Next summer's Concourso Italiano held during the Pebble Beach weekend in August will feature a gathering of Ferrari F40s to celebrate 20 years in the U.S. There's actually a Ferrari F40 Reunion Group and it's aiming to attract as many as, wait for it, 40 F40s to the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch on August 13th.
Porsche is getting a jump on the 2009 L.A. Auto Show next month with the announcement of an all-new, top-of-the-line Boxster model.
Dubbed the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder, it dispenses with a roof to reduce weight and gets a modest ten-horsepower increase over the current Boxster S. Porsche also mentioned some suspension modifications, but didn't get specific. Overall, the Boxster Spyder weighs just 2,811 pounds, which is about 133 pounds less than the Boxster S.
Worldwide sales are expected to begin in February of next year.
Last week we reported that sources had told Inside Line that the McLaren MP4-12C's introduction to the U.S. market might be delayed and the company had pulled out of the L.A. Auto Show next month.
McLaren responded to the report saying that although there were some discussions about showing the supercar at the L.A. show, the company eventually decided it was too early given the car's expected launch date in 2011.
We were also told that McLaren might be having difficulty setting up a North American dealer network to which a company spokesman said, "And if discussions so far are anything to go by we're not going to be short of people who want to retail the brand for us in the US."
So at this point it looks like the MP4-12C is scheduled for an early summer 2011 on sale date in the U.S.
Lace up those Pilotis, friends. Jim Russell Racing School is offering the chance to test in a Williams F1 car. Yes, one of those.
It goes like this. Jim Russell is holding a driver search at Infineon Raceway from December 19-22. You spend four days driving karts, Mitsubishi Evos and Lola-built open-wheel FJR-50s against 39 other racer hopefuls. From this pool of talent, Allan McNish -- yes, that Allan McNish -- will select two drivers whom each win a seat in the 2010 Jim Russell Championship Series (JRCS).
Winning the 16-race JRCS lands you fully-funded season in the 2011 FIA Formula 2 series. And if you conquer the F2 series, you win a test in a Williams Formula 1 car.
Assuming you've got the chops to pull off this hat trick extraordinaire, this is far and away the most affordable and direct way to (possibly) find yourself behind the wheel of an F1 car. You pay the $7,995 entry fee for the driver search, and... that's it. Everything else would be paid for. According to the Russell gang, the school is giving away $990,000 worth of racing to the winners.
Like all things in racing, though, you gotta be quick--the deadline for entering the driver search is at the end of this month.
All the gory details can be found on the Jim Russell USA website.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
Continue reading Jim Russell Wants You To Race Formula 1; Putting $990,000 Where Their Mouths Are.
The Dodge Viper just got a bit more collectible, as Chrysler has announced that only 500 more will be built. A new sports car will arrive in the summer of 2012, but don't expect it to be anything like the old-school Viper, as it will use Fiat alliance architecture.
Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, though, our Detroit editor, Dan Pund, reports that Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of the Dodge brand, said, "When you have friends across the ocean that are the world's best at building sports cars, that's exciting." Friends, as in friends in Maranello...?
Alongside that, we've learned that the Dodge Nitro gets to live through the product cuts and will continue to be sold under the Dodge car brand. Apparently, Fiat President Sergio Marchionne owns one.
Chrysler has also said the Caliber, Avenger, Journey and Grand Caravan will get new interiors -- evidently on top of the upgrades already made to the Caliber for 2010.
And with the splitting off of the Ram brand, the new Dodge logo will lose the horns and just say "DODGE" on a black background with a touch of red.
This is something cool I came across in Ford's SEMA booth. It's called the Mustang Dream Giveaway and it's a sweepstakes to benefit the Healing Heroes Network, an organization dedicated to assembling a network of health providers willing to donate services to treat injured American soldiers.
So, it's a good cause and the prizes are these two awesome Mustangs. The one on the left is a 1967 Shelby GT500 with a 428 cubic inch engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. And the one on the right is a 2010 Shelby GT500 called the Patriot Edition. It's the only 2010 Shelby to be painted Wimbleton White with guardsman blue stripes. That's right, it's one of one and it can be yours.
One ticket is just $3 (but they'll sell you as many tickets as you want) and can be purchased at winthemustang.com/sema or call toll free 877-700-8946. They even take credit cards.
The winner of these two incredible Mustangs will be announced on July 4th, 2010. Good luck.
More than a few of us on the Inside Line staff have a jones for a built first-gen Miata. We keep thinking about making one a project car/used long-termer, sort of like we did with the Ferrari 308, the E46 M3 and the Evo GSR all rolled into one. Only the Miata is dirt cheap. If you do much of the work yourself and live without a few luxuries, total cost to build one into a little Japanese Cobra could be well under $10,000 (including the car with hardtop).
The gang at Mike Burlas Design Inc. (www.mikeburlas.com) out of Rialto, CA understand what I'm talking about. They built this clean and simple wide body Miata I came across today at the SEMA show. It's powered by a turbo rotary engine, wears a fastback-style carbon roof and it sits just like it should. That, my friends, is stance. Mike, just lose the big rear wing and the car is right on.
And so now my Miata jones is like really off the chart. Thanks, Mike.
