sports Archives | Page 2 of 3

Dallara to build its own carbon fiber sports car?

Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara has built countless racing cars for teams in innumerable racing series, and with the KTM X-Bow on the road and the Alfa Romeo 4C GTA reportedly under development, Dallara has done likewise for automakers. New rumors suggest that Dallara is ready to move beyond helping other outfits develop cars, however.

Word is, Dallara is planning a two-seat sports car to be sold under its own name that’s built on architecture similar to what it developed for the X-Bow and Alfa 4C. With carbon-fiber construction and a low curb weight, it would be targeted at the Lotus Elise but come closer in spirit to the original Lotus Seven. In other words, Lotus had better pay attention.

[Source: Autoblog Spanish]

Dallara to build its own carbon fiber sports car? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Dallara to build its own carbon fiber sports car?”

Detroit 2011: 2012 Hyundai Veloster reinvents the affordable sports coupe

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hatchback, Hyundai

2012 Hyundai Veloster

2012 Hyundai Veloster – Click above for high-res image gallery

After the usual tease of spy shots and teasers, the sheet has finally been pulled back on the 2012 Hyundai Veloster. Not only does the Veloster take aim at wannabe efficient sports cars like the Honda CR-Z, it reinvents the way we look at the shape of coupes and hatchbacks, employing a unique three-door design that’s surprisingly better in execution than we expected.

Hyundai is using its 2012 Veloster to unveil a slate of new technologies, including a brand new engine and transmission, as well as the automaker’s first foray into the safety and convenience telematics realm with Blue Link. Hyundai is promising class-leading fuel efficiency with a truly sporty driving experience all wrapped in a wholly unique package, but does the Veloster meet the criteria? Follow the jump to find out.

Gallery: 2012 Hyundai Veloster

2012 Hyundai Veloster

Continue reading Detroit 2011: 2012 Hyundai Veloster reinvents the affordable sports coupe

Detroit 2011: 2012 Hyundai Veloster reinvents the affordable sports coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Detroit 2011: 2012 Hyundai Veloster reinvents the affordable sports coupe”

Rumormill: Mooted Cadillac flagship could be mid-engined sports car

Filed under: Cadillac, GM, Rumormill, Luxury

2010 Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Car and Driver is reporting that the often-reported Cadillac flagship is at a crossroads. There have been many rumors that the planned range-topper will wind up as a rear-wheel drive, high-end luxury sedan slotting above the production version of the XTS Platinum (the concept version of which is shown above). Now C/D has apparently been hearing whispers that it may in fact show up as a mid-engined sports car.

While the thought of a luxurious, mid-engined ZR1 sounds appealing, we’ll file this in the don’t-hold-your-breath category. Although, if the company is brassy enough to build the ultra low-volume CTS-V Sport Wagon, then perhaps anything is possible.

Gallery: Detroit 2010: Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept

[Source: Car and Driver]

Rumormill: Mooted Cadillac flagship could be mid-engined sports car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Rumormill: Mooted Cadillac flagship could be mid-engined sports car”

Hyundai sports coupe officially named Veloster, new teaser vid and site released [**UPDATE*]

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Hatchback, Hyundai

Hyundai Veloster teaser

Hyundai Veloster flashes its LEDs for us – Click above to watch video after the jump

Hyundai is bringing its hotly anticipated sports coupe to the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and it appears from a new teaser video and microsite that that the car will indeed be called Veloster, ending months of speculation that the affordable model could be named something else (Tiburon, FS, π, etc.).

Hyundai has also released a video of the Veloster, but it’s pretty low on the fulfillment meter and heavy on the teasing. The clip, which you can watch after the jump, tells us the Veloster will have a direct-injected engine, a dual-clutch gearbox, hit an estimated 40 miles per gallon and will come with Bluetooth connectivity. At this point we can only stare at the pretty blue LED lights seen above and continue to pour over camo-clad examples in spy shots.

*UPDATE: Through some Photoshop wizardry, readers Brendon and APV have managed to provide a better look at the Veloster. Click to see Brendon’s image & APV’s image. Thanks to both of you!

[Sources: YouTube, Hyundai]

Continue reading Hyundai sports coupe officially named Veloster, new teaser vid and site released [*UPDATE]

Hyundai sports coupe officially named Veloster, new teaser vid and site released [*UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Hyundai sports coupe officially named Veloster, new teaser vid and site released [*UPDATE]”

The Periodic Table of Sports Cars according to Car and Driver

Filed under: Etc., Humor

So many sports cars, so little time. If only someone would organize them into one succinct chart, categorizing them according to common properties and laying them out in an authoritative graph. Wait, Car and Driver is someone, right?

The geeks over at C/D have created a pseudo-scientific chart modeled on Mendeleev’s periodic table of elements. C/D‘s Periodic Table of Sports Cars covers everything from the Mazda Miata to the Bentley Speed Six, and just about everything in between. Best of all, they’ve made it available in a downloadable PDF you can print out and hang in your locker, garage, bedroom… wherever. It’s science! Take a look over the layout and let ’em know what they got right and what they missed.

