The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is one of the most beautiful, and certainly one of the rarest exotics on the road. The classic GT shape looks great at any angle, and the 4.7 liter Ferrari/Maserati sourced V8 can make grown men can make grown men weep at a full clip. But sometimes exclusive isn’t exclusive enough, and it seems that Alfa intends to release a GTA (Gran Turismo Allegerito, it means faster) version of the super-coupe sometime in the next year, just in time for the Italian manufacturer’s hundred-year anniversary.

The new 8C Competizione GTA will lose 150 kg of weight, (bringing curb weight very near 3,000 lbs), and gain 50 horsepower, for a total of 500 ponies. No word yet on whether the GTA will feature any suspension tweaks, as the suspension seems to be the only thing anyone ever criticizes.

A single spy photo, above, shows what is reportedly the 8C GTA out testing.

Only 100 copies will be produced, making the GTA 5 times rarer than the “base” 8C, and we’d expect fewer than 20 make it stateside.

[Source: TopSpeed]

After much speculation, General Motors has now confirmed its first project with Google. An updated Chevrolet Volt Mobile App will include a Navigation tab that allows Google Maps to work with OnStar. Using their Google Android smart phone, Volt customers will be able to see the location of their Volt on Google Maps, as well as their location in reference to their car. This setup will work with Google’s voice search function to allow Volt owners to search for a location in reference to the Volt. OnStar can then take over, giving turn-by-turn directions to the destination, once the driver gets in the car. And possibly the best feature; this partnership will also be able to give Volt owners voice directions to the location of their vehicle through their smart phone.

More info about this new Navigation Tab, as well as future plans for the Chevrolet Volt Mobile App will be given at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, which runs from May 19-20.

The Navigation Tab won’t be available at the launch of the Volt Mobile App (set for this Fall), but will be available on version 2.0. The current version offers functions like showing the Volt’s charge level and range; if it is plugged in; the ability to charge the vehicle or schedule a charging; send text or email reminders to charge the battery; provide info on past fuel economy performance and, of course, remotely start the car.

GALLERY: OnStar Google App

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

It may cost more money to purchase and fill up, but SUVs , trucks and mini-vans are cheaper to insure. This information is coming from a recent government report that based its findings on the fact that some vehicles cost less to fix, and therefore reflects how much it will cost to insure.

Based on losses of insured vehicles for the model years 2007 to 2009, work van Ford E350 Econoline tops the list as the cheapest vehicle to insure. It’s followed by the Mercury Mariner, a small SUV, and the Chevrolet Traverse.

Due to the fact that so many of the company’s vehicles made the list, Ford has no issues about tooting its own horn. “Vehicle affordability continues to be the most important purchase consideration for car and truck buyers, rivaled only by fuel economy,” said Frederiek Toney, a Ford vice president. “We design our vehicles to be easier and more affordable to repair because we know this saves our customers money in insurance premiums and repair costs over the long term.”

The only car to make the list is the Smart ForTwo microcar. The basic idea behind the list is that some vehicles are cheaper to fix if you crash them, and that difference is reflected in their insurance So that Econoline van is 61% cheaper to insure than the average vehicle. The Mariner is 59% cheaper to insure. Traverse is 57%.

Other cheap vehicles to insure, and their percentage they are cheaper than average:

Ford E350 Econoline: 61%

Mercury Mariner: 59%

Chevrolet Traverse: 57%

Ford Escape: 50%

Jeep Wrangler: 53%

Smart ForTwo convertible: 52%

GMC Acadia: 47%

Saturn Outlook: 46%

Ram 1500: 45%

Ford F-150 Supercab: 44%

Kia Sorento: 44%

Dodge Grand Caravan: 40%

Ford F-250: 40%

[Source: Kicking Tires]

How many jobs do you have to support your habit (and by habit, we mean driving a car)? Prices for gas and other vehicle-related expenditures are on the rise, and there looks to be no relief in sight. A lot of people forget about the costs behind keeping a car on the road – they just budget for the cost of the car itself. Have you ever wondered about how much it will cost to fuel your Toyota Prius hybrid (it will set you back $846 a year) or your 2010 Lamborghini Murchielago (a mere $4,754 per year)?

The infograph below lets you in on some fun – and important – facts you may not have known about fueling up. See after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Well, we probably could have called this one. German super-tuner Gemballa finally closed up shop this week, ending a 30-year reign as one of Europe’s top tuners. Gemballa was known as one of the most outrageous tuners of Porsches and Ferrari’s, and with cars like the Mirage GT and Avalanche GTR800, have proven themselves absolutely bonkers when it comes to making fast cars faster. Their most recent project, the questionably-styled, Enzo-based Mig-U1, sought to show that the fastest of Ferrari’s was actually built in Germany.

Things went south for Gemballa quickly, the down economy in 2008 hurt Gemballa’s bottom line, and may have led to the strange disappearance of company founder Uwe Gemballa in Africa. The last known communication from Gemballa, he requested a transfer of a large sum of money, which pretty much says it all.

