MSRP: $173,079

4.3L V8, 32 valve, 490 hp @ 8500 rpm

• 6 speed manual (standard) or 6 speed automatic transmission
• 13 mpg city / 17 mpg hwy

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3.6L H6, 24 valve, 415 hp @ 7600 rpm

• 6 speed manual transmission
• 17 mpg city / 24 mpg hwy

2007 GT3…. Non Turbo Safety N/A Size Class Minicompact Cars Engine Size (liters) 3.6 code H6 Cylinders 6 DOHC Transmission Manual (6 speed) Drive Rear-wheel drive Gas Guzzler no Turbocharger NO Supercharger NO Passenger Volume 70 ft3 (2D) Luggage Volume 5 ft3 (2D) Fuel Type Premium Gasoline MPG (city) 17 MPG (highway) 24 MPG (combined) 20 ZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM Rumor Has it you can order the all New 997,,, GT3 RS AWD relist in Spring of 2007

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Volkswagen, Honda, Peugeot… they can all try to make hot hatches, and they may even turn out to be smashingly good. But Renault will always be the king of the hot hatches. The latest from Renaultsport, the French automaker’s competition division, is the Clio Cup. It’s essentially a beefed-up and stripped-down version of the critically-acclaimed Renaultsport Clio 197. (Think Clio Superleggera, or Clio Scuderia.)

Although the Clio Cup has already been available for a while now, it was originally intended for the company’s one-make racing series in the UK (pictured above), supporting events for the British Touring Car Championship. Despite the Clio Cup series limiting entries to 38 cars per race, Renault has sold over 60 in the UK as buyers have been snatching them up for track use, evidently prompting Renault to change its strategy.

Now available for public consumption and use on the road, the Clio Cup is virtually identical to its track-bound counterpart: power is boosted to 205 hp from the standard 197, the suspension is tightened up and extra weight has been stripped out. It’s being certified for road use in the UK under Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) tests, mandating the fitment of regular seat-belts and bigger side-view mirrors as the only modifications required for its streetability. While prices haven’t yet been announced, the track version sells for £22,500, prompting an anticipated MSRP in the neighborhood of £27k.

[Source: What Car?]

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var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/autos/Top_Ten_Engines_of_2007′; It’s that time of year for all the end of year awards and top ten lists to surface, but Ward’s always brings something different to the table. Rather than pick out the best car or truck that was new this year, the automotive trade journal picks the ten best engines, and this year it focused on motors that manage to balance the competing demands of more power and more fuel economy.

Click the name of any engine below to view, or tour the Ten Best Engines list in our gallery.

• Audi AG: FSI 2.0L turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Audi A3)
• BMW AG: 3.0L turbocharged DOHC I-6 (335i Coupe)
• Daimler AG: 3.0L DOHC V-6 Turbodiesel (Mercedes E320 CDI)
• Ford Motor Co.: 4.6L SOHC V-8 (Mustang Shelby GT/Bullitt)
• General Motors Corp.: 3.6L DOHC V-6 (Cadillac CTS)
• General Motors Corp.: 6.0L OHV V-8 Hybrid (GMC Yukon Hybrid)
• Honda Motor Co. Ltd.: 3.5L SOHC V-6 (Accord Coupe)
• Mazda Motor Corp.: 2.3L DISI turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Mazdaspeed3)
• Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.: 3.7L DOHC V-6 (Infiniti G37)
• Toyota Motor Corp.: 3.5L DOHC V-6 (Lexus IS 350)

The real question is whether or not you think Ward’s got its “Ten Best Engines” list right? What engines are missing, or more importantly, which ones don’t deserve to be included? You can read our opinion after the jump and leave your own in the comments.

[Source: Ward’s]

Continue reading Wards announces “Ten Best Engines” list for 2007

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What do a federal judge in California and Paris Hilton have in common? They both like cleaner cars. Yesterday, a lawsuit brought by the nation’s automakers was thrown out, which should pave the way for California to regulate tailpipe emissions. Also, Paris says she’s “buying a hybrid car right now.” I guess it’s just that easy for some people. In the video above, you can watch “naked streets,” but it’s not nearly as exciting as you might think.