So what do you think? Should we do it?
Continue reading Turbo Rotary Mazda Miata Attacks SEMA.
John Hennessey is using this turbocharged Hyundai Genesis Coupe to promote his Tuner School -- a 14-week program designed to launch its students into the world of aftermarket tuning. Based at his Texas facility, the school covers engine building, forced induction and dyno testing -- all of which makes us wonder why there's no power claim for this single-turbo Genesis Coupe the company built.
Continue reading Hennessey Performance Engineering Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
The RMR crew pulled it off. Rhys Millen told us on the show floor that he drove this midengine Tau-V8-powered Genesis Coupe into the trailer. If you've been following our coverage of this car (here and here) you know that, like most SEMA cars, this one was cutting it close.
Continue reading Rhys Millen Racing Midengine V8 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
Inside Line has learned that the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will go on sale in the U.S. in April 2010 as a late 2010 model.
Mercedes officials have also let us know the gullwing Benz will take over for the SL63 AMG as the safety car for the 2010 Formula One season.
And we have an unofficial non-denial that there one day will be a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series.
Yes, another Jay Leno project car from GM. This time it's a twin-turbo version of the 2010 Camaro V6. Leno says it makes 425 horsepower thanks to the addition of Turbonetics T-3 turbos and an air-to-air intercooler. And who are we to doubt the Great Leno?
Developed as a modern day Z-28 of sorts, this Camaro also sits lower on revised springs and uses a six-piston Brembo brake package. There are also revised front and rear fascias and even functional brake-cooling ducts in the rear quarter panels.
Jay told GM's chief designer Ed Welburn that this is what a new Z-28 should be: lightweight and able to turn. Welburn just smiled and nodded like he always does, so whether this is a hint of things to come is anybody's guess.
Rarely do the words "tasteful" and "Mustang" go together. There's just something about America's pony car that brings out the worst of the aftermarket.
Thankfully, the new Mustang RTR is not one of those instances. Factory Ford drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. saw the gaping hole in the market for a modified Mustang that didn't look like it crashed into an Autozone and created the Mustang RTR.
The mechanical upgrades are mild. A cold air intake, new mufflers and a set of cross drilled Baer brakes are the biggies. There's also a set of 19-inch wheels with Falken FK452 tires and new springs that lower the car an inch and a half.
On the cosmetic side, the Mustang RTR gets a full aero upgrade that includes a deep front splitter, rear diffuser, revised sills and a mild aluminum spoiler. The interior changes are limited to adding the "RTR" logo to various parts like the floormats, shifter and speedometer.
The Mustang RTR will be available through any Ford dealer starting in February of next year for $7,800.
Photo Illustration by Nick Wilcox
Since rumors are already flying about the possibility of a Toyota FT-86 convertible, we thought we would give you an idea what such a vehicle might look like. Not bad eh?
Supposedly a Toyota official told someone at a Dutch website that the company would build such a vehicle "if there was sufficient demand." Well, given that the FT-86 was the unofficial star of the 2009 Tokyo auto show, we're guessing that an FT-86 convertible would create more than enough demand to justify its existence.
An FT-86 convertible would also do something that an FT-86 coupe probably would not -- that is, lure non-enthusiast buyers who simply want a stylish two-door that gets decent mileage. Makes for a much better business case, and the way Toyota's fortunes are going it could use a few hits.
This past Monday Top Gear's James May (That's the slow one with the funny hair.) wrote his column for the Telegraph.co.uk about it being the right time for him and everyone else to run out and buy a Ferrari 308.
"I've decided it's time to be a modernist; time to view motoring in a progressive light, which means, if my contentions of last week are correct, I should have a supercar," wrote May. "Clearly I can't put my name down for a new Ferrari 458 Italia or a Lamborghini Gallardo Balboni, so it will have to be something old with the spirit of a supercar, if not the actual trousers to live up to the name these days."
"And after quite a bit of thought I've settled on the GRP-bodied Ferrari 308."
And we agree with every word. Trouble is, Mr. May is more than a year late with this revelation. You see Inside Line bought a 308 during the summer of 2007 and we drove it, loved it and reported on it for 12 months. In fact, that's me in the photo enjoying our 1984 308 QV on the famed Mulholland Hwy.
So Mr. May, please get off of our bandwagon. Or at least give us a shout out.
According to a report on 7Tune.com, Subaru's version of the FT-86 sportscar will get more than just new badges to differentiate it from its Toyota sibling. Instead of rear-wheel drive, Subaru's car will use an all-wheel drive setup along with a turbocharged version of the boxer four-cylinder engine. The Subaru sportscar will also get a slightly larger body and most likely a substantially higher price.
Top Gear's James May Jumps On Our Ferrari Bandwagon
October 28, 2009 5:00 AM
Report Says Subaru Version of Toyota FT-86 Will Get AWD and Turbo Engine
October 27, 2009 11:40 AM
2010 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec at the 2009 SEMA Show
October 27, 2009 8:48 AM
Totally Tubular: Lexus LFA Torque Tube
October 26, 2009 4:26 AM
Picture of the Day: Tesla Totaled in Denmark
October 23, 2009 5:00 AM