Click above for high-res gallery of RENNTECHs handiwork
You may remember my little hissy fit last week over RENNTECH using our photos of a Bentley Continental Flying Spur taken when the Flying B was in the Autoblog Garage two years ago. We and the graphic designer over at RENNTECH have since patched things up, aided in no small part by his flattery of my photos and me being a sucker for compliments. Taking our advice, the RENNTECH folk quit shopping in the Google Images section of the store, parked a tastefully tuned Flying Spur next to their building and proceeded to shoot away, the results of which aint too shabby. Their Bentley is lowered with a dark window tint and some deep dish rims as opposed to the stock one we photographed, and theirs is no doubt sporting the tuners new ECU module for Bentley automobiles that boosts the twin-turbo W12 to 625 horsepower. You can check out RENNTECHs new pics in the gallery below, as well as all of the Bentleys that have been in the Autoblog Garage after the jump. We think its about time for another one.
Click above for high-res version at CGIAutomotive.com
Plucked straight from the imagination of one talented Ferrari fan, we have here a rendering of what a possible sportier edition of the upcoming Ferrari California might look like. While the newest Prancing Horse has yet to hit the show floor, this proposed version would potentially appeal to those who want their exclusive exotics as exclusive as possible. Somewhat like what Ferrari did with the Challenge Stradale and Scuderia versions of the 360 and F430 respectively, this California variant would conceivably get a slight horsepower boost, some distinctive visual cues and presumably a higher price tag befitting its limited edition nature. While we have to say that the overall look is definitely sporty and tasteful, this is pure speculation right now. While the CS and Scuderia could trace their existence to the Ferrari Challenge Series race cars, there is no word yet that Ferrari plans any such series for the California. If Ferrari doesnt build its own version, perhaps one of the tuners will. Hamman, Mansory, Novitec? Are you listening?
Seriously, this is an actual press release out of Dearborn today. Yes, the same day Ford revealed the Ford F-150 lost the crown of Americas best-selling vehicle to the Honda Civic as well as a 16% decline in vehicular sales, the company has issued a release claiming boldly "Ford delivers customers trucks they want and need." The customers apparently want and need them so badly that Ford, like a cheater whos been caught and finds themselves desperately bargaining with their jilted spouse to entice them to stay, will begin offering employee pricing on all F-series truck purchases or leases during the month of June. We can already see it now:
Please baby, dont go! I love you — I know you need me! Please! I can change!
The car its maker bills as "edgy" will be the sponsor of the New York City film festival that will feature such films as Ping Pong Playa. - [Read more]
Of course we all knew there was about as much chance of the Citröen CX2500 Prestige beating the 60 Mercedes-Benz 190 wagon as thered be of GĂ¼nter Grass hiding his SS service forever. We should know by now that the Citröen always wins a Choose Your Eternity poll, but it was worth a try! Today were going with a different sort of theme, one suggested by Feds, who was shopping for projects in the St. Catharines area: Labatts-fueled Canadian projects. Feds gets himself a PCH Tipster T-shirt for his efforts, so keep those tips a-comin in. O Canada!
The Jaguar XJ-S may well be the quintessentialProject Car Hell vehicle. It sold for gigabucks, packs a V12 under the hood, looks gorgeous, you can get one cheap, and... Lucas Electrics! We had one beckoning to you from the fiery gates to Project Car Hell not long ago, but the lure of the XJ-S is just impossible to resist and we have no choice but to return to our V12-powered friend. Feds found this 79 Jaguar XJ-S with a somewhat steep asking price of $3,500 Canadian, but were pretty sure that price is highly negotiable. As Feds says, "Regardless of how good or bad the car is, you cant ignore the fact that it is dirt(bag) cheap...a British car that very likely smells of du Mauriers and Labatts 50." We dont learn much about the car from the sellers description, though "Some minor oil leaks and car will need a paint job soon" seems about par for the XJ-S course. Does it run? Is there rust? Electrical gremlins? Wait, no need to even ask that last question!
