Video: Chris Harris Discusses Cars at Geneva and Drives new E63 AMG

As with all automotive shows of its size, the Geneva Motor Show 2013 was home to thousands from the press, including our own GTspirit team, and notable British automotive journalist Chris Harris also made an appearance and put together the following video of his impressions from the show.

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BMW Z4 GT3 Confirmed for ALMS 2013

ALMS 2013 season will be held on 21st September and some of the latest reports show that BMW will be back on the track for this particular annual race with the 2013 BMW Z4 GTE based on the BMW Z4 GT3 which has been in the ALMS since 2009. It has gathered back-to-back GT championships, among them being the driver, team and manufacturer titles in 2011 not to mention seven class victories, all in the hands of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (BMW Team RLL).

Speaking on the car, BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt said;

With the BMW Z4 GTE, we are starting a new chapter in North America alongside BMW Team RLL; we have celebrated magnificent victories and titles with the BMW M3 GT and BMW Team RLL over the past four years. The BMW Z4 GTE has everything it needs to continue this success story.

The team members are also key to performance, starting with the manager; long-time BMW employee Gordon McDonnell has been named the BMW NA Motorsport Manager and will lead the program from concept to the finish line. Returning drivers Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand from the US and Dirk Müller (DE) will join the effort.

New to the team is twenty-one-year old John Edwards (US) who will join the team, replacing Hand for the races that don’t fit into Hand’s DTM schedule. Edwards began his career in open-wheel racing, winning the Star Mazda title in 2008 and the Atlantic series championship in 2009 and since 2010 he has focused on GT and GS class racing in the GRAND-AM series.

26-year old Maxime Martin from Belgium will be the newest member to join the BMW Team RLL for the full 2013 season. He finished second in the 2012 BMW Sport Trophy after a strong season racing a BMW Z4 GT3 in the Blancpain Endurance Series and a BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters.

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Ferrari Teases New Formula 1 Car - Will Be Revealed on February 1

Ferrari has created a special section on their official homepage, where they have added a 24-hour countdown, to let fans know how long they have left before a more revealing teaser for the 2013 Formula 1 car is shown.

Set to be revealed on February 1, it will be the last of the V8-powered F1 car, because as of next year a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 will be required.

The unveiling will be broadcast online via live streaming, and we expect the Italian team to cook up some sort of special celebration for the occasion, possibly a speech from someone higher up in the company, as well as supermodels to pull the wraps off the car.

The all-new F1 car will be driven in 2013 by the same two drivers Ferrari employed last year: Spaniard Fernando Alonso, seconded by Brazilian Felipe Massa. Ferrai is one of the few teams who did not want or need to make any changes to the formula, as its drivers were very competent and very competitive in 2012, and they simply want to build on that this year.

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Official: Dodge Dart Registry helps you crowdsource money for your next ride

To be honest, we're surprised something like this didn't pop up sooner. Chrysler is riffing on gift registries for couples getting married or expecting babies and cross-pollinating it with a social media funding website like Kickstarter to help customers buy its 2013 Dodge Dart. The Dodge Dart Registry allows people to build and customize a new Dart exactly how they want it, then let other people purchase some or all of the components as gifts.

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The Obama Car: Chromed Cadillac CTS

While he might be the man of the people, Barack Obama is still a president, so whenever he wants to go out for a stroll, he does so in his armour plated Cadillac. It has guns, plating its own oxygen and even a night-vision camera.

This is probably NOT Obama's car, but it's so interesting that it might as well be. The owner of this Cadillac CTS Coupe had it chromed out, so now, it looks like a brand new nickel. Plastered over the passenger side door is a photo of him from Time magazine and the "Forward" messing from President Obama’s new re-election campaign slogan.

Who needs guns when America has cars like these. Now all we need to do is feed the homeless!

Photos via acidcow.com

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Porsche's 960 Supercar Will Have Quad-Turbo Boxer-Eight

If there's one thing the Germans are good at, it's bridging the gap in their model lineups. Right now, Porsche's biggest task is to fill the space in between the 911 Turbo S and the 918 Spyder hybrid hypercar.

Rumours have finally begun emerging about this car, which supposedly will be called the 960.

It will reportedly feature a mid-mounted eight-cylinder engine, not a V8, but a flat-eight. This engine will displace 3.9 litters and will be force-induced to 650 horsepower, thanks to not one, not two, not three, but four turbos.

They first wanted to fit the car twin a twin-turbo boxer six, but that was deemed not exotic enough compared to the V12 monsters that are currently out there. Good call!

Porsche engineers are reportedly targeting a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.5 seconds. Bugatti Veyron watch out!

