Turn 10 Studios, the makers of the Forza Motorsport gaming franchise, have released an early holiday present for rabid Forza 4 gamers out there. The December IGN Pack for Forza 4 was made available last week and comes with a grocery list of some of the finest digital rides you can have in the game.
Among the highlight vehicles included in the December IGN Pack are the Suzuki Monster Sport SX4 Hill Climb Special, the very same car that Monster Tajima used to break the ten-minute barrier at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb earlier this year.
All in all, the December IGN Pack will include 10 new vehicles that you can enjoy over the holidays. The pack is available through XBox Live so if you want to get your hands on a new set of awesome rides to put in your Forza garage, Turn 10 Studios is your hook-up.
Right off the bat, we have to admit that this week’s episode of Top Gear USA was a lot funnier than any other episode this season. The majority of the episode was spent trying to figure out which of the three hosts chose a better luxury car. However, instead of being the long and drawn out segment as found in previous episodes, this challenge made us laugh out loud a few times. The guys were driving around the Hamptons in a 1972 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, a 1982 Jaguar XJS, and a 1988 Pontiac Fiero turned Ferrari 308. Oh yeah, the Hamptonites just loved that.
In between the search for the best luxury car for $5,000, Tanner Foust got to take a spin in "the Beast," the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Torchwood star, Arlene Tur took a speedy trip around the Top Gear test track in the Suzuki SX4.
Hit the jump for full details on Top Gear USA: Season 2 Episode 5.
Engine transplants have been around since time immemorial. After all, if you have an old classic with an outdated powertrain, wouldn’t you want to keep it up to date and give it something that fits more to our times?
Raybestos Garage certainly understands this thought. That’s why they took it upon themselves to take a 1964 Pontiac GTO-R, one of the most iconic American muscles in history, and give it a modern powertrain make-over to the tune of an LSX 454-powered 700-horsepower modern-day maniac. Raybestos and Hot Rod Chassis & Cycle used the frame from the ’64 GTO-R and added a few noteworthy parts, including a GM-sourced LSX crate engine, a Tremec six-speed manual transmission, a Moser 9-inch rear-end, custom fabricated body and suspension, $20,000 Raybestos NASCAR brakes, and a reverse-sweep 180-mph speedometer.
After all the work done on this American beast, we’re left with a 700-horsepower machine that, get this, is being given away for free by Raybestos! That’s right, you can drool over this car and have it in your garage in as easy as a few clicks. All you have to do is sign up for the contest on Raybestos’ site and you stand a chance to win a one-of-a-kind classic with a modern twist. We’re still trying to figure out what’s in it for them, but it may just be the crazy amount of advertising the group is getting for this contest alone.
There’s also plenty of videos detailing the build of the car and some behind-the-scenes looks at how this tuned-up workhorse became the head-turning monster it is today.
UPDATE 08/11/11: We’ve updated our video line-up of this monster-infused Pontiac GTO-R with some more tidbits on how the car is doing! Give it a watch, folks! It’s mighty interesting, to say the least.
In this episode, Adam Corolla (comedian and car enthusiast), Dan Neil (automotive columnist for The Wall Street Journal), John Salley (4-time NBA Champion and actor), and Matt Farah (SmokingTire.com) take part in a number of segments that made us laugh at loud, literally. Mixed in with the good times and "Lambo-quality comedy," the guys take part in a test comparing the automated driving versus actual driving in a 2007 BMW 328i sedan, a comparison of the Audi R8 and the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, and an interview with racing legend, Pete Brock.
The fun doesn’t stop there as the boys go through their 0-60 and Adam’s America segments, as well as a trip to North Carolina for some dirt track racing.
Hit the jump for details on The Car Show: Season 1 Episode Three.
It’s apparent that cars of the future receive a lot of attention from would-be auto designers and, although many of these ideas will never see a production line, the designers behind them are still out to get noticed. Our latest futuristic find is actually a car that was already in existence: the Pontiac Solstice. This cool roadster was produced from 2005-2009, but came to a quick and tragic end, much like the automaker itself. Now, Macedonian designer, Dejan Hristov, is going to battle for the Solstice with his modern design study, the Solstice Concept II.
The Solstice II Concept combines the core proportions of the original model, but adds a sculptural design language. At the front, Hristov’s concept features vertical headlights and a complexly-shaped carbon spoiler, while the rear end combines sharp lines with circular tail lights and exhaust pipes. It also has a targa layout, leaving the hard top to fold out of sight by rotating behind the seats.
No mention was made on what would be powering the theoretical future Soltice, but if the times are any inclination, we’d guess a hybrid or electric setup. Either way the concept looks rather aggressive and could have potential. That is, if any other automaker felt like picking it up.
