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smart fortwo BRABUS coming to America

Those looking for a little bit more punch from their microcars are in luck as smart will begin offering the BRABUS-tuned version of its fortwo in the U.S. beginning in February 2009. News of its impending arrival was apparently emailed to potential smart owners who have already placed reservation deposits but have not yet configured their new fortwo. These people in line for a regular smart fortwo will have the option of changing their reservation to the limited edition BRABUS model beginning 8PM EST tonight. The American-ized version should feature the same 98-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder engine as the BRABUS fortwo in Europe, as well as the same styling tweaks and handling package. Even with the increase in power, the European BRABUS fortwo is still able to achieve 45 miles per U.S. gallon. While it's 10-second run to 60 won't break any records, that's a precious few ticks quicker that the standard model and would surely make the microcar a lot more fun to drive. Still, we'll take what we can get.
posted : 10/27/2008 @4:22:36 PM
Force India negotiates deal to buy cars from McLaren

So far, the Force India team has had a consistent season in Formula One. Unfortunately, that means consistently running at the back. But Indian business mogul Vijay Mallya is committed to making a go of it, and the latest deal in the works could give his team the machinery they need to start moving up the field. The deal is reportedly all but complete between perennial back-marker Force India and front-runners McLaren for the former to buy their cars – lock, stock and barrel – from the latter. It's a highly tentative deal, however, as Formula One rules are due to be enacted that would ban customer cars. F1 teams are supposed to act as their own constructors, however other teams – such as Red Bull and Toro Rosso, Honda and the defunct Super Aguri – have been using common designs. David Richards' Prodrive outfit was slated to re-enter the series with customer cars from McLaren, but withdrew their tender at the last minute due to the anticipated ban on customer cars. Force India, which currently builds its own chassis and buys engines from Ferrari, evidently thinks the rules won't be enforced. If it is allowed to proceed, the Force India team would turn into an effective B-squad for McLaren.
posted : 10/27/2008 @4:12:26 PM
Russian supercar named by Freudian serfs: E-Go Revolt

A new coachbuilding company in Russia called E-Go has come up with a new car built on a Mitsubishi platform. Called Revolt, by E-Go, we don't find it the least bit offensive, although we do think the rear end is a little funky. The Revolt -- in spite of the company's catchy name and word "volt" lurking around in there -- is not electric. Rather, a 3.0-liter V6 gets two turbos slapped on to run some 550 hp through a six-speed gearbox. It has an active air suspension and rides on 19-inch wheels from Japanese wheel company Work, with 325/30 rubber out back. Stopping power should be prodigious, thanks to six-piston calipers up front and four-pots in back. Most interesting, the car's electronics are being developed by engineering firm National Instruments, and you will be able to control them all via a touch screen monitor in the steering wheel. We can't wait to see what that steering wheel must look like, and whether they can make the car drive for you while you punch in new data. Word is that E-Go "has already started building cars," but as usual, we'll wait and see.
posted : 10/27/2008 @4:09:40 PM
Bonhams to auction off Bruce Willis muscle car collection

Auction house Bonhams is gearing up for another landmark event, scheduled to take place in just a few days at The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Enthusiasts undeterred by the financial crisis will find all manner of automobile and automobilia at the auction, including several Steve McQueen artifacts, a land-speed record-breaking 1949 Vincent motorbike, and a selection of muscle cars from the collection of action movie star Bruce Willis. Bruce will be offloading a prized collection of classic American steel, including a pair of Corvette roadsters (an original '57 and a '67 Stingray), a 1955 Chevy Nomad, a '69 Dodge Charger and the piece de resistance, a 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible. The star factor is sure to add to their value, and the latter is expected to fetch upwards of $150,000. For a closer look, head on down to The Petersen
posted : 10/27/2008 @4:03:15 PM
Current Prius rumored to get price cut to compete with Insight

