Autoblog

James Garner was hospitalized last week after suffering a mild stroke at his home. Garner's publicist told the AP that the 80-year-old actor is doing well and should be home soon. While Garner's acting career has produced a lengthy and diverse body of work, for a lot of us here at Autoblog, it's hard to think of Jim Garner and not think of Jim Rockford and his gold Firebird Esprit. We're sure there's also no shortage of readers who instantly associate him with his starring role in John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix, hailed by many as the greatest racing movie of all time. Garner was also very active in motorsports in real life, owning American International Racing from 1967-69. He has raced on and off-road, and was inducted to the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame because of his role in elevating the stature of that particular branch of motorsport in the late sixties and early seventies. He's also driven the Indy 500 pace car three times. So, regardless of whether you know him best as Maverick or Jim Rockford, remember also that James Garner's historically a car guy. We wish him well and hope he has a speedy recovery.

[Source: AP via CNN, TV Squad]

Click above for high-res gallery of the FPV F6, more galleries after the jump

FPV's seemingly endless rollout of its new FG Falcon-based lineup has finally culminated in the actual launch of the cars (how novel), which we've already touched upon. To that end, we'll keep this brief and turn you loose on the multiple new photo galleries now available (check out the rest after the jump). The FPV range encompasses both Falcon sedan and Ute bodystyles, and power comes from either the turbocharged F6 inline-six or the 5.4L Boss 315 V8. The six delivers 415 horsepower and a tire-humbling 416 lb-ft of torque. The eight's no slouch either, pumping out 422 horses (315 kW, hence the engine's name) and 406 lb-ft. A Tremec TR6060 6-speed stick is available across the full range of cars.

Speaking of that, here's the rundown:

• FPV F6 Ute
• FPV Pursuit (V8 Ute)
• FPV Super Pursuit ( Top-of-the-line V8 Ute)
• FPV F6 Sedan
• FPV GT (V8 Sedan)
• FPV GT-P (Premium version of the GT)
• FPV GT E (Top-of-the-line V8 FPV sedan, more subtle styling than GT, GT-P)

You can see galleries of everything below and after the jump. We'll take an F6 sedan in the lime green. In fact, we need one of those approximately yesterday.


[Source: FPV]

Click above for new high-res gallery (24) of the Spada Codatronca

Bruce Wayne's loaded, so this really is a perfect fit. The Spada Codatronca made its formal debut at Top Marques in Monaco, which is appropriate since the principality's wealthy residents are the type of clientele SpadaVettureSport will surely be courting when the coachbuilt supercar goes into production. The first flavor to arrive will be the 600-horsepower TS, which will also be available with a flex-fuel mod that allows the car to run on E85. SVS notes that the car will comply with FIA GT1 regulations, too -- can you imagine how wicked a race-prepped version would look?

From the photos, the TS Codatronca looks to be exceedingly well turned-out, especially inside where specialty rides like this can quickly devolve into kit-cardom (see the cabin of the Weber "faster one" sports car for an example). SVS has partnered with a laundry list of big names like Alcantara, Sparco, Aznom, Pirelli, and O.Z. Racing, who will supply various parts for the stealthy-looking sports car. Hopefully, they have someone lined up to furnish these, too. You know... to talk to Commissioner Gordon.


[Source: SpadaVettureSport via Autoblog Spanish]

Click above image for a gallery of the Novitec Fiat 500

Fiat's retrolicious 500 is designed to transport people with panache, if not punch. Novitec's specialty is both bringing the punchbowl to the party and then spiking it. Sure, the tuner tweaks the likes of Alfa and Ferrari, but the everyman isn't left out either, as evidenced by the new collection of mods it's now made available for the Fiat 500.

500 drivers can add a subtle front chin spoiler, new wheels and tires, and suspension updates to improve the car's already appealing looks. On the performance side, Novitec has come up with an exhaust upgrade and a pair of power packages. The 1.3L Multijet turbodiesel gets bumped from the stock 70 horses to a stouter 83, and the 1.4L gasoline engine gets an even more substantial boost. In standard form, it makes 100 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. With Novitec's supercharger, it jumps to 131 horses at 5,200 rpm and 126 lb-ft of torque at 6,200 rpm.

Yes, these numbers are topped by the upcoming 500 Abarth (quite dramatically, in fact -- the Abarth makes 155 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm), and the factory hot hatch probably makes more sense for new shoppers looking to combine the 500's looks with better power the moment they drive away from the showroom. with the Novitec mods, however, early adopters who grabbed the huggable little hatchback as soon as it arrived now have some power options of their own, too.


