Find of the Day: 1999 Sbarro GT1 show car

GT1 road cars are hard to come by. Manufacturers are required by some motorsport sanctioning bodies to homologate their racecars with production versions, but these often fetch millions of dollars and are only made in extremely limited quantities. All the more so for Sbarro’s GT1 show car.Built to celebrate Mercedes’ victory at Le Mans in 1999, the GT1 is a one-of-a-kind (well, two of a kind if

Toyota sees increased U.S. market share in 2011

2010 was as rough a year as Toyota has experienced in many-a-decade, but the Japanese automaker reportedly senses a rebound in 2011. The Detroit News reports that team Toyota predicts that in 2011 it will outpace industry growth due in part to 10 revamped models across its Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands.And Toyota isn’t just optimistic about its prospects in the year ahead; the automaker feels

GAZ Siber to switch from Chrysler Sebring to MB E-Class?!

Russian automotive manufacturer GAZ is being courted by a number of handsome suitors, according to Inside Line. While the company currently produces the Volga Siber at its Gorky Automobile plant, there’s some indication that Daimler may want the facility to switch to building the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The move would kinda sorta be an all-in-the-family affair as the Siber is currently built off

China’s BAIC gunning to buy Pininfarina

Beijing Automotive Industry Corp, or BAIC, is looking to buy Italian design firm Pininfarina. The Chinese automaker is already working with Pininfarina in collaboration on its upcoming models based on older Saabs.Since mid-2009, Pininfarina’s family ownership has been looking to unload its majority stake in the company. Interest from several Chinese automakers has been piqued and BAIC is not

C7 Corvette rendered by design student with good ideas

It isn’t easy redesigning an icon, especially one as popular and well-known as the Chevrolet Corvette. Nevertheless, a seventh-generation Corvette is coming, and while rumors of an exotic mid-engine layout for America’s supercar are unlikely to pan out, it’s possible that the Bowtie brand’s designers could take the Corvette’s look in an entirely new direction.Student designer James Robbins has

2012 Ford Focus gets wrapped up in tattoos

Ford really wants owners to personalize their vehicles, and over the past year the automaker has launched custom graphics for the Mustang, Taurus, Fiesta and F-150. Now another car is getting in on the vinyl wrap fun – the 2012 Ford Focus. Through the website FordCustomGraphics.com, 2012 Focus owners can apply vinyl ‘tattoos’ to their cars.The Blue Oval team did some research and found that

Hyundai Sonata edges Volt in Autoblog’s informal Car of the Year poll

The finalists for this year’s North American Car and Truck of the Year awards may have been no big surprise, but the vehicle that our readers think will win Car of the Year honors came as something of a shock.The NACTOY judges have picked the Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Leaf as finalists for Car of the Year. While the Leaf saw a little bit of love with 2,820 votes in our unofficial

Report: Esprit only new Lotus under development

We were a bit surprised when Lotus rolled out a total of five new concepts at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Lotus unloaded its lightweight guns in an effort to showcase the automaker’s future direction, but the question on our minds concerns which of these concepts will actually see the light of day. According to Autocar, only one of the five concepts is actually undergoing engineering work: the 

Lotus reportedly brought in for chassis work on new Vauxhall Astra VXR

From the likes of the Dodge EV to the Ford Cortina, Lotus has had its fingers in all of the Big Three’s pies. But its strongest relationship has historically been with General Motors. The British engineering firm helped develop the engine in the original Corvette ZR-1, engineered the Vauxhall VX220/Opel Speedster, re-engineered the Vauxhall Carlton into ones of its own, and has undertaken a

2014 Lotus Elite loses its roof

Lotus made quite a splash at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The automaker grabbed the spotlight by showing off five new concept vehicles. One of the proposed cars is the Lotus Elite, a 2+2 grand tourer powered by a 611-horsepower, supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine borrowed from the Lexus IS-F. One surprising detail for this Lotus is its weight. The Elite tips the scales at 3,600 pounds, which is a

Lotus reveals Evora S and Evora IPS ahead of Paris debut

Not long after Lotus accidentally leaked its plans to unveil two new Evoras at this year’s Paris Motor Show, we now have the full details weeks before the dynamic duo make their public debut. The Evora S and IPS (which stands for “Intelligent Precision Shift” or “automatic transmission” in layman’s terms) will nicely fill out the Evora range, and we’re aching to get our hands on the former.For

Lotus willing to build Evora-based sportscars for other automakers?

Lotus is considering offering up its latest sports car platforms to other automakers, and this isn’t the first time. When the Elise debuted in the mid-90s, Lotus sold the chassis to form the basis of new lightweight coupes with different powertrains, the most notable of which included the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 and, of course, the Tesla Roadster.According to recent reports, Lotus has

First factory-built Fisker Karma hits the stage

 Staying true to its concept form, the factory-built Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid that hit the stage at the Paris Motor Show retains the concept’s massive 22-inch wheels (Fisker says it’ll be the first production car equipped with standard 22s), sensuous styling, 403-plus horsepower rating and the company’s promise ofachieving 100-plus miles per gallon in regular use. So, what’s exactly different

1949 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta up for grabs from RM Auctions in Arizona

As far as Ferraris go, it doesn’t get more authentic than this. What you’re looking at is a 1949 Ferrari 166 MM– the first model made by Enzo Ferrari after setting up shop under his own name – with custom Barchetta coachwork by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. And it’s going up for auction.Chassis number 0024 M – the 10th of only 25 examples made – was originally displayed at the 1949 Paris Motor

Gemballa moves past founder’s murder with 2011 Porsche Cayenne Toronado

Death is an ominous shadow to cast over a company. All the more so when the death in question was not, as the case were, from natural causes. But in the wake of Uwe Gemballa’s passing, the company that bears his name appears to be emerging from that shadow, creating the beast of a machine seen here.So far all that’s been released about the new Gemballa Tornado are the images you see here and

New Stratos unveiled in retro Alitalia rally livery

The New Stratos has been drumming up a world of enthusiasm. And with good reason: the original was one of the most iconic rally machines ever devised, and the modern tribute looks to be living up to the legend in the grandest of style. That hasn’t stopped some from saying the design doesn’t look enough like the original, but that could very well come down to the paint scheme.No, what we really

Honda teases 2012 Civic before Detroit debut

Here’s our first official glimpse at the face of the next-generation Honda Civic. This sketch is intended to give the world an idea of what we can expect from the Civic show car Honda will display at the Detroit Auto Showin January. From the looks of things, the compact coupe will take the look of the current Civic and throw in some additional attitude. Along with some aggressively swept

GM Perfomance Parts let you build your own 700-hp Camaro

It’s that time of year, kids. Horsepower-crazy General Motorsfans are anxiously dancing around their mailboxes waiting for the latest edition of the company’s performance parts catalog to arrive. As with past years, the glossy pages are packed from margin to margin with everything you need to give your Bow Tie a little extra giddy up. For 2011, the catalog has fully embraced the Camaro, and a