We’re here in St. Louis attending the National Truck Equipment Association show, and we just watched Nissan officially pull the covers off its NV commercial van for the first time in front of a live audience. Our initial impression: They aren’t kidding when they state there’s an optional High Roof… at 105.5 inches (76.5 of which… Continue reading

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Technology, Videos, Lotus

Two years ago, we wrote about Lotus‘ Safe and Sound hybrid technology which added a V8 soundtrack over the quietude of a hybrid’s electric motor. That demonstrator was a Toyota Prius, but at the Geneva Motor Show Lotus had an Evora 414E Hybrid equipped with several versions of aural enjoyment: a V6, a V12 and a non-ICE audio stab at what an electric automobile could maybe possibly sound like. Think Buck Rogers. Vehicle and Driver magazine’s technical editor Michael Austin sat with a Lotus engineer and tried it out. Follow the jump for the first strains of the future.

[Source: Car and Driver]

Continue reading Video: C/D takes the Lotus Evora Hybrid for a virtual spin

Video: C/D takes the Lotus Evora Hybrid for a virtual spin originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

If you were following the news coming out of Infineon this weekend during the Sears Pointless 24 Hours of LeMons race, you might’ve heard about a nasty crash involving the ONSET Cavalier.

Going into turn 11 at about 1 PM on Saturday, the wagon - an simple top ten contender - squeezed through an opening on the back straight before being tapped on the left rear, sent into a wall and then flipped. The Cavalier slid well over 100 feet before coming to a rest mid-track and just as the driver was extracting himself from the vehicle, the red wagon burst into flames.

Although he was able to remove his harnesses and wiggle his way out the window, the driver did suffer from a back injury resulting in two vertebrae surgeries carried out on Saturday and Sunday. We’ve gotten word from a close friend of Tyler that he’s recovering and doing well, and we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that LeMons could begin requiring HANS devices for future races.

After the jump we’ve got two videos of the wreck: One from inside the ONSET car and another from a automobile traveling further back in the pack. Both are very telling and further proof that LeMons’ strict safety requirements work, even in $500 crap can racers.

Continue reading Video: Sears Pointless LeMons crash puts another rollcage to the test

Video: Sears Pointless LeMons crash puts another rollcage to the test originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Audi, Racing

2009 proved to be a very successful opening campaign for Audi’s new customer race automobile, the R8 LMS. Eight vehicles were sold to a variety of teams and between them, the cars won 23 races and three national and international GT championships. For 2010, Audi has produced a new evolution version of the R8 LMS, and by mid-April, the German automaker anticipates to have delivered a total of 20 cars.

The alterations to the 2010 evolution R8 are apparently targeted at improving service life and making the automobile easier for crews to work on, with plans calling for changes including a new six-speed gearbox. An upgraded cooling system is designed to help the R8 perform superior in high temperature conditions and new openings in the body work will grant crews to inspect wear parts without pulling everything apart. The first two 2010 vehicles were have been delivered to UK-based United Autosport, and another 10 are slated to go out over the next several weeks. Teams running 2009 vehicles will also have an upgrade kit available to bring their cars up to the new spec.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi begins deliveries of R8 LMS evolution to Euro race teams

Audi begins deliveries of R8 LMS evolution to Euro race teams originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford

Last week in The Wall Street Journal, writer Ben Austen publised an article in which he ruminates on why no one appears to be racing the Detroit Three’s neo-muscle offerings - the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. That the piece succeeds overwhelmingly at, however, is highlighting the myopia of America’s mainstream press when it comes to motorsports. Many people in media seem to be absolutely unaware that there are forms of automotive competition other than NASCAR, because the vehicles the WSJ article focuses on most assuredly are involved in active competition.

NASCAR may be the huge dog in terms of the number of races, sponsor participation, and even people at the track. But by no means is anything about modern stock vehicle racing in any way relevant. A more important question might be why automakers continue pour hundreds of millions of dollars into NASCAR every year, but we’ll leave that for another day.

All three of the current crop of pony cars compete in a wide variety of racing, from drags to ovals and road courses. Ford in particular has offered turnkey Mustang race automobiles for several years, and they’ve been very successful in a number of classes, including the NASCAR-owned Grand-Am series. In fact, fans watching the 2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Automobile Challenge will see Mustangs, Camaros, and at least one Dodge Challenger slugging it out on a regular basis.

