Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of Porsche pictorials, courtesy of Car.

Every time we hit up our local newsstand, ten minutes is inevitably spent flipping through the automotive masterwork known as Car. Unfortunately, we have a hard time justifying the exorbitant price tag, so it's a rare occasion when we walk up to the register and plunk down our hard-earned $10.95. But when the August 2008 issue hits the shelves, it's coming home.

Car is doing a 60-year retrospective on Porsche, looking back on the storied marque from Stuttgart to attempt to find the ultimate model to wear the crest. Thankfully, the cash-strapped among us can join in the fun. Car is running dozens of features on its website that correlate with its print issue, including new and archived reviews, stories of Porsche's racing triumphs and videos, plus one absolutely addictive game that's kept Editor Neff sated while recovering from another trip to the dentist.

Naturally, no Car-created retrospective could be complete without stunning photography to match the mag's pithy prose. We've assembled a small gallery of some of our favorite pics from the website, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't go to Car Online to enjoy the features first hand.

Spend more for the cutting edge of luxury and style, and you could wind up taking a larger whack than most when it's time to trade in that sled. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is reporting that premium luxury vehicles actually have the highest annual depreciation rate. The reason for the stone-dropping value is that luxury car buyers tend to want the latest and greatest. The preference for the next big thing leads to owners turning in their current cars faster than people who will drive a Taurus until its wheels fall off. Manufacturers also keep rolling out new versions of their top-tier cars to keep these customers coming back for more, which also takes a bite out of resale value since the next iteration is often right around the corner. Those cars that don't get refreshed as quickly end up with heavier incentives to maintain their sales volume in between refreshenings. In the end, it's a win-win for everybody. Automakers continue to move iron, early adopters beta test the products for the rest of us, and if you're willing to be a little bit behind the curve, you can pick up a three-year-old car for a small potatoes and still feel like you're living large.

Topping the list of annual value-losers is Jaguar's XJ8, which drops 25 percent in just a year. Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus and Volvo also make appearances in NADA's top ten list of dubious distinction. The luxury cars are kept company by such ignominious vehicles as the Suzuki Verona, Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio. Judging from those rankings, it looks like the top and bottom extremes lose their value the fastest. If you're in the market for a Joneses-pleasing marque, this is good news.

[Source: NADA via Winding Road, Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty]

click above to view more images of the 1980 Ferrari Pinin show car

Ferrari won't be building a four-door model now – that's what the Maserati Quattroporte, developed under Ferrari's tutelage, is for. But there was a time when Enzo himself considered the prospect. What spurred his interest was what you see above: the Ferrari Pinin show car, unveiled by Pininfarina on its 50th anniversary at the 1980 Turin auto show.

In the end, the rumored discussions between Enzo Ferrari and Sergio Pininfarina didn't yield a small production run of four-door Pinins, and only this one prototype was ever built. It's been sitting in the private collection of noted Ferrari collector and racer Jacques Swaters, who is putting it up for sale at the upcoming second annual "Leggenda e Passione" event run by Canadian auctioneers RM Auctions. The Ferrari and Maserati auction is scheduled to take place on May 18 at the Fiorano race track in Maranello.

Only a one-off as unique as the Pinin could manage to relegate this pair to "also ran" status: not one, but two Ferrari 250 California Spyders will also be up for auction, each estimated to fetch in the neighborhood of $5 million (give or take a mil). S/N 0923GT, a red 1958 long-wheelbase version (like the one Ferris Bueller crashed), was once owned by Hollywood actor James Coburn, and s/n 2377GT is a black 1961 short-wheelbase model. Only 100 examples of the 250 California Spyder were made, making them one of the most sought-after Ferraris out there.

