When the Nissan GT-R finally made its way over to the Stateside, people rejoiced that we’d finally be able to get our hands on one of Japan’s finest creations. Over the past couple of decades, the Nissan Skyline GT-R moniker has become infamous and synonymous with performance and excellence. The initial exclusivity and price tag of the GT-R has still made it a rarity to see on the streets. That price has just gone up a little for 2011, with the GT-R now set at $85,060.

Only available in Premium trim, the 2011 GT-R now offers more standard features in the tech department: Bluetooth, USB iPod interface, XM NavWeather and NavTraffic, auto on/off headlamps and speed-sensitive windshield wipers. Changes from 2010 are minimal, with slight tweaks to the suspension, additional clear coat on the front and rear bumpers, new rear cooling ducts and slightly darker wheel center caps.

As we always love saying, why mess with a good thing? And the Nissan GT-R is more than just a good thing. And even at the increased cost, it’s still a bargain.

The official Nissan press release available after the jump.

These are the photos BMW doesn’t want you to see and thanks to the folks at Bimmerpost we have them to share. What exactly we are looking at is still a mystery, but the consensus seems to be that whatever it is, it looks amazing.

There are two strong possibilities for the vehicle, the first being that it’s BMW’s upcoming Sustainable Sports Car Concept, the second that it is a version of the upcoming 6 Series.

BMW board member Dr Klaus Draeger already said that the company would debut a “green” vehicle, dubbed the Sustainable Sports Car Concept, at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. This vehicle will be the embodiment of BMW’s Efficient Dynamics philosophy, using numerous fuel-saving technologies (like electric power steering, regenerative braking and a stop/start system).

It’s also appears to share a resemblance to the M1 Homage that was rumored to be the design inspiration for an upcoming “green” sports car.

Bimmerpost forum member (and presumed BMW insider) Scott26, seems to indicate that the car is a concept of the upcoming 6 Series.

Either way, we can’t wait to see more of it in Frankfurt.

GALLERY: Mystery BMW Concept

[Source: e90post.com]

While Lotus’s philosophy of making its cars as light weight as possible has obvious benefits on the race track, owners of non-supercharged Elise and Exige models can attest to the fact that the tiny Toyota-sourced engines don’t always deliver the sort of thrust one might hope for.

To help remedy this situation Lotus has just announced a new factory engineered, warrantied and 50 state legal supercharger kit. Using the same supercharger and intake manifold as found on the Elise SC, this kit also includes high flow fuel injectors and a reprogrammed ECU which can be bought and installed at any authorized Lotus dealer in the U.S. and Canada.

Compatible with any  Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine the Lotus supercharger kit boost engine output from 189hp to 218hp and torque from 133 ft-lbs to 155 ft-lbs. Torque also comes on earlier at just 5000 rpm (as opposed to 6800 rpm in the naturally aspirated mode) to deliver a stronger powerband.

“Lotus Elise and Exige owners are genuine driving enthusiasts and that’s what has attracted them to Lotus cars in the first place,” said Lotus Cars USA, Director of Operations Arnie Johnson. “They will fully appreciate the dramatically enhanced driving character these Lotus Supercharger Kits will bring their vehicles and the peace of mind from a fully warranted, factory engineered kit.”

Official release after the jump:

Last week we brought you news of a one-off lime green Jaguar XKR that the British automaker was set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. As promised, the car did make an appearance and run the historic Goodwood Hillclimb and now we have all the details (as well as a full gallery of juicy photos) to share.

Under the lime-green hood, output from the XKR’s supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine was further enhanced from 510hp to 530hp. Torque climbed even more rapidly from 461 ft-lbs to an impressive 516 ft-lbs, enabling a 0-60 mph run of just 4.6 seconds!

Additionally, the Goodwood Special XKR sports a set of dark-colored 21-inch wheels with a lowered ride height and dark “satin graphite” paint for the mirrors, window surrounds, grilles and headlight casings.

“The XKR ‘Goodwood Special’ has been developed as a one-off to explore the harder side of the XKR’s character and allow our engineering team to explore some performance boundaries,” said Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars. “The Festival of Speed gives us the opportunity to have fun in a high performance car without all the practical and legal requirements of driving on the road getting in the way!”

