Monterey 2010: Lotus Evora Cup GT4 has us shaken and stirred

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Lotus, Racing


2010 Lotus Evora Cup GT4 – Click above for high-res image gallery

While the Lotus booth at the Jet Center Party in Monterey had several outstanding cars on display, two of them had us drooling more than the rest. The first was the all-new, million-dollar Lotus Exos T125 single-seat racer and the other was the car you see here – the Lotus Evora Cup GT4 car. The Evora’s shape is pleasing enough in stock form, but add a few wings and scoops and it is totally bad-ass…especially in British Racing Green.

This Evora will be used in a new single-make series along the lines of the long-running Porsche Cup. The car is also eligible for GT4 class racing against the likes of the Audi R8 LMS and Porsche 911s. While the 4.0-liter, Toyota-based V6 has been bumped up to 400 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, that’s still not earth-shaking power. It’s hoped that the Evora’s relatively light weight and Lotus’s handling expertise, however, will be enough to keep it in the hunt against those more powerful machines.

Lotus hinted it will be lapping Laguna Seca in this puppy later in the week, and we’ve already penciled it in. If that happens we’ll be sure to bring you more pics, but for now, check out the gallery of photos from Wednesday night’s Jet Center Party below.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Lotus Evora Cup GT4

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Monterey 2010: Lotus Evora Cup GT4 has us shaken and stirred originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW commits to Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with M3 GT2

Filed under: Motorsports, BMW, Racing

BMW M3 GT2

BMW M3 GT2 – Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW has decided to officially compete for the inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with the M3 GT2. This year’s initial iteration will include three races at England’s Silverstone, the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, and Zuhai in China. Peugeot has already committed to run the LMP1 class 908 and Audi is considering running the R15+ TDI.

The M3 GT2 debuted in the American Le Mans Series in 2009 with Rahal Letterman Racing and BMW added Team Schnitzer in Europe for 2010. Schnitzer will campaign the cars in the cup runs at Silverstone and Zuhai, while Rahal will be responsible for the American race. In 2011, the Intercontinental cup will expand to six races, including Sebring and Le Mans.

Gallery: 2010 Rahal-Letterman Racing ALMS BMW M3

[Source: BMW]

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BMW commits to Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with M3 GT2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition: Getting intimate and egged

Filed under: Sedan, Volkswagen, Diesel, Long-Term Garage



There’s no better way to get to know a vehicle than washing it yourself. So rather than sending it through the local hand-wash last weekend, I pulled out a bucket and got sudsy for the first time… in a while.

After a run through the Altamont Hills the previous day, our long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition was coated from windshield to air dam with crickets – something that happens in the hills the same time each year. While I expected the massive grille to be covered in the little bastards, what I didn’t expect to find (after I toweled everything down, natch) was hundreds of the buggers wedged in between the lower bumper and the underbody tray. A small gap in between the two panels allowed the loud-legged Gryllidaes to go antenna-first into the slot, requiring a strong hose and a flathead screwdriver to get them out. Messy – but the again, genocide normally is.

Make the jump for the rest.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition

Photos by Damon Lavrinc / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

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2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition: Getting intimate and egged originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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