There are tuner shops, and then there are tuner manufacturers. What’s the difference? While a Tuner shop will bolt on spoilers and body kits, and some good tuner shops can even enhance your engines performance; a tuner manufacturer takes a bare shell and makes the entire car themselves to meet their customer’s requirements.

That is exactly what Ruf does. For 34 years, Alois Ruf has been working on Porsches. His process is so thorough, Porsche sends him bare shells of their cars, and everything is then put in place by Ruf technicians. Each car is thus tailor made for its new owner.

While most of Ruf’s creations look like slightly modded versions of the Stuttgart original, in 2007 they unveiled a car that took the tuning game on a whole new level. It was called the CTR3 and it was built using a chassis that had bits of the 911 married to some Cayman structure, wrapped in a Kevlar-carbon composite body-shell. The end result looked like a car Porsche enthusiasts could only dream about, until now.

It’s not all about looks either. Under the rear clamshell you’ll find a 3.8-liter, flat-six engine with two turbo-chargers. Twin-turbo Porsche motors are not that uncommon, but ones that produce 750-hp and 708 lb/ft of torque certainly are. All this power is fed to only the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. Launch it correctly and you’ll cover the sprint from 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, and onto a top speed of 236 mph. That makes the CTR3 a lot faster than the Carrera GT, the fastest production car Porsche ever made.

If all this sounds irresistible to you (if you’re reading about cars on the internet, it should), you’d be happy to learn that a CTR3 is currently being offered for sale in California by R3 Motorsports. Since their advert was missing some information, we called the owner of the company; Ryan Negry, for some more information on this rare beast. According to Negry, this 2010 example has covered just 300-miles and that it can be yours for just $540,000.

[Source: duPont Registry]

The Chevrolet Volt will be able to qualify for California’s High Occupancy Vehicle lanes in 2012, after General Motors announced the availability of a Low Emissions Package for their hybird-electric car.

With traffic congestion in California a major annoyance for motorists, the ability to use the HOV lane – via one of the state’s 40,000 permits – will be a boon to Volt drivers. Motorists are normally barred from the HOV lane unless a vehicle has two or more passengers, but the sticker allows for single occupancy vehicles to be exempted.

A revised emission control system and catalytic converter help the Volt achieve Low Emissions status. Volt buyers in California will also be eligible for a total of $9,500 in state and federal tax credits.

There’s a new kid in Los Angeles, BYD. The Chinese battery and electric car manufacturer opened its California office today.

BYD says it will bring 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the city. The event highlight, however, is a deal between BYD and Hertz to provide airport shuttles to the rental agency. This could prove to be a key time for the company to move into the California electric car market.

Their opening is hot on the heels of the California government deciding to limit HOV lane benefits to electric cars in an effort to encourage greener transportation. BYD has a chance to get a jump on the electric car market considering the only EV’s available to consumers are the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster.

Things may not all be bright though, BYD saw their profits drop by just over a third between 2009 and 2010 and lackluster sales in the first half of this year aren’t boding well either.

Their financial woes are largely due to poor car sales in China, where they failed to meet even half of their projected numbers.

Their push into the North American market could prove to be a good source of revenue, but BYD Vice-President Michael Austin admitted earlier this year to the Glendale News-Press that “the paradigm of driving a Chinese car in the U.S. is going to be hard to break.”

[Source: Auto Observer]

California told 85,000 hybrid drivers to move over, literally. Now everyone is feeling the sting.

Starting last July the yellow stickers allowing hybrid owners to drive alone in the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane expired. The move came in preparation for an anticipated increase in electric vehicles on the road that will be allowed to retain the privilege. Though it may be the case that EVs are gaining popularity, pushing hybrids into regular traffic is causing problems for everyone.

According to a study released Monday by the University of California-Berkeley, the change had the effect you might expect: regular traffic speeds decreased and HOV speeds went up.

That isn’t all though, traffic actually slowed in HOV lanes at points where drivers try to merge back into regular traffic because of the slowdown. In other words, drivers in both lanes are noticing new slowdowns.

The report was based on six months of roadway sensor speed and congestion data, and written by Michael Cassidy, a civil and environmental engineering professor, and Katae Jang, a doctoral student in that department.

Cassidy said there is still plenty of space for hybrids in the HOV lanes, even with the new EVs on the road.

