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The first Audi R8 with a V10 engine sold at a charity auction in Florida for a half-million dollars. List price is more like $150,000 for the supercar, which goes on sale in the U.S. near the end of the year. (Photo courtesy of Audi)

HERNDON, Virginia —The first Audi R8 V10 in the U.S. has sold for more than three times the anticipated sticker price at a charity auction last week. The V10 R8, expected to sell in dealerships for around $150,000, went for $500,000 at the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance on February 21.

But the man who won the car wasn’t concerned about owning the first R8 V10. He waived his right to the first U.S. production car, if Audi would give him the second car for his $500,000. Audi agreed and the first car went on the block for a second time, fetching… Read the rest of this entry

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Late last year Holden, the Australian arm of General Motors, announced it would be getting a new small sedan based on the global platform underpinning the Chevy Cruze. At the time, it was assumed that the Holden would feature revised sheetmetal and possibly a new name, but now that the wraps are off, it’s clear that the only things changed are the badges, grille and location of the steering wheel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the new Cruze is a looker regardless of what brand name is affixed to the front.

Hit the jump to check out the Holden Volt.

Another new vehicle that the Australians are anxiously anticipating is Holden’s version of the range-extended electric Volt. Again, nothing is expected to change when the eco-friendly vehicle makes… Read the rest of this entry

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The first two U.S.-spec Audi R8 V10s were sold at an auction in Boca Raton, Florida to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. The first Stateside-bound ten-cylinder R8 went for $500,000, easily topping the earlier winning bid for one of the first Ferrari Californias. Audi officials, stoked by the bids of the R8, decided to put R8 number-two on the block which fetched $350,000 — the same amount paid for the Ferrari. The two R8s not only carry the designation of being the first V10 models sold in the U.S., but will also be built during Audi’s 100th anniversary. Let’s see what they fetch in 2039.

Gallery:2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro

[Source: Audi]

First U.S. Audi… Read the rest of this entry

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Few things in life ruin a day faster than a speeding ticket. Tickets cost a fortune, and dealing with the local courts to pay the fine can be a pain, too. Terrence Boyd knows how you feel, and he started his own insurance company to ease the pain stemming from just such an experience. For $15.95 per month, Boyd’s company will pay up to $1,000 in moving violations and $500 in non-moving violations. The company also features two driver and family plans that cost $24.95 and $29.95, respectively. Individual tickets cannot exceed $350, and felonies, drinking and driving, and reckless driving violations are not covered.

If you think nearly $200 per year is too much to ensure yourself against the possibility of a ticket, we’re with you. But the business has already gained traction since it started in 2007, as Boyd has accrued 1,700 clients spanning 23 states. Seriously,… Read the rest of this entry

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It’s not often we get to report on an auto plant reopening, but this morning we bring you news that Ford is reopening its Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 to produce the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 for the Lincoln MKS and MKT, Ford Flex and 2010 Taurus SHO. The plant has been idle since 2007, but Ford has invested $55 million in the 58-year-old facility to create a flexible manufacturing system for powertrains. No new jobs will be created by reopening the plant, as Ford will staff it with 250 workers from other facilities on the site, but the job security that comes with being the first in the world to build the automaker’s most advanced engine is surely welcome. The plant’s new flexible manufacturing capabilities also mean that it might produce other members of the EcoBoost family in the future. The Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 has a storied… Read the rest of this entry

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The Pagani Zonda F Cinque seen here isn’t a hybrid as in “green,” it’s a hybrid of the Pagani F and the Pagani Cinque. The car, slated to star at the Geneva Auto Show, is a one-of-a-kind Pagani simply meant to hold a place in our hearts while we wait for the Pagani Cinque to arrive next year.

The car hasn’t been finished yet, but the Zonda F Cinque is essentially a Zonda F in Cinque colors. That means you’ll miss the roof intake and lower aero modifications of the Cinque, but you’ll get the carbon fiber and silver exterior treatment, and the spoked mags with red accents. That isn’t much different than a decal package, but this is a Pagani and there will only be one of them, which means we still look forward to bringing it to you next week from Geneva.

Gallery:Pagani Zonda Cinque

… Read the rest of this entry

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Production of Porsche’s Carrera GT may have ended a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean tuners have stopped playing around with them. Techart, 9ff, and edo competition have all come out with different versions of Porsche’s ultimate supercar, but Gemballa’s Mirage GT is perhaps the most well known due to its aggressive bodywork and variety of colors and finishes.

The tuner’s latest version is dubbed “Mirage GT Carbon Edition,” and though details are in short supply, we’re guessing that the package involves plenty of carbon fiber to go along with the two-tone Pearl White and Black paint. Gemballa does provide performance specs for the car, which includes an upgrade to 670 horsepower, 0-100 km/h (62 miles-per-hour) in just 3.7 seconds, 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in 9.7 seconds, and a top speed of 208 mph. We’re hoping the Carbon Edition will make an appearance at the Geneva Motor… Read the rest of this entry

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AMG head honcho Volker Mornhinweg has already gone on record declaring that the horsepower wars are over, but that moratorium apparently doesn’t extend to products already in the Mercedes-Benz pipeline.

Caught here wearing some modest camouflage is the next AMG E-class, dubbed “E63.” As its alphanumeric nomenclature suggests, the E63 is expected to continue using the company’s 6.3-liter V8 (okay, okay, so it’s really a 6.2-liter, but “E62″ just sounds so… pedestrian), the same basic engine that does duty in seemingly every other car in Benz’s range. Not that we are complaining.

The eight-cylinder powertrain is expected to generate somewhere around 525 horsepower and a similar helping of torque, but AutoWeek says that it doesn’t expect the car to use Mercedes’ brake-by-wire technology, although ceramic discs may make an appearance.

A launch date for the big Merc is not yet set, but judging by how fresh the new E-class… Read the rest of this entry

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- Unique interior-concept prototype developed from painstaking research -

TOKYO (February 27, 2009) – It is almost painful to watch Nissan designer Naoki Yamamoto get out of a test car. To understand the challenges aging drivers face, the 39-year-old interaction specialist is encased in a proprietary “aging suit” that gives him the mobility and faculties of a driver twice his age. “Sure, it’s uncomfortable,” Yamamoto says, “but to really understand a problem you have to feel it in your bones.”

At an “Interaction Design Workshop” today at the Nissan Design Center in Atsugi, Japan, Yamamoto demonstrated to reporters one of many methods Nissan’s Interaction Design team employs in a continuing effort to make future car interiors easier to understand and more comfortable to use.

Interaction design covers all aspects of the interface between people and cars. How do we understand which knob does what – and how it’s supposed… Read the rest of this entry

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The refreshed Volvo S80 – first class exclusiveness and driving properties

The refreshed Volvo S80 is the result of an intensive dialogue between Volvo Cars’ project group and the discerning customers in the premium sedan segment. “We are ready to give the competition a tough match. With the new S80, we’re placing the bar at the very highest level when it comes to exclusiveness, quality and driving properties,” says Volvo Cars President and CEO Stephen Odell.

The refreshed Volvo S80 is being unveiled for the very first time at the Geneva Motor Show in early March and sales will start in spring 2009.

Building on great success in key markets such as Russia, Volvo Cars’ large sedan model takes centre stage with far greater self-assurance than ever, the result of a more distinctive and elegant design, a more exclusive interior and a sharper chassis and upgraded engine range.

 … Read the rest of this entry