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Online Find of the Day: Richard Hammond’s Morgan AeroMax Coupe

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Celebrities, Specialty

Richard Hammond's 2008 Morgan Aeromax

Richard Hammond’s 2008 Morgan Aeromax – Click above for high-res image gallery

Richard Hammond pretty much gets to live every car guy’s fantasy: get paid an exorbitant sum to sample, drive and comment on dream cars. Hammond maintains quite a collection of his own exotics, which until recently included a 2008 Morgan Aeromax that he waxed lyrical about on Top Gear.

Despite his purported love of BMW V8-powered Aeromax, he’s decided to sell it through Surrey, England’s Mole Valley Specialist Cars. Being that it has celebrity pedigree, precious few babied miles, and is one of only six right-hand-drive manual cars, the asking price is a heady £99,950, or about $159,000.

Gallery: Richard Hammond’s 2008 Morgan Aeromax

2008 Morgan Aeromax front 2008 Morgan Aeromax front side 2008 Morgan Aeromax side 2008 Morgan Aeromax rear

[Source: Mole Valley via The Daily Mail | Images: Mole Valley]

Online Find of the Day: Richard Hammond’s Morgan AeroMax Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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De Tomaso SLC SLS images come online ahead of Geneva

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, Hatchback, Luxury, MISC

De Tomaso SLS Concept

De Tomaso SLS Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Here we are, just days before the doors open at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and De Tomaso has unleashed a series of images along with a few more salient details of its new SLC concept car. Well, actually, De Tomaso is now referring to the machine as the SLS (and no, it has nothing to do with the Mercedes-Benz of the same name), which stands for Sport Luxury Sedan, as opposed to SLC, or Sport Luxury Crossover.

Fret not, Benz fans (and trademark lawyers). De Tomaso says it will give its future production model a new name that will be announced in Geneva.

Irrational naming conventions aside, what we have here is a somewhat high-riding humpback machine not unlike the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. According to the company, two engines are planned at launch, a 300-horsepower V6 and a 550-horsepower V8. Power is sent to all four wheels, and a diesel engine option is planned for a later time.

De Tomaso plans to build two more vehicles on the same architecture with the goal of selling a total of 8,000 units per year. We’re hoping to hear more about the marque’s future plans after we hit the ground in Geneva. In the meantime, feel free to peruse our high-res image gallery below and read the awkwardly translated press release after the break.

Gallery: De Tomaso SLS Concept

De Tomaso SLS Concept

[Source: De Tomaso via All Car Index]

Continue reading De Tomaso ~~SLC~~ SLS images come online ahead of Geneva

De Tomaso ~~SLC~~ SLS images come online ahead of Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 BMW 650i Convertible configurator comes online

Filed under: Convertible, BMW

BMW 650i configurator

The new-for-2012 BMW 650i Convertible is still bigger and heavier than most of the competition, but there are still a whole slew of notable new features about the updated car. Designers filed off some of the more audacious curves in favor of a bit more subtlety. Power from the 650i’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 now sits at 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque – up 40 hp and a whopping 90 lb-ft from the last-gen 6 Series – and the six-speed gearbox has been replaced with a slick eight-speed unit. All good stuff, and judging by the fact that BMW has launched the online 650i Convertible configurator, it appears this big droptop is ready for prime time.

The price tag begins at $92,375 once $875 is added for destination and the dreaded $1,000 gas guzzler tax is applied. The price only goes up from there, with packages like Driver Assistance ($3,900) and premium sound ($1,800) bringing things over the $100,000 mark. Check off all the options and you’re looking at a MSRP of $110,375, or enough money for a loaded 550i and a nicely optioned Mazda Miata. Click here to head over to the 650i configurator to price out some high-zoot open-air motoring for yourself.

[Source: BMW]

2012 BMW 650i Convertible configurator comes online originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Online Find of the Day: You can own Honda’s CA proving grounds

Attention real estate investors, motorsports teams and all-around wealthy folks, we have found your next investment ,and all we ask in return is an open invitation. Honda has apparently decided to put its Cantil, California proving grounds up for sale, and we’re drooling over the possibilities. The listing, which is being handled by CB Richard Ellis, consists of various test tracks (including a 7.5 mile oval track and 4.5 mile winding road loop) and buildings located on over 4,200 acres of land. There’s no asking price attached at the moment, but we can only assume that a long string of zeros will be written on the buyer’s check.

