CARSCOOP

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• The Rotary Diaries: Crashing my RX-8 and Dealing With the Aftermath
• Porsche 911 Becomes 50 Years Old, Celebrates with Vintage-Trimmed Special Edition
• Fast & Furious Six: A Perspective from Down Under
• MotorTrend Goes All the Way to China to Experience the New Bentley Flying Spur
• Jaguar F-Type Enjoys a Vibrant Start, Half of 2013's Production Already Sold Out
• Australian VW Owners Speak of Sudden Power Loss, After Death of 32 Year-Old Golf Driver
• Can 1991 VW Golf GTI Beat a 2013 VW Golf 2.0 TDI in a Drag Race?
• Scoop: Did BMW Clone its X1 Into the China Market Zinoro EV SUV?
• TSX Sedan May Not Get Direct Replacement in Acura Range
• Here's Why Trying to Play Ogier Near a Lake is a Very Bad Idea
• Have $9,200 to Spare? How About this 184 HP Renault Super 5 GT Turbo from eBay
• Vilner Studio Murders Out a Bentley Continental GT with a Complete Makeover
• Chevy Volt Owner Tells Scary Story of Unintended Acceleration…
• GM Boss Warms Up the 2014 Corvette Stingray Pace Car Around the Track
• Interesting Kickstarter Project: An RC Car-Quadcopter Called "B" [w/Video]
• Ferrari 458 Italia Spotting: Cool Color or Uncool Photoshop Trickery?
• Another Round of Photos of the 2014 Mazda3 Hatchback, But Are They Real?
• Toyota GT 86 Rent-a-Car Performs a Painful Crash-Exit at the 'Ring
• Volvo’s Advanced LCP 2000 Concept Turns 30 Years Old
• MINI Expands All-Wheel Drive Availability to Cooper Countryman and Cooper Paceman
• Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi Does a Barrel Roll in his WRC Citroen DS3
• Spaceback Illustrated: Skoda Rapid Realistically Rendered as a Station Wagon
• Maserati Ghibli Makes First Public Video Appearance in Rotterdam
• EV Maker Detroit Electric Postpones Launch of First Car by "At Least a Month"

The Rotary Diaries: Crashing my RX-8 and Dealing With the Aftermath Posted: 03 Jun 2013 05:50 PM PDT Pride comes before a fall, as yours truly can testify. More than two decades of driving, the best part of them behind test cars, I prided myself on having a clean record. Sure, I was handed some speeding tickets and I did have my share of near misses but, somehow, I had managed to steer clear of an accident. Now that record has been blotted by an accident in my RX-8; it was a low-speed one and, thank God, no one was hurt. Ironic that I would return the keys to every car handed to me, from a low-rent mini to a Porsche or a Bentley (the latter the company CEO's personal car, no less) with not a scratch on them but I would crash my own car in a spectacularly silly way… Read more »

Porsche 911 Becomes 50 Years Old, Celebrates with Vintage-Trimmed Special Edition Posted: 03 Jun 2013 05:59 PM PDT Old timers would probably have had a hard time believing it in 1963, but despite all odds, Porsche's legendary 911 sports car series is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. While many things have changed in the world and, of course, in the 911 itself, since then, there are two basic elements that have defined all generations of the series: the trademark design and shape of the car, and the mounting of a flat-six engine behind the rear axle, which has its roots in the original VW Beetle. For its Golden Jubilee, Porsche has crafted a special commemorative edition of the 911 Carrera S, with production appropriately limited to exactly 1,963 examples. Read more »

Fast & Furious Six: A Perspective from Down Under Posted: 03 Jun 2013 04:27 PM PDT Being based in New Zealand poses some difficulties - driving is done on the wrong side, outsiders think we all resemble Hobbits and movie releases can be a bit behind the rest of the world. So watching the latest Fast & Furious had to be done upside-down and a few days after the American premier. Not to worry, technological advancements in fibre optic Pigeons can now allow me to relay a perspective from down under. Now, when it comes to movies, I must confess to having simple flavors - Action, Comedy and Anne Hathaway. So naturally, when I caught wind of the latest installment of the Fast & Furious I knew the action box was 'pre-ticked' for one's cinematic enjoyment. Read more »

MotorTrend Goes All the Way to China to Experience the New Bentley Flying Spur Posted: 03 Jun 2013 03:40 PM PDT The Bentley Continental Flying Spur was always hampered by one thing – no, I'm not talking about VW Phaeton's platform, because that was excellent and gave the driver huge confidence. The thing that hampered the car was the fact it was called Continental, meaning it shared a lot in common with its (cheaper) two-door sibling the Continental GT – it was a version of that model with two extra doors. Read more »

Jaguar F-Type Enjoys a Vibrant Start, Half of 2013's Production Already Sold Out Posted: 03 Jun 2013 03:10 PM PDT The Jaguar F-Type convertible is proving to be a sales hit, with the British carmaker already selling half of the first year's production. "Half of the first year's production of the F-Type is already sold," global brand director Adrian Hallmark told Autonews. This means that customers who order the car now will get one by the end of this year – if they're lucky. Read more »

Australian VW Owners Speak of Sudden Power Loss, After Death of 32 Year-Old Golf Driver Posted: 03 Jun 2013 02:40 PM PDT It seems that Volkswagen has some things to set straight with its cars in certain markets. After recent recalls over issues with DSG transmissions in China, Japan, there have been reports about engine problems in Australia. According to a report from the Newcastle Herald, Many Aussie owners of VWs spoke out this week, claiming they had problems similar to those believed to have caused the 2011 death of Melissa Ryan, a 32-year-old owner of a Golf equipped with a manual transmission. Read more »

Can 1991 VW Golf GTI Beat a 2013 VW Golf 2.0 TDI in a Drag Race? Posted: 03 Jun 2013 02:10 PM PDT How fast are old performance cars compared to current fuel-efficient models? This is one question that Auto Express wanted to find an answer to, so it decided to run a series of drag races between old performance cars and current fuel-efficient models from the same manufacturers and nameplates to see which is faster. Read more »

Scoop: Did BMW Clone its X1 Into the China Market Zinoro EV SUV? Posted: 03 Jun 2013 01:45 PM PDT When it comes to China and automotive doppelgangers, it's Chinese manufacturers cloning Western carmakers' models, but what you're seeing here is a European company turning one of its own cars into a Chinese-badged product, in this case, BMW using the X1 as a base for its upcoming Zinoro brand. At least that's what it looks like because BMW may further alter the design of the car before it reaches production. Read more »

TSX Sedan May Not Get Direct Replacement in Acura Range Posted: 03 Jun 2013 01:10 PM PDT As we previously reported a good while ago, Acura is in the midst of a major overhaul of its product range, due to lackluster sales performance in recent years. We also learnt that the premium Japanese automaker was looking to get rid of the Euro-spec Accord-based TSX from its lineup, and replace it with the ILX. Now, a report on Autonews further strengthens the previous claim, peppering it with a few new details. Read more »

Here's Why Trying to Play Ogier Near a Lake is a Very Bad Idea Posted: 03 Jun 2013 12:50 PM PDT We're all for having some tooth-knocking fun on the gravel with your car, but you should always be aware of your surroundings and the dangers they possess when something goes wrong, and adjust your pace accordingly, otherwise you'll have someone yelling "Pourquoi, pourquoi, pourquoi?", which is French for "Why, why, why?". Read more »

Have $9,200 to Spare? How About this 184 HP Renault Super 5 GT Turbo from eBay Posted: 03 Jun 2013 12:21 PM PDT The French are renowned for making great hot hatches, and aside from the selection of modern examples of the genre, there are also a great deal of classic ones to choose from. A Renault Super 5 GT Turbo (which in some ways, is being revived by the next Twingo) would be a quirky left-field choice, especially in the US and Canada, which is why this red example from eBay looks like a tempting buy. Read more »

Vilner Studio Murders Out a Bentley Continental GT with a Complete Makeover Posted: 03 Jun 2013 12:01 PM PDT It might not have a fancy name, but Vilner Studio's Bentley Continental GT tune sure has some road presence, as seen in these first photos of the completed car that had been teased through a few sketches back in April. The Bulgarian tuning house says the owner of the first generation Continental GT approached the company eight months ago asking Vilner to individualize the luxury model's exterior and interior, while also boosting its performance numbers. Read more »

Chevy Volt Owner Tells Scary Story of Unintended Acceleration… Posted: 03 Jun 2013 11:20 AM PDT An owner of a 2013 model-year Chevrolet Volt made a forum post last week with the grim title "An Open Letter to GM - Fix this before someone dies!". He describes his own unfortunate experience at the wheel of the range-extender hybrid, when it accelerated on its own and required some effort to bring to a halt safely. We will let Gm-volt.com member "lsteiner" tell his story, first: Read more »

GM Boss Warms Up the 2014 Corvette Stingray Pace Car Around the Track Posted: 03 Jun 2013 10:30 AM PDT One of the many joyous perks of being the president of any company is the ability to try upcoming products well before consumers and even the press get their hands on it. In this case, we're talking about General Motors North America President Mark Reuss and the brand-new, seventh generation Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and to be precise, the pace-car version of one of America's most famous automotive nameplates. Read more »

Interesting Kickstarter Project: An RC Car-Quadcopter Called "B" [w/Video] Posted: 03 Jun 2013 09:59 AM PDT There's just something fascinating about RC vehicles, which makes people of all ages spend a lot of money on what some would dismiss as mere toys. Well they are toys, but not in a childish way, as some like the "B" car-quadcopter are quite serious and advanced machines. Currently in its Kickstarter project phase, "B" is the brainchild of a UK-based product designer called Witold Mielniczek who is very close towards reaching his goal of raising $131,500 (€100,800) – the sum he deems necessary to get things going. Read more »

