Lamborghini Super Trofeo Racing Series Returns for Season Two

Europe is home to some of the finest racing series in the world and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo spec series is gearing up for its second season.Never heard of the Super Trofeo? These racecars are lightened versions of the Gallardo LP 560-4 dressed in Blancpain livery and prepped for race duty. The Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V-10 puts out 570 horsepower while a retuned six-speed e.gear sends power to the all-wheel-drive system. High-friction steel brakes, “racing” ABS, a special aero package, and 18-inch competition wheels wrapped in Pirelli slicks complement the Super Trofeo’s 2900-pound weight. The chassis has been reworked and launch control has...

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General Motors Garners Nearly $9 Million in Ads with MLB Corvette Giveaway

Earlier this week, we posted how General Motors offered a brand-new 2011 Chevrolet Corvette convertible to Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga for his near perfect game against the Cleveland Indians. That generosity may have been a near $9 million win for GM as well.According to Joyce Julius & Associates Inc., which measures and analyzes the impact of sponsorship on all forms of media from print to television to the Internet, General Motors’ giveaway to Galarraga generated nearly $1 million in exposure in over 700 television programs and nearly $8 million in over 150,000 publications, Internet articles and posts. Note that the automaker...

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2011 WRX STI sedan runs 'Ring in 7:55, quickest ever for Subaru

Quick: What's the fastest production sedan in the world? Does it wear a Mercedes-Benz, Audi or BMW badge? What about the Porsche Panamera Turbo or the Cadillac CTS-V? There's no doubt that each of these vehicular behemoths is capable of ripping off some fast times on a race track near you, but Subaru is out to prove that its new 2011 WRX STI sedan has the chops to keep pace with the best from the rest of the world.To prove its point, Subaru recently sent test driver and four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Mäkinen out to the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife course in Germany with a 2011 STI test car. According to reports, the vehicle used in this...

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$20 Price Bump For 2011 Corvette Line; ZR1 Jumps By $2920

Chevrolet hasn't revealed how much the Z06 Carbon will cost, but, thanks to leaked 2011 Corvette pricing, you should be able to spec a Z06 just like one for under $90,000. The Z07 performance package, which outfits a standard Z06 with the Carbon's Brembo brakes, Michelin tires, and fancy magnetic dampers, costs $9495. The CFZ package, which adds carbon-fiber bodywork, adds $3995. And the 2011 Z06's price? Like the base model and Grand Sport, it increases by $20, now costing $74,895.This pricing information comes from Corvette Blogger, who claims to have received it Kerbeck Corvette, a dealer in New Jersey.A base Corvette coupe is still under...

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Spied: U.S.-Spec Fiat 500s Testing in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, we’re told, is a perfect college town -- but as it’s about 18 miles east of Chrysler’s proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan, it’s also an ideal road trip destination for engineers exercising Fiat 500 prototypes.We caught this duo of U.S.-spec 500 test vehicles following one white Euro-spec 500 through downtown Ann Arbor earlier this afternoon. Although we weren’t able to whip our camera out in time to catch all three Cinquecentos in a row, the U.S.-spec prototypes wore body stampings painted in black, and looked slightly wider than European models.If our visual ruler holds true, this may lend credence to reports suggesting the 500...

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Panned: Mansory's 690-HP Take on the Porsche Panamera Turbo

We're pretty sure both subtle and tasteful aren't words found in Swiss tuner Mansory's vocabulary. After displaying an unusually trimmed Rolls Royce at the 2010 Geneva motor show, the company recently unveiled its latest creation: a rather powerful -- if not gaudy -- take on the Porsche Panamera Turbo.As it rolls off Porsche's assembly line, the Panamera Turbo is certainly no slouch. A stock Turbo develops nearly 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbocharged 4.8-liter V-8. By bolting on some larger turbochargers, adding a new stainless steel exhaust system, and tweaking the engine management software, Mansory manages to...

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2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS Preview: Lorinser Previews Tuned Next-Gen CLS

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t even launched its next-generation CLS-Class, but that hasn’t stopped German tuning firm Lorinser from designing a series of cosmetic enhancements for the car.The new CLS -- which was previewed at the 2010 Detroit auto show with a large sculpture -- is slated to go on sale in 2011, but Lorinser aims to have its own tuned version ready for customers shortly after the launch date. The German tuner already has the bodywork designed, and provided the preview sketch shown above.According to Lorinser, the body kit is designed to emphasize the new CLS’ masculine and sporty features. A revised front fascia is designed to optimize...

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Ford’s Sync 911 Assist feature, incorporated within its Sync connectivity system, works to automatically contact emergency services should the driver become involved in an accident. A new revision may make it even easier for first responders to quickly locate the vehicle.As it had in the past, Sync 911 Assist ties into the Bluetooth phone connection incorporated with the Sync system. In the event of an airbag deployment or if the fuel pump shutoff is triggered, Sync 911 uses the phone’s service, automatically places an emergency call, and bypasses intermediary call centers to directly connect the driver to an emergency responder.Previously, the...

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