Nissan Reportedly Working on Green Sub-Z Sports Car

Nissan officials have announced that the Japanese automaker is developing a small sports car, which is set to sit below the 370Z. Details are sparse, but Car&Driver did manage to speak with Nissan’s Vice President, Andy Palmer, who confirmed the news, without giving away any sort of details.

All he said about the new car is that ‘you either love it or hate it’ - it`s that type of car.

However, despite the fact that it sounds suspiciously like a Toyota GT86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ rival, it actually isn`t. In fact, it is a youth-oriented car (think Juke), which would not be a direct competitor to those three, simply because it is slated to be a different type of car, which quite possibly will also feature some sort of electrification.

Still, while it all sounds very good, we have to see it, at least in the form of some sort of concept, before we believe Nissan`s claims, as this is not the first time they have announced a sporty car for ‘the youth’. Back in 2006, they showed off the Urge concept, which was considered for production, and more recently, the ESFLOW concept from 2011, which used the powertrain from the Leaf EV.

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Spyshots: Production BMW 4-Series Sports Coupe

Right now, the highlight of BMW’s stand in Detroit is the new 4-Series Coupe Concept. Hundred of photos are taken of it every minute, as the 2013 North American International Auto Show plays host for one of the most important new Bavarian models.

However, a prototype wearing actual production bumpers, headlights and body interior trim panels is currently undergoing road testing to ensure the 4-Series is ready for its market launch this summer.

Comparing this car to the concept we photographed in Detroit, the rear bumper has completely changed at the back, and the taillights have gained similar graphics to the 3-Series. At the front, the bumper his hidden but doesn’t appear to have any sort of chin spoiler. The headlights are also much simpler and the typical BMW halos are now round.

The red 4-Series coupe appears to be some sort of base model, like a 320i, indicating BMW hasn’t cut all the smaller engines from the lineup.

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Bugatti Veyron Super Sport at Nurburgring Nordschleife to Set Lap Time

A team of Bugatti employees and a Veyron Super Sport were spotted today in the city of Nurburg. This little town in the German countryside is the place where the Green Hell attracts many petrolheads and car manufacturers interested in setting a lap time on the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, officially the fastest road-legal production car in the world, seems to be the next in line lapping the 20km-long race track. Wearing Wolfsburg plates of parent company Volkswagen, the Veyron pictured here has been feeling its way around the Nordschleife all morning. And it’s getting faster, according to BridgetoGantry.com.

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Lewis Hamilton Wins Canadian GP

With this F1 season being by far the strangest of recent years, six different drivers winning the first six races of the season. Now, after Sunday’s race which took place on the Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit, in Montreal, Canada, a seventh name needs to be added to the list: Lewis Hamilton.

Despite having a decent performance throughout the beginning of the current season, as he had accumulated 63 points prior to the race, having come third in Australia, Malaysia and China, gaining 15 points each time, then coming eighth in Spain and Bahrain, and then fifth in Monaco, before wining this Sunday’s GP. He was followed by Frenchman and Lotus-Renault driver, Romain Grosjean in second place, and in third came Spaniard Sergio Perez, driving for Sauber Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel, despite qualifying first, ended up in the fourth spot, followed by Fernando Alonso in fifth.

With this win, Hamilton moves up to the top spot in the overall drivers’ standings, with a total of 88 points, followed by Fernando Alonso with 86 points, Sebastian Vettel with 85 points and Mark Webber coming a close fourth with 79 points. As for the manufacturers, Red Bull is still leading the pack with 164 points, with McLaren and Lotus-Renault behind it with 133 and 108 points respectively.

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Forza Motorsport 4's latest car pack includes Corvette Racing ZR1, C63 AMG Black Series

It may have gotten lost in the noise coming out of E3, particularly the preview for Forza Horizon that was released by Turn 10 Studios, but your good old Forza Motorsport 4 game got some new DLC this past week in the form of the Meguiar's Car Pack.

As usual, this month's car pack injects your copy of Forza 4 with ten new cars to drive. The headlining ride is the 2011 Chevrolet #4 Corvette Racing ZR1. The game did ship with two Corvette Racing cars already, the 2004 #3 C5.R and 2006 #4 C6.R, both of which were much more dominant in their respective GTS and GT1 classes than this more recent ZR1-based car has been in the GT2 class, but its inclusion will round out your collection of modern ALMS Corvettes.

What you'll probably jump into first, though, is the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series. We've driven it and you should too, even if it's only in the game. The 1987 RUF CTR Yellowbird is also nice to see in this pack, as well as the '92 Toyota Celica GT-Four RC ST185. You also get the original 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, 1997 Maserati Ghibli Cup, 1958 MG MGA Twin-Cam, 2011 Aston Martin Cygnet, 1940 Ford De Luxe Coupe and 1959 BMW 507.

via: Forzamotosport.net

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Hydrogen-electric racer set for Le Mans

According to an Internet, somewhere, the Hammerhead shark has a disproportionately small mouth and does a lot of ‘bottom-hunting'. What you see above isn't a Hammerhead shark, but a Le Mans racer that looks an awful lot like one.

It's called the GreenGT H2, and is a hydrogen-electric hybrid racer that will occupy ‘Garage 56' at the 2013 Le Mans endurace race; that experimental pit at the circuit - filled this year by Nissan's revolutionary DeltaWing racer - that is judged to be technologically innovative.

The GreenGT H2 boasts a hydrogen fuel cell that produces electricity to drive two electric motors which produce around 540bhp, sitting on a bespoke chassis built by the Welter Racing team; Le Mans veterans throughout the 90s. And veteran viewers of Top Gear will of course remember James May's film about the Honda Clarity, extolling the virtues of hydrogen cars as the future (it doesn't emit anything nasty).

GreenGT tells us earlier prototypes used lithium-ion batteries, but were found to be the "weak point". Hydrogen was then chosen, and a 100kW fuel cell was developed last year and tested, alongside a twin-motor powertrain that can power the 1,240kg chassis to an expected top speed of 186mph. By any measure, that's quick.

Because of its Garage 56 designation, the GreenGT H2 - like the DeltaWing - won't be classified in the normal LMP1/LMP2/GTE Pro/GTE AM classes, but will get to race, and will therefore have to pass all the relevant safety tests. We're informed testing will begin in July. Will this go ‘bottom-hunting' next year? And how do you think it'll fare next to the DeltaWing? Don't forget, TopGear.com is building its very own version of Nissan's racer, and it's coming along quite nicely...

via: topgear

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Ford configurator prices new 2013 Explorer Sport from $40,720*

With at least 350 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, the 2013 Ford Explorer Sport is no ho-hum grocery getter. Now that we know how much the most powerful Explorer costs, we may have to start cutting coupons. Ford has priced the new Explorer Sport at $40,720 plus another $825 for destination charges. That price tag comes in at nearly $1,000 more than the similarly equipped Explorer Limited with all-wheel drive, yet it adds the EcoBoost V6 and sport-tuned suspension.

The standard Explorer Sport comes nicely equipped, but far from loaded. The Blue Oval offers a 402A package with voice-activated navigation and Travel Link, pushbutton start and remote start for $4,130. Add adaptive cruise control ($1,150), dual-panel moonroof ($1,595) and dual-DVD for the second row and you're looking at $50,415.

That's a good bit of coin for a crossover with a Ford badge, but if you've always dreamed of an Explorer with a boosted sledgehammer of a powertrain, this Sport may be your best bet. 

Via: Ford

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