POLL: THE MACHINES OF AUGUST
Updated: 2012-08-31 22:00:34
Depending on where you live in the world, it may already be September for you. Here on the US West Coast we have about another 12 hours left in August and that means it's time to look back at our monthly assortment of feature cars. It also means that you guys are now faced with the difficult task of selecting your favorite feature of the month.
From modern and historic race cars, street machines, and Rat Rods, there were some amazing vehicles featured on Speedhunters in the month of August.
Here they are.
Your local racing circuit is a special place, yet one that is often overlooked - unless you happen to live next door to the Nordschliefe. I guess it's a case of the grass always being greener on the other side, but rarely do we give enough credit to our home circuits. I've shot more events at Mondello Park than I care to remember, and as such have pretty much taken the place for granted. With all the doom and gloom - financially speaking - surrounding the world of motorsport these days, it has made me looking at things differently and forced me to appreciate things more. Rather than taking Mondello for granted, I want to show you why it's one of my favourite racing circuits anywhere in the world.
In Part 1 of the 24 Hours of LeMons Wish List, we yearned for such excellent racing machines as the Renault Fuego, the Ford EXP, and the Chrysler Cordoba. We’re hoping that prospective LeMons teams have taken note and are now searching for sub-500-buck examples of the fine machines that made the list, but perhaps [...]
Lexus’s redesigned 2013 GS sedan took a marked step forward in sportiness relative to the outgoing model, and it looks like the brand is intent on reinforcing the theme by providing Sydney Motorsport Park with a GS350 F Sport safety car. Okay, so it’s not exactly a GS350 race car, but until recently, the idea [...]
We’re bigger fans of safety cars than we are of pace cars. And we’re pretty confident in our opinion when you compare BMW’s M6 MotoGP safety car or Mercedes’ C63 AMG Coupe Black Series DTM safety car with the likes of, well, this. But despite our biases, we can get on board with the pink [...]
The folks at Chevrolet think otherwise, but in addition to baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie, few things ooze Americana more than does a Ford Mustang convertible, especially one propelled by a V-8 engine. That was true in April 1964, when Ford unveiled the original at the New York World’s Fair, and it’s true today, [...]
The new Nissan Sentra has 130 hp. That’s a number surpassed by every car in its class. Plus, it’s less than the outgoing Sentra had. In fact, the 2013 Sentra is outgunned by the ’94 Sentra SE-R. To paraphrase Dr. Zoidberg: Nissan, your horsepower numbers are bad and you should feel bad. READ MORE ››
Welcome to another edition of the Thursday Shoutout. This week we once again have a diverse selection of rides submitted by the global Speedhunters readership, so let's waste no more time and give them some love!
Toyota has announced a new special-edition Camry variant for 2012 called the SE Sport Limited Edition. Basically, the unique model is a regular, four-cylinder Camry SE (the sportiest trim level in the Camry lineup) loaded with several optional extras and a set of 18-inch wheels that are otherwise only available on the six-cylinder SE model. [...]
Russian-spec Suzuki Grand Vitara Stop everything and listen; the following urgent news message has just passed across the hypothetical Car and Driver desk: Suzuki will update the Grand Vitara SUV for 2013 with a light exterior and interior freshening. The refreshed Grand Vitara made its debut in Moscow, following a reveal earlier this year for [...]
Red Bull is no stranger to running its F1 cars outside of grand prix circuits: the metropolis of Hong Kong, the old world of Torino, Italy, and even the dirt that will become the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. (You can see the highlights from last year’s adventures (here.) And now the Milton [...]
There’s absolutely no reason why a car’s cylinder and gear counts should match, but the world seems more at balance when they do. The latest entry-level automatic 3-series, however, has shifted from six cylinders and six ratios to four and eight. This is fuel-economy progress, they tell us, but it just feels wrong. READ MORE [...]
The 2010 season-ender race at Palm Beach International Raceway featured 24 straight hours of rod-throwing madness, with the checkered flag waving at midnight on New Year’s Eve and the party beginning seconds later. It was also one of the weirdest LeMons races we’ve ever seen. The run-up to the event was every bit as surreal [...]
