The Lancia Stratos prototype seen scurrying around an unknown European test track has been the subject of much speculation in the automotive blogosphere, and the non-stop rumors can finally come to a close as official word leaks out about this wonderful creation.

It turns out that the Stratos will be a one-off after all, with the much-rumored “wealthy industrialist” commission coming from German auto parts magnate Michale  Stoschek. Taking roughly two years to build at Pininfarina’s design studio, with an eight-cylinder engine rumored to be coming from a Ferrari F430 Scuderia. The Stratos is rumored to be getting an official reveal in November at the Paul Ricard circuit in France.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Dodge launched a teaser site for their 2011 Durango SUV, and a series of pictures that show some styling elements of the car. Autoguide brought you a leaked camera phone picture of the Durango earlier this summer, and these are the first shots from Dodge, and they essentially confirm the styling cues seen in the grainy snapshot.

The Durango will share underpinnings with the much lauded 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, so expect the 3.6L Pentastar V6 and 5.7L Hemi V8. No word on whether the upcoming 6.4L SRT V8 will make an appearance, but with the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 established as a much-loved performance car already, a Durango SRT-8 may not make much sense for Chrysler.

Gallery: 2011 Dodge Durango

[Source: Dodge]

With sales falling 75 percent since their record-setting year in 2007, Suzuki has taken the drastic measure of buying out 50 of its worst performing stores in the United States.

Since 2007, when Suzuki sold just over 100,000 cars, the brand has gone from 486 franchises to 300. Most dealers are selling just five cars per month, with buyout package dealers selling roughly 2 per month. Dealers were offered one of two packages, a $50,000 buyout plus a buyback of inventory, signage, special tools and other items, or a $20,000 buyout for dealers who did not participate in a Suzuki sponsored showroom upgrade program.

While Suzuki officials say that they launched the program to give unprofitable dealers an exit strategy, and to help strengthen showrooms that are successful, some observers see this as the begging of the end for the struggling Japanese automaker’s foray into the United States.

[Source: Left Lane News]

Amidst all the other impressive classics on display at Pebble Beach, many of the most interesting belong to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. The car are part of a larger collaboration between the race track and the Concours as next year the Brickyard will celebrate its racing centennial.

Notable vehicles on display include the innovative 1928 Miller “Front Drive Special” which used a 1.5-liter engine. Without a driveshaft tunnel, the car could sit much lower the the ground. Despite several pole positions it never finished higher than sixth, although it did set records in Europe, racing against the leading Alfa and Maserati models of the day.

Equally as innovative is the 1950 Kurtis “Cummins Diesel Special” which may only have placed 13th at Indy, but did so without ever making a pit stop thanks to the turbocharged 6.6-liter diesel’s impressive fuel economy.

And finally, we can’t ignore the 1972 McLaren “Sunoco Special.” The very same McLaren company that currently races in the Formula One World Championship competed at Indy from 1970 to ’82, winning three times, the first of which was in this blue and yellow car piloted by Mark Donahue.

Check out the gallery of official Hall of Fame Museum cars as well as a few other notable Indy racers on display at Pebble Beach.

GALLERY: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum Cars at Pebble Beach

Considering how long it’s been around, we were surprised to see the VRS Concept on display at the Concept lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Regardless, it’s a unique vehicle using a tubular chassis and a first-gen Cadillac CTS-V engine. The Caddy connection is an obvious one thanks to the dramatic front grille. Equally dramatic is the rear end with a set of massive 22-inch Alcoa wheels.

The connection to Cadillac is an even more direct one than that, however, with company founder Wayne Cherry a former Cadillac designer.

While hardly a concept that’s headed to production, when we spoke with a company representative earlier in the week (when the car was on display at The Quail), we learned that at one point six Cadillac dealers had expressed interest in purchasing VRS models as show pieces in their dealerships. That all fell apart with the recession, but with the economy starting to get back on track and Cadillac starting to position itself as competitor in the luxury segment, perhaps Mr. Cherry will have a few customers after all. Heck, knowing the income of the folks viewing the car at the Pebble Beach concours, maybe some of them will pick up a VRS as show-piece for their 12 car garage.