When youre trying to sell a couple of rusty heaps vintage machines built during an era when craftsmen were busting scab heads on the picket line took pride in their work, whats the best approach to photographing those cars? Thats right- use the "sepia" option in your photo-editing software! If not for the newer vehicles visible in the background on one of the shots, youd think you were looking at 60-year-old photos... of prematurely aged cars. The seller here doesnt find it necessary to provide any description of the cars for sale, and that includes such inconsequential information as year, make, and model. It appears that you can purchase a 1940 Plymouth and a Dodge of the same era for two grand Canadian. Mechanical condition? We cant tell you. Rust? Sure looks that way! But the Dodges and Plymouths of that era share lots of parts- you should be able to make one nice runner out of the pair, powered by a 440 pulled from the first New Yorker you find at the junkyard. As Feds so eloquently puts it: "Based on the excellent copy, I suspect Sophia is trying to sell these cars out from under the nose of her no-good-nik common-law husband."
After bright red Cadillac El Dorados and desert racers, we can imagine no other vehicle more capable of evoking gonzo journalistic activities than this International Motorhome. Sure its a little rusty now, and this particular model would require the addition of a very powerful engine and multiple drug cabinets, but its there, lurking beneath that perfectly patinad yellow paint — the call of the open road. This gem is practically begging for misadventure and with only a day left its going for a scant $1,047.22. Someone needs to get this before we do.
Matt Farah and Nat Mundy discuss BMWs new iDrive, GPNY, Buying Gas out of Country, the new G series Mercedes and spyshots of the hot new Jag.-Garage419
BMWs unholytechnological tour-de-forceiDrive continues to get additional impressive features. This time around, iDrive is going super-customizable with unique screensavers, backgrounds, sound effects. Of particular interest, via iDrive users will now be able to make performance tweaks like adjusting engine boost levels and transmission shift points. So, how does it work? Thats where the fun lies.
The iDrive can be customized and updated from any Internet-enabled computer thanks to GSM telematics (think cell phone technology), which automatically feeds updates to the car. It can also be updated using a USB flash drive, burned CD, or from the inside of the car itself. Check out the link for even more iDrive goodies. [Bimmerfile]
Click above image for gallery of high-res shots courtesy Delbert Shoopman
Looks like late night televisions most famous car nut is the latest person to fall under the spell of the new Dodge Challenger SRT-8. Autoblog friend Delbert Shoopman says he was walking around the NBC lot in Burbank and happened upon one black Challenger parked directly across from the Tonight Show studio. Further snooping revealed a Jay Leno parking tag on the spot (above). We snooped a bit ourselves and found a blurb on Chryslers internal blog, Firehouse, where they talk about Jays latest acquisition.
Seems Jay picked it up yesterday at Valley Dodge in Van Nuys. It will join his 1970 Challenger among the hundreds of other cars in Lenos Garage when he isnt driving it around the Valley or stopping off at local car meets. Well keep an eye out for him at Bobs Big Boy and VCR to see what he thinks of his latest toy. Were guessing he will get quite a kick out of it, with its 425-hp Hemi V8 and retro-mod good looks. Drive it in good health, Jay.
2008 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti shown for illustrative purposes
If you are lucky enough to be driving a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, you probably have the companys automated manual F1 gearbox helping you swap the cogs. With its faster-than-Schumacher shifts, the F1 tranny can make just about anyone feel like a pro. Unfortunately, it can also leave you stranded if heat build-up triggers the clutch sensor. Thus, Ferrari has instituted an official recall of all 612 Scagliettis that could be affected by this finnicky F1 gearbox. Altogether, 366 of the vehicles are being recalled to replace this sensor as well as a related cable holder and magnet that might cause difficult shifting or even complete inoperation. Only model year 2005-2007 612s are affected. If you have one of these in your garage, then you will probably be hearing from your dealer shortly. You can check out the official recall notice from the NHTSA after the jump.