Story via Automobile Mag

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Spyshots: New 2014 BMW M3 Snow Fun

Earlier today, we showed you some allegedly leaked images of the upcoming 2014 BMW M3 and now we're back on the topic to offer you a fresh set of spyshots.

While the aforementioned images only revealed the front of the car, the adjacent spy photos offer us a complete view of the M3, which is still wearing some camo.

The 2014 M3 will follow the trend seen in many performance car segments nowadays: it won't up the ante on the power front too much, but it will lose some serious weight.

The vehicle is targeting the weight of the E46 M3 from two generations ago - 1470 kg (3240.8 lbs) for the coupe. This will improve performance in all areas, as well as increase fuel efficiency. The diet will include the use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) body parts on a larger scale than before.

Boosting fuel economy is also the reason for which the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V8 unit of the current generation will have to go. This will be replaced with a turbocharged unit, which is expected to be a 3.3-liter six-cylinder delivering about 450 hp.

The test vehicle captured here uses the BMW M performance brakes (blue calipers), but you'll be able to order to production version with the new BMW M Carbon Ceramic brakes. The ceramics, which were introduced at the Detroit Motor Show on the M6 Gran Coupe, come with golden calipers.

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Video: Lamborghini Presents One-Off Aventador LP720-4 at 2013 Geneva Motor Show

At the upcoming 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the stand of Lamborghini will have one major theme, their 50th anniversary of the Italian car brand, which they will celebrate with a pretty unique model.

Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, announced that a one-off design of the Aventador will be unveiled to mark this event.

According to new information, it will get an unique color and some carbon fiber features. The model will be called Aventador LP720-4, which indicates that its V10 engine will deliver an extra 20 horsepower over the standard supercar.

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Batman Tumbler and Bespoke Supercar for Gumball 3000

Team Galag, Gumball 3000 veterans of two years, have announced that they will be bringing a replica version of the Batman Tumbler to the 2013 Gumball 3000 Rally. The Tumbler will be joined with an intriguing bespoke supercar design. 

Having brought a Porsche 911 Turbo to the 2011 rally along with a Lamborghini Aventador and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster duo for the 2012 rally, the Saudi Arabian team will be upping their game further this year.

Details are scarce at the moment. Team Galag’s blog states that the Tumbler design has been relatively easy in comparison to the headaches the bespoke supercar is causing. The car is current being built by Parker Brothers Concepts of the SyFy channel’s Dream Machines programme. It’s named TG1 for the time being.

Both cars will tackle the entire rally from Copenhagen, Denmark on 18 May 2012. Check points will be Stockholm, Turku, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga, Warsaw, Krakow, Vienna and the Monaco Grand Prix.

News Source: gtspirit

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Report: Auto journalist ordered to pay big money for blowing up Porsche 917 engine

Racecars blow engines all the time, but a Porsche 917 isn't just a run-of-the-mill racecar. British automotive writer Mark Hales reportedly borrowed a 917 from 82-year-old former Formula One racer David Piper for a magazine article, and mechanical tragedy ensued. Nobody is arguing that the engine failed after being spun to 8,200 rpm. However, Hales was warned not to exceed 7,000 rpm, says owner Piper, and the affair landed in English courts with Piper seeking £50,000 – over $79,000 US – in reimbursement funds for an engine rebuild and loss of use of the car while it was being repaired. Judge Simon Brown ruled in favor of car owner Piper, putting Hales on the hook for £110,000 ($174,000) including legal fees – a whole lot of money in any language.

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Toyota Prius Is California's Best Selling Car in 2012

California's love affair with Toyota's Prius is well-known, and the fact that it is the US state's best selling car in 2012 really comes as no surprise. Still, it is impressive how a 'green' vehicle has become the best selling anything, anywhere - a rare feat, as such vehicles are still struggling for acceptance elsewhere.

WIth a total of 60,668 units shifted through 2012, the Prius just managed to etch ahead of the Toyota Camry, which sold 57,124 units. The third best-seller in California is the Honda Accord, with 49,420 sales in 2012.

Total registrations (retail and fleets) increased by 25% in 2011, from 1,290,920 units up to 1,617,103 units.

According to the chairman of the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA), Darryl Holter, “With California’s economy on the rebound, consumers feel confident again about buying a new car, and there has never been a wider selection of models to choose from.”

Also, lead vehicle analyst for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Shruti Vaidyanathan was quoted as saying: “The vehicles at the top of this year’s rankings are proof that automakers are really ramping up their offerings. There are more hybrid and electric options on the market this year than ever before and the race for a spot on the Greenest list is increasingly competitive.”

