Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[VIDEO: Audi teases the new A8 ahead of Sunshine State debut]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/20/video-audi-teases-the-new-a8-ahead-of-sunshine-state-debut/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/20/video-audi-teases-the-new-a8-ahead-of-sunshine-state-debut/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/20/video-audi-teases-the-new-a8-ahead-of-sunshine-state-debut/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Audi A8 teaser - click above to watch the video after the jump

We still have a bit over a week until Audi officially pulls the wraps off its next-generation A8 flagship sedan in Miami. As a holdover, however, they have released a teaser video, and we've got it for you. The operative word here is tease. As usual, very little of the car is actually shown, although a variety of phrases are overlaid on the imagery which feature terms like "creativity," "aesthetics," and "art factory." From a couple of the images (including the one captured above), it appears that the new A8 will probably be more sculpted than previous models, and it will likely feature elements like the so-called "tornado line" used on the side of the A4 and A5.

As a brand headliner, the A8 will surely feature an "intensive abundance of research and ideas" such as the rumored touch pad interface with handwriting or gesture recognition for the controls. No doubt more details will be trickling out over the coming week, and we'll be on hand in Miami to give you the full details as the car is revealed. In the meantime, you can check out the video now by clicking past the jump.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading VIDEO: Audi teases the new A8 ahead of Sunshine State debut

VIDEO: Audi teases the new A8 ahead of Sunshine State debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Art WeekArtWeekaudiAudi A8Audi flagshipAudi sedanAudiA8AudiFlagshipAudiSedanlimosinelimousineluxury sedanLuxurySedanMiamiFri, 20 Nov 2009 13:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Gumball 3000 comes to a close in South Beach]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/09/gumball-3000-cruises-to-a-close-in-south-beach/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/09/gumball-3000-cruises-to-a-close-in-south-beach/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/09/gumball-3000-cruises-to-a-close-in-south-beach/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Gumballers' arrival at South Beach

Well folks, it's over. The wacky/insipid/annoying (all-of-the-above?) 2009 edition of the Gumball 3000 wrapped things up with the drivers' arrival in Miami Beach. Freelance journo and friend of Autoblog Myles Kornblatt was there, and he ends his coverage with one final photo gallery and this report:

There's something special about seeing ultra-rare cars at the end of an eight-day, 3000-mile road trip. By the time the 2009 Gumball 3000 ended in Miami on Friday evening not only were the drivers visibly road weary, but so were their vehicles. Supercars were built to be driven, and these machines had the dead bugs, brake dust and road scars to prove it.

One hundred and twenty-three teams participated in the 11th running of the Gumball, and according to rally VP Julie Brangstrup, everyone finished. "Every Gumballer has the spirit to do whatever it takes to cross the finish line." Unfortunately not all the vehicles shared their driver's determination, and so some rental cars finished as stand-ins for injured road warriors. One Gumballer was even on his third vehicle by the time he reached Miami.

Some enthusiasts see the Gumball as a rip-off of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (which has evolved into today's One Lap of America.) That's not completely true. The term "Gumball Rally" was first used on a 1976 road race film that Cannonball founder Brock Yates considers to be sort of a bastard child of his rally. The Gumball Rally was Hollywood's excuse to use some minor celebrates for an over-the-top take on the road race (it even features a pre-crazy Gary Busey.) Today, the Gumball 3000 uses a mix of famous, rich and half-crazed participants, who are more about the party than the time clock. Any enthusiast who has seen the film (anyone who is a car guy/girl should,) knows these good-timing Gumballers have as much character as a movie script.


Gallery: 2009 Gumball 3000 conclusion in Miami



Photos Copyright (C)2009 Myles Kornblatt / Weblogs, Inc.