[Source: Argentina Auto Blog and RM Auctions via Italiaspeed]

Road and Travel Magazine crowned the winners of its 2008 International Car Of The Year at 12th annual NAIAS-eve ceremony last night. Honda's newly-ginormous Accord took the coronation on the car side, while Chrysler's revamped Town and Country used its slick new features to win the truck category. RTM's judges are a veritable who's who of heavy-hitting auto journos, including Ann Job, David E. Davis, Jr., Denise McCluggage and Autoblog's own John McElroy. The pundit firepower lends real credence to the selections, even if you don't agree 100%. Results were sorted by JD Power and Associates, and General Motors had the most vehicles named to the overall list. GM was also presented with the first Earth Angel award, honoring the environmentally-friendly efforts of the automaker. The full list of winners is included in RTM's press release, posted after the jump.

[Source: Road and Travel]

Guy Negre's compressed air vision has crossed our desks before. The vehicle, which uses a motor powered by 4,000 psi of compressed air stored in carbon fiber tanks, will actually start production in India soon – after 15 years in development – thanks to some help from India's biggest automaker, Tata, which itself just unveiled the world's least expensive car called the Nano. The MDI Citycat and Minicat are built from lightweight materials and offer large passenger and luggage space with zero emissions motoring. The energy required to refill the compressed air tanks reportedly costs about $2, and there are optional propulsion units to extend the roughly 90-mile (at speeds of 40mph or below) range of the vehicle so you aren't stuck if your air car runs out of breath.

We wonder if the MDI Citycat and Minicat might actually increase the demand for compressed air. We can just imagine someone finding a way to make money selling high-octane squeezed atmosphere. Regardless, 100 miles of zero emissions sounds good to us, and MDI is also considering setting up local factories in various markets to virtually eliminate transport costs and pollution, too. With Tata's large resources and the insatiable demand of the burgeoning Indian market, these clever cars stand a good chance of success.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Uh-oh. The big day came and went and you forgot a present for that pint-size kiddie on your shopping list. This is gonna cost ya. We'd charge you for information on the ultimate "stop crying, let me make it up to you" gift, but our lawyers insist it's legally questionable and our life coach says it's "wrong", whatever that means.

So here's what you want to get to make the kid forget the conspicuous and disappointing void under the tree: an Alfa Romeo. Okay, not a real one, but everything is relative and to a child, this will seem just as cool – trust us. These downsized rideable Alfa Spiders are available with a choice of body-styles – 8C Competizione or Brera – and powertrain. A hair under three bills will get pedal-power, or an extra two hundred nets the 6-volt electric version. Shipping's extra if you live outside the UK, and the roadsters are made for kids ages 2-5. Oh, and they're available only in red.

If your kid's passion lies elsewhere than with Alfa Romeo, we'd recommend a better education. In the meantime, don't fret: Turbo Toys has a variety of similar ride-ons, including a Maserati, Audi TT, Jag XK, Porsche, and several Ferraris.

You can thank us later.

[Source: Turbo Toys via Carscoop]

click above for more high-res images of the gorgeous Audi R8

It's that time of year where everyone's prognosticating like Nostradamus about what the coming year will hold. The authoritative ink slingers at Automobile magazine have decided that Audi's R8 deserves the dual honors of 2008 Automobile Of The Year and Design Of The Year, as well. While infused with the generous spirit, Automobile named General Motor's Two-Mode Hybrid rig Technology Of The Year.

The R8 is Audi's sports/GT that looks like a supercar and radiates a glow across the entire Audi model line. Not only does it have neck-snapping visual presence, with a 420 horsepower V8 between the axles, there's a deep well of accelerative force to go along with a finely-tuned AWD chassis that doesn't scramble the occupants. Park the R8 next to some rosso italiano, and the lithe German with its metal side blades, straked vents front and rear, and muscular stance might just steal all the thunder.

Big trucks that return 20mpg in the city have been about as realistic as Tinkerbell, until now. General Motors partnered with BMW and the artist formerly known as DaimlerChrysler to develop a flexible hybrid architecture for a wide variety of applications. The second-generation system, with lots more transmission trickery added to the bag of fuel-saving techniques, is allowing the GMT900 platform to post city EPA mileage numbers not far behind four-cylinder midsizers. Because of the system's joint development, we should start seeing this hardware popping up in a variety of different vehicles soon. We're sure that not everyone will agree with Automobile's picks, so fire away with your own suggestions.

