Given Pontiac’s demise, it’s clear there won’t be any factory-baked Pontiac Trans-Am coming from General Motors. Enter the aftermarket, which has become suddenly eager to serve buyers wanting a new-school T/A. Indeed, joining the conversion kit offered by Phoenix is this Lingenfelter take on turning your brand-new Camaro SS into the modern Trans-Am of your dreams. The concept debuts in the metal at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Of course, Chevy looks won’t do, so there’s a new front fascia, a shaker hood, revised rear quarter-panels, functional front fender vents, and an integrated decklid spoiler. New lighting front and rear as well as 20-inch honeycomb wheels complete the exterior transformation, while new blue woven-vinyl seats and a metal-turned instrument panel add retro feel to the inside. We have to admit, this thing really does resemble the 1970s original, and we like it.

Given the company’s penchant for pumping up horsepower, of course Lingenfelter would rework the engine, too. Under the striped hood—there’s no huge screaming chicken as of now—sits an aluminum 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V-8 block with a lofty 11.5:1 compression ratio, ported-and-polished Lingenfelter heads from the Corvette Z06’s LS7, a forged crankshaft, and high-flow intake. The custom stainless-steel exhaust comes courtesy of Corsa. Power output is quoted at 655 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque, up significantly from the 426 hp of a stock manual Camaro SS. Also present are a new twin-disc clutch and flywheel assembly and tougher rear half-shafts to withstand the extra grunt. Handling alterations are limited to the addition of Nitto tires.

More photos at the source!

Source: Car and Driver

These are some of the very first photos of the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park after the completion of the almost alien-like external structure. Set to be the world's largest indoor theme park and the first ever Ferrari theme park in the world when it opens in 2010, it comes complete with a racetrack that will host the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, shops, hotels, various attractions, rides and just about anything else to make it a gear-head's "Disney Land".

Talking about Disney Land, the Ferrari theme park which is located on Yas Island between the coast and city of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, will include the world's fastest rollercoaster. Travelling at speeds in excess of 200 km/h (124 mph), it is said to emulate the feeling of being in a Ferrari F1 car as the passengers go over 62 m through the roof and back down again.

As for the theme park's now completed red roof, which is claimed to have been directly inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body, it covers a surface area of 200,000m² (2.15 million square feet) and features the largest "prancing horse" emblem in the world, measuring an astonishing 66 meters (217 feet) in diameter.

Source: CarScoop

Props. I can't fathom how long this took to create.

When M. Kawabata launched his Nissan S13 (a 240 SX to us Yanks) into the corner, he threw the car around so quickly the rear end enters the turn first -- and then he kept it under control. It's being called "drifting history" and "the perfect drift" and "the best drift ever." Make the jump to see the vid and judge for yourself.



Source: AutoBlog

When two Visalia, Calif., police officers swung their cruisers behind a sport utility vehicle that had been carjacked at gunpoint early Sunday, they prepared for a dangerous high-speed chase.
The 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe roared away with officers in pursuit, but shortly after the suspect made a right turn, operators at General Motors Co.'s OnStar service sent a command that electronically disabled the gas pedal and the SUV gradually came to a halt.

The flustered thief got out and ran, but was quickly nabbed after he climbed several fences and fell into a backyard swimming pool, police said. It was the first time since OnStar began offering the service in the 2009 model year that it was used to end a chase that could otherwise have had dire consequences.
"He wouldn't have pulled over if OnStar hadn't have shut the vehicle down," said Visalia Police Sgt. Steve Phillips. "Generally pursuits end in a collision."

The whole thing began when Jose Ruiz, 33, of nearby Lindsay, Calif., was sitting in his Tahoe in a lighted parking lot about 3 a.m. Sunday while his cousin was talking on a cell phone in the passenger seat. Out of the corner of his eye, Ruiz saw a man walking toward him. "He already had a gun out," Ruiz said Monday. The man pointed a sawed-off shotgun at Ruiz and ordered both men to get out of the Tahoe and empty their pockets. Ruiz's cousin at first refused, but Ruiz told him to obey, knowing that OnStar could find the stolen truck with a global positioning system. "I was afraid he was going to shoot my cousin. My cousin was arguing with him," Ruiz recalled.

