Autoblog

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Mustang AV8R

The Ford Mustang AV8R is a one-off, aviation-themed Mustang that's been modified with a suite of upgrades from Ford Racing, including the Handling Pack, a Whipple blower, cold air intake, and a new exhaust. Power from the 4.6L V8 subsequently jumps to 400 horses, and the car is further individualized with a custom exterior and interior. Outside, its Satin Silver finish is offset by a black hood and decklid, red accent lines, dark gray side stripes, an Air Force star on each front quarter panel, and an oversized, etched AF star on the glass roof. The faux gas cap on the trunklid also gets a white star motif, and the rear spoiler is black with a red stripe and the AV8R logo in the corner. The front and rear bumpers are swiped from the California Special, while the grille is the same one used on the Bullitt, only with red trim instead of a metallic finish on the lower lip. It's a very sharp-looking car.

Inside, the two-tone leather seats have embroidered AV8R logos, and their brown inserts are reminiscent of an old bomber jacket. Brown hide also adorns the shifter boot. In the video after the jump, we also learn that the interior trim appliqués are pre-production Bullitt units. The car will be auctioned off to benefit the Gathering of Eagles program, which is encourages young people to get involved in aviation.Back in 2006, the first Shelby GT-H brought $250,000 at an auction benefiting the same organization. If you want a shot at the AV8R, you'll need to get yourself out to Oshkosh this weekend. If you're feeling confident, just book a one-way flight. Maybe you'll be able to drive home.


[Sources: Ford / EAA]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the GT Street RS

The Porsche 911 GT2 has 530 horsepower, 505 lb-ft of torque and is capable of going 204 mph. And it's not enough. Not for TechArt, at least. You know TechArt. They take Porsches that already push the limits of performance and go all Chuck Yeager on them, probing for new and more crazy limits. Generally they find them, then they package them up and offer them to the moneyed public. Case in point: the new GT Street RS. What begins as a "normal" GT2 turns into a 700-horsepower, 634 lb-ft (860 Nm) warp-enabled street predator when the TechArt people are through messing with it.

The myriad changes include new bodywork that improves the car's aerodynamics, updated chassis components, a customized and caged interior, and a laundry list of underhood modifications. The turbos, intercoolers, headers, electronics, pressure sensor, air filter and exhaust system all get updated by TechArt, facilitating the transformation from factory supercar to ballistic missile with wheels. Now, where'd we leave those launch codes...


[Source: TechArt]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the HSV W427

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts." That's what Han Solo says about the Millenium Falcon. You could apply the same saying to the HSV W427 super-duper sedan just launched by Holden's in-house performance division. I mean, that front end has some serious issues, but the Corvette Z06's LS7 V8 lurks behind it, and it's no joke, giving the four-door 500 horses and 471 lb-ft of torque. Production is limited to 427 units total, 90 of which will be produced this year. All of those have already been spoken for at a heady $154,500 Australian dollars, including luxury tax. Buyers also get the opportunity to tour the cars' production facility, and get a letter from Tom Walkinshaw, who started HSV some 20 years ago. The "W" in the car's name is also a tribute to him. HSV says that the W427's angry fascia emphasizes the cooling needs of the 7.0L V8. We think it mostly tells drivers who catch it racing up in their rearview to simply move out of the way...or be swallowed whole. We hear the car runs best when fed a steady diet of FPVs.

A slew of new photos have dropped in conjunction with the car's production launch, all of which can be seen in the gallery below.


[Source: HSV]

The Audi S tronic / Volkswagen DSG gearbox supplied by Borg Warner is a very nice compromise for someone who enjoys shifting manually but also needs, for whatever reason, an automatic transmission. Snapping off lightning-quick shifts in something like an Audi TT will put a smile on your face in a hurry, but the downside is that this experience has been limited to cars with torque ratings below 258 lb-ft. Not any more, though. Audi's new 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch system is VW-developed and is ready to accommodate more powerful vehicle offerings. Specifically, it can handle torque up to 406 lb-ft. That's a lot of twist, and things are about to get interesting for drivers across the pond.

The Europeans will first get the new gearbox in the Q5 SUV and the S5 coupe, where it'll supplant the 6-speed auto that's available as an option in the 2-door. Given the choice between Tiptronic S and this new S tronic, we'd happily choose the latter every time. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing it for the foreseeable future. While Audi plans to drop it into a number of Euro-spec models, including S and RS-series cars, the Tiptronic S will continue to be the offering for Americans who want a manumatic in vehicles such as the forthcoming Q5. Audi apparently thinks we'll find the shift action of the S tronic to be too harsh. If that's the automaker's worry, how about this: take the R tronic that's currently available in the R8, cast it into the ocean, and replace it with the the new, improved S tronic. Based on our experience, it might be exactly what the doctor ordered.

