American fans of Nissan's fantastic new 370Z can order their cars in Chicane Yellow, but up until now, their counterparts in Blighty have been out of luck if they've wanted a sunburst Z of their own. Until now. That's because Nissan UK has cooked up a special new limited-edition (if unimaginatively named) 370Z Yellow.

Apparently inspired by the Japanese automaker's European GT4 series racers, all Yellows will receive 19-inch forged RAYS alloys, a black leather and suede interior, along with illuminated door sill plates, special floor mats, and so on. Did we mention the bespoke lower body graphics? They remind us of less subtle, billboard-sized versions of the graphics packages on certain Porsche 911s.

Nissan assures that there will be a "strictly limited volume" of Yellows for sale in the UK, with "exclusivity guaranteed." But tellingly, perhaps, the company isn't divulging just how many it plans to produce in the model's press release (available after the jump). If you're interested, prepare to shell out £31,650 (nearly $52,000 USD)
for a six-speed manual or £33,050 for the automatic (just over $54,000 USD – as usual, bear in mind the UK's comparatively inflated pricing structure for new cars).

Boutique Dutch carmaker Spyker unveiled its elongated and streamlined C8 Aileron back in March in Geneva, and we saw its North American debut in New York a month later. Those were show car versions of the upcoming production model based on the concept car we had seen in Geneva and Pebble Beach the year before. We've seen the imposing coupes from every possible angle, inside and out. They are finely crafted, uniquely engineered, rolling works of art, like a plutocrat's timepiece on wheels. What we haven't seen is a production-spec Aileron in red.

A new batch of photos has just begun circulating out onto the 'net, showing a stunning red Aileron driving around Europe. A reliable source tells us this is the first pre-production car to hit the streets, so it is only a matter of time before we see one of these 400 horsepower, Audi 4.2-liter V8-powered rocketships in private hands. Click below to see our full gallery.



[Source: Spyker]

We can only imagine how exciting a day it would be to bring home a brand spanking new Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Genesis Owners forum member zedbuyers was feeling that love as he and his wife left a Massachusetts Chevy dealer with a spanking new Cyber Gray Metallic Z06. Zedbuyers was driving from the dealer in the rain with his wife following behind in the couples' nine-month-old Genesis Sedan when disaster struck.

As traffic slowed from 60 mph to 30 mph in the exit lane, zedbuyers applied the brakes, but his wife evidently didn't. The Genesis slammed into the hours-old Z06, thrusting the $80,000 supercar into the vehicle in front of it. Oddly, the Genesis took the brunt of the blow, and a local Hyundai dealer estimated the damage at $16,000, including nearly $2,000 for the HID headlamps alone. The Z06 damage was $10,000, including $2,000 for a carbon fiber bumper.

Luckily, nobody was seriously injured in the accident, but we're sure the owner is smarting none the less. We're guessing the insurance company is not going to react kindly to a combined $26,000 in damages only hours after the purchase of what is likely a very expensive vehicle to insure in the first place. Peruse the gallery below to check out the carnage, and click on the link below for zedbuyers' damage estimates.



[Source: Genesis Owners via Jalopnik]

We love Ford Mustangs of all shapes and sizes, and the age-old adage of "the more power the better" definitely applies. Scott Vanderschoor, a regular on Bang Shift forums, is working on one hell of a pony car; one that carries the panache of a 'Stang and the power of a Dodge Viper – with a pair of turbochargers providing a little additional motivation. Unsurprisingly, Vanderschoor reportedly needed to move back the firewall a half foot to make room for the massive 8.4L V10 engine, but we're guessing the labor will pay off with some absolutely incredible power numbers.

Hit the jump to see Vanderschoor's big beast as it turns over on camera for the first time. The sound is a bit different than you'd expect from a typical Mustang V8 growl and we're guessing that it has a little more oomph under the hood than most pony cars on the road – even before Vanderschoor tuning gets sorted out. This is one Mustang project we're looking forward to seeing more of! Check out the gallery below in addition to the video after the jump.Thanks for the tip, Brian L!



[Source: Bang Shift]

Since it first came to the market in 2000, Ford's Focus has been consistently lauded for its crisp "European handling," and thanks to a Ford of Europe press release yesterday, that bromide sounded like it was about to become truer than ever. The release in question announced that the next all-new Focus is to be sourced from a single location – the Blue Oval's Saarlouis Plant in Germany. Quite understandably, that proclamation caused a bit of consternation here in the States, with some news outlets reporting that North American Focus models will also originate from the German facility. Not so.

Autoblog spoke with Lincoln, Mercury communications manager Mark Schirmer this morning (despite his title, Schirmer has been tasked with preparing for the U.S. launch of the 2010 car) and he has re-confirmed that all North American Focus models will originate from a freshly renovated Wayne Assembly Plant in Michigan (something that Ford officials initially promised back in May).

The intention of FoE's confusingly worded statement was to note that Saarlouis is to be the single point of origin for all European Focus models. In addition to Saarlouis and Wayne, Ford will also likely produce the next Focus at a plant somewhere in Asia, but a location announcement has not yet been made.

