Autoblog

Schnuerer Toys for Tots drive bigger than ever with a gullwing surprise

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Mercedes-Benz, Misc. Auto Shows, Design/Style

6th Annual Schnuerer Toys for Tots charity car show - Click above for huge high-res image gallery

This past weekend was a busy one for us, and it was for some of our local Marines as well. Our efforts were for a worthy cause, however, as we were busy collecting toys for needy children so they might have something to unwrap during the holidays. We also happened to be surrounded by some of the nicest people and coolest cars ever made at The 6th Annual Schnuerer Toys for Tots drive in Huntington Beach.

The event was highlighted by the surprise appearance of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Even parked amidst two classic gullwing SLs and beside a new SL65 Black Series, the neo-gullwing drew the lion's share of the attention from the crowd. The car sounded fantastic and we had to admit we'd be hard pressed to choose between it, the Black Series, the nearby CLK DTM cabrio, the SLR or SLR Roadster as our favorite modern Mercedes. The Audi R8 V10 that was parked around back would probably be in the mix as well for most fun to drive. Follow the jump to read how the day played out - and don't forget to check out the huge gallery by clicking any image below.

Gallery: 6th Annual Schnuerer Toys for Tots charity car show

Continue reading Schnuerer Toys for Tots drive bigger than ever with a gullwing surprise

Schnuerer Toys for Tots drive bigger than ever with a gullwing surprise originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:56:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lexus

2011 Lexus LFA at California Speedway - Click above to view the video after the jump

The lease-only 2011 Lexus LFA supercar has been getting a lot of exposure lately. We had a chance to drive it a few weeks ago and just showed you some pics of the matte black car when it showed up at Cars & Coffee in Irvine this Saturday, but now we have something even better. LeMans-winner and Jay Leno Show racing coach, Justin Bell, heads out onto Fontana's California Speedway with this very same LFA, getting some instruction himself from fellow racer Scott Pruett before taking the better seat for a lap.

The segment was shot for the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, the Jay Leno webshow that highlights a different car every week, sometimes with Jay driving and sometimes with Justin doing the heavy lifting. Follow the jump to see the video for yourself and be sure to check out Jay's Garage regularly if you don't already. Listening to this thing rip up to 9,000 RPM is worth the nine-minute investment of your time, trust us. Thanks for the tip Gabriel!

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage

VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Ride: Devon GTX hopes to be an American Ferrari 599

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Dodge, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, First Drive, Specialty, Luxury

2010 Devon GTX - Click above for high-res image gallery

When news of the Devon GTX first wafted our way, we didn't know what to think of it. Another bit of pretty vaporware being shown to attract investors? Another pet project from some megalomaniac with dreams of grandeur? Another American supercar boasting record-breaking performance with nothing but hot air to back up its claims? Or was it the real deal? Could Scott Devon and his team actually pull it off - could they deliver on the promise of building a truly great American supercar that could equal the world's finest?

Early reports showed that the Devon GTX would have the same power-to-weight ratio as the Ferrari Enzo with 650 horsepower propelling its 3,000 pounds, but the actual benchmark, we would later learn, was the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. When the first pre-production car went out and set the production car lap record at Laguna Seca, it looked like they might not be bluffing about the numbers. And seeing the same car attract more than its fair share of attention from the highly jaded cognoscenti on the concept lawn at Pebble Beach made us think they might not be crazy after all. So did they pull it off? Did Devon actually succeed in building a car that could rival Maranello's front-engined supercar? We stopped by Aria Group, the Irvine-based specialty manufacturing facility that will be handling Devon production to find out. Follow the jump to see if the Devon GTX might just be the real thing.

Gallery: First Ride: Devon GTX

Continue reading First Ride: Devon GTX hopes to be an American Ferrari 599

First Ride: Devon GTX hopes to be an American Ferrari 599 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno inspects the Devon Motorworks GTX

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Celebrities, Specialty

2010 Devon GTX walkaround with Jay Leno and Justin Bell - click above to watch the video

Celebrity car-lover Jay Leno was up in Monterey this year, helping to auction off some charity items and checking out every car that caught his fancy. One such car was the newest all-American supercar, Devon's GTX. Jay spotted the car on the concept lawn at Pebble Beach and had development driver Justin Bell give him a walkaround. Fortunately, someone had a camera rolling to chronicle the experience for a Jay Leno Garage segment.

Click through to the jump and you'll hear Justin mention some interesting stats on the car: 3,000 pounds, 650 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque to name a few. That means that this limited production designer sports car will have a much better power-to-weight ratio than the Viper ACR with which which it shares some DNA. In fact, the Devon's numbers mirror those of the Ferrari Enzo, although the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was reportedly the actual benchmark for the car. No wonder it has been setting production car lap records.

Our favorite part of the video is when Jay fires the GTX up. We can tell you from firsthand experience that the Devon crew has done a terrific job of making their creation sound as good as it looks and performs, and you can get a taste of that in the video. We'll have a lot more Devon news for you in the near future, but for now, follow the jump and watch the clip.