According to AutoExpress' Japan correspondent, Peter Lyon, when the 3rd generation Prius goes on sale in Europe next year, the current model will continue to be sold at a discount along side its modern counterpart. The rumored decision by Toyota is in response to the release of the new Honda Insight hybrid, which will start at around £15,000 when it goes on sale this March. In the report, Lyon contends that Toyota wants to woo people into showrooms with the current Prius' lower sticker in an attempt to compete with its cross-town rival. We're interested to see how this will play with consumers and wonder if Toyota will use a similar tactic when the next generation Prius goes on sale in the States around the same time.
posted : 10/22/2008 @11:08:03 PM
Toyota expected to post first annual sales decline in 10 yearsWe knew the auto industry was in bad shape and it didn't take long to extend its poisoned-tipped tentacles into the world's automotive juggernaut. In August came news that the Japanese automaker had cut its sales forecast for 2008 from 10.4 million vehicles to 9.7 million. A Japanese newspaper, though, says it expects Toyota to only sell 8.3 million for the year. If true, it would be the company's first year over year sales decline in a decade. The Nikkei Daily (subscription required) doesn't back up its prediction with any sources, but we'll know how close to the truth they get come in January when Toyota announces official sales numbers.
posted : 10/22/2008 @11:06:26 PM
Dodge Viper now eligible for employee pricing

Cerberus may be trying to offload Viper, but not before it gives over a million Americans the opportunity to pick one up at discounted prices. Until now the Viper remained outside Chrysler's Employee Purchase and Certain Designated Individuals discount program, but that's about to change as the supercar joins the list of eligible vehicles. While Chrysler employs over 130,000 people, we doubt many of them, especially in this economic climate, will have the means or motivation to pick up the gas-guzzling V10 muscle car. However, an arrangement between Chrysler and Wal-Mart extends the benefits program to employees of the mega-retail chain, and with over 1.2 million employees, we're sure there are a few who'll take Chrysler up on its offer. Don't go rushing to pick up an ACR, however, as the track-focused model remains outside the program.
posted : 10/22/2008 @11:04:44 PM
Latest teaser previews 2010 Ford Mustang "power dome" hood

We now have just four weeks until the 2010 Ford Mustang is completely unveiled at the LA Auto Show, and to make everyone that much more impatient, Ford has continued its agonizing tease with this newest photo that shows a portion of the hood. The image confirms the cowl design shown by the spied 2010 Mustang hood we reported on earlier in the year. There's still no official word on whether the new hood design is functional or just for looks, but we did notice that Ford tagged the image file as "powerdome". Perhaps just a name, but we're hoping it's a sign that Ford has given its pony car a boost in power that won't leave Mustang owners too jealous of the Camaro's 400 horsepower.
posted : 10/22/2008 @11:04:05 PM
eBay Find of the Day: twin-turbo Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang

There's a special place in our hearts for the Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang. After a week in the Autoblog Garage we fell in love with the wonderful 302-ci V8, amazingly sharp handling, and Trans-Am inspired looks. If we were to pick any of the current Mustang variants, the PJ would probably be it. Because of the collectability of the car (a total of 500 were produced) we're guessing that most owners have left their cars stock, but one particular owner decided to make his Parnelli Jones Mustang truly unique. How? He added dual 57mm Precision turbos, upgraded forged pistons, aluminum heads, a full three-inch exhaust system, and much, much more. In total, the motor produces 768 horsepower and 769 lb-ft torque -- at the wheels! The look of the car remains completely unchanged, making it as much of a sleeper as a car painted in Grabber Orange can be. The modded Parnelli is now up for sale on eBay Motors, and we're wishing that we had significantly more funding in our bank accounts.
posted : 10/21/2008 @8:03:16 PM
Lexus to launch compact in Europe, targeting 1 Series and A3Europeans will get another premium compact car not bound for U.S. shores and this time it comes courtesy of Lexus. The automaker is targeting the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, vehicles that its rivals have offered in the United States market. Lexus, though, only plans the vehicle for markets outside the U.S. where sales of smaller cars outpace their larger siblings. Apparently, Lexus has set a goal to sell 150,000 vehicles in Europe by 2015 and believes the new model is necessary to meet that number. At this point, we have no idea what platform the compact car would be based on, but Toyota certainly has a number of options, most notably the Auris, which is offered in the European market in hatchback form. There is also the possibility that the new entry-level Lexus could be based on an upcoming small hybrid model from Toyota that would slot beneath the Prius, a version of which the automaker plans to debut in the Lexus line.
posted : 10/21/2008 @7:51:00 PM
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