Automotive News

Filed under: Aftermarket, Car Buying, Tuners, Ford, Shelby

The world’s first Shelby-sanctioned third-party installer will soon open at Tasca Ford’s Cranston, Rhode Island facility. Tasca has the benefit of very close relationships with both Shelby and Ford Motor Company going back many decades. The authorized mod shop was announced on August 25th, and will open this fall. The location offers a second place to buy a Super Snake, and is about as physically far away from Shelby’s Las Vegas HQ as possible while staying within the bounds of the contiguous United States. Shelby packages like the aforementioned Super Snake, CS6, CS8 , and the 40th Anniversary package for the GT500 will be available at Tasca. Individual Shelby items such as engine, chassis, and body upgrades will be available as retail purchases, along with clothing and other accessories. If you take your Mustang to Tasca for your Shelby fix, it’ll come away with an official installation, and a badge that denotes the work was done by Tasca.

While the east coast outpost will be more convenient for a lot of customers, it’s not much of a help to hotrod Ford fans in the midwest, being about equidistant with a trip to Vegas, but you could stop at Foxwoods on the way there, and hit the Mohegan Sun on the way back if you feel that high-performance Mustangs and slot machines just go together.

[Source: Stangs Unleashed via Blue Oval News]

 

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Filed under: Sports/GTs, Alfa Romeo

As recently as last week, we had 99 Americans all excited about becoming potential owners of the new Alfa 8C Competizione. But Automotive News says the Italians will only ship 90 copies of the gorgeous $200,000 two-seater over here after everyone else in the world has gotten theirs.

So, according to Automotive News, we’re still getting the biggest allotment, with Germany and Italy getting 80, Japan 70, France and the UK 40, and Switzerland 35. That leaves 65 cars tagged as “other.”

Maybe you nine Americans who got left out can find out where those “others” are going and offer a serious premium. Then again, there’s always next year. And eBay.

Those of us who never had any hope of affording one, might get some consolation from our gallery of photos.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show, Minivans/MPVs, Euro, Hatchbacks, Renault

Click the image above for high-res pics.

Every automaker is after the much-coveted active-lifestyle crowd, and apparently Renault is no different. Partnering with Rollerblade, Renault developed the Kangoo Compact Concept that blends “mobility, togetherness and lust for life” with a roller-skating theme. Sure.

The concept’s styling is set to inspire future Kangoos, but whether the brushed aluminum and safety-orange color scheme makes it into the lineup is debatable. The large greenhouse, comprised of an expansive windscreen that stretches passed the A-pillar, mates to a retractable glass roof that, which combined with a fold-down hatch, allows would-be ‘bladers a place to strap on their skates.

The full Renault press release is posted after the jump, and you can check out the high-res gallery below. We’ll bring you live shots of the Kanoo Compact Concept from the show floor tomorrow, as well.

[Source: Renault]

Continue reading Frankfurt 2007: Renault Kangoo Compact Concept

 

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Filed under: Car Buying, GM

General Motors is throwing out the results of some recent customer satisfaction surveys because it says some of its dealers cheated. GM won’t say how many surveys were tampered with or how many dealers are accused of doing it, but they are taking it seriously. A GM spokeswoman told Automotive News (sub. req’d.) the tampering was not widespread.

GM sends the surveys to customers’ homes to reduce the chance of tampering, but some dealers have been known to offer customers incentives if they are allowed to fill out the surveys themselves. Customers can find it hard to pass up a free tank of gas in exchange for a 27-question survey they may not care about.

