It is only fitting that during the German automaker Audi’s centennial anniversary that a car wearing four rings on its grill got the Champaign and confetti treatment atop the podium Sunday afternoon on the 18th hole at the Pebble Beach Golf Links on California’s Monterey Peninsula. That is because one of those four rings represents the automaker from the turn of the century, August Horch.
This year it was the 1937 Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet of Neveda resident Robert M. Lee of Sparks that was chosen over all other entrants competing for the honor of being named “Best of Show” at the 59th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It is clear to see why in field of award winning show cars, this Horsch was chosen with its dramatic styling from an era when cars had hood ornaments and wire wheels. The wide front fenders continue back into the body complimented but the polished trim that swoops back along the body continuing the theme of the large shiny grille, over the louvers in the hood across the suicide door and then makes a dramatic turn upwards accentuating the bold rear fenders.
The two time Concours winner Robert Lee, the pre war Horch’s owner, had this to say: “The Horch has wonderful lines, a great proven chassis and all the beauty that make it the whole package… Pebble Beach is the greatest car show in the world and winning here is indescribable. It’s been a wonderful day for us here and I have the best team to thank for making it happen.” The win was confirmed by Concours Chairman Sandra Button who said: “This Horch is an incredibly beautiful open car with stunning styling…It’s very Teutonic, but also almost French. It’s fantastic. Bob certainly knows how to prepare cars for competition.”
Continued with press release after the jump.
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We reported at the end of July that Bugatti will bring a special edition Veyron Grand Sport at the Pebble Beach weekend. And here it is: the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Sang Bleu, an exclusive supercar limited to only 20 units.
The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Sang Bleu combines carbon fiber and polished aluminum - an innovative combination never realized before. The visual carbon fiber is tinted in royal blue to emphasize the refined volumes and surfaces of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. The rear airscoops are tinted in the same nightblue – offering a dramatic view from above – and thus fluidly integrate into the overall design philosophy of this unique model.
The rims are inspired by the Grand Sport Roadster and are highlighted in a Midnight Blue and Diamond Cut two tone finish. The interior is trimmed in a newly developed Gaucho leather.
Press release after the jump.
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In standard trim the Audi A3 Convertible is a very attractive looking open air compact, but the German tuning firm Hofele Design figured that they would put their creative skills to the test and do it one better. Hofele has developed an all new appearance package for the A3 that gives the little car a racing inspired GTS look up front with a redesigned front bumper that incorporates two large air intakes on either side that can be left alone or filled in with the optional fog light kit. Another upgrade that owners can consider at the time of installation is to replace the factory grill with a piece from an S3, if not the original unit can be utilized.
Out back the Audi A3 convertible receives Hofele’s new rear apron that is attached directly to the stock bumper and includes a very sporty looking rear diffuser. Hofele allows A3 owners to add a little performance and style at the same time with their quad sport exhaust system that fits perfectly inside of the new rear fascia. However just like up front Hofele allows owners to reuse the stock components, in this case the exhaust with another diffuser that offers the same sport style with one less cutout for a very clean look.
After announcing the details about the 2010 Porsche Turbo Coupe and Cabriolet, the German automaker also announced the U.S. pricing for the next generation sports car: $132,800 for the coupe version and $143,800 for the convertible one.
The new 911 Turbo is powered by a 3.8 Liter engine that now delivers 500 HP. Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), a new expansion intake manifold first seen on the GT2 and Porsche’s exclusive turbocharger system with variable turbine geometry (VTG) lead the innovations.
The Sport Chrono Package Turbo allows the 2010 911 Turbo to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds when combined with the new, highly acclaimed PDK seven-speed transmission. Also included in the Sport Chrono Package Turbo is Porsche’s innovative dynamic engine mounts. Top track speed is 194 mph for both the Coupe and the Cabriolet models.
Arden will come at the Oldtimer Grand Prix from 7 to9th August with a customized version of the new Jaguar XKR 5.0L. The car’s design is inspired by the Arden AJ20 Coupe and comes with 9x21’’ sportline alloy wheels, a redesigned chassis, which was developed in collaboration with Bilstein and improves the driving dynamics and agility of the wild cat.
The performance and handling at low speeds are improved thanks to a new performance stainless steel exhaust system rounded-off with the well known AJ20 Wild Cat Heck plus diffuser.
If the 510 hp are not enough for you, Arden adds an extra 30bhp and 50Nm, and also thanks to the new V-Max suspension and a speedometer, top speed is increased to 198 mph.