GALLERY: W.K. Cherry Design VRS Concept at Pebble Beach

GALLERY: W.K. Cherry Design VRS Concept at The Quail

Unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, the Alfa Romeo Pandion Bertone Mantide concept car is once of three coachbuilt vehicles built to celebrate the brand’s centennial. Based on the Alfa 8C platform and using the same 4.7-liter V8 engine, it features over-the-top design language, especially when it comes to the particularly Baroque wheels and rear end.

It also features two massive doors that run the length of the car, flipping upwards to create access to the 2+2 cabin.

The car is also said to feature design traits that will inspire future Alfa models. We certainly hope that includes the sinister front end.

GALLERY: Alfa Romeo Pandion Bertone Mantide Concept

One of the celebrated marques at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is luxurious British automaker Jaguar. With 75 years of history, Jag decided to celebrate the occasion with the limited edition XKR175. As the name suggests, just 175 versions of the luxury coupe will be built for the U.S. market – with an additional 15 being produced for Canada.

Based on the European Speed Pack model, the XKR175 makes 510-hp and 461 ft-lbs of torque from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine. It also gets a special aero kit, larger 20-inch wheels and tires, not to mention some plus-sized brakes.

All models will come in Ultimate Black paint with a Warm Charcoal interior with Cranberry stitching and Piano Black wood accents. Plus, there are the obligatory “XKR175 – x of 175″ door sill plates.

Pricing for this collectors item is set at $104,500 (including destination charge).

GALLERY: Jaguar XKR175

To celebrate 60 years of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Rolls-Royce has unveiled a special Concours Edition version of its Phantom Drophead Coupé. It goes without saying that the debut locale was none other than the world famous concours.

With custom trim items, Pebble Beach logos on the seats and door sills this bespoke Rolls even gets its own color. Named Stillwater Blue, the deep shade is named after Pebble Beach’s famous Stillwater Cove. Adding to the unique qualities of the luxurious drop-top is a special picnic set – perfect for a very opulent mid-day snack.

Named after the concours, this car is destined to become a prized classic.

GALLERY: Rolls-Royce Concours Edition Drophead Coupé

What better venue for classic British automaker Morgan to debut a new concept than at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Keeping the same general body shape as the Aero, the EvaGT does away with the VW Beetle headlights in favor of some angry LED units. The large Morgan grille remains, however, and grows in size to add more oomph to the retro coupe.

Continuing to rely on BMW for the powertrain, the EvaGT comes with the German automaker’s twin-turbo inline-six making just over 300-hp and a solid 300 ft-lbs of torque. Using a light weight chassis, aluminum body panels and light weight Rays wheels, the EvaGT tips the scales at just 2,755 lbs, allowing for an impressive 0-62 mph sprint of just 4.5 seconds. Top speed is rated at 170-mph.

Technically speaking the EvaGT is still a concept, but a small automaker like Morgan isn’t about to do through all the trouble of building this prototype to then store it away in a museum. Expect a production model to debut as early as the Geneva Auto Show this coming March.

GALLERY: Morgan EvaGT

A stroke of genius by the folks in charge of Lotus, the Exos Type 125 is billed as “The Ultimate Track Car” and by all accounts, they’re right. Essentially a Formula 1 chassis made entirely of carbon fiber and weighing just 1,433 lbs, the Exos 125 uses a Cosworth F1 engine to make 650-hp at 10,300 rpm. Pricing is set at a million dollars for one of the 25 limited edition race cars and includes several track events throughout the world.

In the past Lotus offered mid-range exotics and sports cars that only appealed to a very niche audience. The company is looking to change that in the future, and is set to display up to four new concepts at the upcoming Paris Auto Show.

What the Exos T125 will do for the British automaker is get ultra-rich clients in the door and help make them fans of the Lotus brand. What Ferrari 599XX owner wouldn’t want this machine?

GALLERY: Lotus Exos Type 125