The only new production cars available that meet the standard are the Tesla Roadster and the Nissan Leaf. The Chevy Volt doesn’t qualify because of a specific California emissions law, though Gm says it will be addressing the issue soon.

If they don’t, they may find fierce competition. Toyota will be releasing the 2012 Prius Plug-In soon, which qualifies for the sticker. So does the 2012 Fisker Karma.

[Source: Green Car Reports]

CODA Automotive has opened its first consumer store in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center in Los Angeles, California, hoping to bring an innovative sales experience to their consumers. CODA Automotive is part of CODA Holdings, a California-based developer of advanced Lithium-ion power battery systems that are used to power their CODA sedan. The four-door, five-passenger, CODA EV features 134-hp and 221 lb-ft of torque with a range of around 150-miles.

The new CODA Experience Center stays consistent with the rest of CODA’s green mantra, building its 900 square feet store with eco-friendly materials that’s located near to a multiplex theatre, dining terrace and valet parking. The innovative store features an Electric Vehicle Bar where consumers can be educated on the benefits of electric cars; a Technology Display featuring a full-size replica and explanation of CODA’s battery and propulsion systems; and a Test Drive Check-in Counter that’s a one-stop shop for consumers to sign up for a test-drive.

CODA’s Experience Center isn’t just staffed with those knowledgeable about their EVs, but also how to setup your home for an electric vehicle and CODA also plans to host several events educating all nearby residents on the benefits of electric vehicles.

“The BMW engine was an obvious choice for us, as BMW is known for producing the best and most fuel efficient gasoline engines in the world,” said Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker. “We are very pleased to have signed this agreement with BMW.”

Currently, Fisker uses a General Motors turbocharged 2.o-liter engine for the Karma, but nothing has been mentioned as to whether the vehicle will also receive BMW power in 2012.

GALLERY: Fisker Karma

MINI’s new Goodwood model was unveiled at the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California this week. The MINI Goodwood is an exclusive special edition which has been produced in close collaboration with the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars design team.

This is a car that drips of automotive luxury and exclusivity in its highest form. The Goodwood has been priced at $52,000, making it the most expensive MINI ever. Only 1000 will be produced with only 140 will be coming to the US. The Goodwood features an interior and exterior design cragfted from the same fine materials and workmanship as the ultra-luxurious Rolls-Royce brand.

Two of the most beautiful features of the exterior design are the body finish in the exclusive Diamond Black metallic Rolls-Royce colour and 17-inch multi-spoke light alloy rims. The interior features seats covered in Lounge leather, Lambswool floor mats, a cashmere headliner and fascia and front door grab handles in burr walnut veneer and a sports steering wheel in Walknappa leather and Piano Black controls.

The MINI will be powered by the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine featured in the 2011 MINI Cooper S. The powerplant will have Twin Scroll turbochargers producing 181-hp. The MINI can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 6.6 seconds.

Deliveries are scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2012.

GALLERY: MINI Goodwood

Ford is delaying the full launch of the 2012 electric Focus. Initially, the Focus EV was to be launched in 19 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Seattle. However, plans have changed and the primary launch will be concentrated in California and New York.

Ford’s electrified-vehicles marketing manager David Finnegan said, ”For the first few months of production, we will be concentrating on California and New York,” he said. “Our dealers in those areas will be the first to have their retail orders scheduled and receive the Focus electric. We will be rolling out to the remainder of our initial markets starting in spring 2012.” Ford has yet to set a date for the Focus EV launch in the remaining markets.

[Source: Automotive News]

Nissan and City Ventures announced today that they plan to proceed with their cooperative project to prewire 190 Southern California townhomes with electric vehicle chargers. This will be the largest residential, electric vehicle pre-wiring project in the United States. The installation will include a Level II (240v- 40 amp) electric vehicle dock which is recommended for charging the Nissan Leaf. The electric charging equipment will be installed in 54 homes in Signal Hill, 48 homes in Santa Barbara and 88 homes in Alhambra.

“Nissan applauds City Ventures’ vision and leadership to create a unique solution on such a large scale,” said Brendan Jones, Nissan’s director of Electric Vehicle Marketing and Sales Strategy. “Their model perfectly complements the accepted preference by EV owners to charge at home – including convenient charging during off-peak overnight hours – and is a meaningful step to help advance Nissan LEAF owner satisfaction.”