Gumball 3000 comes to a close in South Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 May 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009gumball 3000gumball 3000 rallygumball rallyGumball3000Gumball3000RallyGumballRallymiamimiami beachMiamiBeachocean driveOceanDriveSat, 09 May 2009 09:29:00 EST<![CDATA[One-Stop Miami Vice Living: Lux development offers free Lamborghini with purchase]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/19/one-stop-miami-vice-living-lux-development-offers-free-lamborgh/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/19/one-stop-miami-vice-living-lux-development-offers-free-lamborgh/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/19/one-stop-miami-vice-living-lux-development-offers-free-lamborgh/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Having just returned from the well-heeled shores of Miami for last week's Kia Soul drive, we know that exotic machinery stacks up on the city's streets like so much cordwood. In fact, we saw upwards of ten newer Ferraris in the course of an afternoon's drive (not to mention untold Bentley Continentals and Porsche 911s) - but we didn't see a single Lamborghini during our entire stay. Not even a Jalpa.

Well with both the housing market and the new car market in the dumpster, the developers at South of Fifth luxury condos and the folks at Lamborghini Miami are understandably keen to change that. As such, they've gone and teamed up to offer a "free" Gallardo Spyder with the purchase of an oceanfront luxury beachfront home.

While South of Fifth isn't being so gauche as to announce the price of their properties, one look at the new digs on the company's swanky Flash-heavy site would suggest that a Lambo payment is going to be the least of your financial involvements here. We've seen these sorts of rolled-up real-estate/automobile deals before, but never on this sort of scale.

If you're interested, check out the link below, and be sure to hurry - there are only seven of 28 units left.

Oh - one last thing about this deal has us a bit puzzled: Don't people buy Lamborghinis in part because they want something different from their neighbors? Thanks for the tip, Richard!

[South of Fifth]

One-Stop Miami Vice Living: Lux development offers free Lamborghini with purchase originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Beach HousebeachfrontBeachHouseGallardoLamborghiniLuxury HomeLuxuryHomeMiamireal estateRealEstateRealtySouth of FifthSouthOfFifthThu, 19 Mar 2009 15:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Brothel Bus busted in Miami]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/02/brothel-bus-busted-in-miami/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/02/brothel-bus-busted-in-miami/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/02/brothel-bus-busted-in-miami/#commentsFiled under:



We've all heard of party buses, right? For some folks, even the best party bus isn't exciting enough. When Christine Morteh, in Miami, Florida, decided to start a party bus business, she offered open bar for $40, stops all along South Beach, and... girls in G-strings, lap dances, and for $100, oral sex. Well, that sex-for-money bit is called "prostitution," and even in Miami, it's illegal. Who knew? Undercover detectives took a ride on the big black bus, made sure everything was as illegal as promised, and then shut down the party. In addition to Madame Morteh, 75 employees and customers were arrested. The excuse "I'm just trying to get to Ft. Lauderdale, how many more stops is that?" apparently didn't cut it. Thanks for the tip, catgirlshyla!

[Source: Yahoo]

Brothel Bus busted in Miami originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brothel busBrothelBuschristine mortehChristineMortehmiamiparty busPartyBusprostitutionWed, 02 Jul 2008 07:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Reader Find: Chevy Impala SS taxi at MIA]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/23/reader-find-chevy-impala-ss-taxi-at-mia/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/23/reader-find-chevy-impala-ss-taxi-at-mia/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/23/reader-find-chevy-impala-ss-taxi-at-mia/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click image for gallery of phonecam pics

Reader Ken Gesel did a double-take as he was waiting to pick up a friend at Miami International Airport. Amidst the merry-go-round of Crown Vics snagging fares coming out of Arrivals, there was something different. You can almost hear your favorite Sesame Street personality breaking into "One of these things is not like the others" as your eyes take in the 18-inch alloys, SS badges, and twin exhaust outlets. Yep, it really is an Impala SS taxicab, and Ken snapped off a few phonecam shots for us. Had we been walking out of the terminal, bags in hand, we'd have picked it over one of the garden-variety converted police Vics with black steelies. Next, we would have told the driver that that it was imperative he put that 5.3L V8 to work and get across the MacArthur Causeway as quickly as possible. After all, the sooner you get checked in to your hotel, the sooner you can get yourself to an outdoor table at Larios for some Churrasco and people-watching.

