Automotive News

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Supercars, Lamborghini

Joan Ferci, the designer who somehow has permission to slap Lamborghini badges on the fishlike creations his mind comes up with, has actually found three buyers for the bizarrely-named, ridiculously-styled, Coatl sports car. According to Argentina Auto Blog, which has led the way regarding coverage of all things Ferci, reports that these Coatl production cars will have 350 horsepower and a top speed of 300 km/h. The original “Lamborghini” Coatl Ferci produced (shown above) was Diablo-based, boasted a far more robust 675 horsepower and was priced at over $600,000. The cars being built and sold now are supposedly under $100,000 each. Whether they use any Lamborghini mechanicals at all is a complete mystery, but the low power output and price compared to the original is puzzling, to say the least.

Ferci is still looking for a location upon which to build the manufacturing facility for his most recent Diablo-derived creation, the gratuitously ugly Lamborghini Alar. For reasons only Ferci knows, the Alar (concept version shown at right) looks like it’s wearing a Spider-Man costume when viewed from above. The mind reels.

[Source: Argentina Auto Blog]

 

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Videos, Cadillac

The 2008 Cadillac CTS is in the home-stretch right now, as it’s only a few months away from production. Anticipation for what could be one of the best Cadillacs ever has been steadily rising since its unveiling last January in Detroit, and the forthcoming CTS-V has made its way onto Autoblog quite a few times.

To keep anticipation high, GM has released video of the 2008 CTS running the ‘Ring from inside the cockpit. While the video isn’t of the greatest quality, it’s worth viewing if only for the sexy sound of the new direct injection 3.6L engine. Hit the jump to check it out.

[Source: YouTube]

Thanks for the tip, Sean!

Continue reading VIDEO: The General teases us with video of the 08 CTS on the ‘Ring

 

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Filed under: Motorsports

2:34 PM - The race is underway, with all 80+ cars out on the field.

Make the jump for all the action that’s fit to post.

Continue reading LIVE BLOG - 24 Hours of LeMons: Saturday madness begins

 

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Filed under: Motorsports

Click the image above for a 110 image-strong gallery of the contenders

The 24 Hours of LeMons is set to begin in less than a half an hour, and we thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to some of the vehicles about to partake in the this motoring madness. We’ve compiled a gallery showing some of the best and brightest, along with the rest of the field, for your viewing enjoyment. There are over 100 photos available in the gallery below - click away.

We’ve met some interesting drivers and their battle-ready rides, including Team 500k’s 500,669 mile V-Dub, the Lemon Martini Porsche 914 (complete with flask catch can), a Maserati Bi-Turbo, numerous imports, domestics and even a Jeep Cherokee.

After the jump is a shot of the course, outlining the route these brave souls will have to endure for the next 14 hours and 15 minutes,

Another post will go live at race time, which you can refresh to get continuous updates from the field. In the meantime, enjoy the pics.

Continue reading 24 Hours of Lemons: The Contenders

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, Auction Action, Hatchbacks, Volkswagen

Cars with 400hp are a lot more common than they were only a few years ago, but a VW Beetle with that kind of grunt doesn’t come along every day. For the “buy it now” price of $29,900 you can get behind the wheel of this HPA Motorsports of Canada-built hot hatch with all the bells and whistles. The bug is a 1999 model with 38,592 miles and more mods than you can shake a stick at. The twin-intercooled, 2.8-liter engine is mated to a five-speed manual sending power to all four wheels, with stopping power supplied by Porsche calipers. Other modifications include updated rims and tires, body kit, enlarged front air dam, and Recaro seats.

Other than the balding tires and the prodigious torque-steer, we’d say this is one bad-ass little ride. Check out the 13 gallery images below.

[Source: eBay]

 

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Filed under: Motorsports

It’s high noon on the West Coast and we’ve arrived at the Altamont Motorsports Park to cover the 2nd annual 24 Hours of LeMons - two days of vehicular madness perpetrated by some of the most asinine automotive atrocities this side of the Mississippi. We’re here to live-blog the even throughout the day and into the night, continuing our coverage tomorrow as the race unfolds.

The race starts at approximately 2:30 PM PST today, and we’ll have a separate post that will have continuous updates as the day progresses. Bookmark that page when it goes live and begin hitting refresh - the insanity will be covered in all its gruesome detail.

