Culture|Garage

The unveiling of the Pontiac Solstice Coupe was another one of the autoshow surprises. I liked the Solstice, but I am not a huge fan of ‘verts. I wasn’t really waiting with bated breath for the unveiling.

But when it pulled in behind Lutz, I just stared in a lusting fashion. This car is just chiseled. When I spoke with Jose Gonzalez, the lead designer on the Coupe, he said his inspiration was sculpture… and it shows. Round of applause to Mr. Gonzalez, because he pulled this off extremely well.

I am not a Coupe guy, mainly due to the impracticality, but beyond that, there are very few coupes that I find attractive and they are limited to pretty much the Porsche Cayman S (breath taking drive) and the BMW Z4 Coupe. The Solstice certainly derives some of its cues from both those cars.

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Sebring, Fla.- Heads up, ‘Vette fans- Pratt &Miller Engineering is set to unveil a convertible C6RS Corvette at the 12 hours of Sebring. The sans-roof car has a ton of features, but probably the coolest thing the car has going for it is an all-carbon fiber body. Yep, you read that right, for the right price, you can drive around in a hard piece of cloth. Considering the climbing average age of Corvette buyers anymore, a ‘Vette that can offer “hardness” on such a scale is probably pretty high on the “desirable” list. More crudeness and info after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thanks to Gerry for the tip on this one. By now you have probably heard and seen the Holden’s most recent concept, the Coupe 60. It features a big ass 6.0 liter V8. If they make it, we probably aren’t going to get it in the US. But if we do, it will be badged a Pontiac, sit on the lot for months and the sell on deep discount.

There is also a Holden Coupe 60 microsite that features images, info, etc.

Gerry mentions that his client, ABT-an Australian based brand experience agency, helped Holden launch this concept.

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Prepare to drool, Mopar lovers, because your definition of the muscle car is about to be changed. Well, at least that’s what the guys at Xtreme Velocity Motorsports say, anyway. The old adage of “goes fast in a straight line” is a bit irksome to the people that started XV, so they set out on a mission- to make a “musclecar” into a “do-anything supercar.” Read the rest of this entry »

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What first comes to mind when hearing big, roaring V8s, tire squealing, and noting lap times? One instantly thinks of a supercar right? Wrong. Fifth Gear recently did such a test between the new Porsche GTS and the BMW X5 4.8i.

Both of these cars feature a 4.8L V8 engine, and the Porsche GTS gets 55 more horsepower along with a sportier suspension and a better braking system compared to the BMW X5. But the X5 weighs 200 lbs less.

Who will be victorious? Watch and find out.

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First we learned the Volkswagen Scirocco will not be making it to these shores, and now we are getting stiffed out of the Volkswagen Touareg .:R50. Sure let’s blame the weak dollar, but I blame it on uninformed Americans that know little about the wonderful world of TDi engines. Back home I see more (hear more) diesels cars than gasoline powered counterparts.

Enough crying though, the Volkswagen Touareg .:R50 is now on sale in the UK that features VW’s famed V10 TDI engine. The .:R50 is introduced with 257kW, up from the standard 230kW. Torque also has been increased by 100Nm to 850Nm, easily being able to pull a Boeing 747. 0-60 happens in just 6.5 seconds, making it about as quick as the Golf .:R32. Top speed is the mandatory 250km/h.

A set of 21-inch 10-spokers (similar to the .:R32 Omanyt wheel) is the first noticeable difference exterior-wise. A matte chrome grille with honeycomb inserts is featured upfront, while the rear has to make do with a small roof spoiler, body-colored bumper and oval tailpipes. Interior-wise the trim is upgraded to a similar carbon-fiber cube look pattern from the .:R32, .:R-line pedals, and navigation is standard.

UK prices commence at £61,885 (RRP OTR)/ €81,177.

Full Gallery & Press Release Read the rest of this entry »

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Ferrari may be rolling out testing for a possible F430 replacement, although this car seems to be front engined.

Spy shots were recently taken in Maranello on the street after this mule (is a Ferrari ever a mule?) exited the Fiorano race track. According to the photographer, it is a two seater with a short wheelbase, which goes along with Ferrari’s future models of smaller, lighter cars.

One more photo and a link after the jump.

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Geneva, Switz.- The venerable Ford Focus, the Falcon of the modern-day world, has had its top whacked by the folks at Pininfarina. Yep, the Italian design studio has turned an already attractive car into an even more appealing piece. And no, you can’t have one if you live in North America. Read the rest of this entry »

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