Autoblog

Click above for more photos of classic cars and dogs

City of Long Beach police cruisers were movie stars in the original Gone in 60 Seconds film. The 1970's cult classic featured the black and white playing chase with a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1. These days, though, the officers use more efficient methods to capture muscle cars; they invite them over for a fundraising car show. Over the weekend, the Long Beach Police Academy held a classic car show to benefit the department's K9 Officers Association. A few dozen impeccable examples of automobile preservation took over the grounds of the Long Beach Police Officers Association Park. Not to be rude hosts, the organization even showed off an old Dodge Cornet and Model T police cruiser amongst the numerous Bel Airs, Mustangs and Vegas.

Browsing through the rows of vintage automobiles wasn't the only event incentive for us to attend. The Orange County German Shepherd rescue showed off dogs available for adoption and the K9 officers put on a training demonstration. As a new GSD owner, I could not resist the combination of sleek cars and furry wet noses. The dual purpose car show/charity event is always a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Be sure and check out the event gallery in the link below.

Click on the image to see high-res shots of the "see-through" Subaru

While automakers spend huge amounts of money paying marketing firms to come up with memorable advertising campaigns, sometimes something relatively simple does the job just as well. Take this Subaru Outback. Dreamed up by Stan Palmer Sales of Carlisle, a Subaru dealership in the U.K., this particular Outback appears to be see-through and was developed to promote the marque's new diesel boxer engine, the first such engine in the world. An image in a Subaru brochure was snapped with an eight megapixel camera, blown up and plastered onto the full-sized car.

Though the whole project took just one day, the effort has drummed up plenty of interest. According to Dealer Principal Ian Armstrong, "The reaction has been fantastic, with people almost tripping up as they walk past." Considering that the Outback isn't exactly a fresh model, the added interest has caught the attention of Lawrence Good, Managing Director of Subaru Limited in the U.K, who said: "This car has become quite a talking point back here in head office and is a fantastic and cost-effective advertising initiative. It should inspire other dealers to either copy the idea or come up with their own innovative campaigns." Sounds like they love it.


[Source: Subaru]

The launch of the next Mercedes-Benz E-class is right around the corner and Car's spies were able to catch a mildly camo'd mule undergoing testing. The prototype is unmistakably M-B, with a new front fascia that appears to split the difference between the swoop CLS's headlamps and the more conservative eyes of the C- and S-class. Underneath the cloaked sheet metal is Mercedes' new W212 mid-size sedan platform, which ditches the electronic braking system of the last generation (Benz dealers rejoice!) in favor of conventional hydraulic stoppers, and utilizes a four-link front suspension and a multi-link rear arrangement coupled with M-B's Active Body Control (ABC) system. Naturally, there will be gizmos galore, including a new electronic road sign reading system, night-vision pulled from the S-class and a host of gasoline- and diesel-powered engines that will top out with the 6.2-liter V8 from AMG.

According to Car, the new E will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, with sales beginning later that summer.

[Source: Car]

Click either image for a high-res gallery of the Subaru Exiga.

We received word from a little birdie last week that Subaru was gearing up to release its brand-new Exiga into journalist's hands in Japan. Coincidentally (or not), a teaser shot of Subaru's new pseudo-CUV popped up on the NASIOC forum over the weekend and it's clear from the darkened profile that many of the elements from the show car have migrated over to the production model.

The Exiga, which appeared at last year's Tokyo Motor Show as a lightly veiled concept, will likely form the basis for the new Outback, slotting in between the Legacy and the Tribeca CUV. However, it's doubtful that when the Exiga (or Outback) makes the trek across the Pacific it will be sporting seven full seats. Its closest competitor here in the States is the forthcoming Toyota Venza, which aims to define a new segment between wagon and crossover, but in reality, both vehicles own their inspiration to the AMC Eagle, the original wagon on stilts.


[Source: NASIOC via Straightline]

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]

Click above for more high-res pics of the Volvo V70 R-Design

Once upon a time, there was a subtle wagon called the V70R who's meek outward appearance belied the snortiest turbo 5-cylinder Volvo has ever put in a production car. All-wheel-drive helped the power get to the ground instead of immolating the front tires, and the R sat atop the V70 trim-level range. Alas, the R is no more. While it was awesome and amusing, it was also outgunned by the competition, even with 300 hard-breathing horsepower. Still, there are those who desire the look and demeanor of the R, while finding no fault with the lesser powertrains that Volvo offers.