• Paris Hilton: “I’m buying a hybrid car right now”
• Carmakers’ lawsuit thrown out, judge rules California can regulate tailpipe emissions
• Volt aero and styling: Touring the E-Flex design studio and GM wind tunnel
• Detroit 2008 Preview: Honda CR-Z Hybrid concept comes to North America
• Ener1 chairman says lithium-ion batteries coming to market in 2008
• Saturn Astra production could shift to US
• Volvo & Saab teaming up to bring 10 plug-in hybrids on the road by 2009
• Video of “naked streets” and how banning stop lights will save gas
• China investing in something worse than bad ethanol: methanol
• European carmakers support Bali’s Conference on climate change
• USA Today survey: 13 percent of CEOs drive a hybrid
• Shell Oil to grow biofuels from marine algae
• Chrysler and MSU complete second year of growing biofuel crops on brownfield
• European biodiesel manufacturers against US biodiesel imports (again)
• Detroit 2008 Preview: Mazda Furai concept
• Most ethanol plants in the US built in economically depressed areas
• Ford says you can eat interiors, and expands the idea

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If you live in a snowy, wintry climate, Porsche has no shortage of options available to you. Between the 911 Carrera 4 and the Cayenne sport-utility, there’s no reason you should get stuck in the snow. But if your choice ride from Stuttgart is, say, a Boxster, or you just happen to get stuck in a snowbank anyway, never fear, for Porsche has exactly what you need.

The imaginatively-named Porsche Aluminiumschlitten (at right) is a grown-up bobsled made of aluminum. It folds up into a handy carrying case (that will, we hope, fit into a Cayman’s luggage compartment), and rides on high-grade stainless steel skids.

The Porsche Kinderbob (pictured above) meanwhile, is, as you might have guessed, more for the kids. It features a decidedly racy design with space for one, handlebars for steering and even a horn for passing in the fast lane down the toboggan run.

Kinderbob sells in Germany for €65, the Aluminiumschlitten for a more substantial €250. Just in time for Weihnachten.

[Source: Pistonheads]

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Since the original Camaro concept hit NAIAS in January 2006, it seems like we’ve been living with (and writing about) the pony coupe forever. The fact is, we still haven’t seen the Camaro’s final production duds. While the official unveiling at Detroit is still a month away, the Camaro5 website has posted on its forums a near-naked Chevy Pony car in production sheet metal. The front and rear are wearing padded underwear, but we can see from the side-view pic that the basic shape stays true to the stunning concepts of 2006 and 2007.

Missing are the three slotted vents ahead of the rear wheel wells, but it looks like some ribbed metal takes its place. Also history are the funky-cool but slightly impractical side mirrors from the concept cars, and unlike the concept, the production model has a B-pillar. While it’s difficult to tell for certain with the flat white paint job and slightly blurry photography, it appears as though some of the hard edges of the concept’s belt-line have been softened. Judging by the high-polish 18- or 19-inch rims on this pre-production model, it’s as close to final as we’re going to see before the RWD coupe starts rolling off the assembly line. Without seeing the front and back of the Camaro, it’s tough to gauge how closely GM stuck to the design of the concept, but from this one picture, it looks pretty close. We’ll know more as we get closer to NAIAS next month.

Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Source: Camaro5]

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Although the Volkswagen Group brands that sell in the United States (namely Volkswagen and Audi) tend to keep their respective platforms to themselves - almost to a fault - in foreign markets the German automaker rebadges and rebodies the same cars under several different labels. Skoda is one such brand, and its flagship sedan, called Superb, is due for replacement. And that’s just what the Czech carmaker is preparing to unveil at the Geneva show next March.

What you see above is the second-generation Skoda Superb, based on the current (fifth-generation) Volkswagen Passat and stretched some. Details and additional pictures haven’t yet been released, but Skoda promises it’ll incorporate many “smart solutions”, including an anticipated creative approach to the hatchbach-trunk debate.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - subscription required]

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