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German tuner turns its attention to the Aston Martin DBS supercar. 542bhp, 199mph
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evos Chris Harris to race with Walter Rohrl in a GT3 RS at the Nurburgring 24 hours
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Next Corvette supercar could have design elements from outside of its US homeland
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Mitsubishi Ralliart arm dies as the companys motorsport activity goes. Is Evo X safe?
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Wind down on a Friday afternoon with evos pick of car videos from Youtube
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evos Mystic Rog looks into his crystal ball as the Formula 1 season kicks off in Bahrain
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Filed under: Concept Cars, Spy Photos, Convertible, Performance, Europe, Porsche, Luxury 
Porsche Panamera Convertible patent drawing - click above for high-res image gallery
See, apparently we arent crazy, though we may have been a little smidge off the mark. Back in October, we reported that Porsche had begun work on an open top version of their then new Panamera super sedan. Only we said it would be a two-door cause, you know, drop top and all that. Whoops! If these alleged German patent office images from Autocar are anything to go on, Porsche is going after the highly nuanced (to put it mildly) - and presumably lucrative - four-door convertible market, joining the ranks of such noted automakers as... those dudes in Miami that chop the tops off Chrysler 300Cs. Okay, fine, the Maybach 62 Landaulet is kinda like a four-door convertible (but not quite), though at $1.35 million, it actually might compete in a different segment. And yes, yes - we know - the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is technically a four-door convertible.
But never mind any of that, as judging by these images, the Porsche Panamera convertible looks to be pillarless, something that the neither the $25,000 Jeep nor the mega-bucks Maybach can lay claim to. As such, the Panameras chassis would presumably have to be beefed up in a major way to retain some semblance of stiffness and rigidity. Though maybe not quite as much as you (and we) might think. If you look closely at the patent images, you can see that, like the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drop Head Coupe, the A-pillar has been reinforced with a mini-triangle. Youll also note that the Pans butt isnt any bigger than before, suggesting a folding cloth top as opposed to a space-intensive retractable hardtop. Back to chassis strength - thanks to modern production techniques, its possible to substitute in thicker gauge steel that will increase stiffness without adding as much weight as traditional afterthought convertible chassis bracing.
And where does this leave those of us wishing for a modern-day 928? Not in a very good place, were afraid. These patent drawings clearly show that the new, most-likely upcoming Panamera Convertible has been engineered as a four-door from the get-go, and never a duoporte. Shame...
[Source: Autocar]Alleged patent images for Porsche Panamera convertible turn up originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Nissan 
2010 Nissan GT-R - Click above for high-res image gallery
The illustrious Nissan GT-R is, quite possibly, one of our favorite cars currently in production. Now entering its third year in America, Godzilla receives a few minor tweaks for 2011, including some minor suspension tuning, a double clear coat on its front and rear fascias, new rear cooling ducts and - wait for it - slightly darker wheel center caps than on the 2010 model that is pictured. Additionally, the 2011 GT-R - henceforth only available in Premium trim - gets more standard features, including auto on/off headlamps, speed-sensitive windshield wipers, Bluetooth, a USB iPod interface and XM NavWeather and NavTraffic. All of this can be yours for $85,060 (*including $1000 destination charge), which represents an increase of $1,020 over the 2010 GT-R Premium. Get your pocketbooks out.
Curiously, the folks at Nagtroc.org are reporting that just 315 GT-R units are slated to come to the U.S. during the 2011 model year. That striking us as odd, we talked with Nissan spokesperson Darryll Harrison, and he says that the automaker cant confirm the limited production volume. Hmmm. The 2011 model is just now hitting the nearly 700 GT-R certified Nissan dealers across the country, though if the unit constraint holds up, its likely that more than half of the approved showrooms will never see one. Either way, hit the jump for the full details in Nissans press release.
Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Sources: Nissan, Nagtroc.org]Continue reading Nissan only offering GT-R Premium for 2011, priced from $85,060* - will volume be constrained? Nissan only offering GT-R Premium for 2011, priced from $85,060* - will volume be constrained? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet 
2010 Chevrolet Malibu patent drawings - Click above for high-res image gallery
Over the past nine months, weve seen the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu twice at General Motors media events that were closed to the public. On neither occasion were we allowed to take any photographs of the styling buck, but now we can finally show you what the next Malibu looks like. A General Motors filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office shows what is obviously an unidentified Chevrolet four-door sedan.
It retains all of the standard Chevrolet design features including the dual-port grille and four individual tail lights. Compared to the current and very well reviewed Malibu, the new car has more sculpted surfaces, especially around the corners. The chopped off tail of the current generation car is generally considered to be the weakest part of that design, and the new model addresses that area with what looks to be a much more attractive posterior.
The new Malibu will ride on the same Epsilon II platform that underpins the Buick LaCrosse and Regal. The new model will have a shorter wheelbase than the 112.3-inch span of todays car, but its not clear if it will be as short as the 107.8-inch wheelbase of the new Buick Regal. The new Malibu will, however, be both wider and taller than the current model. The interior is also significantly upgraded with higher quality materials as GM tries to keep up with the advances of new models from Ford.
The next Malibu will probably debut in late in 2011 as a 2012 model, and we may see it in public at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. The timing of the Malibu should line up nicely with the Ford Fusion/Mondeo replacement and make for a very interesting battle in the mid-size sedan market.
[Source: Carscoop]2012 Chevrolet Malibu design completely revealed in patent filings? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Truck, Work, Chrysler, Dodge, Diesel 
During last summers bankruptcy proceedings, New Chrysler chose not to contract Cummins to produce a light-duty diesel engine for the its Ram pickup trucks. At a rumored 5.0 liters of displacement, this diesel engine would have been somewhat less powerful but also less expensive and more fuel efficient than the larger 6.7-liter inline six-cylinder diesel, also supplied by Cummins, in heavy duty Rams.
Now our friends from PickupTrucks.com report that Dodge may be back in the light-duty diesel game. Joe Veltri, Chrysler vice president of product planning, reportedly said at the NTEA Work Truck Show, "Were in discussions with Cummins. Theres no contract [with Cummins] but [a light-duty diesel] is in our plan."
As an aside, it seems as if the so-called light-duty engine could also find its way into the Heavy Duty 2500 and 3500 Ram trucks in addition to the expected 1500. "Does every guy need a 6.7-liter diesel? It could certainly package in a heavy duty," Veltri said.
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]Report: Chrysler reconsidering light-duty diesel for Ram originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Work, Ford, Specialty 
Will the new Police Interceptor be a toughened Taurus SHO? - click above for high-res image gallery
Just a quick note: The Detroit News is reporting that the next Ford Police Interceptor will be based on the same platform as the Taurus. For you platform geeks out there, thats the Ford D3 chassis that underpins everything from the the Lincoln MKS to the Volvo XC90 to the Ford Flex (though the Flex and the Lincoln MKT ride on a lengthened version called D4). Yesterday, we explained that a new Police Interceptor is showing up tomorrow (Friday, March 12) in Las Vegas and that it probably wont be riding on the Panther platform. Regardless, the concept will be unveiled at the Vegas Motor Speedway.
Theres still no official word from Ford on the matter, however. However, if the new Interceptor is in fact Taurus-based, that means no rear-wheel drive Falcon in the United States. Which is a definite bummer. Also, while there are all-wheel drive variants of the D3 platform - and we think its safe to assume that if the new Police Interceptor is D3-based it will be AWD - it lacks frame rails. Has Ford figured out a way to make a unibody car tough enough for police work? We shall see. And if the new PI is a Taurus, will it be based on a modified 365-horsepower SHO? Wed wager yes. Lets just hope they fit some bigger brakes for cop duty, eh?
[Source: The Detroit News]DetNews: New Ford Police Interceptor to be Taurus-based originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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