Gallery: Spy Shots: 2009 Camaro unloading at LAX

Gallery: 2009 Chevy Camaro - spy shots

Spy Shots: 2009 Chevy Camaro spied, minor details revealed originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]

Gallery: 1980 Ferrari Pinin

4-door Ferrari Pinin to headline RM Auction at Maranello originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Any way you look at it, Maybach has not been the success DaimlerChrysler had hoped for when it revived the old super-luxury badge a few years back. Industry sources - and by industry sources, we mean our magic 8-ball and cabinet of stuffed-animal advisors - all seem to agree that the uber-Mercedes brand is going to need some new models to supplement the 57 and 62 limousines if Maybach is going to live to see another sunrise. The question remains, however, what those new models might constitute.

Earlier reports suggested the possible addition of convertible versions of both Maybach sedans, drawing on the concept previewed by the Mercedes Ocean Drive to revive the "parade car" segment. Another suggestion was the production of a Maybach sport-ute, based on the full-size Mercedes-Benz GL-Class SUV, but luxed-up and blinged out to the max to make for a super-premium truck destined for the Aspen slopes, Arabian dunes and Hollywood hills.

Newer reports suggest that the next Maybach model could take the form of an ultra-premium four-door coupe to take after its corporate cousin the Mercedes CLS, only positioned significantly higher in anticipation of the arrival of the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera. This uber-CLS would slot in the range below the current Maybach 57, but above the Mercedes CLS and S-Class.

(More after the jump...)

Continue reading ˙ber-CLS may be next from Maybach

˙ber-CLS may be next from Maybach originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mercedes preparing CL Cabrio originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This disguised test mule was caught undergoing cold weather testing somewhere in Europe. We can see the from the photo that the updated CLS will get a new grille mimicking that of its big-coupe counterpart, the CL, plus a new set of taillights and a new rear bumper around back. It'd also be safe to assume some changes will be made to the interior, and some new rims should round out the package. The arguably least attractive element of the design, the strangely-shaped headlights, will evidently carry over unchanged, though.

The revised CLS-Class should be hitting the market sometime in 2008, ready to hold its own against the onslaught of future competitors in the four-door coupe niche market. Click the Read link to check out additional uncropped spy shots of the next MB CLS.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Spy Shot: Mercedes CLS facelift originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Those zaney Dutchmen over at Spyker have a couple of tricks up their sleeves for us at next month's Geneva show. The quirky exotic carmaker currently offers only one model, the Audi-powered C8 sportscar, but after acquiring their own F1 team with Ferrari-supplied engines, they're ready to triple their range by introducing two new model lines.

The first new Spyker model expected to be unveiled at Geneva is the production version of the - ahem - interesting D12 Peking-to-Paris exotic sport-utility vehicle (pictured), the finalized version of the concept car they showed in Geneva last year.

The bigger news is the four-door coupe Spyker is working on to compete with the upcoming Porsche Panamera and (if the new owners, whoever they may be, decide to build it) the Aston Martin Rapide. Reports are speculating that, with the sportscar called C and the sport-ute D, the four-door model would be labeled E (though we suspect Mercedes might have something to say about that). Rumor has it that famed Italian designer Zagato was commissioned for the design.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Dutch Treat: Spyker to unveil production SUV and concept four-door at Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: Mercedes shows Ocean Drive concept...on ice

Detroit Auto Show: Mercedes shows Ocean Drive concept...on ice originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Constantly pushing to increase its stake in the US market, Toyota debuted in Detroit today the Tundra CrewMax, a spy shot of which we brought you a month ago. The CrewMax is a full four-door version of the company's new, all-American full-size pick-up, The regular and double-cab of the Tundra made their debuts at the Chicago show last February, and will reportedly be in showrooms this February, with the new CrewMax following in March.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: Toyota unveils Tundra CrewMax

Detroit Auto Show: Toyota unveils Tundra CrewMax originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Jan 2007 22:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The four-door coupe is a trend that only seems to be growing. Mercedes, of course, was the first (and remains the only) company to get one on the market with the CLS. Volkswagen and Audi are working on their own. Porsche's upcoming Panamera will take a similar approach. Aston Martin showed us its Rapide concept. Even Bugatti is rumored to be considering an exclusive four-door coupe as a follow-up to the Veyron. Now BMW is next in line.

BMW is said to have abandoned the idea of rear-hinged "suicide" doors in the back (like they put on the Rolls Royce Phantom) in favor of conventional doors. Previous reports speculated that, based on test mules seen running around the Nurburgring, BMW's new model would take more of a crossover/SUV shape, melding an M6 with an X5, though more recent reports suggest it will be more sedan/coupe-like.

Insiders predict the BMW four-door coupe will hit the market as a 2009 model.

[Source: The Car Connection]

BMW's CLS-fighter for 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Nov 2006 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.