Amazing how $4-per-gallon gas can make us sit up and notice formerly innocuous economy cars. In all fairness, cars like the Mazda2 have always shown brightly on our radar. Sporty and stylish with a bargain-basement price tag and a fuel-sipping demeanor that will keep more of those dead presidents in our pockets, it sounds like a perfect fit. When you add in the Zoom-Zoom nature of your typical Mazda, the fun factor just shoots up to 11. Weve already discussed this car a bit here at AB, and have even shown you 3- and 5-door hatches weve seen in the metal, but now we are starting to get more glimpses of the sedan version undergoing desert testing. Pictures like these from Fastlane Daily give us hope that this fun little car might finally be greenlighted for sales Stateside. The car might end up being identical to the sedan we saw in China, but all of that camo makes it hard to say for certain. Whatever we end up getting, it will probably be another fun option at the low end of the car market.
Catch the latest version of FLD, co-starring the BMW X1, Nissan GT-R and Cadillac CTS wagon, after the jump.
For three weeks in a row, now, weve brought you a new Autoblog Podcast courtesy of the B-Team. Heres episode #96 of the Autoblog Podcast, where Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, and Dan Roth kibbitz over some morsels of recent news. Theres the requisite trip to the Autoblog Garage to start things off, then we move into actual discussion points like the CTS Wagon, a gasp of life on the Ford Ranger front, the massive confusion around Cerberus and Chrysler, and Hyundais nose-thumbing at Toyotas hybrid technology. Remember to send in questions, comments, and suggestions for ways to mark the passing of upcoming episode #100 to podcast at autoblog dawt com. See you next week!
SUBSCRIBE to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes ADDthe Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator DOWNLOAD the show now
In an attempt to help your FM transmitter "blend into your cars dashboard," Green House has produced and released a pretty simple FM transmitter that looks like a shift-knob. It plugs into the standard 12V DC power outlet and includes an audio jack for plugging in an MP3 player and a USB port for charging supported devices. The real hilarious hijinks come when you accidentally try to aggressively shift with this device and tear the hell out of your dash. That, or you put it in a vehicle with a "three on the tree" and confuse the hell out of the driver. We can already imagine the LOLs. [CG]
While the turbine-powered Porsche 928 we found on eBay was admittedly pretty neat (and ended up selling for a measly $7,150), the accompanying video didnt really prove the cars kerosene-guzzling potential to us. Not so with this turbine-enhanced Datsun 280Z. This baby proves its mettle with Knight Rider-esque high-speed desert runs. Over and over again. Aside from the repetitive cinematography, we do get a glimpse of some rad digital gauges straight out of the turbo-boost era along with a glorious turbine symphony. Mmmmmm, high RPM goodness. [Youtube]
Cruising the affluent suburban streets of the Chicago area in the 2008 Mazdaspeed 3, Im looking for trouble. The dimming evening light and warm weather has brought out all the usual suspects: everyone from boy-racers in tuned Hondas to middle-aged men in Ford GTs. Chirping the tires as I dart from stoplight to stoplight, I feel like a 17-year-old taking a joyride in his dads sports car. But Im not racing anyone — yet. Im just trying to get the attention of someone else who wants to run me. Its usually not something I do, but with 263 HP under my right foot, and a 6-speed gearbox in my right hand, Im in a juvenile mood. Chasing down a previous-generation Subaru WRX thats sporting some aftermarket wheels and a loud exhaust, I feel like I might be biting off just a bit more than I can chew.
After flashing my hi-beams in the WRXs mirrors and revving my engine as I pull up next to it at a red light, I dont even get so much as a glance from the driver. Maybe hes just playing it cool. So I turn the traction control off and wind the engine up to about 3000 RPM. Green light, release the clutch, and were off. I kill the Scooby. Oh, wait — he wasnt racing. So I try again at the next light. Will he take the bait this time? Nope. And thats the thing about the Mazdaspeed 3; nobody seems to think its anything special. To most eyes its nothing more than a normal Mazda 3 hatchback. Paint it in a dark color and its practically invisible. Which means that the WRX probably didnt even take me seriously enough to bother wasting gas on. It actually would have been a close race, but it didnt happen. So, I continue cruising.