Those buyers can find what they're looking for with the new V70 R-Design package on the third generation wagon. Since the demise of the R, the V70 has moved up to become the wagon version of the S80, and the R-Line package adds a little visual oomph and chassis verve to the big estate. Ride height has been reduced and thicker swaybars are added, along with higher durometer bushings in the suspension. Like we saw on the C30 R-Design, matte finish metal accents are added to exterior pieces like the mirror housings and grille surround. Sporty-looking exhaust outlets, a rear spoiler and 18-inch wheels round out the exterior changes. The interior gets blue-faced gauges, unique metal trim pieces, and Volvo's already excellent seats get R-Design logos and sportier bolstering. The R-Design package adds £2,000 or so to the price of a UK V70, a decent price for a handling upgrade and a hunkered look. Volvo hasn't decided whether to bring it to the United States yet. If it does come to the North American market, the V70 R-Design will be a 2009 model, and we'll know by early summer if we have to look longingly across the pond for a clean-looking, sporty-driving wagon.


[Source: Volvo]

The rendering specialists at AutoBild have come up with images of the next Passat. It gets a bit more character in the twin swage lines running down the side of the body, a feature that is looking like the next big design thing. The front end continues the tripartite bumper design VW has recently taken up, but swaps the giant headlamps for some sleek, stylized numbers reminiscent of Audi.

We aren't sure about the sedan design. It looks like it could be a contender with character... or it could be a sedan just trying to be fancy. The wagon, however, looks pretty sexy. We'll know when we see it in the flesh, but the Passat CC is probably a good indicator in the mean time, so if you like that, then you'll probably like this.

[Source: AutoBild via German Car Blog]

Click the Jetta Sportwagen for a high-res gallery

While we were in Virginia attending the inaugural race of the Jetta TDI cup series, Volkswagen provided us hacks with a some new Jetta Sportwagens with which to make the 45 minute morning and evening commute between the Berry Hill Inn and the race track. Like the last generation Jetta Wagon, the new Sportwagen is branded as a Jetta in North America because Jetta is Volkswagen's top-selling model here. The rest of the world, however, knows this estate-bodied Volkswagen as the Golf Variant. No matter, because the Golf/Rabbit and Jetta share all their important hardware and are, for all intents and purposes, the same car.

In typical fashion, the new Sportwagen has grown since the previous model was retired and is now nearly as big as the last-gen Passat wagon. My first impression upon climbing into the Sportwagen was how it felt nearly as roomy as the 2000 Passat wagon that resides in half of my garage at home. VW provided an assortment of cars with both 5-speed three-pedal and 6-speed two-pedal transmission arrangements. Unfortunately, all were paired with the base 2.5L inline five-cylinder engine. Check out my impressions of the new Jetta Sportwagen after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Click on the images to view the Carrozzeria Touring Maserati A8 GCS and Bellagio Fastback in high resolution

The reborn Carrozzeria Touring made a big splash at Villa d'Este. As the featured marque of the Concorso d'Eleganza this year, the fathers of the classic Superleggera construction method took the wraps off two stunning coachbuilt Maseratis. While we wait for Touring to release more information on the swoopy A8 GCS sportscar and Bellagio Fastback, the Carrozzeria has graced us with a few new images of the two cars.

The photos of the A8 GCS show the custom coupe in a much better light than the initial batch, and there's another shot of the Quattroporte-based Bellagio, as well. As you can see in the latter, the side windows on the wagon are blanked out, but while the extension might not do any favors for blind-spot visibility, we hardly think that's the point as the design and craftsmanship appear second to none. Check out the images in the two galleries below to see for yourself.

[Source: Carrozzeria Touring]

Click on the image for more high-res shots of the Passat R36

Volkswagen's most powerful Passat ever, the R36, which we've been hearing about for over a year, is finally on sale in the U.K. in both sedan and wagon versions. Featuring a 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system to put the 300 horses and 258 lb. ft. of torque to the ground, VeeDub claims that the sedan can get to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in 5.6 seconds. The wagon is a few hundredths slower in the sprint to sixty, but both boast a top speed limited to 155 mph.

Besides the powertrain updates, the R36 gets a unique body kit, Bi-Xenon headlights and a new grille. Chassis enhancements include 18-inch rims, new brake calipers and most importantly, a 20mm lowering of the ride height. A blindingly bright turned-aluminum dash applique matches the new allow pedals and sill plates, while new seats promise a snug fit. The £30,990 base-price is encroaching on Audi territory, though not one featuring 300 horsepower. Now that Volvo's V70R is no longer available, the £32,150 estate model (that's wagon to us yanks) offers lots of performance and utility in a much more refined manner than your typical SUV. No word on a Stateside offering as of yet, but we won't give up the hope.


[Source: Volkswagen]