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Geneva 2011: Lotus flashes the black and gold with new racing cars

Filed under: Motorsports, Geneva Motor Show, Lotus, Racing

2011 Lotus Race Cars at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

2011 Lotus Renault GP R31 and Evora GT4 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Picking a color scheme for a race car is usually a straightforward matter, but when Lotus opted to revive the black-and-gold combination of the classic John Player Special livery for its new Formula One car, things got a bit complicated. Not because it was once associated with a tobacco brand, but because of the still-unsettled dispute with the other Lotus team.

The Malaysian outfit at the back of the field originally planned on adopting the black and gold for this season, but opted to stick with its existing green and yellow livery shortly after Lotus Cars assumed part ownership of the newly rechristened Lotus Renault GP team.

The naming rights may still be in dispute, but the livery issue is settled. And Lotus isn’t just applying it to the grand prix racer you see here. (Though Renault, incidentally, displayed the team’s car from last year in the new livery on its stand, and Pirelli a selection of last year’s cars as well, Lotus appears to have brought the new 2011 challenger…or at least a mockup.) The British outfit also brought along an Evora GT4 decked out in the same scheme. And it looks positively dynamite on both cars. But don’t take our word for it: check it out for yourself in the high-resolution image gallery below and see for yourself.

Gallery: 2011 Lotus Race Cars: Geneva 2011

Geneva 2011: Lotus flashes the black and gold with new racing cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition takes its place as king of the hill

Filed under: SUV, Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover, Luxury, Off-Road

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in the days before every luxury automaker and its sister (company) got into SUVs, there was one name in the premium off-roading game: Range Rover. And keen to prove it’s still at the top, Land Rover unveiled the Ultimate incarnation of its premier line at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

Called, appropriately enough, the Ultimate Edition, this top-of-the-line Range Rover is based on the already luxed-up Autobiography trim. Sure to be the new must-have item among oligarchs and oil barons, the Ultimate Edition is kitted out like a Rolls-Royce Phantom but with the added distinction of being able to take its pampered occupants anywhere a mountain goat can go.

There are individual rear bucket seats and tray tables like the first-class cabin on an airliner, a drink cooler, a teak-deck cargo area and – in what’s billed as an industry first – a pair of Apple iPad tablets mounted to the front seat-backs (for the use by rear passengers). Journalists and VIPs alike were clamoring for a chance to sit in the ultra-luxurious sport-ute, but we managed to capture the salient points for your viewing enjoyment with the gallery of high-resolution images below, and can tell you first-hand that it’s every bit as posh as Land Rover says it is. High-res galleries of all the sybaritic luxury below, official press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition: Geneva 2011

Gallery: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition

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Geneva 2011: Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition takes its place as king of the hill originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: World Car of the Year finalists shortlisted

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Geneva Motor Show, Etc.

world car of the year award The list of finalists for World Car of the Year has been whittled down from 39 entries to just three, and the finalists were announced yesterday at a press conference hosted by Bridgestone at the Geneva Motor Show.

The finalists for overall Car of the Year are the 2011 Audi A8, the BMW 5 Series and the Nissan Leaf. The performance category is occupied by the the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Representing the green catergory are the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition. The green car of the year will be decided by votes from three of the world’s top green technology experts.

The final category in the World Car of the Year competition is design. In that category is the Aston Martin Rapide, Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Ferrari 458 Italia.

The winner of the World Car of the Year award has to represent some aspects of each category in the competition and will be decided, along with the winners in from the other categories, at the New York Auto Show on April 21.

[Source: World Car of the Year]

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Geneva 2011: World Car of the Year finalists shortlisted originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: AC Schnitzer comes strong with sporty diesel BMW Z4, tuned 550i [w/videos]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Convertible, Sedan, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, BMW, Specialty, Diesel

AC Schnitzer 99d

2011 AC Schnitzer 99d – Click above for high-res image gallery

AC Schnitzer has showed up at the Geneva Motor Show with not one, but two fresh-off-the-press upgrade packages for 2011.

Not wanting to look completely unfriendly to Mother Earth, AC Schnitzer has taken their expertise to the Z4 and BMW’s EfficientDynamics system, working over a 320d mill to go under the Z4’s hood. The 2011 AC Schnitzer 99d gets a 70-hp boost to 190, hits 60 in 6.9 seconds, releases a scant 99g of C02 per mile and returns a handsome 63 mpg in the European cycle. That, according to Schnitzer, is better than any BMW on the market. Unfortunately, the 99d is just a concept, and won’t be available to the public any time soon.

For the family minded executives attending the show, AC Schnitzer started with the 2011 BMW 550i, bumping the car from 407 to 540 horsepower. According to Schnitzer, the result is a 4.5-second 0-60 sprint and a whopping 198 mph top end. The engine exhales through a new set of the tuner’s own mufflers capped with chrome surrounds. The resulting executive express has been dubbed the ACS5 Sport S.