To say theres a proper method for illegal street racing may sound oxymoronic, but its true. You hear from a friend who heard from a friend that theres a bunch of guys that hang out at a certain place, and from there they go to the place where they actually race. You dont need to bother asking when, because it will always be at a spontaneous time after midnight. That is to say, the serious guys arent out at 9PM just driving around hoping to find a victim — like what Im doing.
So I start looking for parking-lot hangout spots, and eventually find one. Immediately I start scoping out the competition: a few enhanced Audis, a late-model Mustang, a kid with moms CL55 AMG, an Evo IX, a small crew of crotch-rockets, the obligatory mid-life crisis man with his Corvette convertible, and some other stuff drifting in and out. Slim pickings. I buzz through in first gear to gauge reactions. With the relatively loud stock exhaust, I actually do get a few glances from some guys. I say "guys" not because there arent any girls around hanging out, but because not a single one of them seemed to care. Its as if my gray 5-door compact isnt sexy enough. So I park the car and sit with my windows down and the stereo up. But time passes and nothing happens. This is lame. I resume cruising, but as one suburb blends into another and into another, I feel like Im just driving in circles. Out here its just an endless blur of shopping malls, big-box stores, chain restaurants, and cubicle farms. Ive gotta get out of here.
The next morning I wake up at my own leisure, and engage in a lost cultural ritual known as breakfast. Today Im setting my own pace instead of trying to keep up with the rat race. So, when the navigation system asks me which route I want to take on my spontaneous trip up to Wisconsin, I choose the one with the fewest number of expressways. If I encounter a few dawdling Lincolns along the way, so be it. Cars like this shouldnt be confined to petty stoplight cockfights; they should actually be driven. Sure, the back roads to Madison are no NĂ¼rburgring, but at least I get to focus more on the driving and less on weaving between traffic and watching for speed traps. And its out here, surrounded only by farmland and lakes, that the car calms down. Its no longer fidgety and bouncy, but poised and confident. No longer am I being dragged around by the brute force, but Im part of the machine—and we want to go faster.
Honda Civic, Accord, Toyota Camry and Corolla all outsell Ford F-150 for the first time
The two brands who lost and gained the most sales last month (MINI and HUMMER) sum up nicely what happened to auto sales during May in the U.S. Brands armed with small cars weathered the storm and big trucks and SUVs continued to nose dive. In fact, after 17 years worth of being this countrys best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150 full-size pickup (42,973) has fallen for the first time to fifth place behind the Honda Accord (43,728), Toyota Camry (51,291), Corolla (52,826) and your new best-selling vehicle in the U.S., the Honda Civic (53,299). Note to automakers: that would be the sound of the canary in your coal mine hitting the floor.
U.S. automakers continued their year of suffering last month (Chrysler LLC had not yet broken down its numbers by brand at the time of posting), with General Motors taking the beating of its life and Chrysler LLC not far behind. Every single GM brand was down not just in the double-digit range, but all were down more than 20% with HUMMER falling off the map at less than 2,000 units sold. FoMoCo was down nearly 20%, but can at least take heart knowing that its new Focus (32,579) has found a lot fans. Toyota was also down, but was buoyed by the aforementioned incredible popularity of the Camry and Corolla. Nissan and Honda were both up, however, with the big H bucking all trends and posting a gain of 11.3%. NOTE:Because there were 27 selling day in May 2008 versus 26 in May 2007, all percentages represent the change in average Daily Sales Rate, i.e. the average number of vehicles sold per day, rather than the change in raw number of vehicles sold.
