Category: Auto Industry

Video: Watch the Ferrari Superamerica 45 flip its lid

2011 Ferrari Superamerica 45

2011 Ferrari Superamerica 45 – Click above to view video after the jump

It’s a real shame that Ferrari is only building one Superamerica 45, because the car is gorgeous. Besides the lovely Blu Antille paint, the flying buttresses that mold the roof structure into the rear bodywork, and the body-colored wheels, this thing has one of the slickest roof mechanisms out there.

Hit a button, and the lid on the 599 GTB Fiorano-based roadster does a full backflip, executing a perfect landing on the car’s rear deck. It’s quick and sleek, and really helps sell the entire package. Like we said earlier, the Superamerica 45 is a one-off, built especially for collector Peter Kalikow.

Kalikow commissioned the car to be a modern version of the 1961 Ferrari Superamerica 400 that graces his collection. Color us envious. Check out the video after the jump.

Continue reading Watch the Ferrari Superamerica 45 flip its lid

Watch the Ferrari Superamerica 45 flip its lid originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 May 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Toyobaru spotted on the 405?

Filed under: Concept Cars, Spy Photos, Coupe, Budget, Performance, Scion, Subaru, Toyota

Toyobaru

2013 Toyobaru – Click above for high-res image gallery

These shots appear to be of the Subaru version of the planned, talked-about, redesigned, and talked-about-some-more 2013 Scion FR-S/Toyota FT-86/Toyobaru. According to our reader spy, this version was wearing Subaru distributor plates, pretty much giving away its true identity.

While the heavy camo does a great job obscuring the a good look at the car, and the shots are taken from a distance, it looks like the Subaru coupe will sport slightly more understated lines than its stablemate at Scion.

Toyobaru spotted on the 405? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 May 2011 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Saab 9-4X production underway, only Saab currently being built

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Saab, Luxury

2011 Saab 9-4X

2011 Saab 9-4X – Click above for high-res image gallery

Production of the all-new 2011 Saab 9-4X crossover has started on schedule, despite the company’s crippling financial woes. While production of the rest of the Saab lineup at its Trollhattan, Sweden plant has ground to a cash-strapped halt, 9-4Xs are rolling off the assembly lines in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

The plant producing the latest Saab is under contract to the Swedes from GM, and with any luck will help jumpstart a recovery. Under its very Swedish skin, the Saab 9-4X packs the same underpinnings as the 2011 Cadillac SRX.

The base model, which comes with a 265-hp 2.8-liter V6, starts at $33,380, with the top-whack, turbocharged model ringing the register at $48,010. Ominously for Saab, the 300-hp mill is the same engine Cadillac just pulled from the SRX lineup to deal with reliability issues.

Saab 9-4X production underway, only Saab currently being built originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 May 2011 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Do I make you horny? Ford says, “not so much” if you live in the U.S.

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Ford

patricia seashore

Ford touts it own horn – Click above to watch video after the jump

You’d think designing a car horn would be easy. Press the wheel, make it beep, and call it a day. It’s more complicated than that, as Ford’s Patricia Seashore can explain.

Ford adapts its horns to suit the needs of drivers around the world. Different cultures use the horn in different ways . As a result, vehicle horns must be tuned for the amount of use they’ll receive, as well as the tone they produce.

In North America, the horn is used less for warning others (“Hey, watch it, pal!”) than it is for friendlier communication (“Hey, I’m outside to pick you up!”). Ford tunes our horns to emit richer, more pleasing tones than past horns, but they’re still designed to get your attention. South American drivers, on the other hand, get a horn tuned for short, rapid bursts of sound. In India, Ford installs disc horns that have a longer life than our trumpet horns, which is necessitated by Indian drivers’ heavy horn usage.

Beyond cultural differences, Seashore’s team also studies different environments and how they’ll affect horn performance. Chinese drivers are serious horn users, so horn longevity is important. Chinese cars also need horns that can handle extreme heat and cold, plus a wide range of altitudes. Seashore says, “Altitude and temperatures affect the way sound waves travel – that’s just physics.”

Like we said, a lot of thought goes into your car’s horn. Click past the jump for a short car horn quiz and some b-roll of horn engineers at work.

Continue reading Do I make you horny? Ford says, “not so much” if you live in the U.S.

Do I make you horny? Ford says, “not so much” if you live in the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 May 2011 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Lotus delays Elan until 2016, Esprit on track for 2013

Filed under: Concept Cars, Lotus

lotus elan concept car

Lotus Concept Cars – Click above for high-res image gallery

Despite the barrage of concepts presented at the Paris Motor Show, Lotus still has lots of planning ahead as it maps out the future. Five concept vehicles were revealed in 2010:the Elan, Elise, Elite, Esprit and Eterne. We’ve got an update on two of them.

Car and Driver says that the Lotus Esprit should arrive by 2013. The Elan, however, has a murkier future. Forget 2013; it’s been speculated that we might not see it until 2016. Blame the Lotus Evora.

