Autoblog

Having managed to avoid Babylon A.D. completely up until this point, it's hard to give any sort of commentary on the actual flick (we heard it was pretty bad...), but after seeing some of the cool machinery that was showcased in the Vin Diesel vehicle, we give a grade A to Lazareth, the French maker of high performance custom bikes. Lazareth was a good choice, as the motorcycles coming out of that shop already have a bit of a future post-apocalyptic look to them. Among the cool features are supercharged V-Twin engines, single-sided forks and swingarms, and on-board computers. Customs based on streetfighters are inherently cool in the sea of look-alike choppers and bobbers, so it's a refreshing change of pace to see these bikes featured on film. See a video of the machines in action after the break.


[Source: MotoBlog]

Click above for gallery of stills from Fast and Furious 4

Could it be? Could the fourth installment of The Fast and the Furious be... as good (we use that word loosely) as the first movie? Perhaps even good enough to make us forget the installments that followed, both of which tried to shoot poison darts through our eyes and into our brains? Too early to make predictions, but for now we can certainly enjoy the trailer, which is high on action and light on dialogue -- just like we like our action films. And unlike some other action trailers, the stunts will get your blood going but don't require you to believe that Jason Statham should be shooting laser beams out of his eyes. Follow the jump for the video and The Return of the Vin. Thanks for the tip, Brodiemash!


[Source: DumbDrum]

Click above for high-res gallery of Paul Walker's ride in FF4

Filming on the Fast and Furious 4 film has been wrapped up for a few weeks. Despite that, fans will still have to wait until next summer to get their fill of Dom's return. However, that hasn't stopped the franchise from soaking up attention and generating some initial buzz a year early. The lead 2008 Subaru WRX, driven by one Paul Walker, has been making the rounds at automotive events recently. We first spotted it staked out front of the SpoCom show in Long Beach, CA back in June. Now it has turned up at a Motor Press Guild meeting in Los Angeles, CA. Thanks to reader Chad, we also have photos for proof. Surprising enough, the vehicle is not outrageously modified. It features Enkei NT03 wheels painted to resemble the Volk Time Attack series, Veilside seats, a harness bar, Cobb Tuning ECU flash tune, as well as a Veilside body kit that is subtle in comparison to their usual flair.

The WRX is just a sampling of what the next Fast and Furious film will have to offer, too. The story takes place somewhere between the second and third film of the series. As mentioned, it also features the resurgence of Vin Diesel, so we know some American-made rides will flex their muscle. In fact, the Buick Grand National is one that will get its due on the silver screen in FF4. Even though there is an utter lack of GN photos, be sure and check out the gallery below.


[Source: Chad Gallion]

Our cinema-obsessed sister-site got the low down on the next installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, and since the plot and character development (or lack thereof) will be predictable enough, Universal decided to drop the "Four" from the title, so the new flick will simply be known as "Fast and Furious." But wait, there's less. The plot synopsis involves everyone's least-favorite tight-laced trooper, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and the smash-happy Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) reigniting their feud, but putting bad blood aside to defeat a "shared enemy." The movie will take place in Los Angeles and Mexico, and despite his better angels, the film's director Justin Lin is considering another installment before retiring the series. Fast and Furious is due to hit theaters June 5, 2009. Mark your calendars in anticipation, or avoidance.

[Source: Cinematical]

While filming the latest installment of everyone's favorite overly dramatized street racing flick, Vin Diesel extended his rage from a character in the movie onto the right front bumper of an S2000. The Honda, owned by Ben from Bespoke Ventures and being used as an automotive extra in The Fast and Furious 4, sustained a fair amount of damage to the bumper, right fender and headlamp. There's no word on when Universal is going to be settling its tab for the damages done by Mr. D, but Ben has already got a "Vin Diesel Broke My Car" t-shirt for sale, which should ease the financial burden. That, along with the "Don't tune your GT-R" tee, should complete your summer fashion collection.

[Source: TheRealJDM]

Click above for full high-res gallery of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

According to Inside Line, movie-goers should expect to see more tire-burning action from Hyundai's new Genesis Coupe than what's already been shown. It seems that the Korean car company has already sent Universal a bright red Genesis Coupe SE powered by the turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This news lends some credence to our opinion that the turbo mill will likely be the tuner's choice, though the big six cylinder is likely to be plenty for most drivers who don't want to modify their car. While we're not waiting on the edge of our seats for the fourth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, we think that it'll be pretty cool to see the Genesis Coupe alongside such performance-car stalwarts as the new Nissan GT-R and Subaru STI.



[Source: Inside Line]

Great news everyone! Your favorite dynamic duo since George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell are back to make some more movie magic. That's right, Paul "Super-Fast-and-Super-Fly (for a white-guy)" Walker and his good buddy Vin "So-Furious-It-Hurts" Diesel will be making their first appearance on-screen together since the first installment of the cinematic masterpiece The Fast and the Furious. We're sure you'll agree that the second film was ultimately a let down, if only for the fact that Sir "2-Fast-4-U" Walker reprised his role while Mr. "Not-Quite-So-Furious-Anymore" Diesel did not. Although we were able to catch Diesel's drift in the movie number tré, the absence of the drift-less Walker left this particular moviegoer wanting. Now that we know the two are back together at last, the only question left unanswered is this: how could the fourth film be any Faster or more Furiouser than the first three? Perhaps you'll join us at the theater and we can find out together.

[Source: E!]

"The Fast and the Furious" movie series has not been kind to enthusiasts of American cars, with the exception of the moment in the first movie when Dom fires up his dad's Hemi-powered Charger (we won't even mention the hydraulically-assisted wheelie in the climatic scene, though). Therefore, we're not terribly surprised to hear the "hero" of the new film is a '67 Mustang that eventually sports a Nissan RB26DETT, a twin-turbo straight-six familiar to gearheads as the motivating force behind the fierce Skyline GT-R. A version sporting a 430-cube Ford small-block was used by Rhys Millen for most of the sideways action shots, but when Hot Rod Magazine lined the two different 'stangs up at a dragstrip, the rice-burner ran the quarter mile in 13.32 seconds and 109.83 MPH - over 1.2 seconds quicker and 13 MPH faster than the Blue Oval V8. Ouch.

Followers of the More Cubic Inches religion can take comfort in what was used behind the scenes, though...