Biggest Winner MINI 47.2% at 6,312 (5/07: 4,130)
Biggest Loser HUMMER -61.7% at 1,843 (5/07: 4,636)
BRANDS Acura -9.9% at 14,893 (5/07: 15,920) Audi -6.4% at 8,534 (5/07: 8,788) BMW -8.1% at 25,469 (5/07: 26,689) Buick -37.8% at 11,033 (5/07: 17,087) Cadillac -26% at 13,348 (5/07: 17,380) Chevrolet -27.1% at 167,202 (5/07: 220,870) Ford -16.6% at 184,402 (5/07: 212,572) GMC -38.8% at 30,724 (5/07: 48,336) Honda 13.9% at 153,104 (5/07: 129,447) HUMMER -61.7% at 1,843 (5/07: 4,636) Hyundai 1.8% at 46,415 (5/07: 43,885) Infiniti -6% at 10,495 (5/07: 10,748) Jaguar 22.7% at 1,757 (5/07: 1,379) Kia 4.9% at 31,047 (5/07: 28,494) Land Rover -32.3% at 3,003 (5/07: 4,269) Lexus -19.6% at 26,593 (5/07: 31,847) Lincoln -42% at 8,365 (5/07: 13,880) Mazda .4% at 27,921 (5/07: 26,788) Mercedes 8.3% at 24,480 (5/07: 21,771) Mercury -28% at 13,593 (5/07: 18,178) MINI 47.2% at 6,312 (5/07: 4,130) Mitsubishi -26% at 10,430 (5/07: 13,651) Nissan 5.7% at 90,379 (5/07: 82,314) Pontiac -25.9% at 27,966 (5/07: 36,325) Porsche -20% at 2,796 (5/07: 3,348) Saab -28% at 2,148 (5/07: 2,872) Saturn -32.7% at 18,099 (5/07: 26,905) Subaru 9% at 18,436 (5/07: 16,282) Suzuki -2% at 10,364 (5/07: 10,190) Toyota -6.3% at 230,811 (5/07: 237,176) Volkswagen -3.6% at 22,346 (5/07: 22,325) Volvo -24% at 7,238 (5/07: 9,192)
Not Yet Reported Chrysler Dodge Jeep
COMPANIES BMW Group -0.7% at 31,781 (5/07: 30,819) Chrysler Group -28% at 148,747 (5/07: 199,393) Ford Motor Co -19% at 217,998 (5/07: 259,470) General Motors -30% at 272,363 (5/07: 375,682) Honda America 11.3% at 167,997 (5/07: 145,367) Nissan North America 4.4% at 100,874 (5/07: 93,062) Toyota Motor Co. -7.9% at 257,404 (5/07: 269,023)
click above for gallery of the entire Final 500 Collection
The death of the Oldsmobile brand in 2004 was certainly a sad moment in the annals of automotive history. At 107 years old, the brand had seen its share of ups and downs, and most would agree that it ended on a down note with a lineup of cars that werent competitive at all in their respective classes. Regardless, a dealership in Indiana managed to collect an example of each vehicle in Oldsmobiles parting lineup, all of which feature the brands Final 500 Collectors Edition Package. They include a 2004 Silhouette minivan, 2003 Aurora, 2002 Intrigue, 2004 Bravada SUV and, my personal fave, a 2004 Alero. With my own 1999 Alero Coupe suffering from a determined pull to the right, I am looking for a suitable replacement and a perfectly preserved 2004 model would be perfect. Unfortunately, these vehicles were being sold as a set (the auction is not live anymore) with a starting bid of $149,995. If I bought the whole lot of them, Id be paying an average of $29,999 per vehicle. Were not sure any post-Y2K Oldsmobiles will ever be worth that much on their own, and Ive got too many Bentleys and Ferraris in my imaginary temperature-controlled garage to fit five reminders of why GM sucked not too long ago. Thanks for the tip, Matt!
