For the European market only comes a highly modified version of BMW’s excellent M3 Coupe. Meant for Clubsport events, the new M3 GTS Coupe has significant changes included that many owners would likely do themselves if they planned on attending motorsport events, Autocross, or track days.

The M3 GTS starts out by dropping some weight to the tune of 400 lbs, now down to 3300 lbs. This was done by swapping out the center console, door linings, and silencers with lightweight versions, and completely removing the rear seats, automatic A/C, and audio system. The body also comes equipped with mounting points for a rollcage and six-point seatbelts for racing. Aerodynamics were improved in the M3 GTS by adding a race-spec front air dam and giant adjustable rear wing. Continue Reading…

Here’s something unexpected: Porsche will be showing something called the Boxster Spyder at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. Not only does the car look interesting, and what Porsche has said about it continues that interest, but also it is said to be lightweight (Porsche getting back to its roots?) and, they are also saying it is headed for production.

Porsche says that the Boxster Spyder will be the new top of the line version of the Porsche Boxster. And the good news is that it will tip the scales at just 1,275 kg or 2,811 lb, making the Boxster Spyder the lightest model in the entire range of Porsche cars. Porsche says that “this new mid-engined roadster represents the true, purist form of the Porsche sports car – light, powerful, consistently open, and very efficient.”

OK by me. Continue Reading…

Ford has been doing a lot of factory approved drag racing recently. They’ve been selling lots of “for the strip only” cars, and now it looks like veteran Ford guy, and NASCAR super-team owner Jack Roush is getting into the act, and, surprisingly, getting in a rather green way.

Roush does more than just NASCAR and the occasional drag car though. He is involved in a wide variety of auto-related ventures, most of them seemingly involved in the building of very quick Ford powered vehicles. His Roush Engineering business, for example, does a lot of prototype build and development work for a number of different client companies. And most recently Roush Engineering has been working on, and building propane-fueled conversions of Ford F-150 pickup trucks that are especially useful to fleet customers.

So why not dive into making propane-fueled drag cars, huh?

Continue Reading…

Looks like Reeves Callaway is still around, just ask Rick Hendrick. Yes, that would be the same Callaway that made factory authorized twin turbo Vettes back in the late 80s. And then started making his own Vette based sports cars for years after that. And yes, that’s the same Hendrick Motorsports that is to NASCAR what the Yankees are to baseball. So the two teamed up to make a fairly impressive 25th Anniversary 2010 Camaro SS that they’ll show at SEMA and sell a limited run of later on.

Camaros look to be the it car of this year’s SEMA show. There’s custom Camaros from Hurst, Lingenfelter, and Yenko, to name just three, and every time I check my in box, there’s some custom shop I’ve never heard of that is bringing their own version of the evergreen Camaro to SEMA.

Continue Reading…

Elizabeth James had to drive into the river to stop her Toyota Prius

I knew this day would come. The movies warned us, and we didn’t listen. The robots have developed a mind of their own and are targeting drivers of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

There have been reports of hundreds of recent accidents and 16 deaths resulting in what experts are calling an electronics failure (and what Toyota is calling a stuck floor mat) that results in the throttle getting stuck open. The affected cars are accelerating to around 100 mph, and no amount of braking stops the car. These runaway Toyotas are making buyers question their purchasing decision, and demanding answers from Toyota.

An estimated 2000 cases of this glitch have been reported in Toyota Camry, Prius, and Lexus cars. Toyota denies any issue with electronics in the cars, but instead calls the incidents a result of “oversized floor mats” sticking open the throttle. “I’m absolutely certain that in my situation, it was not the floor mats,” Elizabeth James told ABC News about her experience with a Toyota Prius suddenly accelerating past 90 mph in Denver, CO. Toyota refused to speak with ABC News about the incidents, insisting that it’s the floor mats. Executive Bob Daly posted on their website, “Some news reports suggest there may be other causes of unintended acceleration, speculating about electronic engine control systems, braking performance or electro-magnetic interference among other theories. There is no evidence to support these theories.” Continue Reading…

Lamborghini and Tag Heuer teamed up for a new limited edition luxury cell phone. With a design based on the strikingly sexy Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640, the MERIDIIST looks about as cool as a cell phone can look. Only 1963 (the year Lamborghini was founded) copies of this phone will be made, starting at an enormously expensive $7,500.

The phone is constructed from stainless steel and coated in black titanium carbide (really hard stuff,) and you can get it in various colors of leather, alligator skin, or rubber. My favorite: Black calfskin leather with red stitching. The screen is made from sapphire crystal, the same scratch-resistant material high-end watch faces are made from.

The whole phone has a sharp-edged design any Lamborghini lover will adore, although the dimensions and feature design resemble phones from five years ago. The rear is styled after the Murciélago LP 640’s V12 engine block and engraved with your “XXXX/1963″ limited edition number.

Battery life is an impressive seven hours talk time, 28 days standby power. Tech features are a typical 2 megapixel camera and WAP 2.0 browser, quad-band GSM, an ultra-sensitive antenna, an OLED screen on top displaying time, and Lamborghini wallpapers and screen animations.

Worth the price? Not even close, but if you just bought a new Lambo, chances are you’re not worried about saving money on your cell phone bill. Continue Reading…