A man with hawkeyes spotted this BMW 1 series on the 201 in L.A. as he was driving his son home from a baseball game. He managed to snap a number of pictures as he passed the Bimmer, and then proceeded to upload his pictures onto a 1 Series forum for the world to see! According to other forum members, this car has been spotted all over the place lately, so we doubt this will be the last we hear about it.

The car will be powered by BMW’s 3.0-liter, 230 horsepower I6 engine generating 200 lb-ft of torque. If we’re lucky, we might even see some spy photos snapped of the 1 series convertible in the coming weeks!

[Source: 1Series]

What you’re seeing here is a spy photo of the BMW M5. At first, you might be thinking “Hmmm… doesn’t look too different from the 5 series…” but if you look closer, you’ll notice 2 extra air intakes on the front fascia. Why would the M5 possibly need any more air intakes? It appears that the competition may have BMW shaken. You see, Mercedes now offers models with over 600hp on tap, and Audi is offering a twin-turbo V10 in the RS6. If you believe rumors on the interweb, this has led BMW to consider producing a twin-turbo M5.

According to our source, the car in the photos is not your ordinary M5. What you’re staring is likely the M5 ‘upgrade’, which extracts 575bhp from the high-tech M-Sport V10. Up until very recently, BMW has preferred powering their engines through natural aspiration, but it looks like the success of the twin-turbocharged 335i may have helped them change their minds on the subject. The M5’s biggest weakness could be their ‘Sequential Manual Gearbox’, as it may not be durable enough to withstand all the torque a turbo v10 can churn out. It is suggested that BMW might switch to a twin-clutch ‘Direct Shift Gearbox’ instead, which should also improve the speed of shifts.

Are we on the cusp of a German horsepower war? If there is a God, the answer is yes!

[Source: MSN Autos]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are happy to announce that Subaru has officially released images and specs of the new Imprezza WRX STi. Well, let me clarify, they have only release the JDM specs thus far, but it’s more than enough to make us happy!

Subaru execs have remained fairly silent on details, but we can report that the new STI makes use of a 16v 2.0L boxer engine with a twin-scroll turbo mated to a 6-speed manual. Subaru hasn’t confirmed any numbers, but power output is allegedly pegged at 304 horses and 311 lb-ft of torque. (In the Japanese-market model.) Hi tech gadgetry such as SI-DRIVE, multi-mode Drivers Control Center Differential (DCCD) and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) will be standard features.

The WRX STi has a massive hood scoop, helping only to accentuate the aggressive and muscular lines on the car. The stance is wide and menacing, and we’re sure that the quad-exhaust is going to sound simply harmonious when the throttle is fully opened.

Look for the car to make its debut in Tokyo in a couple of weeks!

[Source: Subaru]

In keeping with GM’s plan to turn Pontiac into the sporty, performance division, the Pontiac Vibe now can be had with a GT badge. Naturally, this would suggest the power and has been improved upon. Unfortunately, GM Source had no details on tech specs, although it has been suggested that it may come with an AWD power train.
All we really have to go by is this official photo of the car, which as far as we can tell, doesn’t look too bad! The sheetmetal is cleaner, and cladding free, with a much more aggressive front fascia and sexy, curvy bodylines.
The official unveiling of the Vibe will take place at the LA Auto Show. There is no word on whether or not the Toyota Matrix, the Vibe’s mechanical twin, will be getting their own high-powered iteration.

Check back to Driver’s Life, as we’ll be expanding on this story as more information becomes available. Click the thumbnail to see the only official photo of the Vibe GT in all its high res glory.

[Source: The GM Source]

Is the car pictured here the latest Nissan Skyline? Technically, no. Nissan no longer uses the Skyline moniker for their global cars. However, what you see here is the Nissan GT-R in its production-ready form. Nissan plans to officially unveil the car on October 24th at the Tokyo Auto show.

Said to be powered by a 500bhp twin-turbo 3.5L V6, and using the next gen ATESSA all-wheel drive system, the GT-R has already proven itself to be extremely fast. How fast? Well, it beat a Porsche 911 Turbo on the Nurbergring. Nissan ultimately aims to beat the Porsche Carrera GT’s time as well.

Wanna see a video of it? Yeah you do! Just make the jump.

[Source: CAR Magazine UK ]
Read the rest of this entry »

A few days ago we reported about Subaru’s teaser pictures of the new WRX STi, set to be revealed about a week’s time. Now a video has surfaced of the Soob making its rounds on Germany’s Nurburgring by Car Magazine. It gets better! The car was barely dressed, as in, there was not a lot of camo to be found on it. Only the sides and a little bit of the front facia were shrouded in black fabric, making it very easy to see the car’s design.
We recommend heading over there to watch the video if only to hear the tires screeching, the engine growling, and the drool dripping from your big, goofy grin.

[Source: Car Magazine]

Subaru intends to lift the veils off its high thrills WRX STI at the Tokyo Auto Show on October 24th. In the mean time, they’ve decided to torture us with darkened photos of the beast in an effort to keep us drooling. Well, we think they’ve succeeded.
The horsepower rating of the STi is expected to be up at around 320 and torque will top out at 320 lb.ft. The only transmission will be a six-speed manual that will propel the car to 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.

‘Scuse me while I grab a towel….

(See more pics below)

Read the rest of this entry »

Exclusive spy footage of the Corvette SS/Stingray/Blue Devil ( or whatever it will be called) driving at high speeds and looking sexy doing it. There is very minimal camoflauge; mainly the hood is covered. Rumors on the interweb suggest this is because the new ‘Vette is sporting a much more aggressive (and likely necessary) hood scoop to suck in cold air.

Enjoy!

[Video Courtesy of FastLaneDaily]

Well folks, looks like Brenda Priddy and friends are up to their old tricks. They managed to photograph an undisguised Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG being loaded into a trailer. Clearly evident in the pictures are 4 beefy exhaust pipes and an AMG badge. The car in these photos is likely built from the same architecture as the 2008 C-class, meaning that it will likely have a 6.2L v8. Some estimates point to a power output in the range of 400 to 500 horses, although it is suggested that the peak power might actually be toned down to more comptetatively match BMW’s new M3.

[Source: Left Lane News]

Seen here are spy photos of the Opel Vectra in light camo, set to debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September. Based on GM’s Epsilon II platform (also shared with the Pontiac G6, and Chevy Malibu) this car should make its way to North America as the next generation Saturn Aura. While there is no word yet on any of the drivetrain and suspension components, we can tell you that this car should appear in both 5 door sedan and wagon variants.

[Source: AutoZeitung, thanks to TriShield for the tip]
Read article