Check out the listing on the CB Richard Ellis site then help us ponder how to turn this automotive playground into our new headquarters.

[Source: CB Richard Ellis via Bring-A-Trailer]

Online Find of the Day: You can own Honda’s CA proving grounds originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Florida cancels online learner’s permit test after finding over 50% can’t pass test in real life [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Videos

Person waiting in line at the DMV

No more online Learner’s Permit option for Florida drivers – Click above to watch video after the jump

If you live in Florida and are getting ready to take the test to get you’re learner’s permit, you better head to Google Maps and find the location of the nearest DMV. For the past decade, potential new drivers had the option of taking their permit test online. This practice just came to a screeching halt when they found that a large percentage of drivers passing the online test failed the in-person version. How large? Over 50 percent.

Emotions are predictably mixed, but we’re all for fine-tuning a program that gives people the privilege of piloting two-ton murder mobiles. Having smarter drivers on the road leads to a better motoring experience for all of us. It’s even plausible that a more knowledgeable pool of drivers could lead to fewer accidents and reduced insurance premiums.

Hop the jump to view My Fox Orlando’s segment on the matter.

[Source: My Fox Orlando]

Continue reading Florida cancels online learner’s permit test after finding over 50% can’t pass test in real life [w/video]

Florida cancels online learner’s permit test after finding over 50% can’t pass test in real life [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Online Find of the Day: 2000 Ferrari Enzo mule

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Ferrari

Ferrari Enzo mule – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s not every day that a Ferrari mule comes up for sale, but that day, ladies and gentlemen, has arrived. What you see here may look like an old 348, maybe with some 355 components retrofitted. But what you’re actually looking at is one of the mules that gave rise to the all-conquering Enzo supercar.

The car may wear modified 348 bodywork – disguising evaluation testers with existing sheetmetal is common practice in Maranello – but like so many things, it’s what’s inside that counts. And in this case, it’s a 670-horsepower V12 derived from the Scuderia’s Formula One racing program, but adapted for roadcar use and mated to a six-speed paddle-shift transmission.

Enamored of the Enzo’s performance, but less so of its styling? This could be your once-in-a-lifetime chance. Think of it the same way as the 288 GTO was to the F40, only one-of-a-kind, and suddenly the Langenfeld, Germany dealer’s 750,000 Euro (a cool $1M at today’s rates) asking price doesn’t seem quite so extravagant, though it’s not much cheaper than a full-on factory Enzo. Have a closer look in the high-res image gallery below and then be sure to take a look at Modena Motorsport’s website. Thanks for the tip, Juan Pablo!

Gallery: 2000 Ferrari Enzo Prototype

[Source: Modena Motorsport]

Online Find of the Day: 2000 Ferrari Enzo mule originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bugatti launches new online configurator… complete with Rape Yellow

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Bugatti

Looking to kill some time? Online car configurators are sure to do the trick, and one of our favorites is Bugatti’s. The ultra-luxe exotic automaker lets you specify from a staggering array of colors and options, and have recently launched a new version with even more choices than before.

Astute reader Bryan was playing around with the new web feature and found he could customize the colors on even the smallest detail. Say, the air intakes, for example, which needn’t be the same color as the body or any of the other details, but can be painted in any of a hundred or more different colors. Including “Rape Yellow”.

Now Bugatti didn’t make up this color. It takes its name from a yellow flower, known in Latin as Brassica napus and in English as the rape, from which we get rapeseed oil. Since “rape” (to most people at least) doesn’t have such a wonderful connotation, the oil is often referred to as Canola. Would Bugatti do well to do the same? Follow the jump to see how Bryan, whom we thank for the tip, stumbled upon this little gem.

