Car Throttle

BMW has dropped pictures and details of the new M6 Coupe and Cabriolet before their debuts at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show and 2012 New York Auto Show, respectively.  These steroid-infused versions of BMW's big two door borrow their mechanical bits from the X5/X6M and M5, combining raw power and technology in a fairly AMG-like manner.  More on that in a minute. There's not a great deal more visual menace to the M6 Coupe/Cab than there is on the standard (F13) 6-series, but it'll still be a hard to miss car.  The fenders are flared gently to accommodate a 30mm track width increase , there's the traditional "gaping maw" front bumper to provide air, and a set of parallel five-spoke wheels hide massive brakes.  The rear

One of the highlights of the Geneva Motor Show next month is the fastest Audi TT yet. The new TT RS Plus is exactly what it says on the boot lid: a TT RS plus more power, more torque and more speed. The original TT RS comes with a 2.5-litre, 5 cylinder direct injection petrol with 335bhp and 332 lb ft of torque which gives it a 0-62mph time of 4.6 seconds, the same as the standard R8, and a limited top speed of 155mph. That isn't enough for some people, though, so the Plus gets a revised inlet manifold and increased turbocharger boost to deliver 355bhp and 343lb ft of torque meaning the 0-62mph is down to 4.1 seconds with the S-tronic gearbox. That's just

The Chicago auto show is upon is, which means... well, some facelifts, some new models, but not huge news like Detroit or Geneva.  Still, new stuff!   Inside: Two new Acuras, perhaps the world's most powerful 4-seat production convertible, minor facelifts for a Datsun, a big ol' GMC, and a sweet new Kia they need to make pronto.  Oh, and some bad news on Fisker. Acura officially debuted two new production cars - the ILX (pictured above) and the new RDX.  The ILX takes over for both the Canadian-market CSX sedan (Civic based), and will replace the US-market TSX sedan (Euro Accord-based) as Acura's entry-level model.  Why don't they call it the Integra?  Dunno.  Power comes from three sources.  The base model has a 2.0L I4

The Chicago auto show is here, and one of the first reveals is the new Hyundai Elantra Coupe, as well as the GT hatchback.  While the GT Hatchback isn't exactly new (more on that in a minute), the Elantra Coupe is. Designed to compete with the Civic Coupe and the Kia Forte Koup, the Elantra 2-door takes Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" into a sportier package.  It's a good looking car in my eyes, with a traditional coupe roofline and an abbreviated, swoopy tail. With how well US sales of the new Elantra have gone (have you noticed they're everywhere?) it makes sense that Hyundai would expand the lineup with some additional models - and a coupe and hatchback are probably a good place to start, considering corporate

News Bites for today include Dodge's hot Dart,  Audi's new diesel, teaser shots of the upcoming 2013 Dodge Viper, some good ole' fashioned intellectual property theft, an electric crossover thing, and Super Bowl advertisements from Audi and Honda.  Read on for the News Bites! Dodge's Dart subcompact was just revealed a few weeks ago, but we've already got two pieces of future speculation on where the lineup could expand.  First, Mopar will be bringing a concept Dart to the Chicago Auto Show, called the Dart GTS 210 Tribute.  It previews the two "stages" of Mopar upgrades for the new sedan.  Stage 1 will be aesthetic goodies, like the carbon fiber hood with Viper-esque scoop, and matte black side skirts, front diffuser, and other trim - along

The M Performance line is intended to fit in between regular production BMW's, and the full-fat M models (M3, M5, 1M Coupe, etc).  Sort of like S-Line Audis, R-Design Volvos, and AMG Package Benzes, but with a catch: all four M Performance models that are coming to the Geneva Show in March are powered by diesels. Go cry in your beer if you want, but I'm not joking about the "Monster diesel" part.  Case in point: BMW's 4.4L twin-turbo V8 as seen in the 550i, 650, 750i, etc makes a healthy 400 horsepower and 440lb-ft of torque.  This new 3.0L I6 diesel going into these models makes 381bhp and 546lb-ft of torque.  Yes, five hundred forty six, or 740nM if you prefer that scale.  That's

I booked my ticket to Autosport International 2012 at Birmingham's NEC for three reasons, none of which were to do with the exhibits. Firstly, I knew there were a going to be a few motoring journalists present who it'd be very useful to meet and greet. Secondly, while I'm at university in Brum, the whole extravagaza is on my doorstep, so it's be rude not to have a snoop around. Finally, if there's any good excuse to get out of doing yet more dissertation, then I'll take it. In fact, Autosport proved to be rather more than a bit of cheeky truancy. If racing cars of all classes, shapes and sizes are your thing, as you'd expect, Autosport had them on show, from GT3 McLarens and Porsches to classic Formula

The Boxster's been around for 15 years now.  It's funny that it still feels new, but I suppose a Porsche with the engine in the right place is still a fresh concept - relatively speaking.  Porsche unveiled the third generation of the mid-engined sportscar today ahead of it's debut at Geneva, and in typical Porsche fashion they've made everything slightly better. While the new Boxster looks similar to the old one - why mess with a good recipe? - the chassis is all new.  Like the 991, the new Boxster has a longer wheelbase, wider track width, and shorter overhangs.  The biggest change is a switch to an aluminum body - so even though it's larger than the outgoing model, it's lighter as well.  The

FINALLY.  The friggin' Buick Encore is here.  All my dreams and prayers have been answered, I'm so excited I can hardly...

...oh, sorry, got caught up in Auto Show mode there.  I'm just glad we don't have to deal with teaser images of a small SUV any more.  Look, I love auto show season.  Even after years of this, it still gets my blood going - who doesn't like seeing new stuff for the first time?  But not everything that comes out at the auto shows are worth an entire article.  Thus, Car Throttle News Bites: Detroit Auto Show Edition.  If you missed the earlier coverage, you can find it under the Detroit 2012 Category.

Speaking of that

Once upon a time, Lexus made a car called the SC.  It was based on the guts of the legendary 4th-generation Supra, and was an Americanized version of the Japanese Toyota Soarer.  It was a fantastic car: refined to an eery level, quiet, good looking and fast.  Whether it had the 3.0L six from the Supra, or the 4.0L V8 from the LS, it was a road burner, a mile muncher, a fantastic car. They made the SC300/400 from 1991-2000, a sign of how basically good it was.  Then there was the flip-top SC430, which never quite resonated with buyers, and then Lexus got out of the coupe business.  With the LF-LC concept, I see a new SC.  Lexus says it could potentially fit in the