The Nissan Leaf is the first zero-emission, 100-percent electric vehicle available to the mass market and has sold exceptionally well. The electric vehicle was first launched in December 2010, and Nissan has delivered more than 4,000 Leaf’s in the U.S. The vehicle is only sold in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon and Washington however, over 350,000 people have already expressed interest in the car.

Mitsubishi North America and the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School have launched a new high performance driving program that allows drivers to participate in the advanced Lancer Evolution Experience II at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

This new program builds on the curriculum and driving instruction offered in the Lancer Evolution Experience I. In LEE II, the program places special emphasis on timed competition in the Mitsubishi Evolution X. The Evo features a fully-integrated roll cage, Sparco racing seats and safety harness’.

The daylong lesson  begins by revisiting critical high-performance driving criteria such as line driving dynamics, then heading out to the paddock to perform several key driving exercises. Then back to the classroom, then students practice a time attack lap with an instructor around the Infineon Raceway. The grand finale is the time attack test where students compete against each other. The fastest driver is invited back to race in the Lancer Evolution Challenger Run Off. The winner of that, gets free use of a Mitsubishi vehicle for a year.

The daylong lesson costs $1,295 and is open to graduates of the Lancer Evolution Experience I.

AutoGuide.com Editor-in-Chief Colum Wood participated in the racing school and loved it. Click on the link to see what he had to say!

http://www.autoguide.com/manufacturer/mitsubishi/mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-experience-at-the-jim-russell-racing-drivers-school-1264.html

Mitsubishi is becoming much more aggressive regarding future EV sales in its home market of Japan. Currently Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV sells for 3.98 million yen which equals $49,200. Government subsidies bring the price down a million yen equalling $36,900. The i-MiEV’s chief rival, the Nissan Leaf costs 3.76 million yen which equals $46,500 before subsidies and is the more popular choice compared to the Mitsubishi.

However, Mitsubishi will slash a million yen off the i-MiEV’s retail price to improve sales, bringing down the price to around 2 million yen or $24,700. The big savings are coming from a smaller battery. The existing model was good for 160 km (100 miles) per battery charge whereas the new model can only travel 120 km (75 miles). The Leaf can achieve only 100 miles per charge.

Prices in the United States are much cheaper, with the 2012 i-MiEV selling for $27,990 before the Federal $7,500 EV tax credit and state incentives. California and Hawaii go a step further with rebates, and in EV can be picked up for as low as $15,500 in these locales.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

Get back into traffic with the rest of us, electric vehicles… your time is up. If you’re in California and drive a hybrid, today is the day your six-year privilege to the HOV lane expires.

About 85,000 hybrid vehicle owners have to share the regular highway lanes, as the yellow sticker that gave them access to the dedicated HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes expires today (July 1, 2011). They’ve had a great six-year run of leaving other non-electric vehicles behind, but all good things must come to an end.

When these yellow stickers were being issued, only three hybrid vehicles qualified – the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic Hybrid. If you get caught driving by yourself in the HOV lanes tomorrow, prepare to pay some big fines – and don’t expect all those people who you’ve been passing for the past six years to feel sorry for you.

Back in 2008, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) passed a law that made it illegal to idle your new diesel powered truck, if it had a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 lbs, for more than five minutes.

This basically means most chassis cabs and trucks with more than a 1 ton capacity, think Ram chassis cabs (like the one shown above), Ford’s F-450 Super Duty, as well as class 6 and 7 rigs, vehicles most often used in delivery and construction.

Traditionally, most trucks used for such tasks were often found idling for extended periods, primarily for convenience, such as frequent stop/start driving or powering accessories, such as refrigerators and heavy equipment.

However, an engine tends to be at it’s least efficient when idling, as well as producing the greatest amount of  oxides of nitrogen (smog). The CARB ruling required that in order to certify diesel trucks for California, automakers had to meet an idle emissions standard of 30 grams of NOx per hour.

One way of doing this is by injecting urea into the exhaust stream and employing a special catalytic converter, to convert it into nitrogen and water vapor, as employed on Dodge’s 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs. As a result, these trucks and others that meet the idle test standard, receive special Exemption Stickers, meaning they can now idle indefinitely.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

To celebrate its 50-year milestone, the Gull Wing Group teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to recreate their infamous group photo at Fort Point Park with the Golden Gate Bridge as its backdrop. The Gull Wing Group was originally founded in 1961 by Ernie Spitzer with just eighteen 300 SL Coupe owners. 50 years later, the Gull Wing Group now has over 600 owners, all sharing the same passion for the 300 SL.

