Road & Track Blog

Automotive News Blog at ROADandTRACK.com - Car News Resource

A tour of Spa-Francorchamps with Mark Webber

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:43:55 +0000

One of the great tracks in the world of Formula One is the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps located in Belgium. While originally a pure street circuit, it has since evolved into the 4.35-mile course that it is today. Let Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber take you for a tour aboard RBR’s fancy full-motion simulator, and then [...] No related posts.

Paris Auto Show Preview: Citroën DS4

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:24:28 +0000

With the Paris Motor Show just a few weeks away, previews are coming thick and fast. The latest to break cover is the DS4 from Citroën, the second model in the French manufacturer’s new DS line-up. Combining coupé style with 2+2 door practicality, the DS4 offers three full-sized rear seats, accessed by rear [...] Related posts:

1. LA Auto Show: Preview of Mazda2
2. 2011 Mustang V-6 – 2009 LA Auto Show Preview
3. LA Auto Show Preview: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

Chevrolet Orlando

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:36:17 +0000

Apart from sounding a bit like a seventh-rate cabaret singer introduced by that wrestling chappie (“Ladeees and Germentlemen, with his selection of graaaaaaaaate ballads: CHEVROLET OOOOOOOOOORLANDO!!!!”) this new Chevy is actually a Korean-designed CUV we’ll see at Paris in September. It is based on the Chevrolet Cruze sedan with a choice of three of engines: a [...] Related posts:

1. Sports Cars of the Future: 2013 Chevrolet Corvette C7
2. Spied! 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Prime Minister Putin Does 1300-Mile Lada Drive

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:52:44 +0000

Photo by AFP Full Disclosure: Part of the trip is in a decadent Jeep SUV. The Russian Prime Minister—and ex-President/ex-KGB spy—Vladimir Putin is celebrating completion of a brand new highway in the vast Russian far east with a 1300-mile trip from Khabarovsk to Chita in Siberia. Displaying his confidence in the struggling Avtovaz automaker, he’s driving part [...] No related posts.

Revealed! 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:32:55 +0000

BMW revealed a prototype of its upcoming 1 Series M Coupe this past weekend at the BMW Car Club of America’s annual Oktoberfest banquet at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In truth, only the left front corner was revealed, but the fact this car is happening at all is big [...] Related posts:

1. Spied! 2012 BMW 1 Series M
2. Spied! 2012 BMW 3 Series
3. BMW M3 Coupe: Double-Clutch Perfection

Long-Term Test: Acura TL SH-AWD Makes a Mean Generator

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:14:47 +0000

Our Acura TL has proven to be a great everyday car. It has lots of room for passengers and  junk alike. A combination of Acura’s Super Handling All Wheel Drive, a reasonably satisfying V-6 and a 6-speed manual transmission have made it a pretty good driver’s car too. But how does it work as a [...] Related posts:

1. Long-Term Test: Acura TL SH-AWD – weekly update!
2. One Stuck Acura
3. Honda (Acura) HSV-010 Takes the Track!

Brabus SLS: When The AMG Version Just Isn’t Cool Enough…

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:37:04 +0000

  It’s safe to say the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG gullwing is one of the coolest cars to come along in quite some time. Yet tuner companies such as Brabus just can’t leave well enough alone—the car you see here features carbon-fiber aerodynamic bits, lightweight forged-alloy wheels, suspension updates and a titanium exhaust.   The carbon-fiber aero pieces [...] Related posts:

1. Custom Powerboat Inspired By Mercedes SLS AMG
2. Video: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
3. Brabus Brabus SV12 R Biturbo is the World’s Fastest Compact SUV

The Ultimate in Tacked-on Tackiness

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:33:23 +0000

  Want the look of carbon-fiber wheels without paying anywhere near the price of the real thing? A company called H20 Printers (a subsidiary of the Fastlane tuning shop out of Houston, Texas) has the answer: Hydrographic Water Transfer Printing and Dipping. H20’s special process allows the company to apply a carbon-fiber look to your current [...] No related posts.

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: If The Bike Fits…

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:56:39 +0000

It’s no secret we’re big fans of Cadillac’s new 2011 CTS-V Coupe. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t like a radically styled 4-seater with a 556-bhp supercharged V-8 stuffed under the hood? I wouldn’t opt for the 6-speed automatic version, though, which uses small buttons on the back of the steering wheel (as opposed to proper paddles) [...] Related posts:

1. 2010 Detroit Auto Show Preview: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
2. LA Auto Show Preview: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe
3. Cadillac CTS-V Coupe or BMW M6?

