Autoblog: News Thread

[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: CA police pull drivers over, give them free coffee

Filed under: Etc., Police/Emergency


If you find yourself being pulled over in Rancho Cordova for no apparent reason, don't worry. Police in the California town are currently rewarding good drivers by pulling them over and giving them $5 gift cards to Starbucks (that's good for a thimble-full of Frappachino). According to a police department spokesperson, the program is in keeping with the holiday spirit and fosters goodwill between motorists and the traffic division. (At least until the latter runs out of presents and starts doling out tickets again.) Drivers have local merchants to thank, as they donated the cash for the coffee cards. Free donut coupons would be the perfect compliment to this, but if any exist, we've got to believe the fuzz hung onto them for, you know, safekeeping.

[Source: AP]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Rendered Speculation: 2009 BMW 7-Series

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, BMW


The next 7-Series could say goodbye to its current bluff-sided barge proportions. According to the latest renderings, a lower, wider, larger car swoops up from a front that takes cues from the CS concept to a rear in which there are no remaining traces of the Bangle Butt.

We have always been fans of the 7-Series, and would greatly welcome a return to elegance -- even if it's the brutish elegance of this rendering. We would also welcome a new interior, and word is that it will be equally redone. And that (pesky) iDrive? The annoying knob will be made ever more user friendly we're told, which shouldn't be too difficult considering the starting point. It appears the last user friendly upgrade to the iDrive wasn't as friendly as BMW thought. This time it will also get Google Maps and iPhone connectivity. Intriguingly, the gear shift could return to the center console instead of being on the steering column stalk.

Engines will start out at 3.0 liters (probably gas and diesel variants, but still not for the States, most likely), jump to a V8 with a 47-HP boost over the current model, and top out at an even more powerful 6.0-liter V12. Expect the car to debut next year as a 2009 model, so we should see its debut at an auto show early in the season.

[Source: eGM Car Tech]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Galpin builds special Warriors in Pink Mustang for charity

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Convertibles, Ford

click above image for more pics of the Galpin Warriors in Pink Mustang

Earlier this year, Ford revealed a special Warriors in Pink version of the Mustang. Only 2,500 were built and the sale of each went to helping fight breast cancer through donations to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure charity. As we all know, one special version of the Mustang is not enough, so Galpin Auto Sports of Pimp My Ride fame has gone and "Galpinized" a Mustang convertible that will be given away as the grand prize in the Warriors in Pink Mustang Sweepstakes.

The Galpin Warriors in Pink Mustang is a bit more flashy than its factory sibling, sporting hot pink rally stripes over black paint, pink headlight splitters, a new grille and spoiler, a lowered suspension and 20-inch pink and black rims. The Warriors in Pink logo has also been hand painted on the back between the taillights for a custom touch. Electronic upgrades like a Kenwood nav system with 7-inch touchscreen are also included, along with new pink and black leather upholstery. Unfortunately, an untouched 200-hp V6 sits underhood, but we suppose this car is meant to be seen rather than driven.

If you're interested in winning the Galpin Warriors in Pink Mustang, or just think fighting breast cancer is a good thing, you can enter the sweepstakes before December 31st by visiting FordCares.com.

[Source: Galpin Auto Sports]
Gallery: Galpin Warriors in Pink Mustang

Continue reading Galpin builds special Warriors in Pink Mustang for charity

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: E85 as a performance fuel? Could be, according to General Motors

Filed under: Green, Chevrolet, GM


Taking a short break from wrangling the new HHR SS around the track at the Bondurant School for High Performance Driving (see above -- that's me), we got a chance to speak with some of the engineers behind the SS series of vehicles, among others. We took that opportunity to ask whether or not GM has considered using the alcohol-based E85 fuel as a high performance option -- as opposed to just marketing E85 as a "green" fuel. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the idea has been considered at General Motors. E85 happens to have a very high octane rating. The fuel burns at a comparatively low temperature, meaning that additional power can be extracted from a given amount as compared to gasoline. Turbocharged vehicles offer an excellent opportunity to tap into that additional available power, so the fact that it was left off the HHR SS probably means that we're not likely to see that angle of the corny-fuel any time soon.
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Honda to keep Super Aguri up and running for '08

