When I was a little kid, my dad found a Kaiser Darrin in barn (no, literally in a barn) that was all there, but needed to be gone through and completely restored. Let me just put it this way: There was hay in the engine compartment. But by the time he got through with it (my dad, being a tool and die maker is very good with things like this) it was an award-winning car.

No doubt that is what the new owners of this Bugatti Type 22 Brescia will be aiming to do. But wait, you ask, how the hell did a car like this end up in a lake? Funny story, that.

In Paris in 1934 a Swiss man won the car from legendary racecar driver Rene Dreyfus in a game of poker. The new owner headed home in his new car, but when he got to the Swiss border, he was had to pay customs on the car. Uh-oh, the guy was lucky in poker, but unlucky with his cash flow at the time. Since he didn’t have enough scratch he left the car at Lake Maggiore. The Swiss officials were required, by law, to destroy the car. And they figured the best way to do that was by pushing it into the lake.

So there is sat at the bottom of a lake, how did it make it back onto dry land? First, the Bugatti was discovered by a local diving club in the summer of 1967. Naturally it was quite the attraction for divers who would drop more than 170 feet to take a gander at what remained of the once legendary racer now residing at the bottom of the lake.

But then the story took another sad, yet ultimately hopeful turn. A young local man, by the name of Damiano Tamagni was brutally beaten and killed. The diving club determined they would try and retrieve the car and sell it to benefit the foundation created in Tamagni’s name to combat youth violence. It took more than thirty volunteers and nine months, but they finally got the Bugatti lifted from the lake on July 12, 2009.

The Bugatti was put up for auction at Bonham’s Retromobile sale in Paris earlier in the year. Bottom line: The Type 22 Brescia brought a top bid of £228,000. The winning bidder was the Mullin Museum in Oxnard, CA. The museum has decided to not restore the Bugatti and display it in its current condition.

Cool!

Source: AutoBlog

As I recall, McLaren only built about 5 or 6 of these things, and they very, very rarely come up for sale. As a matter of fact, I can’t tell you the last time I saw one change hands, and when I saw this one pop up on the Hemmings sight, I couldn’t believe it at first. But yes, this is the real thing.

The seller, Fantasy Junction in the Bay Area, says that the car in question is a prototype s/n BMR M6GT-1. It’s red with black interior, which is a little odd, because all of them that I’ve seen (or seen pictures of) were orange (natch). Fantasy Junction also says that “The McLaren M6B GT is among the rarest and most desirable McLaren’s built.” Gee, ya think? Talk about underselling …

The road going M6GT was based on the highly successful M6A racer that dominated the 1967 Can Am season. And one point, Bruce got it into his skull that it would be a good idea to make an enclosed version of a Can Am car so he could go endurance racing. But then the FIA changed the homologation rule, and a manufacturer now had to construct 50 cars. McLaren wasn’t prepared to do that, so he came up with the smart/suicidal (delete to taste) idea of making the proposed enduro car street legal.

The car you see here was completed for Bruce McLaren’s personal use, and also as a way for him to evaluate the likelihood of building and selling McLaren street cars. To someone like Mr. McLaren, and to me for that matter, the M6B GT makes perfect sense as a street car. It has entirely ridiculous levels of performance, thanks to the thing only tipping the scales at a 1600 pound curb weight (which was about what a Mini weighed back then) and being propelled by a racing prepped Chevrolet plant. It is, in effect, a street-legal Can Am car. And to make it even cooler, it was a street-legal Can Am car that Bruce McLaren used as a daily driver for more than six months until bought the farm in June of 1970.

How much? Fantasy Junction doesn’t say, but you have to figure this will go for huge sum of money.

Source: Hemmings

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2010/04/19/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1969-mclaren-m6-gt/

It seems that the G-Class (aka the Geländewagen) hasn’t been sold in the UK for ten years. That will change this autumn when the Mercedes-Benz G-Class returns to the German firm’s biggest right hand drive market. The Geländewagen is the oldest model in Merc’s current lineup and recently celebrated 30th birthday.