The cousin relented and the man sped off in the truck. Ruiz then sprinted for a nearby pay telephone to call police, but ran into a sheriff's deputy on her break who notified Visalia police.
Officers quickly contacted OnStar and got Ruiz's permission to find the vehicle. Police spotted it a few miles away, but as officers made a U-turn to pursue it, the Tahoe sped off at a high speed, Phillips said.

The suspect made a turn, and police dispatchers told the pursuing officers that OnStar was about to disable the Tahoe. It then rolled to a halt, and the robber was quickly captured.
The 21-year-old suspect was jailed and faces preliminary charges of robbery, carjacking, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.

Source: AOL

A truly unique idea. We've seen engine blocks converted into coffee tables, but not engine leftovers used to replicate a Chess set. Check it out!

Source: Revrods

Driver is an iPhone application to remote control a car. Go to http://www.spiritofberlin.eu for more information on "Spirit of Berlin", a completely autonomous vehicle by the Freie Universität Berlin. It is equipped with various sensors and a drive-by-wire system for unmanned driving. iDriver is an addon to remote control the car with an iPhone.

Lamborghini America LLC announced yesterday that it is launching a new finance program in collaboration with Woodside Credit and Volkswagen Credit, for the 2009 and 2010 Murcielago LP640 Coupe and Roadster.

“The Lamborghini Retail Finance Plan allows enthusiasts to finance one of most exclusive cars on the road at a more competitive rate than ever before,” said Pietro Frigerio, Chief Operating Officer of Automobili Lamborghini America, LLC. “We are pleased to continue our relationship with Volkswagen Credit as well partner with Woodside Credit, an established financing organization in collector and specialty cars, in order to provide several financing options to our clients.”

If you have a credit score of 700 or higher, you can enjoy a finance rate of 5.99 percent with a minimum down payment of 10 percent, low monthly payments and terms of up to 12 years. However, if your credit is above 740 and if you make a higher down payment upfront, the program offers a zero percent interest rate over a 60-month period.

Source: eGMCarTech

Viper, a company producing and selling car alarms and remote starters, has launched Viper SmartStart for iPhone and iPod touch. The app works with Viper remote-start systems and can start a car, lock or unlock its doors, open its trunk, or even locate it in a parking lot. Users can also set off a panic alarm. While more than one car can be controlled with the app, multiple users can just as well control the same vehicle.

“Are you tired of carrying around another clunky remote control on your keychain, or finding yourself out of range when you really need to warm up or cool down your car before getting in?” Viper says. “Now you can remote start or lock and unlock your car just by pushing a button on your iPhone or iPod touch, using the exciting new Viper SmartStart app from Directed Electronics, the leader in vehicle security and remote start,” the official App Store description reads. More in the jump!

Viper cites the simple graphical interface as being the key feature giving users control over capabilities like lock/arm, unlock/disarm, remote car starter, trunk release and panic or car finder. The company also offers instructions for those looking to use the solution.

1) Download the free Viper SmartStart application to your iPhone or iPod touch;
2) Get SmartStart installed in your car (see www.viper.com/SmartStart for more information on SmartStart modules, and where to buy Viper SmartStart);
3) Set up your SmartStart account.

However, the Viper SmartStart solution requires a great deal of add-ons, so to speak, on the user’s end. While the three steps sound fairly easy, it's a bit more complicated.

First, you’ll need an iPhone or iPod touch. Then, if you’re an iPod touch user, the device will require a Wi-Fi connectivity. The actual Viper SmartStart application is also required, of course. You can easily download the app to your device via iTunes – luckily, it’s free. You also need a compatible Viper system in your car (see www.viper.com/SmartStart for details). Finally, a SmartStart service plan is required. SmartStart comes with a one-year service plan included, and renewals are $29 a year, while the terms and conditions apply.



Source: Softpedia

Bob thinks that GM has a lineup of vehicles that can stack up with the best the rest of the automotive manufacturing world has to offer. One of the examples he cited was the Cadillac CTS-V, and went so far as to challenge the journalists to find a stock production sedan on the planet that could outperform the CTS-V on the track. The guys at Jalopnik.com were the first ones to respond to the challenge, quickly and most enthusiastically, but they suspect there will be more. GM will be having a full racetrack challenge October 29 at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, N.Y., not far from the New York City area.

Source: CTSV Challenge

Hein Wagner, a South African man who was born blind, set a new land speed record for the blind after hitting 200 mph in a Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series. He held the 200 mph speed for more than a half mile.

