September is almost upon us, which means, for motorsports fans, that it’s time for the annual Targa Newfoundland. This year, Chrysler has announced that it will be fielding a three-car team for the event, comprising of a single Dodge Viper SRT-10 and two Challenger SRT-8s.

The Viper will be driven by Chrysler’s SRT brand chief and Head of Product Design Ralph Gilles (who is running the event for the fourth time); partnering him will be Jen Horsey, another Targa veteran. One of the Challengers, in fact the very same one that Gilles drove at the event in 2008, will be piloted by dentist, experienced road racer and long time Targa competitor Dr. Robert Pacione. His long-standing co-driver Brian Maxwell, will join him in the passenger seat.

The third car, another Challenger  will be driven by Los Angeles based journalist George ‘Motoman’ Notaras, with co-driver Nick Chambers riding shotgun.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of this 1200 mile plus road rally, considered to be one of the most grueling motorsports events in North America and the Dodge/SRT triumvirate, is the largest single manufacturer sanctioned entry.

The primary object for the team this year, besides competing, is to raise money for individuals and families affected by Autism, with proceeds to be donated to the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“My adrenaline is pumping about this year’s Targa rally,” said Gilles in a recent statement. “I can’t wait for our team to take these three SRT products to the streets and drive them the way they were intended to be driven. Not only do our SRT products look great, but they are reliable and proven both on the pavement and on the track.”

The 10th annual Targa Newfoundland runs from September 10th to September 17th, starting and ending in the provincial capital, St. John’s.

TechArt has finally officially unveiled its new styling package for the third generation Porsche Cayenne, with no real surprises. The front chin spoiler has been designed in true TechArt fashion while the LED lighting enhancements and halogen headlights are almost standard issue with any other TechArt styling package. The rear roof spoiler, rear apron and diffuser adds sportiness to the entire SUV while TechArt’s exhaust system is sure to give the Cayenne a whole new rumble.

For wheel options, TechArt is offering their Formula, Formula II or Formula III wheels with sizing varying from 20- to 23-inch depending on the model. Performance upgrades have already been established from TechArt for the new Cayenne, with the Turbo model getting a boost up to 560-hp through a TA 058/T1 kit.

TechArt is also offering interior upgrades to the Cayenne with complete leather interior packages and in-car-entertainment options of integrated screens in the headrests and an elegant center console  with a spacious bar and storage compartment in Alcantara.

It might not be terribly original, but it certainly looks impressive.

GALLERY: TechArt Porsche Cayenne

Some of us might remember the beginning and end of the Pink Panther Show where our favorite animated feline exits and enters into a dramatic, low slung custom car. That machine, appropriately named the Panthermobile, was originally built by Hollywood custom car legend Jay Ohrberg in 1969 for the show, which aired on NBC in the US from then until 1976.

Now, some 35 years after the show ended, the car scheduled to make an appearance at the Chelsea Auto Legends Show, which takes place next month in London, UK. At the same time, it’ll also be offered for auction online, via Robson Kay.

The Panthermobile is in unrestored, original condition and need of some work (it currently doesn’t run); nevertheless when it was first offered up for auction in 2007 via COYS, a bidder paid £88,000 ($55,000) for the thing.

How much it’ll fetch this time around is anyone’s guess but it’ll be interesting to see the bidding response this one-of-a-kind creation generates. The auction runs from September 4th (Auto Legends opening day) to October 14th.

McLaren is planning to build a full model range of super car and sports cars for consumers. Currently, there are at least four more models in the design and development pipeline. The new cars include the current MP4-12C, a hypercar (codename P12), built to take on the new Lamborghini Aventador, and a successor to the famous McLaren F1. The P12 model is expected to produce around 800-hp and its weight will be similar to the MP4-12C. The British automaker will also be building a cheaper sports car (codename P13) to take on the non-turbo Porsche 911.

The full model lineup is part of a plan to sell 4,000 cars a year, with roughly 1300 MP4-12C models, 2,500 P13 cars and roughly 200 P12s.

All of the vehicles will, however, be “true McLarens,” said McLaren managing director Antony Sheriff. “Whatever we do will be based on carbon. It will have performance and handling that’s the best of its segment.”

All of the new models will receive the MP4-12C’s carbon-fiber monocell tub. This piece forms the central structure of the sports car including the front bulkhead, sills, floor, and rear bulkhead. The monocell tub is made of some 25 pieces of dry carbon fiber matting in single large tool while resin is injected.

McLaren is likely to unveil the P12 within a year and a half, and the P13 will be seen within two and a half years. The British automaker will also build a convertible version of the MP4-12C, but there is no confirmation on a release date.

GALLERY: MP4-12C

[Source: Motor Trend]

In case you weren’t impressed with the Mayfair or Goodwood model, MINI will be releasing another special edition known as the Highgate later this year. The vehicle will follow along the lines of the recently released MINI Hampton.

