Autoblog

Click above to view the latest batch of Ferrari California images in our gallery

We hate to ruin your summer, but in the automotive world the sunny season is little more than a few months with no car shows. What kind of fun is that? Well, after the summer's over we'll be headed to Paris to bring you your fix of new car extravaganza. Among the new models being unveiled there will be the Ferrari California, which we've so far only been able to see in bits and pieces as Maranello sees fit to release it. So while the California's launch site (not to mention the Ferrari media site) continue to offer only the initial batch of computer-enhanced studio shots, major publications like Auto Bild and now Road & Track get exclusive new shots of the hardtop convertible from every angle. We'll continue to do our best to bring you what's available, but unfortunately the latest crop is decidedly low-res. Check 'em out in the constantly-updated gallery by clicking the new thumbnails below, or follow the jump to watch them in a YouTube video slideshow (though we'd recommend turning off the sound).

[Source: Road & Track]

Click on the images to view in high resolution

In our day-to-day, we come across a fair number of replicars. Some are especially convincing, while others are just plain bonkers. Far more so than the Miata-based AMX07 we brought you back in 2006, this Aston Martin V12 Vanquish replica could have had us fooled.

Made by Ontario, Canada-based Exclusive Motor Cars, this Aston replica is based on a previous-gen Ford Mustang. Ten companies are then involved in the transformation -- stretching the wheelbase, widening the track and lowering the ride height with suspension mods; crafting, painting and fitting the 34 composite body panels; custom upholstering the interior and fitting interior trim pieces; and mounting all the extra details from the headlights to the badges.

The end result, at least as far as we can tell from the pictures (you can judge for yourself in the gallery below), would appear to fool anyone but the most trained eye. Exclusive even plans to offer a "spy package" complete with (what we'd hope are fake) grille-mounted rocket launchers and hood-mounted machine guns in an effort to complete the "Die Another Day" 007 package. Although the company's pricing page is currently blank, you can bet it costs a heck of a lot less than the authentic, now-discontinued V12 Vantage itself. You very well might be the only one who would know the difference.

[Source: Exclusive Motor Cars via Carscoop]

Japanese tire-maker Bridgestone has been supplying every team on the Formula One grid since rival rubber company Michelin pulled out of the sport at the end of the 2006 season. But whereas Bridgestone had gone through 2007 as the exclusive tire supplier by default, the ink has now dried on the contract that makes them the exclusive tire supplier by design.

The deal secures Bridgestone's monopoly in the pinnacle motorsport series from 2008 through 2010. Although the deal was reportedly secured in 2006, but it just became official.

While many other racing series around the world have similar arrangements with various tire suppliers, Formula One has traditionally been a bastion of pure competition. The tire deal, however, prevents companies like Goodyear, Pirelli and Michelin from returning to F1, joining the institution of a common engine control module, the recent freeze on engine development and drastic restrictions on testing in "leveling the playing field" and thereby reducing the degree of competition in F1.

Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Bridgestone via Autosport]

Audi has decided that its consumers are best suited to customize the exterior and interior design scheme of their rides, so the four-ringed crew is launching a new personalization program dubbed "Exclusive." The plan is to give new Audi buyers the option of making bespoke themes for any model in the automaker's lineup, with an almost endless palette of 30,000 colors to choose from.

The choices of hue extend from the exterior to the interior, with carpets, mats, headliner and even seatbelts that can be tied into the rest of the car's design makeup.

The launch of "Exclusive" is likely to produce some rather compelling combinations, but for every design-conscious architect that buys an Audi, there's got to be a real estate agent who's determined to match the paisley curtains in her office. Things could get ugly quickly, and according to the AutoExpress, the first one-off TT came in a retina-scorching pink. Let the triumph of bad taste begin.

