Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A concept.

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Although the Lexus flagship graduated from "concept" to "prototype" when it campaigned in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, Toyota has refused to even hint at a production date for the V10 supercar. Then Toyota declined to plonk an LF-A silhouette on their Super GT racer, electing to continue with the doomed SC 430 jello mold.

Then news broke that production cars would cost a whopping $225,000, but the LF-A still wouldn't turn a profit. Needless to say, Toyota doesn't like things that are not profitable.

Finally, members of the testing and development crew who have been putting the car though its paces in Germany, as well as test drivers from rival Honda and Nissan crews, have told Autoblog that the LF-A is not destined for the showroom, and will remain only a development platform.

No reasons were given, but we can think of a couple. How many people are willing to part with nigh on a quarter of a million bucks for a Toyota/Lexus? Also, the world's most prolific car maker may not be willing to join the current Nurburgring pissing contest unless it is 100% sure that they can beat the Viper, ZR-1 and perhaps more importantly, the GT-R and upcoming NSX replacement.

Actually, one 'Ring test driver didn't mind going on the record with his opinion. Former Nissan racer, NSX development driver and Nurburgring legend Motoharu "Gan-san" Kurosawa reckons, "Toyota are good at making money, but they're no good at making sports cars."

There were no eulogies. No bagpipes were played or honor-guard gunshots fired. Few paid any notice, but on December 21, the Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible passed quietly into the night and was buried. And we doubt many will miss it.

The axing of the ragtop PT is part of the phasing-out of several Chrysler LLC products devised by its new owners in order to cut costs. Earlier we brought you the news that the Chrysler Crossfire ceased production in Germany. Before that, the Chrysler Pacifica ended its lifecycle in November. Although originally only the convertible version of the PT Cruiser was scheduled for execution, reports later suggested that the regular hard-top wagon version could also be discontinued.

While those Chryslers likewise won't be terribly missed, except by small pockets of devoted enthusiasts, the next to lie under the Chrysler LLC guillotine will be the Dodge Magnum, which is being discontinued in March. The gonzo wagon dropped 25% in sales in 2007 over the previous year. As Inside Line points out, however, if you're still keen on getting a Magnum (or a PT convertible, for that matter), some good deals are likely to be had from local dealers eager to sell the last remnants of a dying breed.

[Source: Inside Line]

We're saddened to report the passing of James Robert Stewart, former racing driver, eldest member of the Stewart racing family and older brother to triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart.

Although his own racing career was rather unremarkable, he would later act as the inspiration for his younger brother Jackie to begin racing. The brothers grew up in Dumbarton, Scotland, where father Bob was a Jaguar dealer. Jimmy began racing at hill-climb events, later moving up to sportscars, racing Healeys, Bristols, Coopers, Jaguars and Aston Martins in numerous racing series. He raced at the 1953 British Grand Prix for Ecurie Ecosse and several times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.After a number of crashes, breaking the same arm twice, Jimmy retired from racing. Ten years later he helped his younger brother Jackie get into racing, who went on to win the world championship three times.

Sir Jackie reportedly cut short a vacation to be by his brother's side when he died this past Thursday, January 3, at age 76. The funeral will take place on Tuesday, January 8, and a traditional Scottish thanksgiving service will be held next month in Scotland. Jimmy is survived by his son and daughter; our condolences to the entire Stewart family.

[Sources: The Daily Telegraph]

Details are few, but Audi has decided to pass on building its Malibu Maxx Roadjet concept. All of the flowery prose about how the Roadjet is "a vehicle that blends the latest evolutionary stage of Audi's formal idiom with an entirely new space concept" with an "unprecedented synthesis of performance, liveliness, and efficiency" are now considered overstatements by Ingolstadt. Even though it's packing a 300 horsepower V6 and a 7-speed DSG cog-swapper, Audi didn't feel that the Roadjet would live up to the image that the brand wishes to cultivate. The hardware is likely not the reason - other Audis will share those pieces. It seems Audi took a hard look at America's hate affair with hatchbacks, and got cold feet. It's a shame, really, because a brand like Audi could do a bit to re-legitimize hatchbacks here.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub Req'd]

We're going to start this post by stating that domestic automakers have come a long way in improving the quality and durability of the cars they build. That said, cars are still built on Friday afternoon and every once in a while one not fit for public roads slips out. Unfortunately for General Motors, the owner of this Cadillac CTS-V that refuses to run properly is part of the team that runs a little site called Streetfire.net with a subscriber base for its user-posted videos in the millions. Cjonesy is his name, and this video he posted on Streetfire.net today documents the death throws of his 2006 Cadillac CTS-V with around 12,000 miles on his trip home from the PRI show.

The CTS-V manages to limp home over a couple hundred miles, during which time cjonesy films himself cursing the car and its maker while never going faster than 60 mph with the pedal mashed on the floor. The tachometer died before he started recording and halfway through the LS1 V8 begins to rattle like its possessed by a demon. Cjonesy's monologue to the camera throughout the video is as funny as his car is tragic, but we warned there's some cursing.

Cjonesy's a trooper though (for now) and posted the video to get feedback on what he or GM should do about the car. Well, GM already ordered one of its dealer's to replace a customer's car today, so while the wallet's open...

Thanks for the tip, Stefan!

[Source: Streetfire.net]

The sleek gray capsule stood motionless before the gathered crowd. And what a sight it was: tubular exhaust headers, polished valve covers, blower scoop, checkered flag badges, and a custom plate that read *58 Pro. The driver reclined behind a set of custom gauges wearing his favorite black shirt with hot rod flames.

Everybody assembled recognized the man inside and knew how much he would have appreciated what they had done to customize his ride on this, his final journey. But he wasn't able to tell them. James D. Calabrese, something of a local legend in the Southern California hot rod scene, had passed away several days before. Follow the jump for the rest of the story.

[Source: Orange County Register]