Pratt & Miller racing currently runs a program in which it converts Grand-Am Pontiac GXP.Rs to Camaro bodies. Dodge Challengers can be found at many drag strips (along with innumerable Mustangs and Camaros). And let’s not forget that NASCAR is running Challenger- and Mustang-branded stockers in a few Nationwide Series races this year as part of its own “Car of Tomorrow” program.

Admittedly, it would be nice to see a revival on the level of the old Trans Am series, with all three of these machines running in force, but journalists like Mr. Austen would do well to remove the NASCAR blinders before summarily dismissing the modern pony vehicles as being absent from today’s racing scene. It’s just not so.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Who says Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers don’t race each other? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM

Racing improves the breed. How many times have you heard some automaker PR flack spout that line in order to justify a motorsports program? When it comes to NASCAR, which is still the most popular form of racing in the United States, it’s clearly a complete fallacy. Open wheel racing, be it at Indianapolis or Monaco, largely falls into the same bucket. There’s, however, one form of motorsports where there truly is a feedback loop: sports car racing like the kind on display in the American Le Mans Series.

One example is staring you in the face every time you look at the nose of a contemporary Corvette. When the C6 Corvette debuted, many fans complained about the styling, including the front air intake and the departure of the long running pop-up headlamps. The C6 brought a new bigger central air intake and exposed, flush lighting. The design was influenced directly by the C5.R racing program and its need for better air-flow to the engine and brakes of the racecar. Learn more about the connection between Corvette production and racing after the jump.

Continue reading How a Corvette C6.R comes to life: Autoblog tours Pratt & Miller shop

How a Corvette C6.R comes to life: Autoblog tours Pratt & Miller shop originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Automobiles, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Misc. Auto Shows, Luxury

Morgan Aero SuperSports - Click above for high-res image gallery

As if we didn’t have enough reasons to look forward to the Pebble Beach Concours this August - beautiful weather, beautiful machinery and beautiful scenery, to name but a few - news comes by way of Autocar in the U.K. that Morgan plans to debut a new 2+2 concept at the famed event on the California coast.

Details on the new model are, as you might anticipate at this early stage in the game, rather hard to come by. Apparently, though, the new automobile is meant to preview a production model that Morgan hopes to put into production in 2012 or 2013. No word on on the drivetrain, though we’d expect some sort of modern BMW powerplant, but we’re told it will slot somewhere below the brand’s range-topping Aero.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Morgan to debut 2+2 concept at Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

In a word, impressive. Sure, we have the ability to go on for paragraphs about how disappointed we are that Polyphony Digital and Sony still haven’t released Gran Turismo 5 (there is no firm launch date) or bore you with how tiny we care for NASCAR, but instead we’ll focus on the fact that the post-jump video looks truly astonishing.

Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi went to Texas to see his first in-person NASCAR race, and the gaming legend appears to be very impressed with the sheer scope of the Official Sport of the South. Judging from the game footage Sony attached to the video, we’re pretty impressed with the virtual version of the U.S. racing series as well. The b-roll-style footage looks very impressive, but most non in-game footage does.

The GT5 promo video also shows a few glimpses of what the race will look from behind the wheel as well. We’re thinking once (if) we finally have GT5 in our hands, we’ll have a series of virtual left-hand turns in our future. Right after we experience the Formula One, Rally and every other type of racing first. Hit the jump to see for yourself.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Continue reading Video: What NASCAR on Gran Turismo 5 looks like

Video: What NASCAR on Gran Turismo 5 looks like originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Saab

As automobile guys, we want to see Saab succeed at the hands of its new owners, Spyker Vehicles. And while the brand faces an uphill battle to reach profitability, its new masters are at least showing signs of understanding the Swedish automaker’s rich past. The latest proof? Spyker CEO Victor Muller and Saab CEO Jan

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Ze Germans might be known for their efficiency, but try this on for size: French automaker Peugeot is gearing up to replace two sedans with - wait for it - just one! Feigned enthusiasm aside, this is the one that stands to take the job, and it’s a… Continue reading

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