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Video: Motor Trend holds World’s Greatest Drag Race for the third time

Filed under: Videos, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Racing, SRT

World's Greatest Drag Race video

As part of Motor Trend‘s Best Driver’s Car competition, the buff book has held its third iteration of the World’s Greatest Drag Race. With an airfield and a dozen of the world’s finest performance cars at its disposal (oh, and a helicopter), the MT team did what any good group of enthusiasts would do, and tried to figure what car could cover a quarter mile the quickest. World’s greatest drag race, indeed.

The contestants, as MT points out, cover a huge variety of engine types, drivelines, aspiration types and body styles, making for a genuinely varied and interesting field of competitors. Here’s the full list of cars taking part.

Aston Martin Vanquish
Audi R8 V10 Plus
Bentley Continental GT Speed
BMW M6 Coupe
Ford Focus ST
Jaguar F-Type V8 S
Mercedes-Benz E63S AMG Wagon
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series
Nissan GT-R Track
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
Porsche Cayman S
SRT Viper

Quite a lineup. The group includes one previous winner, the Nissan GT-R, which took the original World’s Greatest Drag Race, before being unseated by the Lamborghini Aventador last year. Let us know who your pick is to win in Comments, and then scroll down to watch the full video from Motor Trend.

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Motor Trend holds World’s Greatest Drag Race for the third time originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Magnus Walker soliloquizes in his Porsche 911 at night

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Porsche

Magnus Walker drives his 1971 911 hot rod in his latest video by Obscura.

Magnus Walker, a prolific Los Angeles clothing designer who has also carved out a respected spot for himself in Porsche world, has had yet another video made about him and his sizable Porsche collection. In this latest video, Hong Kong-based Obscura magazine focuses its video cameras on Walker and his 1971 Porsche 911 track car (yes, the one that appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage) as he speeds around Downtown LA and Little Tokyo late at night.

We’ve heard Walker’s story many times before. He’s not like the average Porsche owner, perhaps a tad more passionate than most, and he builds 911s like he designs clothes: his way. Sure, we might be a little envious, but can you blame us? View this very slick and entertaining nighttime video entitled Disturbing The Peace below.

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Magnus Walker soliloquizes in his Porsche 911 at night originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept bows in Australia

Filed under: Concept Cars, Truck, Australia, Tata, Diesel, Off-Road

Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept - front three-quarter studio view

Following the cancellation of the Melbourne Motor Show, it would appear that automakers in Australia are looking for creative new ways to show off vehicles to consumers. Enter the country’s National 4×4 and Outdoors Show and Fishing and Boating Expo. India’s Tata Motors has used this weekend’s festivities to reveal an off-road concept version of its Xenon pickup called the Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept.

In a land where midsize trucks are still a popular segment, the Tuff Truck Concept looks like a good way to create some excitement, and it is, without a doubt, an attention-grabbing rig. As is often the way with such things, the Australian-designed Tuff Truck Concept is not intended for production, but the Oz authorities at GoAuto.com say Tata might consider building a production version in the future.

For this concept, Tata started with a standard Xenon and then fitted it with everything needed to help it traverse Australia’s rugged Outback, including features like bigger wheels with meatier tires, an intake snorkel, LED running and off-road lights and a flush rear bumper with integrated D-rings. For more wow factor, it has all been finished off with a matte gray paint color apparently borrowed from corporate cousins Jaguar and Land Rover. The menacing look was conceived of by none other than Julian Quincey, chief designer at Holden Special Vehicles, a.k.a. HSV.

Tata will launch itself in Australia on the back of the Xenon pickup, but the standard truck won’t offer all the toys seen on the Tuff Truck. However, it will feature a 2.2-liter turbodiesel offering 148 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque paired exclusively with a manual transmission. Tata is reportedly considering selling passenger cars in Oz as well, but the Nano is not expected to be a part of the program.

Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept bows in Australia originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: The Crew open-world racer gets Gamescom walkthrough trailer

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Toys/Games

The Crew gameplay trailer and walkthrough

It’s easy to get excited about Gran Turismo 6 and Forza Motorsport 5, but the next-generation of video game consoles are showing signs of bringing new twists on the traditional racing simulators to market. Besides the Playstation exclusive game, DriveClub, there’s the multi-platform title The Crew. Developed by a band of UK developers, we covered this game when it first arrived at the E3 conference back in June. Now, with the Gamescom conference in full swing, we’ve gotten another taste of The Crew‘s social focus and how it integrates into the game, along with another taste of vehicle customization.

The video, narrated by Julian Gerighty, the game’s creative director, gives our best look yet at how The Crew differs from traditional racing games. Its strong emphasis on social gaming may be off-putting to some gamers, but we like the idea of a teamwork-oriented racer. Take a look at the whole gameplay trailer from Gamescom below, and let us know what you think in Comments. Is a social racing game going to work?

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The Crew open-world racer gets Gamescom walkthrough trailer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: C7 Corvette won’t spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, Design/Style, Luxury

Between the new 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray and the even newer Cadillac Elmiraj Concept shown off at Pebble Beach, we were already expecting some sort of chatter of a Cadillac XLR redux. During an in-depth C7 Corvette discussion with Tadge Juechter, the car’s chief engineer, Fox News asked if a Corvette-based, Bowling Green-built Cadillac will be built off the C7. Non-spoiler alert: the answer is no.

Juechter says that General Motors has “no intent” on transforming this car into a Cadillac product since the C7 has been optimized for the Corvette buyer, a consumer that’s generally a different sort of person than a Cadillac intender who might also be cross-shopping a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class or BMW 6 Series.

While we’re not ready to write off a future XLR altogether, we assume that the Corvette Cadillac experiment is most likely never going to happen again. The interview with Juechter is posted below, but the XLR discussion comes in at the 9:00 mark.

Continue reading C7 Corvette won’t spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video]

C7 Corvette won’t spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Google invests $250M in Uber ride-share service

Filed under: Technology

The number of people who haven’t yet heard of the transportation/technology startup Uber is shrinking by the minute. Uber produces a mobile application that is used to connect passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire, typically luxury vehicles – kind of a high-tech, high-zoot taxi calling service.

Use of the app may be spreading gospel of Uber within urban centers, but the company is also generating tremendous buzz for sourcing massive investment, including a reported $250 million sourced from Google Ventures. Google’s quarter-billion makes up the better part of a $360-million investment round, with a resultant company valuation set at a staggering $3.5 billion.

So, what does Google, famous researcher into autonomous car technology, want with Uber’s popular ride-sharing software? Our wandering minds immediately leap to fantasies about driverless limousines and taxis as a logical next step. And, while that type of service might be possible down the road, a recent article from Forbes indicates that the road in question is a long one.

The reality may be a bit less theatrical than robot cabs, but is interesting nevertheless. Forbes believes that Google likes the concept of repurposing Uber tech to work with its own blooming Google Shopping Express play in the near term, along with all kinds of on-demand delivery in the not-distant future. The core idea of Shopping Express is to create a near-seamless way to go from a one-click purchase on your laptop to the knock of a delivery driver at your front door. Imagine combining the depth of Amazon’s shopping experience with the instant gratification of ordering Chinese food, and you get the idea. Google would seem to believe that Uber’s app, technology, and engineer brains are a fast step forward in that direction.

Google invests $250M in Uber ride-share service originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Huge rack causes roadway mishap

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Humor, Russia

Big rack problems

Russia. As much as that sprawling, Eurasian country has given us, nothing – not even vodka – can rank above the country singlehandedly turning the dash cam into a spectator sport. Thanks to various safety issues, those diminutive little video cameras are a necessary part of life in the former communist country. While we’re sure they spend most of their lives recording meaningless miles, every once in a while, they capture something truly extraordinary.

Take a look below for what could be the next great Russian dash cam video, discovered by English Russia. The short but amusing video involves the transportation of what looks like a large animal sculpture in a dump truck. Oh, deer.

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Huge rack causes roadway mishap originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Porsche 918 Spyder to birth stretched 2+2 version?

