With every iteration of the 911, Porsche makes incremental improvements to its iconic sports car and naturally, the next generation will be no exception.

This latest 911 prototype was caught at the Nurburgring sporting 997 sheetmetal, but it's what's on top and out back that deserves note. A double-bubble roof panel has been fitted, while underneath the rear camouflage is a sizeable wing and additional ducting. Look closely and you'll see a small sill at the base of the rear windscreen that's assumed to be feeding the rear-mounted flat-six – likely necessary keep the boxer cool while Porsche engineers figure out how the new contoured roof affects aerodynamics. If previous reports are to be believed, we can expect the next 911 to debut sometime in 2010, but we wouldn't rule out an appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

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).

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]

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.

For a guy who allegedly wants a lot of the credit for creating Tesla Motors, Elon Musk certainly doesn't seem to like the job of being its CEO. As part of Daimler's investment deal with Tesla, Musk needed to commit to staying on as Tesla's CEO at least until the Model S launches in 2011. Musk told Reuters:

I didn't really have a choice. This was a requirement of Daimler that I remain CEO of Tesla through the Model S launch and then continue to be part of Tesla in a chairman role beyond that. It's flattering, but at the same time it's golden handcuffs.

Well, that sure makes it sound like fun, doesn't it? It's clear that Musk has always been interested in projects other than Tesla (e.g.: electric planes and SpaceX), but does he have to make running one of the hippest electric car companies around sound like a drag?

Another nugget from the article: One of the reasons the price on the Roadster was raised was to help qualify Tesla Motors for the DOE loan it later received. Musk said, "We did the minimum we needed to do to make the business work."



[Source: Reuters]

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.

The Fox body was hardly a high point in the history of the Ford Mustang. But every kingdom must have a king, and in the late-'80s and early-'90s this was it: the JBA Dominator GTA. Commissioned from J Bittle American by Ford in 1989, the Dominator took the pony car to new heights, installing what was likely the first independent rear suspension on a Mustang along with a long list of features that differentiated this custom muscle car from stock. The Lightning 351 engine features the iron heads from the GT40 and the intake manifold from a Cobra. A custom exhaust and aircraft-derived fuel system kept it breathing, while 17-inch rims obscured race-spec disc brakes at all corners.

The list goes on and on, and during its reign, the Dominator received plenty of media attention. The Mustang was featured on the cover of Road & Track in November 1989 in a shoot-out against other factory-backed custom muscle cars and went on to star in various hot-rodding and Ford-specific magazines. The JBA even has its own website, which will transfer to the buyer willing to pony up the $34,500 asking price for this piece of Mustang tuning history. Check it out in the gallery below and the video after the jump, or follow the link to the eBay auction page to make an offer.



[Source: eBay Motors via BAT]

The thing about limited editions is that there are bound to be at least a few customers disappointed that they couldn't get their hands on one. That's the whole point, keeping demand higher than supply and thus ensuring a high price. So it's a little unusual to see an automaker or aftermarket supplier going back and reopening the supply lines, especially if the model in question has already been replaced. But that's exactly what British tuning house Arden has done with the AJ18.

Based on the previous-generation XK, Arden debuted this limited-edition track-inspired Jag coupe nearly ten years ago at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show, pegging production at just 13 units. A decade gone by, Arden has announced the availability of an additional five examples, bringing the total run up to 18 pieces. What sets the AJ18 apart from the stock XK8 is the carbon-composite aero kit, custom grilles and bumpers, narrow wing mirrors, giant rear wing and 20-inch Sportline rims hiding 370mm brake discs with 6-piston calipers mounted to a lowered Bilstein suspension.

We'd just as soon go out and buy a new XK, dynamically superior as it is to its successor in just about every way, but if you've already got a previous-generation model in your driveway and still regret missing your chance to upgrade it to the Arden AJ18, this will probably be your last chance. Probably.

[Source: Carscoop]

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]