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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Pontiac Click above for high-res image gallery of the Pontiac G8 GXP There's a Looney Tunes cartoon where Bugs Bunny is in charge of Yosemite Sam's inheritance, and every time Yosemite Sam loses his temper at something Bugs has done, the rabbit subtracts money. By the time Yosemite gets his act together... he's out of money. Substitute GM for Yosemite Sam and the buying public for Bugs Bunny, throw in a little credit crisis, and all we can say is that it would be a shame if the Pontiac G8 GXP fell victim to this scenario: GM running out of money just when it gets its act together. Because we're here to tell you - and you can quote us on this - the Pontiac G8 GXP is @#$%&*! Awesome. Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP Live photos copyright (C)2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP originally...
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Filed under: LA Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Ford Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Ford Mustang When the 2005 Ford Mustang debuted, it thoroughly reinvigorated the pony car segment that it created four decades earlier. After 25 years of being assembled on the archaic rear-wheel-drive Fox platform, the Mustang finally had an all-new platform and styling that hearkened back to the late 1960s. Known as the S197, this Mustang appeared at a time when it was in fact the only surviving member of the muscle car class. The Camaro and Firebird had been cancelled two years earlier and Chrysler had been out of the rear-wheel-drive sport coupe market since the 1970s. The Mustang's enormous success inspired Chevrolet and Dodge to create their own retro-styled muscle cars in the form of the new Camaro and Challenger. Fortunately for Mustang fans, Ford has not been sitting idle, and even while it was creating all those special edition Mustangs over the past few years...
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Lotus Click above for high-res gallery of the Lotus Exige S240 "What is it?" people will ask. They'll keep going. "It's fast, huh? How fast does it go?" The answer will disappoint them. Yes, it is fast, but when driving the Lotus Exige S240, its 150-mph top speed is not at the forefront of one's mind. Lotuses are more classically described as accurate weapons of destructed mass; light cars that handle as an extension of the driver's body. True to the roots laid down by the Europa, the Exige is a composite monocoque, carrying 1800cc of supercharged Toyota fury admidships. Many have glommed on to the Elise and Exige as track-day toys, but we wanted to see how this most raucous of Lotuses would do as a desert island car. If all you could swing were the payments for a single car, and you got your kicks by surgically trimming apices, could the Lotus hack it? It's certainly one of the most accurate...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Concept Cars , SEMA , Tuners , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Dodge Click above for the Camaro vs Challenger Smackdown Earlier this week we published live shots of four Camaro Concepts that Chevy had brought to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. As the Official Car of the show this year, the Camaro was expected to be present in full force. What we didn't expect were all the great Dodge Challengers that we've found. We've shared some of our favorites with you already, but the official Challengers from Mopar alone are pretty spectacular. Today we went back and took another look at the Challengers in Mopar Alley and realized something: Black is to Blacktop as LS7 is to SRT10 as GS is to Targa . The Camaro and Challenger concepts at SEMA match up pretty well. Coincidence? We think not. So, building on our recent GM/Chrysler Battle Royale, we decided to find out which muscle car concepts were king at the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Camaro VS Challenger Smackdown! SEMA...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Euro , Supercars , Ferrari , First Drive Click above for hi-res gallery of the Ferrari California The best Ferrari is the next Ferrari. Whether you consider that to be a statement of fact or an opinion largely depends on how you define the term. It's an opinion like a Supreme Court justice's ruling is called an "opinion". Or better yet, like billions worldwide would view the Bible as God's "opinion". Coming from the mouth of the legendary Enzo Ferrari himself - famously expressed in response to a journalist's query - for the congregations of the faithful around the world, it's the gospel truth. The Commendatore's statement was - as it remains to this day - backed up by a spirit of progress, by the constant pursuit of technical perfection that continues to drive his company into the 21st century and which makes each new Ferrari better than the last. Follow Enzo's declaration to its natural end and you'll...
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Filed under: Time Warp , Sports/GTs , Porsche , Lifestyle , Sunday Drive Click above for high-res gallery from our drive to Chino We were recently invited along by the Porsche 356 Registry and 356 Club of Southern California for a Sunday drive out to the Chino Airport and couldn't think of any good reason to say no. Like any car club, the glue that holds these groups together are the cars they own, drive and admire. In this case it is Porsche's classic 356 and its successor, the Porsche 912. While some see these models are little more than gussied up Beetles, those in the know appreciate them for what they really are, the cars that made Porsche a household name. Follow the jump to read more about our special day with these iconic cars and the equally legendary planes at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino. And don't forget to check out the high-res gallery for your next desktop wallpaper. Gallery: Chino Porsches 'N' Planes Photos Copyright (C)2008 Frank Filipponio...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Sports/GTs , Tech Click above for high-res gallery of Tesla Roadster v1.5 Last January we landed an exclusive first drive of the Tesla Roadster . We were impressed, but well aware that the particular two-gear model we drove that wet afternoon wasn't identical to the version set to land in customers' hands later in the year. Last week, we were invited back to briefly test drive a genuine production model with the latest transmission and software updates (aka "powertrain 1.5"). Check out our round-two impressions after the jump. (Ed. Note: Sorry for the lack of live images, but we literally had about half-hour to drive the car before it was whisked away.) Gallery: 2009 Tesla Roadster v1.5 Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster Continue reading Driven: 2009 Tesla Roadster v1.5 Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Porsche , First Drive Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S with PDK Introduced in 1963, the Porsche 911 is one of the most successful competition cars ever built. Despite its unconventional rear-engine platform, the 911 Carrera holds recorded wins in nearly every type of automotive competition. Continuously upgraded and refined, Porsche has introduced a mid-cycle refresh for the 2009 model year. While the cosmetic changes are immediately apparent, the most significant improvements - two new engines and a new double-clutch transmission - are hidden under its sleek skin. We spent a long day putting the 2009 911 Carrera through its paces on a race track near Salt Lake City framed by the spectacular snow-capped surrounding mountains of Utah. Read our impressions after the jump. Gallery: 2009 Porsche Carrera 911 PDK Photos Copyright (C)2008 Michael Harley / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading First Drive: 2009 Porsche...
