The F Sport variant for the Lexus IS is the Japanese automaker’s way of making the luxury sedan even sportier. So what happens when Toyota Racing Development (TRD) gets its hands on the already amped up car?

The TRD Lexus IS F Sport is probably what the F Sport model should be from the factory. Accenting the already more aggressive body lines, TRD outfits the IS F Sport with subtle front bumper accents, new side skirts, and a rear diffuser to house a dual exhaust in the bumper. 19-inch wheels sporting 15 spokes might not be for everyone, but some would argue they’re more attractive than the factory F Sport offerings.

SEE ALSO: 2014 Lexus IS 250 Review

Engine performance is unchanged, but suspension can be enhanced with a set of sport springs and dampers that not only lowers the sedan but improves handling thanks to stiffer spring rates. The TRD parts are currently only available in Japan and they’re not cheap with the entire list of TRD’s offerings for the IS F-Sport tallying over $12,000, though everything is available a la carte.

GALLERY: 2014 TRD Lexus IS F Sport

Discuss this story at My.is

With 47 corners across almost 6.5 miles, the Crown Range in New Zealand is the country’s highest paved roadway at an elevation of 3,530 feet.

So why wouldn’t it be the perfect place for Red Bull Motorsports to take its driver, Mike Whiddett, and his Mazda RX-7 drifting? Known as “Mad Mike” within the drifting community, Whiddett is a New Zealand-based international drifter that got the opportunity of a lifetime when the road was closed across three sections – all for a unique filming opportunity.

With 750 hp on tap, Mad Mike was able to hit 144 mph in his RX-7 on the second section of the roadway while sliding sideways throughout the Crown Range.

“I think drifters have an innate ability to slip from reality when driving up a road like the Crown Range in normal circumstances,” said Whiddett. “We imagine drifting through the turns, the gear changes, the footwork, the hand brake and of course stomping on the gas. So for me, having the opportunity to get behind the wheel of my machine, push it to the limit and conquer the Crown is a dream turned into a reality.”

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

GALLERY: Mad Mike Drifts Crown Range

Discuss this story at MazdaWorld.org

Last year, Cody Loveland and LoveFab unveiled an Acura NSX that competed in the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb proving that you can teach an old car new tricks.

With more seat time under the team’s belt, LoveFab will be heading back to Pikes Peak with a more finely-tuned machine this year with support from Turbo by Garrett. Powered by a twin-turbocharged, dry-sumped LS1 engine, the LoveFab NSX will be driven by Cody Loveland once again and looks forward to besting his Unlimited Class second place finish from last year.

SEE ALSO: Insane Acura NSX Pikes Peak Race Car Revealed by LoveFab – Videos

Plenty of changes have been made to the car during the off-season. Loveland tossed out the caged NSX tub for a full tube-chassis tub, cutting about 400 lbs from the car. The team’s goal is to have around 800 lb-ft of torque while tipping the scales at under 2,000 lbs. The swap to a V8 powerplant helped achieve those goals.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Discuss this story at NSXForums.com

The seventh of eight Kia customized Justice League-themed vehicles has been unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show: The Wonder Woman Kia Sportage.

The Korean automaker teamed up with DC Entertainment and Super Street magazine to transform the mundane crossover to a vehicle inspired by Wonder Woman’s power, inspiration, and sense of equality.

Accenting the Sportage’s aesthetics is a custom aero kit and a red and blue exterior color scheme. Influenced directly from Wonder Woman’s costume are the stars and gold trim, while paying a subtle homage to her weapon of choice, “The Lasso of Truth.” The eagle chest-plate emblem was custom integrated into the production Sportage grille while blue headlight beams reflect Wonder Woman’s piercing blue eyes.

On the inside, red upholstery and custom dash pieces are combined with blue LED lighting while the seats were heavily influenced by Wonder Woman’s outfit and are embroidered with her logo.

SEE ALSO: Kia Debuts Justice League Concepts: 2012 SEMA Show

The eighth and final vehicle is currently in the works and will be an amalgamation of all seven Super Heroes in one.

“As one of the most well-known Super Heroes in the world, Wonder Woman portrays an impressive balance of power, agility and confidence, all of which are inherent characteristics of the Kia Sportage crossover,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. “Like the rest of the Justice League-inspired vehicles, this customized Sportage signifies a meaningful collaboration between cars and pop-culture. And for the first time, here in New York, all seven vehicles are standing together in one place to raise awareness for DC Entertainment’s very worthy ‘We Can Be Heroes’ giving campaign.”

