Nelson Ireson, Senior Editor
Articles
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Late last summer we saw the production version of the three-door Volkswagen up! minicar ahead of its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. Today, the five-door variant got its production preview.
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2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 First DriveI have a confession to make. Sitting at the lunch table after thrashing the 2012 Camaro ZL1 on track—unrestricted, an opportunity offered to only a few of us at Firebird International Raceway, home of the Bondurant Racing School—I made a spontaneous association and foolishly blurted it...
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Barrett-Jackson, 2012 Focus ST-R, F430 Crash: Today's Car NewsThe Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event has seen some nice hardware go for some incredible prices, including the new 2013 Chevy Corvette 427 Convertible, the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 prototype, and a range of vintage, classic, and barn find cars. The 2012 Ford Focus ST-R gets put through its paces by...
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2012 MINI Baker Street And Bayswater Preview: London Games Special EditionsWell-known for its high degree of individualization in the buying and equipment process, MINI is also no stranger to building special editions. The latest dynamic duo is being built in honor of the 2012 London Olympic Games, based on the MINI Hardtop. The two models, the MINI Baker Street and MINI...
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Saab's Swan Dive Puts Spyker At RiskIn a release today, Swedish Automobile N.V. ("Swan") announced the possible sale of Spyker Cars, the Dutch supercar brand that Victor Muller parlayed into a purchase of Saab in 2010 and Swan's sole remaining subsidiary. But a sale might not be possible, and Spyker could go down with the ship. If...
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McLaren F1 Sucessor (P12) New RumorsWith a history like that of the McLaren F1, once the fastest car in the world, with a funky three-seat center-drive layout, breathtaking acceleration, and iconic styling, building a car to take up its mantle is a difficult undertaking. According to the latest reports out of the U.K., however...
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The 2013 Boxster just made its way into the public eye a little over a week ago, but at the time, it came with just one shot of its interior. Today, we have a nice new selection of more detailed... -
Audi Shows Off 125-Unit S5 Special EditionThe 2012 Audi S5 is already a seriously attractive coupe, but Audi is dressing it up for a limited 125-car run Special Edition model.
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First F10 BMW M5 Crashed, Bangle's Book, 2014 X5 Spied: Today's Car NewsToday we have some unfortunate news: the first of the new F10-generation BMW M5s has been crashed in the Netherlands. It's not that bad a crash, but it's a sign of things to come, we expect. Transitioning from bad to interesting is Chris Bangle's new book, and the design contest built around it...
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Chris Bangle Launches Contest, Book; Proves Writing Is Harder Than It LooksChris Bangle, the oft-maligned but undoubtedly talented automotive designer behind some of the '90s and '00s best BMWs, has started up his own firm since leaving the purely automotive design world upon departure from BMW in 2009. The new outfit, Chris Bangle Associates, is turning its eye beyond...
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Top Gear Season 18 Starts January 29: Teaser VideoThe world's most-watched automotive (more or less) TV show is about to get underway with its 18th season (or series, as the Brits style it). That's a good thing. A video teaser is better. Promising just as much ridiculous tail-out, smoky action, goofy Clarkson voiceover action, and action-filmy...
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2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe Spied, 2013 GT500 Prototype Auction, SRT8 Recall: Car News HeadlinesThe 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe has sidled in front of our spy photographers' lenses, and it looks good: like the Gran Coupe, but meaner. We're looking forward to seeing how it stacks up to the M5 on track. A 2013 Shelby GT500 prototype will cross the blocks at Barrett-Jackson this month, though it'll...
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In what is rapidly becoming a tradition, the latest U.S. Playstation/Nissan GT Academy winner, Bryan Heitkotter, has proven his mettle in the heat of professional competition. Heitkotter and his team... -
B-Class Electric, Jaguar XJ220S, Cobra Crash: Today's Car NewsToday we have an ultra-rare--and stunning--Jaguar XJ220S up for sale, news of Mercedes-Benz's B-Class range-extended electric vehicle plans for the U.S., and a Cobra crash that's one wild ridBe, with a surprisingly un-deadly outcome for the driver. Catch all of this and more in the day's headlines...
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88,911 2007-2011 MINI Cooper S, Clubman, JCW Models Recalled For Fire RiskThe 2011 MINI Cooper S Clubman is among the 88,911 models recalled for a potential fire risk due to a faulty auxiliary electric water pump.
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Crazy 130-MPH Cobra Crash Ends 500 Ft. Off-Track, Driver Survives: VideoSo you're out for a track day at Willow Springs in your Cobra replica, a fresh $14,000 engine in the car and the sun shining. You get the car up to 130 mph on the straight, then all of a sudden you're cartwheeling through the air, praying for life and watching the car self-destruct as it tumbles...
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2013 Mercedes-Benz SL Class At The Detroit Auto Show: VideoWhen we first saw the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL Class in the metal at the company's Carlsbad design studio, we weren't allowed to take any photos or talk about what we saw. That's no longer the case, however, with the full details in the wild and the car on display in Detroit this week. Packing a new...
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2012 Tesla Model S: Video PreviewThe Tesla Model S sedan is looking to change the game of electric car ownership, taking range up to 300 miles and performance into serious sport sedan range, all while packing as much luxury and tech--or more--as any German or Japanese gas-burning alternative. That's a tall order for any car, much...
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We don't mean to be hard on the Acura NSX concept unveiled at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. After all, it looks great--and even manages to look a bit like the original--packs a hybrid V-6 powertrain,... -
2013 Cadillac ATS Video PreviewThe luxury midsize sedan scene got a definite injection of heat this year with the introduction of new BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class models. At the Detroit Auto Show this week, Cadillac added its own dash of sauce with the 2013 ATS. While the styling is definitely right down the middle of...
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2013 Scion FR-S: Video From DetroitThe 2012 Detroit Auto Show is just behind us, but we've collected a look at several of the latest and/or greatest from the auto industry in a series of videos. Among them, we have the 2013 Scion FR-S. As Scion's take on the Toyota GT 86 two-door sport coupe, it's probably the least expensive, most...
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2012 BMW 3-Series Video OverviewWe've already given you all of the details on the new 2012 BMW 3-Series, including our first drive impressions from Spain, but if you haven't yet gotten familiar with BMW's newest midsize, this video from the Detroit Auto Show gives you the highlights. Along with the three new main trim lines...
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TRD GT-86, NASCAR At Daytona, The Driver: Today's Car NewsThe GT-86 isn't even on sale yet, but already Toyota is churning out the special editions, starting with the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) version coming to the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon. Speaking of racing, NASCAR is heating up the pavement at Daytona in its pre-season testing. The second trailer...
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Drunk, High Woman Drives 100 MPH The Wrong Way On Interstate--For 18 MilesDrugs, alcohol, and cars are equivalent to a "bullet" fired out of a gun, according to these news reporters. And for once, they're not being excessively sensationalist: A woman in Washington state took to the streets fueled by booze and prescription pills. The problem was, she was going more than...
Nelson Ireson