Filed under: Motorsports, Japan, Honda, Earnings/Financials
12/06/07: Luca Felipe of Italy test drives the Super Aguri car during Formula One Testing at the Circuito de Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
It's no secret around the F1 paddock that Super Aguri is in big financial trouble. The team, founded by former Japanese F1 driver Aguri Suzuki, made its debut at the start of the 2006 season after buying its place on the grid - unlike most new teams that were formed out of previous entries. Aguri runs on a shoe-string budget, fielding old cars and relying heavily on Honda's patronage to pay the enormous bills of operating a Formula One team.
Emerging reports now suggest that Honda has decided to continue supporting the team for another season. Because Honda is believed to supply a big chunk of Aguri's budget (as well as its engines and chassis) - effectively making it Honda's "B-squad" - the Japanese auto giant has the power to decide Super Aguri's fate. But public pressure on Honda in Japan to have its former pilot Takuma Sato driving in F1 has motivated the company to continue funding the second racing outfit. Honda would not commit beyond next season, however, and if Aguri continues to embarrass the Honda F1 Team with its transcendent performance, they may find themselves holding their hats again a year from now.
The news means that Aguri joins Force India as one of two teams with seats still available for the 2008 season. Sato is all but guaranteed his place, but Aguri could go any which way for its second driver. (Italian driver Luca Fillippi, a rising talent in motorsports, was connected with a drive for Aguri, but opted to sign for GP2 instead.) Ralf Schumacher and Tonio Liuzzi are both in search of new drives for next season, along with a slew of new hopefuls. Let the courtship begin.
[Source: F1i.com, Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Virtual Cable takes your GPS and raises you a heads-up display

Filed under: Safety, Tech


Two things plague GPS users: being forced to deal with dubious direction vocalizations and the amount of time spent looking at the screen when you should be paying attention to the road. MVS is developing a solution and it's likely the most revolutionary concept to date.

The system is comprised of a series of mirrors that project a three-dimensional line onto the windshield giving drivers a heads-up display of their intended path of travel. The Virtual Cable shown above the top of the windscreen is usable at night and seems to integrate cleanly into the surrounding environment, allowing users to focus on the road and simply use their peripheral vision to guide them.

The system is currently under development, but the company's website has a few videos showing a mock-up of how it could work.

[Source: MVS]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Nissan bringing GT500 GT-R and 16 other cars to Tokyo Auto Salon

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Tokyo Auto Salon

Nissan and its motorsports arm, NISMO, will be partnering with its affiliates at Autech to blow out this year's Tokyo Auto Salon with 16 different cars being spread across three show stands.

On display at the Nissan booth will be the Skyline Coupe Aero Sports Concept and a hopped-up version of the X-Trail, dubbed the Extremer Package Concept. The Autech team will be showing off the Dualis Premier Concept along with Rider Performance versions of the Elgrand, Serena and Note. And to top it all off, Nissan will be bringing out the GT500 GT-R, due to start its campaign in SuperGT next year.

[Source: GTChannel]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: VIDEO: 2007 Race of Champions finales

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

click above image to watch video of both finales

The Race of Champions only comes around once a year, and somehow Michael Schumacher always seems to be in the thick of things when the final rounds arrive. This year's Race of Champions was no different, as Schumacher and fellow Germanian Sebastian Vettel served up a steaming bowl of whoop ass to the English team of Jenson Button and Andy Priaulx in the Nations Cup final. We're sure the fact that that Button and Priaulx were beaten on their own home turf in Wembley Stadium was just more salt in the wound.

The finale of the Race of Champions, however, pits the two best individual racers against each other, and as we reported yesterday, it came down to last year's winner Mattias Ekstr&ouml;m versus Michael Schumacher in three rounds of no-holds-barred closed circuit racing. Ekstr&ouml;m won, but as you'll see after the jump, Schumacher was a gracious loser and seems genuinely pleased just to be doing something competitive again.

