Imagine a Chevy Cruze with 250-hp. Soon you won’t have to; except it’ll be badged a Buick.

With the launch of the all-new Cruze-based Verano due soon, a turbocharged version will follow shortly. Initially the car will be offered with a 177-hp 2.4-liter direct-injection 4-cylinder. Starting in the Fall of 2012 (as a 2013 model) the Verano Turbo will borrow the Regal GS’s 2.0T engine which will be slightly detuned to deliver 250-hp.

The info comes via a leaked detail sheet on the Verano Turbo, which also lists a claimed 6.5 second 0-60 mph time with more aggressive gear ratios (although no compromise on fuel economy). 17-inch wheels will also be standard, as will a six-speed automatic transmission. It’s not clear if GM plans to offer a six-speed manual with this model – although considering the Regal GS gets one, it’s certainly a possibility.

GALLERY: 2012 Buick Verano

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[Source: GMI]

Standing Pikes Peak record holder Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima is once again back on top of the world, being the first ever to break the 10 minute barrier at the treacherous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. As in the past his weapon of choice was a Suzuki, with the SX4 Hill Climb Special laying down a massive 910 horsepower.

With a 9:51.278 time, Tajima broke his old record of 10:01.408, which has stood since 2007 despite increasingly fierce competition on the “hill”.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb, which takes place annually on Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, starts at an elevation of 9,300 feet and finishes at an elevation of 14,110 feet – where the air is so think drivers’ reaction times begin to slow and their race car engines lose 30 percent of their power. Drivers drift around 146 corners in 12.42 miles of track made up of dirt and asphalt, nearly missing guard rails and trees, while avoiding cliffs with 2,000-foot drop-offs.

GALLERY: Monster Tajima, Pikes Peak

[Photos: Monster-Source.com]

Watch video of the record breaking run after the jump: (Warning… don’t get your hopes up for this).

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Ford is looking to increase its popularity in the Japanese market with a special edition Mustang V6 Sport Appearance. Production for this special edition Japanese Mustang will be limited to 50 units total, 25 going to the coupe and 25 for the convertible. The Sport Appearance Mustang mainly consists of accessories, leaving the 3.7L V6 power plant untouched at 309-hp and 279 ft-lbs of torque.

The V6 Sport Appearance will be available in two special colors, Performance White and Grabber Blue. Both of the colors come with special pin stripes on the side and on the hood scoop. In addition, a rear trunk spoiler is added to give the Mustang a sportier appearance (we’re not making this up) while the 18-inch chrome wheels find their way home with 235/50/18 rubber. On the inside, the special edition Mustang will sport leather interior.

Based on today’s conversation rates, the special edition coupe will run $54,250 while the convertible is $63,000.

GALLERY: Japan’s Special Edition Ford Mustang V6 Sport Appearance

After seeing the top spot on the podium go to BMW in 2010, Porsche has back on top at the Nurburgring 24 Hour Race with the Manthey Racing Porsche 997 GT3 RSR claiming the victory at what might be the world’s most grueling endurance race. The Manthey racing car has placed first five out of the six past years.

The cockpit was shared by Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Lucas Luhr, all of whom have won in the past in a Manthey Racing Porsche.

Just 30 seconds later the BMW Motorsport M3 GT driven by Jorg Muller, Augusto Farfus, Alzen Uwe and Pedro Lamy crossed the finish line, placing second. In third place, rounding out the podium in a Germanic fashion was the Audi R8 LMS driven by Marc Basseng, Frank Stippler, Marcel Fassler and Andrea Piccini sitting in for Mike Rockenfeller, who was injured in a dramatic crash at the 24 Hour of Le Mans.

Audi also took fourth and fifth spots with the first Mercedes team placing sixth.

After a successful run in the fourth round of the Nurburgring Long Distance Championship just a few weeks back, Porsche’s GT3 Hybrid R had a less than impressive result at this, its biggest test. First the car was penalized by race officials, and was forced to use an air intake restrictor, bringing power down to 448-hp (compared to 480-hp). Then, near the end of the race, driver Patrick Long was forced to pit after a spin resulting from contact with a slower car. The GT3 R Hybrid finished just 28th.

To promote the third Transformers movie, Cake Boss uh, boss Buddy Valastro crafted his own homage to the legendary Autobot—and as befitting of the star of a cable reality show, it’s not your average day-old Safeway bakery department birthday creation.