The Highgate model will feature an Ice Chocolate Metallic color, half way between Hot Chocolate and Astro Black, and the interior will be coated in Chocolate colored leather with contrasting white stitching. The Highgate model will likely come with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine from the 2011 MINI Cooper S producing 181-hp. MINI will release the Highgate later this year as a 2012 model. Look for a likely debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

[Source: Motoring File]

If you are a driver, you are well aware of the rising gas prices, and this trend is not looking to reverse anytime soon. This is effecting the way people buy new cars, and according to Pike Research, more than 5-million electric and hybrid vehicles will be sold globally by 2017.

Also according to this report, the largest manufacturer of these vehicles will be the United States, followed by Japan, while the largest consumer of such vehicles will likely be China.

Currently conventional hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight (among many others) are on sale, but as far as plug-in electric vehicles go, you have to pick between the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Roadster. Soon, the market will see cars such as the Fisker Karma, Ford Focus Electric and the Mitsubishi i go on sale later this year.

So will the world be taken over by electric cars now? If petrol prices don’t change, people’s buying habits will change very quickly to save their pocket books, while also helping save the planet.

[Source: Auto Observer]

Owners of Nissan’s 2005-2010 Pathfinders, Frontiers and Xteras are experiencing failures to their automatic transmissions because radiator coolant is leaking into the system. The radiator cooler tanks are rupturing, which forces the coolant into the transmission through the transmission cooler lines. Nissan has offered an extended warranty for the radiators, but the coverage only applies to vehicles with fewer than 80,000 miles.

Owners are upset that Nissan didn’t notify them about the radiator problem. “The issue here is that Nissan knew that they had a faulty radiator and instead of recalling the radiator they extended the warranty knowing that the majority of the cars would surpass 80,000 miles before they started having problems with the transmission,” wrote Eva Saldivar of Porterville, California, in her complaint to the Center for Auto Safety. Her 2005 Pathfinder had 115,000 miles when she had to pay about $6,000 for repairs. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has at least 200 complaints regarding this transmission issue and the Center for Auto Safety has around 50 complaints.

In October, Nissan extended the warranty on the radiators of 2005-2010 Frontiers, Pathfinders and Xterras from three years or 36,000 miles to eight years or 80,000 miles. Nissan said only “a small percentage” of vehicles might experience the coolant-leak problem, which it blames on “an internal crack on the oil cooler tube”.

Clarence Ditlow, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety said an investigation is warranted because owners are reporting safety-related problems, like rapid slowing or the inability to safely cross an intersection.

No official investigation or recall has been announced.

[Source: New York Times]

Nissan has released a lone image of its incredible GT-R GT3-spec race car ahead of its first competition test. Built by a partnership between Nissan’s NISMO motorsports division and JR Motorsports (JRM), the NISMO GT-R GT3 will hit the track this weekend for the fourth round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Magny-Cours.

Driving duties during the three-hour race will be shared by Richard Westbrook and David Brabham.

“Testing has been underway since earlier this year and the car has run very well. We now want to place it into a competitive environment as part of its continued development. We have no intention of racing to win at this stage, as we are focused on putting race-miles on the car and collecting as much data as possible,” said JRM Managing Director Andy Barnes.

The car will compete in several more events this year before its official race debut in October.

Built to GT3-spec, the NISMO GT-R is much closer to a production model than the current vehicles competing in the GT1 series in Europe. Perhaps the biggest difference is that the GT3-spec car shares its V6 VR38DETT with the production GT-R, while the GT1 class racers use naturally aspirated V8s.

GALLERY: Nissan GT-R GT3

Block the sun’s rays with the new Bentley sunglasses. But keep your eyes on them at all times, because you can’t afford to misplace them.

Made from 18 karat gold, the Bentley sunglasses do more than just give you an air of supreme coolness. They were designed to complement the Bentley Mulsanne, and if you can afford that luxe sedan (it comes with a price tag of $285,000), you can probably afford the sunglasses.

Starting in price from about $16,285 for the gold frame sunglasses, if you upgrade to the platinum frames, you can expect to pay $50,500. Both versions feature hand-crafted knurling along the ear pieces, along with an enameled Bentley B and a case that uses the same quality cowhide as the car’s seats. To protect your peepers, its lenses offer 100-percent ultraviolet protection.

You can’t just buy these sunglasses anywhere – you need to get them custom-ordered. You can buy them now in Russia and China, and later this year, you can purchase them in the U.K., U.S., and Middle East.

Russian armored vehicle company Dartz claims its ultra-safe Prombron Iron Diamond SUV is perfectly suited for women. It now seems, however, that what they meant to say is that it’s perfect for women to pose with in revealing outfits.

At least that’s the message we’re getting from the company’s latest YouTube video, which includes a PlayBoy bunny and some RussoBaltique Vodka.

You can watch the video after the jump, but consider yourself warned – it’s a little risqué for some offices. Still, this is hardly the most shocking thing Dartz has done. This is the same company that once offered a what penis interior.

Watch the video after the jump:

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