Those wandering the isles of the SEMA Show next week in Las Vegas probably won’t pay much attention to the red 2009 Chevy Corvette in the Edelbrock booth. But they should.

As the performance-oriented company that it is, Edelbrock’s Corvette won’t have 22-inch diamond-encrusted wheels, or orange paint, or six LCD screens. Nope. In fact, the car will be entirely stock – except where it counts.

Edelbrock will use the SEMA Show to debut a new E-Force supercharger system. This blower is an Eton unit and uses the same rotors as found on the Corvette ZR1.

The E-Force supercharger will be offered for 2008-10 Corvettes in two stages. A stage one setup bring power from 430-hp to 554-hp, along with a healthy dose of torque – 515 ft-lbs to be exact. A stage two package will also include a smaller pulley and an upgraded fuel pump, with an output of 599-hp and 547 ft-lbs of torque.

Edelbrock promises ZR1-like acceleration without the price tag.

Be sure to check back on November 3rd for AutoGuide’s complete SEMA Show coverage.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

Official release after the jump:

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Frank Weber, the engineer that is currently running Chevy’s Volt project is parting ways with General Motors. Weber, will be returning to his homeland of Germany, where he will take up a senior management roll at Opel.

GM is currently in the process of selling Opel to Canada’s Magna International and Opel is set to produce its own version of the Volt (called the Ampera) in 2011. No doubt Weber’s expertise on the matter will be extremely beneficial in doing so.

According to GM spokesman Dave Roman, the move was planned and Weber’s replacement has already been found. That man is Doug Parks, who has been at Opel since 2007 and was also involved in the creation of car’s like the Opel Astra and Chevy Cruze.

The is the second big staffing change on the Volt project in the past few weeks with Bob Kruse, GM’s top engineer for hybrids and electric cars, recently having left the company to start his own consulting firm.

[Source: Automotive News]

German Lamborghini tuner IMSA has just released its complete widebody tuning package for the LP560-4 and just like the company’s last Gallardo project, it’s absolutely stunning. The kit includes a new front splitter and rear diffuser, as well as fender flares and a rear spoiler.

Arguably the best item IMSA offers, however, are the stunning split-spoke wheels, which feature gold center portions but can also be had in the standard aluminum silver. The wheels are central locking pieces in a 20-inch fitment, measuring 9-inches wide with 245/30/20 tires up front and 12.5-inches wide with 325/25/20 tires out back.

A new stainless steel exhaust system is also offered, that IMSA claims nets a 5 percent power increase, bumping output to 590ps and 560 nm of torque. That’s 582-hp and 413 ft-lbs of torque.

There are also plenty of options for the Lambo’s cockpit, with carbon fiber trim pieces as well as carbon fiber racing seats.

GALLERY: IMSA Gallardo LP560-4

[Source: WorldCarFans]

The Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has just announced the list of nominees for Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the year. This list is made up of the winners from each of the 12 categories and includes the Mazda3, Mazda3 Sport, Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI, Ford Taurus, BMW 335d, Porsche Panamera Turbo, Volkswagen GTI, Audi S4, Audi A5 Cabriolet, Subaru Outback, Volkswagen Toureg TDI and Lexus RX450h.

Highlights include the Mazda3 as Best New Small Car under $21,000; the Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI for Best New Family Car under $30,000; the Ford Taurus for Best New Family Car over $30,000; the Subaru Outback for Best New CUV/SUV and the Porsche Panamera Turbo for Best New Prestige Car. In total Volkswagen brands walked away with half of the awards.

AJAC released the list this morning in Niagaro-on-the-Lake in southern Ontario where 70 of Canada’s “elite” automotive journalists spent the week testing a long list of 156 vehicles at the organizations annual Test Fest event.

The 12 class winners will now be submitted for the 2010 Canadian Car of the Year or the 2010 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, which will be announced at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Ontario on February 11.

[Source: Auto123]

Follow the jump for a list of the individual class winners:

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NASCAR racing team Hendrick Motorsports is planning to launch a limited edition run of Camaro SS models to celebrate 25 years in the business. Called the Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary 2010 Camaro SS, each car will be built by famed Corvette tuner Callaway Cars.

The package will include a stylish aerodynamics kit with a front splitter, side skirts, rear spoiler and diffuser all made of carbon fiber. Another very cool item is the ZR1-styled hood that not only makes room for a little extra something under the hood, but lets you take a look at it too. The clear opening gives view to an Eaton TVS supercahrger that raises the Camaro’s output from 426-hp to 582!

Additional modifications include Callaway springs, shocks and anti-roll bars, as well as a stylish set of Callaway wheels.

The vehicle is rated at a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds with a quarter mile pass of 11.89 at 120.1 mph!

Just 25 Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary 2010 Camaro SS models will be built for a price of $76,181 each. The car will officially be unveiled next Tuesday, November 3rd at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

We’ll bring you more on the car with AutoGuide’s live SEMA coverage starting Nov. 3rd.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

GALLERY: Callaway Cars Hendrick Motorsports 25th Anniversary Camaro SS

[Source: CamaroBlog]

Subaru will showcase three vehicles at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week, including one vehicle that owners can replicate, thanks to the company’s Subaru Performance Tuning division. That car is a WRX STI, which has been completely outfitted with a long list of SPT parts straight out of the factory catalog. The car retains its turbocharged 2.5-liter engine but gets an SPT exhaust system to raise power slightly to 315-hp – up from 305-hp. Under the hood, there’s an SPT turbo heat shield and a selection of shiny bits, including a billet oil cap and battery hold down. Outside, the car also gets some extra style with a new front lip spoiler and exhaust finishers. Oh, and let’s not forget the 19×8.5-inch Prodrive GT2 wheels in Glitter Gold.