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Coupes , Sports/GTs Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo The first-gen Cobalt SS failed to deliver with a supercharged 2.0L Ecotec four-cylinder producing 205 horsepower and a cast of supporting components that did little to hide the Cobalt's rental car roots. But then something entirely unexpected happened. The GM Performance Division completely reworked the Cobalt SS for 2008, swapping in a more powerful turbocharged engine, upgrading the rest of the mechanicals, and tweaking the entire package on the world's most demanding race tracks, including the famed Nürburgring in Germany. The result is - and we're not kidding here - the most impressive performance car to wear a bow-tie badge on sale today*. Exactly how General Motors turned a bottom-of-the-pack, front-wheel-drive econocar into a class-leading sport compact is revealed after the jump. *My colleagues thought it best to explain this statement. There's...
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Sports/GTs , Mazda Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3 Hard as it may be to believe, the word "hummer" didn't always bring up visions of obnoxious, polarizing SUVs. In fact, there was a time not so very long ago that uttering that word evoked something entirely different, namely cars powered by Wankel rotary engines. For the past three decades, the world's sole purveyor of rotary-powered automobiles has been Mazda. The "Zoom-Zoom" brand has always been a little different from its compatriots. Back in 1963, a young Kenichi Yamamoto was heading up the research department at Mazda and latched on to the concept developed a decade earlier by Felix Wankel. Just as two-stroke engines were all the rage for a time in the early 1990s and fuel cells in the middle of this decade, the Wankel rotary seemed to be the next big thing in the 1960s and early '70s. For a time it seemed every major automaker had licensed...
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Cadillac Click above for high-res gallery of 2009 Cadillac XLR-V It's not a good time to be any other car in Cadillac's lineup besides the CTS. While the brand's new sedan racks up accolades and fresh converts, the other vehicles wearing a wreath and crest badge stand around like the siblings that didn't grow up to be president. Then there's the 556-hp CTS-V, Cadillac's brand new halo car, a role that used to be played by the XLR hardtop convertible. The XLR has a V version, too, but it has only 443 units of whoopass under its hood. It was, however, refreshed for the 2009 model year and can now be found resting comfortably in the shadow created by everyone crowding around the CTS-V. Let's see if the 2009 Cadillac XLR-V deserves its fate in the shade. Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage - 2009 Cadillac XLR-V All Photos (C) Copyright John Neff / Weblogs Inc. Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009...
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Dodge Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Next January's Detroit Auto Show will mark the 20th anniversary of the Viper's debut as a concept. Back then, every car in Chrysler's lineup was still derived from the K-Car. The K-cars saved Chrysler from the jaws of bankruptcy, but an executive named Lutz decided the automaker needed a new halo car to generate some excitement as a new decade dawned. Another old guy named Carroll Shelby was sprucing up Daytonas and Omnis at the time, so they decided to revive an idea from earlier in his career. Together they created a minimalistic two-seater with a humongous engine that became an instant American classic. That basic premise lives on today in the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 with only slightly less minimalism. Read on to find out what it's like to live with a snake for a week. Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Photos...
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Jaguar Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged Ford Motor Company sent Jaguar packing this year when it sold the storied English automaker, along with Land Rover, to Indian mega corp. Tata. On its way out the door, Jaguar took something special: the XF sedan. Its entire development process having been carried out under the stewardship of Ford, the XF is easily the most tasty fruit born of the cross pollination between the Blue Oval and Leaping Cat since they were first joined back in 1989. Read on to find out how the 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharge fared in the Autoblog Garage. Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged All photos Copyright (C)2008 John Neff / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Sports/GTs , Porsche Click above for high-res gallery of the Porsche Carrera S As we approach the 45th birthday of the Porsche 911 and the dawn of yet another generation, we've finally managed to snag one in the Autoblog Garage for a full review. The 911 is the most direct descendant of the very earliest sports cars to wear that legendary German automotive name. It still uses the same basic layout as the first Porsche, the 356 (except for prototype No.1, which was mid-engined) with a horizontally opposed engine hanging out behind the rear axle. Of course, the 911 has two more cylinders now, and these days the engines are cooled by liquid rather then air, but the basic premise remains. Even though the 911 has gone through five generations, with another refresh for 2009 arriving momentarily, it remains instantly recognizable as what it is. Even with what some may consider an archaic drivetrain layout, the 2008 Porsche Carrera S remains one of the...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Porsche , First Drive , Special/Limited Editions Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Porsche Boxster RS 60 Our colleague Chris Tutor recently took the Porsche Boxster RS 60 Spyder for a few quick turns around Barber Motorsports. A tad more powerful than the Boxster S, and filled with red leather, he discovered it was plenty of car on the closed circuit. We recently had a chance to get the special edition RS 60 off the track and onto the back roads of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and got to see what the car could do on twisting country lanes - and unexpectedly, in the rain. The likewise unexpected result: damn near perfection. Follow the jump to find out how,and check out the gallery of hi-res and sometimes very damp images below. Gallery: Second Drive: Porsche Boxster RS 60 All Second Drive gallery photos Copyright (C)2008 Sergio Jurado / Weblogs, Inc. Gallery: First Drive: Porsche Boxster RS 60 Continue reading Second Drive...
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