The auction for the first Chevrolet Volt has come to an end, with the winning bidder putting up $225,000 for what might be a very lucrative investment.

And while its future value might be unknown, what is certain is that the $225,000 isn’t going to be wasted with the proceeds going to the Detroit Public Schools Foundation in support of Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.

Starting at $50,000 the price climbed almost immediately to $185,000 before stagnating and finally settling just shy of a quarter million. We have to admit being a little disappointed that such a revolutionary car failed to attract the attention it deserves, but perhaps that’s a sign of what the market really thinks about the future of alternative energy.

Sure we don’t get the special edition Mitsubishi EVOs with even more horsepower, or the Civic Type R, but things could be worse: you could live in Canada. That’s right, while many high-performance vehicles have been denied to us, our friends to the North have had to do without Nissan‘s 370Z NISMO.

But that’s about to change with the announcement by Nissan Canada that it will debut the higher-performance Z at the upcoming Montreal Auto Show, going on sale later this year as a 2012 model. The car has already been on sale for a full model year in the U.S.

With 350-hp the NISMO edition car gets an increase of 18 ponies over the stock Z. Torque is also up, but just slightly, to 276 ft-lbs – an increase of 6 ft-lbs. Power is also achieved at a higher rpm with the 3.7-liter V6 strung-out to 7400 rpm to acheive maximum horsepower, as opposed to the stock cars, 7000 rpm max power level. And possibly better than the added power (for those who really appreciate track days) is a standard limited slip differential.

To give the car even better track performance, Nissan stiffened up the chassis with special “body dampers” on the front frame rail and below the rear cargo area. And of course, the car comes with a NISMO springs and a big NISMO strut tower bars front and rear.

Larger brakes are also included and sit inside a set of amazing looking 19-inch NISMO wheels. Manufactured by RAYS forged, the new wheels measure 19×9.5-inches up front and 19×10.5-inches in the rear with front 245/40/19 tires and rear 285/35/19 tires.

As mentioned earlier, the NISMO Z does get some styling additions, although they are more than just aesthetic. The new front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper and rear spoiler are all functional, reducing lift on the front axle and increasing downforce in the rear.

Inside, the NISMO branding is obvious with the name stitched onto the special seats made of a grippy fabric. Also inside the cabin can be found plenty of red stitching and some nice NISMO gauges.

Along with the introduction of the NISMO Z, Nissan will also give both the Leaf EV and the new 2011 GT-R their Canadian debuts at the Montreal show.

GALLERY: Nissan 370Z NISMO

Read AutoGuide’s review of the 2011 Nissan 370Z NISMO by Clicking Here

Official release after the jump::

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Taking almost five years to come to market, the Chevrolet Volt is finally here and now GM is set to showcase the distant future of the brand once again by unveiling a new crossover model based on the Volt.

The Chevrolet Amp (as it’s rumored to be called) will reportedly be unveiled at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show in January and it’s expected to be a more production-ready version of the Volt MPV5 that debuted at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year.

It’s not yet clear if the Volt crossover will be a production model or a concept, but that’s somewhat irrelevant as it’s not likely to make it to market any time soon no matter how complete it is, with all of GM’s current range-extended electric car production capabilities being used up by the Volt.

GALLERY: Chevy Volt MPV5 Concept

[Source: Car&Driver]

Read AutoGuide’s review of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt by Clicking Here

Fiat will look to reinvent its struggling Lancia brand at the Geneva Auto Show, breathing some life into the marque by unveiling its new flagship luxury sedan.

Rather than an all-new vehicle or some small European-style model, the new Lancia luxo-barge (rumored to be called Thema) will be a direct result of Fiat’s takeover of Chrysler. That being said, the Thema will actually be a rebadged version of the Chrysler 300. Hardly a volume model, Fiat hopes to sell 10,000 to 15,000 units in Europe, using the car as a way to boost the brand’s image.

Power for the Thema will come from a 230-hp 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel, and while that’s likely to be the most popular engine choice, Lancia will also offer both the V6 and V8 engines available in North America.

In addition to the Thema, Lancia will also unveil a new version of its Ypsilon model, which will be offered as both a five-door and three-door, with the new model expected to help grow the brand’s overall sales from 112,000 last year to 300,00 in 2014.

[Source: Automotive News]

Get Complete 2011 Chrysler 300 Details Here before the car’s unveiling at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Will it be terrible? Most certainly. But that isn’t about to stop any one who loves cars, car chases or just mindless guy movies from checking out Fast 5, the (you guessed it) fifth installment in the Fast and Furious movie franchise.