The new for England model will be offered with a choice of diesel or supercharged petrol engines. Notable among the available engine choices up for grabs by UK drivers is the diesel-powered G 350 CDI. Said plant cranks out 221HP yet returns 25.7 mpg UK. The range topping G 55 AMG KOMPRESSOR puts out 500HP and reaches 0-62 mph (100km/h) in just 5.5 seconds. A-hem.

The G 350 CDI and the G 55 AMG models will be offered with automatic climate control; automatic transmission (high and low gear ratios, natch); Bi-Xenon headlamps, heated seats with memory, leather upholstery (including the dashboard) (natch) as well as COMAND, which is a reverse parking aid. There’s also a Harman Kardon Logic 7 Sound system, fitted as standard.

Mercedes has also seen fit to offer a diesel-powered commercial version called the G 300 CDI Professional in addition to the two, er, civilian models. All three versions will be available exclusively through the Mercedes-Benz World dealerships at Brooklands. But of course! Cost? Dig deep, because they’ll run you £57,975 OTR for the G 300 CDI Professional, £79,975 OTR for the G 350 GDI and £114,975 OTR for the 500HP G 55 AMG.

Source: Car Scoop

Yes, I know, the shine has somewhat dimmed on Jaguar over the years. What once was a car company that posted “Grace. Pace. Space.” and slew all that came before them at places like Le Mans has now been passed around like a doobie at a Grateful Dead concert, ending up in the hands of Tata. Not that there’s anything wrong with Tata. They seem like nice guys, and they’re doing nice things with Jags (or promising to). But cop cars?!

Dear God … just give me a second here … okay (deep breath) … okay … cop cars … right. A year after the British company announced the development of a police package for the new Jaguar XF sedan, and the first ever pursuit versions of the English saloons are about to go out on patrol across the Midlands. (Sniff.)

The Jaguar cop cars (sob) are in the hands of the Central Motorway Police Group, which patrols motorways across Staffordshire, Mercia and the West Midlands. The Central Motorway Police Group just purchased bought seven high performance Police-spec XFs. (Hysterical crying.) All of the XFs are based on the Diesel S model, and have a 3.0-liter plant churning out 275-horsepower and 443lb-ft of peak torque, (wailing) while still returning 42mpg UK and a CO2 rating of 179 g/km. (Gnashing of teeth.)

“Police forces across the country have been evaluating the XF and we are delighted that the team at the Central Motorway Police Group has chosen Jaguar to join its fleet,” Geoff Cousins, Managing Director for Jaguar Cars UK, blasphemed.

The police-spec XFs (heavy lamentation) package includes a roof mounted light bar with 3600 blue flashing lights and integrated side alley lights, blue and white flashing LED lights inside the front grille, side mounted blue flashing LED lights, blue and red flashing LED lights integrated in the rear light clusters and a Home Office-specification electronics ‘Police pack’.

I’d like to write more … but I can’t right now … I just need to be quite for a while …

Source: Car Scoop

A place called The Auto Collections from Las Vegas is selling both of these little brutes, a 1985 and a 1988. And, sadly, and a bit worryingly, they offer scant specifics on either of these particular cars. They also don’t mention a price, simply saying it is ” Inquire”. That probably means they know what they got, and they’re going to charge through the nose for it.

Then again, these are pretty interesting cars. I’ve seen a MG Metro Group B up close on more than one occasion, and the second impression (the first being just how ugly and ungainly the things looks) is just how tiny these cars are. They’re about the length of a Miata, and when you realize just how much power they’re trying to get to the tarmac (or mud or gravel), it really gives you pause.

They spec out either impressively or terrifyingly, depending on your perspective. MG first announced the 6R4 Project back in February 1984. Another interesting bit of trivia is that the Metro Group Bs were built under contract by Williams Grand Prix Engineering. Yeah, the F1 guys.

