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28/08/2011 | By: Jason Siu

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Having had the opportunity to experience Lexus‘ LFA firsthand, we can attest to its freakish performance and elegant handling all wrapped in a luxurious package. While its price tag has drawn criticism, it’s certainly not unheard of in the exotic segment and so EVO Magazine decided to compare (very expensive) apples to apples, pitting the Japanese supercar against  Ferrari‘s 599 GTO – both vehicles with MSRPs just barely under the $400,000 mark. The result may be surprising to some, with EVO giving their nod to the LFA despite the 599 GTO’s quicker 0-60 time and higher top speed.

It goes without saying that no true auto enthusiast should judge a car simply by its acceleration and top speed, but the 599 GTO clocked a 0-60 time in just 3.8 seconds while the LFA was a solid few ticks behind at 4.2. The LFA’s top speed was recorded at 179-mph while the GTO easily outpaced it at 193-mph. But the article goes way beyond that, with EVO coming to the conclusion that Lexus now has a vehicle that tops Italy’s finest.

“What marks out the LFA for particular praise is its bravery and originality;” says EVO, “for Lexus to create such a car from scratch, with no evolutionary engineering or existing bias from which to work, is a remarkable achievement. Innovative, extreme, immaculately executed and exquisite to drive, it’s the greatest high-performance car Japan has ever produced.”

“Get hung up on the badge and you’ll be blind to its magic. Revel in its rarity, its rare abilities and the fact we’re unlikely to see its like again and you’ll understand why the LFA is one of the greats, and why this test ends with three unexpected, hard-won and thoroughly deserved words: Lexus beats Ferrari.”

Check out a video of EVO Magazine comparing the two cars after the jump.

[Source: Lexus Enthusiast]

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28/08/2011 | By: Jason Siu

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The leading tuner of Alfa Romeos, Novitec, has added some spice to the sporty Giulietta, giving owners several power package options, a styling kit and an assortment of wheels to choose from. Power packages are available for the 1.4L TB 16V engine, 1.8L turbocharged engine, 1.6L JTD 16V engine and the 2.0L JTD 16V engine. The most powerful 1.8L turbocharged engine gets an increase of 26-hp, bringing its peak to an impressive 261-hp figure. To match the horsepower increases, Novitec also offers stainless steel rear mufflers with dual- or quad-tipped designs, giving the Giulietta a sportier tone to match its new performance.

Wheels that fit the Giulietta from Novitec range from 18- to 20-inch in sizing with the demo car featuring a “king-sized” Novitec N10 in a 20-inch fitment available in a silver or matte black finish. Novitec recommends a 20×8.5-inch set paired with 235/50/20 Pirelli P Zero rubber. Giving the Giulietta the sporty stance it needs to go with the massive wheel and tire upgrade, Novitec offers a lowering spring package that gives the Giulietta a 1.37-inch drop. Those seeking for even more adjustability can opt for their coilovers that also give the ability to adjust dampening while lowering the car 1.37-inch to 2.95-inch.

Along with all that, a sporty body kit is available giving the front bumper a subtle front lip for around $360, a pair of side skirts for $340 and a rear apron for $240. The rear apron comes in different versions with cutouts depending on if you have a dual- or quad-tipped exhaust system.

With Alfa Romeo set to return to North America soon, look for Novitec to become a household name among tuners.

GALLERY: Novitec Alfa Romeo Giulietta

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28/08/2011 | By: Colum Wood

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Is Ford planning a rival to the VW Scirocco? According to one report, the answer is yes.

Rumored for some time now, Ford is believed to be preparing to debut a compact sports coupe concept at the Frankfurt auto Show. The car is likely to be based on the same platform as the new Ford Focus, though those details have yet to be confirmed. Power could come from a 160-hp 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with direct-injection. A higher-performance model could also be offered using the same 247-hp EcoBoost 4-cylinder that will be offered in the Focus ST hot hatch.

In addition to foreshadowing a new sports coupe, the vehicle is also expected to be a design study, previewing the future design direction of the brand as a whole.

[Source: Carscoop]

28/08/2011 | By: Jason Siu

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Probably best well known for his role in the Mission: Impossible movies, Tom Cruise is a versatile actor, going from action packed scenes to showing us the money in Jerry Maguire not to mention pretty much every role in between. And even though his act of hopping up and down Oprah’s couch may have been a little questionable, there’s no questioning Mr. Cruise’s DNA for thrilling action.

Cruise took a break from filming his newest Mission: Impossible flick to take on some real world thrills with Red Bull. He headed out to Southern California’s Willow Springs raceway, and after chatting it up with F1 star David Coulthard, got behind the wheel of his F1 race car to see what he’s made of. And the results are pretty impressive, with Cruise hitting 181-mph on the 2.5-mile track, just 4-mph shy of the 13-time Grand Prix winner, Coulthard – who was also his instructor.

And if that wasn’t thrilling enough for Cruise, he decided to do some stunt flying in Red Bull’s helicopter, further proof that he’s a thrill seeker on and off the Hollywood camera.

Check out the video after the jump:

 

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28/08/2011 | By: Harry Lay

Toyota has already announced that it intends to set a new electric car lap record at the Nurburging, but now the automaker has some extra exciting news for EV performance enthusiasts – you’ll be able to buy one!