Orignally, Lotus planned to shut down the Evora so that it could give way to the Elan. Now, Lotus management has decided that the Evora deserves a traditional model cycle. Should the Evora continue into a second generation, it puts the Elan’s existence into question. If a second-generation Evora isn’t developed, a next-generation car, then new Elan will arrive and fill in the open lineup spot.

Lotus delays Elan until 2016, Esprit on track for 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 May 2011 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Pagani Huayra hits the track for shakedown runs

Filed under: Coupe, Videos, MISC

pagani huarya

Pagani Huarya hits the Adria International Raceway – Click above to watch video after the jump

Hey hypercar fans, are you in the mood for some Pagani porn? Well, close the shades and turn the lights down low because we’ve got footage of the Huayra playing nice with the camera. In the Veneto region of northern Italy lies the Adria International Raceway, and it hosted Pagani’s engineers as they played around with their new toy.

Click past the jump for footage of the Pagani Huayra posing for close-ups, revving its AMG-built 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12, and running down the track. You might not be able to pronounce the car’s name, but it sure looks good when it flies by.

Continue reading Pagani Huayra hits the track for shakedown runs

Pagani Huayra hits the track for shakedown runs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 May 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Lexus lines up LFA against IS F on UK track

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Videos, Lexus, UK

lexus lfa and is-f on track

Lexus supercar versus super sedan – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Lexus UK finally has its first LFA on the Queen’s home turf. Rather than take it on a glam tour by propping it up in shiny showrooms, Lexus is taking it to the track. It’s also bringing along a camera to record the sights and sounds that come along with the two-door supercar.

Recently, the LFA lined up at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds alongside its sibling, the Lexus IS F and both were put through the requisite paces. Unfortunately for the IS F, however, its dulcet exhaust tone was drowned out by the banshee wail spewed forth from the tri-tipped rear of the LFA. Click past the jump to revel in the noise.

Continue reading Lexus lines up LFA against IS F on UK track

Lexus lines up LFA against IS F on UK track originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Audi, Diesel, Luxury

2012 Audi A6 Avant

2012 Audi A6 Avant – Click above for high-res image gallery

Worldwide, 60 percent of all A6 sales are Avants.

We return to an old whine: Why exactly does the United States as a whole clearly possess the psyche that can categorically reject perhaps the two most useful body configurations ever thought of for road-going automobiles? Namely, the hatchback in all its various configurations and the most wonderful all-rounder on Earth, the station wagon.

Regarding the latter, witness this latest chapter in sensational wagoning, estating, call it what you will: the new 2011-12 Audi A6 Avant, which just had the covers pulled off it at a Berlin ceremony. We know that opinionists sprout from the ether of the Internet and have the habit of saying things in ways that reflect the writer’s intensely personal and frequently skew-ish “obvious reason why” North America many years ago thumbed its collective nose at the wagon. But go ahead and comment; it’s a lively and fun ritual. And for more of our own commentary, continue reading…

Continue reading 2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore

2012 Audi A6 Avant: Another wagon Americans just don’t get anymore originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What you missed on 5.20.11

The Coolest Pinewood Derby Car To Never Race

We simply lack the granular motor skills to turn our hopes and dreams into plastic and pine realities. We’re guessing that Sam Francis never had that problem.

Exclusive: Amazing Scion FR-S Soapbox car ready to roll in Red Bull race this weekend

This is a custom one-off fiberglass micro-body based on the super stylish Scion FR-S Concept unveiled at the New York Auto Show in April.

BMW 328 Hommage unveiled to celebrate 75th anniversary of original

BMW celebrates the 75th anniversary of the original 328 with this stunning concept.

Also of interest:

  • Video: Scion FR-S caught on its working vacation in Germany
  • Mazda 787B restored, returning to Le Mans for 20th anniversary of win
  • Report: Toyota and Subaru to unveil production sport coupes in Tokyo?
  • Senate votes down bill to end oil company subsidies, see how they voted and who gets oil money
  • 2012 Honda Civic recalled already over potential fuel leak

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

What you missed on 5.20.11 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jaguar Lightweight E-Type introduced to Southern California traffic

Filed under: Etc., Jaguar

jaguar lightweight e-type accident

A staple vehicle at Irvine, California’s Cars and Coffee, this Jaguar Lightweight E-Type was heading north on Interstate 5 when it was involved in an accident. Cited in the article as a “1968 Jaguar,” this car is either a Lightweight E-Type replica or the article has the year wrong. Regardless, it’s a beautiful machine, and you can see it in its pre-smashed state on The Car Lounge.

Witnesses report that the Jag lost a rear wheel, which led to a chain reaction accident involving a Honda Civic, Toyota Yaris and a semi-truck. Drivers and passengers in the Civic and Yaris were taken to UCI Medical Center, while the driver of the Jaguar and the big rig were unhurt. Well… the driver of this Jaguar wasn’t physically hurt.

Jaguar Lightweight E-Type introduced to Southern California traffic originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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