Tomorrow, we’ll be arriving at around 8 AM to cover the “People’s Choice/People’s Curse” ceremony, and from there the race will continue at 9:00 AM PST.

The full schedule is available after the jump, and you can check out the 24 Hours of LeMons site here.

Continue reading 24 Hours of LeMons: We’ve arrived

 

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Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Tech

NASCAR racers move fast. Camera shutters are fast enough to freeze the 200 mph action, but what do you do when you want a shot of the entire field of racers? Wide angle lenses create distortion known as convergence, and if you zoomed out enough to get the entire field, you’re only utilizing a portion of your emulsion or imaging chips, resulting in a noisy, fuzzy image. Photographer Rick Graves has created a customized Hasselblad to solve this conundrum and has produced some of the most beautiful images of NASCAR we’ve seen.

The modified camera has been dubbed DistaCam, and uses a high-speed motor drive and a metal plate with a slit cut in it, sort of like a pinhole camera. There is math involved; the focal distance is calculated, the speed of the motor needs to be correlated to the speed of the cars on the track, and the aperture of the telephoto lens is worked out. Once the numbers are crunched, the camera is aimed at an inches-wide spot on the track and then prayers are offered to Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration in hopes that there’ll be some good among the inevitable chaff. It’s not often that everything happens just so and the cars come out perfect, instead of squished or stretched. Those perfect bits are stitched in Photoshop after the 66-inch long frames are scanned ten inches at a time and cleaned up. When all’s said and done, the prints can be monstrous - as large as hundreds of feet long. Cool. It’s like those trick aluminum floorjacks they use in the pits; a total hotrod.

[Source: Wired]

 

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Filed under: SUVs, Jeep

Even though Jeep is world-renowned for its mud-plugging potential, that hasn’t stopped eager outdoorsman from outfitting the iconic off-roader with every manner of survivalist gear. Some aftermarket manufacturers allow you to do it piece-by-piece, while more die-hard companies give you the full monty, with everything necessary to take on the world and more.

EarthRoamer is just such an outfit, introducing what may very well be the most desirable Wrangler yet. The XV-JP comes equipped with the usual upgraded suspension, winch, high-intensity lighting and other necessities for a serious off-road excursion, but there’s more. A complete camping setup, including a tent mounted atop the roof that gives users the choice of three different material choices to match the elements, along with a queen-size bed, a solar power battery backup, an engine-heated hot water tank and a cassette toilet.

Naturally, the setup doesn’t come cheap, jumping the six-figure mark for the full outfit. More information is available at EarthRoamer’s website, here.

[Source: EarthRoamer via Winding Road]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW

When BMW engineers took a much-needed break from the 128-degree weather in Death Valley, they were kind enough to unlatch the hatch of the new X6 for KPG’s spies to shoot away.

The pics reveal that the heavy plastic cladding on the rear end disguises more air than sheet metal, with the steep rake of the windscreen plummeting towards the taillights. Even more worrying than the massive blind spots created by the camo, is the roofline that takes a serious plunge aft of the B-pillar, destined to seriously limit headroom for passengers relegated to the rear. As KPG’s peeps on the pavement point out, it’s form relentlessly beating function with a stick - something that CLS back-seat passengers have already gotten used to.

You can view more shots of the X6 by following this link to Jalopnik’s gallery.

[Source: Jalopnik]

 

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Filed under: SUVs, Marketing/Advertising, Jeep

It’s no newsflash that Jeeps are fun, and that’s the new angle the brand is taking to move iron at a pace faster than crawling the Rubicon. Jeep’s most recent figures show a 15-percent gain in June from last year, so it’s not like they’re sitting on their thumbs, but Jeep’s been listening to feedback from their often-rabid owner base, and the new tag line will read thusly: “Have fun out there. Jeep.” Previous advertising campaigns have pointed up the exclusive club you join by being a Jeeper. “There’s Only One,” and “Only In A Jeep” send the message that Jeeps can do things that no other vehicle can do (besides, perhaps, Land Rovers, Hummer H1s, maybe even a gingerly piloted H2.) We tend to agree that no other vehicle offers the capability of a Wrangler for the money, nor the vast and supportive owner and fan base. Never before has Jeep offered so many models at one time than now, with their seven different flavors. There’s the format that started it all, in the form of the Wrangler, and the line has been fleshed out to include larger and more luxurious models as well as smaller entry-level Jeeps.

Continue reading Jeep comes up with new tagline: “Have fun out there”

 

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