Fate is a funny thing. It was our destiny to get a ride with Valentino Balboni in a Lamborghini LP550-2 Valentino Balboni during rush hour traffic in Los Angeles. Lucky? Absolutely, though we may have crested 50 mph once... maybe. Would we have preferred to have been in the passenger seat of this here limeade green Valentino Balboni as Lamborghini's legendary test driver literally hoons the rear tires off the car? Dear God, yes!!

The following video is actually a pretty good demonstration of the difference between RWD and AWD vehicles. You'll see the Mr. Balboni flinging the LP550-2 around a corner, the rear sliding out a touch before he applies just a dab of oppo' to get the V10-powered, rear-wheel drive mini-monster back in line. This is followed by an AWD LP560-4 which simply can't break traction and sort of gracelessly shunts and shutters its way around the corner. Faster, no doubt -- but not nearly as fun to watch. And then there are sparks and smoke and trust us you'll love this. Watch the video, after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]

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All we really want to do at this moment in time is make a never-ending series of N'Sync jokes. But we don't know any. So instead, let's talk about how Audi has just picked Justin Timberlake to be their new spokesman. What's JT doing specifically? Seems as if the four interlocking rings folks are gearing up to do some sort of "extraordinary Internet campaign" for the A1 and "That's where Timberlake will play a leading role."

Just yesterday, we published a report that the new Audi A1 will possibly not be coming to the U.S. Obviously, a star of Timberlake's caliber will be able to effectively move metal outside of our shores. But we have to wonder if Audi's naming Timberlake its brand ambassador doesn't kick a little sand into the eye of the A1-is-not-for-here theory. After the all, the guy started his music career on Star Search and later as a Mouseketeer. It seems fairly apparent that Audi would make a move like this if us American types are in fact getting their small premium city car. Then again, we're not really up on our star watching and our Significant Others tell us that JT is an international phenom. In any case, at this moment in time, we just don't know what to think. Press release after the jump.



[Source: Audi]

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We're looking at a long, nearly straight, almost totally traffic-free downhill. We'd climbed up to the base of the Palm Springs to Idyllwild Ariel Tramway. Our goal was to see how fast Mitsubishi's tiny i could go. We're on the gas, and the teensy, turbocharged 660cc three-banger is giving us all its got. The speedometer ticks upwards, now cresting 100. In front of us is nothing but inviting tarmac. Deeper and harder we push and the numbers keep ticking up. 119, 120, 121 and then finally hitting 122. We felt we left a little on the table and could have probably achieved a terminal velocity of around 130. Maybe. 125 for sure.

Before you crime and punishment types climb upon your soapboxes, we should mention that the right-hand drive, JDM-only i reads out in kilometers per hour. Meaning that our top speed was almost 76 mph. And we stand by our assertion that we totally could have hit 80 mph.



Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright ©2009 Weblogs, Inc.

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This guy. So, some of you no doubt remember the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge. If you don't, here's a refresher: General Motors vice-chairman Maximum Bob Lutz challenged any journalist to bring a CTS-V competitor to California's Laguna Seca where the 77-year-old Lutz would mop the floor with he/she and whatever fancy-pants, Euro sedan they done brung. Of course, the event got moved to New York's Monticello Motor Club, and to guarantee that the Cadillac didn't lose, GM brought in a backup pilot, John Hienricy, the company's noted hot shoe engineer and race car driver. And then every other manufacturer (Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar) decided not to play into GM's marketing ploy, and withdrew their cars' support.

To be frank, we here at Autoblog toyed with the idea of throwing our hoon-hat in the ring, but after Heinricy became Cadillac's ace in the hole, we figured the whole challenge was unwinnable (we've driven with Mr. Heinricy – he's that good). While it would no doubt have been fun, totally playing into General Motor's hands like that (by also losing), well, not so much. Luckily, privateer Michael Cooper and his BMW M3 wasn't in on our conference call.

Mr. Cooper showed up to the Caddy Challenge and laid down a 2:50.424, beating not only Bob Lutz's 2:56.321 in the way more powerful CTS-V, but our pals Lawrence Ulrich (2:53:026) and Jack Baruth (2:51:153), both of whom were driving the big supercharged Caddy. Not surprisingly, Heinricy blew the doors off of every single person, ripping off a 2:46.560. Probably while flossing. But let's not overlook young Michael Cooper, who with 142 less horsepower and a boatload less torque to work with came in less than four seconds behind John (ringer *cough* ringer) Hienricy.