The tuners from IND Distribution are developing a new customization program for the BMW M3 Convertible, proving for once and for all that Americans are capable of tuning high performance German automobiles. IND not only wanted to modify the car, but focused on making their clients feel unique.
In order to accomplish this, the shop added a Vorsteiner Polyurethane front lip and removed the old OEM reflectors that came standard with the vehicle for a mcuh cleaner look while at the rear IND added a new Challenge rear diffuser and a set of beautiful BBS LM wheels sized 20×9.5 inches in the front and 20×10 inches in the rear.
Complete with chrome trim and a high performance Eisenmann Sport exhaust system, Rogue short shifter with a BMW Performance shift boot around it and a knob on top. IND Distribution’s new E93 is just the perfect modified ride for anyone who can appreciate a wished for a clean and subtle BMW M3.
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It only makes sense that because the all new Chevrolet Camaro was designed primarily in the rear wheel drive loving country of Australia, that it is only fit for the first production looking example of a drop top Camaro be spotted in the outback.
General Motors will offer the convertible pony car in the same three trims as the fixed roof coupe version: LS, LT and SS. The LS and LT models will be offered with Chevrolet’s advanced, 300 HP 3.6 Liter direct-injected V-6 engine with variable valve timing that gets as much as 29 MPG on the highway that can be combined with the owner’s choice of a six speed manual or automatic transmission, while the top of the line SS model will come with a 6.2 Liter LS3 V8 that comes equipped with fuel saving technologies like Active Fuel Management for automatic equipped combinations and a stretched six speed manual transmission.
No matter which power train combination that you choose, an open air Camaro experience is sure to be an unforgettable affair. General Motors has announced that despite the previous setbacks with suppliers, the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible will be ready for the 2011 model year.
Despite being a huge sales success, General Motors is having a bit of trouble developing a drop top and have hit a few unseen snags with the the new convertible Camaro. So when times get tough, turn to the professionals, in this case we’re talking about the guys from California’s Newport Convertible Engineering, who have already developed a working model of the soft-top version of the new muscle car.
From the looks of things, the convertible engineers added quite a bit of reinforcement to the A pillar, perhaps even a stronger windshield frame to deal with the added weight and loss of structural rigidity from cutting the top off.
Even if it is still under development, NCE is already taking orders for the drop top 21st century muscle car. So if you like having fun in the sun with the wind in your face behind the wheel of a V8 pony car then this could be just what you are looking for.
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As you might have expected, Abarth, the tuning arm of FIAT has announced plans to build a factory tuned version of the freshly launched Fiat 500C. Even if the 500 city car will be less expensive, it will compete head to head with compact sports cars like the John Cooper Works Mini.
The Abarth 500C will be with a choice of two engines. The first is a 1.4 Liter Turbo-Jet making 133 HP, 15 HP more than the Mini, as well as an Esseesse model cranking out with 157 HP. Either way it is more than enough grunt to give the 500C some much needed get up and go.
Like for the coupe version, Abarth version will wear a bodykit that consists of redesigned front and rear bumper, restyled hood, lower hanging side skirts, a roof spoiler and rear diffuser. The side mirrors are dressed up with red painted covers and a pair of polished exhaust pipes sticks out from underneath the new diffuser. The factory tuned Abarth 500C will also be offered with a set of larger 16 inch rims or the optional 17 in alloys. The way that the small car market is looking, it may not be too long before we can buy one of these striped little hot hatches from Abarth.
$300,000 is a lot of money to splurge on one item. Then again, if that ‘one item’ in particular is an Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, then it might be the best $300 grand purchase you’ll ever make.
Don’t get us wrong. We are by no means advocating anyone to spend their entire life savings on one vehicle. We’re just saying that if you had that kind of money to waste, then an 8C Spider wouldn’t necessarily be a bad tab to put on your credit card.
The 8C Spider – the convertible version of the 8C Competizione – is as expensive as it is rare with only 500 vehicles set to be produced, including only 35 set to hit US soil. Owning one would not only give you instant credibility, but you’ll also be noted as one of the lucky few to purchase Alfa Romeo’s most expensive production car in its 99-year history.
The problem is, with the limited supply, you’ll probably face stringent competition for these bad boys and Maserati North America - which, incidentally is the exclusive dealer for these cars - will know that with the escalating demand for these limited cars, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll have to shell out more than $300 K for the 8C Spider.
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