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Video: Final Best Motoring battle pits LFA against GT-R, ZR1, 911 GT2 RS and F430 GT3

Best Motoring Fuji supercar battle – Click above to watch the video after the break

If you were one of the many automotive enthusiasts to shed a tear when it became known that Japan’s Best Motoring set off for the giant junkyard in the sky, we have a little piece of good news to cheer you up: there’s one final track battle for your viewing pleasure.

Even better news: Best Motoring went out with a bang, pitting the Lexus LFA up against such performance benchmarks as the Nissan GT-R, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Ferrari F430 GT3.

Yes, there are two almost-race-cars in the mix there along with three machines intended solely for the street, but it doesn’t really matter. All such contests should be taken with a grain of salt anyway.

When it’s all said and done, what we have here are five mouth-watering supercars on a track together being driven in anger. Want to know how it all shakes out? Check out the video after the break.

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Final Best Motoring battle pits LFA against GT-R, ZR1, 911 GT2 RS and F430 GT3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 May 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Motoring International, Hot Version are officially dead

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Japan

Those of us brought up in the ’90s import scene were dealt a serious blow last week with the announcement that HKS is shuttering its U.S. operations after years of stagnant sales in the States. Now comes word that the video series from Best Motoring International and Hot Version have been killed and the hosts disbanded.

2&4 Motoring, owned by Japanese publishing juggernaut Kodansha, has been responsible for the popular automotive video series for the last two decades, but slow sales and a lack of consistent revenue have taken their toll. The series’ creators and their hosts – including Hideki Tanabe – are supposedly moving on to bigger and better things, making Hot Version #110 and April 2011’s Best Motoring shows the final installments of the series.

[Source: 7Tune | Image Credit: Adam Zillin]

Best Motoring International, Hot Version are officially dead originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 May 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Barrett-Jackson: Mid-Engined maniacal motoring madness, Corvette style

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Chevrolet, GM

1963 Chevrolet Corvette mid-engine custom

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Custom Coupe at Barrett-Jackson 2011 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 1963 Chevrolet Corvette is an iconic American sports car. The split-window coupe is instantly recognizable and serves as one of the symbols of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s legacy with General Motors. Up for auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale is a re-imagining of classic Corvette, and it’s been brought to the modern era while keeping its memorable lines.

Described as “the car Duntov would have built to win Le Mans”, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Custom Coupe has a secret hidden under its bodywork. The engine isn’t in the front but rather it’s been relocated to the middle of the car. Actually, that’s not accurate… the original engine could be on a shelf somewhere because it’s been replaced with a twin-turbo LS V8. This eight-cylinder monster has been tested on the dyno and the numbers are staggering. Producing 1,000 horsepower and 915 pound-feet of torque, this ’63 Vette runs from 0-60 miles per hour in under three seconds and probably goes through tires like fire through paper.

Also, be sure to get a load of those crazy doors, which open kind of like drawers with an ingenious scissor mechanism.

This will be one to watch as it rolls across the stage (you can do so online here) because the crowd is now “properly medicated” and winning bids are climbing. Plus, it’s one of Speed’s highlighted Fantasy Bid auctions, and you can join us in making an estimation on what this custom mid-engine ‘Vette will finally sell for. We know it’ll be triple digits…

Gallery: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette mid-engine Custom Coupe

1963 Chevrolet Corvette mid-engine Custom Coupe

2011 Barrett-Jackson: Mid-Engined maniacal motoring madness, Corvette style originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 22:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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