BMW was so taken by Mr. Cooper's feat of good driving that they reportedly invited him down to their North American headquarters in New Jersey and gave him a BMW Performance Multifunction Steering Wheel. How else to thank the guy that tossed such an effective monkey wrench into GM's marketing plans? BMW installed the wheel in Cooper's M3 while he was given a ride in a special BMW Performance enhanced 335i Sedan. So, one more time, a hearty Autoblog congratulations to Michael Cooper and his Cadillac CTS-V challenging BMW M3. The one with the fancy new steering wheel.



[Source: BMW Blog]

Front-wheel drive is a funny thing. When originally introduced during the Thirties in the Cord 810 (then later in the awesome supercharged 812) and the Citroën Traction Avant, FWD was hailed as a major breakthrough, a wondrous technological innovation that allowed for lower ride height and greatly increased passenger space. Postwar consumers got a taste of the wonders of FWD with the iconic Citroën DS. At the top of its game in the Sixties, General Motors reintroduced FWD to American consumers with two remarkable luxury coupes: the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. Come the Seventies, Citroën produced what is arguably the greatest GT coupe of that decade, the impeccable (and FWD) SM.

Roll the clock forward to the Eighties and suddenly everything was being tugged around by its front wheels. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all jumped head first onto the FWD bandwagon and, for the most part, they haven't looked back. Granted, Cadillac has rethought which wheels get driven, but with the exception of a dinosaur livery-mobile, there isn't a single rear-wheel-drive Lincoln to be found. Even Volkswagen got in on the transversely-mounted engine madness. This left only the Germans – namely Mercedes-Benz and BMW – to seriously carry the rear-wheel drive passenger car torch for nearly a decade. Sure, Lexus and Infiniti brought out some heavy hitting RWD sedans along with a raft of FWD offerings (M30 I30, G20 anyone?), but Acura never bothered.

The average gearhead hates FWD for all the right reasons (weight distribution, steering feel, the front tires being asked to both propel and turn, etc.), and during a recent discussion we had with a half-in-the-bag PR guy, [NAME REDACTED] exclaimed, "Front-wheel drive sucks!" So, how can a technology go from the penthouse to the doghouse like that? One answer (of many) comes from the Minnesotan economist/social philosopher Thorstein Veblen and his book The Theory of the Leisure Class. Here's a quick, ten-cent Cliff Note version: When electric lighting first appeared, only the rich could afford electric lights. As such, electrically lit dinners were considered romantic and desirable. However, once electrification trickled down to the unwashed masses, only the rich could afford both bulbs and candles. Hence, candlelit dinners became en vogue. Which – believe it or not – leads us very nicely to the 2010 Nissan Maxima SV Sport and its $38,384 asking price.



Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright ©2009 Weblogs, Inc.

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Normally we can think of some cute little anecdote to kick these here posts off with, but today... can't do it. BMW is raising their prices by 0.4 percent across the board on vehicles sold in North America. This price increase takes effect on January 1, 2010. Why? BMW isn't saying. And while less than a percent may not sound like much, if you're buying a stripper 760Li ($136,600), that's like $600!

There is a tiny sliver of good news. The three vehicles that just got introduced to this continent in December -- the ActiveHybrid X6, ActiveHybrid 7 and the 550i Gran Turismo -- are unaffected by this price increase. Of course as all three of those vehicles haven't proved themselves in the marketplace yet, so that sliver is even tinier upon second glance.

But it's not just the base prices that are going up. Destination & Handling fees are on the rise as well. Every new BMW is coming with an additional $50 tacked onto the 2009 $825 price, for a total of $875. And yes, this fifty dollar increase applies to the two new hybrids and the Gran Turismo as well. Happy New Year!


[Source: BMW]

Here's a little bit more on the salvation/debacle of Saab. First of all, it should be pointed out that after our last report about Holland's Spyker trying to buy Saab, the freaks lovely people over at Saabs United pointed out some gaping holes in our reporting an inconsistency or two with the Reuters/our version of the facts. As such, we've gone ahead and vetted the information we're using for this post with the brain trust over at Saabs United. Hey, they really like Saabs, what can we say? And now, on to the story.