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Porsche, Earnings/Financials, Specialty, Luxury

Porsche is known for its ability to spin off a litter of variants from a single model, and according to a report in Automobile the 918 Spyder (pictured here) might not be spared the house trick. Having taken too many brains and too much money for too much time, company chiefs are said to be examining ways to get more for their development euro out of the supercar, and Plan A is apparently otherwise known as Plan 984. That would be a four-seater, rear-wheel drive supercar that uses a stretched mold of the 918’s carbon fiber tub, keeping the V8 in the same mid-mounted place and costing around 350,000 euro.

That would be less than half the MSRP of its inspiration, but the details don’t sketch out a car that’s just half as good. Automobile speculates it would get something like 700 horsepower in order to best the coming 911 GT2, and about 440 pound-feet of torque. The 984 is quite a ways short of being confirmed; even though a full-size study is said to exist, it’s like the 918 would need to become a bigger sales hit for the 984 to happen.

The 984’s fortunes don’t change those of the 960, the supercoupe Porsche is building to challenge Ferrari. Its potential specs haven’t changed since the last report in January, power coming from a 5.0-liter, twin-turbo, eight-cylinder boxer engine with something like 650 hp pushing a curb weight of roughly 3,100 pounds. The means a suspected 0-to-60 mile-per-hour time of 2.5 seconds.

And there’s even more than that coming from the Stuttgart fold. You can read the rest at Automobile, and you can register your reaction to a supercar version of the Panamera in Comments.

Porsche 918 Spyder to birth stretched 2+2 version? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: US diesel model count to double for 2014?

Filed under: Car Buying, Audi, Diesel

Audi's 2014 TDI diesel product line

While diesel cars are popular on most other continents, these less-complex alternative to hybrid-electric vehicles have yet to gain major traction in the US. As an increasing number of light cars and trucks start to offer these fuel-efficient engines, though, sales are expected to climb as well. While BMW, Mercedes-Benz and the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche) continue to lead the way, more non-German automakers like Mazda, Nissan, Chrysler and General Motors are starting to get serious about diesel in America.

TheDetroitBureau.com reports that the 2014 model year will see the number of diesel vehicles offered in the US double to about 40 nameplates, but the news gets even better for fans of these torquey and efficient powerplants. LMC Automotive has released data about future expectations of diesel cars in the US, and it predicts that sales should be very close to one million units in 2015 (up from an expected 600,000 units this year). By 2018, LMC’s calculations suggest that sales will more than double from this year’s expected totals accounting for almost 8 percent of new light-vehicle sales.

US diesel model count to double for 2014? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ecclestone says 2014 Grand Prix of America is dead

Filed under: Motorsports

The United States of America will not be getting a second Formula One race next year. The troubled Grand Prix of America, which was slated to run on a street circuit on the shores of the Hudson river and in the shadow of the New York City skyline has been shelved, following the failure of the race’s organizers to come up with the requisite $100 million in funds demanded by F1’s tempestuous maestro, Bernie Ecclestone. The problematic Grand Prix was already pushed back once, from the 2013 season to 2014, and Ecclestone has also torn up at least one contract.

At the helm of the US race is Leo Hindrey, a multi-billionaire and a managing partner at InterMedia Partners, and Chris Pook, an ally of Ecclestone’s and the former boss of the CART. The two placed Swiss financier and bank UBS in charge of putting together the $100 million. While UBS has only been on the case since June, according to the CNN report, that’s apparently long enough for Ecclestone, who told the news channel, “It’s not on the cards for next year. They haven’t got any money.”

Ecclestone followed up, saying the GPoA “is like Donington all over again,” referring to the race at the UK’s Donington Park. The UK track was meant to take the British Grand Prix from Silverstone in 2010, but was dropped before a single race could be ran, due to its failure to come up with the $210-million race fee. Despite the lack of funds, the organizers of US race remain confident that they’ll still be on the finalized calendar to be released by the FIA at the end of the year.

Ecclestone’s decision regarding this second US race is a telling one, though, as CNN points out. Running a race with the NYC skyline has been a dream of the F1 boss for year, and while that dream may be in tatters, there’s still a spot on the F1 calendar that will need to be filled. It’s unclear what will happen if the US race organizers can come up with the money before the end of the year. Click over to CNN for the detailed rundown of the Grand Prix of American and its rocky history.

Ecclestone says 2014 Grand Prix of America is dead originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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