When Mercedes-Benz and Renault-Nissan announced their cooperation of massive proportions, backed up by an exchange of shares, we were promised common components and technology. Now we’re beginning to see the first products of that partnership: the Citan light commercial vehicle—little more than a rebadged Renault Kangoo—that goes on sale in Europe beginning in September. Read [...]
The 2014 Mazda 6 only just broke cover ahead of its debut at the 2012 Moscow motor show, and already Mazda has released a new video of the handsome sedan driving around on a salt flat. But as an added bonus—depending on your definition of such things—the brief clip features a gripping soundtrack laid down by [...]
On Monday we presented this week’s shifter and asked you to identify the make and model of the vehicle from whence it came. The truck-like shifter apparently was a dead giveaway, because the first commenter to correctly identify it as a Hummer H3T’s five-speed unit also was the first to post a comment. That lucky [...]
The redesigned 2013 Ford Fusion will launch with a fairly impressive list of available driver-assistance technologies—many of which are mid-size “firsts”—but more interestingly, many of those same features could be made available on the smaller Focus, too. Allow us to explain: Ford’s shpeal for the upcoming Fusion’s hefty options list is that it represents the [...]
It’s busy times here in the land of Speedhunters as we get set to descend upon Silverstone Circuit for one of our biggest weekends of the year: the Trax show. A big group of us are flying and driving over from Sweden, Norway, Ireland, France and the USA to meet up with our regular British [...]
Driving a police-spec Charger as a civilian isn’t so much about the car, but the experience. That’s because it feels and performs just like a regular model—which we’ve reviewed in many forms—save for one major distinction: Its performance is almost entirely dictated by its appearance, not the beefed-up chassis or the burly 5.7-liter V-8. You [...]
2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder Lamborghini’s next mid-engine, 10-cylinder supercar is on the way, with an ETA in late 2013 or early 2014. Until then, though, Lamborghini will continue selling Gallardos—sales were up 25 percent last year—and we’ve learned from a European source that there’s still one more special model or version planned. We get [...]
Lincoln has announced that it plans to begin selling cars in China by the second half of 2014. Ford’s luxury division didn’t elaborate on which models it plans to sell in China—we think the MKT, new MKZ, and the Navigator are safe bets to make it there—although it did say the cars will be sold [...]
When the 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 broke cover this week, it did so with a software application that automatically blips the throttle during downshifts in conjunction with the seven-speed manual transmission as a part of the optional Sport Chrono package. That feature will spread across the stick-shifted Carrera lineup for 2013. A Porsche spokesman [...]
Just what is it about modified pickup trucks that makes them so cool? While I try to figure that out, let's take a look at another machine submitted through the #featurethis program. This 1988 Toyota Hilux double cab was built by Speedhunters reader Kurt Muller, who says that his experience building Japanese cars is like playing with LEGO in the way that everything can be pieced together so easily.
Good news, everyone! Mazda is just about to launch its third-generation 6, and this time around it’s smaller and much lighter than the car it replaces. The 2014 Mazda 6 could even capture some of the spirit of the delightful first-gen car—at least, that’s what Mazda’s execs want us to believe. The new 6 debuts [...]
Audi has little interest in discussing the next-generation A8 at the moment. After all, the current model is set to receive a face lift early next year, which hopefully will add some style to a body that, according to a prominent designer at the VW Group, looks “like it still has the camo on.” We [...]
Bentley, the British maker of ultra-luxury cars, will launch a one-off concept car at the Paris auto show in late September, sources have told us. Details are not available at this point, but the vehicle is designed to underscore the brand’s sporting aspirations. The concept is expected to be the sportiest vehicle the brand has shown [...]
Lexus has announced it is bringing a new hybrid coupe concept to the Sydney auto show in Australia this fall, and that the two-door is an evolution of the LF-LC concept it showed off this January in Detroit. According to Lexus, the new car features a hybrid powertrain that will produce at least 496 hp, [...]