Wagner said that hitting 200 mph is a milestone for any drive, regardless of whether they’re sighted or blind. His record will be entered in the Guinness World Records and will replace the previous record of 191 mph set by a blind Belgian man.

In 2005, Wagner became the first South African man to set a world land speed record in a Maserati while traveling at a speed of 167 mph.

Source: eGMCarTech

Every driver has an epiphany behind the wheel of an Aston Martin.

It just happens faster when they're driving on a closed course.

Inspiration for some may come as they top 165 miles per hour in a 500-plus horsepower DBS. Others may feel it as a professional instructor guides the V-8 Vantage through sharp corners. Still others may start to understand their DB9's true capabilities when they hit 120 mph and then slam on the brakes. The car never wavers, quickly stopping in a straight line.

"It usually takes a few attempts for people to really step on the brake, but once they do, they can see just how good it is," instructor Kevin Markham said. More in the jump!

While the day-long Performance Driving Course has run for four years in Michigan for Aston Martin owners, the Warwickshire, England- based company, opened the course to non-owners last month as way to promote the brand. Additionally, the carmaker has hired a performance driving administrator to assist people attending the course. It currently has booked 20 people a month for it. The company also is looking for a more southern location for the course during the winter months.

Since being sold by Ford Motor Co. last year, the company has aggressively pursued ways to grow and the performance driving program can help its customers as well as serve as a strong marketing tool.

The $2,500 program, which doesn't include transportation to the Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo or lodging, will leave students exhausted and smiling. Aston Martin uses the track on a part-time basis.

DB9 owner Ian Green said the course changed the way he drives on the open road and helped him appreciate his car's abilities even more.

"I'm looking at curves differently," he said from his Connecticut home. "I wish the course was longer. By the end of the day, I was just getting the hang of things and doing the hill course at 110 mph."

Unlike other driving programs offered by carmakers, Aston Martin provides one-on-one day-long instruction with world-class drivers. The three instructors on the Aston Martin team in Michigan are some of the best wheelmen in the Mitten and have clocked thousands of hours on the Ford test track. Aston Martin also offers the program at tracks in Bedfordshire, England and Limburg, Belgium.

"These cars are incredible, what you can do in them," Markham said. "But you can't really experience it if you're stuck on regular roads."

Aston Martin spokeswoman Francesca Smith said the program also provides an outlet for the carmaker to showcase its vehicles.

"If someone wants to drive the V-8 Vantage, we'll let them," she said. "And if they want to bring a friend, they're welcome to do so."

It may also help build Aston Martin's reputation, as the company aggressively pursues well-heeled customers willing to pay up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a car, said Bonnie Knutson, Michigan State University professor in the school of hospitality business in Lansing.

"The biggest benefit is twofold," she said. "No. 1, everyone is talking about it. Other people who have not considered an Aston Martin, now, they're thinking about it."

And they're listening to their friends talk about the Aston Martin.

"They're letting the participants in the program be ambassadors," Knutson said.

Green agreed wholeheartedly. At a recent Yom Kipper dinner after completing the program, he said he regaled all of his friends with the course highlights.

"That's all we talked about all night," he said.

Source: Detroit News

Lamborghini has opened a new laboratory in Washington, which will develop future carbon fiber technology.

The Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL) at the University of Washington will see Lamborghini work with leaders in aerospace and composite material development, including the university itself, The Boeing Company and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Lamborghini has made a substantial financial contribution to the ACSL and intends to utilise ACSL’s research to develop future vehicles with lighter, stronger and more versatile materials.

Lamborghini CEO and president Stephan Winkelmann said: “Lamborghini remains committed to investing in its future, and advancing carbon fiber composite technologies is the key to achieving many our goals.

“As Lamborghini has long been influenced by aerospace technology, the University of Washington’s collaboration with The Boeing Company and the Federal Aviation Administration is the complementary fit to furthering our research and development programs that will continue to set the benchmark in carbon fiber technology.”

Source: Autocar

An opportunity that will only be available to you online. Sorry, someone had to tell you the truth. But you can dream! If you find any funny commands, feel free to post them in the comments.

Source: SceneStealer

The launch event for the new Dirt2 videogame was more than kiosks allowing fans to play the new game. No no, that's boring. How about going with Ken Block in his rally Subaru for some quick laps and some high speeds? Hit the jump for the video!