[Source: Novitec]

Click above for photo gallery, watch video after the jump

It doesn't get much simpler than this. Turbine-powered cars are, as a rule, extremely cool. So too are all vintages of the Porsche 928. Therefore, a turbine-powered Porsche 928 is positively... Arctic. Owning this might well cause snowfall in your garage, and you can actually find out, because this divinely-inspired combination is up for grabs on eBay. Better still, the bid at the time of this writing this is a little over six-thousand bucks. I paid more than triple that for each of the last two used cars I've bought, neither of which is a Porsche 928, and neither of which has a Boeing 502-6 turboshaft engine underhood. Sure, it's not for everyone, and the video after the jump suggests that your neighbors might not like the noise so much, but come on. It's a turbine 928. This rules on several levels. Don't miss the hilarious item description and seller Q&A, either. Apparently, this thing use to be new. Neff should buy it to replace his Alero.


[Source: eBay]

Follow the jump for video

What do you get when you bust out the Krylon and some stencils, add race liveries to combines, and then crash them into each other? You get the best freakin' demolition derby ever, in which the participants harvest record crops of awesome with every smash.

This, in a nutshell, is the thing of beauty otherwise known as the Washington Combine Demolition Derby. 2008's combine carnage is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, and we have never wanted to attend something more in our entire lives. Even if we don't go, at least we can still score ourselves a t-shirt or hat. How this hasn't yet been turned into a top-selling video game is beyond our comprehension -- we'd put down Prologue for this if it had online play. For a taste of the spectacle, follow the jump for video! Thanks for the tip, Scott!

[Source: GoSleepGo]

Click image to enlarge

Like the sedan and ute before it, the Holden Commodore Sportwagon will also soon have a corresponding HSV performance variant. The HSV Tourer is essentially an HSV Clubsport R8 Wagon, as it features the muscle sedan's front clip and 425-horsepower (317kW) LS3 V8 powertrain. Look for it to arrive arrive in Australia this October and in the U.S. as a Pontiac, well, never. (Pontiac has no plans to bring over the Commodore Sportwagon, remember.)

HSV admits that the Tourer could take some sales away from the Clubsport R8 upon which it's based, but that the presence of the wagon in the now-complete HSV lineup should still help HSV's sales numbers overall. Drive.com.au notes that the Commodore Sportwagon was supposed to launch back in March, but has been delayed while Holden continues to work out kinks with the wagon bodystyle. We expect to get plenty more info on the HSV Tourer closer to its launch, but today, we're more bummed than ever that Pontiac isn't importing the Commodore Sportwagon. Imagine what the possibilities could have been... Pontiac G8 Safari GXP? Not bad. And unfortunately, not gonna happen.

[Sources: HSV, Drive.com.au]

Follow the jump for a video of the owner discussing and driving the car

You don't need to spend much time with a Miata to "get" why so many drivers are attracted to them. Perfectly executed and relentlessly entertaining, it's no surprise that Mazda's little roadster is the track-day weapon of choice for a number of people. While countless 4-banger Miatas do their thing on the autocross circuit, one Mark Snell was interested in kicking things up a level so he could run with the big boys in their 'Vettes and similar machinery. His solution? Drop a Mazda 2.5L V6 into his blue roadster's engine bay, then modify and tune it to the point where it's pushing 180 horsepower to the rear wheels. The view underhood is plenty cool -- we especially dig those Suzuki GSX-R1000 throttle bodies he's added. The Miata sounds pretty mean, too. Follow the jump for a video in which Snell gives a tour of his car and discusses the modifications he's made before taking viewers for a quick spin. We believe that this is what fun looks like. Thanks for the tip, Ryan!

[Source: Driving Sports]

Click above for photo gallery

Sometimes people say the best gifts come in small packages. We beg to differ, because if someone were to deliver us the big 'ol box you see above, we'd probably think it was the best gift ever. In that box is Lamborghini Reventon number one of twenty. Apparently, it's the only example which will be sold privately via a traditional dealership -- in this case, Lamborghini of Las Vegas. The other nineteen were all spoken for before ever leaving the factory. We've attached a sampling of photos here, but to see the complete, step-by-step gallery of the car's unboxing in Sin City, you'll need to drop by Fresh Tarmac. If you're an Autoblog reader vacationing in Vegas, you know what to do if you jackpot one of those hundred-dollar slots.


[Source: Fresh Tarmac]

Jalopnik reports that one of the competitors at the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Altamont has tragically died in an accident on the course. At present, the identity of the victim, who was driving the #39 Volvo 242 Turbo pictured above, has not been released. According to Jalopnik's Murilee Martin, who is reporting on-site from LeMons and also competing in the event, the #39 car collided with a wall at high speed, and rescue personnel cut off its roof to extract the driver. Following the incident, LeMons organizers reportedly called off the rest of Saturday's racing. We don't know what's planned for Sunday, and recommend you check Jalopnik for updates. Autoblog extends its heartfelt condolences and prayers to the fallen racer's family, friends and teammates.

UPDATE: It has now been made known that the driver who passed away is Mr. Court Summerfield, age 47, of Alameda, CA. Mr. Summerfield reportedly died of a heart attack at the wheel of the car, which CHP determined to be mechanically sound. Again, we extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Summerfield's wife, Vickie, and their family and friends.

UPDATE 2: Murilee shares some final thoughts.

[Sources: Jalopnik, San Francisco Chronicle, The Truth About Cars]