On June 10th, 2011, almost 50 years post the original photo’s taking, close to 100 members showed up with a total of 24 Gull Wings and 14 Roadsters to rejuvenate the classic photo. In addition, Mercedes-Benz is showing their support for the Gull Wing Group by donating 125 scholarships to provide children with the opportunity to participate in San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department’s summer educational program.

Mercedes produced 1,400 300 SL Gull Wings between 1954-1957 and is one of the most sought after collectible vehicles in the world. Of course now we have the SLS AMG to pay tribute to the gull wing design, which was inspired by the original 1954 300 SL.

On August 19th at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, Monterey California, Concorso Italiano will open the traditional Monterey/Pebble Beach Weekend. The event will feature more than 800-1000 beautifully designed Italian cars on display. Enthusiasts can engage in conversations with fellow car lovers and enjoy Italian fashion, food and art. There will no doubt be an astonishing variety of Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Maserati’s, Alfa Romeo’s, Pagani’s, and Lancia’s on display  The event will run from 9:00am- 5:00 pm and admission will cost $130 per person.

The state of California is considering lowering speed limits and shortening yellow light times. The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on Assembly Bill 529. This bill proposes to rewrite the state’s speed trap law so that cities would be able to round down all speed limits. The measure passed the full Assembly by a 77 to 0 vote on May 19.

Jurisdictions within California must set the speed limit at 35 MPH under current law, if traffic is shown moving at that speed. The speed limit must be rounded to the nearest 5 MPH increment. However, a locality can reduce the limit to 30 MPH if there is a safety issue. The proposed legislation would allow jurisdictions to lower the speed limit to 30 MPH without any justification needed by rounding down 5 MPH.

Once the limit is lowered to 30 MPH, the jurisdiction is legally allowed to shorten its yellow light times from 3.6 seconds to 3.2 seconds. Even if that 0.4 seems minor, that difference will generate a significant amount of additional revenue by red light cameras. The red light camera tickets can cost between $405 to $505 each. There was a 110 percent increase in citations reported by the Texas Transportation Institute when yellow lights had shorter times. Interestingly, the majority of those extra violations occurred within the first 0.25 seconds.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

The California Court of Appeal has ruled that drivers do not need to use their turn signals if no other car is nearby. A three-judge panel found that La Habra Police Officer Nick Wilson was in the wrong when he pulled over Paul David Carmona, Jr. after the accused made a right-hand turn without signaling in his Chevy.

The officer charged the driver with violating vehicle code 22107, which states a signal must be used when “any other vehicle may be affected by the movement”. The prosecutor argued that the driver actually violated a separate law, section 22108, which states, “Any signal of intention to turn right or left shall be given continuously during the last 100 feet traveled by the vehicle before turning”. However Justice Kathleen E. O’Leary found the officer was approaching from the opposite direction when the driver’s vehicle made a right-hand turn away from the officers vehicle, and as no other vehicles were present, there was no possible violation of section 22107.

It will be interesting to see how many preventable accidents begin occurring because of this ruling.

[Source: The Newspaper]

With much of the electric car attention being drawn by the first mass-produced Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, many have ignored the 2011 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan.

Fisker dealers in Los Angeles previously claimed the first deliveries to paying customers would take place in March or April of this year. But the cars never materialized, and the date was pushed into the third quarter of this year.

The first arrivals will likely take place sometime in July, according to Fisker, for a retail price of $95,000

[Source: Green Car Reports]

Quick, name the European car company that’s made the most progress in reducing their emissions. Peugeot? Smart? Even Dacia? If you had bet on Ferrari, the poster child for irresponsible motoring, you’d have won big.

Among luxury and supercar makers, Ferrari has made the most strides in reducing their CO2 emissions, according to recently-released figures. Their average emissions in 2010 across their model lineup was 326 grams per kilometer, a 46 g/km reduction from the previous year. This 12 percent reduction was better than the efforts from Aston Martin, Bentley, and Lamborghini, who could only manage paltry 0.6%, 1.9% and 1.5% reductions respectively. Lotus managed a reduction of 3.2%, coming in second.