Vitamin B7 is also known as biotin, which sounds like some sort of bioengineered armor and therefore is awesome. The Alpina B7 is also known as a bad-ass 7-series, an adjective-and-noun combo that sounds pretty awesome, too. And the car is just that, thanks to its muscled-up version of BMW’s corporate twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 and [...]
Audi is working on an electric all-wheel-drive system for upcoming vehicle generations, a company source has confirmed to us. Audi previously has shown an A5 prototype with an electric motor driving the rear axle, with power distributed through Audi’s sports differential in order to enhance the vehicle’s handling characteristics by torque vectoring. Read full story »
In Europe, there is no default law-enforcement vehicle like Ford’s Crown Victoria was for the U.S. throughout the past 20 years. But BMW will move a step closer to being the de facto manufacturer of police vehicles when it presents its updated range of special-service vehicles at the General Police Equipment Exhibition and Conference. Debuting [...]
Hyundai’s funky four-door Veloster hatchback pushes several of our buttons in a good way—it looks interesting, has a unique asymmetric door layout, and is pretty affordable—but it just isn’t that fun to drive. Even the more-powerful Turbo model Hyundai added to the lineup this year failed to light a fire in the driving excitement department. [...]
Each time I look through the cars and builds that have rolled through our #FeatureThis program, I am more and more amazed. It's a true global pool of amazing machinery, and after looking at the submissions I always end up with a huge smile on my face. Cars like this 1969 Opel Commodore are very much a reason for that smile.
2011 Lamborghini Gallardo When Lamborghini launches its successor to the Gallardo for 2014, we shouldn’t expect the same patchwork of model names and variants that are currently in use. Speaking with Lamborghini America COO Michael Lock, we’ve learned that the range will be streamlined for financial common sense—and also for the sanity of customers. Read [...]
2014 Audi A3 Sportback (artist's rendering) Audi only just introduced the latest-generation A3 for Europe this summer, but the lineup won’t be limited to just a three-door hatchback. As such, a pair of A3 variants based on the new car will make their debuts at the Paris auto show next month. (For more of our [...]
There’s good news for those of you who like fast saloons (and hatchbacks) with accessible performance. Subaru is not only lowering the price of their superb WRX STI but the power of this former rally monster has been boosted. The standard car is available for only £26,995 on the road, whilst the uprated version costs [...]
After launching 24 variants of the 997-generation Porsche 911 in seven years, the company introduced the 991-generation car last year, and so is back at the start of the whole process. It’s like passing “Go” in Monopoly, except that Porsche collects $200 million. The all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 and 4S—in both coupe and convertible forms—are the [...]
Santa Fe. Simple reading the name of New Mexico’s capital city immediately conjures visions of mountainous terrain, Southwestern mission-style architecture, and turquoise bedazzled silver baubles. Positioned a lofty 7000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is surrounded by miles of dusty roads and washes, some extending all the way to the desert floor. So when [...]
What It Is: A next-gen Subaru WRX mule prancing about in the body of a current Impreza sedan. Until now, the turbocharged WRX has been based on contemporary Impreza bones, but the new one—and the even-harder-core STI variant—will be split off from the Impreza lineup both in name and mechanical makeup. So although the car [...]
While not a bad car for daily transportation, the Kia Cee'd is certainly not what many would consider a remarkable one. If it weren't for the fact that it's used as Top Gear's reasonably priced car, few people would even know what it is. Well we recently received a message in the #featurethis inbox from Martin Ďuriš of Slovakia who wanted to share what is probably the world's most interesting Cee'd - and it's not even driven by celebrities!
What It Is: A next-generation Toyota Corolla sedan covered in heavy black camouflage. The Corolla is the smallest four-door in Toyota’s U.S. lineup, now that the Yaris sedan was dropped for 2012. The current-generation Corolla has been around in largely the same form since 2009—it was lightly updated for 2011 with a new face and [...]
What It Is: The next-generation Aston Martin DB9 being tested in the United Kingdom. This coupe and Volante—both of which will be available from the car’s launch—were spotted without any sort of camouflage, and we’re told the production versions will look no different when they make their debut. The cars borrow a number of visual [...]
