The "International Engine of the Year Award" is a big deal as far as bragging rights go in this industry. Think of it like the Academy Awards for engines. However, instead of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voting, you have 62 renowned motoring journalists, from 30 countries, casting ballots for their favorite fossil fuel burner.

Last year's winner (pictured above) was BMW's twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6. This year's list of nominees includes Nissan's 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 (found in the Nissan GT-R), Mitsubishi' 2.0-liter twin-turbo I4 (Mitsubishi EVO X), Audi's 5.2-liter V10 (Audi S8), Chevrolet's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 (Corvette ZR1), and BMW's 4.0-liter V8 (BMW M3). Let's sit back and listen to the orchestra for a bit... the winners don't get announced until May 7, at Engine Expo 2008, in Stuttgart, Germany.

2008 International Engine of the Year Award nominees announced originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading VIDEO: Autoblog goes behind the scenes at Consumer Reports

VIDEO: Autoblog goes behind the scenes at Consumer Reports originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2008 Audi R8

Continue reading Automobile names Audi R8 top car for '08; GM wins for hybrid tech

Automobile names Audi R8 top car for '08; GM wins for hybrid tech originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click on the images to view in high-speed and high-resolution

Remember the Maybach Exelero? The ultra-premium marque from Merceceds-Benz built it almost two years ago as a high-speed test vehicle based on its Maybach 57 luxury sedan, but unfortunately never offered production versions to the public. To the rescue comes Brabus, those whacky German tuners who give the go-fast treatment to everything produced by the three-pointed star, from the Smart ForTwo all the way up to this 730-hp limousine.

Like the Exelero, Brabus' monster is based on the Maybach 57 and was built in order to achieve the highest speeds attainable. To get there, Brabus tuned the Maybach's twin-turbo V12 to the same standard as the CLS-based Brabus Rocket speed record car: that means boosting power from 550 hp to 730, thanks to an increase in displacement from 5.5 liters to 6.3, coupled with a new crankshaft, pistons, cylinder heads... the works. The turbos were beefed up, and along with the intercoolers, a custom exhaust was installed and the ECU was reprogrammed.

The result is a top speed of 330.2 km/h (205.2 mph in American speak) achieved at the same Nardo test track in Italy where the Exelero was put through its places. A far cry from the 218.4 mph achieved by the Exelero, but not to shabby in its own right. And here you thought the S versions of the Maybach 57 and 62 were obscene enough....

Check out the images in the gallery below, and the press release after the jump.

[Source: Brabus]

Gallery: Brabus Maybach 57 @Nardo

Continue reading Brabus builds its own Exelero, hits 205 mph at Nardo

Brabus builds its own Exelero, hits 205 mph at Nardo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Performance figures don't give an accurate picture of just how well a car performs overall. A given car may be the fastest to sixty, but that doesn't mean it has the highest top speed, tightest cornering or sharpest brakes. Lap times around a given track paint a more accurate, comprehensive picture of a car's abilities, but picking one track as the gold standard is dicey business. That's where Top Gear's Power Lap board comes into play.

Although weather conditions can vary, BBC's Top Gear puts all the cars through the paces at the same test track outside their studio, and what's more is that they're driven - or at least, so we're lead to believe - by the same driver: The Stig.

The latest high-performance supercar to make a run for the top of the record board is the Caparo T1, which, at 1:10.6, easily trounced the previous record holder, the Koenigsegg CCX, by an astonishing seven seconds. Unfortunately the Caparo was disqualified because, in its track set-up, it lacked the adjustable ride height to enable it to clear a requisite speed-bump. Caparo insists they deserve a second chance with a road-spec version. If the show's producers give the Ultima GTR an official run, meanwhile, the Caparo's reign as king of the Power Lap could be short-lived, adjustable shocks or not.

[Source: PistonHeads]

Caparo T1 disqualified after taking Top Gear lap record originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ultima, one of several dozen independent British sportscar companies and makers of the GTR, could only take so much rejection. The cottage automaker claims it offered its road-legal race-car to the producers at BBC's hit TV show Top Gear several times, only to be repeatedly refused. So Ultima took things into its own hands, brought its latest fire-breather to the same converted airstrip that TG uses for a test track, retained a Stig of its own, and undertook to beat the fastest lap on the track.

Aside from the occasional exception like the Renault F1 car, the current record holder on Top Gear's power-lap board is the Koenigsegg CCX (which Top Gear can't spell). After the Stig famously spun the Swedish supercar off the track, the designers mounted a new rear wing to keep the tail planted, and the CCX set a fastest lap of 1:17.6, which was enough to beat the Ferrari Enzo, Maserati MC12 and Pagani Zonda that previously sat atop the chart.

