Today hot auto news

SEAT reveals limited edition Leon Supercopa

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The SEAT Leon Supercopa series that visits tracks in seven European countries is, according to SEAT, "the most powerful single-brand competition in Europe." In celebration of the series, Seat is making a special edition SEAT Leon Copa Edition that arguably looks even hotter than the race car.

The 2007 race car had a turbocharged inline 4 with 301 horsepower. The special edition version for the street gets the 2.0-liter TFSI, putting out 285 hp and 265 lb-ft. That means you get sixteen fewer chevaux than the race car, but fourteen more pounds of churn. With Eibach springs, bigger brakes, a SEAT Sport bodykit and 18" wheels, the package is good for a 5.9-second run to 62-MPH. If you want one, you'll need to scrounge up €38,500, and you'll need to hurry: SEAT is only making 55 of them. Oh, and you'll need to live in Europe, too.

Ralph Lauren's Bugatti Atlantic to headline Villa d'Este

Ralph Lauren's Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic will headline the classic cars assembling for the annual Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este. The ultra-rare coupe, even rarer than the Type 57 Atalante recently unearthed from a garage in England, is one of only three ever built, and will be coming back to Europe for the first time in 18 years. The special appearance of special Bugatti will help the marque celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, and the show its 80th.

While the famous fashion designer's classic Bugatti is sure to garner its fair share of attention among the classic motors on the shores of Lake Como later this month, Bertone, Zagato and Morgan are anticipated to arrive with brand new designs of their own, promising to make this year's Villa d'Este assembly an especially memorable event.

Gallery: Speed, Style and Beauty: The Ralph Lauren Car Collection

New York Preview: 510-hp Range Rover Sport emphasizes the "S" in SUV

Like the new LR4 and classic Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport also gets plenty of upgrades for the 2010 model year. Like the regular RR, the Sport gets the same 5.0L direct-inject V8s from Jaguar in either naturally aspirated or supercharged guise plus a new six-speed automatic transmission. The NA puts out 375 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque while the force fed mill creates 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, the latter good for 5.9-second sprints to 60 mph. The Sport's exterior has also been tweaked with a new two-bar grille centered in the revised front end and new rear tail-lamps nestled above a redesigned rear bumper. The interior has also been redone with higher quality materials and a new steering wheel that includes paddle shifters on the supercharged model. Throw in enough electronic nannies to make even the Queen look like a good driver and you've got an eminently more capable sports SUV than the one it replaces.

Gallery: 2010 Range Rover Sport

Continue reading New York Preview: 510-hp Range Rover Sport emphasizes the "S" in SUV

Mitsubishi L200 Savana snorkels into Brazil

Click image for a high-res gallery of the L200 Savana

This week, Mitsubishi's Brazilian operation announced the return of the L200 Savana (the model had been previously available). While it shares its name with the snazzy-looking L200/Triton sold in many other markets (including Brazil), the offroad-flavored Savana variant is based on the last-gen truck. While the ultra-1990s interior is indeed dated, the overall package is pretty bitchin'.

Power comes from an 2.5L SOHC turbodiesel making either 121hp/189 lb-ft or 141 hp/221 lb-ft. An "Easy Select" transfer case lets the driver choose between 4x2, 4x4H and 4x4L modes, and shifts come courtesy of a 5-speed manual. Other standard features include a strengthened chassis, snorkel, roof basket (220 lb capacity), and in-bed storage boxes. The Savana's look is all-business, with charcoal wheel flares, bumpers, taillamp housings and grille trim. Knobby rubber adorns the 16-inch black-painted steelies and the headlight surrounds and hood scoop are finished in the primary body color. The spec sheet also tells us the L200 Savana has 9 inches of ground clearance, a 35-degree approach angle, and 26-degree departure angle.

All of this does not come cheap, mind you. Pricing starts at 86,990 Brazilian reais, or $50,255 USD if you were to do a direct currency conversion (for what it's worth). The price is the only thing we don't really like. The rest makes us wish we had a set of keys and a jungle nearby.

Gallery: Mitsubishi L200 Savana (Brazil)

New York: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee - First Live Shots!

One of the most significant debuts at the 2009 New York Auto Show is undoubtedly the next-generation 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We've just had the chance to see Jeep's new SUV in person ahead of its official unveiling later today, and we're even more impressed with the design in person than in pictures. The clean styling is a departure for the brand, which has lately adhered a bit too closely to its traditional utilitarian box design language. The Wrangler look doesn't work on every vehicle, and thankfully Jeep has softened the Grand Cherokee just enough to look sophisticated, but not so much that it appears incapable of traversing trails. We'll bring you more on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee from its formal debut later in the day, but for now you can peruse our new live shots and the official images from Jeep in the galleries below.