The 2013 Ram 1500 pickup truck has received a near-total redesign with a new engine and transmission, available air suspension system, and some significant changes to its body panels—you can read about all of the changes in our first drive—and now the company has released some pricing info for the rig. The 2013 1500 will start [...]
Some cars just have a natural attraction. At Spa while we covered the 24hrs race we had the opportunity to test drive the Audi S7. When I first saw the car I immediately fell in love with the looks. It’s a very big car that is perfect for those long hauls. A true grand tourer. [...]
It was during his hair-earmuff period, circa 1980, that soft-rock belter Neil Diamond, in his paean to immigration, America, growled: Freedom’s light burning warm! READ MORE ››
The Ram pickup has been with us since 1981, and through those three-plus decades it has played third fiddle to its Ford and Chevy rivals. READ MORE ››
“A convertible Soul was on our long-term product plan but has since been dropped,” Kia’s South Korea–based head of global public relations, Michael Choo, has just confirmed to us. Additionally, a hot hatch is “coming next year to Europe in the form of sporty versions of the Cee’d five- and three-door models.” Kia had no [...]
For this week's Thursday Shoutout it's back to Japan as we give some more love to the recent JDM submissions to the #featurethis inbox.
Now, let's enjoy car life Japan style!
お待たせしました。日本のSpeedhuntersファンの愛車紹介第4弾です！
Today GM announced that it is investing $220 million to retool and equip its production facilitiy in Lordstown, Ohio—which currently builds the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan—to churn out the next-generation Cruze. What GM didn’t reveal, however, is when we can specifically expect the new Cruze to make an appearance, though it did drop a few [...]
2009 Kia Soul'ster concept Update 8/23: Kia has commented on these reports. Click here to rear more. Kia looks set to add a convertible Soul and a turbocharged hot hatch to its lineup in the next two years, say a number of reports from the U.K. British outlet Autocar quotes a Kia marketing exec named [...]
After watching Toyota build itself a solid business with the Prius—more than 136,000 sold last year in the U.S.—Ford is one Detroit automaker finally getting serious about hybrids. It has plucked the C-Max people-mover from its European lineup, given it the twice-over to meet the U.S.’s strangely unique crash standards, and endowed it with a [...]
Land Rover’s slowest seller in the U.S. will get a small boost for the 2013 model year—literally. A turbocharged engine tops a list of upgrades coming to the LR2 compact crossover this fall. READ MORE ››
This breathtaking new concept from McLaren is named the X-1. Designed following a special challenge, the designers really went to work with this one. “One of our clients who already owned a McLaren F1, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and now a 12C, wanted a unique car,” says MSO Programme Director, Paul MacKenzie. “The conversation began [...]
The pick of this week’s images lean heavily on two new cars: one expected, the other one absolutely not. Has there been a more off-the-wall car in recent memory? The unique X-1 concept is a product of McLaren’s Special Operations black-ops division, a one-off bespoke car for an anonymous customer with very specific taste. The [...]
It’s the sort of car you can’t help but notice from across the show. I think it was the ride height that caught my attention first and pulled me in for a closer look. You don’t see MKII Escorts with this sort of stance – I use that phrase in the literal meaning rather than [...]
The first ever Car-Fest, brainchild of car-nut DJ Chris Evans, is being held on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of August at Laverstock Park Farm, near Basingstoke. For full details, please go to: www.carfest.org. At the heart of Car-Fest, which will be held at Laverstock Park Farm, home of ’79 Formula One World Champion Jody [...]
Much like prescription medicine, Speedhunting has many obvious benefits which are accompanied by those nagging fine-print side effects. While there aren’t many downsides to circling the globe looking for the best cars inhabiting it, there are a few. In my case the word jaded comes to mind. Fortunately the cure for this sickness is the [...]
The Friends of Carroll Shelby have come up with something very special indeed in honour of the man himself – an 850-horsepower Ford Racing supercharged V8 GT500 Cobra! It comes with an ultra wide body kit to really stand out, even from the ‘standard’ variant with over 600 horsepower. “Even at 89 years of age, [...]