Go Rally! - Citroen rolls out the C2-R2 Max originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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]

Gallery: Exclusive Aston Martin Vanquish replica

Mustang-based Aston Vanquishes other replicas originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Following earlier reports, Ferrari unveiled a new, modified version of the super-Enzo during this past weekend's Ferrari World Finals at its Mugello race track in Italy. As the name suggests, FXX Evoluzione is a further evolution of the FXX program that places "client test drivers" (i.e. obscenely wealthy Ferrari aficionados playing Schumacher) behind the wheel of developmental test beds to try out new equipment for Ferrari. In fact, Schumacher himself was reportedly on hand to unveil the car, having sporadically participated in the program over the past two years.

The FXX Evoluzione picks up where the "ordinary" FXX program left off, extending the program by an additional two years, based on an even more radical version of the track-only machine. With 35,000 kilometers worth of telemetry from the 20 cars, engineers compiled a series of tweaks to sharpen the car's capabilities. Output is boosted to a staggering 860 HP, redline is up to a shrieking 9,500 rpm, and shift times are down to a lightning-fast 60 milliseconds. The traction control system has been modified to be less invasive, more adaptable and can be adjusted in-cockpit on the fly between nine distinct settings from corner to corner. Suspension geometry has been modified, as has the aerodynamic package, which, along with fresh livery, accounts for a slightly different appearance compared to the previous version.

The result of all these and a few other small modifications (which you can read about in detail in the press release after the jump) means that the FXX Evoluzione can now lap the company's private Fiorano test track two seconds faster than its predecessor at 1 min 16 sec. The kit can be retrofitted to any of the 20 FXXs that took place in the program until now, and includes participation in a renewed program that will take these most extreme machines to two events each in North America, Europe and Asia (for a total of eight track events) each year over the next two years. Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it can buy you a seat as a Ferrari test driver, which sounds like happiness to us.

[Source: Ferrari]

Gallery: Ferrari FXX Evoluzione

Continue reading Revealed: Ferrari FXX Evoluzione

Revealed: Ferrari FXX Evoluzione originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Oct 2007 20:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Autoblog Project Edsel part 1

Continue reading Autoblog Project Edsel: Paint and Body

Autoblog Project Edsel: Paint and Body originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading A project car on a blogging budget: Autoblog Project Edsel

A project car on a blogging budget: Autoblog Project Edsel originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What you see above is the original 1992 Marocco II Corvette Prototype Supercar. What is that? We're not exactly sure. Even though the eBay seller has plenty of magazine articles pictured, information is thin on the ground for this car. It apparently went for $156,564 in 1992, which is about $123,000 above the purchase price of a Corvette at the time. What you got for your money (and still will) is an optioned up C4 with a Superblock 350 CI engine that puts out 500 hp and 500 ft-lbs. Not only does the seller claim the car does 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, it does the quarter in 11.6 seconds, tops 200 mph, gets 29 mpg on the highway, and has near zero emissions. That's right, near zero -- at least, according to the hydrocarbon test it took in New Jersey in 1993. And then there's the bodywork, which, well, doesn't suit us, but it is original. And it is one of a kind. $250,000 gets you into the action.

[Source: eBay]

Gallery: 1992 Marocco II Corvette Prototype Supercar

eBay Find of the Day: Corvette supercar prototype originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Responsible drivers usually keep the same few things in their trunk in case of an emergency: a set of jumper cables, a flashlight and some road flares. (What, you don't?) The trouble is, for the style-conscious motorist, that the cardboard box or egg crate in which this emergency equipment is held is an unsightly presence in the boot of a high-end luxury, performance or classic automobile.

Enter Dunhill with the solution. The company makes all manner of motoring accessory, its founder Alfred Dunhill having been quoted as declaring that his company offers "everything for the car but the motor". That might be a bit of a stretch, but Dunhill's emergency equipment kits puts those essential pieces together in one stylish yet durable canvas bag, trimmed in leather, that would look at home even in the trunk of your pristine Aston or Benz. Likewise, it's price is proportionately higher than your local Wal-Mart's car repair kit at €850.

[Source: Sybarites]

Dunhill kit comes through stylishly in a pinch originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

click the image above for the gallery

Gallery: Kenne Bell Shelby GT500

Screw You, Top Gear! - Kenne Bell pumps up the GT500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some of the world's automotive conglomerates are more guilty of badge engineering than others. With very few exceptions, the acquisition of Chrysler by Daimler-Benz (call it a merger if you like, but we're not fooled) is not among the worst offenders. The Chrysler 300C may look to some like a Benz, and the Crossfire may be built on an old SLK platform, but Mercedes isn't selling rebadged Vipers overseas and Jeep hasn't slapped its own label on a G-wagon. (Yet.) The most notable exception comes from the commercial side of operations, where DCX brings the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van over to the North American market as a Dodge or Freightliner. There was no hiding it, either, as the American "version" kept all the same components, body panels, even the name. Just the badge was changed. But Montana-based OEM Sprinter Parts can switch it back for you if you'd like.

Because DaimlerChrysler didn't change anything beside the badging, the "conversion kits" are relatively straightforward. You can get the Mercedes grille (complete with three-pointed star and optional 316CDI grille badge), wheel hubs, interior fittings...the works, right down to the signature sticker for the windshield. The whole kit costs less than $300 for most models. Now that's the cheapest upgrade from a Dodge to a Mercedes you'll find anywhere.

[Source: OEM Sprinter Parts via Winding Road]

Upgrade from a Dodge to a Mercedes for three bills originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scrambler could bring a bed back to Jeep - and you can retrofit it! originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even with Ford's GT making 550 HP (somewhat underrated) courtesy of a supercharger, of course we all know that there will still be owners out there who seek more power. Once the route of pulley swaps has been explored, where to go next? Stage 6 Motorsports thinks that it has the answer in the form of a twin-turbo kit.

The stock Eaton blower is replaced with a pair of Garrett GT35R scrolls from Precision Turbo, which are mounted behind the engine and inboard of the shock towers. Custom exhaust work brings up the hot gases from the low-mounted stock manifolds, and new downpipes dump the spent exhaust through the stock bodywork opening. A custom "hat" adapts a 95mm throttle body and routes compressed air through the stock intercooler (which is built into the intake manifold), and the OEM fuel system remains intact.

The video shows the car putting down over 830 HP on the dyno, and Stage 6 claims that this same vehicle has put down 1012 RWHP with further work. A kit involving fuel system upgrades and internal engine modifications is said to be under development, with potential for several hundred more HP.

While not all of us can identify the effort it takes to fabricate a twin-turbo install for a Ford GT in five days, the terse "I'm staying at the shop and won't be home until much later" phone call with a significant other that occurs at the 9:30 mark in the above video is something to which most of us can relate.

[Source: Streetfire.com; a hat tip to Dubbedinenglish]

Warning: a bit of NSFW language is sprinkled throughout the clip

More sick power for the street - a twin turbo Ford GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 17 Sep 2006 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading V-Twin up front, party in the rear: TwinTech V-twin Formula car

V-Twin up front, party in the rear: TwinTech V-twin Formula car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tuner Tuesdays: McLaren F1-inspired kit car for $24K

Tuner Tuesdays: McLaren F1-inspired kit car for $24K originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Sep 2006 20:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kit car double-take: Cyclone apes Murcielago originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Aug 2006 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Miata AMX07 - an Aston Martin for Mini Me originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jul 2006 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GM offers new boost for Cobalt SS S/C and Saturn Ion Redline originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Apr 2006 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.