Thanks, Ken!

[Photos: Ken Gesel]

Gallery: Chevy Impala SS Taxi in Miami

Reader Find: Chevy Impala SS taxi at MIA originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>impala ssimpala ss taxiImpalaSsImpalaSsTaximiamimiami international airportMiamiInternationalAirportSun, 23 Dec 2007 10:02:00 EST<![CDATA[SPOILER ALERT: NASCAR Nextel Cup wraps up at Homestead]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/19/spoiler-alert-nascar-nextel-cup-wraps-up-at-homestead/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/19/spoiler-alert-nascar-nextel-cup-wraps-up-at-homestead/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/19/spoiler-alert-nascar-nextel-cup-wraps-up-at-homestead/#commentsFiled under:


Team-mates and title rivals Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson at Homestead

We'll freely admit that we don't give NASCAR much coverage here at Autoblog. It's the most popular form of motorsport in America by far, but push come to shove, there just aren't any big oval-track racing mavens on our staff. The F1 fans among us couldn't help but take notice when the grand prix drivers started streaming in to stock cars, but beyond that....

[Source: AutoWeek]

Continue reading SPOILER ALERT: NASCAR Nextel Cup wraps up at Homestead

SPOILER ALERT: NASCAR Nextel Cup wraps up at Homestead originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>championchasecupgordonhomesteadjeffjimmiejohnsonmiaminascarnexteltitleMon, 19 Nov 2007 16:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Miami remains No. 1 city for road rage]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/15/miami-remains-no-1-city-for-road-rage/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/15/miami-remains-no-1-city-for-road-rage/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/15/miami-remains-no-1-city-for-road-rage/#commentsFiled under: ,



We used to think L.A. had the most incidents of road rage per mile in the country, but when visiting the city of Angels last November for the L.A. Auto Show were surprised that it wasn't as bad as we were expecting. That's probably because Miami, FL was rated as the city with the worst road rage in the country last year. Well, Florida's hottest destination for nightlife has again been named the city with the most road rage for the second year in a row. The road rage-rating survey that tracks these things was commissioned AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based auto club, and conducted by Prince Market Research.

The full list of worst road rage cities can be found after the jump, but the usual suspects are present and accounted for, including New York City, Boston, L.A. and Washington D.C. Only 25 major metropolitan cities were included in the survey, so while there was no check box for "Most Courteous", those at the bottom of the list should be considered the most stress free driving environments. Bringing up the back of the pack, and therefore the city with the least road rage, is Portland, Ore. Not surprising, since Portland has taken very progressive measures to reduce the amount of auto traffic in its city center.

Thanks for the tip, emulous1974!

[Source: Yahoo! News]

Continue reading Miami remains No. 1 city for road rage

Miami remains No. 1 city for road rage originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 May 2007 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>floridamiamiroad ragroad rageRoadRagRoadRageTue, 15 May 2007 14:07:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Sentra SE-R hot laps with Tommy Constantine]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/02/video-sentra-se-r-hot-laps-with-tommy-constantine/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/02/video-sentra-se-r-hot-laps-with-tommy-constantine/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/02/video-sentra-se-r-hot-laps-with-tommy-constantine/#commentsFiled under: , ,



During last week's ride and drive of Nissan's new Sentra SE-R, we were assigned instructors to ensure we didn't pull a Griffin and understeer one of their new rigs into a wall. There were several instructors from the local school on hand to give us a familiarization lap around Homestead, but there was one driver in particular that we wanted to catch a ride with.

Tommy Constantine campaigns a Nissan 350Z GT in the Grand Am Cup and in addition to being sponsored by the automaker, gets financial backing and, ummm, encouragement from Playboy. So much so that according to one of the PR people, it's a rare occasion that he doesn't come with two or three Bunnies in tow. Unfortunately, our time at the track was one of those rare occasions.

