Known for pulling wild stunts behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta rally car, Ken Block had zero intention of rolling the high-powered machine five times. But that’s just what happened during a shakedown of the car ahead of the Rally of Portugal event this weekend.

Block, and co-pilot Alex Gelsomino were both admitted to hospital, after he lost control of the car in a ‘fourth-gear incident’ (read: going stupid fast). Both have since been released without injuries – although early reports indicated Block’s flatbill cap may never be the same.

The car, unfortunately, was damaged too severely for Block to compete in this weekend’s third-round of the World Rally Championship.

[Source: AutoSport]

See video of the crash after the jump:

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Chevy’s had some entertaining commercials as of late, from a memorable Super Bowl spot for the new Camaro this year, to last year’s ‘America still builds rockets‘ Corvette ad. Well, the boys at Chevy’s marketing agency quietly introduced a new ad for the ‘Vette over the weekend during the 12 Hours of Sebring race.

In case you missed it, the ad touts the Corvette ZR1′s capability and awesome horsepower, commenting that in order to keep things fair on the track when competing with Porsches and Ferraris, they were asked to dial-down the power – 168-hp to be exact.

Unfortunately for Chevy, they only managed to place third and fourth in class, and it wasn’t a Porsche or Ferrari who beat them, but a BMW.

[Source: CorvetteBlogger]

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With the success of Porsche‘s Panamera sedan, it’s little surprise that the automaker is now looking to introduce yet another 4-door model. With the Panamera sitting at the top of the range, the new model, code named the Pajun, will be a more affordable sedan, competing in the same realm as the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class.

Expected to be offered with your choice of gasoline, diesel or hybrid propulsion, it’s likely that the car would make use of the same turbocharged six-cylinder being planned for the Cajun SUV. Pricing would come in below the Panamera, although some overlap is likely with higher-performance models likely to pass beyond the $75,000 mark of the base Panamera.

Still far from development, if the project does get the green-light, look for the baby Panamera some time around 2016.

[Source: AutoBild]

Mercedes is currently in the process of introducing a mid-cycle update to its C-Class range with a lineup of new engines, but the next-generation of the car will get even more dramatic changes under the hood.

According to a recent report, almost all C-Class models are set to go hybrid, with Mercedes using an electrification strategy designed to boost fuel economy for the brand. As a hybrid, the car will make use of electric assist, allowing for smaller displacement engines. Mercedes is also reportedly targeting an overall drop in curb weight by roughly 10 percent, despite the addition of heavy electronic components.

Other technology reportedly being considered includes the use of three-cylinder engines as well as a 4-cylinder motor with cylinder deactivation, allowing it to run on just two cylinders when possible.

As with the current C-Class, expect only the largest and most powerful engines available to be offered in North America. The next-generation C-Class is due out some time around 2014/15.

[Source: AutoCar]

In an attempt to capitalize on Chrysler’s ‘Imported from Detroit,’ ad slogan, a group of Jeep Dealers  made up their own printed slogan ‘Imported from Toledo,’ complete with a stylized image of a classic Jeep nose.

One dealer even placed the logo on the doors of a Wrangler and drove it onto the ice during the Toledo, Walleyes minor league hockey game. Needless to say, Chrysler brass weren’t too impressed with this unofficial idea and have now put the kybosh on the campaign, fearing that it will detract from their original slogan and cause confusion among buyers.

The ‘Made in Toledo’ idea is said to have originated at Monroe Dodge/Jeep in Monroe, Michigan (just across the state line from Toledo), where store owner Ralph Mahalak Jr. made up some 600 shirts with the logo, designed to celebrate the iconic Jeep brand’s 70th anniversary.

Said shirts were reportedly selling for $19.41 a piece, but now to prevent a trademark battle, Mahalak has elected to give the shirts away, offering one to each customer that comes into his store to test drive a Jeep vehicle.

[Source: Toledo Blade]

When you’ve got luxury and exotic cars filling up your garage and your driveway, sometimes you have to get creative to store your most prized possessions. This collector of fine automobiles got really creative, finding a way to house two of his Lamborghinis since his other two were, well you know, taking up the driveway.

To some it might be awesome enough to have a McLaren stored in your garage, alongside two Lamborghinis in your driveway. But for this avid enthusiast that needed a way to store two more Lamborghinis, he built an underground garage that simply lifts the driveway to reveal his collection. So at any point in time when he wants to show off, the driveway is lifted and magically another two Lamborghinis are revealed.

Jealous? We sure are. Imagine the other things you could store in an underground garage.

Check out the video after the break.

[Source: 0-60 Mag]

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The lucky folks at Inside Line got to spend the day with the all new Lamborghini Aventador supercar, as it shot an on location commercial in California.

We won’t spoil all the juicy details for you, but you’re going to want to hit the jump and watch the video.  Aside from the wonderful soundtrack, it’s the best video we’ve seen of the Aventador, and the wonderful orange hue is just right for the flashiest of supercars.

Video after the jump

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UAW chief Bob King slammed Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s $56.5 million stock package, claiming that “I don’t think any human being in the world deserves that much money.”

While certain to raise the ire of Ayn Rand fanatics everywhere, King is amping up the rhetoric ahead of the United Auto Workers “bargaining conference” where strategies will be outlined for the upcoming labor negotiations with Ford and other automakers. King’s rhetoric was particularly inflammatory and reflected the unions hard left leanings, with King quoted as saying “…It seems like one individual is getting all the gains instead of gains being shared by everybody.”

Ford’s stock was up 68 percent in 2009, with share prices quadrupling in 2008. Ford spokesman John Stoll told Bloomberg that Mulally’s compensation “…reflects Ford’s goal of retaining a world-class CEO.”

[Source: Bloomberg]

Rumors of a possible GTS version of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe have surfaced, with the car’s debut set for the Tokyo Auto Show this fall.

According to BMW insider Scott27 posting on GermanCarForum.com, the concept car will be based on a current M car, but one that is also “outgoing.” While the M3 jumps immediately to mind, the 1M Coupe is also a possibility, as this high-performance model joins the BMW lineup late in the life cycle of the first-gen 1 Series.

Referred to as an engineering concept, it’s designed to showcase light weight technology, from magnesium to carbon fiber and is tipped to be similar to the 1 Series Concept Tii, raising speculation that it could be a higher-performance version of the 1M Coupe, much like the M3 GTS.

Another strong possibility that can be gleaned from the usually cryptic Scott27′s post is that this could actually be a look at the future of the M brand as a carbon chassis species of sports car. That would, however, seem to change the M brand, moving away from essentially being a high-performance version of a standard model, to its own complete car.

More info is sure to trickle out soon enough, but the Tokyo show is still a long way off, starting in late November.

[Source: GermanCarForum]

In a way Similiar to the Concept 1er Tii @ Tokyo 2007. it is not the 1M.

British radio personality Tim Westwood may have bought a Cadillac Escalade, but the brand has had inconsequential sales throughout Europe for its entire life. Even GM’s poor attempt at a Euro-friendly Caddy, the ill-fated BLS sedan.

The misfortunes of Cadillac hasn’t stopped GM CEO Dan Akerson, who was quoted by Autocar as saying “The only thing you can do is try, try and try again with Cadillac in Europe,”perhaps in the hope that persistence, rather than product, will pay off.

Along with the upcoming compact ATS sedan, the XTS, positioned as Cadillac’s flagship, will also make the trip over, but without the diesel engines that are necessary to be truly competitive in Europe. Akerson even admitted to Autocar that the marketplace is a tough one, on account of the saturation of premium European brands. Perhaps that resilience is also mixed with a bit of realism.

[Source: Autocar]