All Kind Automotive

If you're thinking it looks familiar in a conservative kind of way, you're probably right as the 2011 C4 is the five-door version of Citroën's near-production DS High Rider concept that was first shown at this year's Geneva Salon.

It uses a high tech chassis bonded together with a special adhesive tape coated in polyethylene while the body is finger-made from exotic lightweight materials such as thin sheets of paperboard covered in a space-age aluminum foil that serves various purposes.

In this case, power is provided by a left-to-mid-mounted human-boxer unit capable of delivering a yawn-inspiring 1 fhp (foot horsepower) when fully fed, relaxed and emotionally happy.

Key stylistic highlights of the new M5's look will include the four tailpipes, chunkier front and rear bumper designs, unique exterior mirrors and alloy wheels while there's also talk about a carbon fiber roof and bootlid which should also help reduce weight.

As we've already told you in earlier posts, BMW's new uper saloon will be the first M5 to adopt turbocharging with power coming from a reworked version of the X5 M and X6 M's 4.4-liter bi-turbo V8 that replaces the current model's V10 unit.

The seller claims that the car, which is powered by a 3.5-liter V12 engine linked to a seven-speed gearbox, was used in the 1991 Formula One season by French driver Jean Alesi who had then just signed for Williams Ferrari.

After being replaced by the Tipo 643, this car was rebuilt and prepared for private sale by the Ferrari factory at the end of the same season. Now it could be yours for a 'mere' US$700,000 or about €565,000 at today's exchange rates. More details and pictures after the jump.

Czech architect and designer Pavel Hrubyi decided to take matters in his own hands (or so to speak) and draw a four-door coupe, sportback, fastback or whatever else you would like to call it, proposal for the Skoda brand based on the firm's range-topping Superb saloon.

According to Joel Feder (the man who took these photos), the incident happened at the Midwestern Automotive Media Association earlier this week when a thunderstorm followed by hail and strong winds took down a tree that landed right on the parked Aston Martin and Bentley.

It all started when a middle-aged man (evidently intoxicated) drove his Citroen C5 on the opposite side of the road. A police officer attempted to stop the driver by opening the door of his car and talk some reason into him.

At first, it looked like the police man succeeded and that the driver was willing to make a 'U' turn and stop on the other side of the road, but he didn't...

In a telephone interview with Bloomberg, Muller revealed that his company is in talks with automakers to share technology and a platform for the modern-day 92 or in Saab's current lingo, the 9-2.

Due to be revealed at the Paris Motor Show in October before arriving in most European markets in early 2011, the new three-door variant of the Astra hatch follows in the footsteps of the outgoing GTC boasting a more rakish appearance than its five-door sibling.

"DAS is an important building block in Volkswagen's digital marketing strategy and gives us the opportunity for an interactive dialog with our customers," says Luca de Meo, Head of Marketing at VW. "Our goal is to transmit the fascination of the brand and its products in a new digital dimension, creating a global experience."

Over the course of its first generation, ranging from 1970-74, the Challenger was offered with an inline six-cylinder and many choices of V8. The 8-cylinder options ranged from a 318 cubic inch unit making 230 horsepower to the 425-horse 426 Hemi and 390-horse 440 (output numbers dipped consistently as the oil crisis developed).

The news agency said that Ford Motor Co executives could ask the automaker's board of directors as early as July to green-lit the (eventual) axing of the Mercury brand.

One man in Moscow decided to take action by putting a bucket on his head and climbing over one of these cars as its driver was trying to use the blue light to bypass traffic. Watch what happened in the video after the break.

This means that Nissan is targeting buyers in the supermini segment with the Juke. For example, the new Ford Fiesta starts from £11,645, but that's the price for the entry-level three-door model with a puny 60HP 1.25-liter petrol unit. The basic version of the Juke is powered by a 117-horsepower 1.6-liter petrol engine.