Automotive News is reporting that China's Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company (BAIC) has reached a deal with General Motors to acquire the tooling for both the Saab 9-3 and 9-5. Not so fast, says Saab's United! What they actually acquired is the tooling for the old 9-5, as well as the stuff for the pre-2006 9-3. Sort of a big difference, as obviously Saab's just getting geared up to roll out the all new 9-5 – and whomever winds up buying Saab will most likely want to offer both it and the existing 9-3 and its derivatives. Spyker's CEO Victor Muller confirms the BAIC deal is for "old equipment" and goes on to characterize the BAIC deal as, "Good news."

Then there's a bunch of no commenting. Obviously, General Motors has no comment on anything, though they do say that once a deal is reached they will say something. As far as we can tell, the pending Spyker deal is still a definite maybe. BAIC could not be reached to make a "no comment," and Saab's Eric Geer's stated, "We can't comment on anything about the sales process." Though our Saabs United source does provide us with a juicy tidbit, "[Geer's] wife is Saab's head legal counsel so he's like the canary in the coal mine. If he ever resigns suddenly..."

So there you have it – Saab's future is still totally up in the air. Though our source says that in addition to the 9-5 sedan, there's a 9-5 wagon (SportCombi) that's "pretty much ready to go" as well as the 9-4x which has, "been ready for about a year but Caddy had to get the SRX out first." Plus, a new 9-3 is being worked on. And one more thing – Saabs United is reporting that a Swedish group (not Renco) is also in talks with GM, in addition to the Spyker deal. We'll keep you posted.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Saab 9-5

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[Source: Automotive News – subs req. | Saabs United]

Right, so this isn't really a Rolls-Royce. We know, we know -- you thought it was. And that's understandable. But no, it's a fake, a phony, a fraud, etc. And with the owner spending at least, say, $3,000 to turn an old Mercedes-Benz E-Class into a Roller, we understand why you were duped. We aren't surprised, however, that this car exists in a former Soviet Bloc country (supposedly Kazakhstan).

All joking/sardonic comments aside, we always wonder why people bother with stunts like this. The other day we saw a BMW E39 525i with a M5 badge. Now, the only people that will be impressed by an M5 badge are the exact same people who will notice that the E39 is missing the requisite four tail pipes. So, who exactly are they fooling, besides themselves? This Phantom conversion's one redeeming quality is that the finished product (somehow) looks pretty good. Make the jump to watch the video. A tip of the Kalpak to Pasi for the tip!

[Source: YouTube]

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Just when you thought Qashqai was about a weird a name as a car could get comes some spy shots of the Nissan Qazana. Mmmm... yeah, you're right. Qashqai is still weirder. However, the Qazana, which we first saw in Geneva, is weirder looking than the Qashqai. Or practically anything else, for that matter. But it's not bad-weird, just weird-weird. That said, sticking with the maxim that all SUVs (and cars that look like SUVs) want to either be WW2 Jeeps or lunar rovers, the Qazana isn't that odd. We quite like it.

The lads at AutoExpress just caught some spy shots of a Qazana prototype, complete with black trash-bag crypsis. Despite the budget camo, it does look like some of the show car's more novel elements are making it into production -- specifically, its large headlights. It even seems as though the highly-stylized grille will see the light of day.

AutoExpress claims that it doesn't stop there: The motorcycle-inspired (and highly whacked-out) interior will also allegedly make the final cut. In terms of where it fits in the lineup, the Qazana will slot below the larger Qashqai. Like the Qashqai, look for the Qazana to be built at Nissan's Sunderland, UK plant. Here's hoping Nissan chooses the bold path and brings out a Qazana that truly resembles the concept. Odds of it making to the US? We'd normally say "zilch," but we did just get the Cube, so who knows?




[Source: AutoExpress]

For the past fourteen years, Florida's Amelia Island has been putting on a little Concours d'Elegance. And we mean little as in quantity (about 250 cars), not quality. Take last year's winner, for example: a 1931 Voisin C20 Demi-Berline, which, along with the Daimler Double Six 50 and Bentley 8 holds the title for most intimidating-yet-beautiful pre-war car. And to celebrate the Concours' 15th year, Amelia Island's got something nifty up its sleeve.

You are looking at... Well, you see, we don't know what it is you're looking at. However, we do know it's a roadster from the 1940s that was "conceived and built by a widely-respected and distinguished automotive engineer." And really, that's all we have. Any guesses? Obviously, you're looking at the before pics. The powers that be claim that they'll send us the after shots, which follow a multi-zillion-dollar ground-up from the chassis plate restoration, in a couple of days. As to what it actually is, commence guessing. The press release follows after the jump.

[Source: Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance]

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