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Bobby Allison's Dodge Charger Daytona

Terence Keon — 2010-02-9T16:38

Last year towards the end of the NASCAR season we had the opportunity to talk with three time Daytona 500 winner and South Florida native Bobby Allison about his life in the stock car circuit. One of his more memorable machines was a red and gold Coca-cola sponsored 1970 Dodge Charger Daytona, that oddly enough never even turned a wheel in competition, recently went up for auction at the 2010 Mecum Auto Auctions in Kissimmee, FL.

What makes this car so special, aside from the over sized wing towering over the rear end that was designed to provide down force and stability at over 200 MPH on the high banks of super speedways like Talladega and the track the car was named after, Daytona. For the 1970 season, the man in charge of NASCAR, Bill France, handicapped the big winged race cars by limiting their displacement forcing racers to choose between sheer power and aerodynamic optimization. Never being one to back down from a challenge, Allison and car builder Mario Rossi decided to try their luck with a destroked version of the 426 Hemi that only displaced 305 cubic inches.

Any enthusiast knows that there is no replacement for displacement, but any engine builder will tell you that for every 0.1 Liters you lose, the motor gains about 2,000 RPM. While the new combination looked promising for the 1970 NASCAR season, Mr. France flexed his muscle once again and banned the car from competition, so the world was never able to see what a big winged high revving Hemi could have done on track. Unfortunately the one of a kind test mule didn’t sell at auction despite registering a high bid of $210,000.

Press release after the jump.

Bobby Allison's Dodge Charger Daytona originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 16:38 EST.

Toyota's recalled cars ballons to 10 million; adds Prius and Lexus HS 250h to the list

kirbygarlitos — 2010-02-9T16:00

With Toyota embroiled in the biggest crisis in company history, you’d figure that there’s no way to go but up for the embattled auto giant. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more apparent that Toyota’s problems are far from over.

After already recalling an estimated 8 million vehicles over sticky accelerator, a new problem has arisen from a number of Toyota units, forcing the Japanese-based automaker to recall about 437,000 more units of the Toyota Prius, the Lexus HS 250h, and the Toyota Sai.

What makes is worse for Toyota is that the recall of these units is completely different from the over 9 million vehicles that Toyota has previously recalled. While those cars suffered from sticky accelerators pedals, this latest batch consisting mostly of Prius and Lexus HS 250h models involve “inconsistent braking during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the ABS is activated in an effort to maintain traction.”

It may sound a little too complicated at first but the bottom line is that these cars have a very serious braking problem, which could end up leading to fatal accidents down the road. While accidents stemming from this problem have been minimal, Toyota isn’t taking any more chances in making irreparable damage to its already hard-hit reputation.

Toyota's recalled cars ballons to 10 million; adds Prius and Lexus HS 250h to the list originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 16:00 EST.

Kawazuki by Icon

Maxx Biker — 2010-02-9T15:34

Apart from providing motorcycle gear for speed junkies, Icon also likes to get their hands dirty from time to time while customizing, obviously, Japanese motorcycles. One of their latest creations is actually called the Kawazuki, originally a 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000 with an ordinary destiny, but which ended up with a modified frame (mounts for rearsets included), a Suzuki SV1000 monoshock and front end as well as with a ’92 GSX-R750 swingarm and rear wheel.

The original engine was fitted with a 1075cc Wiseco big bore kit so that this classic would keep up with modern bikes, but it is a pleasure just to look at it.

Kawazuki by Icon originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 15:34 EST.

Gran Turismo 5 to come with Data Logger Visualization feature

kirbygarlitos — 2010-02-9T15:30

Posted on 02.9.2010 15:30 by kirbygarlitos
Filed under: | video | car games | Cars | Car News

We’ve gotten so tired of the continuous delays with regards to the release of Gran Turismo 5 that any other news regarding the highly-anticipated racing game is becoming a welcome relief for all of us. It should become clear to us that with all these delays, when the time comes that we finally get to play GT5, it better blow our socks off. Anything less would be a major disappointment.

That being said, we’re comforted in knowing that Sony is still hard at work in incorporating some pretty nifty features, one of which is the Data Logger Visualization. If you’ve never heard of DLV, it allows gamers to personally head out to a track, shoot an in-car video of their exploits, and then upload it to the PS3 where they can compare their real-world run to a virtual run in Gran Turismo 5.

If you’re having a hard time visualizing the whole process, this video featuring the developers from Polyphony Digital should give you a clearer understanding of what the DLV feature is all about. It’s a pretty cool feature to play around with and it shows just how remarkably realistic Gran Turismo 5 really is.

Gran Turismo 5 to come with Data Logger Visualization feature originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 15:30 EST.

Scion tC Release Series 6.0

Simona Alina, Terence Keon — 2010-02-9T15:00

The fun loving youth oriented Japanese automaker Scion likes to release limited edition versions of their compact vehicles, like the Scion tC Release Series 6.0 that will be unveiled at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. The special edition Scion tC features a vivid Speedway Blue paint scheme complete with a unique matte black vinyl graphic running the length of the car that features the RS 6.0 logo pasted to the rear quarter panel with the same blue motif continuing on the compact’s interior, dressing up the seat inserts and color matched accent stitching on the leather wrapped steering wheel.

