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Filed under: Time Warp , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Driving , Alfa Romeo Click to view the '61 Alfa Giulietta in our hi-res gallery Everyone has their own idea of heaven on earth: the first snowfall, a cold beer on a hot day, a pristine azure beach... Cruising around town on a beautiful summer day in a classic Italian roadster may just be ours. There's just something, what the French call a certain je ne sais quoi , an indefinable quality about a vintage Alfa - found somewhere in between the exhaust note and the chrome details - that has a unique capacity to make driver and passenger forget about everything else and just enjoy the drive. Don't get us wrong, we're big fans of progress. But after spending a few hours with this beautiful 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, we're gaining a new appreciation for the phrase "they don't build 'em like they used to". Follow the jump to read why. Gallery: 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Photos Copyright (C)2008...
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Filed under: Garage , Sports/GTs , Ford , Driving Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Shelby GT500 Mustang Sometime around late 2003, I first saw the car that was at that time still known as Condor. Condor was the Ford internal code name for the SVT version of the yet to be publicly shown S197 Mustang. At that time, most everyone outside of Ford was still anticipating that this car would be the new Mustang Cobra. Somewhere along the line to launch, Ford had settled its long standing conflict with Carroll Shelby and Condor ended up wearing one of the other classic Mustang badges from the '60s. The Shelby GT500 eventually started rolling off the Flat Rock, MI assembly line in both coupe and convertible forms for the 2007 model year. Ford recently dropped off a Grey 2008 GT500 coupe at the Autoblog Garage for a few days, and we just had to share. By coincidence, the GT500 arrived about three weeks after the Mustang Bullitt we reviewed. While the Bullitt was about as understated...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , Dodge , Driving , Autoline on Autoblog Click for more Dodge Challenger SRT-8 pics from John McElroy's drive A couple of weeks back I wrote a bit about the new Dodge Challenger SRT-8 . But to honor the embargo that the Public Relations people put on driving impressions, I had to hold the best stuff until now. And man, was it worth the wait! Despite a sagging economy, sinking car sales and soaring gas prices, the SRT-8 version of the Challenger is going to do just fine. That, despite the fact it only averages 15 mpg and costs $40,000. No worries, mate, it's the other numbers that are going to sell this car. Check 'em out: 0-60 mph: 4.9 seconds ¼ mile: 13.7 seconds 0-100-0 mph: under 17 seconds 60-0 mph: 110 feet When it comes to top speed, the SRT people have had the car up to 170 mph, but that was on an oval. Since the Challenger is not speed-limited in any way except for its aerodynamic drag, they believe that out on the Salt Flats...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Sports/GTs , Euro , Audi , Driving Driving a car on a racetrack, a controlled environment where the vehicle's limits can be safely probed, is an experience that not only increases driving skills, but it builds confidence too. Recognizing this, and offering car enthusiasts a way to legally wring-out some of their hottest products, Audi has partnered with Emotive to launch their 2008 Audi Sportscar Experience. Unlike last year's marketing-oriented Audi Driving Experience , or any other Driver Education event, the Sportscar Experience is focused on high-performance driving. The program consists of several different one- and two-day programs held at Infineon Raceway in California. Drivers sign up for the event of their choice, and each one includes a high-performance Audi "S" model for flogging ( yes, tires and brakes are included ). The vehicles include the 420-hp Audi RS4 , the 354-hp Audi S5 , the 450-hp Audi S8 , and the awesome 420-hp Audi R8...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Sports/GTs , Euro , Audi , Driving , UK Click above for high-res gallery of the Audi TT-S The Isle of Man credits itself as hosting the world's oldest races, the Tourist Trophy (TT). The 32-mile long island, located in the Irish Sea ( it's the body of water between the United Kingdom and Ireland ), held the first motorcycle and car races back in 1905. Now, for the first time in more than a century, a car sharing the same name as the event has been named the "Official Car" of the event. You guessed it, event organizers have chosen the Audi TT as the "Official Car." It's not just any TT that gets the honor -- it's the hot new 265-hp Audi TT-S . Audi will be supplying eight cars for the event at the end of May. Driven by race officials ( yes , at non-race speeds ), they will help with the course inspection and other logistics during the week-long event. Oh, we should add, it is a motorcycle race. Doh! Gallery: Audi TT-S [Source...