Check out video of both races after the jump.

[Source: Race of Champions]

Gallery: 2007 Race of Champions

Continue reading VIDEO: 2007 Race of Champions finales

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: AutoblogGreen for 12.19.07

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green


Who went and greened up the Speed Racer movie trailer? AutoblogGreen certainly approves. Other groups looking to go greener are the Texans' who buy terrific trains with their taxes. But, if a million-dollar locomotive isn't your thing, perhaps a BugE signed by celebs is a better fit. It's now on eBay.

• Video: wind turbines added to Speed Racer movie trailer (hybrid Mach 5 anyone?)
• It's official: Congress passes 35 mpg CAFE standard
• What cars can we get today with 35 mpg?
• Videos: Skysail debuts on world's first commercial merchant ship to use kite power
• Ho, Ho, Huh? High gas prices putting a damper on car sales but not holiday spirit
• Micro-hybrids set to take off in coming years
• Texans' taxes buy terrific trains
• White House: Bush to sign energy bill Wednesday
• How eco is the Splinter, the sports car made of wood?
• Detroit 2008: Nissan Forum concept - diesel-powered family transport
• Celebrity signed BugE is now on eBay
• New large biodiesel plant to be built near Miami
• Project BioReGen: Planting trees to recover a damaged ecosystem
• Current Eliminator V sets new world speed record - 153.6 mph - for electric vehicles
• What do Hummer owners think of Scooterists?

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Pontiac G8 production now underway

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Pontiac, Holden

Since the G8 was unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, there has been an air of optimism for the Pontiac brand. There's good reason for the uptick in serotonin, too, as the G8 is a real live RWD sedan from the General. It doesn't hurt that its 6.0L V8 can kick out 362 HP and hit 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. It may seem as though the G8 unveiling was a million years ago, but production has finally begun for the Holden Commodore-based sedan. The G8 and the Commodore will be built in the same Australian plant, with the facility running at full steam to a tune of 620 units per day. About half of that number will make its way outside of OZ, split between Chevrolet (Middle East), Vauxhall (UK), Daewoo (Korea), and Pontiac. That probably doesn't make room for more than 50,000 G8s a year here in the States, and in the unlikely event the sports sedan isn't a hit, GM can shift sales anywhere else in the world. The G8 will hit dealer showrooms sometime in the 1st quarter of 2008, and we're eagerly anticipating taking a spin in the most exciting Pontiac in a generation.

[Source: Just-Auto (sub. req'd)]Continue reading Pontiac G8 production now underway

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Bellisimo! Italian watchmaker crafts unique Alfa Romeo timepiece

Filed under: Gadgets, Alfa Romeo

There are car watches, and there are car watches. And this, boys and girls, is a car watch. The kind that will make the likes of the "Ferrari Engineered by Panarai" and "Breitling for Bentley" look like cheap marketing gimmicks.
What you see here is the Contragiri; tachometer in Italian. It's being made by one of the watchmaking industry's best kept secrets, Giuliano Mazzuoli, who just happens to be a huge Alfa Romeo fan, having raced Alfa GTAs in the 70's, created the Contragiri as a tribute to the iconic Italian automaker. It features a unique rev-counter black dial concealing the 25-jewel automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve, encased in black and white gold with sapphire crystal and revolving bezel, and held onto the wearer's wrist by a sleek black rubber strap.
Mazzuoli unveiled the Contagiri this past summer, and while he hasn't unveiled the price, it's sure to have a good number of zeros at the end. Somehow we don't think the price tag will prevent them all from selling the limited run of 500 copies, though. Only through authorized dealers, of course, but you can reserve yours on the website, or check out the Luxe.TV video by clicking here.
[Source: Giuliano Mazzuoli via Inside Line]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Inside Line performance tests the Nissan GT-R. Oh yes, it's very fast.

Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Japan, Nissan


The Inside Line gang has just returned from Japan, where they performed instrumented testing on Japanese journo Jun Nishikawa's privately-owned 2009 Nissan GT-R. The test car had 1,500 km on the clock and was equipped the same way the US-spec cars will be. Boy, did it ever bring the goods. Zero to sixty came in 3.3 seconds, and the quarter mile flashed by in 11.6 at 120.9 mph. This, according to Inside Line, makes the '09 GT-R the quickest car that they've ever hooked their test equipment to. Some time is spent detailing the GT-R's launch control system, which involves flipping the transmission and damper settings to R mode, killing the VDC, and basically doing a brakestand. Once you let go of the stoppers, you get what IL describes as "crushing acceleration." The full test also touches on the car's predictably good braking and handling. You can read the whole thing here.

After reading it, you're left with the impression that Inside Line feels even more can be wrung out of the GT-R once they get their own tester in the States on a better surface than the Japanese airstrip they used in this case. You can bet that they'll put it head-to-head with the 911 Turbo and Corvette Z06 for good measure. Until then, know that the 2009 Nissan GT-R, at $70,000, appears set to offer drivers some utterly ridiculous bang for the buck.

Thanks to all who sent in tips!

[Source: Inside Line]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Chrysler No. 56 on 101 Dumbest Moments in Business list

Filed under: Etc., Euro, Marketing/Advertising, Crossovers/CUVs, Chrysler, Dodge

Fortune has called the notorious, dog-frying Dodge Nitro commercial done by BBDO Netherlands the 56th Dumbest Moment in Business. If you initially missed this story and are jjust hearing about the spot for the first time, you might think Fortune iseither picking on Chrysler or that it was an exceedingly smart year for business, because how could a car commercial be that dumb? Then you'll watch it and understand.

We continue to laugh at the absurdity that several groups of really smart people gave that commercial an "A.O.K.!" If they just would have gone with the idea that lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice, they might have been all right. And the point they were trying to make was obvious after the first hit -- but really, folks, does no one at BBDO Netherlands own a dog or get Atlanta Falcons football games on satellite?
Chrysler pulled the ad (long before it made the Fortune list), saying it "didn't have full knowledge of the ad's existence." We'll set aside the issue of how you only have partial knowledge of an ad. The other claim could have been that it was meant to be a Europe-only ad -- but at this point, if the ad people still need more lessons in The Internet Goes Everywhere 101, then making 'shocking' commercials is probably the least of Chrysler's concerns. Still, we're kinda surprised that this is one of the dumbest things in business all year...
[Source: World Car Fans]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: 9ff GT9 inches closer to Nardo test

Filed under: Aftermarket, Supercars, Porsche, Misc. Auto Shows

Click image for high-res gallery

Going fast can't be rushed. It sounds downright oxymoronic, but it might as well be the golden rule when it comes to breaking top speed records.
9ff is one of those outfits that bridges the gap between aftermarket tuning house and specialty manufacturer. Their latest project, dubbed GT9, has been a long time coming, and we've been eagerly awaiting the very special car's attempt at unseating the likes of the SSC Aero, Koenigsegg CCX and Bugatti Veyron from their respective places at the top of the speed-trial time sheets. 9ff has yet to take the GT9 to Nardo for its official run, but have in the meantime given us an appetizer to keep our mouths watering.
As you may recall, the GT9 starts with a Porsche 911 GT3, and goes to work on it like a Tarantino character with a razor blade and "Stuck in the Middle" playing on the radio. A new rear subframe is fitted from carbon-Kevlar, mounting the 987hp 4.2-liter twin-turbo flat-six in the middle instead of the rear, and stretching the custom body by 300 mm (about a foot) while chopping the sleek roofline by 120 mm.
The near-record-ready GT9 was on display at the Essen motor show when it was apparently revealed that the asking price has jumped from an anticipated &euro;400k to nearly &euro;600k. But with the Porsche Carrera GT long since out of production, 9ff shouldn't have any trouble selling the limited run of 20...so long as it meets its ambitious performance goals.
[Source: Motor Authority]
Gallery: 9ff GT9



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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: AutoblogGreen samples the dieselicious BMW 535d