The one car that Ferrari can bestow this success to is the California. At 46% of Ferrari’s sales last year, its CO2 emissions are at 301 g/km. As manufacturer emissions are calculated from the sales figures of individual cars, the California’s success helped boost Ferrari’s eco-cred above the rest.

Anbd to be fair, Ferrari is a company whose products aren’t already known for their frugality. The figures did pertain to high-end carmakers; don’t expect Ferrari to build their version of an Aston Martin Cygnet yet. But by 2015, the EU will start fining carmakers for missing their emissions targets: at five euros per car that misses their goals, fines could run into the millions. Even for a low-production company like Ferrari—and we know how they love their “exclusive” production figures—it could be bad for business.

[Source: Autocar]

The Toyota Prius, beloved of eco-conscious of buyers in California, is in short supply in the Sunshine State, as high gas prices and production disruptions due to Japan’s natural disasters have caused dealers to either run low on supply or be completely out of stock.

Dealers, who report as little as a 14-day supply of the car (compared to an industry average of 90 days) are worrying as analysts predict that shipments of the car from its factory in Japan could lag by as much as 2,000 units through April. While Toyota has offered aggressive lease deals and incentives for the Prius, the average transaction price has gone up substantially, as dealers report a rapid sales increase in conjunction with rising gas prices. Toyota will not be continuing their incentives when they expire on April 4th.

[Source: Los Angeles Times]

The California New Car Dealers Association is accusing Chrysler of operating a factory store illegally in the Los Angeles area. The showroom, dubbed Motor Village L.A., was designed to boost Chrysler’s profile and show off their revised product lineup, as well as the new Fiat brand.

The dealer group filed a petition with the California New Motor Vehicle Board, asking for an investigation and disciplinary action against Chrysler, including a possible revocation of their business license. The dealer group alleges that proprietor Howard Drake lacks any financial stake in the business, making it illegitimate. Motor Village also is within a 10 mile radius of other independently owned Chrysler stores, which violates California law.

In a statement, Chrysler spokesman Ralph Kisiel said “looks forward to discussing the matter with the Department of Motor Vehicles.”

[Source: Automotive News]

Ferrari‘s F430 and now F458 Italia has become synonymous with the Italian manufacturer’s moniker; while models such as the California go on living their lives less popular in the public light. Sporting a front-engine 4.3L V8 with 454-hp, many critiqued the California as a girl’s Ferrari, rather than a man’s Ferrari. But the folks over at ADV.1 Wheels don’t think the California is a ‘chick’s car’ and set out to prove it.

Teaming up with Wheels Boutique, the Florida-based wheel manufacturer took a classy silver California and outfitted it with some suspension modifications and a set of their brilliant wheels, making the California a manly exotic supercar. Not many words are needed to express just how beautiful this project is, but it’s worth mentioning how simple and subtle modifications can go a long way in completing the look of a car. Even one as exotic as Ferrari’s California.

GALLERY: ADV.1 Wheels Ferrari California

[Source: ADV.1 ]

Honda is selling their proving grounds in the Mojave Desert, and if you’re the type that likes to invest between 7 and 8 figures in real estate, then this might be a real treat.

With just under 3,800 acres of land, the big draws are a 7.5 mile oval course, a 4.5 mile road course modeled after public streets and a variety of desert tracks and surfaces that can be used for everything from Motorcross to off-road truck racing, the proving grounds could be the toy for a well-heeled motorized vehicle enthusiast.

Best of all, the track’s location is only 2 hours from LAX, meaning that you can easily access it by Bugatti Veyron or Gulfstream Jet, unlike those other pesky tracks located in flyover states.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

While most of us relate bright pink luxury and exotic vehicles to Paris Hilton (or perhaps Barbie), the infamous heiress wasn’t the one ordering up this custom Ferrari California.

Surprisingly the pink shade is a nice and exotic one, matching the convertible Ferrari quite well. The car was spotted in Shanghai and we can’t say it’s as bad as you’d expect when you hear the words “Pink Ferrari.” And besides, with 460-hp from a high-revving Italian V8, we wouldn’t kick a Prancing Horse out of our garage, no matter what the color.

GALLERY: Bright Pink Ferrari California

[Source: GT Spirit]

Read AutoGuide’s Ferrari California Review by Clicking Here