If you’ve ever heard the Chevrolet Corvette ALMS car, you’ll know that they are far and away the loudest, most evil sounding cars in the field, an impressive feat when you’re competing against Porsche 911s, Aston Martins and open-cockpit prototypes. For a car that sounds like Armageddon, one would expect that being green isn’t exactly a priority, but the latest episode of the Corvette Racing Series shows that the team can find ways to go fast and back up their green credentials. Using little tricks like ceramic wheel bearings, lower rolling resistance tires and lightweight body panels, the ‘Vettes are able to go faster with less fuel, which is the same logic behind Porsche’s 911 GT3R Hybrid,

Coincidentally, the road-going Corvette delivers very respectable fuel economy numbers, especially considering the massive V8s used in them. Sadly, the old dogmatic meme of a gas-guzzling V8 refuses to die.

[Source: Chevrolet]

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Having failed to complete the grueling Nürburgring 24 Hour endurance race last year, Gazoo Racing took home the SP8 class victory (18th overall) at this year’s around-the-clock race at the 12.9-mile Nordschleife in the #50 Lexus LFA.

In a field of over 200 cars including privateers and full-on factory efforts and with some very stiff competition from Aston Martin, the Gazoo Racing LFA’s battled heavy traffic and the constantly changing weather conditions the Nürburgring is famous for on their way to taking the checkered flag and the SP8 class win. Based in Japan and with a driver’s lineup drawing from the Japanese Super GT series, Gazoo Racing has certainly done Toyota and the Lexus brand proud with their performance at the Green Hell this past weekend, which leads us to wonder if/when we’ll start to see the LFA popping up in other racing series. We’d love to see Lexus enter the fray in the FIA GT1 World Championship, a series Nissan seems to be getting some very good value from with their GT-R entries.

Coming in second in the SP8 class was the Aston Martin Rapide, which even topped the V12 Vantage in 3rd.

For a full photo gallery go to Gazoo Racing, but in the meantime enjoy a few photos of the LF-A at the Ring after the jump.

[Source: Gazoo Racing]

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Volkswagen, looking to take advantage of their tie-up with Suzuki, is apparently angling to use the Suzuki SX4 as a new crossover, designed to compete with the Hyundai Tuscon and the Europe-only Nissan Qashqai.

The crossover would retain Suzuki’s AWD system, but likely use Volkswagen’s TSI and TDI engines, rather than the pedestrian Suzuki motors. Sources that that the vehicle will be given the rather strange moniker of “Rocktan”. The vehicle is expected to debut around 2012, in time for the next generation SX4.

[Source: Wheelosphere]

A very lucky gentleman has ordered 10 Aston Martin One-77 supercars, buying up 13% of the entire supply of Aston’s $1.7 million supercar. The buyer, believed to be from the Middle East (where else) has apparently ordered different colour combinations for each car.

Aston Martin has revealed little else about the transaction, but has said that 65 of the 77 cars have now been sold. The One-77 will hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, and features the company’s most powerful V12, a 7.3L unit capable of putting down 750 horsepower. The One-77 also features inboard, pushrod-activated shock absorbers, something typically seen only on LeMans cars.

No word on whether James Bond will be seen driving a One-77 in the upcoming Bond film, but Daniel Craig, who plays the British superspy, famously ordered a Lotus Evora upon the vehicle’s unveiling. Perhaps its time for 007 to switch to another British marque if all 77 cars are suddenly spoken for.

Gallery: Aston Martin One-77

[Times Online]

The trickle of informations surrounding Ford‘s next Explorer has been slow, but the Blue Oval released yet another teaser in the form of a portrait of the new car’s chief engineer posing with the new model. Jim Holland, formerly responsible for the 2002 Range Rover, gave an interview with the Detroit Free Press where he refuted claims that the switch to a crossover format would diminish the current truck-based Explorer’s towing capacity and off-road capability.

Holland talks about the similarities between the Range Rover, which also moved to a car platform despite decades of being truck-based. Holland said that the styling of the two cars will be similar, and that the Explorer will also have a terrain-management system, including a Hill Descent Control system similar to the Range Rover.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Subaru‘s hot selling Legacy and Outback will see a minor bump in pricing for 2011, as well as a new Limited trim level which brings a couple upgraded interior components that enhance the car’s cabin.

The 2.5i and 3.6 Limited models get folding exterior mirrors, a harmon/kardon audio system and XM radio, for a mere $300 more, while the 2.5GT Limited gets carbon fiber trim rather than woodgrain, as well as aluminum pedals and contrast stitching on the leather seats. The big news for the Outback is an optional rear-view backup camera, something that will come in handy on such a large vehicle. Hit the jump to read Subaru’s press release.

[Source: Subaru]

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A valet at a casino in Melbourne, Australia was duped into handing over the keys to a Ferrari F430 Spyder to someone who didn’t own the Italian sports car. Adam Ramsay, 32, managed to con his way into the supercar by claiming he had lost his valet ticket. Casino employees asked him to fill out a form with his personal information and pay a small fee before giving him the keys.

Police recovered the car six hours later, after finding it at a gas station outside the city.The Ferrari belonged to poker pro Van Marcus, who had been spending the evening with friends at Melbourne’s Crown Casino. Marcus was understandably furious about the situation, telling a Melbourne newspaper ”I am very angry. I am really p—– off.”

[Source: Herald-Sun]

Parents magazine has made the list (and assumedly checked it twice) to bring you their top 15 picks of family-friendly vehicles for 2010. Teaming up with Edmunds.com, Parents has only included models that come equipped with antilock brakes and front, side, and side-curtain air bags. These vehicles also come with family necessities such as sliding rear seats, smart storage for toys, and other amenities that make the drive that much smoother. You may be surprised to learn that not many minivans or SUVs made the list. The picks aren’t in any particular order and are broken down into categories such as sedans, hybrids and large vehicles.

They are listed after the jump, along with a few of their top selling points:

[Source: Parents]

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It’s been around what seems like forever, but the venerable Nissan Titan is proving that there’s still some life left in it yet. After plans to offer a badge engineered version of the Ram were canceled last year, the original 2003-vintage truck has been soldiering on. Production of the Canton, Mississippi built full-size truck bottomed out last year, but so far, in 2010, sales have been on a rebound. Through the end of last week, Nissan has built 10,886 Titans for the model year, versus 1,256 over the same period in 2009, when overall Titan sales totals stood at a dismal 19,042 units in a generally bad year for the automotive industry.

According to John Schilling, a spokesman for Nissan North America Inc., “the general overall improving economy seems to be driving sales, which are trending higher. We’re seeing more demand for Titan.” No doubt helping are a number of incentives, including zero percent financing for 60 months and $5000 cash back on selected Titan models.

[Source: pickuptrucks.com]

BMW is rumored to be working on an even more hard-core version of the newly released M3 GTS. According to supposed BMW insider “SCOTT26″ on M3Post, the M3 GTS-R will be the final and most hard-core M3 yet.

Included in the package will be wider rear fenders and new lighter-weight wheels. There will also be an even long front splitter and the GTS-R will keep the GTS’s carbon fiber rear spoiler. Additional weight savings will be the result of the use of carbon fiber for both the hood and trunk. There’s no available info on engine output, but BMW engineers are reportedly working to string a few extra ponies out of the 4.0-liter V8 – which will be matched to BMW’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The upcoming M5′s KERS regenerative braking setup is also a possibility.

The final decision to go ahead with the M3 GTS-R is believed to depend on the outcome of this past weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hour race and with BMW topping the podium in the fender-flared M3 GT2, the M3 GTS-R would now seem like a done deal.

[Source: M3Post]