Along with the Goodwood Special XKR, Jaguar also ran several other vehicles at the hillclimb, including the a 1957 Le Mans winning long-nose D-type, a Le Mans-winning Jaguar C-Type, the one-of-one Jaguar XJ13 race car and the 225mph Bonneville XFR.

GALLERY: 2010 Jaguar Goodwood Special XKR

[Source: Carscoop]

Lotus Cars USA has announced that it has signed on as the Title Sponsor of the grassroots Lotus Challenge Series. Started in 2008 by Jim Navarro and other Lotus enthusiasts the series held eight races in its first year with six in California and two at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada – the home of the Lotus Driving School.

For 2009 the series has expanded to 10 events in the western U.S. (including races at Streets of Willow, Buttonwillow, Laguna Seca and Infineon) with four additional events in Texas.

“The Lotus Challenge Series is a very well run organization that’s expanding through providing Lotus owners a fun, safe and positive environment in which to enjoy their Lotus vehicles and improve their driving skills,” said Lotus Cars USA, Inc. Director of Operations Arnie Johnson. “What Jim Navarro, Tom Hughes, Jack Fried, Robb Bonanno and all of the participants in the Lotus Challenge Series are doing is fostering tremendous enthusiasm and goodwill for our treasured Lotus marque. We’re extremely proud to support the expansion of the Lotus Challenge Series as the title sponsor and show some of our most devoted Lotus owners how much we appreciate them.”

The Lotus Challenge Series is comprised of several classes for both street cars like the Elise and Exige, as well as track-only vehicles like the Exige Cup Car 255 and the 2-Eleven.

For more info visit the Lotus Challenge Series website here:

http://www.lotuschallengeseries.com/

[Photo Credit: Lotus Challenge Series]

Official release after the jump:

The Toyobaru, in case you haven’t heard, is a secret car that, as the name would suggest, is being built as a joint project by Toyota and Subaru. Code named the 086A, the possibility that the two Japanese automakers might actually build the thing sounds like a dream – and yet the rumors about it keep surfacing.

The latest new reports come from 7Tune, which sources a Toyota insider who apparently has seen the car in the flesh. And according to this insider, the car will have styling that is not unlike that of the top-level LF-A supercar from Lexus.

Original reports of the car put it as an all-wheel drive vehicle using Subaru’s turbocharged boxer engine, but the consensus has now turned to the Toyobaru being an entry level front-engine, rear-drive compact sports-coupe.

Toyota has long been absent from the entry-level sportscar arena and apparently wants to get back into the game. In a recent interview with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine, the company’s new boss, Akio Toyoda, said that for too long they have neglected this segment of the market.

The car will apparently be sold as both a Toyota and a Subaru, similar to the way both GM and Toyota worked together to develop the Vibe/Martix. As for pricing, the 7Tune insider says Toyota is trying to keep the cost closer to 2 million Yen ($20,000). The price should give a clear indication of the amount of horsepower to expect and the latest speculation is that it will be just under 200hp thanks to a direct-injection four-cylinder.

With the unfavorable exchange rate between the Yen and the dollar, however, the car may never make it to U.S. shores.

[Sources: 7Tune & Autoblog]

Nissan is launching a limited Europe-only Nürburgring Edition of its 370Z. But don’t worry if you don’t live in Europe… it’s not as exciting as it sounds.

The cars are inspired by the bright yellow racers that competed at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hour race and will share the same Premium Ultimate Yellow paint. They will also get special decals, a Cobra exhaust system, a numbered plaque and 19-inch OZ wheels with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tires, that measure 255/40/19 up front and 285/35/19 out back.

And… well… that’s it.

According to CarScoop, Nissan’s press release doesn’t say anything about suspension modifications and the Z will continue to be powered by the standard 331hp 3.7-liter V6.

Pricing is set at $50,400 Euros ($71,700) and buyers will also get a $215 gift card for the Nürburgring – which should buy at least a few laps.

Just 80 of the Nissan 370Z Nürburgring Edition models will be produced.

NOTE: Nissan has yet to release any photos of the 370Z Nürburgring Edition. The picture above is purely for illustrative purposes.

[Source: CarScoop]