Standard equipment for all 1100 Release Series 6.0 tC’s includes a 4.3 inch touch screen Navigation display, iPod/USB connectivity, 200 Watt sound system with HD Radio and individualized identification plaques mounted at the top of the center stack to let owners know that they are behind the wheel of something special. Prices for the tC Release Series 6.0 will start at $18,620 for a manual version and climb all the way up to $19,420 for an automatic equipped limited edition Speedway Blue Scion tC.

Press release after the jump.

Scion tC Release Series 6.0 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 15:00 EST.

Pack the House

Simona Alina — 2010-02-9T14:44

Posted on 02.9.2010 14:44 by Simona Alina
Filed under: | parking games | Car Games | Car Games

Pack the House originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 14:44 EST.

Renault Clio RS 20th

Simona Alina — 2010-02-9T14:00

Renault has revealed today two special editions: Clio RS 20th and Clio 20th in order to celebrate Clio’s 20th anniversary. Both models are distinguished by ’20th’ badging on the B pillars, and a gloss black finish for the front bumper moulding, exterior mirrors, and the Clio RS gets a special white and black two-tone colour scheme. In France prices will start at €14,350 for Clio ’20th’ and at €24,700 for the Clio RS..

On the interior it gets anthracite gray air vents, ’20th’ badging on the front door sills, manual or automatic climate control, cruise control with speed limiter and an 80W Radiosat-CD with MP3 playback, plus Bluetooth® and Plug & Music connectivity.

Press release after the jump.

Renault Clio RS 20th originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 14:00 EST.

DUster Streetfighter by Yuri Shif Customs puts Belarus on the custom motorcycle map

Maxx Biker — 2010-02-9T13:32

Belarus isn’t precisely the destination of Hollywood stars passionate about riding, but it may very well be that soon as in a small shop, Yuri Shif Custom has created the DUster Streetfighter, a multiple award winning custom motorcycle.

Starting from a Ducati Monster engine and transmission, the Belarusian builder then fabricated the frame, bodywork and swingarm rear suspension and added a modified Showa fork only to obtain the bike’s unique stance. But as they say, it’s all in the details, so the all white finish with gold and Italian themes is, as strange as it might seem, this bike’s piece de resistance. To us, the clean profile of those big white wheels with custom perimeter brakes is just crazy.

The DUster holds the Best Streetfighter trophy from the latest Custombike show in Germany as well as the Best International Builder award, which it received at the Verona expo in Italy a couple of months back.

DUster Streetfighter by Yuri Shif Customs puts Belarus on the custom motorcycle map originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 13:32 EST.

Smart Fortwo Edition Greystyle

Simona Alina, Terence Keon — 2010-02-9T13:30

The premium compact car builder Smart has added a new special edition version of the ForTwo called the Edition Greystyle. Specially designed for the spring to allow owners to enjoy the sun on their skin and the smell of fresh flowers after the long cold winter, it will be available in both coupe and cabrio variants and features an exclusive matte dark gray finish with bright yellow mirror caps to break up the monochromatic paint scheme that continues onto the six spoke alloys. The accent theme continues on the inside with trim pieces finished in gleaming yellow and matte chrome to highlight the leather wrapped surfaces like the seats and steering wheel, while the first are covered in top quality Nappa leather, just like on upscale Mercedes Benz models.

As far as power is concerned, the Smart Fortwo Edition Greystyle can be ordered with either a small displacement three cylinder with micro hybrid drive technology producing a total of 71 HP or a slightly more powerful 84 HP version. Adding a bit of speed and style to the traditional Smart car offering, the ForTwo Edition Greystyle will go on sale in the European market starting at €16,135.

Press release after the jump.

Smart Fortwo Edition Greystyle originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 13:30 EST.

Velozzi Supercar

Simona Alina, Terence Keon — 2010-02-9T13:00

With the world going green and the automotive marketplace folloing suit, the Los Angeles based car builder Velozzi has big plans for the future when they announced their intentions to market their first electric super car as well as an all electric crossover catering to upscale environmentally conscious clientele. "The first electric super car with a 65-kilowatt microturbine will be available in late 2010. The SOLO crossover, featuring a 30-kilowatt Capstone microturbine, will be available in 2011,...The selling price for both vehicles is to be determined," according to the automaker’s CEO, Roberto Velozzi.

Just because the Velozzi Supercar will be green, don’t count out its performance potential, powered by a AC induction electric motor that is charged by an on board Capstone C65 microturbine, the gas/electric super car power train combination is good for a total of 700 HP which will allow it to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in just three seconds and reach a top speed of over 200 MPH, guaranteeing its place among super car competitors.

Stay tuned for more details!

Velozzi Supercar originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 9 February 2010 13:00 EST.