Toyota GT 86 Ready to Have Fun in China

One cheap-ish Japanese import that should go some way towards improving public sentiment in China is the GT 86 sports coupe. Launched last year across most of the world, the car is the smallest 2+2 coupe that you can go sideways in.

Chinese petrol heads will be treated to a sweet naturally aspirated 2.0-liter boxer engine that produces 200 horsepower to the rear wheels. Despite the heavy import taxes, the GT 86 is quite cheap at CNY269,000 ($43,250 at the current exchange rate) for the base manual, which means Toyota want people's perceptions to change in the people's republic.

To find out more about the GT 86, read our Test Drive, check out all the photos and enjoy. If you're sold, just head over to your local FAW-Toyota dealer and place that order.

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Subaru BRZ Also Coming to China

We've just told you that Toyota's GT 86 sports coupe is available in China for CNY269,000 ($43,250 at the current exchange rate), a very decent price for what is undoubtably a cult car of the moment. The 86 was designed in partnership with Subaru and is actually built by Fuji Heavy Industries on the same line as the BRZ.

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Elton John's Ferrari Up for Grabs at London Auction

A Ferrari 512 TR previously owned by British singer and songwriter Sir Elton John is to be sold at the COYS "Spring Classics" auction in London.

Built in 1991, this rare Maranello supercar has only 2,100 miles (3,380 km) on the clock and it's estimated to sell for over $134,000 (GBP 90,000 / EUR 103,000).

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BMW Z4 GTE Debuts this Weekend in the ALMS Series

This weekend the 12 hour race of Sebring will mark a new beginning for the BMW Motorsport program in North America: this will be the first time the BMW Team RLL will go against opposition in the GT class with the new BMW Z4 GTE.

The BMW M3 GT left some big shoes to fill. It was most successful, especially at Sebring, winning in 2011 and 2012. That means that this year's performance will serve as a starting point and benchmark for future endeavors of the RLL Team.

The team will have two complementary cars: one Z4 GTE finished in Frozen Black, wearing number 55 will be driven by Bill Auberlen (US), Maxime Martin (BE) and Jörg Müller (DE). The other Z4 will be dressed in a classic Alpine White BMW Motorsport livery and will be driven by Dirk Müller (DE), Joey Hand (US) and John Edwards (US).

"After all the months of development and preparation with the new BMW Z4 GTE, we are obviously now looking forward to testing ourselves against the opposition for the first time in Sebring. We have been very successful at this 12-hour race in recent years. I am excited to see whether the BMW Z4 GTE will cope as well with the specific demands of this race as its predecessor the BMW M3 GT did. We would like to start the season with a good result. However, the priority is to capitalise on the potential of the new car. This will obviously take a while,” said Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director).

“I’m always excited to start the season, especially at Sebring. This year almost everything is new, from the car and tyres to my two new team-mates. We are obviously well aware it will be very difficult to win the GT class three years in a row, especially with a new car. However, I know everyone in the team is extremely motivated to do well," said legendary BMW driver Dirk Müller.

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Chad Rogers Drives a MINI Cooper S

The star of BRAVO’s Million Dollar Listing recently bought a MINI Cooper S according to Celebritycarsblog.com. Rogers also has a Bentley Continental GT so this purchase might be surprising to those that didn’t get the chance to drive MINI’s hot hatch.

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Renault Looking to Expand RS Lineup

RenaultSport Technologies boss Patrice Ratti has recently unveiled the company's plans to expand the RS lineup.

According to an Auto Express report, RenaultSport is looking to have four or five models in its line up over the next four to five years. While Ratti has evaded from giving further details, it's likely for the future RS program to include versions of the Clio, Megane, Twingo and even Captur.

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Four-Cylinder Ford Mustang Coming to US After All

Two days ago we were telling you about the four-cylinder-engined Ford Mustang being introduced for European versions of the car exclusively.

Well, it seems that Edmunds' report was wrong, and the pony will get the 2.3-liter EcoBoost in the US as well. At least that's what Road & Track claims, adding that the little turbo is likely to come with over 300 HP in order to top the 3.7-liter V6 unit.

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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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Ferrari Launches Online Configurator for new LaFerrari

Ferrari has just launched the official 3D online configurator for its brand new 2013 LaFerrari hypercar.

Just like the Ferrari Enzo before it, the LaFerrari will only be offered in Nero (black), Rosso Corsa (red) and Giallo Modena (yellow) and will feature very few customisable options.

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[Official] Gumpert gets new investment, tells of new models on the way this year

German supercar maker Gumpert didn't bring any new models to the Geneva show this year – just a couple of current-generation Apollos, seen above – but it did come bearing some interesting news about prospective vehicles. In a brief press release that mentions new investment in the company, Gumpert's managing director says, "Our distribution and dealer networks are being expanded worldwide and sister models will soon be added to the Apollo. What's more, we'll already be presenting the first of these models this year at a major trade fair."

That is heartening news from a company that declared insolvency just about a year ago following a disastrous foray into the Chinese market. Either that flirtation with financial danger had little influence on the company to date, or the new investor has deep pockets, or both.

At any rate, the short statement from Gumpert offers more hope than ever that we'll see the rumored Tornante model, and maybe sooner rather than later. A sleek, 700-horsepower Gumpert won't be easy to hide at upcoming auto shows, we're guessing, now that we've been given some notice. Stay tuned.

05.03.2013

GUMPERT takes off!

The sports car manufacturer GSM GUMPERT Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH is launching into the coming few years with a new investor. An enlargement of the product range is planned.

Managing Director Roland Gumpert commented euphorically on the future of his company, "Our distribution and dealer networks are being expanded worldwide and sister models will soon be added to the apollo. What's more, we'll already be presenting the first of these models this year at a major trade fair".

First of all, the company will be presenting itself this year at the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show in Hall 2, Stand 2057, with two current apollo s.

News Source: Gumpert

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