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Official: Aston Martin V12 Zagato heads from Villa d’Este to the race track

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Aston Martin, Misc. Auto Shows, Racing

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Aston Martin V12 Zagato – Click above for high-res image gallery

Some concepts debut at an auto show and are never heard from again. Some make the rounds of minor local car shows. A small number make it into production. But it’s full speed ahead for the Aston Martin V12 Zagato.

The collaborative effort between Aston Martin and Zagato was unveiled at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the original DB4GT Zagato. A stunning creation, the show car handily won the award for concepts at the Italian lakeside concours. The next step? Racing.

Right from the start, Aston announced that the V12 Zagato would be hitting the race track in no less rigorous a test than Germany’s Nürburgring. And so it will, starting this weekend and returning in tandem next month for a second outing. But before it does, Aston’s released these images of the car.

The car that debuted in Villa d’Este ditched the diamond-finish wheels from the advance pictures for blacked-out ones, but it has kept the front splitter, full roll cage and sliding plastic driver’s-side window. The image above shows an even larger splitter, along with a giant rear wing. Otherwise, the racecar looks essentially the same as the coupe that won the Concorso D’Eleganza Design Award at Villa d’Este, but it’ll likely feature a full competition livery when it makes its race debut this weekend. Check out the updated image gallery and the award announcement after the jump.

Continue reading Aston Martin V12 Zagato heads from Villa d’Este to the race track

Aston Martin V12 Zagato heads from Villa d’Este to the race track originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 May 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Legendary London icon Ace Cafe heads to the States

Filed under: Etc., Motorcycle

If you have even a passing interest in the world of two-wheeled transportation, you likely already know all about Ace Cafe. The place started as a roadside diner, but quickly evolved into a haven for young London bike nuts after World War II. As a result, the name is now synonymous with the café racer phenomenon. Mark Wilsmore took the reins at Ace in 1993 and completely restored the structure in 2001. Now, the little diner serves as a hub for thousands of riders from around the world every day.

Today, Ace Cafe is planning to open outlets here in The Land Of The Free. A total of ten locations are set to spring up across the country soon, and to mark the occasion, Dime City Cycles is throwing a grand-opening celebration in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, May 14.

We typically recoil from the commercialization of something as unique and special as the Ace Cafe, but if anyone can do this and do it right, it’s Wilsmore. The man knows a thing or two about putting together a custom bikers, which leads us to believe the new Aces may actually be a place real riders want to spend time instead of a glorified t-shirt stand. Hit the jump for the full press release.

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Legendary London icon Ace Cafe heads to the States originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 May 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Koenigsegg Agera R heads to Geneva packing up to 1,115 hp… and a ski box

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

Koenigsegg Agera R – Click above for high-res image gallery

When the Geneva Motor Show kicks off this week, the Lamborghini Aventador won’t be the only exotic sucking in journos like a tractor beam. The Koenigsegg Agera R is also making its global debut, wearing in a Speed Racer-inspired paint scheme (per the owner’s request) and packing so much power that you’d think an R2 unit would be a better co-pilot than, say, Chim-Chim.

Now, about that power – the Agera R’s 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes a ridiculous 1,115 horsepower and 885 lb-ft of torque on E85. Fill the tank with 95-octane gasoline instead of the biofuel, and figure on “only” around 940 horses and 811 lb-ft. The V8’s connected to a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The driver harnesses that power from a lavishly appointed cockpit that meets all the hypercar techno-fantasy criteria.

The Agera R’s body panels are draped over a carbon fiber monocoque whose rigidity is such that a roof is not required. Hence, it’s a removable panel that can be stowed inside the car. The owner of the example being displayed in Geneva is a skier, so the car is outfitted with a custom carbon fiber roof box developed in conjunction with Thule. It’s a single-piece system that replaces the Agera R’s standard roof entirely; when you get to the mountain, you simply swap the ski-box roof for the standard roof (which is tucked away in the cargo compartment).