Just days ahead of the planned record breaking attempt, Toyota has said the electric SR9 racer will be available for retail sale, well, some if it will anyway. Consumers will be able to buy the car’s electric drivetrain, battery, twin electric motors and lithium-ceramic batteries. Buyers won’t, however, be able to purchase the body shell or lightweight chassis from Radical – although we suppose you could buy both individually and match them up yourself.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the lucky few that do purchase these sophisticated items will likely have to shell out some serious coin.

GALLERY: Electric SR9 Race Car

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[Source: Green Car Reports]

28/08/2011 | By: Amy Tokic

You never know what you’re going to find on Ebay. For example, look at this custom beer can car that recently went up for auction. Originally built for the beer company Stroh, this brew-mobile is a piece of promotional nostalgia.

Built in the early 1980s by Florida-based Automotive Innovations, this  fiberglass can car was initially designed for Budweiser, but was used as promotional vehicle by Stroh Brewery. Using Volkswagen mechanicals, these cars were dubbed Pop Top Can Cars and came with a manufacturer’s certificate of origin.

Things were looking good for the Pop Top Can Cars, until Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) forced Stroh Breweries to discontinue promotional use of the cars. Such was the sad end of an era for the beer can car.

Unfortunately, bidding has come to a close on this car. And it’s no wonder – the owner stated that it still drives beautifully and is currently registered (it even comes equipped with space for a 15 gallon keg and everything needed to run it). We’re not sure how much it sold for, but it did have a buy-it-now price of $7,500.

[Source: Jalopnik]

27/08/2011 | By: Colum Wood

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In case you missed last week’s coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we’ve created a video hub for all of our coverage from the week’s festivities. It’s not just historic models either, with plenty of other events being held simultaneously in Monterey, CA that week; not to mention several new car unveilings.

Along with the exotics at Concorso Italiano, new vehicles revealed include the 2013 Lexus GS350, the Infiniti JX Concept, the Lotus Evora GTE Road Car Concept, Cadillac Ciel Concept and the first North American showing of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato.

GALLERY: 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

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Enjoy the videos after the jump and make sure to subscribe to AutoGuide YouTube channel here:

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27/08/2011 | By: Colum Wood

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Cadillac has just released a new commercial, shedding some light on what it feels might be a popular misconception about its new CTS-V Coupe. The car features what are known as “magnetorheological shock absorbers”, which essentially work by having metal particles in the fluid, allowing the onboard computer to control the stiffness of the shocks by adjusting a magnetic field at each end. As a result, they’re the fastest reacting shocks on the market.

As the ad suggests, this technology, while touted as an incredible performance advantage in cars like the Ferrari 458 Italia, was actually invented by Cadillac – and used in cars like the new CTS-V Coupe. That’s really only partly true, however, as magnetic ride shocks first made an appearance in the Corvette, and were later adopted by Ferrari for the 599.

GALLERY: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

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Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe review and watch the video after the jump:

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27/08/2011 | By: Jason Siu

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Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing have teamed up with Mobil 1 as their oil brand of choice and with two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships to their respective names, it’s a pretty good sponsorship for Mobil 1. Now they’re leveraging their relationship with Stewart (to your advantage we might add) by offering a Tony Stewart-customized Chevrolet Camaro SHR as a giveaway, among other various prizes.

The grand prize will be a special edition 2011 Camaro Convertible customized by Tony Stewart and the Mobil 1 team. The approximate retail value of the vehicle will be $50,000, so it’s a good bet that there’s a few nice goodies packed into the convertible. 20 lucky people will receive a Mobil 1 twill jacket while 45 will get a Mobil 1 pit shirt. 150 more people will have the opportunity to win a Mobil 1 fleece sweatshirt, while 300 will get their hands on a Tony Stewart t-shirt. Last but not least, 450 people will get a consolation price of a Mobil 1 pit cap.

The random drawing will be conducted on October 17th, 2011 and the grand prize Camaro winner will be notified on or around October 19th.

Hit Mobil 1′s Facebook page to check out a video on the Camaro giveaway and enter to win the Mobil 1 Sweepstakes here.

 

27/08/2011 | By: Harry Lay

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and auto journalist Dan Neil have a bet going regarding the launch of the 2012 Tesla Model S. The bet began when Tesla said it would launch the new model before the end of next year. Neil said the schedule promised by Musk was “an audacious timeline that makes many in the car industry roll their eyes”. Neil also said “even people inside Tesla are leery”. Neil did not believe Tesla would be able to deliver on Musk’s promise. The two began emailing each other back and forth until Neil challenged Musk to a bet on the outcome.

The requirements for Musk to win the bet are as follows:

1) Series production models of the Tesla Model S have to be delivered to paying customers before the end of 2012. (It was originally 2011, but Neil concedes that Tesla said it wouldn’t make that date fairly early, and has since stuck to its 2012 date.)

(2) The Model S has to have seven passenger seats, certified as such by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and earn a 4- or 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA.

(3) It has to have a battery pack that allows en-route swapping at a highway roadside station, similar to the Better Place battery swapping scheme.

(4) Model S prices must remain at the levels Tesla and Musk announced: $57,400 for the version with 160 miles of range, $67,400 for the 230-mile version, and $87,400 for the top-of-the-line 300-mile version (which will comprise the bulk of early production). All prices are before any Federal or other incentives.

If Musk does not deliver on any of these targets, he must donate $1 million to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). However if Tesla fulfills the criteria, Neil must donate $1,000 to the same group.

[Source: Green Car Reports]