Wrapped in wear Michelin Pilot Sport rubber to help the car’s cornering abilities, the STI also gets some assistance from STI performance springs, an SPT strut tower brace and lower chassis brace.

Inside, the car is mostly stock with an added SPT boost gauge, a media hub audio system, an STI shift knob and some all-weather floor mats.

The second vehicle is definitely one that won’t be offered in the SPT catalog. It’s a VIP styled 2010 Legacy 2.5GT. Sure you can get the SPT oil cap and battery tie-down, but the air ride suspension and 20-inch wheels (with a 4-inch lip) are most certainly one-off items. To fit these wheels on the car’s body, the fenders had to be flared. Other body mods include a long list of JDM Legacy parts (overnight parts from Japan anyone?) like a hood, bumper, grille as well as HID headlights and fog lights. The car also gets a roof spoiler as well as a rear decklid spoiler. In order to fit the smooth JDM hood, the Legacy’s top-mount intercooler was replaced with a Mishimoto front mount intercooler.

And if the exterior seems extreme, just take a look at the interior, which gets a complete diamond-stitch leather treatment. The rear seat area was changed significantly with two bucket seats, two LCD screens and a huge audio setup.

A third vehicle will also join these two Subys. It’s a Subaru SPT Parts Delivery Van, that’s based off a fully restored 1969 Subaru 360. This is no performance machine with a 356cc engine that makes 25-hp and 25 ft-lbs of torque. But hey, it does get 66 mpg.

We’ll be sure to bring you more on all of Suabru’s SEMA show vehicles with live coverage from Las Vegas starting next Tuesday, November 3rd.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Kia appears to be readying an announcement that for 2010 it will launch a motorsports initiative using the Forte Koup.

We just received a brief (very brief) email from Kia Motors America stating that the Korean automaker will, “be accelerating its brand transformation” with an announcement at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) Show next week. Included with that announcement was the above photo.

Don’t be fooled by the badges and decals, however, as this is no SEMA show car. It appears to be a race ready Forte Koup, with the colors and badging being that of Kinetic Motorsports. Kinetic has long been involved in the Grand Am series an we suspect the announcement will be a car (or team) that will compete in next year’s Koni Challenge Series.

Kinetic does also run the Kinetic Speed Shop, for street legal performance, so there is also a strong possibility that Kinetic will be offering a full line of performance parts for the Forte Koup.

If we’re really lucky, Kia will announce both.

We’ll find out for sure next Tuesday, November 3rd on the first day of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Be sure to check back for AutoGuide’s live SEMA coverage starting then.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

GM’s sales numbers for October must be good because the company is already announcing that it expects to post its first monthly sales increase in 21 months. Still several days away, Mike DiGiovanni, GM’s executive director of global market and industry analysis, told the Detroit Free Press the good news.

Looking back to October of 2009, GM sold 168,719 vehicles, which at the time was a 45.1 percent decrease from October ’07.

Impressively, the increase comes with GM focusing on just its four core brands, with the vast majority of the sales coming from Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. This October 95 percent of the company’s sales are made up from the core four, with the remaining 5 percent coming from Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Hummer. Last year, those brands accounted for 15 percent of the total sales.

Official numbers aren’t due out until next week. There is no word if other automakers are expecting similar gains as the industry rebounds after the recession and the cash-for-clunkers hangover.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

To celebrate 25 years since the creation of the M5, BMW has built a light weight, even higher performance version of the current E60 super saloon. But don’t get too excited, BMW only built one and there are no plans to bring this model to production.

BMW M division R&D boss Albert Biermann described the car to the U.K.’s AutoCar as, “the M5 CSL we never built.”

The details of this M5 CSL are exciting, with a larger V10 engine that has been stroked to 5.5-liters. With a carbon fiber manifold and larger airboxes, as well as a secondary oil cooler, the car makes 580-hp and 400 ft-lbs of torque. Putting that power to the ground is a stronger version of the seven-speed dual clutch gearbox used in the current M3.

A good deal of weight savings was also part of the plan, with a carbon fiber roof, carbon fiber front seats and the absence of any rear seats.

All the modifications create an impressive package and Biermnan says the M5 lapped the Nürburgring in under 8 minutes, taking at least 20 seconds off the standard M5′s time.

[Source: AutoCar]

Much like last year, Chevy is planning a display of tricked-out Camaro models for the SEMA Show and one of those vehicles is apparently a Grand Sport model. Chevy hasn’t made any comments other than releasing the video, which shows a few different vehicles, including a lime green Camaro and the dark gray car with red hash marks and Grand Sport badging. What we expect is slightly more power from the LS3 engine, with bigger brakes, shorter gears and (presumably) a dry-sump oil system and differential cooler – just like on the Camaro.

We’ll have to wait for the car’s official reveal next Tuesday (November 3rd) at the SEMA Show and AutoGuide will be there to bring you all the coverage. In the mean time, check out the video below:

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