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Official: Climb to the Clouds returning thanks to Subaru title sponsorship [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Subaru, Racing

The Mt. Washington Hillclimb, otherwise known as the Climb to the Clouds, hasn’t been done since 2011. That year, Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins set a new record for the event first held in 1904, running the 7.6-mile vertiginous course in 6:11.54. The race will be return in 2014 with the help of that very carmaker, Subaru of America having stepped in to the title sponsor role for what will be the Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb.

Taking place from June 26-29, 75 modern and vintage cars will spend three days racing up the 6,288-foot-high mountain. It’s not as long nor as high as Pikes Peak, but it does have something that the Colorado competition doesn’t: gravel; about 13 percent of the Mt. Washington Carriage Road still hasn’t been paved.

If you want to know what a record-breaking run up the northeast’s highest peak looks like, check out Higgins behind the wheel in the video below.

Continue reading Climb to the Clouds returning thanks to Subaru title sponsorship [w/video]

Climb to the Clouds returning thanks to Subaru title sponsorship [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford Mustang returning to Australia in 2016

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Ford, Australia

Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper has reported that the next-generation Ford Mustang is heading Down Under in 2016, just as Ford is hanging the “Closed for Good” sign on its Australian manufacturing operations and sending the Falcon to its grave. Ford hasn’t offered any official word on the matter, but the paper says that Ford’s global VP of sales and marketing, Jim Farley, is flying to Australia to make the announcement himself.

While Ford converted Mustangs in the early 2000s from left-hand to right-hand drive for the Australian market and then sold them at high prices, it’s been almost five decades since Ford imported a dedicated right-hand-drive Mustang to Oz. The arrival of the global model specifically made for places like Australia and the UK means Ford will also be able to offer them at better prices than the converted models; the Herald Sun says the price is expected to be “close to $50,000.”

And that’s for one of the “V8 performance models,” which are the only ones Australia will get; Ford apparently won’t send the turbocharged four cylinder or the V6. The Aussies could find out in a month from now whether this rumor is true. We will all find out what this Mustang fuss is about when the car debuts at next year’s New York Auto Show.

Ford Mustang returning to Australia in 2016 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda 787B restored, returning to Le Mans for 20th anniversary of win

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Mazda

Mazda 787B restored and returning to Le Mans

Mazda 787B restored and returning to Le Mans – Click above for high-res image gallery

In 1991, Mazda became the first and to this day only Japanese automaker to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans using the 787B you see above. It was also the first and only rotary-powered car to ever win the grueling French endurance race.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of that Le Mans win, and to celebrate that victory, Mazda has restored the original winning 787B and been invited by the event organizers to drive it on the Circuit de la Sarth just a few hours before this year’s 79th running of the race.

The 787B is powered by a four-rotor rotary engine producing 700 horsepower, though it was said to be capable of a maximum power output of 900 hp. Even after 20 years, it could probably keep up with today’s crop of Le Mans prototype cars.

We don’t know yet who will be driving the 787B on June 11, but the man who drove the car across the finish line 20 years earlier, Johnny Herbert, will be on hand, and we’re sure he’d be happy to help out if asked.

Check out the amazing gallery of the Mazda team testing the 787B after its recent restoration, and follow the jump for two amazing audio clips of its engine.

Continue reading Mazda 787B restored, returning to Le Mans for 20th anniversary of win

Mazda 787B restored, returning to Le Mans for 20th anniversary of win originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac returning to SCCA World Challenge with CTS-V Coupe

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Cadillac, Racing

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Race Car

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Race Car – Click above for high-res image gallery

Sure enough, The Crest is headed back to the race track, this time with its menacing CTS-V Coupe. Cadillac last took to the field of battle in 2007, when it campaigned in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge, and according to General Motors, the company will once again race in that series with a two-car team next season. Pratt & Miller, the shop responsible for the wicked American Le Mans Series Chevrolet Corvettes we all know and love, has been tasked with developing the racier version of the CTS-V Coupe. While the cars are largely production-based in the World Challenge GT class, some of the vehicle’s systems will need to be upgraded to meet SCCA specifications.

The two CTS-V Coupe race cars will compete for the first time on March 25 in St. Petersburg, Florida with Johnny O’Connel and Andy Pilgram behind the wheel. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait that long to see these machine in the metal. Cadillac is planning to show the vehicle off at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe SCCA Race Car

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe SCCA Race Car

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Cadillac returning to SCCA World Challenge with CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac returning to SCCA World Challenge with CTS-V Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW returning to DTM in 2012

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Europe, BMW, Racing

BMW in the DTM

BMW is returning to the DTM – Click above for high-res image

BMW has announced that it will once again knock fenders in the DTM. The company has said that it will make its way back to the race series for the 2012 season after a lengthy 18-year absence. The German automaker is in the process of restructuring its involvement in motorsport, and DTM is going to play a key part in that effort.

According to the company’s press release, BMW has been in talks with DTM organizers for some time about future regulations and technical requirements. After it began to look like the brand would in fact be welcome in the series once again, BMW broke the news to fans at the DTM race weekend at Hockenheimring.

So far, it looks like the M3 will be the bruiser of choice for going toe-to-toe with the rest of the field, but as of right now, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be behind the tiller when the green flag drops on the company team. Stay tuned and hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: BMW]

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BMW returning to DTM in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diecast Warfare: Tomica reportedly returning to U.S. to take on Hot Wheels, Matchbox

Filed under: Etc., Toys/Games

Tomica diecast playset

Finally, something from our youth returns in a good way, not another Incredible Hulk reboot or power balled Cure cover. Tomica (or Tomy), which left the U.S. in the Eighties after some financial troubles, is coming back next month – and almost just like it was before. A line of miniature diecast cars will be sliding into an as-yet-unnamed retailer next month on their little plastic wheels. They’ll be sold alongside playset combinations like the Hypercity Gas Station, pictured, so your child can learn to spend his or her money just like you did.

Tomica Mitsuoka Orochi diecast There will be models such as the Daihatsu Mira and Mitsubishi i-MiEV from which to choose, as well as the eternally popular Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Queen bus. They’ll be paired with a mat that has roads and buildings drawn onto it. Step up to the floor-hogging world of the Hypercity, Super Big Set and Mega Station, though, and you’ll find more familiar models like the Subaru Legacy sedan, Mazda’s Axela/Mazda3, and Toyota’s Harrier/Lexus RX. Non-Japanese models may come in the future, but come September, it’ll be JDM-only dreamtime, at $4.99 and up. Here’s hoping they bring over the Mitsuoka Orochi (right).

[Source: Hemmings | Image: Sir09 via CC 2.0]

Diecast Warfare: Tomica reportedly returning to U.S. to take on Hot Wheels, Matchbox originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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