1964 Ferrari 250 GTO sells for nearly $32M
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
Widely regarded as one of the most sought-after cars ever made, it’s not every day that a Ferrari 250 GTO changes hands. But that day, according to reports out of the UK, has come.
Word has it that a private treaty sale – the only way vintage machinery of this caliber ever moves – of one such 1964 model has yielded a purchase price of £20.2 million – $31.8M in equivalent U.S. currency– just shy of the $30-40 million said to have been paid in 2010 for a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. In other words, this is the second most valuable car ever sold, and the most expensive ever sold in Britain. Or, at least, whose sale has ever gone on record, as many of these exchanges remain secretive.
Maserati blings it out with Damiani for Valentine’s Day
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
Driving a vehicle like a Maserati is as much about the status symbol as it is about the mechanical bits of the vehicle underneath the badge. So it only follows that the Trident marque should offer other ways for its customers to flaunt their wealth when away from their GranTurismo or Quattroporte.
Jaguar considering track-focused XKR-S
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
Items like the thick, cross-stiched leather, touchscreen navigation and a Bowers & Wilkins stereo hide just how wild the Jaguar XKR-S is. Without them you’d be overcome by the scent of a feral carnivore with blood on its breath, which is what the hottest coupe in Jaguar’s portfolio really is. Yet Jaguar is thinking about removing the XKR-S’ urbane coverings and producing a street-legal track version that would drop weight and lap times, according to a report in Car and Driver.
Toyota snags Davidson, Buemi to drive TS030 at Le Mans
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
F1 drivers typically have a shelf life shorter than what you otherwise might call a career. As the constant stream of new, young drivers usurps existing F1 seats, you’re left with a wealth of talent available to contest other forms of motorsport. That’s how you end up with former grand prix pilots in other series like IndyCar, DTM and even ice racing. Then there’s Le Mans.
Chris Harris + M5 + GT-R. You’ll want to watch this
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
Pitting the Nissan GT-R against the all-new BMW M5 is ridiculous. They’re two different beasts in two different classes with two different purposes. It’s a cynical, SEO-optimized comparison. And even worse, it’s already been done. But…
We can’t help but post on it. Not because it’s clicky or that a few of us have man-crushes on Chris Harris. No. It’s because watching the two cars being flogged back-to-back on a damp circuit demonstrates how technologically sophisticated each one is and how they go about putting the power down so differently. You can actually see the GT-R – traction control switched off – trying to right itself as Harris flings it sideways, while the M5 slackens and goes neutral while the turbocharged eight responds like a naturally aspirated mill.
Ferrari 458 joining the grid in FIA GT1 World Championship
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
Competition versions of the Ferrari 458 have already been prepared for the Ferrari Challenge, Grand Am, and the GT3 and GT2 classes at Le Mans and its various associated series around the world. Now you can add one more to the roster: the FIA GT1 World Championship.
Ferrari had previously left GT1 racing to the Maserati MC12, but Vitaphone Racing is switching from the Maser to an upgraded version off the BMW Z4 GT3. No announcement has been made identifying which team will field the GT1-spec 458, but whoever takes up the mantle faces a tough field tough field that includes the new McLaren MP4-12C GT3, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, Audi R8 LMS Ultra and Nissan GT-R. The Ford GT, Lamborghini Murcielago and Aston Martin DBR9 all follow the MC12 out of the series this season.
Toyota to export Highlander from U.S. to Australia, Russia
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
Toyota is struggling with the rising yen, so much so that the automaker has been shifting vehicle production outside of Japan. That’s bad news for laborers in Japan, but it works out in favor of the American workforce in Princeton, Indiana.
That’s because Toyota has announced that it will hire 400 more workers and spend $400 million to ramp up production of the popular Highlander. Toyota plans to ship off the extra production to buyers in countries like Russia and Australia. The plant expansion and additional jobs will enable the Princeton plant to crank out 50,000 additional Highlander models each year.