Filed under: Garage, Sedans/Saloons, BMW, Driving

Click image to read the full review

What do you get when you blend two turbos, some compression ignition, six cylinders in-line, and a wonderfully tuned Bavarian chassis? Why, it's the BMW 535d! You can't buy one in the US...yet. It's got 428 lb-ft of tire shredding fun that gets better mileage than a Scion xB or Saturn Aura Hybrid. BMW will be bringing its diesel engines to the our shores sometime later in 2008, but AutoblogGreen got to spend a week trying out the latest in high-performance, clean diesel technology thanks to fuel system supplier Bosch. Head over to ABG for the full rundown on this dieselicious German sedan.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Gallery: 2007 BMW 535d


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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Vandenbrink unveils Ferrari 599 GT Convertible design

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Ferrari

click to enlarge
Dutch designer Michiel van den Brink doesn't seem to be deterred by adversity. First he set out to pen a modern interpretation of one of the most iconic homologated racing GTs of all time, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Then he actually decided to build his design, basing it on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, arguably the most dynamically sublime supercar ever to grace tarmac. When the Fiorano's 600-hp Enzo sourced V12 wasn't good enough, he teamed up with tuning house Edo Competition to turn it up to 11 by boring it out to 6.3 liters. The result? 750 horsepower. When Maranello declined to grant him its blessing, he started taking orders anyway from customers seemingly undeterred by the $1.3 million asking price... over the cost of the donor car.
Now that conjecture has begun circulating cyberspace that Ferrari is considering building a small run of convertibles based on the Fiorano, van den Brink has thrown his hat into the ring by unveiling his own design, dubbed the "GT Convertible". A far more convincing and seducing design than the photochops we've seen so far, van den Brink says he'll build it complete with a folding carbon-fiber hard-top for any interested customer.
That's some unfettered ambition, considering we've yet to see an actual copy of the Vandenbrink GTO built, yet despite an undisclosed but undoubtedly high cost for the sublime chop-job, Michiel might start taking orders before you know it.
More details are included in the press release after the jump, where van den Brink alludes to future designs to be based on the Audi R8, Spyker C8 Spyder and Corvette Z06. Oh yes, the future bears promise.
[Source: Vandenbrink Design]
Continue reading Vandenbrink unveils Ferrari 599 GT Convertible design

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: GM raising prices 1.5% on average

Filed under: Car Buying, GM

The cost of materials that go into making your car are getting more expensive, specifically steel and other commodities, and General Motors has decided to pass that extra cost onto the consumer by raising the price of its 2008 model line an average of 1.5%. Hey, at least they're being up front about it. The increase also won't affect every car. The 2008 Chevy Malibu and Saturn Aura, for instance, won't go up at all. Most other vehicles, however, will see a price increase of between $100 to $500, while the MSRP of the Cadillac XLR gets slapped with an extra $1,500. GM tells us that the increase doesn't apply to vehicles already in dealer stock, only to vehicles invoiced to dealers on or after today, December 19th. Even with the price increases, GM still claims its 2008 line of vehicles "remain the best value in the market place" thanks to its "best warranty coverage of any full-line manufacturer" and "award-winning designs". That's a bold claim to make with brand's like Hyundai and Kia in the marketplace, as well as other import automakers that don't have to also roll up huge legacy costs into the price of their vehicles.

[Source: GM, Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty]Continue reading GM raising prices 1.5% on average

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: President Bush signs energy bill into law

Filed under: Government/Legal, Green


var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/politics/President_Bush_signs_energy_bill_into_law'; This morning President Bush put pen to paper (no doubt one of those really cool American President pens) and signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, all 822 pages of it. As we all know by now, the pillar of the law is an increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020. The increases will be built up over time beginning with the 2011 model year, which really isn't that far away. The measures regarding CAFE also don't apply fleetwide as one single standard, but will be adjusted based on the type of car or truck being measured. Nevertheless, after decades of nary a budge in this country's CAFE standards, an increase of some 40% is monumental and will likely begin immediately affecting the cars and trucks we buy.