Hauling all that energy to a stop is a revised set of brakes sporting eight-piston calipers. Outside, Schnitzer went all-out to ensure that the car would be stable at its newfound velocity. The laundry list of exterior mods includes a front spoiler, carbon ducts for the brakes, new engine bay vents and, of course, your choice of 20 or 21-inch AC Schnitzer custom wheels.

Check out the official videos and press releases after the jump.

Gallery: AC Schnitzer 99d: Geneva 2011

Gallery: AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport S: Geneva 2011

[Source: AC Schnitzer]

Continue reading Geneva 2011: AC Schnitzer comes strong with sporty diesel BMW Z4, tuned 550i [w/videos]

Geneva 2011: AC Schnitzer comes strong with sporty diesel BMW Z4, tuned 550i [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Geneva Motor Show: Day 2 – 62 cars and counting

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show

We’re up to 62. That’s 62 cars we’ve covered at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. And no, we’re not done. Our all time record is 72 vehicles covered in one auto show, thanks to a bountiful Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009. Will we beat our record tomorrow? Um… absolutely, because we’ve still got a lot more cool cars from Switzerland to show you. See you tomorrow morning when the fun continues. Until then, check out our updated batch of Geneva cars below.

Production Cars

Lamborghini Aventador	2012 Ferrari FF	Pagani Huayra
2012 Jaguar XKR-S	2012 MB C-Class Coupe	Porsche Panamera S Hybrid
MB C63 AMG Estate	Saab 9-5 SportCombi	Alpina B5 BiTurbo Touring
Koenigsegg Agera R	Aston Martin Virage	Gumpert Tornante
Toyota Prius+	Chevy Cruze Hatchback	Lancia Ypsilon
De Tomaso Deauville	Morgan Threewheeler	Porsche Boxster S Black
Maserati GranCabrio Sport	Ford B-Max	Ford Ranger Wildtrak
VW Golf Cabriolet	VW Tiguan	Hyundai i40 Wagon
Opel Ampera	Mansory Cormeum	Fab Design SLS AMG
ABT R8 GTS	MTM R8 Biturbo	Lexus LFA Nurburgring
Audi RS3 Sportback	GTA Spano	Bentley Supersports ICR
2012 Kia Rio	Fiat 500 by Gucci

Concept Cars

Toyota FT-86 II	Alfa Romeo 4C	Volkswagen Bulli
Audi A3 Sedan	Wiesmann Spyder	Fiat 500 Zagato Coupe
Saab PhoeniX	Volkswagen Giugiaro Go	Volkswagen Giugiaro Tex
Mitsubishi Global Small	BMW Vision ConnectedDrive	Mazda Minagi
Nissan Esflow	Renault R-Space	Smart ForSpeed
Rinspeed BamBoo	Infiniti Etherea	Mini Rocketman
Renault Captur	RR Sport diesel PHEV	Rolls-Royce 102EX
Bertone Jaguar B99	Suzuki Swift S-Concept	Tata Pixel
IED Abarth Scorp-ion	Ssangyong SUT-1	SEAT IBX

Race Cars

Peugeot 908 Hyrbrid4

2011 Geneva Motor Show: Day 2 – 62 cars and counting originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: 2012 GTA Spano makes world debut with 820 horsepower

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe

2012 GTA Spano

2011 GTA Spano – Click above for high-res image gallery

GTA Motor has just rolled out its brand-new supercar, the V10-powered, 820-horsepower Spano here at the Geneva Motor Show. The car has a carbon fiber-kevlar composite and aluminum chassis, and will be limited to a run of 99 examples worldwide.

With all that power and very little weight, the Spano makes it to 60 mph in under three seconds, and GTA says it will top out at 217 mph. The car carries massive 380 mm (nearly 15-inch) six-piston caliper AP Racing disc brakes with ABS, and the brakes sap off speed with the help of a ridiculous wide set of Pirelli PZero Rosso 330s (19- and 20-inches wide, respectively).

The car is designed with performance in mind, but it’s not a totally stripped-out track-day car, keeping things civilized with a panoramic roof and a carbon fiber luggage compartment complete with fitted bags.

Gallery: 2011 GTA Spano

2011 GTA Spano 2011 GTA Spano interior

[Source: GTA Spano]

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Geneva 2011: 2012 GTA Spano makes world debut with 820 horsepower originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: IED Scorp-Ion design study electrifies Abarth’s future

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Geneva Motor Show, Fiat, Electric

IED Abarth Scorpion

IED Abarth Scorp-Ion – Click above for high-res image gallery

Every division in the sprawling Fiat empire had something new to unveil at the Geneva Motor Show this year. Starting at the top, Ferrari presented the new FF. Maserati had the GranCabrio Sport, Alfa Romeo wowed with the 4C Concept, Lancia debuted the new Ypsilon and the Fiat brand itself presented two new variations on the 500 theme with the Gucci edition and the stunning Zagato coupe. Even its transatlantic partners in Auburn Hills were represented. The only one that was left out, really, was the Abarth sub-brand. Or was it?