Returning to the spotlight are none other than Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, as well as pretty much everyone else from the previous four movies including Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Sung Kang and Jordana Brewster.

On a mission to do one ‘last job’ the team comes up against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and you just know he’s going to get into a fist fight with Vin Diesel.

And even if the movie is a total bomb, there’s sure to be plenty of hot cars, as teased in the trailer. The list includes two black Dodge Chargers, a GT-R, a Ford GT and a very wild Mongoose Motorsports Corvette Grand Sport Roadster replica.

Fast 5 is set to hit theaters April 29th, 2011.

So if you live your life two minutes at a time, check out the trailer after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Honda loyalists who long for a CR-Z with the hybrid internals removed and a K-Series engine swapped in have finally had their prayers answered by LHT Performance, a performance shop that was also one of the pioneers of the K-Series swap into the first generation Insight, which yielded an ultra light weight VTEC powered aluminum rocket.

What separates LHT’s K20 swap from other tuners is that all the vehicle’s electronics will work, including the power steering, ABS, stability control, cruise control and air conditioning units, which normally are lost due to wiring and ECU issues.

All we have right now is a short video of the car not doing anything exciting, but hopefully there will be more to come.

[Source: Autoblog]

The Blue Oval’s ‘One Ford‘ global platform strategy will have huge costs savings advantages for the automaker, but it’s also set to be a boon for performance enthusiasts.

The first such high point for handling and horsepower junkies will be the Focus ST, which launches next year as Ford’s first global performance vehicle based on its first global platform, making 247-hp from a turbocharged EcoBoost 2.0-liter 4-cylinder.

But there will be more, hints Ford marketing boss Jim Farley. Speaking with AutoGuide during a preview of the Blue Oval’s Detroit Auto Show products, Farley said that the new global approach to vehicles will allow for high performance versions of otherwise mainstream models, like those offered in Europe and Australia in the past.

As a result, we could very likely see high-performance version of cars like the Fusion and Fiesta. A Fiesta ST has long been rumored, with a 1.6-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder making roughly 170-hp and 177 ft-lbs of torque.

There’s also the possibility of a Fusion ST (or SHO) model. After all, if the Fiesta gets a performance version, then the Fusion will be the only passenger car in the lineup without an option for enthusiasts. In the past Ford has offered a high-performance version of the Mondeo overseas and with the next generation Mondeo and Fusion set to be meshed together into a global product, a global performance model seems like a certainty.

As we’ve seen with the Focus ST, these will be performance (and not high-performance) models, with vehicles the level of the Focus RS unlikely – at least in North America.

That being said, Farley did comment that not all performance vehicles will be global, with special models reserved for certain markets. Here at home, over the past two years Ford has already introduced the Boss 302 Mustang as well as the F-150 SVT Raptor, and Farley hinted that more special home-market models are on their way.

We at Autoguide have a theory that the best race car liveries are all for products that aren’t so great; cigarettes, vermouth, oil companies and cramped airlines with good food – such as the New Stratos, decked out in Alitalia livery.

The original Stratos, known for its rally prowess, proudly wore the Alitalia livery during its competition heyday, competing in such storied races as the Monte Carlo rally. The chances of seeing one of these mega-buck limited editions tearing up a WRC course is almost certainly zero, but it’s not a bad homage to the car’s history.

[Source: Carscoop]

The Bugatti Veyron may not be the best car of 2010, but it certainly wins inaugural award for “most unfortunate color descriptor” with the available “Rape Yellow” paint scheme.

Before angry feminist groups start marching on Molsheim, it should be known that “rape” in this context refers to the flower from which canola oil is made, often known as “rapeseed”. Despite this, it’s still a poor exercise in judgement for Bugatti, as someone had to know that this translates poorly into English. Or they’re simply rich enough not to care. Perhaps it comes in a contrasting interior color called “Consent Black”?

[Hat tip to Autoblog]

CSX 1001, one of only 12 genuine 1965 Shelby Cobra S/C 427s and the only one to sport an aluminum engine, will be going up for auction at Russo and Steele’s Scottsdale event in January.

Built using an original AC body from Britain, it was completed for Carroll Shelby personally and along with the car, the winning bidder will receive original paperwork verifying ol’ Shel as the Cobra’s original owner.

In view of its pedigree, exotic engine and also the fact that it is one of just 12 Semi Competition Cobras built in 1965, it’s anybody’s guess to how much the car will sell for when it goes under the gavel. However, one thing’s for certain, interested parties should make sure they’ve got plenty of cash on hand when the time comes.

[Source: Autoweek]