They started out as 2WD, but later they went with permanent 4WD (obviously a superior way to rally, as shown by Audi, Michelle Mouton, et al). They were motivated by a mid engined 250bhp-12v- 3 liter-V6 that was derived from the ubiquitous 3.5 liter Rover V8. In later years, the engine cranked out over 400bhp but unlike other Group B cars, it was not turbocharged, but it was fuel injected.

So yeah, you won’t see too many of these in your neighborhood, and last time I checked, they were street legal. More specifics on the cars would be nice, as well as wondering what they want, money-wise, but still.

Ah, more garage space, I always need more garage space (and money) (and restraint).

Source: Hemmings

Since the ’08 SEMA show, the Viper-powered Challenger has been consigned to the history books and the furtive dreams of gearheads everywhere. But then, next thing you know, spy photogs spotted the super muscle car driving Chrysler’s typical test circuit. Hmmm, it makes one go.

Now, seeing a given car driving around the streets of Michigan do not a production confirmation make. But you’ve got to say it IS hard to explain the car’s presence on the test loop. And maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but it would be tre’ cool to see a limited-production run of this brute. And I could even see a justification, given the boom in the muscle car wars over the last little while.

And something else to consider is that Chrysler is not unfavorable to special edition models to keep sales going. Chrysler has produced no fewer than six special edition models in this year alone. And that includes two in the Challenger line. Yes, I know. given Chrysler’s current financial, er, condition and the broad shift away from gas-guzzling vehicles, a Viper-power Challenger might be a bit of a stretch. But I’m still hoping.

Why hope? The Challenger SRT10’s Viper motor produces 600 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque, for two things. And the other mods seen on the SEMA concept include Tornado Red paint, a carbon fiber shaker hood that is totally bitchin’, upgraded brakes and Bilstein shocks. And on the inside there were unique seats, carbon fiber accents and a red starter button on the dash, just like the Viper.

Want!

Source: Left Lane News

Sponsor: dodge challenger

Now, or sources say that Valentino Rossi is “widely acknowledged as the greatest motorcycle racer of all time”, and I would be hard pressed to disagree with them … although an argument could be made that Giacomo Agostini still holds a few records. And you can also add to that the fact that Rossi has yet to do really crazy stuff like the Isle of Man TT. But OK, I’m not really arguing.

So Valentino is very, very good on two wheels, and when he’s tested with Ferrari, he’s put in some impressively quick numbers. The Scuderia has made numerous overtures to The Doctor in an effort to get him to cross disciplines.

And it’s not like this doesn’t have precedents. Mike “The Bike” Hailwood ran in F1, but never achieved success on four wheels like he did on two (his life cut short by a racing accident). And if you want to talk about one of the King Hell crazy rider/drivers of all time, look no further than John Surtees. Surtees was the only person to win a MotoGP title AND a Formula 1 title.

And like Rossi, Surtees drove for Ferrari. And I don’t mean just the team, but il Commendatore himself. Enzo always referred to him as “il Gran John”, or Big John. Which was a little bit of a dig, because Surtees was all of about 5 foot 2 and weighed seemingly 90 pounds. And about 80 pounds of that seemed to be taken up in testicles.

All that stuff (small, brave, large attachments) can also be said about Rossi, which is no doubt why Ferrari wants him. “We want a third car [in F1 next year] and I would do everything to have Valentino… When he wins this year’s MotoGP, enough is enough, he must also win in Formula 1,” stated outgoing Fiat Group Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo.

OK, so I might be a bit biased and all, but I think this would be such a cool idea. So let’s make it happen, shall we Luca?

Source: AutoBlog

One of the main reasons given for Lambo’s jump in quality was the fact that they are being managed by former Audi guys. Also, there was that Audi R8 show car for a while back that had a Lambo V10 in it. So, it makes a whole lot of sense that Audi could write up a request via inter-office mail and ask for a few hundred extra plants to be sent over from Sant’Agata, poste haste.