[Source: AutoExpress]

RS4 Ibis White -- Click image to enlarge

This was news that came out earlier in the week, but we held off on covering it because there was no media released in association with it. We're talking about the new Audi exclusive Phantom Black and Ibis White packages for the RS4. Since they're paint-and-trim deals, you can see why we wanted to wait for a photo. Both take a monochrome exterior approach, with the Ibis White package going slightly further (and costing more) -- even the grille surround is white, in a change from its standard metallic appearance. Both cars feature black interiors, with grey contrast stitching in the Phantom Black RS4 and white for the Ibis White car. In addition to the color/trim packs, the cars are equipped with the "sports suspension plus," which is dropped an additional 10mm. Pricing for the Phantom Black RS4 option is set at €6,500, while the Ibis White edition comes in at €7,200. Additional details are in the Audi press release pasted after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

Vertu has long been cultivating an image of association with the pinnacle of automotive excellence through their branding, use of materials and special editions. The latest effort is a collaboration with Ferrari, that Italian stallion that seemingly manages to get its name on everything these days.

Following on the heels of the exclusive Racetrack Legends series, the Ferrari Challenge edition is likewise based on the sporty Ascent handset that features proprietary "liquid alloy" construction, jewel bearings, a sapphire crystal screen and distinctive leather trim. The Ferrari version is differentiated by a Prancing Horse emblem near the mouthpiece, black and red leather with embossed Ferrari insignia, and a drilled accelerator pedal on the back.

[Source: Sybarites]

click above image to view 41 additional high-res shots of the Spyker C12 Zagato

24. No, that's not Kiefer Sutherlands favorite number, it's the number of units Spyker will build of this ultra limited-edition C12 Zagato. Designed in conjunction with the famed Zagato styling house that brought us such cars as the old Aston Martin DB4 Zagato and the newer Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Zagato Coupe, the C12 Zagato was designed in the wake of Spyker of acquiring the Midland Formula 1 team and therefore incorporates some F1 design cues into long and highly ornate body.

Based on Spyker's flagship C12 model, the Zagato version uses a 6.0L W12 engine sourced from the only company in the world who makes those engines – Volkswagen. Here it produces 500bhp (a supercharger can be added that bumps power to 650bhp) and will launch the relatively lightweight (3,086 lbs.) C12 Zagato to 60 mph in a short 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 193 mph.

From all reports, Spyker's handle about as well as a 1989 Chevy Silverado (we've never driven one ourselves, and probably won't now), so we know that people buy them for the rolling art they are. The C12 Zagato is no exception and manages to combine the familiar aeronautical cues for which Spyker is known (check out the propeller blade wheels) with an F1-inspired nose that we hope is functional to some degree. Is it pretty to look at? We'll let you be the judge, but it is very rare and at €495,000 ($648,000 USD), very expensive.

Check out official high-res shots and our own live shots of the Spyker C12 Zagato in our gallery, and pore over the press release after the jump.

[Source: Spyker]

Zagato is reported to have an impressive trick up its sleeve for the Geneva show next month: the revival of the Diatto marque, with a limited production sports coupe. Not much in the way of details is known at this point, but reports suggest the Diatto Ottovu Zagato will feature an aluminum construction and possibly a front-mounted supercharged V8 sourced from Maserati.

Diatto was among the original motor-carriage makers, starting out as a producer of horse-drawn carriages back in 1835, switching to automobiles in 1905 which it continued building through 1929. By then its illustrious list of clientele included kings and queens as well as Enzo Ferrari himself.

This won't be the first Diatto coachbuilt by Zagato: Diatto was among Zagato's first clients when the Italian design house re-bodied its automobiles over 85 years ago. And if the rumors are true, this won't be the first Diatto with a bit of Maserati inside, either: Alfieri Maserati cut his proverbial teeth working for Diatto before leaving to establish his own company in 1926.

Reviving long-lost classic marques has been all the rage in the automobile industry in recent years. We're hoping Zagato's new Diatto will come closer to Volkswagen's Bugatti than Mercedes' Maybach.

[Source: Italiaspeed]