GALLERY: Wonder Woman Kia Sportage

Discuss this story at Kia-Forums.com

Nissan and Gibson have teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind NV200, converting the compact cargo van to a mobile repair and restoration van for guitars.

Acting as a mobile guitar repair shop, the NV200 serves the needs of both working musicians and casual pickers. The vehicle can service at major music markets or locales where guitar players meet, such as music festivals, concerts, recording studios, or even homes.

The goal of the Gibson NV200 is to be a quick-response support vehicle for the Gibson’s Repair & Restoration shop based in Nashville, Tennessee. Inside, a pullout bench features an array of luthiuer’s tools including calipers, scale rulers, fret files, sandpaper, super glue, wood glue, tuning forks, a radius planer, various guitar parts (strings, tuning machines, frets, nuts, bridges, knobs, linseed oil, potentiometers, pickups), pliers, screw drivers and a soldering station. The bench can be extended to the lip of the NV200 in order to work on instruments.

Directly behind the front seat is a custom rack that can hold up to four guitars while the cockpit has been customized to resemble Gibson’s classic designs featuring wood veneers in the dash and special leather-appointed seats. A custom audio system was provided by Onkyo, a Gibson Pro Audio consumer electronics brand. The NV200 was then wrapped with a full Gibson theme to make it recognizable from even far away.

“Gibson and Nissan are both Tennessee-based companies that build products worthy of consumer passion yet suitable for everyday use,” said Joe Castelli, vice president of Commercial Vehicles and Fleet for Nissan North America. “We’ve sought a way to combine forces for many years now, and the introduction of the 2013 NV200 Compact Cargo van gives us the perfect opportunity to do so. Working with Gibson has been a dream come true for many of us here at Nissan, and we look forward to the next steps collaborating with them.”

GALLERY: Nissan/Gibson NV200 Mobile Guitar Workshop

Discuss this story at NissanClub.com

The 37th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race will kick off on April 20, 2013 in downtown Long Beach, and the field of racers piloting the 210-hp Scion FR-S have been announced.

The racers will be competing to benefit “Racing for Kids,” a national fundraising program that supports children’s hospitals throughout the United States. Competing as pro drivers are MTV’s Nitro Circus star Andy Bell, last year’s winner and comedian Adam Carolla (pictured above), Olympic gold medalist Tyler Clary, and NHRA driver Melanie Troxel.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Scion FR-S Video Review

The list of celebrities is impressive as always, with Cristian Castro, Kate del Castillo, Brett Davern, Jenna Elfman, Jessica Hardy, Jesse Metcalfe, Dakota Meyer, Jackson Rathbone, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Steines, Wanda Sykes, Michael Trucco, and Rutledge Wood all climbing behind the wheel to benefit Racing for Kids.

Rounding off the field of racers will be Glenn Faber, partner and general manager of Keyes Toyota, Dave Pasant, a retired insurance executive, and Carter Lay, LAY’S chips heir.

GALLERY: Scion FR-S Pro/Celebrity Race Car Unveiled

Discuss this story at FR-SForum.com

Though the Mitsubishi Evolution X isn’t as popular as it once was, it’s still one of the best performance bargains on the market. For those wanting something even better, there’s now the limited edition 311RS Evo X.

Three years in the making, the fully-warrantied Evolution will be limited to just 11 units, and sports some serious modifications from some of the aftermarket’s finest. It’s a product from circuit racer Ryan Gates, who has outfitted the Evolution X to the tune of 353 hp and 359 lb-ft of torque along with performance suspension, brakes, and lightweight wheels.

The team reaches for a collection of bolt-ons from AMS, a world-renowned tuner of the Evolution platform. Boosting the engine’s performance is an intake, upgraded intercooler piping, intercooler, widemouth downpipe, cat pipe, exhaust, and ECU tune – all from AMS.

SEE MORE: Mitsubishi Evo vs Mustang Boss 302 Video

To handle suspension duties, the 311RS is outfitted with JRZ’s RS1 suspension. Each vehicle will be properly aligned by Evasive Motorsports, which has proven time and time again that they know how to setup a car properly for the track. Braking components come from Girodisc while the vehicle will roll with lightweight Volk Racing CE28 wheels in a 18×10.5-inch sizing with Nitto NT05 rubber.

Transforming the exterior is a JDP front lip and Voltex rear spoiler, while Jon Sibal (who you may know from some of AutoGuide’s expert renderings) does up the classy, yet subtle livery for the 311RS.

The 311RS will retail for $49,000, which is a jump from the factory GSR (approximately $35,000), and even the high-performance MR model (approximately $46,000). But if you add up all the modifications, plus the time and labor to install it all, it’s a small premium to pay for an Evolution that has high quality products.