[Source: Inside Line | Photo: Alex Núñez]

At a GM event we attended at the end of last summer, one of the presentations shown to the assembled media was an interior animation depicting the new Chevy Camaro's cockpit lighting and how it changs depending on the position of the key in the ignition. We'd been asking General Motors for a copy ever since, and were politely told, "no" every time. With the car's official unveiling yesterday, GM finally made the video available on the Camaro's official website. We've grabbed a copy and put it in the player above for your enjoyment, along with both of our live vids shot at yesterday's reveal. The interior video shows some really cool stuff, further proof that GM Design is paying close attention to cabin illumination in its new vehicles. Take a ride in a new CTS at night, and you'll see exactly what we mean. From the looks of things, GM's going to give the Camaro the same kind of love, and we're looking forward to experiencing it firsthand.


[Source: GM]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Honda OSM

Honda says that the OSM roadster on display at the 2008 British Motor Show is merely a design study, but given that "design study" is frequently a euphemism for "future design language," we wonder if we're seeing the next iteration of Honda car styling. Frankly, we hope so, because this is worlds better than what we've seen from the automaker of late, from the Accord right on up to the bland and bloated Pilot. The OSM, short for Open Study Model, is a shapely two-seat convertible that we'd be happy to drive today. Well, maybe with headlamps that weren't lightsaber-sized. Other than that, we love the jaunty look, especially in back, where the taillamps sweep gently from one side of the car to the other. Since it's a styling exercise, there's no specific powertrain combination associated with it, but Honda assures us that the car is an indication that lightweight, low-emissions motoring needn't be boring. No kidding, guys. Inside, the cockpit basically evolves the two-tier instrument panel you'll find in the current Civic into a far more attractive driving environment that we hope to see in road cars sooner than later. While Honda says there's no plan to create a production sport/econo roadster like this anytime soon, somebody's obviously thinking about it. Future S2000 replacement, maybe? "Design studies" such as this don't happen by accident.


[Source: Honda]

Click above for more shots of the "Mystery Vette"

Someone slipped Jalopnik a new pair of shots of the mysterious Corvette concept that's appearing in next year's Transformers sequel. So far, we've seen good views of the car from the front and side, but rear-end shots had yet to surface. Well, that's over. The concept -- now a confirmed product of the GM Design studios (note the plate in back), has large ducts in back that mimic the openings in front and presumably also hide the car's taillamps. Four big centrally-mounted exhaust outlets poke through the bodywork as well. Frankly, the rear view is the car's least appealing, with that chunky boattail mixed in with all those sharp angles. There's also a new detail shot of the front quarter, which focuses on that very traditional Corvette fender shape. Is it just a movie character or also a concept that GM's going to drop on us somewhere along the line? Your guess is as good as ours, and the trickle of spy shots is probably far from over.

[Source: Jalopnik]

The new Nissan Cube will be unveiled the morning of November 19 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the automaker has begun the buildup to its arrival. The Cube now has an official website, where you can count down the days and see more on the Cube art cars that design students prepared for the '08 New York Auto Show, among other things. Nissan's covering all the bases, also getting the Cube set up on Facebook and other social networking sites in the meantime.

We like the Cube a lot, and hope the new version keeps the character of the current Japanese car intact while delivering power and fuel economy geared to appeal to the U.S. buyer. We don't think Nissan's going to botch this, so and shoppers looking to get their geek ought to have a strong candidate from Nissan. Not that it'll be without competition -- the Scion xB, Honda Element, and Kia Soul will all be vying for peoples' attention, too. Let the geekmobile deathmatch begin. Thanks for the tip, Turkey Pie!


[Source: Nissan]

Well, all the Camaro buildup is finally set to amount to something this Monday, when the real, final car is unveiled. Frankly, it was getting anti-climactic before the official photos leaked onto the web on Friday afternoon, but we'll look forward to hopefully seeing the SS car in the metal. That one's been conspicuously absent from all the photos that crammed the internet as soon as the dam burst. Anyway, whether you go for an RS with that punchy DI V6, or the SS with its LS3 power, chances are you'll be a happy camper.

So, to celebrate, we've gone and collected all the Camaro television commercials (and one 1980s promo video) we could find and packed them up into our handy new video player. When you're done watching one, pick another from the scrolling list under the main window and enjoy. We don't know how Chevy's gonna market the new car, but we're hoping for something more in line with the cool and dramatic 'Volcano" spot for the first-gen. It's a nostalgia overload, from the '70 "Super Hugger" spots to the cringe-fest 80s-era ads, right up to the 90s cars that spelled the end of the line. Until now.

Now, please excuse us while we hit the weekend classified pages. We've got a sudden craving for some IROC-Z garage candy. After all, this mid-summer weather is just perfect for T-Tops.

Miraculously, the driver of the '08 Dodge Ram in the video above escaped unharmed, along with his ten-year-old son. Apparently, he had miscalculated his position when pulling past the drive-thru station at his Dallas-area bank. Disaster quickly ensues after his tall camper trailer impacts the awning covering the entire area. Fortunately, no other cars were having transactions processed at the time. While the bank's going to remain open, the drive-thru area's going to be out of commission for a bit...

[Source: NextAutos]