Gallery: New York: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Gallery: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid, Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

eBay Find of the Day: Jaguar XJ220 in LeMans Blue

Click above for gallery of 1994 Jaguar XJ220 on eBay Motors

It's hard to imagine Jaguar ever producing a supercar considering its current sad state of sales, but it did just that back in the early '90s when our walls were plastered with posters of the Ferrari F40, Lamborghini Diablo and this, the Jaguar XJ220. In our humble estimation, the XJ220 is one of the most gorgeous supercars ever designed, and rather than relying on eight or twelve cylinders like its Italian competition, the XJ220 reached 200+ mph using a twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 producing 550 horsepower and 473 pound-feet of torque. Unfortunately, no one ever got one up to 220 mph to validate the car's nomenclature. The XJ220 went on the market in 1992 with a base price of $650,000 and only 281 were ever made. One of those examples from 1994 is up for auction on eBay Motors with a starting bid of $300,000. Bathed in a rich-looking LeMans blue paint job, this example has only 3,092 miles on its odometer, though it appears to have a few items that need attention. One of the wheel center caps is missing, the passenger side headlight cover is off, and is that an aftermarket stereo in there? The rest of the car looks as fresh as the day it was built. We doubt Jaguar will be returning to the supercar ring with a contender anytime soon, but this eBay Motors auction reminds us of a time when Jaguar stood toe-to-toe with the giants. Thanks for the tip, Kevin!

Gallery: Jaguar XJ220 on eBay Motors

Comic-Con 2009: Tron Legacy gives the classic Light Cycle a high-tech update

At last year's Comic-Con , one of the biggest throwbacks to '80s geekery was the surprise announcement of an update to the classic film (in our minds, at least), Tron. Attendees got a sneak peek of the new film's Light Cycle sequence, with a pair of the bikes dueling, leaving those signature, impossible-to-negotiate light trails in their wake. Mercifully, it the TR2N moniker used at the end of the clip in 2008 has given way to the much more palatable Tron Legacy. Further, while the teaser leaked onto the web briefly during last year's con, Disney's legal army shut it all down pretty quickly.

Now, a year later, that footage has been officially released for all to see at this year's convention. It seems that the Light Cycles have evolved in the intervening decades and are now much faster and more realistic in appearance. Follow the jump to see it all unfold in the the official Comic-Con 2009 teaser trailer for Tron Legacy, and do your best to hold back your inner fanboy. Oh, and one last thing - yes, that's Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Flynn, though with a decidedly darker tone than before.

Continue reading Comic-Con 2009: Tron Legacy gives the classic Light Cycle a high-tech update

Nevermind Ford, it's the International LoneStar Harley-Davidson Special Edition

What? You thought Ford was the only company allowed to exploit the brand power of Harley-Davidson motorcycles? Guess again. The Harley image is up for sale and semi truck maker International is the latest company to buy in. Introducing the official LoneStar Harley-Daviidson Special Edition, a unique semi truck capable of hauling huge loads cross country and doing security at a Rolling Stones concert.

The LoneStar HD trumps its smaller kin, the Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson, in other ways than pure tonnage and maximum towing capacity. The semi includes unique HD additions like the same headlights used on the bikes, more Harley logos than a Sturgis tattoo parlor, custom 24.5-inch wheels with unique lug nuts, 7-inch round exhaust stacks and a complete set of truly gorgeous hooded aluminum gauges. The heavy hauler also features a unique grille and black paint job with silver and orange accenting.

While we're sure professional truckers experience the open road in a very different way than people who like the heavy bikes, the LoneStar HD Special Edition at least allows the truck driver to feel like one of the gang while he's working. Be sure to check out an official video and press release after the jump before clicking on the gallery below.

Gallery: International LoneStar Harley-Davidson Special Edition

Continue reading Nevermind Ford, it's the International LoneStar Harley-Davidson Special Edition

Audi Sport to unveil new A4 DTM racer in Geneva

Audi A4 DTM from last season

Audi Sport will be keen to defend its title against Mercedes newcomer Ralf Schumacher in the DTM touring car championship this season, and on March 4th at the Geneva Motor Show, it'll give us a chance to see the car with which they aim to repeat last year's success. At that time, Audi's two-time champion Mattias Ekstrom will unveil the new A4 DTM, codenamed R14, along with Audi Motorsport chief Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich..

Ingolstadt's touring car engineers have been hard at work on the new A4 DTM for a year now, and following its unveiling to the press, the car will be rushed back to Germany to prepare for the DTM test at the Mugello track in Italy. We'll be on hand to get all the details and angles, so stay tuned, racing fans.

Continue reading Audi Sport to unveil new A4 DTM racer in Geneva

Coming to America: Volkswagen GTI R-Series

As good as the Volkswagen GTI is, an infusion of extra power couldn't possibly hurt. VW's GTI R32 was a highly refined car, but buyers quickly realized that the 3.2L VR6's 250 horsepower was barely enough to compensate for the engine's added weight over the standard GTI's 2.0L turbo four and the R32's heavy all-wheel drive system. What's more, the R32 was short-lived; it's no longer available for the 2009 model year. Enter the GTI R-Series.

According to Car and Driver, VW will bring the R-Series to the United States, possibly to be named R20, featuring the powerplant from the Audi S3. Expect around 270 horsepower from a high-pressure 2.0L turbo engine - a 70-horsepower improvement over the standard GTI. That power will be funneled through either a standard 6-speed stick or dual clutch DSG transmission to the front wheels. Like some other high-power front-wheel drive cars, an electronic differential will try and cope with the inevitable torque steer.

As much as we'd love to see the big 3.6L V6 engine from the Passat stuffed under the GTI's hood, a small turbo four will likely make for a better handling package along with reasonably good fuel economy - definitely something to look forward to later this year as a 2010 model. Thanks for the tip, other man!

Gallery: 2009 Volkswagen GTI LIVE