Regardless, we were able to grab a helmet when the rest of the journos were stuffing their faces with free grub and ride shotgun as Constantine flogged the SE-R within inches of its life. Just like many of the automotive epiphanies we've had over the years, this was yet another example why we'll stick to writing about cars and guys like Tommy gets to race them. Humbling? Yes. But we know where we fit in.

Check the video after the jump.

Continue reading VIDEO: Sentra SE-R hot laps with Tommy Constantine

VIDEO: Sentra SE-R hot laps with Tommy Constantine originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>floridahomesteadmiaminissanride and driveRideAndDrivesentra se-rSentraSe-rtest driveTestDrivevideoMon, 02 Apr 2007 13:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Miami declared tops in rude driving]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/17/miami-declared-tops-in-rude-driving/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/17/miami-declared-tops-in-rude-driving/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/17/miami-declared-tops-in-rude-driving/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Perhaps its the fact that there are thousands of doddering septuagenarians plying area roads, but Miami, Florida has just been dubbed America's least courteous drivers. Or to put a finer point on it, they've got some road rage and rude driving issues. A new AutoVantage survey of 2,000 adult commuters in 20 major cities has concluded that Miami has the worst road etiquette. The Norwalk, Connecticut company's phone survey also found a lot of negative feelings in:

  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • New York, New York
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Boston, Massachusetts

And there must be something to the whole 'Minnesota Nice' thing, as Minneapolis topped the list of friendliest commuter cities. Other top finishers included:

  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • St. Louis, Missouri
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Atlanta, Georgia

AutoVantage questioned participants on everything from obvious displays of motoring anger (middle fingers, cutting off other cars, tailgating, etc.), turn signal use, talking on the phone, and 'driving too fast.'

[Source: The Associated Press via CNN.com]

(Top Tip, Evan!)

Miami declared tops in rude driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 May 2006 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AtlantaAuto VantageAutoVantageBartBostonDriving etiquetteDrivingEtiquetteHomerLos AngelesLosAngelesMiamiMinneapolisNashvilleNew YorkNewYorkPhoenixRoad RageRoadRagerude driversrude drivingRudeDriversRudeDrivingSeattleSimpsonsSt. LouisSt.LouisWed, 17 May 2006 08:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Mercury Milan VOGA unveiled during Miami Fashion Week]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/09/mercury-milan-voga-unveiled-during-miami-fashion-week/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/09/mercury-milan-voga-unveiled-during-miami-fashion-week/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/09/mercury-milan-voga-unveiled-during-miami-fashion-week/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



The new Mercury Milan VOGA is being introduced right now during Miami Fashion Week in order to help the Ford brand attract the Hispanic dollar. Camilo Pardo, who designed another car you might remember - the Ford GT, designed the Milan VOGA. While the Milan VOGA lacks the 500 horses of the GT, it does add a nice dose of style to the Milan. Unfortunately Mercury is only going to produce one VOGA, which will be auctioned off on eBay in June at www.eBay.com/Milan. In our eyes the stainless blue metallic paint, 3D Carbon exterior ground effects and larger wheels would make a nice trim package for the Milan (perhaps wearing something smaller than 20-inch shoes). The VOGA also gets capped with a stainless steel roof.

Rosalyn Sanchez, who you might know from such cinematic masterpieces as Boat Trip, has been tapped to present the car. The proceeds from the auction will help benefit MANA, a national Latina organization.

More pics after the jump...

[Source: FusionUnleashed]

Continue reading Mercury Milan VOGA unveiled during Miami Fashion Week

Mercury Milan VOGA unveiled during Miami Fashion Week originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 May 2006 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>HispanicLatinaMANAMiamiMiami Fashion WeekMiamiFashionWeekMilanMilan VOGAMilanVogaRosalyn SanchezRosalynSanchezTue, 09 May 2006 16:09:00 EST