Nearly 10,000 Dodge Charger police cars recalled
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
With the era of Ford’s dominant Crown Victoria finally drawing to a close, automakers are working harder than ever to court law enforcement with more modern police cruisers. Key among their tactics? Facilitate easier fleet ordering by making common police equipment upgrades available from the car companies themselves instead of forcing precincts to seek out aftermarket specialists. Instead of sending their new cruisers off to third party vendors, those in charge of ordering new police cars can get them fitted with items like heavy-duty secondary batteries, special lighting, trunk coolers, laptop docking consoles and so on – all from the factory.
Bentley soars over Munich with new Continental GT V8
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
You’d think that lobbing four cylinders off a car’s engine would have an adverse effect on its performance, right? But Bentley is out to show that its new Continental GT with the V8 engine can fly every bit as much as the W-12 model. And by fly, we do mean fly.
Not only is the updated 2013 twelve-cylinder model 55 pounds lighter than the one it replaces, but the eight-cylinder model is lighter still. That helps the V8 achieve 40-percent better fuel economy, while still delivering 500 horsepower – 131 hp shy of the W12 – for a 4.6-second sprint to 60.
Chrysler abandons plan seeking more federal loans
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
The Detroit News reports Chrysler is walking away from the company’s pursuit of low-interest Department of Energy loans. The automaker originally applied for an $8.55 billion loan when it was still under Cerberus Capital Management, though the figure had since shrunk to $3.5 billion. The DOE, meanwhile, said it was considering a much smaller $2 billion loan with additional restrictions than were previously negotiated. The loan period would also be significantly shorter. Chrysler had sought the funds as a way to reduce the company’s interest payments, which would have dropped by nearly 5 percentage points had the deal gone through.
Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #269 LIVE
February 20th, 2012 | Author: R-Stand Author
We record Episode #269 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and you can drop us your questions via our Q&A module below. We’re joined by Sebastian Blanco tonight, so now’s your chance to pepper us with those Green-focused questions and topics. Check out our discussion topics or chime in to help determine what else the crew chats about this evening. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven’t already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Toyota getting help from Gazoo Racing to bring downsized turbo engines to market
February 15th, 2012 | Author: admin
According to a report by TheDetroitBureau.com, Toyota is teaming up with Gazoo Razing (full name: Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring) to kickstart development and retail rollout of small-displacement, turbocharged engines. While Toyota is the undisputed leader in hybrid sales, the 274,927 gas-electric vehicles sold in 2011 – that’s in total, not just the Prius – still represent a tiny portion of overall sales. By contrast, the EcoBoost-equipped Ford F-150 alone sold 100,000 units last year.
Bentley courting Maybach celebs with letter-writing campaign
February 15th, 2012 | Author: admin
When Daimler let slip that Maybach was on the chopping block, the German automaker reportedly insisted that ultra-luxury editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class would replace the doomed marque. We’re all for a smattering of low volume, seriously pricey S-Class variants, but will the richest and most influential Maybach buyers feel the same way?
Bentley hires David Hilton as new Head of Exterior Design
February 15th, 2012 | Author: admin
Bentley has named designer David Hilton as the company’s head of exterior design. Hilton ran his own successful design firm for 12 years before accepting the position with the ultra-luxury automaker. He will now report to Dirk van Braeckel, director of design and styling. Hilton is stepping into the shoes of Raul Pires, who left the company at the end of last year to join forces with Italdesign, the Volkswagen-owned design studio.
2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC and GranTurismo Convertible Sport
February 15th, 2012 | Author: admin
Maserati jokes that it’s a company with a lot of black and white pictures – in other words, the Italian automaker that traces its lineage all the way back to 1914 has a very long history. While those old pictures are monochromatic, Maserati’s past is very colorful. Its timeline includes ownership by Citroën (1968), De Tomaso (1975) and most recently Fiat (1993). Today, as part of the Fiat S.p.A. group, its siblings include both Chrysler and Ferrari. Fostering close relationships is critical to Maserati, as it relies heavily on those ties for engines, electronics and platforms, just as the Maserati Kubang SUV would share platforms with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.