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W Motors LykanHypersport Supercar Heading to 2013 Qatar Motor Show

A brand new, completely unseen, Arabian supercar is set to debut at the upcoming 2013 Qatar Motor Show on January 29th, dubbed the LykanHypersport 2013. The news follows after initial information shared with you in July that the company announced two new models.

The LykanHypersport 2013 will be a Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg Agera R competitor, with it expected to hit 100km/h in just 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 390km/h. Making the LykanHypersport 2013 even more unique is the fact that it’s expected to sell for $3.4 million apiece, with just seven units being created thus making it one of the rarest supercars on the market.

Additionally, the LykanHypersport 2013 won’t just be a performance-oriented machine, as it’s set to feature a selection of luxurious and bespoke features including diamond coated LED lamps, a gold quilted interior, and a revolutionary LD4Motion interactive dashboard.

All of these specs and features sound wonderful, but we won’t believe any of them until the first live shots of the car appear online in the coming days.

News Source: gtspirit

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Porsche 918 Spyder Official Pricing Set at $845,000

Porsche has recently released a document that contains the US 2013 Model Year pricing for its range and, at the top of the list, we can see the financial burden of the upcoming 918 Spyder.

The supercar, which will be offered as a 2014 model, will retail for $845,000 (€634,500), with the price not including the destination and handling charges. The money should bring you a powertrain comprised of a 4.6-liter V8 unit with 580 hp and over 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) and electric motors capable of delivering a combined output of 245 hp. The vehicle thus offers a combined output of 795 hp and 780 Nm (575 lb-ft).

This will allow it to deal with the 0 to 62 mph sprint in 3.2 seconds and offer a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). The 918 Spyder is expected to mix the aforementioned performance with a fuel efficiency that can climb as high as 3 liters per 100 km (78 mpg).

You can also opt for the Weissach package, which brings the weight down by 34 kg (77 lbs). This is achieved by removing the air conditioning system, the audio system, the door storage and armrest, as well as replacing the paint with a special foil. Less may be more, but this will boost the price to $929,000 (€696,200).

News Source: autoevolution

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Fast and Furious 6 Blue Nissan R35 GT-R

Fast and Furious 6 will see the return of the Nissan GT-R this time with the R35 model. Of course, the R34 was used in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the latest version is expected to spark more fire! The GT-R project came about as a result of a trio tuning job by The R’s Tuning. Both BenSopra and SP Engineering all with different roles in the build.

The R’s Tuning redesigned the entire factory cooling system while BenSopra’s aero package was applied on it. SP Engineering were responsible for proper calibration of the ECM which was done on 100 octane as it is known to burn cooler than your average 91 octane and in order to offer more power, reliability and head room as your fuel temperature rises.

The exterior features BenSopra full body kitand GT wing while Seibon come in with dry carbon doors, carbon fiber door sills and door sill trims, carbon fiber cooling panel set and engine cover. AMS performance dry carbon roof and carbon trunk were used too. Sparco trunk latches and AeroCatch flush Mount Hood pins are also featured in this set.

The interior has MCR steering wheel set up, as for the chassis and brake set up, The R’s Tuning camber arms, carbon ceramic discs by Weapons Grade Performance and Endless brake lines were included. The powerhouse uses a Switzer P800 turbo kit with SP Engineering tuning services including HKS downpipe and resonated Y-pipe. Expect to see this GT-R on May 24th as the movie hits the big screens.

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Render: Audi RS7 AMG Quattro Group B Racer

The brand new Audi RS7 was just released at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show, and in that short space of time, Frederic Louis was able to put together a Group B rallying tribute variant of the RS7 complete with outlandish Group B styling traits and a fixed roll cage.

For those who have been hiding in a cave for the last 30-40 years, Audi has an extremely rich history when it comes to rallying as the firm’s legendary Audi Quattro S1 is an absolute legend in the rallying world with it still being regarded as one of the greatest racing cars ever produced. Back then the Audi Quattro made use of a 2.1 liter five-cylinder engine producing 480hp.

Fast forward to 2013, and Audi’s latest equivalent to the original Quattro is the Audi RS7 which utilises many of the same technical and engine components as its baby brother, the RS6.

This particular Group B inspired RS7 comes fitted with all the necessary sponsors and liveries you’d expect from a rally car, as well as impressive five-spoke white, race-inspired wheels.

News Source: gtspirit

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Limited Edition Ferrari 458 Italia Stolen From Dealership

A limited-edition Ferrari 458 Italia, said to be the only one of its kind in the UK, has been stolen from a dealership in Surrey. The local police said that it was parked at the rear of the premises of the Maranello garage when the thieves struck.

