According to Autobild.de, Ferrari's successor to the 599 GTB will internally be called the F152, but the official name will be the F620. This artist’s representation shows it sharing many of its styling elements with the FF and 458 Italia. It will also produce 90 hp more than the current car via a 6.3-liter V-12. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The rumor mill is saying this new generation of the prancing pony is set to debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

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Chevy Happy Grad Super Bowl ad was created by young filmmaker named Zach Borst from Long Island, New York. The manufacturer picked this 26-year-old filmmaker’s short ad out of nearly 200 entries that entered the company’s Chevrolet Route 66 contest. Zach reportedly received $25,000 for his commercial, which only took a couple hours to make. A small price to pay because the Chevy Happy Grad is one hilarious ad.

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General Motors has confirmed that there is a delay in when police departments are receiving their Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles (PPVs). This delay could affect the ordering process for many departments’ fleets, suspending any additional purchases to the next fiscal year until the PPV can be properly tested by each. We spoke to more than five departments in our local Tampa Bay area. Of those, only two had received PPVs for testing while another three were still waiting for delivery of their cars. The two that had received their PPVs, the Clearwater Police Department and Largo Police Department, only ordered a couple vehicles to test against competitors from Dodge and Ford before making the decision whether to purchase more. The time it is taking to acquire test vehicles is pushing back any changes to these departments’ fleets. The Largo Police Department, for instance, ordered more Ford Crown Victorias for 2012 to satisfy its need for new cruisers until the PPV could be properly tested.



The delay appears to stem from two key areas: shipping from Australia and at the dealerships.

“We did order these vehicles as soon as we received pricing,” said Deputy Chief Jeff Undestad of the Largo Police Department. But, it took GM more than eight months to deliver its cars, and another five months at the dealer level to equip them for police duty. As Undestad explained, last minute changes made by GM kept affecting vendors’ fabrication processes, resulting in many vendors waiting until the last minute to design the necessary gear. This has caused interruptions at the dealerships responsible for equipping much of the police hardware.

Undestad isn’t the only that has noticed the delays. Rick Carnley, assistant director of solid waste and general services for the Clearwater Police Department, who helps oversee the fleet purchases, said it took GM 10 months to deliver its two test vehicles, and he has real concerns about GM’s ability to deliver any future purchases in a timely manner. He compared his wait negatively to Chrysler’s usual delivery time of 60–90 days.



Pamela Flores, customer care and aftersales for GM’s Fleet and Commercial Operations, confirmed the shipping holdups, but estimated it is postponing deliveries by only five months.

“There is additional shipping time because the vehicle is coming from Australia thru California where it has to go thru the import process,” Flores said. “The GM police vehicle content is added and then shipped to the dealer, generally on rail a long distance…We are making every effort to get our orders completed as quickly as possible.”

She also mentioned that GM now has a pool of inventory at the port, which should help reduce the time it takes departments to acquire their vehicles.

Read more about our look at the local Largo Police Department's Chevrolet Caprice PPV.

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More than 2,000 vehicles were auctioned off over a six-day span at the 2012 Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, which ran from January 16–22, 2012, and amounted to a total of $182 million in sales. The Barrett-Jackson Company was the leading seller at the auction with a total of $90.6 million in sales, selling off all but three of its lots. Its top-selling vehicle was a 1948 Tucker Torpedo, one of only 51 produced, which sold for $2,915,000. Another rare find was the one-of-a-kind 1954 Desoto Adventurer II coupe, which sold for $1,430,000. Not every vehicle did as well, though. The original General Lee, also known as Lee 1, sold for only $110,000, much lower than the seller had hoped.

Gooding & Company sold 97 percent of its lots (116 of 118) for a total amount of $39.8 million. Its top-selling vehicle was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing, which sold for $4,620,000. Russo and Steele sold 63 percent of its lots (401 of 641). Its top-vehicle sold was a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88, which sold for $687,500. The Silver Auctions company had a total of $2.95 million in sales, selling 66 percent of its lots (175 of 267). Its top-selling car was a 1960 Facel Vega HK500 2dr Hardtop, which sold for $93,960. RM Auctions had a total of $24.7 million in total sales, selling 120 of 140 lots, which is about 86 percent. Its top-selling vehicle was a 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica coupe, which sold for $1,815,000. Last but not least, Bonhams had a cumulative total of $5.7 million in sales, selling about 60 percent of its lots, with its top-selling vehicle being a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet C, which sold for $667,000.

