6/20/2012

TopSpeed Daily Update

GM Trademarks Electra, is a New Buick Range-Topper in the Works?
Rumors: Dany Bahar Suing Lotus
Nissan Juke Box
Spy Shots: Mini Countryman Coupe does its own testing at Nurburgring
Top Gear Live will Attempt the "Deadly 720"
Despite incredibly high price-tag, just 10 Lexus LFAs remain to be sold
Spy Shots: Is this the Audi S1 testing at Nurburgring?
Video: How to Make a Mark II Granada Cool
Spy Shots: Mercedes CLA goes testing at Nurburgring
Video: Porsche 911/991 GT3 caught testing

GM Trademarks Electra, is a New Buick Range-Topper in the Works?

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT

From 1959 through 1990, Buick used the "Electra" name to top off its range of automobiles. It was never an overly powerful or fast car, but in its earlier years, it was known as a full-size ride that moved well and rode like a fine Italian leather sofa. After its downsizing in the mid-1980s, Buick chose to axe the name altogether.

As of late, GM has been on a trademarking binge, with its tagging the SS and ELR, and now we can add another one to the list. You guessed it; GM has officially trademarked the Electra name. This could mean absolutely nothing, but with the huge overhaul that Buick has received in recent years, this does point to a model to come.

With it possibly bearing the "Electra" name, we can only assume that this potential new model would take a slot directly above the Lacrosse, making it the new range-topping car. This is purely speculation, but with the category that GM trademarked the Electra under, 1B , the law requires the owner of the trademark to show true intent to use the trademark for a product in the future.

For now, we only know of the trademark and its category. Maybe OnStar will make another programming boo-boo and post the Electra on its list of qualifying GM cars, so we have a better idea. We will update you the second more information leaks out about the Electra. And yes, given GM's recent trends, there will be tons of "unintentional" leaks.

gallery: 1964 Vintage Buick Electra 225 Convertible

GM Trademarks Electra, is a New Buick Range-Topper in the Works? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 15:00 EST.

Rumors: Dany Bahar Suing Lotus

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:30 AM PDT

See, we told you this saga wasn't over just yet… So when Lotus chose to fire Dany Bahar after an investigation that apparently revealed that he had used Lotus funds to inappropriately deck out his rental homes that were already paid for by Lotus, Dany decided that was a prime opportunity to milk even more money from the spiraling sports car builder, in the form of a wrongful termination lawsuit.

That's right; according to a report from MSN U.K., the former head of Lotus has denied the allegations that he incorrectly used funds and is suing the British automaker. So not only did he collect £1.2 million ($1.48 million) per year as his company spiraled down the drain, but now he wants a little bit more money from Lotus, who needs to save every dime it can if it hopes to ever recover.

Here's TopSpeed's own solution to the problem. Hire the guy back, give him his old job, and have him sign a non-disclosure form that also waives his right to sue for the previous termination. Next, call him into a board meeting and fire him for the overall performance of Lotus in his three years as its head.

If I perform poorly at work and cost my company millions of dollars, I get fired. My boss wouldn't have to dig up some weird financial slight on my behalf. Just call me into his office, tell me that I was not performing, and send me on my merry old way. That is it… Then again, maybe this whole investigation was to avoid having to pay a severance package to Bahar, which would likely be several million dollars, and that is the fuel powering this alleged lawsuit.

As expected, Lotus and Bahar are not available to confirm or deny whether this lawsuit is actually happening or not, which points to the likelihood that it is happening.

Rumors: Dany Bahar Suing Lotus originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 14:30 EST.

Nissan Juke Box

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT

To audiophiles, 18,900 watts of power in a sound system is music to their ears, but to us normal folk, it seems like ear drum torture. Regardless, Nissan decided to team up with the Ministry of Sound to create a Nissan Juke with a monstrous sound system in it and released it for public viewing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans festivities.

On the outside, this flat-black Nissan Juke looks wild enough, with its unorthodox paint job and various black matte decals affixed to its body. On the inside, however, this Nissan Juke takes a turn toward the extreme, in the form of an 18,900-watt mobile DJ booth.

With the hatch closed the two speaker boxes, which each house an 18-inch subwoofer and several mid- and high-range speakers, feed through a perfectly tuned box to provide 150 dB of bone-rattling audio through the compact crossover. When the hatch is opened, the massive speaker boxes go with it, turning this Juke into a rolling PA system.

Complete with a DJ station and ambient lighting, there is no need to go to the club; you are rolling the club around with you. The tunes are piped in through the head unit via Ministry of Sounds digital radio app, so there's no CDs to change or logging songs onto an iPod or flash drive.

This type of system requires extreme electrical power and the puny 12 volts from the Juke's system just isn't enough. This system includes its own power source, which Ministry of Defense does not identify. We can only assume that it is a series of deep cycle batteries, or it runs at a limited capacity when running off of the Juke's electrical system and can be cranked to full power only when its power supply is plugged into a standard household electrical outlet.

I am not a huge fan of rolling boom boxes, but even I have to say this thing is pretty bad ass!

gallery: 2011 Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke Box originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 14:00 EST.

Spy Shots: Mini Countryman Coupe does its own testing at Nurburgring

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT

Last month, the Mini Countryman Coupe - or the production version of the Paceman Concept unveiled at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show - was spotted for the first time doing some of its testing. Now the Coupe is back for another round of testing at the Nurburgring race track, this time featuring the future Countryman Coupe in a completely new color.

Minus the two doors giving it a more sporty appeal, the upcoming Countryman Coupe will be similar to its four-door version. We expect to see the same technology and engines as the standard Countryman, which means it will get a 122 HP 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine for the standard model and a turbocharged variant with 184 HP for the S version.

Expect to see the new Mini Countryman Coupe launched at the 2012 Paris Auto Show with sales on the US market to begin as a 2014 model.

Spy Shots: Mini Countryman Coupe does its own testing at Nurburgring originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 13:00 EST.

Top Gear Live will Attempt the "Deadly 720"

Posted: 12 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT

We absolutely love daredevil antics in cars and on motorcycles, given they are done safely and by professionals. The folks at Top Gear Live are just about to satisfy our craving by pulling off the first 720 on four wheels, which Top Gear has dubbed the "Deadly 720." The term "720" refers to a pair of 360-degree loops in succession, so absolute perfection is required to succeed in tackling each loop.

To give you an idea of just how much precision is needed, the engineers heading up the stunt have estimated that the customized buggy that Top Gear Live is using for this stunt must enter each loop between 24 and 26 mph, 2 mph more could result in excessive G-force and result in the driver blacking out and 2 mph too low would cause the buggy to fall from the loop. To help avoid driver error, Top Gear has fitted the special stunt buggy with an accelerator lock that will hold the accelerator in a precise position to maintain the prescribed speed, so the driver can focus only on keeping the buggy on the 58-meter-long track.

Despite the accelerator lock, we all know that any given car can run drastically different from one day to the next, so even with the lock, there is still a great possibility that the car will have too much or too little speed and we will see a spectacular crash. We are pretty certain that there will be tons of test runs on the actual day to make sure the car is perfect, so a crash is very unlikely.

Crash or not, we are all set to see history take place at the Top Gear Festival in the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa on June 16th – 17th, 2012. Ah, the things people will do to get in a record book.

Click past the jump to read Top Gear's full press release.

Top Gear Live will Attempt the "Deadly 720" originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 12 June 2012 12:00 EST.

Despite incredibly high price-tag, just 10 Lexus LFAs remain to be sold

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT

When Lexus first announced that it planned on selling 20 LFA units monthly (500 total) with each one costing at minimum $375,000, we thought the Japanese brand had lost its mind. However, if reports are to be believed, just 10 units of the LFA are waiting for to be picked up at dealerships across Lexus' worldwide network of dealerships.

Lexus has yet to confirm or deny these figures, nor has it mentioned whether all 50 LFA Nurburgring Editions have sold. Nevertheless, we very impressed by Lexus' sales figures of the LFA as it tells us two clear things about the company and the brand.

First of all, it proves just how successful the marketing and sales team at Lexus has been in order to ship out almost all of the LFAs ever produced. It also indicates that the LFA is a true performance car which owners believe is worth the $375,000 - even if on paper, it certainly doesn't appear to be twice as good as many of its competitors.

As a refresher, the LFA features an incredibly-advanced 4.8-liter V10 engine pumping out 560 HP at a screaming 9,000rpm while an impressive torque figure of 354lb-ft wraps up the performance capabilities of the engine. As a result, the LFA can launch to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds and continue onto a top speed of 202 mph. However, if reports are to be believed, the upcoming LFA II could be twice as fast and twice as expensive.

gallery: 2011 Lexus LF-A

Despite incredibly high price-tag, just 10 Lexus LFAs remain to be sold originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 12:00 EST.

Spy Shots: Is this the Audi S1 testing at Nurburgring?

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 04:00 AM PDT

At the end of last year, Audi unveiled the special edition A1 Quattro - a model limited to only 333 units and powered by a 256 HP 2.0-liter TFSI powertrain. Now, new spy shots suggest that the company is working on a new model that will be placed just under this sporty Quattro model.

The spy shots reveal a prototype wearing the quad exhaust pipes usually found on the S-Models, making us think that we are actually looking at a new Audi S1. On the other hand, the requests for the A1 Quattro were beyond expectation, so it is very possible that this car will match the A1 Quattro in performance, have a milder and less extreme body kit to fulfill the demands of the customers.

Whichever name this car is bestowed, this prototype is powered by a 2.0 liter TFSI delivering somewhere around 220-250 HP. The power is sent to all four wheels via an Audi Quattro system.

Any ideas on whether this is the Audi A1 Quattro or the Audi S1? Hit us up in the comments section below.

Spy Shots: Is this the Audi S1 testing at Nurburgring? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 11:00 EST.

Video: How to Make a Mark II Granada Cool

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 03:00 AM PDT

Using the words "Ford Granada" and "Cool" in the same sentence, with exception to the 1991 Granada Cosworth, is sort of an oxymoron, as there was never anything cool about it. The Mark II Granada was a compact sedan that peaked out at a lackluster 160 horsepower and bottomed out at a sub-Geo-Metro 54 horsepower. That said, there are ways to make just about any car cool, so what in the world could a few guys from the U.K. do to make this econo-box even remotely cool?

The answer to that question is easy: rip out the stock engine, get to hacking up the body a little bit, and drop 1,700-horsepower worth of engine into it. Yup, somehow these fine monstercar builders got their hands on a Koenigsegg CCX 4.7-liter V-8 with twin turbochargers and dropped it into this circa-2,800-pound body.

In addition to dropping in nearly 2,000 ponies, the group of automotive mad scientists installed a 2003/4 Ford Mustang Cobra rear independent suspension, which appears to include the rear axle assembly. This beast comes to a halt using a set of big and nasty Porsche disc brakes.

Needless to say, this is freaking bad-ass and we cannot put it any other way without getting too graphic. The only bad thing is that they did not release any official performance specs on this supercar-powered granny car, except that its only limitation in horsepower is how much boost they push into it. Without any boost, the engine cranks out 550 to 600 horsepower, at 14.7 psi it crests 1,000 ponies and at 34.8 psi, it crests 2,000 horsepower.

Regardless of its final output, just the install itself is impressive. The builders also posted a video (above) of it running, for those non-believers out there.

Video: How to Make a Mark II Granada Cool originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 10:00 EST.

Spy Shots: Mercedes CLA goes testing at Nurburgring

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 02:00 AM PDT

These past few days have been pretty busy for our spy photographers. Just yesterday, they were able to catch two of Jaguar’s up and coming models, and today they’re bringing us images of the upcoming Mercedes CLA in light camouflage doing some testing around the Nurburgring.

The future Mercedes CLA, also known as the CLC until recently, can be easily described as a baby CLS. The model will be built on the new A-Class platform - hence the name - and will be offered with the same engine line-up as the A-Class, but with the luxury level offered in the CLS. It will be offered in front-wheel-drive configuration as standard and with both petrol and diesel engines. While Mercedes has confirmed anything just yet, we expect to see a line-up including both the 1.6 and 2.0 liter petrol engines with power going up to 211 HP. The diesel line-up’s top version will be the 170 HP A 220 CDI. An AMG version will also be offered and rumors say it will get a 335 HP turbocharged 2.0-liter unit.

The new Mercedes CLA will make its official debut in 2013.

Spy Shots: Mercedes CLA goes testing at Nurburgring originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 09:00 EST.

Video: Porsche 911/991 GT3 caught testing

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 01:00 AM PDT

The new generation Porsche 911 GT3 is set to be unveiled sometime at the end of 2012, most likely at the Los Angeles Motor Show. This means that the company is currently very busy testing the car and we all know that wherever there’s a car testing, there is also a spy photographer. So ,here’s the latest video of the future 911 GT3.

The 911 GT3 will be powered by a normally aspirated 3.8-liter flat six engine with an output of 450 HP - an increase of 15 HP over the current version. The next GT3 won’t be offered with a manual transmission, meaning that customers will only enjoy a PDK gearbox. It is believed that top speed will be somewhere in the 200 mph area, while the 0 to 60 mph sprint will be made in about 4 seconds.