Other highlights of the Koenigsegg Agera R include Vortex Generating Rim (VGR) wheels whose spokes act as turbine vanes that help maximize downforce. They’re wrapped in Michelin rubber developed specifically for the Agera. Said tires are rated up to 260 mph, making them the highest-speed-rated tires in the world, according to Koenigsegg. As always, we’ll have a full team in Geneva next week to bring you full details and a live look at the Agera R. In the meantime, check out the high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: Koenigsegg Agera R

[Source: Koenigsegg]

Koenigsegg Agera R heads to Geneva packing up to 1,115 hp… and a ski box originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Feb 2011 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Second Camaro Super Bowl commercial features blondes, red heads and brunettes

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Camaro Super Bowl Ad

Chevrolet Camaro Super Bowl Ad – Click above to watch the video after the jump

A long-standing favorite past-time of beer-drinking buddies everywhere is coming up with absurd movie and commercial plots. With the unfortunate exception of The Love Guru, none of these ill-conceived scripts have ever made it past the six pack and into the harsh, unforgiving light of reality. That is, until now. General Motors has just dropped the longest of its Super Bowl commercials for the Chevrolet Camaro, and thanks to the hilarious navigation and off-the-wall sequence of events, the clip is an absolute winner. The one-minute commercial covers nearly all of the bases without breaking a sweat.

There are beautiful women blasting through the open desert, hay bales, helicopter chases, mirrors and death-defying feats. In fact, this ad is one explosion away from being the next Michael Bay Transformers flick. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Hit the jump to check out the full-length spot for yourself, and keep an eye out on Super Bowl Sunday for the real deal.

[Source: Camaro5]

Continue reading Video: Second Camaro Super Bowl commercial features blondes, red heads and brunettes

Video: Second Camaro Super Bowl commercial features blondes, red heads and brunettes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rolls-Royce Apparition concept messes with our heads

Filed under: Concept Cars, Rolls-Royce, Design/Style, Luxury

Rolls-Royce Apparition concept by Jeremy Westerlund – Click above for high-res image gallery

To say that we see a lot of student car designs here at Autoblog would be a gross understatement. We see hundreds of ’em. Some are more interesting than others, but every once in a while, a design comes across our desks that takes our impression of what a car can look like and completely turns it on its head. This is one such example.

Dreamt up by one Jeremy Westerlund while studying at the Art Center school of design, the Rolls-Royce Apparition is a rolling trompe-l’œil that at once both reaches back into the automaker’s history and extends into the future.

The design is based around the old motor carriages that had a chauffeur sitting up front, exposed to the elements, with the passengers coddled inside. Like most contemporary Rolls models, the front is utterly dominated by the prominent grille and hood ornament. It features unique touches like real mahogany inserts in the wheels, and the imposing overall shape is long and low: the designer took his cues from sailing yachts, and even though the model is built to 1:4 scale, it’s still nearly six feet long. If such an extreme example of fantasy ever became reality, it would measure 279 inches overall – that’s over 23 feet, or about four feet longer than the Phantom. See if you can wrap your head around it in our extensive high-resolution image gallery below.

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Apparition by Jeremy Westerlund

[Source: Jeremy Westerlund]

Rolls-Royce Apparition concept messes with our heads originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Citroën

Fast Lane Daily 1000th Episode

Fast Lane Daily hits 1,000 episodes and goes to the ‘Ring – Click above to watch video after the jump

Fast Lane Daily has been running for some time now. The Next New Networks show first hit the internet back in 2007, and over the course of the last few years have produced quite a bit of content. In fact, the newest episode marks number 1,000 for the FLD crew. To celebrate the occasion, Fast Lane Daily creator Emil Rensing has sent host Derek DeAngelis to Germany so he can drive the Nürburgring. Sounds pretty amazing, until Derek D. realizes his entire trip has a budget of $1,000.

Regardless of the lack of funds, DeAngelis is still able to get to the Green Hell and spend time on the track. It may be behind the wheel of a Citroën C4 but the entire trip clearly has a strong effect on the host. Though the 24-minute clip is longer than the typical Fast Lane Daily segment, we think it’s worth it to watch this one all the way through.

Hop the jump to watch FLD’s 1,000th episode.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000

Video: Fast Lane Daily celebrates 1,000 episodes, heads to the ‘Ring for $1,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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