IPL is likely to be much like Nismo, providing sport suspensions, spoilers, seats, and shift knobs. For those wanting more (like a supercharged M luxo-barge), there's some light at the end of the tunnel. According to the filings, Infiniti's high-performance division may work to develop supercharger / turbocharger applications.

Of course, this immediately led to whisperings and theories of a possible Continental Shooting Brake like Carozzeria Touring Superleggera's Flying Star (see here) that was revealed at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show.

The two companies said that they are planning to invest a total of 600 million yuan (US$87.9 million) in the 50-50 partnership in China.

According to a statement made by Daimler, the German automaker will bring its "know-how in electric vehicle architecture and safety" to the venture, while BYD will contribute "it's excellence in battery technology and e-drive systems".

Created by Paris-based maker, Atomik Cars, the Fiat-500 based model gets two electric motors, one up front producing 80kW and 840Nm (619 lb-ft), and one at the rear that makes the same power but a whopping 1,710 Nm (1,261 lb-ft) of peak torque.

McLaren chairman (and anti-Bugatti spokesman) Ron Dennis was on-hand to express his own feelings about owning and driving the car: "The F1 is a technological tour-de-force and a real triumph in terms of packaging and design."

"Whether endurance racing or on road, it is supremely fast, agile and yet comfortable. Its styling is enduring and will never fade. I enjoy driving mine more today than ever before because I find its technical purity highly satisfying; the F1 remains one of McLaren's proudest achievements."

As you can see in this video that was most likely shot in Russia, even a pair of heavily-modified Nissan GT-Rs tuned to churn out some 730HP (or so it is claimed) are having a hard time keeping up with the Veyron. Of course, the Bugatti costs as much as two-dozen or so Nissan GT-Rs, but that's another tale for another time... For now, follow the jump to watch the clip.

Way back in September, GMC ran four-page ad in People's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue. Nothing special there. However, a part of the ad used Einstein's face on a model's body, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has the rights to his image (which earned $10 million last year)

Now the university is suing GM for $75,000, claiming Einstein's likeness was fraudulently used in the ad. GM spokeswoman Ryndee Carney defends GM by saying the automaker bought the right to use the image from a known firm, and that the ad itself (which only ran in that issue) was created by the Leo Burnett agency.

As you can see in these official pictures, the Ram brand gets to keep Dodge's well-known horn logo while Dodge, which will be positioned as a sporty and youth-orientated passenger car maker, adopts a new insignia featuring two red slashes that's inspired by the Chrysler Group's SRT performance brand.

Tatra was one of the first manufacturers to get into the whole rear-mounted engine scene, meaning all you 911 and Beetle fans out there have engineer Hans Ledwinka to thank.

The cornerstone of Novitec Rosso's program for the 2+2 seat grand tourer are a power increase and an even sportier exhaust note. The Ferrari's 5.7-liter V12 engine gets revamped electronics and a custom stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system with four 90mm tail pipes resulting in a boost in output to 565HP at 7,290 rpm and 609Nm or 449.2 lb-ft of peak torque.

By reconfiguring the ECU and adding a sport air-filter and a stainless steel sports exhaust system with high flow catalytic converters and two 70mm twin-tailpipes, Sportec managed to boost output to 580 bhp at 6,500 rpm. Peak torque hits 800 Nm (590 lb.ft) at 3,500 rpm with more than 700 Nm (516 lb.ft) available from 2,700 to 5,500 rpm.

Named after the 1967 F1 World Champion, Denny Hulme from New Zealand, the road-legal Hulme CanAm features an ultra-lightweight carbon composite tub and bodywork, and race-orientated chassis, suspension and braking. The supercar tips the scales at 980kg / 2,160 lbs.

Don't worry, this isn't some tacky, Fiero-based kit car, either. The guy behind this replica wanted to purchase the original from Bertone (so the ad says) but the design firm wasn't willing to part with the masterpiece, so he decided to say to hell with that and have his own built...by Sam Foose. For those who just got out of bed, that would be Chip Foose's father.