A month ago we put the spotlight on VW’s Scirocco GT24 CNG Race Cars, announcing that they’ll be competing at the Nurburgring 24-hour race in the class for cars with alternative power. The race has come and gone and VW has made a solid statement with the sweep of the podium with a 1-2-3 finish.

Sadly this continues our saga of wishing that the VW Scirocco will make its way to North America. These 330-hp GT24-CNG race cars omit 80-percent less CO2 while maintaining 100% of its reliability, as shown in its 24-hour outing at Nurburgring. The 2.0L turbocharged engine also contributed in setting the fastest lap time by a FWD vehicle with 9m 04.710s.

Car #117 placed first in the alternative power class piloted by Ickx, Al-Attiyah, Depping and Niedzwicz.  Car #118 finished second and car #116 finished third.

We have to admit, the VW Scirocco already looked great every time we spot it on the Web or outside North America. We can only wish that more attention is paid to the car in bringing it over to North America. These results also prove that alternative power is becoming a formidable force out on the track.

[Source: German Car Scene]

There’s a sort of an irony in the Top Secret brand name; they’re not one bit a secret in the tuner world at all. There are few companies that have stood the test of time like Top Secret has, always being on the forefront of parts research, design and manufacturing. They are also one of the few Japanese tuning companies that focus on all facets of motorsports from street driving to drifting, circuit racing and even drag racing.

Mostly known for their infamous gold paint schemes on their demo cars, Top Secret’s products are available for a multitude of makes and models. But it’s hard to argue their passion for Nissan tuning, exemplified with their 350Z and previous Skyline projects.

Now attention has turned to the new Godzilla GT-R on the streets, the R35. Top Secret has recently announced the release of a few new parts, some of which could be great interest to any GT-R owner. The most important of the releases is a twin turbo upgrade that surprisingly uses the stock housings but honed out to fit the larger internals. Top Secret claims that they’re good for around 600-hp without sacrificing drive-ability. Ball-bearing maintains the quick spool the GT-R is known for.

The Top Secret Super Suction Kit is a 56mm stainless steel intake that replaces the factory compressor-side cast offerings. It can be used with the stock intake kit. Accessories from Top Secret this time around include an oil catch can with a 2.0-liter capacity and a hood dampening kit. Nissan made an odd decision to not include gas struts for hood support on their premier street car, but hey at least Top Secret has us covered now – and in style.

[Source: GTR Blog]

GALLERY: Top Secret Nissan GT-R R35 Parts

While our most popular sedan-based racing series involves only left turns, Europe has a long, storied history of touring car racing, where pumped up sedans go head to head on some of the world’s most famous tracks. British automaker Jaguar is hoping to get into the action with a new touring car of its own.

Belgium, home of the hallowed Spa-Francorchamps race circuit, is getting a new competitor in its touring car series, as Jaguar prepares to enter an awesome, British Racing Green liveried XF sedan in the series. Details are scant, but some kind of 3.5L V6 making oodles of power will propel the car around the track, as it does battle with the likes of the Volvo S60 Touring Car.

The season f the Belgian Touring Car Series is already underway but we can’t wait to see what Jaguar’s new entrant is capable of doing.

[Source: Autoblog]

Gran Turismo Allegerito sounds so sexy in Italian, when it really just means “Grand Touring Light Weight” in English. The name is banal, but the GTA products in Alfa Romeo”s lineup have always been scorching. The first GTA’s dominated sports car racing in Europe and America (until the Datsun 510 came around), and subsequent cars, like the 156 GTA and 147 GTA, re-wrote the book on powerful front-wheel drive cars.

The newest GTA models are expected to be found at both the lowest and highest ends of Alfa’s lineup. The MiTo GTA, a sporty Alfa for the common man, is expected to pack 240 horsepower from a turbo-four engine, the appropriate chassis tuning and exterior bits. The MiTo GTA was supposed to be out already, but the economic downturn of 2009 forced its shelving for the time being. Clearly, this car is important to Alfa and the company wants it ready in time for their birthday bash, and a possible return to North America.

At the other end of the spectrum is Alfa’s 8C Competizione GTA. With 500 horsepower and 330 fewer pounds trimmed away, the 8C GTA should be blisteringly fast, and stunningly beautiful. With an expected production run of 100 cars, don’t expect to get your hands on one unless you are rolling in cash, and on good terms with your local Alfa distributor.

Gallery: Alfa Romeo 8C

[Source: Autoblog]

Mercedes-Benz‘ awesome SLS supercar isn’t even out yet, but the company is already getting a smaller variant ready, with a more modest powertrain that its big brother.

The new car will reportedly use a 3.5L V6 with, surprise surprise, a hybrid system. Rather than being a typical “mild hybrid”, the baby SLS will use two electric motors, ostensibly in the front wheels, for an all-wheel drive sports car that would put out a reported 305 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. Start-stop technology and direct injection should help with fuel economy as well.

The smaller SLS is expected to come to market by 2012, about the same time as the long rumored all-electric SLS is supposed to deubt.

[Source: Mibz.com]