Press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2008 Audi R8

Ferrari F2007

After 60 years, Scuderia Ferrari still hasn't gotten tired of getting a head start over its rivals. This time, the team has confirmed that the car it will be campaigning next season will be unveiled within a couple weeks' time on January 6.

The early launch date, which was leaked first by Kimi Raikkonen and then confirmed by president Luca di Montezemolo and CEO Jean Todt, places Ferrari as the first F1 team to unveil its car in the new year. Toyota will be unveiling its car on January 10, BMW Sauber on January 14, Honda on January 29 and Renault on January 31. The remaining teams, including Williams, Red Bull, Scuderia Toro Rosso, Force India and Super Aguri, are expected to show their cars later on. Following the much hyped spy scandal, McLaren is opting to forego the festivities of a glitzy unveiling for its 2008 car.

With the F2008, Ferrari is hoping to repeat this past year's performance by reclaiming the driver's and constructor's titles. The car is expected to be an evolution of the F2007 (pictured above), which was hailed as a revolutionary design.

[Source: Inside Line]

click above image for gallery of the Aurora Safety Car

"We pass the basket for a second collection this week at Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration so the parish project car can be finished." It didn't go down quite like that in the Branford, CT parish of Father Alfred Juliano back in the 1950s, but the priest did build a car of his own design that was partially funded by parishioners. I remember rifling through a stack of musty Mechanix Illustrated backissues in my misspent youth and coming across a feature on this vehicle, called the Aurora. A lot of people have declaimed the hideousness of Juliano's "safety car" throughout the years. It certainly has a peculiar reverse rake to its stance, while the flowing, organic form of the fiberglass body give the Aurora the appearance of a quickly departing Sea Ray , rather than an automobile headed at you.

Father Juliano had a lifelong automotive avocation and studied art before entering the priesthood. His intent with the Aurora was to create the world's safest automobile atop a salvaged Buick chassis. The body was hand-laid fiberglass and the bubbilicious daylight openings are rendered in plexiglass. Despite his efforts, things did not go well for Fr. Juliano. The car's press unveiling was a disaster, and Juliano ultimately ended up in financial trouble and was forced to leave his order. The Aurora was given to a garage to settle a debt, and that's where England's Andy Saunders tracked the vehicle down. Andy runs an auto import and customization business, and relishes a challenge. Restoring the Aurora was an arduous process, but as you can see, it's risen like Lazarus from the very disintegrated state Andy found it in. Since its restoration, the car has appeared at several events and museums, including Goodwood. Quite the resurrection.

[Source: NY Times, Photo: Andrew Saunders / NYT]

Click above to view in high-resolution

Formula 3, for any racing fans who don't watch the feeder-formulas like football fans watch college pigskin, is one of the most important lower formulas in international motorsports. While NASCAR may have its own hierarchy, the vast majority of racing's most successful drivers have at some point passed through F3, making the aray of regional and national series operating around the world an important stepping-stone for aspiring F1 drivers.

Although technically Formula 3 does not mandate a uniform chassis (like Champ Cars, IndyCars, GP2, and A1GP do), Dallara's permeation of the series might as well be a complete monopoly. Dallara also the builds chassis for IndyCars, the World Series by Renault (which feeds into F3) and GP2 (the next step up from F3). It built the immensely successful R8 endurance racer for Audi and the first batch of the KTM X-bow, as well as consulting on the development of the Pagani Zonda and Ferrari 333 SP.

Dallara's new Formula 3 chassis, despite FIA-mandated restrictions, benefits from significantly improved aerodynamics as a result of many hours spent in wind-tunnels and in CFD simulators. The Dallara F308 is also more compact than its predecessor while conforming to new side-impact regulations. In addition to the usual suspension set-up, a new pushrod unit is available designed to minimize understeer, and the car comes equipped with Brembo's latest brake package.

With Formula Three grids growing around the world, and the F308 now conforming to Spanish and Italian regulations, Dallara expects to sell 70 cars for the 2008 season. Check out the press release after the jump for more details, and the gallery below for more high-resolution images.

[Source: Dallara]