More sculpture than cake, the creation features Bumblebee halfway through transforming from a Camaro into an Autobot, looking like he’s sitting on a Camaro’s front end. Bumblebee’s wings move up and down via sticky, sugary hydraulics, his eyes glow, and the cake even shoots fireworks. As far as we know, there are no event entertainers (ahem) inside.

The cake was a challenge for Valastro, whose team had to sculpt it outside the bakery because at 2,000 lbs and over 12 feet tall, it wouldn’t fit: he said that it was the biggest challenge of his confectionary career. Sure is attention-grabbing, however. If you’re a dedicated fan of the Michael Bay explodathon, now you can watch the movie, drive home in your Transformers Bumblebee Camaro, play Transformers on your Xbox, and spill Transformers cake onto your Transformers sweatshirt. Click the jump to add another healthy dose of Transformers into your life.

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With a BMW factory driver behind the wheel of BMW’s new M5, the luxury sedan has reportedly turned in a lap time of 7:55 around the famed Nurburgring. This makes it the world’s fastest sedan, ahead of Porsche‘s Panamera Turbo (7:56) and Cadillac‘s CTS-V (7:59), and puts it on par of other supercars such as Ferrari’s F430 and is even one second quicker than Porsche’s 996 Turbo.

Powered by a 4.4L V8 twin turbo engine, this accomplishment proves BMW’s M-models have hardly skipped a beat against the competition. It will be interesting to see how BMW’s competitors respond with their next-generation sedans, but it clearly proves that the Germany automaker’s devotion to twin turbo powerplants is paying off.

A word of caution; the time is in no way an official BMW number and we can’t verify the validity of the source (FastestLaps.com). It’s almost not necessary, however, with the new M5 almost certain to run a solid sub-eight minute lap around the Ring.

GALLERY: 2012 BMW M5

[Source: TeamSpeed]

It might not have the ultra-high production quality of Audi’s “Truth in 24″ documentary, but Lotus has just released a short video detailing the British sports car maker’s journey to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The four minute featurette aptly named “The Road to Le Mans” follows the factory Lotus team and the development of the Evora GTE race car. The team then hears to the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium for the car’s first running before heading to Le Mans for a solid finish – especially considering its only the car’s second race.

Perhaps most impressive is that from starting the project to crossing the finish line at Le Mans (an accomplishment regardless of where you place) the entire journey takes just six months.

GALLERY: Lotus Evora GTE at Le Mans

Watch the video after the jump:

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Any car owner that has worked on their own vehicle knows what a Haynes manual is. The company has helped educate people working on their own cars for over fifty years. Now Haynes has stepped up to enter the digital age by uploading the manuals on the internet.

The Haynes Group took over Vivid Holding BV three years ago, a company specializing in digital publishing, that will help publish the manuals online. Haynes will upload its top 50 manuals by subscription on the Internet.

The online version will still include the print form, but the digital version will use audio and video to further improve instructions. The online version will be much easier to understand when compared to a print copy made of black and white images. Haynes hopes to make DIY car instruction much easier and also appeal to the internet generation.

Haynes has not put the guides online yet, but will do so soon.

[Source: Car Tech Blog]

When Ford went through a slump in 2006, the company took its employees in groups to see many of its upcoming products to boost morale within the company. With Lincoln set for a rebirth, the company will do the same calling it the “Lincoln Experience”. The employees will be shown new styling and strategy direction for the brand to improve interest and excitement. The workshop will be held for two weeks in July.

Ford has not invited Lincoln dealers or members of the press yet and it is unlikely that the public will be included regarding the news, but we can expect that leaks will occur. It is likely that top Ford executives should be present at the event including Lincoln’s new head of design, Max Wolff.

Stay tuned for more info!

[Source: Ford Inside News]

Unfortunately you can’t watch the Nurburgring 24 Hour race live on TV, an incredible shame considering the field of 250 cars that will take to the track in just over an hour. Thankfully, there’s the internet, with numerous channels streaming video – although you might have to learn German in a real hurry.

Both Porsche and Audi have their own channels covering the race, and there will be live streaming official coverage on the race’s official site.

If you’re interested in a little improvisation, RadioLeMans.com will have streaming audio in English, so just put up one of the other video feeds and play the audio feed on top of it.

Adding to the fun for this year, the official site is also offering a live map of the race, so you can follow many of the top teams and know exactly where on the track they are.

The race begins at 4 p.m. local time in Germany (10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time).

Hit the jump for a full list of live-streaming links:

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