While customers should be upset that their dealer opinions might not be recognized by the company, but dealers accused of this have a lot more to lose. Automotive News says dealers are awarded bonuses according to their customer satisfaction scores and can make as much as $420,000 each quarter depending on the dealership’s sales volume. With that kind of money, some GM outlets may find it hard to resist cheating.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

 

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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Porsche

click above image for high-res gallery of live shots

We’re a little eager for this year’s 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show to start, so while attending the official soiree of media professionals at the Frankfurt Messe, we poked around until something caught our attention. That would be the 2008 Porsche GT2, the most fierce piece of hardware that Stuttgart has to offer. We already know its specs: 530 horsepower from a twin-turbo version of the automaker’s famous flat-six, 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, a 204-mph top speed, and 18.8 mpg makes a nice cherry on top. Numbers on a page didn’t prepare us, however, for the awesome presence of Porsche’s new GT2. Take a look at the rear rolling stock, for instance, which look Viper thick at 325mm across. Actually, Vipers wear 345 in the rear, but the Porsche’s rear rubber is tucked inside a much smaller derriere. Or how about those ginormous disc brakes, which we guess are carbon ceramics based on the fact the calipers were painted yellow. The seats, as well, are bolstered like a big bear hug, while being as thin as your favorite lawn chair to save weight.

We poked around the empty room in which Porsche will officially unveil the GT2 in public tomorrow, but were eventually tossed out like a used set of the GT2’s rear tires. Check out the entire group of pics we managed to nab in our gallery below, before getting the big boot, that is.

[Source: Porsche]

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show, Volkswagen

Volkswagen returns to its rear-engined roots with the up! concept, unveiled Monday before the Frankfurt Auto Show. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn gave a strong indication the four-seat car could see production one day as a part of the company’s New Small Family lineup.

Winterkorn also hinted at the car being sold internationally under VW, Seat and Skoda brands to spread around costs.

The up! is about 136 inches long and 64 inches wide with seating for four, rear-wheel drive and modest luggage space under the hood. A VW logo faintly shows through the rear plastic hatch, but glows when the brake lights come on.

With the up!, VW is breaking its recent trend of chasing the high-end of the market at the same time it brings back a Volkswagen power train setup not seen since the original Beetle. Formula for success? It worked once before.

[Sources: Drive and Autmotive News - Sub. Req.]

 

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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Coupes

Click the image above more for shots.

After entirely too much traveling in one 24-hour period, the auto-Gods shined a light upon our hotel, conveniently located a scant two blocks down from the Frankfurt Wiesmann dealer. Low and behold, the seething throngs of car cognoscenti were assembled in the locked-down dealership to preview the BMW V10-powered GT MF5. The only rub: a large gentleman in an overly tight-fitting blazer denied us entry. That didn’t stop us from strolling up to the floor-to-ceiling windows where the new uber-coupe was well within reach of our lens. Although the Wiesmann folks did their worst to block our view, Frank snapped off a handful of photos of the matte baby-blue coupe minutes before its official unveiling. Score!

The spec sheet was too far away to glean any more details, but we’d suspect the body panels are some form of composite, considering the way they contorted when the hood was closed. More details should be on their way soon enough, but in the meantime check out the gallery below.

 

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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Convertibles, Economy, Euro, SMART, Brabus

Click image for high-res gallery

On tap for introduction in Frankfurt is the BRABUS ULTIMATE 112, based on the open-air smart fortwo. Sporting 112 metric horsepower (PS) from the turbo-3 underhood, and limited to 112 units total, you don’t exactly need a detective’s shield to figure out where the car’s naming scheme comes from. All 112 rides are finished in the metallic/pearlescent orange you see above and are trimmed out in full-dress BRABUS Widestar bodywork and the always good-looking Monoblock VI wheels. Inside, orange trim adorns the seats and instrument panel. Want one? Well, you need to live in Europe. Assuming you’ve got that covered, simply fork over €45,900 (!) and you’re in. Exactly what you’re in after dropping 45K Euros on a smart is a separate discussion. A mental institution, perhaps?

[Source: BRABUS]

Continue reading Frankfurt Preview: BRABUS Ultimate 112

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Videos, Volkswagen

The VW IROC concept is on its way to production in a couple of years as the new Scirocco. For most production cars from major manufacturers, one of the inevitable stops along the way is California’s Death Valley for hot weather testing, and the Scirocco’s no different in that regard.

It’s been caught on video going through its paces in the desert valley over at Auto Motor und Sport. Propulsion for the Scirocco will come from a range of engines starting with a 115hp FSI four-cylinder to a 250 hp VR6, with prices starting at 25,000 Euro. You can catch the video over at the Auto Motor und Sport website.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport]

 

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