Ferrari 458 Italia Spotting: Cool Color or Uncool Photoshop Trickery? Posted: 03 Jun 2013 09:16 AM PDT We love us some unique shades on special cars – painted, foil wrapped or even photoshopped, just as long as we are aware of what it is that are we are looking at. This picture of a Ferrari 458 Italia coupe seemingly dressed in a tinted, chromed-eggplant-like shade was reportedly shot by a member of the Autogespot forums named "Königsallee Chilla" in Dusseldorf, Germany, and was shared by the site's moderators on their Facebook page with the title "Wow! This will get you dizzy!". Read more »

Another Round of Photos of the 2014 Mazda3 Hatchback, But Are They Real? Posted: 03 Jun 2013 08:42 AM PDT Most of our readers have likely read about the 2014 Mazda3-debacle (if you haven't, please do so here), which had our original (and may we say quite accurate) rendering being picked up without credits and without watermarks by several sites and blogs after it appeared in the Bank of America Merrill Lynch's annual "Car Wars" analysis. Anyway, it would appear that AutoTribune, one of the sites that hosts our rendering, in its vandalized state, posted a photo with a realistic-looking 2014 Mazda3 hatch sourced from an unnamed Japanese magazine. Read more »

Toyota GT 86 Rent-a-Car Performs a Painful Crash-Exit at the 'Ring Posted: 03 Jun 2013 08:01 AM PDT An accident is never a pleasurable experience, but at least this particular driver did not crash his own car. The unnamed motorists who was captured on camera at the Nürburgring racetrack by a YouTube user "Automobilchannel" was behind the wheel of a Toyota GT 86 (marketed as the Scion FR-S in North America) rent-a-racer when he came into a turn a little too fast and continued straight into the grass before face-lifting the Japanese coupe on the metal railings. Read more »

Volvo’s Advanced LCP 2000 Concept Turns 30 Years Old Posted: 03 Jun 2013 07:34 AM PDT The quest for advanced safety and efficiency-boosting methods has been a very powerfully driven one in recent years, with the noticeable shift in climate often being attributed to our reckless use of putrefied and liquefied dinosaur bones and trees. However, while most manufacturers have jumped on the green train in recent years, many times for the sake of image than anything else, it was Volvo yet again that showed us the efficient way forward, more than 30 years ago. Read more »

MINI Expands All-Wheel Drive Availability to Cooper Countryman and Cooper Paceman Posted: 03 Jun 2013 06:58 AM PDT Two more Mini models, the Cooper Countryman and the Cooper Paceman, are now optionally available with the British brand's "ALL4" all-wheel drive system. The new additions grow the number of all-wheel versions within the Mini range to ten models. Read more »

Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi Does a Barrel Roll in his WRC Citroen DS3 Posted: 03 Jun 2013 06:17 AM PDT If you haven't heard of Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, he is a World Rally Championship (WRC) driver from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Active since 2002, Al Qassimi, who as his name suggests, is a Sheikh, entered the WRC in 2004, first driving a Subaru Impreza WRX, before moving on to drive a Ford Focus, then a Fiesta and now, most recently a Citroen DS3 which he recently had a bit of fun with during the Acropolis rally in Greece. Read more »

Spaceback Illustrated: Skoda Rapid Realistically Rendered as a Station Wagon Posted: 03 Jun 2013 05:50 AM PDT While Skoda hasn't been extremely talkative about the future of the newly launched Rapid series that came to life with the notchback sedan model last summer, it has confirmed plans for a hatchback version. Another model believed to be under development is a longer and more spacious estate variant, rumored to carry the "Spaceback" moniker. Read more »

Maserati Ghibli Makes First Public Video Appearance in Rotterdam Posted: 03 Jun 2013 05:21 AM PDT Often, when you see a new car in its official press photos and videos for the first time, you often get the impression that you're seeing it in one specific way, and that your perspective is somewhat limited. Furthermore, some cars may not look that pretty at first, but once user videos and photos start popping up, showing the shape from different angles and in various lighting conditions, one will get a much better idea of what the specific vehicle's aesthetic qualities really are. Read more »

EV Maker Detroit Electric Postpones Launch of First Car by "At Least a Month" Posted: 03 Jun 2013 05:07 AM PDT According to a report from The Detroit News, re-born EV manufacturer Detroit Electric will be forced to push back the launch of its first model, the SP:01 sports car by "at least a month".  The information was passed on via telephone interview with the company's North American CEO Don Graunstadt. Graunstadt explained that the setback was caused by the choice of manufacturing space, which is a "partially occupied facility" and hopes are that an agreement will be reached soon, so that they can ramp up production to their stated 2,500 units per year.  Read more »

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