The upcoming S8 is particularly good news given that last year that model was missing from the automaker’s lineup. Sad, I know. But it seems that now that the latest A8 has been rolled out and is (more or less) a success, Audi has begun work on an S-upped version of its handsome saloon.

And like the RS6, the upcoming S8 is rumored to be motivated down der bahn via a Lamborghini Gallardo-derived V10. Oh, and Audi also saw fit to hang a couple of turbochargers from the exhaust manifolds. What could possibly go wrong with that?

The output of the upcoming S8 will leap from the outgoing model’s 444 horsepower (not bad, really) to somewhere north of 600 hp (which is totally bad ass!). Torque? Oh, that goes up from around 400 pound-feet to upwards of 550 lb-ft of grunt. Did I use the phrase bad ass already? Why yes I did.

Stylistically, it’s hard to tell what sort of upgrades the S8 is going to get, but it looks like there will be a more chiseled front fascia, lower ride height (of course) and modified rear diffuser. The quad tailpipes suggest that there’s a 5.2-liter twin-turbo plant cuddled up inside, and it also looks like there’s huge brakes to be framed by 20- or 21-inch wheels. Expect the S8 to make its debut sometime later this year or early in 2011, with sales beginning in the middle of next year. No prices as of yet.

Source: Auto Blog

A stripped down, getting just the standard gear Amarok is just a grand short of what a Ford F-150 XL Super Cab goes for. And bear in mind that the Amarok comes with a 122 horsepower engine. The Ford F-150 XL Super Cab most certainly does not, and any way you care to measure it, the Ford beats the Amarok in everything but gas mileage. Ouch.

If you decide to start adding options to your VW pick up, and go with the Highline trim, you’re up to 163 hp plant and now you’ve got four-wheel-drive. Which is about what I’d want (minimum) in a pick up truck. But now your also up to a price tag of €37,169 ($50,022 U.S.) before taxes and fees.

No wonder VW won’t be bringing this guy to America. That’s just too much money for not enough truck. I recall that being one of the reasons Volkswagen never went ahead with that totally sweet Bus re-do they showed about a decade ago – you know, the one that was a minivan version of the New Beetle. People were slavering for that thing, and they announced that IF they were going to build it, prices would start at around $50K or so, and interest went down like an anchor.

Same thing would have applied to the Amarok 4 door pick up. Just think of the response form your average truck buying in, say, Tennessee if they would have advertised a two wheel drive truck, stripped down and starting at over $35K. It would have been a disaster. Too bad though. Looks like a nice truck.

Source: AutoBlog

According to sources, the pictures here are official trademark designs of an unnamed Chevrolet compact minivan. Note the front end and rear end styling. Notice the shape of the headlamps and tail lamps. Looks a lot like Chevy’s highly anticipated Volt series hybrid, no?

GM Inside News says that the compact people carrier/minivan seen in the drawings looks to be the same vehicle that was seen standing alongside the forthcoming Chevrolet Orlando MPV that was leaked in a video last year. Or to put it another way, this might not be new, just newly found out.

To further add fuel to the fire it has been rumored for a while now that The General is looking to introduce a compact crossover somethingorother that uses the Volt’s extended range electric / gasoline powerplant at this month’s Beijing Auto Show. And if that turns out to be the case, then it’s almost certain that what we’re looking at here is the crossover we’ll see at the Chinese motorshow that runs from April 23 to 27.

OK, so speculation aside, doesn’t this seem like one of the easiest swings to take? Why hasn’t there been a hybrid minivan yet? Why hasn’t every manufacturer that makes a hybrid, or has hybrid technology on tap, installed that technology into some sort of minivan/SUV/crossover/somethingorother?

And General Motors should have been doing this a long, long time ago. They need to recapture their mojo (if that is even possible at this late date). They need to get off their corporate ass and start leapfrogging the competition, not just answering them. There’s no point in counterpunching now guys.

Source: CarScoop