GALLERY: Mitsubishi 311RS Evo X

[Source: Autoblog]

Discuss this story at Mitsubishi-Forums.com

As Hyundai gets ready to take on the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship with its i20 WRC, the Korean automaker is showing off an upgraded version of its race car at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

The first iteration of the i20 WRC was presented at least year’s Paris Motor Show and has been thoroughly updated since. The latest i20 WRC features improvements to its aerodynamics, chassis, and suspension to improve cooling, enhance suspension kinematics, and chassis stiffness. Private testing of the i20 WRC will kick off later this year at various locations in Europe.

SEE ALSO: 2013 Geneva Motor Show Coverage

The extensive changes comes through a collaboration between Hyundai’s R&D facility in Korea and the newly-formed Hyundai Motorsport GmbH in Germany, which is headed by veteran WRC competitor Michel Nandan. Though Hyundai’s WRC program is still in its infancy stage, the team is excited to tackle all the challenges that comes along with building a true competitor in such a rigorous series.

“Building up a new motorsport facility from scratch is an ambitious and rewarding challenge,” said Michel Nandan. “We have begun the recruitment process but already have a number of key people in place who bring with them a wealth of rally and motorsport experience. We are rapidly building up the team infrastructure and are pleased that everything is running to schedule.”

GALLERY: Hyundai i20 WRC

Discuss this story at HyundaiPerformance.com

First unveiled during the 2013 SEMA Show as the sole production car, Hyundai just announced selling its first “RE:MIX” special edition Veloster.

Hyundai began selling the cars this month in a limited run. They car features exterior modifications including 18-inch wheels, a unique body kit, special paint and graphics LED lights and special badging. Hyundai also put a 450-watt stereo into the car, a push-button ignition system,an interior light kit and more.

Output is the same with 138 hp coming from the base 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, and the car costs $20,845 for the manual transmission model including delivery or $21,945 for the automatic transmission.

GALLERY: Hyundai Veloster RE:MIX

Discuss this story at Veloster.org

Nissan Motorsport has unveiled its four-car Altima race team that will compete in this year’s V8 Supercar Championship.

Team co-owners and drivers Todd and Rick Kelly will continuing campaigning the Jack Daniel’s livery on their Altima, while new team members Michael Caruso and James Moffat will be racing with the yellow Norton 360 livery.

SEE ALSO: Nissan Altima V8 Race Car Makes Video Debut

The Altima mid-sized sedan will represent the Japanese automaker in the Australian V8 Supercar Series and will be competing against Ford, Holden, and Mercedes-Benz AMG for the 2013 championship title. The four Nissan Altimas will make their race debut on March 1-3 at the opening round in Adelaide.

GALLERY: Nissan Altima V8 Supercars

[Source: The Motor Report]

Discuss this story at NissanClub.com

Veteran Pikes Peak driver Paul Dallenbach will drive the record-setting Genesis Coupe for the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Dallenbach will be competing in the Time Attack 2WD class that Rhys Millen piloted to a new all-time world record last year. Dallenbach is no stranger to the Hill Climb having notched six class wins and three overall wins. The Korean automaker and Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) will be fielding two cars this year with Millen piloting a new, unlimited class purpose-built race car to defend his world record of 9:46.164.

SEE ALSO: Hyundai Renews Rhys Millen Pikes Peak Racing Contract

The Unlimited class racer will use major powertrain components from Hyundai, including an engine from the automaker’s Lambda engine family. Expected to produce over 900 hp and 800 lb-ft of torque, RMR is ready to set a new record with its ultra-lightweight, purpose-built race car.

“With Dallenbach joining the Hyundai/RMR effort at Pikes this year, we’ve formed a formidable team that will be thrilling for fans around the world to watch,” said Rhys Millen, owner and driver of Rhys Millen Racing. “With race-proven Hyundai core powertrain components powering both of our hill climb racers, it demonstrates how confident we are in the performance and durability of Hyundai engineering.”

Discuss this story at GenesisForums.com

Nissan started the Project 370Z campaign at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, now a year later, the car is finished and on display for show-goers.

That’s not a fitting lifestyle for a project car, so Nissan is inviting any Nissan Z owners to take it on at the track. Nissan will take on challengers at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in mid-march.

VIEW COMPLETE 2013 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW COVERAGE

The crowdsourced Z is far from ordinary, featuring more than 500 hp thanks to a twin-turbo GReddy kit. It also sports a GReddy Turbo Ti-C Exhaust and rolls on VOLK TE37SL custom-finished wheels.

Nissan even provided a video of the Project 370z, check it out below.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Discuss this story at NissanClub.com