Ultima drove the GTR720 to the track in full road trim and set a fast lap of 1:12.8, which easily beat the Koenigsegg. In fact, Ultima claims that at that rate, the GTR would lap an Enzo every 12 laps. Dang. Shame it would also beat the Ferrari in an ugly contest, though. Ultima says another visit in the more powerful 800-hp version is in the works.

[Source: PistonHeads]

Go your Own Way: Ultima GTR beats Top Gear lap record by 4½ seconds originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Do you like outtake reels? Who doesn't! Do you like Top Gear? Well, if you're the kind of person who reads Autoblog, then chances are you do. In that case, have we got the video for you!

After the jump you'll find six minutes' worth of your favorite telemotive personalities (that's right, we just made up a word) fumbling over their lines, making each other laugh and cursing like longshoremen. Oh yeah, and plenty of breasts, 'cause what would a British men's "programme" be without that? Follow the jump to check out the Top Gear Boobers Bloopers video.

NSFW: If you work in a puritanical office environment, well... sorry for you, but you might want to wait 'till you get home to watch the video on account of the cleavage and bleeped-out naughty words.

[Source: German Car Scene]

Continue reading VIDEO: Top Gear Outtakes

VIDEO: Top Gear Outtakes originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In addition to hosting the world's most popular car show, authoring a library of books and writing regular columns for a variety of magazines and newspapers, celebrity automotive journalist Jeremy Clarkson has turned out a tall stack of DVD specials.

The video after the jump is a trailer of his latest video, called Supercar Showdown. In the new special, scheduled for a November 5 release, Clarkson takes to the road and the track in some of the most mouth-watering and earth-shattering supercars, including the Ferrari 430 Spider and 599 GTB Fiorano, Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago Roadsters, Bugatti Veyron, Audi R8, Porsche 911 GT3, Radical SR3, Aston Martin V8 Roadster and Ascari A10. Sabine Schmitz and The Stig also feature in a head-to-head in what looks to be a jaw-dropping orgy of Octane.

Click through to catch a sneak preview.

Kudos to Mike for the tip.

Continue reading VIDEO: Jeremy Clarkson's Supercar Showdown trailer

VIDEO: Jeremy Clarkson's Supercar Showdown trailer originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Oct 2007 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The BBC was reportedly evaluating producing an American version of its hit show Top Gear with the existing British cast. The show's star lead host Jeremy Clarkson, however, apparently having seen enough of the U.S. after filming the show's road trip through the South, has nixed the idea.

The proposal would have involved Clarkson, together with his co-stars Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig, flying stateside for four months to embark upon a hectic filming schedule, a prospect which didn't tantalize Clarkson, to say the least. On top of other concerns, Jezza reportedly wouldn't want to leave his family behind for such a long period of time.

For their part, the BBC hasn't given up, and will undoubtedly look at other possibilities, with or without Clarkson. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the tip, Derek!

[Source: The Sun via PistonHeads]

Clarkson nixes U.S. Top Gear originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earning top honors was the classic '64 Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger (which we also got to see in its cameo encore appearance in Casino Royale), ahead of the '75 Lotus Esprit featured in The Spy Who Loved Me. Surprisingly, the '97 BMW 750iL from Tomorrow Never Dies started from the second row, out-qualifying the '85 Aston Martin Volante from The Living Daylights, the 1930's Bentley Mark IV (From Russia With Love), the 2002 Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another Day), and the '99 BMW Z8 (The World is Not Enough). The experts also gave honorable mention to the markedly more affordable '61 Sunbeam Alpine from Dr. No.

For our part, we'd certainly have placed the Vanquish ahead of the 7-Series, and ahead of the '85 Volante, but the real question is where the specially-made Aston Martin DBS would slot into the list. (And for that matter, what will Bond drive in the next episode?)

[Source: Cars.com]

Top 7 for 007: Rating Bond's rides originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're reading this from your home or office in the UK, despair not, for all is not lost. To compensate for the bland food and consistently rainy weather, we've got a game for you!

The flash-animation quiz game after the jump pits the Top Gear presenters Clarkson, Hammond and "Captain Slow" against Formula One stars present and past: Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. Chose your player and your opponent, and test your knowledge of all things related to grand prix racing and the BBC's famous car show...er, programme. (Sorry, chaps.)

It's good for literally minutes of fun. Tens of minutes, even, if you get hooked on watching Mansell and May kick the bullocks off each other after each right or wrong answer. Jolly good fun, that.

[Source: VCars]

Top Gear vs. F1: It's Go Time originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continental has entered the Guinness Book of World Records with a top speed of 242 mph (388 km/h). We're definitely not talking about the behemoth Bentley, as powerful as it is. The record now officially belongs to Continental Tires for its ContiSportContact Vmax, which has been officially certified by those stout-chugging judges as the world's fastest production road tire.