We knew that the new Audi S4 was due to be unveiled within the next six months, but CAR was able to confirm that the supercharged sled will make an official appearance at the Paris Motor Show this September. Aspreviouslyreported, the new S4 will ditch its 4.2-liter V8 in favor of a new supercharged 3.0-liter V6 producing around 350 hp - a few ponies more than the current S4s output.
CAR got the details about the new S4 while running the twin-clutch-equipped S5 through its paces, and is able to confirm that the S-badged sedan will benefit from the same seven-speed gearbox, with shifts taking place in 200 ms. Naturally, the S4 will be equipped with quattro all-wheel-drive, and sales will begin in the UK in early 2009, with wagon and convertible variants following thereafter.
As for the future of the RS4, Audi isnt confirming any specs yet, but theyre confident that when the new M3-fighter hits the streets in 2010, the new S-tronic dual-clutch gearboxs shifts will be reduced to around 140-150 ms.
The Luxury Institute surveyed 1,642 affluent Americans to see which brands stood out among the crowd of luxury automakers, and Porsche made out as the overall winner. The survey participants make an average of $349,000 per year and have a net worth of $3.7 million, and theyre surveyed on customer service, quality, exclusivity, and that overall warm and fuzzy feeling one gets about a given brand. Porsche received high marks for its uniqueness in the marketplace, as well as for the companys strong focus and attention to detail.
Lexus and Mercedes rounded out the top three, with Lexus achieving the highest overall purchase consideration and Mercedes receiving demerits for its past ownership of Chrysler. Ouch. BMW finished in fourth place, due in part to Bimmer fans displeasure over the brands styling and overly complicated tech like iDrive. Japanese automakers scored highest with regards to customer satisfaction, with Lexus, Acura, and Infinity landing in the top three overall. Cadillac, which was ranked first in customer satisfaction last year, fell into a tie for fourth place in this years survey. Lincoln was deemed to have the least desirable brand status in the survey, as Fords luxury arm finished dead last in the field of 12. Maybe the new MKS sedan will drive Lincoln out of the basement in next years survey.
The car its maker bills as "edgy" will be the sponsor of the New York City film festival that will feature such films as Ping Pong Playa.
Of course we all knew there was about as much chance of the 
After bright red Cadillac El Dorados and desert racers, we can imagine no other vehicle more capable of evoking gonzo journalistic activities than this International Motorhome. Sure its a little rusty now, and this particular model would require the addition of a very powerful engine and multiple drug cabinets, but its there, lurking beneath that perfectly patinad yellow paint — the call of the open road. This gem is practically begging for misadventure and with only a day left its going for a scant $1,047.22. Someone needs to get this before we do.
BMWs 
For three weeks in a row, now, weve brought you a new Autoblog Podcast courtesy of the B-Team. Heres episode #96 of the Autoblog Podcast, where Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, and Dan Roth kibbitz over some morsels of recent news. Theres the requisite trip to the Autoblog Garage to start things off, then we move into actual discussion points like the CTS Wagon, a gasp of life on the Ford Ranger front, the massive confusion around Cerberus and Chrysler, and Hyundais nose-thumbing at Toyotas hybrid technology. Remember to send in questions, comments, and suggestions for ways to mark the passing of upcoming episode #100 to podcast at autoblog dawt com. See you next week! 
In an attempt to help your 
While the 
Cruising the affluent suburban streets of the Chicago area in the 
The two brands who lost and gained the most sales last month (MINI and HUMMER) sum up nicely what happened to auto sales during May in the U.S. Brands armed with small cars weathered the storm and big trucks and SUVs continued to nose dive. In fact, after 17 years worth of being this countrys best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150 full-size pickup (42,973) has fallen for the first time to fifth place behind the Honda Accord (43,728), Toyota Camry (51,291), Corolla (52,826) and your new best-selling vehicle in the U.S., 
47.2% at 6,312 (5/07: 4,130)
-61.7% at 1,843 (5/07: 4,636)