The marque’s own show stand showcased the existing range (plus a new junior formula racing program), but there was a new Abarth on display across the hall at the IED booth. Previously, the students at the Istituto Europeo di Design gave us the dramatic Maserati Chicane concept, and this year they teamed up with Abarth for the Scorp-Ion. Emphasizing the “ion” in the name, the design study calls for an all-electric drivetrain, decentralized to each wheel and leaving extra space for baggage and two seats. The styling, meanwhile, is pure F-Zero from our childhood Super Nintendo days.

Check it out for yourself in our gallery of live shots from the show floor below and find the full details in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: IED Abarth Scorpion: Geneva 2011

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Geneva 2011: IED Scorp-Ion design study electrifies Abarth’s future originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Bentley Supersports ICR Convertible is a classy drop-top rocketship

Filed under: Motorsports, Convertible, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Bentley, Luxury

Bentley SuperSports ICR Convertible - Geneva debut

Bentley Supersports ICR Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery

This question is for all of our Bentley buying readers in attendance today: Do you prefer the Flying B in your driveway to be of the limited-edition variety? If you answered “Harrumph! Of course I do, you peasant!”, then we’ve just gotten up close with your next purchase. It’s called the Bentley Continental Supersports Ice Speed Record Convertible and just 100 examples will be produced.

The Bentley ICR Convertible was created to commemorate the achievements of Juha Kankkunen. Last month, Kankkunen took a lightly-modified (tires, aero bits and roll-cage) out to a long stretch of sea-turned-ice. Once there, he fired up the twelve-cylinder engine and set a new ice speed record by hitting 205.48 miles per hour.

Bentley is producing 100 examples of the Supersports ICR and each will boast standout features that make them stand out from non-ICR versions. Just three exterior color choices will be available to compliment the Dark Grey Metallic top; Beluga, Quartzite and Arctica White. Inside, carbon fiber has fitted on the dashboard and center console, while the familiar Breitling dashboard clock gets red accents.

The Bentley Continental Supersports Ice Record Convertible is the most powerful Bentley ever (going by horsepower alone). Its 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine produces 631-horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque – enough to push the hefty two-door from 0-60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed 202 miles per hour.

Check out both the actual record-setting car (shown above) and the special production model it inspired in our galleries below, then click past the jump to check out the official press release.

Gallery: Bentley Supersports ICR Convertible: Geneva 2011

Gallery: 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports Ice Speed Record Convertible

Bentley Ice Speed Record front Beluga Bentley Continental Ice Speed Record rear Bentley Ice Speed Record side

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Bentley Supersports ICR Convertible is a classy drop-top rocketship

Geneva 2011: Bentley Supersports ICR Convertible is a classy drop-top rocketship originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Fiat 500 by Gucci will match your fake purse

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Hatchback, Design/Style, Luxury, Fiat

Fiat 500 by Gucci

Fiat 500 by Gucci – Click above for high-res image gallery

A company like Fiat has proven itself eager to take on new challenges. Dominate Italian industry? Done. Undertake a partnership with the world’s largest automaker, then extract billions after pulling out? Done. Take over one of the Detroit Three and complain about the terms of a government bailout? Done. Making the 500 even more fashionable and quintessentially Italian may have seemed undoable, but as with those challenges before, it has risen to the occasion.

The latest version of its designer hatchback has been tweaked by Gucci and features all of its hallmarks, from the red and green stripes to the logos on the seats and wheel hubs. The Fiat chairman’s stylish kid brother, Lapo Elkann, saw the project through to completion, displaying it in a dedicated boutique section of the automaker’s show stand. And while it may not be as exciting as Zagato’s coupe version, for those who (like the model standing next to the car) prefer to match their car to their purse, it very well may be the best thing since artisanal sliced bread.

Gallery: Fiat 500 by Gucci: Geneva 2011

Geneva 2011: Fiat 500 by Gucci will match your fake purse originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Suzuki Swift S-Concept puts its money where its name is

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Hatchback, Suzuki

Suzuki Swift S-Concept - Geneva debut

Suzuki Swift S-Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Suzuki Swift is a genuinely good car, standing as something of an exception in Suzuki’s lineup until recent additions like the SX4 and Kizashi came along. But calling it “swift” might be a bit of wishful thinking, if not a huge exaggeration. Enter the Swift S-Concept, which Suzuki has just presented at the Geneva Motor Show.

Few details have been released as to what has gone into the S-Concept and where it’s going, but anyone can tell straight off the bat that it’s a Swift taken to the extreme. In fact, it looks as close to an S2000-spec racer for the street as we’ve seen in some time, sporting 18-inch wheels, aerodynamic upgrades, Recaro racing buckets… the works.

The result looks good. Seriously good. Which is sadly probably more than we can say for its production prospects. But for the company behind such an eclipsing Pikes Peak campaign, with the right mechanical upgrades to match the sporting pretensions of its own styling, a hotter Swift could be just the ticket to inject some much-needed excitement into its range.

Check it out in the gallery of live images from the show floor below, and the stock shots in the gallery below that.

Gallery: Suzuki Swift S-Concept: Geneva 2011

Gallery: Suzuki Swift S-Concept

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Geneva 2011: Suzuki Swift S-Concept puts its money where its name is originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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