The rubber was tested on the 9ff-modified Porsche 911 that took the world record for the fastest street-legal road car. A custom 9ff cabrio also took the record for the world's fastest convertible with a high end of 237.8 mph (380.5 km/h). Both cars are owned by 9ff chief Jan Fatthauer, and the top speed runs were certified by Guinness.

If you're thinking that the Bugatti Veyron (and the purpose-made Michelin rubber on its wheels) can hit a higher speed, you may be right, but the Veyron has yet to try for the official record, and its tires were specially made for the Bugatti, while the Continentals are offered to the public as standard production road tires. As much as the car's own capabilities, how it makes contact with the road (i.e., its tires) often dictates a car's limits. Just keeping the tires from melting (as they do on the Veyron after just 12 minutes at its 253-mph top speed) is a feat in and of itself.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Continental takes world speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Britain's Health and Safety Executive faulted both the BBC and the makers of the Vampire dragster, Primetime Landspeed Engineering, for Richard Hammond's dastardly crash. The HSE said that the risk assessment that Primetime gave to the BBC didn't take into account that Hammond didn't have the necessary skills to pilot the car in an emergency. So the BBC, according to the HSE, should have given Hammond enough time to learn how to drive the car and also should have challenged the risk assessment it was given, but it did not.

Hammond crashed the dragster at 288 mph and spent five weeks in the hospital with brain injuries. He has since fully recovered. Neither the BBC nor Primetime, though, will be prosecuted.

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Liability in Hammond crash falls on dragster maker, BBC originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Top Gear writer Giles Chapman and script editor Richard Porter assembled a collection of Cars That Dad Had. As one synopsis put it, the book reflects "a time before people carriers and lifestyle off roaders, when the nearest thing to an airbag was hiding behind your fat brother." Being a British book, it doesn't detail the cars our dads waxed lyrical over -- unless your dad was that one guy in the neighborhood who had an original Mini or a Datsun Sunny (the 1200 in the US). The book also puts dads into categories based on what kind of car he bought. A Robin Reliant dad, for instance, is Frugal Dad. We wonder if they've categorized the dad who bought the never-completed-project-car-that-rusted-under-a-gray-tarp. The full book press release is posted after the jump.

Continue reading Top Gear turns nostalgic with 'My Dad had one of those'

Top Gear turns nostalgic with 'My Dad had one of those' originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 May 2007 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cool doesn't have to be expensive. At least that's what the folks over at Kelley Blue Book figure. The website of the authoritative car-buying resource has put together a list of what they figure are the ten coolest cars you can buy with less than $18,000.

There are some definite good choices on the list, but some of their choices - and how they arrived at them - leave us scratching our heads and wondering if their cool-meter doesn't need recalibration. Rather than taking the entirely subjective Top Gear "Cool Wall" approach and anointing a car cool or not based purely on image, KBB.com came up with a list of criteria. A cool car, they figure, should have folding seats. Huh? Yeah, versatility was their first criteria, including such features as "clever cubbies and innovative storage solutions" as a prerequisite for classifying a car as cool or not. (That way you've got more places to hide your coolness.) Also taken into consideration were such factors as safety, fuel economy and cabin space, before subjective assessments came into the mix.

The resulting list includes a Chevy pick-up at the top, followed by a Focus, a tiny Honda, an Hyundai, a Jeep, a Mazda3, a Nissan hatch, a Scion, a Suzuki and a VW. Each was included in the sub-$18k list based on Kelley's own proprietary blue-book value; follow the link to find out what made each of these cars cool enough to make the cut.

[Source: Kelley Blue Book]

Kelley Blue Book names coolest cars under $18k originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Each quarter, Gaywheels.com publishes a list of their Top 10 Most Researched Vehicles, and the latest data is in, providing a market indicator for the most popular cars in the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community.

The Toyota Yaris remained the most searched car among Gaywheels.com community, while the Saab 9-3 edged out the Toyota Camry for the number two spot. While the list, which is based on web traffic and not on purchases, is self-perpetuating to an extent, newcomers like the Volkswagen Rabbit and Toyota Corolla have made it into the #7 and #9 slots. Perhaps the most surprising car on the list is the Dodge Caliber, which garnered controversy for perceived gay-bashing humor in a television commercial.

Gaywheels.com points out that all the cars in the Top 10 are produced by "gay-friendly" automakers, thus assessed by their manufacturer's provision of spousal benefits to same-sex partners of employees.

For the full list, follow the jump.

[Source: Gaywheels.com]

Continue reading Still on Top: Toyota Yaris remains most researched vehicle among GLBT community

Still on Top: Toyota Yaris remains most researched vehicle among GLBT community originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Company officials swear it's not in the cards, but industry sources are suggesting that Aston Martin's new ownership is mulling over the possibility of building a mid-engined supercar to top the range.