[Source: Car and Driver]

The Periodic Table of Sports Cars according to Car and Driver originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “The Periodic Table of Sports Cars according to Car and Driver“

Paris 2010: Opel Astra Sports Tourer

Filed under: Wagon, Europe, Opel

Opel Astra Sports Tourer

Opel Astra Sports Tourer – Click above for high-res image gallery

Opel is keeping busy, and aside from moving into a handful of new markets and pulling the sheets off of a hot concept, the German manufacturer has been whittling away on its long-roof interpretation of the company’s Astra. The 2011 Astra Sports Tourer wears the brand’s trademark nose and sculpted sheet metal, but throws in an arching roofline for good measure. Inside, buyers can look forward to a set of snappy folding seats in the rear Opel claims should help make the car appealing to both families and small businesses looking to haul goods.

Power comes from either an uber-thrifty 95-horsepower mill or a more robust 180-pony lump, and a total of three transmissions are available – a five-speed manual, six-speed manual and six-speed automatic. The company says that European buyers can expect to see a start/stop system land on its 1.3-liter turbo-diesel engine in the Astra Sports Tourer as well. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: 2011 Opel Astra Sport Tourer

Paris 2010: Opel Astra Sports Tourer originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Paris 2010: Opel Astra Sports Tourer”

Autoblog Podcast #194 – Bentley Continental, Lamborghini teaser, Mexico’s Mastretta and budget Toyota sports cars

Filed under: Concept Cars, Podcasts, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Paris Motor Show, Bentley, GMC, Lamborghini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Military

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

It’s Episode #194 of the Autoblog Podcast, and Chris, Sam and Dan talk about the 2011 Bentley Continental, what Lamborghini has in store for the Paris Motor Show, Mexico’s Mastretta MXT and budget sports cars from Toyota. Two questions cap it at just over an hour this week. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #194 – Bentley Continental, Lamborghini teaser, Mexico’s Mastretta and budget Toyota sports cars

In the Autoblog Garage:

Nissan Pathfinder
GMC Sierra 3500 HD
Mitsubishi Outlander

News:

Budget Toyota sports cars
Lamborghini teaser
Mastretta MXT
2011 Bentley Continental GT

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 63:00

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #194 – Bentley Continental, Lamborghini teaser, Mexico’s Mastretta and budget Toyota sports cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Autoblog Podcast #194 – Bentley Continental, Lamborghini teaser, Mexico’s Mastretta and budget Toyota sports cars”

Report: Toyota plans budget sports car line

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Japan, Hatchback, Toyota

Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Akio Toyoda may want to bring driving excitement back to Toyota, but he and his team have two major hurdles to overcome: The brands’s limited enthusiast base and the fact that Japan’s youth have very little interest in cars.

To combat both fronts, Toyota plans to launch a new line of budget-oriented vehicles that offer a modicum of sport. But so far, things don’t look too promising.

Despite debuting an FT-86-based concept at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota’s G Sports line of products have mainly focused on the Voxy and Noah minivans, while a “sports” version of the Prius is apparently in the works.

More interestingly, the Mainichi Daily News reports that a version of the GRMN sports car concept has been given the greenlight, meaning a mid-engined hybrid successor to the MR2 is in the works.

All these developments come after Toyota established a sports vehicle management division in January, which now has a hand in the brand’s overall product planning. We should get a look at the fruits of their labors during next year’s auto show season and could see this new breed of budget sports vehicles on the market – at least in Japan – within the next few years.

Gallery: Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid

[Source: Mainchi Daily News]

Report: Toyota plans budget sports car line originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Toyota plans budget sports car line”

Mexico’s Mastretta releases a few lines about MXT sports car for Paris

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Specialty, South America

Mastretta MXT teaser announcement

Mexican sports car intender Mastretta has officially announced that it will reveal the production version of its MXT at this month’s Paris Motor Show.

Longtime Autoblog readers may recall that the Latin auto was actually expected to go on sale back in 2009, but for unknown reasons, it evidently hasn’t made it into serial production yet. Previously shown iterations of the MXT have been powered by a 2.0-liter Ford Duratec four-cylinder, with the promise that a production model would be turbocharged and fettled by the enginemeisters at Cosworth. The target back then was a modest 240 horsepower, but with an expected weight of under a ton, 0-60 mph was expect in under five seconds.

At this point, we’re not sure if the car will look like the model revealed in 2007, let alone how many MXTs are planned, or at what cost. Back in 2008, Mastretta indicated that they were targeting about 150 units per year, with fully 70 percent of production earmarked for Europe and the United States. Click past the jump for the company’s announcement and check out our gallery of the original MXT below.

Gallery: Mastretta MXT

[Source: Mastretta]

Continue reading Mexico’s Mastretta releases a few lines about MXT sports car for Paris

Mexico’s Mastretta releases a few lines about MXT sports car for Paris originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Mexico’s Mastretta releases a few lines about MXT sports car for Paris”

Autoblog Podcast #192 – Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity

Filed under: Concept Cars, Podcasts, Etc., Ford, GM, Hyundai, Jaguar, Toyota, Electric

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Chris, Sam and Dan return for Episode #192 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the reinstatement of GM’s high performance division and its new focus on small cars, the Ford Edge Sport being out-dragged by its lesser SEL sibling, and the BMW Megacity electric car. It’s an hour and eleven minutes, bookended by what’s in our respective garages and your questions/comments. See you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #192 – Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity

In the Autoblog Garage:

Toyota Sienna LE
Jaguar XFR
Hyundai Azera

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk

Runtime: 71:11

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #192 – Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Autoblog Podcast #192 – Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity”