TopSpeed Daily Update |  |
- Wild Lexus LF-A caught testing at Nurburgring
- Is a Mustang-Based Lincoln in the Works?
- Radical PR6
- Beer-Bumped INDYCAR Race Cancelled Altogether
- Ford F-150 Limited
- BMW X6
- Video: Duxcoat Ruined our Wet T-Shirt Fun
- Fiat 550 Italia by Lazzarini Design
- Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
- Ducati 450 Desmo Corsa
| Wild Lexus LF-A caught testing at Nurburgring Posted: 26 Jun 2012 02:00 AM PDT
The Lexus LF-A is getting closer to the end of its life line, with only 10 units remaining to be produced. While we prepare to say goodbye to a wickedly awesome supercar, it looks as though Lexus is preparing to send it off with an automotive fireworks show. Our spy photographers have spotted a very wild-looking LF-A testing at the Nurburgring and we have to wonder what kind of special edition model Lexus is firing up. The prototype looks a lot like the Nurburgring Edition, but looks to have gotten some significant changes: an additional air intake on the hood and a small bootlid spoiler. The normal tri-exhaust pipes in the middle look like they have been removed and replaced with twin exhaust pipes on both sides placed just under the rear lights. The small Gurney flaps above the rear lights also look slightly bigger on this prototype. The only question is: what car are we looking at? Is it an LF-A Final Edition? Tokyo Edition? We’ll just have to wait and see, but as soon as we do, you’ll hear about it. Wild Lexus LF-A caught testing at Nurburgring originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 09:00 EST.
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| Is a Mustang-Based Lincoln in the Works? Posted: 26 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT
  Ford Motor Company is desperately trying to breathe some life into its nearly deceased luxury brand, Lincoln. A recent lineup overhaul was step one, and we definitely see improvement to date. The next step appears to be to develop a new rear-wheel drive car to add to Lincoln's lineup to face off against the likes of the Cadillac ATS and BMW 3-Series. Lincolns will not have to look too far for a donor rear-wheel-drive car that is willing and able to donate a platform for this new Lincoln. According to Car and Driver, Ford is seriously contemplating using the 2015 Ford Mustang platform as the Lincoln's base. If that ends up being the case, we could not only be in for seeing the first rear-wheel drive Lincoln in some time, but also we could see the first performance-based Lincoln since who knows when. This could end up going in either direction. On the good side, it could result in the Lincoln brand being seen as "cool" again and drawing in young buyers. Then again, once Mustang enthusiasts find out that the Mustang underpinnings have become modular, they could lose interest rather quickly. We would love nothing more than to see Lincoln succeed. It has one of the longest and most storied histories in all of the automotive realm. That said, you don't want to alienate the bases that you already have. Ford needs to make sure that, if it decides to go this route, they change the Mustang's underpinnings enough so when under the Lincoln name, Mustang owners can notice a difference and feel satisfied. On the other hand, Lincoln, despite its struggles, does have a loyal customer base, so Ford has to be sure not to alienate them. We'll keep an eye on this situation and let you know if anything else comes up. Is a Mustang-Based Lincoln in the Works? originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:00 EST.
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| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT
When a company thinks highly enough of itself to dub its cars "Radical," it had better deliver on what its name alludes to. Well, Radical Sports Cars has been at it since 1997 and its sole mission is to build affordable cars that you can take out to the track and crush the opposition. That sounds pretty "Radical" to us. The Radical PR6 is what its builder defines as a "versatile racer that's at home on both track and hill." This model sits directly above the entry-level Radical car, the newly released SR-1, which is pretty bad-ass in its own right. The PR6 is a true "racer's car," focusing more on technical aspects, like lightweight body panels, precision suspension, and well-tunes gearbox, as opposed to brute strength, like other race car manufacturers. This is the type of car that can go out and wallop a 500-horsepower Corvette on the track, leaving the `Vette driver speechless when he learns how little power this compact racer is putting out. So how much power does it really have and what makes it so darned special? You'll have to click past the jump to read our complete review and find out. Radical PR6 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 14:00 EST.
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| Beer-Bumped INDYCAR Race Cancelled Altogether Posted: 26 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT
 After a Chinese beer festival overrode the popularity of INDYCAR and was bumped out of Qingdao, China, we all assumed that INDYCAR wouldn't just cancel the race outright. Officials pointed to several venues as the possible replacement for the beer-bumped race, the most likely of which was Texas Motor Speedway, but that never came to fruition, as INDYCAR officials have chosen to just axe the race altogether. According to reports, the cancellation was not due to lack of interest, but rather due to not being able to promote the event and fees. Randy Bernard was also quoted saying "We want to make sure that when we add events to our roster they have long-term potential and are given every opportunity to be successfully promoted." So apparently just because it wouldn't be a repeating race each year, INDYCAR chose to just hack the points from the season… It's interesting to think of the logic behind that. NASCAR has tracks, sponsors, and promoters chomping at the bit to get a race in their speedway. Plus, there would be no need for promotion. Just put up a sign and you'd have 200,000 screaming NASCARites at the gates ready to pay for tickets. As if the cancellation of the race for a two-week-long beer festival wasn't indicative enough of the condition of INDYCAR, this just proves that only a very select audience watches it. I can personally live without either, but if I absolutely had to watch on of them live, I would take INDY every time. I guess I am the strange one. Beer-Bumped INDYCAR Race Cancelled Altogether originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 13:00 EST.
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| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT
At its official launch, the 2013 Ford F-150 was only offered in three versions - XLT, Lariat, and FX4 - but now Ford is expanding the F-150 line-up with the addition of a new version. According to Ford, the new F-150 Limited represents "the highest levels of design refinement, luxury and technology." The 2013 Ford F-150 Limited will be distinguished by body-colored front and rear bumpers, front bumper valance, side-view mirror caps, wheel-lip molding, upper fascia, and grille surround. Chrome elements will be used for the bold three-bar grille, tie-down hooks lining the cargo box, the single tip of the tuned exhaust, and the tow hooks on 4x4 variants. The model will only be offered in three exterior colors: Ruby Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat, Tuxedo Black Metallic, and White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat. The Ford F-150 Limited will be offered exclusively with a 3.5-liter Ti-VCT EcoBoost engine that delivers a total of 365 HP and a peak torque of 420 lb.-ft. Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Ford F-150 Limited. Ford F-150 Limited originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 12:00 EST.
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| Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:30 AM PDT
BMW brought out the X6 in the second half of 2008, and with a few years of experience in the market, the SUV is now ready for a minor facelift to keep it refreshingly attractive. And when we say minor, we really do mean minor, because you need to look very close to see the changes in this facelift. The facelift starts off with redesigned fog lights, headlights, and taillamps with a new adaptive LED option, and moves on to newly designed bars, new paint finishes, light alloy wheels, and leather trim. And that’s pretty much it. The US market will get its usual xDrive50i powered by a 4.4-liter 400 hp TwinPower Turbo V8 and the X6 xDrive35i with a 300 HP TwinPower Turbo inline-6. However, for the first time, the BMW X6 will be able to be ordered with an M-Performance package that adds a few ponies and a meaner look. On the US market, the new BMW X6 will go on sale in the spring of 2012. UPDATE 06/26/2012: BMW has unveiled a pretty cool video for their new X6 SUV. The new model comes with selective modifications in design and innovative equipment features. Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 BMW X6. BMW X6 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 11:30 EST.
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| Video: Duxcoat Ruined our Wet T-Shirt Fun Posted: 26 Jun 2012 04:00 AM PDT
There are a few obligatory things in any attention-grabbing car commercial. They are a desirable car, sweet cool music, and the optional good looking woman, and by optional we mean mandatory… Well, Duxcoat, a water and stain repellant company, decided to show us exactly how confident they are in their Nano paint treatment using the mandatory woman and one not-so-mandatory addition. For those that don't know what Nano paint treatment is, it is a sealant that prevents water and stains from sitting on your car's paint or windshield. Onto the video… So, you have a rather attractive and (ahem) "well-equipped" woman jogging down an old dirt road in a white shirt, a Nissan Frontier, and a puddle of water. Hmm, can you do the math? If not, call in any former member of a fraternity and he'll explain it to you (white shirt + water = see-through shirt and lots of hoops and hollers). In to ruin the fun is a well-fed man with upper torso equipment not quite as intriguing as the running woman's. All three converge in front of the mud puddle, leaving the woman and man soaked. Every male TopSpeed reader is now thinking the same thing "Woo Hoo!!" Well, there is a "wardrobe malfunction" in this commercial, but only with one of the two folks in white shirts. The other one is wearing a shirt coated with… Duxcoat! We're not going to tell you which one, but we'll leave it at this; at a certain angle, man boobs look a lot like those found on a female, so be careful with the staring on this one. You might give people the wrong idea. You've gotta love creative advertising. Enjoy! Video: Duxcoat Ruined our Wet T-Shirt Fun originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 11:00 EST.
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| Fiat 550 Italia by Lazzarini Design Posted: 26 Jun 2012 03:00 AM PDT
We are pretty open in letting you know that we have had it about up to *here* with the "new" 500 models that Fiat continuously releases. So oftentimes when we see a new 500 model we just continue on without stopping. They are typically unexciting and only add a slight difference from the original 500. It's like getting rainbow sprinkles on strawberry ice cream instead of red sprinkles; they are the same sugary flavor, just a different color. Well, when we came across the latest rendition of the 500, which is actually a custom build by Lazzarini Design, it was more like they dipped the ice cream in chocolate – you know, the cool stuff that hardens on the ice cream – added peanuts, then strapped a big nasty V-8 engine to the ice cream cone! Yeah, it's that freaking cool, but is this Fiat 550 Italia by Lazzarini Design realistic? Click past the jump to read our full review on this custom Fiat 550 Italia. Fiat 550 Italia by Lazzarini Design originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 10:00 EST.
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| Posted: 25 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT
Every time Aston Martin unveils a new model, the Volante version is sure to always be waiting right around the corner, and the new Vanquish is no exception. Since the company has recently revealed the first details on the coupe version of the Vanquish, we thought now would be a good time to reveal our rendering of the Vanquish Volante. The upcoming Volante will borrow every detail from its coupe version, except, of course, for its soft top. It will feature the completely different, lower front lip and small rectangular mouth as the new generation Vanquish, as well as larger air ducts, revised headlight assemblies, nostril-style heat extractors on the hood. The rear of the vehicle features the new generation’s significantly larger and more aggressive spoiler, but the overall shape and design of the taillights is the same as on the 2012 model. Under the hood, the Vanquish Volante will keep the same 6.0-liter V-12 engine with an output of 565 HP at 6,750 rpm and a peak torque of 457 lbs-ft at 5,500 rpm. The 0 to 60 mph will take a bit longer than the coupe’s 4.1 seconds and the top speed will be a bit slower than the coupe’s 186 mph, but that’s the sacrifice owners will have to make to have the wind in their hair during their long drives. The new Volante Vanquish will arrive a few months after the coupe version and will be put on sale on the US market in 2014. Aston Martin Vanquish Volante originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 25 June 2012 19:00 EST.
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| Posted: 25 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT
Before the 750 Super Sport V-twin and Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari's amazing 1-2 at Imola in 1972, no Ducati bike could go as fast as the 450-cc Desmo Corsa. The 450 Desmo Coras first appeared at Rimini in 1968, where it amazingly pulled 50 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. The 450 had twin plug ignition, larger valves, a 42-mm Dell'Orto carburetor, and a 10-to-1 compression ratio, reinforced swing arm and Fontana twin leading shoe front brake. The rich racing history of the 450 Desmo Corsa is a true testament to its reputation as one of the fastest era bikes in the Italian bike maker’s history. The bike that’s being offered is a well-prepared and unrestored Italian series racer that was once ridden by Nencioni. It’s been finished in red and white and features Borrani alloy rims, Dell'Orto SS1 carburettor, Marzocchi forks with a Fontana front brake, Veglia tachometer, and Menani handlebars. This particular machine was also displayed at the Ducati factory museum and prominently featured in the official Ducati museum book. It comes with an attestation from NCR confirming it was race-prepared by Ducati with special racing components. The bike was sold at the RM Auctions in Monaco for a price of €29,250, which is around $36,400 based on current exchange rates. Ducati 450 Desmo Corsa originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 25 June 2012 19:00 EST.
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