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Videos , Supercars , Chevrolet , Porsche , Driving What do you do with a Porsche GT2 , a Corvette Z06 , and an abandoned aircraft runway? That's obvious: you line both cars up, nail the throttle and crown the victor. Thankfully, that's exactly what the chaps at Autocar did when they pitted the new GT2 against the Z06 on a long piece of straight pavement. No timing lights, no start/finish line, just two guys with heavy right feet and a camera crew to capture the action. To refresh your memory, the GT2 is the hottest car currently in Porsche's inventory. Under its decklid, a 3.6-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder powerplant pumps out an impressive 530 hp and 500 lb.-ft. of torque. The Chevrolet Z06 has been in showrooms a bit longer, but nothing holds back its 7.0-liter eight-cylinder engine packing a 505 hp punch with 470 lb.-ft. of torque. Oh yeah, we should mention (before you all point it out) the German costs about twice as much as the American. We won't...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sports/GTs , Supercars , Nissan , Driving Photo courtesy of Inside Line According to our friends at Inside Line, there are seven U.S.-spec Nissan GT-Rs in the country at this moment. They have secured one of them, a white pre-production car handed over by Nissan's engineering team. (That's it above with IL's 308 long-termer .) With editors Scott Oldham and Ed Hellwig at the wheel, that car will get driven 3,000 miles over the next three days, and they're going to share the wealth! For added coolness, they'll bring the whip to a few selected Inside Line readers along the way, where the lucky fans will reportedly get to take Godzilla for a spin around the block. If that's not reader-love, we don't know what is. The entire trip's being blogged (and possibly vlogged, it seems) at Straightline , so check in over the next three days to follow their progress. It should be a good read. Here's hoping you get accustomed to that "comfort"...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Lexus , Driving Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of Lexus IS F pics So we recently got some seat time in the Lexus IS F, and we can proudly report that it's not anything Lexus has ever been before. Does it really compare to the M3 and C63 AMG? In a little-kid-from-down-the-street-trying-to-get-in-the-game way, yeah. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be in the game. Follow the jump for the full story, and check out the new gallery of Lexus IS F pics below. Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Lexus IS F Gallery: Lexus IS-F Continue reading First Drive: the 2008 Lexus IS F Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Chevrolet , Driving Recently my friend Jonny got a message from a mysterious Czech car collector who had a line on a "vintage" Corvette located in the San Francisco area. The collector was looking for someone to deliver the "mint" 1981 C3 Corvette to the port of Los Angeles where a ship was waiting to transport it to Europe. Jonny being the adventuresome type, figured that if Jeremy Clarkson could buy a mid-eighties Camaro in Miami and drive it to New Orleans (in lieu of renting something a wee bit newer) he could at least try to emulate him. Unfortunately, like Jezza's Camaro, the Corvette had an issue or two. The climate control system was less than cooperative and the assorted switches were even less so. As Jonny found out, attempting to drive an unrestored "classic" more than a nominal distance is likely to rouse the ghost of Murphy. Anything that can go wrong... well you know the rest. [Source: The Truth About Cars ] Read...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Videos , Nissan , Driving Click above for high-res live gallery of the new GT-R in the wild Right after we posted our first impressions of the new Nissan GT-R last night, we were contacted by our friends at SpeedAndMotion.com who told us that they had shot some high-def video of the car, too. There is footage of the car during a quick sprint down the road and a good bit of time spent scanning the car's many interesting details, inside and out. The bottom video also shows a bit of crowd reaction to this all-new GT-R, just for fun. Follow the link to see the car in motion and hear some of the features explained by one of the guys who brought the car to the States for promotional purposes. Gallery: 2008 Nissan GT-R in the wild Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Nissan , Driving Click above for a