The latest industry reports, however, suggest that the de Tomaso name might embark on a new future, lead by a group of American and Chinese investors. The company was last owned by MG-Rover, which closed it down after just one year. Back in the day, de Tomaso's most famous customer was Elvis Presley; if thousands can believe that Elvis is still alive, then certainly de Tomaso could be resuscitated as well. We'll be watching the gates of Graceland for emerging news.

[Source: Motor Authority]

REPORT: De Tomaso revival in the works originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Long before Henry Ford got into the business, and about a year before Daimler and Benz had a go at it, came "La Marquise". Running on coal, wood and paper, the 1884 steam-engined four-wheeler is considered the oldest running car in the world. And it's going up on the auction block at Pebble Beach next month.

La Marquise has a top speed of 38 mph, and completed a 19-mile road-course demonstration in 1887 with an average speed of 26 mph. That kind of velocity was enough for the car to uphold its record as the fastest in the world... when De Dion-Bouton made another car - a three-wheeler - for La Marquise to compete with in the world's first car race.

The automobile was built for the Count De Dion in France by De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, the company in which the nobleman was part owner. Remarkably, some 123 years later, the car has only had two owners since. You could be the fourth if you've got the $1.5 to 2 million the car's expected to fetch at auction. (Leno, we know you're reading this....)

Follow the link to view La Marquise on film.

[Source: Gooding & Company via CNN Autos and RideLust.com]

World's Oldest Car steaming its way up to the Auction Block originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 07:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Audi seems to have grown particularly fond of Alfa Romeo's styling, and as a result they have been poaching the Italian marque's designers. The first to make the move northwards was Walter de' Silva, and now, Wolfgang Egger is following suit.

Egger is leaving Alfa Romeo to become the new head of Audi's Style Center, the job formerly held by his old boss Walter de Silva, who moves up to Head of Volkswagen Group Design.

During his tenure at Alfa Romeo, Egger was responsible for some beautiful creations, most notably the drop-dead gorgeous 8C Competizione and the Nuvola concept car from the 1997 Paris show. He had a large hand in designing the head-turning 159 sedan and wagon, Brera and Spyder and he contributed to the upcoming 149, 169 and Junior projects. In bouncing back and forth between various design posts in the Volkswagen and Fiat empires, he also worked on Seat and Lancia designs. While together at Alfa Romeo, Egger and de Silva worked together in penning the current 156, 166 and 147 models.

Alfa Romeo's loss is Audi's gain. It'll be interesting to follow how the shifts will impact the designs of future models at both companies.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

Together Again: designer Wolfgang Egger leaves Alfa Romeo to join Walter de Silva at Audi originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of the oldest surviving grand prix racing drivers has left us for the Big Pit-Stop in the Sky. Baron Emmanuel "Toulo" de Graffenried - yes, he was an actual Swiss baron - has died at the ripe old age of 92.

De Graffenried raced before and after the Second World War, achieving notable success and victories in the earliest days of Formula One. In 1948, the Baron won the first British Grand Prix, crowning his numerous podium finishes at races from Monaco to Zandvoort and from Geneva to Interlagos, competing mostly in Alfa Romeo and Maserati racing cars. He stood in for Kirk Douglas in The Racers (1955), and retired from racing at 42 to focus on his garage in Lausanne where he sold Alfas, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. In the 70's he was back in the paddock as longtime racing sponsor Marlboro's F1 ambassador, its parent company Philip Morris being based in Lausanne.

Toulo was born in Paris in 1914 and grew up in Switzerland, where the de Graffenried family was one of the most prominent families, tracing all the way back to circa 1270. With him dies a simpler, more majestic age of motor racing long since lost to the commercialization and regulation of grand prix racing.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

RIP: Baron Emmanuel Toulo de Graffenried (1914-2007) originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Montreal auto show is not typically a show worth covering. Personally, having been born and raised in Montreal, I would visit the show every year as a child to see three-year-old concept cars making their rounds of the b-circuit car shows and the odd Lamborghini or Ferrari from one of the local dealerships. Otherwise it was pretty much a chance for the big car dealers to get thousands of prospective customers under one roof. But the 2007 Montreal Auto Show had a bit more to offer.

Continue reading Autoblog at the Montreal Auto Show

Autoblog at the Montreal Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

VW post-Bernhard getting major changes originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.