We mustn't forget the path fraught with peril that this bill took to reach the President's desk. After being passed by the House of Representatives thanks to a compromise between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the bill moved to the Senate where it was voted on twice and failed before a large $21.8 billion tax provision was removed. Until that point, the President had promised to veto the bill. Without the tax provision, however, the bill was finally passed by the Senate, and then reapproved by the House just yesterday.

In order to meet the standards, we expect automakers to begin producing more mild hybrids in the near future, with full-on parallel hybrids being at least an option on most vehicles after that. The use of modern clean-diesel engines will also proliferate, especially in light-duty half-ton trucks like the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado that would have trouble meeting their own CAFE targets with traditional V8 engines. Then there's more exotic technology, like the series hybrid system being developed by GM for the Chevy Volt. If successful, expect other automakers to very quickly follow suit with their own series hybrid drivetrains. There's lots of simple and more complex technologies on the table that automakers will utilize to increase their CAFE rating, and no doubt the cost of developing these systems will be passed on to the consumer to some degree, as well. Supporters of the bill, however, remind us that reducing our dependance on foreign oil is a very good thing, and in the end, we only get one Earth on which to live.

[Source: The Detroit News, Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Ferrari F430 GT2 ready to take on all challengers in 2008

Filed under: Motorsports, Supercars, Ferrari

Click on the image above to view in high resolution
We used to think the Ferrari F430 was one of the most impressive supercars on the market, but that's only the start. The 430 Scuderia kicked it up a considerable notch. The F430 Pista, as raced in the Ferrari Challenge series, is even tauter, and the F430 GT3 is even sharper than that. At the top of the track-ready 430 line-up sits the F430 GT2, and the first 2008-spec model has just been delivered.
Changes are bound to be minimal on the 2008 version for the simple reason that the 2007 model was an unbridled success. It won the GT2 titles in both the FIA GT series and the American Le Mans Series, all while the F2007 took the Formula One title. Not a bad year, then, for racing Ferraris. But just as the F1 team is already hard at work preparing next year's grand prix car, so has Michelotto prepared an even better version of the F430 GT2 in pursuit of even more trophies in 2008.
Michelotto - which has been responsible for preparing the majority of GT racing Ferraris since the late 70s, and also had a big hand in developing the 288 GTO and F40 supercars - just handed the 2008 F430 GT2 to CR Scuderia, a team that will campaign the car next year in the FIA GT series, for an initial shakedown at the Fiorano test track, and we've got the pictures to prove it. Following the test, the car was loaded onto a truck bound for the Autosport International racing-car show in England when the car will be officially unveiled.
[Source: Italiaspeed]
Gallery: 2008 Ferrari F430 GT2



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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Toyota and Brain Age creator working on old people cars

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Tech, Lexus, Toyota

Toyota is serious about the safety of its customers, and the Japanese automaker is thinking outside the box to keep its elderly drivers on the road. To help keep the AARP demographic up to the rigors of daily driving, Toyota has hooked up with Professor Ryuta Kawashima of "Brain Age" fame, to create a driving experience that helps sharpen the mind. Among the technologies being studied to help drivers is a system that recognizes driving characteristics and applies the brakes whenever erratic behavior is detected. Swerving and accidental accelerator jabs are among the potential driving behaviors being looked at, and an interface involving the navigation screen can assist drivers along the way. Kawashima wants to make driving a stimulating brain exercise, and Toyota is dropping coin in an effort to begin realizing the cranial activity within five years. It's hard to see how applying the brakes for you will sharpen your mind, but with five years until launch we're sure Toyota isn't keen to tipping its hand to explain.

Anything that can help keep drivers and pedestrians safe is a good thing, and Kawashima's brain-sharpening exercises coupled with top tech just may do the trick. If we are to be so bold as to suggest the first vehicle to showcase this new technology, we'd like to go on record as saying that the Avalon is a great choice. Or the Camry. Or any Lexus not named IS. Well, we're sure the execs from Aichi, Japan have a better idea which direction to take than do we.

[Source: International Herald Tribune]
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