When the announcement was made that Aston was going independent, CEO Ulrich Bez showed a product line-up that featured the codename NPX at the top, positioned above the $400,000 Rapide four-door coupe, which the automaker, infused with new capital and bolstered by growing sales, approved for production.

Currently the entire Aston line-up is based on the same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform, and according to the company's five-year plan, that's not set to change. Not yet, at least, but that's not to say it couldn't change after 2010 when the plan expires and the automaker will have to set a new direction.

This isn't the first time Aston was reported to have been considering a mid-engined model, as the entry-level V8 Vantage was originally planned as a mid-engined model to face off against the Ferrari 360 Modena. If the NPX gets the green light, however, the sites will be set considerably higher on the Enzo's successor.

Related posts:

• The DBX: Aston Martin's forthcoming supercar
• Aston Martin developing a DBX?

[Source: AutoWeek]

REPORT: Aston Martin considering mid-engined flagship originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We thought it was getting to be a long time since Forbes had put together another Top Ten list, but this time the journal of choice for successful businessmen put a twist on the annual tradition: instead of simply picking ten cars and assigning ranks by degree of sexiness, Forbes picked the sexiest ride for each of ten categories of personalities, including ballers, mobsters, divorcés and talent agents. If you don't fit into any of the categories, chances are you probably don't have the cash to spend on any of these cars. But if you've got the greenbacks and don't match the list, you might have to figure it out for yourself.

It's all a matter of taste, but Chris Bangle fans will notice the conspicuous absence of any BMWs, while enthusiasts of Italian automobiles will take note of the the Maserati, the Lamborghini and the two Ferraris that made the cut.

Here's what Forbes has nominated for this year:

• Sexiest Car for Hip-Hop Moguls: Rolls-Royce Phantom
• Sexiest Car for Hollywood Agents: Lexus LS Hybrid
• Sexiest Car for Miami Beach Plastic Surgeons: Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster
• Sexiest Car for Mobsters: Cadillac Escalade & EXT
• Sexiest Car for Newly Divorced Dads: Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
• Sexiest Car for Newly Divorced Moms: Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
• Sexiest Car for Lobbyists: Cadillac CTS
• Sexiest Car for Forbes Readers: Maserati Quattroporte
• Sexiest Car for NBA Players: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
• Sexiest Car for Driving Purists: Aston Martin DB9 and Ferrari F430 (tie)

We'll take one of each, please.

[Source: Forbes]

Forbes picks the 10 Sexiest Cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Clarkson's at it again, casting shadows of doubt on the future of Top Gear. The celebrity automotive journalist (perhaps the most well-known, period) claims that while the BBC program ranks among the most watched television shows on the air, and that its audience continues to climb "like an F-15 on combat power," Top Gear is facing serious problems which could jeopardize its future.

The first, according to Jezza, is that following Richard Hammond's miraculous recovery and return to the show, the production schedule got horribly delayed. Clarkson figures that it takes about half a year to produce a season, which puts them severely behind schedule for the next series. Even if the show were to return in October, which he figures is the earliest a new series could air, Clarkson cites disgruntled fans who lamented the lack of content in the hastily-produced and recently-concluded 9th season.

"The series that's just finished was full of us three cocking about, and almost completely devoid of anything you might fairly call a 'road test,'" surmised Clarkson in his recent column. "This has gone down very badly with the people in internet land." (Hey, is he talking about us?)

Clarkson fears that most television viewers don't want to see him and the gang driving Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but just want to be entertained, and that if and when the show does return for a tenth season, it stands the danger of being watered-down. But it's the extraordinary track tests and tire-munching road trips that made the show as popular as it is. Top Gear, it seems, needs to be rescued from its own success.

Cheerio for the tip, Kim.

[Source: Top Gear]

Save Top Gear from its own success originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gearheads the world over (England particularly) have been eagerly anticipating the upcoming ninth season of Top Gear, the BBC's crown jewel of an automotive magazine show. All the more so following the drama of co-host Richard Hammond's terrifying crash and miraculous recovery, the details of which we followed closely as they developed.

Thanks to Arvin, one of our intrepid readers, we're glad to bring you this brief nineteen-second clip previewing the upcoming season of Top Gear. Nineteen seconds isn't very much, but from this brief clip we can see a few antics the crew is up to: the Porsche 911, remote-control airplanes, Jaguar XKR vs. Aston Martin V8 Vantage, street-paving machines, trying to drive an old pick-up truck, chopping a Fiat in two, driving the Bugatti Veyron at speed, and testing the new Lotus Europa.

This is only a teaser, and we're willing to bet our favorite of friends across the pond have got a great season lined up for us. Shame we don't get the BBC over here in America, but on the internet, "the will" is seldom separated from "the way" for very long.

VIDEO: Top Gear season 9 preview originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jan 2007 20:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.