[Source: Bugatti]

Continue reading Bugatti launches new online configurator… complete with Rape Yellow

Bugatti launches new online configurator… complete with Rape Yellow originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Saab to let buyers watch their cars get built online

Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab

Saab 9-5 Production Facility

Thinking of buying a 2011 Saab? If so, you’ll soon have the ability to watch it come together before your eyes; Saab is installing cameras in its Trollhättan factory. Customers will receive text messages with photos of their cars as they reach certain points in the assembly line. Eventually, Saab plans to add a real-time video feed of the cars being built. This sounds way more interesting than most reality television shows.

In addition to the cameras going in, Saab will soon offer customers the opportunity to take delivery of their cars right from the factory. The automaker says it is moving back towards building cars with a more personal touch, by manufacturing cars to order rather than churning out a steady stream of vehicles.

[Source: What Car]

Report: Saab to let buyers watch their cars get built online originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Online Find of the Day: 1985 Saab 900 Turbo limousine is long on charm

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Etc., Saab, Specialty

1985 Saab 900 Turbo Limousine

1985 Saab 900 Turbo Limousine – Click above for high-res image gallery

Known as “The Classic” among brand fans, the first generation Saab 900 enjoyed a seriously long production run from 1978 to 1993. It was offered as a coupe, sedan, three and five-door hatchback and even a convertible version. One bodystyle the car car not offered in, however, was that of a stretched limousine. But that little omission apparently didn’t stop one determined Saab owner with plans for his 1985 900 Turbo. The mad scientist decided to add six feet to the 184.1-inch length of the original car. The result is a five-speed manual transmission equipped Saab 900 Turbo limousine, and it can be parked in (and possibly hang out of) your driveway for $12,500.

The owner has posted his turbocharged limo on SaabNet and states he states that the vehicle is very clean and runs great. It has 145,000 miles on the odometer, which for a 900 Turbo is barely middle-age. A first generation Saab 900 is pretty cool, and a turbocharged limo with a manual gearbox is certainly unique. We only wish we could see what has been done to the interior, but alas, there are no photos and with (what else) limo-tinted windows, there’s no peeking inside, either. The asking price seems a bit steep compared to what a normal 900 Turbo might command, but this might be the only limo that would be at home running the prom circuit as it would a Swedish forest rally stage, and that’s gotta be worth something.

The ad can be found in the SaabNet classifieds, scroll down a bit to find it.

Gallery: 1985 Saab 900 Turbo Limousine

1985 Saab 900 Turbo Limousine front three-quarter

[Source: SaabNet]

Online Find of the Day: 1985 Saab 900 Turbo limousine is long on charm originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infiniti G25 gets online configurator, full pricing released

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Infiniti, Luxury

Infiniti G25 Sedan – Click above for high-res image

Infiniti now has a online configurator for the G25 powered by a 2.5-liter V6, and the details are, quite frankly, a bit of a mixed bag. We already knew that the base G25 starts at a very reasonable $30,950 ($31,825 with $875 destination), or $4,100 less than the base G37 Journey. That starting price won’t come with such niceties as Bluetooth, dual climate control or a USB interface for your electronic gadgets. To reach that level of refinement you’ll have to step up to the G25 Journey, which stickers for $32,350 ($33,225 with destination). To add all-wheel drive to your G25 you’ll have to come up with still more cash. The G25X has all the standard equipment of the G25 Journey, but adds AWD and a snow mode for $33,950 ($34,825 with destination).

You’ll undoubtedly save money up front if you opt for a G25, but you’ll also save at the pump… a little. The G25’s EPA numbers read 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. That’s not bad for a luxury sled, but it’s also only fractionally better than the far more powerful G37, which nets respectable 19/27 numbers. The G25X tells a similar story, with 19/27 numbers only marginally better than the G37X’s 18/25 totals.

There is little doubt that there’s a market in the U.S. for the G25. After all, there are plenty of folks out who will be happy to rock a G Sedan with a lower MSRP and better fuel economy than the now up-level G37. But the G25’s 2.5-liter V6 with 218 horsepower and 187 pound-feet of torque is 110 horsepower and 82 lb-ft behind the G37’s fabulous 3.7-liter V6, and when you consider the mediocre improvement in fuel economy, we’re inclined to keep saving pennies until we can afford the G37.

[Source: Infiniti]

Continue reading Infiniti G25 gets online configurator, full pricing released

Infiniti G25 gets online configurator, full pricing released originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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