The CCTV footage showed two men getting into the dealership and the Ferrari being loaded onto a flatbed-type vehicle. They managed to cut through the security poles, and the Italian sports car onto the truck. Before they left the scene, they covered the sports car with a sheet. The police assumes a “planned and well organised” crime.

The 232,850 pound Ferrari has an Italian flag racing stripe running through its center and the Italian flag sewn into the seats, which makes it quite unique.

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BMW 3-Series Diesel Coming to Canada

Bimmerpost has just stumbled upon a file containing new vehicles that will debut at the Montreal Auto Show 2013 that names the BMW 328d as one of the debuts.

The car doesn’t exist in BMW’s current nomenclature, but it’s the same 3-Series diesel that’s expected in the US.

Rumor has it it’s the 2-lifer N45 TwinPower Turbo engine usually found in the 325d or 125d. Yes, that’s the new twin-turbo diesel unit with 218 hp.

However, it sounds more like wishful thinking to us, as they could simply de-tuned 3-liter, as twin-turbo tech might push pricing to unreasonable levels.

Either way, this new type of 3-Series will enter production in July 2013 and should also be available with xDrive.

Story via Bimmerpost

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Renault to Cut 7,500 Jobs in France by 2016

Renault has recently announced that it too will be joining the club of European automakers desperate to make ends meet, in these times of economic turmoil. Following the model set by PSA and Opel, Renault has announced that it will be cutting a huge number of jobs, by the year 2016 - 7,500 in total!

Still, despite the news being not-so-good, the CEO of the company, Carlos Ghosn has announced that no plants in France will be closed, though we suspect the number of workers will go down considerably. Apparently, the company is still not breaking even, as Gerard Leclerq, the head of Renault’s French operations, said: "If an agreement is signed with unions, this staff redeployment would require neither a plant closing nor any forced departures."

Also, Renault won`t actually fire all the 7,500 workers, as the jobs will also be cut through ‘natural turnover’, which basically means resignations and retirements. The number of workers being laid off, in total, equates to around 14% of their entire French workforce.

Still, in case everything does take a turn for the worst, they will still have Dacia to drag them back up to the straight and level.

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Marchionne Displeased by Not Meeting Demand With Jeep Production

Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of the Fiat-Chrysler group, which also owns Jeep, has announced at the 2013 North American International Auto Show that he is not pleased at all by the fact that they were not able to meet the demand for the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler, in 2012.

He said: "I didn't sell all the Grand Cherokees I could have sold, I didn't sell all of the Wranglers that I could have sold because I couldn't make them." And he does have a point, as apparently the company lost some 60,000 to 70,000 sales due to production bottlenecks, supply problems and other issues.

"On the key products, I'm maxed out [ . . . ] We're investing now in de-bottlenecking all this. Anybody that supplies components to the Grand Cherokee is being pushed to increase capacity. Same thing with people that make Wrangler components,” said Marchionne.

He went on to say: "We're going to try and push beyond 2.6 million in 2013. We've got a lot of work to do here, but the machine needs to be pushed [ . . . ] No vacations. No breaks."

While we don`t agree with the no vacations, no breaks policy, as workers need to be well-rested to be fully productive, we do agree that they need to step things up, especially since there is high-demand for their Jeep models, and the recent updates will only make the the entire range more appealing.

News Source: autonews.com

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Luca Di Montezemolo Confirms no Four-Door Ferrari is on the Cards

If you cast your minds back a few years, you’ll remember that the web was ablaze with speculation that some of the world’s top supercar manufacturers were developing high-end luxury four-door’s to compete with the Porsche Panamera which was still in its infancy during that time.

Lamborghini went as far as to actually release their Estoque Concept and rumours circled that Ferrari wasn’t too far behind in developing a similar car. However, Ferrari’s CEO and President Luca Di Montezemolo has confirmed that no such car is being developed or will be developed in the near future.

Di Montezemolo bluntly stated that “A Ferrari can’t have more than two doors”, ultimately ending all rumors that a four-door Ferrari FF and Ferrari SUV will ever be created. He also went on to state that developing a four-door as a new entry-level model for Ferrari would be unethical as “a cheap entry-level Ferrari simply wouldn’t be a Ferrari, period”.

After all, that’s precisely why Maserati exists; to provide consumers a relative cheap entrance into the supercar realm without costing anywhere near as much as a Ferrari.

 

However, it’s worth pointing out that Di Montezemolo’s aforementioned statements are just his beliefs for the Italian company. He will inevitably hand over the reins of Ferrari in the future, and whoever takes charge may disagree with the current CEO’s views.

News Source: Autoedizone

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