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First Drive Videos! 2016 Lexus RX350 and RX450h F Sport

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Huge drive day with the all-new 2016 Lexus RX lineup!  Very, very impressive design upgrades create a sexy and macho look, while the chiseled panels and floating glasshouse make the new RX look dramatically lower and wider than ever before. The new masculinity of the RX outside is reflected inside and on full throttle as well. Huge batch of photos and observations to share in the full reviews — but these three videos and 20 preview images are cool enough to share on the same day!  Near realtime media coverage! =] The drive videos below include a drive of the …

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DIY How-To: 20-Minute, $20 Nose Makeover Via Carbon-Fiber Wrap

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Here is a fun and very easy DIY project that requires just a few tools, no complex disassembly, and minimal time or money to achieve. What is it? A DIY de-chrome of an OEM nose brightwork in favor of a carbon-fiber pattern wrap. “Carbon Fiber” and “Wrap” are both ambitious descriptions. It is neither real CF nor a full wrap. Just a bit of adhesive-backed tape in a woven pattern. We picked up ours from Autozone for about $15, but much better deals are available at Amazon etc. Almost all car parts stores carry this trim tape in their nasty …

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2015 SPOFEC Rolls-Royce Ghost II 1

709HP 2015 SPOFEC Rolls-Royce Ghost II Is Blackedout Special on Gold 22s

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SPOFEC is bringing its Novitec Group skills to the Ghost II today in a new Black One special edition. This showcase for the firm’s exterior upgrades is as stunning as ever: the gold 22-inch wheels, body kit, lowering suspension and ECU modules complete a major wishlist for anyone wanting a super cool Roller. The full exterior de-chrome is perhaps even more noticeable than the bodykit: but SPOFEC — meaning Spirit of Ecstasy — leaves one surface its original polished finish: the leading lady herself atop that Parthenon grille. Whether unable or unwilling to make this themselves in Goodwood, the SPOFEC …

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2009 PAGANI Zonda R 62 copy

Hypercar Heroes – 750HP, 2.7s 2010 PAGANI Zonda R is 7 Minutes in Heaven

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No study of hypercar heroes would be complete without the phenomenal Pagani Zonda R from 2009 to 2010. Just 15 examples of this hardcore track machine were produced, with pricing of around $2.5-million each. With typical Pagani thoroughness, the Zonda R’s creation is far more that a set of slick tires and lightweight carpet. As you can see from almost every angle, the Zonda R employs an all-new aerodynamic setup. Giant lower intake scoops and splitter could cut off a pedestrian at the ankles, with the sharp wedge of a carbon-fiber nose an effective cleaver to finish that dark job. …

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2015 Audi TT Clubsport Turbo – Sounds Freaky as Electric Boost Spools Up to Ultra-High RPM

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2015 Audi TT Clubsport Turbo Sound Updated 5.13.15 With 20 New Photos and 2 Videos Despite the outrageous and super-cool exterior and interior overhaul of this TT Clubsport concept, it is really all about the engine. This is some revolutionary innovation that, if proven successful, could revolutionize forced induction. What is going on under that hood? As detailed below, a 48-volt electrical system spins up an e-compressor on this five-cylinder beast to help the main turbo deliver 600-hp overall. What does it sound like on e-boost? That is the million-dollar question. In theory, the e-boost can be preemptive and avoid …

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600HP, 3.6s 2015 Audi TT Clubsport Turbo Concept Runs 48V E-Compressor

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Here is a fantastic new concept from Audi ahead of the annual Wörthersee Festival! A racing widebody and extreme aero kit are needed thanks to the five-cylinder engine’s massive dual-compressor technology. A standard exhaust-gas turbocharger is joined by an all-new electric turbocharger– promising a huge rush of instant-on torque at any throttle shove. This latest turbo tech innovation is tough to introduce. BMW has also been researching electrically-spun turbo’s, but this Audi is the first to take it near production feasibility. Think of the tech like a super-Dyson blower inside the intake tract of the car. Typically, the limit has …

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Mazda-MX-5_Superlight_Concept_2009_1600x1200_wallpaper_16

Concept Flashback – 2009 Mazda MX-5 Superlight in 88 Photos!