Gallery: Monterey 2009: 2010 Devon GTX

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno inspects the Devon Motorworks GTX

VIDEO: Jay Leno inspects the Devon Motorworks GTX originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Devon GTX on Laguna Seca

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:22:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos

Devon GTX - click above to watch the video

Over the weekend, we caught a glimpse of the new Devon GTX supercar running around Laguna Seca, and by all accounts, it looked pretty good. Details are still a little bit sparse, but because of the GTX's debut this past weekend, we know a bit more about it. For instance, under the carbon fiber hood is most definitely an 8.4-liter Dodge Viper V10 kicking out 650 horsepower at 6,100 rpm. No word on torque, but we'll just go on and assume it's copious. All that twisting and all those horses get routed through a six-speed manual on their way to the mega-fat rear wheels (19"x13"). That's a pretty potent $500,000 cocktail.

As we reported, the Devon GTX put its attributes to good use and set a Laguna Seca lap time "record" of 1.35.075. Piloting a track-focused version of the next American supercar to this very quick time was Justin Bell, son of Le Mans legend Derek Bell and one helluva driver in his own right.

Well guess what? Devon went ahead and created a very fancy video of Justin's lap. For our tastes, it's a little bit short. We would have liked less time spent on Bell putting on his racing suit and more time focusing on the GTX accelerating into turns 9 and 10, the two biggies after the Corkscrew. Maybe this is just a preview? Regardless, the two-and-a-half minute clip is well worth your time. High-res gallery below, full video after the jump.

Gallery: Monterey 2009: 2010 Devon GTX

[Source: Devon via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Devon GTX on Laguna Seca

VIDEO: Devon GTX on Laguna Seca originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Devon GTX chasing the production car 'Ring record

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance

Why it was just last week that we talked about the Devon GTX "setting" the one lap "record" at Laguna Seca. We actually got on the horn and called Devon, ~~begging~~ asking for a detail or two about the GTX's upcoming reveal at Pebble Beach in just four short days (August 15). All we could get out of 'em is that yes, the GTX has a V10 under its hood -- and that was all they'd say. "Everything will be revealed" come Pebble Beach. Oh yeah?

Spy photographers working for Autocar caught some nice shots of the GTX at -- you guessed it -- the Nurburgring. According to the Brit pub, Devon is going after the production Nurburgring time (6:55) currently held by the Radical SR8 (which hardly qualifies as a "production car," but whatevs). Our British friends also speculate that the GTX has an all carbon fiber body to keep its weight low, low, low. Also: Justin Bell, son of five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell, was at the wheel for the 'Ring attempt. We believe that last part 100% as Devon told us Justin was the driver for the Laguna Seca "record."

Obvioulsy, it's not August 15 yet but it's safe to assume a big part of the GTX's launch is going to be how it did on the Nurburgring. As Tom Leykis says, "Do you care?" Either way, that's marketing for you.

One more little point: As we learned last week, the GTX's one lap Laguna Seca time was one tenth of a second faster than the Dodge Viper ACR. Laguna Seca is two miles long, the Nordschleife section of the Nurburgring is fourteen miles long. Taking all the other variables off the table and the GTX could run the 'Ring about half a second quicker than the Viper ACR. To refresh your memory banks, the Viper ACR did the deed in 7:22, and the GTX is chasing 6:55.

[Source: Autocar]

Spy Shots: Devon GTX chasing the production car 'Ring record originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: First-ever in-the-fiber shots of Devon GTX supercar emerge

Chris Paukert — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Videos, Supercars, Misc. Auto Shows

Brenda Priddy's long-lens outfit has captured the first shots off the Devon Motor Works GTX supercar during aerodynamics testing.

The butterfly-doored coupe looks very promising in bare carbon fiber, as is word that the prototype was spotted at Willow Springs raceway with British Le Mans champion Justin Bell behind the wheel for testing duties.

This GTX mule certainly has some interesting details to it, including the aforementioned up-and-forward doors, as well as a U-shaped vented hood, center-exit exhaust, a big (and likely temporary) adjustable wing, and funky contrasting fender treatments which may or may not see production.

It isn't altogether clear what engine will be powering this beastie, but Priddy's people reportedly overheard the engineers talking of extracting 650 horsepower out of the drivetrain. California-based Devon, you may recall, was the sole bidder Chrysler reported for its Viper franchise, and it's certainly conceivable that despite the failed bid attempt, the car seen here would still feature a certain 8.4-liter V10 underhood. Indeed, given that Devon continues to tout its creation as "America's next great supercar," that scenario seems rather likely.

The GTX is slated to make its first appearance at next month's Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance (we'll be sure to grab some live photos), and the coupe is tipped to go on sale in the U.S. first in 2010, with other markets to follow. Check out the gallery of renderings below as well as a video of the teasers after the jump.

Gallery: Devon Motor Works GTX renderings

[Source: The Detroit Bureau]

Continue reading Spy Shots: First-ever in-the-fiber shots of Devon GTX supercar emerge

Spy Shots: First-ever in-the-fiber shots of Devon GTX supercar emerge originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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