It should come as no surprised that Subaru -- a brand that's made its name in the States for offering rugged, all-wheel drive vehicles -- is a little wary about bringing its own version of the RWD Toyobaru to the U.S.

Speaking with Wards Auto, Subaru spokesperson Michael McHale said, "We're an all-wheel drive brand," going on to say that, "If it doesn't affect the core of the brand, maybe we'd bring it in as an interesting option."

Although we've yet to seen the Subaru variant of the Toyota FT-86, the rebodied version is expected to debut sometime in 2010, with both examples going on sale in Japan later next year or in early 2011. Power is supposedly supplied by Subaru-sourced, Toyota-tweaked flat-four, putting out around 200 horsepower in naturally aspirated guise.

For Toyota to make a business case for putting the FT-86 into production, it's been all but assumed that the RWD coupe would go on sale in markets outside of Japan -- specifically in Europe and North America. However, the Subaru version's fate isn't quite as clear. If earlier reports are any indication, offering an AWD coupe could be a possibility given the coupe's underpinnings. But if it's strictly RWD, McHale hopes consumers can, "forgive us a one-off exception."




[Source: Wards Auto]

Ask us to pick our favorite Mercedes-Benz products of all time and towards the top of that list sits this: The 1968-1972 300SEL 6.3. Introduced at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show, the original 6.3 was the product of one rogue Mercedes engineer who took the 109-series Type 300 SEL sedan and shoved the Type 600 limo's 6.3-liter V8 underhood. The heart transplant was good for 250 horsepower, allowed the Teutonic sled to rocket to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, top out at 136 mph and made it the fastest road-going sedan of the time.

Not only did the 6.3 out accelerate the Porsche 911 S and Jaguar E-Type 4.2, with it's pneumatic suspension, anti-dive control and four-wheel disc brakes, it could dance as well as it could surge. And of course, Jay Leno has a 1969 example parked in his So. Cal. stable.

During a press event earlier this month, Jay and the Mercedes crew held a little soiree at his "shop" and revealed Leno's plans to swap in the 6.2-liter V8 from the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG into his 40-year-old sedan. The union of the 300SL and the 563-hp AMG-fettled mill apparently has Mercedes' blessing, as the automaker's engineerings are helping Jay with the swap. Naturally, we can't wait to see and hear the results, and we'd expect a video of the reborn beast to be up in the coming months.



[Source: USAToday via Save The Enzos]

After providing us an exclusive glimpse inside the Hennessey Performance workshop, the Texas-based tuner has let more details slip on the development of the Venom GT -- a Lotus Elise-based supercar packing Corvette ZR1 firepower.

Before the production version debuts at the Geneva Motor Show this March, Hennessey has released a few renderings, along with more shots from inside the shop and a basic spec sheet, including performance figures and few technical details. The rear-drive, two-seater should tip the scales at 2,395 pounds, with a twin-turbo V8 mounted amidships and dolling out 1,000 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 950 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. As reported previously, power will be sent through a six-speed manual gearbox with forward progressed scrubbed off by Brembo brakes sized 15 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. And the performance stats are nothing short of unbelievable. 0-60 mph will be dispatched in 2.2 seconds. 0-100 mph in 4.9 seconds and the 200 mph mark will be had in 14.5 seconds before maxing out at a claimed 262 mph. Judging by the newly released pics, the Venom GT is nearly complete and we expect to see the production version before it's official unveiling in Switzerland.




[Source: Hennessey Performance]

Among the myriad of technological features coming to the 2011 Audi A8, its revised Multi Media Interface system, complete with the new "MMI touch" feature, will also include the first application of Google Earth in a production car.

In addition to the traditional hard-disk navigation system, an optional GPRS/EDGE modem is integrated into the MMI nav-plus system allowing a constant stream of information to be downloaded and accessed from Google. Along with GPS-based searches for local services, users can plan out their trips on Google Maps, Google Earth or through Audi's online portal, and navigation data is analyzed and relayed to all the A8's systems, including the automatic cruise control with "Start & Go" functionality, the adaptive lights and the eight-speed automatic gearbox.

With a SIM card inserted into the A8's MMI setup (or data-enabled phone paired via Bluetooth) Google Earth can provide drivers with a three-dimensional view of their surroundings displayed on the A8's eight-inch LCD display, showing satellite imagery and terrain modeling, along with all the traditional navigation system's functionality both online and off. The integration of Google Earth is set to go live on the A8 sometime in the middle of 2010, soon after Audi's new flagship goes on sale in the spring. Check out all the details in the press release after the jump.

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We've been all but assured that a convertible version of the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was on the way, and now we've got photographic proof of the de-gullwinged drop-top weathering the wintery climes before its reveal in 2010.

Although Mercedes officials haven't divulged much about the SLS cabrio, it's likely to be fitted with a retractable soft-top rather than a folding hard-top in a bid to keep weight in check and retain some of the trunk's capacity. Naturally, the chassis will be fortified to increase rigidity, but considering the SLS AMG was designed from the onset to be both a coupe and a convertible, we suspect the extent of the modifications to be limited and the weight penalty to be minimal.

Some reports indicate that the SLS AMG Roadster could debut as early as the Geneva Motor Show in March, but if we were betting gentlemen, we'd suspect the convertible SLS to debut later in 2010, likely at the Paris Motor Show.

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet is ready for its close-up at the Detroit Auto Show, but before the shindig in Michigan gets underway next month, Mercedes has dropped all the official details on its CLK convertible replacement.

Like the coupe on which it's based, the Cabrio is a step up from its predecessor and comes packing a choice of powerplants: a 3.5-liter V6 putting out 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque in E350 guise or a 5.5-liter V8 churning out 382 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque in the E550 cab.

Unlike some of its competition, the E-Class Convertible doesn't employ a retractable hard-top, but rather a 0.9-inch cloth roof that pays dividends in the capacity department. With the top up, the trunk is good for nearly 14 cubic feet of space and cut down to just over three cubic feet when the top is dropped and stowed behind the rear passengers. There's also a pass-through underneath the roof's enclosure -- similar to the recently released Audi A5 convertible -- that should make schlepping longer parcels a bit easier.

The real party piece on the convertible E-Class is the new AirCap system, which includes a 2.4-inch wind deflector that extends from the windshield, along with a draft-stop mounted behind the rear seats. According to Mercedes, this limits the amount of wind intrusion into the passenger compartment up to speeds of 100 mph, keeping your perfectly coifed hair in check and making conversations easier when storming the autobahn.

Other tech includes the Mercedes Airscarf, which blows warm air around the neck of the front seat passengers (originally seen on the SL) and Mercedes' first application of head airbags in a convertible. If you're champing at the bit to get your hands on the 2011 E-Class Convertible, you'll have to wait until May, but in the meantime, you can scope out all the details in the press release below the fold.

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