high-res gallery of our first encounter with a Nissan GT-R When a friend tipped us that there might be an R35 Nissan GT-R drifting around Southern California, we tried to get more details. As the facts started trickling in, we realized we might actually be able to get some seat time if we played our cards right. Well, we did get some seat time and we were definitely impressed. So what if the "seat" was on the opposite side of the steering wheel? Even amidst car-jaded Southern Californians, this thing drew a huge crowd. We were lucky enough to work our way to the front of the line and were eventually invited inside for a short ride around the block. So, what did we think? The most highly anticipated car of the day is one helluva ride, as you might expect. But the levels to which Nissan has gone to make this car a world beater had some in the crowd comparing this to the Bugatti Veyron for sheer technology overload. Follow...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Pontiac , Driving Click above for high-res gallery from first drive of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT We don't know how it happened or who started it, but some automotive news outlets have published their first drive reviews of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT before the imposed embargo by GM. Since we don't have one of our own (yet), we'll be sending you to a non-guilty party with a great review of Pontiac's new rear-wheel-drive performance sedan. Popular Mechanics had a chance to drive the G8 GT in Malibu, and we're not surprised that they were extremely impressed. Aside from the crazy fast performance numbers that come courtesy of the car's 6.0L V8 producing 361 horsepower, PM claims it's the steering and handling of the G8 GT that leaves the biggest positive impression. When was the last time you heard that said about a large domestic sedan? Even the six-speed automatic was praised, though a rumor that a Corvette LS3-powered G8 GXP...
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Filed under: Motorsports , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Porsche , Driving Click image to see one other photo of the wrecked 944 Cody, a reader from the Kansas City area, let us know about a story that made the rounds on the local news there yesterday. Two men were in a fully race-prepared Porsche 944 driving down Highway 350 when the driver, an employee of the owner (who was not in the vehicle), lost control of the car. According to KMBC-TV, the Porsche then left the highway, flipping twice and hitting several trees before coming to rest on its roof. Both occupants were hospitalized and listed in critical condition, and the passenger was thrown from the vehicle during the incident. The car was running Yokohama racing slicks at the time of the crash, which could have been a contributing factor. Weather conditions in Kansas City yesterday were, according to The Weather Channel , cloudy with a high of 35 degrees. The accident investigation is ongoing. KMBC has video of the scene, and Cody captured...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , Driving The General has been on a roll as of late with new vehicles like the Saturn Aura, Cadillac CTS, Chevy Malibu and its line of redesigned trucks and SUVs that have been garnering good reviews and the attention of customers. We were invited to test drive the new Chevrolet HHR SS to see if they've knocked one out of the park, hit a foul or, ahem, missed the ball completely when transforming the little retro-mobile into a Super Sport. Our driving and vehicle impressions can be found after the jump, but for starters, remember these two key phrases: launch control and no-lift shifting. Intrigued? We were. Gallery: 2008 Chevy HHR SS: First Drive Continue reading First Drive: 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Nissan , Porsche , Driving Performance on par with a Porsche 911 Turbo was a well publicized benchmark for Nissan engineers when designing the new GT-R. Nissan even flaunted its achievement of a faster lap time for the Nürburgring circuit as proof positive. While the information coming out of the manufacturer's camp was impressive, it also came with a grain of salt. Nissan's own marketing fluff was biased, of course. What then would be the result of the same comparison without the obviously one-sided view? Being the curious automotive enthusiasts that they are, the Inside Line gang decided to pool their resources and get the new Nissan GT-R together with a Porsche 911 Turbo for a little playtime. The playground consisted of German public roads -- the autobahn in particular. The game was chase; Porsche versus GT-R, with the GT-R as lead. The Nissan's confidence through corners helped it to frequently diminish the 911 Turbo's visage in its rearview...
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