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Racers worldwide have made lightening Mazda MX-5’s more than an art or craft: there is a science to shedding grams and gaining pace. This 2009 concept from Mazda’s European R&D center is a serious and comprehensive speedster conversion and custom strip-out. Once totally bare, the full MX-5 Superlight was resprayed in a Japanese Racing white pearl. The color and the contrast details for the hood and double bubble rollbars make the MX-5 Superlight’s proportions even more intensely rear-drive. A favorite detail is the brake light LED lining those integrated roll hoops. 2009 Mazda MX-5 Superlight Concept Mazda MX-5 Superlight Concept …

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1965 Maserati Sebring Red 19

Gooding Amelia 2015 – 1965 Maserati Sebring in Red Brings $300k

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Can’t get enough of the very-rare and very chic Maserati Sebring? How about another in bright red? This Gooding & Co. auction car brought upwards of $300,000 – making it a well-priced entry into the club of 1960s Italian exotica.   ORIGINAL Tastemaker? With headlamps that look straight off of the Chevrolet Corvette C1 facelift in 1960? Not so much, guy! But look past the twin chrome-rimmed circles on light on this Maserati Sebring and you have the basis for some seriously futuristic sports coupes. The long hood and sunken grille and delicious, while the flat surfacing and boxy glasshouse …

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1965 Maserati Sebring 3500 GTi Series I 19

Amelia Island 2015 – 1965 Maserati Sebring 3500 GTi Was Avant-Garde Luxury Tastemaker

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Tastemaker!? With headlamps that look straight off of the Chevrolet Corvette C1 facelift in 1960? Not so much, guy! But look past the twin chrome-rimmed circles on light on this Maserati Sebring and you have the basis for some seriously futuristic sports coupes. The long hood and sunken grille and delicious, while the flat surfacing and boxy glasshouse would become mainstream and popular a full 20 years later in the 1980s. Beating a trend by two decades definitely counts as innovative, taste-making design in our book! 1965 Maserati Sebring 3500 GTi Series I      

2015 Jaguar F-Type by STARTECH 4

2015 Jaguar F-Type by STARTECH Packs Deeper Front Bumper, Carbon-Fiber Aero and Rifled Exhaust Pipes

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These cool new F-Type upgrades from Brabus’s JLR line, StarTech, really do enhance many sides of this gorgeous coupe. And best of all, the mods fit the cabrio’s just as nicely. The key pieces of the package are the deeper and completely-new front bumper, CF chin splitter, and winged CF side sills. The rear end trades its factory diffuser for this new carbon-fiber shroud, and the exhausts are made significantkly cooler than stock. Inside is a feast of new surfaces and leather-quilting on all sides. Definitely a sexy and touchable upgrade to the Jag’s cabin. 2015 Jaguar F-Type by STARTECH …

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2015 Toyota Camry NASCAR Dollar General 21

DAYTONA – Meeting the 199MPH 2015 Toyota Camry NASCAR of Matt Kenseth #20 Dollar General

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Thrilling week in Daytona Beach so far! An incredible day of meeting Toyota NASCAR drivers, crew chiefs and even the president of TRD USA, the overall lead in the Toyota Racing effort in American events. Meeting the 2015 Camry racer up close then seeing it in what felt like an HD action movie of the race Duels later? YES! So much fun to see the Daytona Speedweek leadup to the Daytona 500 tomorrow, Sunday the 22nd of February. The car-guy part of NASCAR culture makes tech and equipment off-track and in the pits every bit as serious as a wild …

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2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Edition 3

2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Edition in 20 New Photos + Freedom Edition Preview

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The new Willys Edition Jeep Wrangler looks very, very cool and desirable with its gloss-black grille and wheels. The Freedom Edition with a dark grey grille and military star is pretty cool too, mind you. That being said, Jeep Wranglers have never struggled to be ‘cool.’ They have always been cool as hell. But these minor factory customizations just might spark a must-have sentiment in shoppers. Even after deciding on a Freedom or Willys Edition, the doors and roof options are still plentiful!   2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Edition      

Houston Auto Show - 2015 GMC Sierra Elevation Edition 1

Houston Auto Show – 2015 GMC Sierra Elevation Edition in 20 New Photos + Pricing From $35k

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  Updated 1.23.15 With Pricing and 20 New Photos The Sierra Elevation Edition is one cool black 1500 on the Houston Auto Show floor! Just as we snapped these 35 new photos, GMC revealed the pricing of this new factory custom– with an enticing $34,865 base for the rear-drive V6. It is great to see the double-decker LED lights as standard on the Sierra Elevation, despite them not being lit in these photos. 2015 GMC Sierra Elevation Edition Pricing: 4.3L 2WD: $34,865 4.3L 4WD: $38,795 5.3L 2WD: $35,960 5.3L 4WD: $39,890   2015 GMC Sierra Elevation Edition     PREVIOUS …

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2015 Volvo V60 Cross Country 16

2015 Volvo V60 Cross Country – Updated With 20 New, Real-Life Photos from Houston

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First details today on the newest Volvo – a US-bound V60 Cross Country! The new V60 XC is a tough and rugged version of the V60 sportwagen, and will ship to the US with standard AWD and the 250-horsepower T5 engine. Some have asked if the V60 Cross Country is necessary, considering the presence of the XC60 SUV in the lineup. There is certainly some overlap, but the V60 XC will appeal to a sportier customer and have pricing a few thousand less than the taller XC60 SUV. More models are a good thing for Volvo in the US – …

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