When we last visited the Hurst facility in Irvine, CA, we noticed something unusual. While nearly all of the Challengers were painted in either white or black, a lone Challenger painted in B5 Blue sat tucked away in a corner. When we inquired about the car, we were told that we would find out soon enough. Well, we know now, as Hurst has just unveiled a Competition/Plus package for the Dodge Challenger at the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA.

The Competition/Plus project was started in an effort to provide a more affordable package, as well as appeal to customers who might not necessarily want the classic gold paint schemes. Named after the legendary shifter that helped make Hurst famous, the package includes only the essentials: an Eibach suspension system, Magnaflow exhaust system, Hurst 20-inch alloy wheels, color-matched leather inserts and stitching for the interior, matte black exterior accents, and, of course, a Competition/Plus short throw shifter with the classic white ball. We're told the package is available on any color of Challenger, whether it's the B5 Blue pictured here, Hemi Orange, TorRed or any other.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but full details on the car should be released soon. Until then, take a look at our exclusive gallery of photographs that were given the chance to snap a couple of days before the car's release.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Ford tuning specialists Steeda Autosports have been teasing the 2010 version of their Q-Series Mustang for quite some time, and apparently for some of their customers, it can't come soon enough. To help deal with requests, the Florida-based company has introduced a Sport Edition model that utilizes an array of parts already in the Steeda catalog.

This particular steed is tweaked to handle, with upgraded billet lower control arms, sport springs, and 20-inch chrome wheels wrapped with Nitto NT05 high-performance tires. Other modifications include a sport shifter, underdrive performance pulleys, a performance air cleaner, and distinctive Steeda graphics. At $8995 $6,995, the pricing seems pretty steep, especially without any significant power upgrades, but we have to admit it's one good looking pony car.

[Source: Muscular Mustangs]

*UPDATE: Steeda representatives have contacted Autoblog with correct information regarding the new Sport Edition, including a different, wallet-friendlier package price of $6,995 (the source article cited incorrect information). The full, official press release has been added after the jump.

Despite having fewer model variations on the market, pent up demand for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro appears to have been enough to send the bad Bowtie past Ford's redone Mustang in June. Sales figures for the month are beginning to trickle in today, and General Motors says it shifted 9,320 Camaro units last month, as compared to the Blue Oval's 7,632 Mustangs.

Whether Chevrolet's victory will be sustainable over the long haul remains to be seen, but as The General has a backlog of 10,000 sold orders to fill (equating to less than a seven day supply), the streak is likely to continue for at least the next few months. Presently, GM offers just two main Camaro models, the V6 RS and the V8-powered SS, while the Ford Mustang has more bodystyles and trims than you can shake a stick at (arguably making the Camaro's achievement seemingly that much more impressive).

Sales of the third leg of 2009's pony car table, the Dodge Challenger, trail far behind, with just 1,369 units cleared last month.

As the industry heads into the dog days of summer, it looks like America's renewed pony car war is just heating up. Who will take the crown for the whole year? Sit tight, muscle fans.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Alex Nunez / Weblogs, Inc.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

In a press release announcing the cars it would be taking to this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, Jaguar's own Mike Cross has officially confirmed the coming of the Jaguar XKR Goodwood Special. We noted before that it would be louder and faster and detailed in satin graphite, but now we find out it will get a lower ride height over 21-inch wheels and – are you ready? – "a unique Lime Green paint scheme and XKR exterior graphic" as shown above. Alrighty, then.

That hard-to-miss car will join a few more trailers of Jaguar goodies, including the 225 mph Bonneville XFR, a 1957 Long Nose D-Type, a Le Mans winning C-Type, and the one-of-a-kind Jaguar XJ13. Goodwood is just around the corner (July 3-5), and you can read all about Jaguar's plans in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Jaguar]

Rumors of Audi's plan to resurrect the Ur-Quattro continue to persist, with Auto Motor und Sport reporting that the highly modified A5 is due to arrive sometime next year.

According to the German pub and coinciding with earlier reports, Audi plans to bring the curb weight down to around 3,000 pounds by using scads of aluminum along with polycarbonate windows in place of their glass counterparts. Further weight reductions will come from a lightweight set of 19- or 20-inch wheels and carbon ceramic brakes, while an active rear spoiler, magnetic-ride suspension system and a raced-out interior are rumored to be part of the package.

Naturally, Audi's all-wheel drive system will be the centerpiece of the reborn Ur-Quattro, but there's still plenty of questions surrounding the coupe's powertrain. Audi has supposedly decided to nix the idea of fitting its 4.2-liter V8 and will instead use either a new, twin-turbocharged V6 (odd, considering the automaker put all its efforts into creating a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 for the new S4 and A6) or possibly the 2.5-liter five cylinder currently fitted to the TT-RS in a historical nod to the new Ur's ancestry. If AMuS is to be believed, expect output somewhere between 300 and 425 hp – and there's also talk of a hybrid variant that would allow for a 20-mile electric-only commute (something about a snowball comes to mind...). Regardless, if the Ur-Quattro does come to fruition, expect it to debut sometime next year to coincide with the original's 30th anniversary, with pricing set considerably north of the current S5.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport | Image Source: AutoBild]