In Case You Missed It…the 2012 Nissan GT-R

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:50:53 +0000

There’s lots of chatter about the 2012 Nissan GT-R’s freshened look this week, but we reported about the car’s slightly revised body style last month, and even added some news regarding mechanical updates. So in case you missed it, follow the link below or click here: 2012 Nissan GT-R http://www.roadandtrack.com/future-cars/spy-photos/exposed!-2012-nissan-gt-r Related posts:From the internet: 2012 Nissan GT-R Related posts:

1. From the internet: 2012 Nissan GT-R

Roush Supercharger For 5.0-liter Mustang

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:17:28 +0000

  Roush Performance Products has a supercharger kit ready for the 2011 Ford Mustang GT’s new 5.0-liter V-8. Called the 5.0L Roushcharger Tuner Kit, it makes an estimated 550 bhp and “more than” 470 lb.-ft. of torque. Roush says the Tuner Kit costs $5999 and is available now. We tested a Roush 427R Mustang last August (see [...] Related posts:

1. Shelby And Roush Build A Mustang?
2. 540-bhp Roush/Barrett-Jackson Mustang
3. Jack Roush Update

VW’s Desert Storm

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:49:42 +0000

Race Touareg 2 Dakar Rally 2010 Replacing the Race Touareg 2, double winner in 2009 and 2010 Dakar Rally, the new Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 claims to be faster and more efficient while retaining the strength and durability of the outgoing car. Wind-tunnel testing has developed changes to the carbon-fiber and kevlar bodywork with particular attention to [...] No related posts.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid: Driver Lineup for Petit Le Mans Announced

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:49:15 +0000

We’ve told you about the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid both in print (August 2010) and on the web, and urged you to go see the innovative hybrid/electric car in action at the Petit Le Mans ALMS finale at Road Atlanta in October. Now, Porsche has announced the driver lineup: Timo [...] Related posts:

1. Porsche GT3 R Hybrid at Petit Le Mans
2. Spied: 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 Hybrid
3. Young Driver AMR

Taxi!

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:21:59 +0000

I was up at Lotus headquarters earlier this week but instead of hurtling round its test tack in an Evora or an Elise I opted for something a bit slower, and some would say more inline with my driving abilities: the hydrogen-powered Black Cab that I was chauffeured in at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Anyone [...] Related posts:

1. Up the Hill at Goodwood in a… Taxi!
2. Most Powerful Mini Ever?
3. You Just Never Know Who You’ll Meet…

From the internet: 2012 Nissan GT-R

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:25:30 +0000

At Road & Track, we always strive to bring the latest and greatest car news and tests. We looove tests. But sometimes we can’t get the break we need. The manufacturers may have a coordinated international launch scheduled out, or maybe a particular trim is not destined for our consumption. Or maybe it’s just our [...] Related posts:

1. In Case You Missed It…the 2012 Nissan GT-R
2. Sports Cars of the Future: 2014 Nissan GT-R
3. Nissan GT-R Goes Racing In The U.S.

My Favorite Song About Driving. What’s Yours?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:29:15 +0000

As a guy who likes both kinds of music (country and western) and both kinds of racing (road racing and circle-track), I’m naturally predisposed to like a country song about driving. And to me, there’s none I like more than Alan Jackson’s “Drive.” This song is certainly not new, but it [...] Related posts:

1. Valentine’s Day Porsche Driving School For Her

California Dreamin’…about a VW van?

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:25:29 +0000

Yes indeed! While it’s true that I like the old folk song and its harmonies, what I’m dreaming about right now is the Volkswagen California, a van available in England that’s is effectively the latest version of what we Americans know of as the long-discontinued EuroVan camper, which sported a pop-up [...] No related posts.

Ford Iguana: Not a New Blue-Oval Show Car

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:12:38 +0000

Outsourcing has an unexpected benefit for the Detroit Zoo. The name “Ford Iguana” would be perfect for a show car from this automaker, but in fact it’s an appropriate descriptor of a new resident at the Detroit Zoo. A Yucatan spiny-tailed iguana managed to find its way to Ford’s Van Dyke transmission plant in Sterling Height, [...] Related posts:

1. From the Detroit Show: 2011 Ford Focus
2. Ford Fiesta S2000 Rally Car
3. On Detroit Car/Truck Awards to Ford Fusion Hybrid, Transit Connect

No Really, It’s Not Our Fault

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:53:44 +0000

So if something bad happened in the world and our intelligence agencies miss something don’t blame us. The guy should be paying attention on the job instead of reading the magazine…. In a recent article in The Onion, the satirical website says that all those highly trained, multi-lingual intelligence experts keeping [...] No related posts.

Volvo’s New 1.6

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:16:56 +0000

Volvo’s engine range is expanding with two new four-cylinder 1.6-liter gasoline engines, the T3 and T4, featuring the latest direct injection technology. The GTDi (Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection) concept was developed to offer improved fuel consumption without compromising on performance. The 1.6 GTDi T3 features 148 bhp and 177 lbs [...] Related posts:

1. A First Look at the Volvo S60 Before the Geneva Show
2. Quick Drive: 2011 Volvo S60
3. Volvo Sold