, unveiled...
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New SSC Supercar Leaked, Reveal Coming Later This MonthThe Bugatti Veyron Super Sport has once again put the Volkswagen Group's French marque back at the top of the fastest production car charts with its recent 268-mph record, but within days Shelby Supercars (SSC) announced it would be once again gunning to top Bugatti. We already know that SSC's new...
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Video: Luke Hines' Massive Crash At ALMS Mosport RaceFire may be the biggest worry of most racing drivers, but high-speed accidents are a lot more common. This accident is a testament to the safety of modern race car and track design. Driving down the fast, slightly curved back straight at Mosport during this weekend's American Le Mans Series race...
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Mazda Shinari Kodo design concept debuts at 2010 Paris Motor ShowLooking an awful lot like the Tesla Model S crossed with Infiniti's Essence Concept, the Mazda Shinari might not be entirely unique, but it's certainly attractive. Today, Mazda released the full official details on the 'Kodo' design thesis to be unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, along with a...
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Aussie-Built Supercharged Ford V-8 To Return Topside?Ford Racing and Roush have already revealed supercharger kits for the new 2011 5.0-liter Mustang V-8, and earlier this week we saw the Australians' take on the theme: the Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) supercharged Falcon. Now the talk is that the FPV Falcon's milder engines may be headed back to...
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Rumor: Toyota Working On Four-Door FT-86File this one under speculation and balderdash for the time being, but an anonymous Japanese source has tipped the auto world that there may be a four-door version of the Toyota/Subaru joint rear-drive coupe project known as the FT-86. It does make sense in an economies-of-scale kind of way, but it...
Nelson Ireson