The total amount in sales for all the auction companies combined has risen from 2011 to around $157 million. As we can see, the classics did well this year but the rarer cars were the winners this season. Could this be a sign that the economy is finally turning around?

[via Hagerty]

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Do you want Tony Stark’s car—also known as the NSX 2012 Stark Industries Super Car—which is featured in the upcoming Avengers movie? You better have some deep pockets because it’s going to cost you quite a bit. $9,229,000 to be exact. This includes the tax, license, registration, and destination fees. The purely imaginary price was featured on a window sticker in a closed room at the Sundance Film Festival, presumably to build hype for the movie’s upcoming release. What will the invented, astronomical price tag buy you?

The amazing crime-fighting machine gets a whoppingly mythical 243 miles to the gallon. Not only is it fuel-efficient, it’s presumably super-fast and extra safe, too! The car features lithium dioxide injecting shocks, a self-detonating recon drone, advanced radar-deflecting capabilities, a bullet-proof and foreign-element-proof metal skin, and, last but not least, a night-vision HUD windshield. Check out the package’s complete details below. Please note that this vehicle is not actually for sale!

Acura 2012 Stark Industries Super Car

Operating/Durability Features:

• Palladium-powered 80,000 TOHC 32-valve engine with titanium-forged block and nitrous fuel-injection system.

• 9 Speed HYPER-Shift transmission

• Diamond quartz cross-drilled brake calipers

• Steering wheel with palm-scan ID

• Lithium Dioxide-injecting shocks

• Reflex-response steering column with target guidance feedback

• Super-scan theft-deterrent modulator

Defense Systems:

• Info-net sensory tracker system

• Invisa-shield exo-system wave modifier

• Enviro-clone projected hologram of surroundings

• Thermal imaging topography mapping software

• Emergency homing beacon

• Self-detonating recon drone



Exterior Features

• Advanced radar-deflecting capabilities with wave modifier

• Bullet- and foreign element-proof clear coat and metal skin

• Night-vision HUD windshield

• Bulletproof hyper-traction tires

• High-grade tint with radar bounce and jam capabilities

• Intermittent blue and red tech flashers in all light assemblies

• Underbody kit with aero-dynamic spoiler lip

• Black-night painted-wheels with particle matter technology

Tactical Package

• Anti-ballistic shielding body panels

• Incoming scan scrambler

• Low-density plasma emitters with UV flares

• Encrypted computer with backup-powered interface and satellite link

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $9,198,000

• Tax: $22,364

• License and Registration: $6, 782

• Destination Fee: $1,854

• Total Vehicle Price: $9,229,000

• Palladium Power Estimates:

• City Miles – 234

• Highway Miles – 302

[via Collider]

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Bernard Tomic, the 19-year-old Australian tennis sensation, locked himself in his home after Australian police tried to ticket him for multiple driving incidents in a couple-hour time span. Tomic is said to feel “guiltless” after refusing to pull over for Gold Coast police a second time while driving his BMW M3 with a restricted license. Some reports say he was with his 21-year-old girlfriend Doney Meijer at the time.

The first incident involved Tomic “showing off” in his bright orange BMW through the area’s restaurant precinct. Police gave him a ticket and directed him to go straight home. Hours later, police tried to pull him over a second time for failure to follow the directive. That is when Tomic refused to stop, leading police to his gated home. Once inside, Tomic wouldn't exit the premises to talk to the officers.

Tomic's father, John, defended his son’s actions. He confronted the officers in the teen’s driveway and later called the police’s actions "unAustralian."; the whole incident took place on Thursday, Australia Day. The family may file a complaint to law enforcement’s Crime and Misconduct Commission or the Ethical Standards Command.

"I don't know what's wrong ... it's like I killed somebody." Tomic, who emerged briefly to talk to reporters, said. "It's all happened on Australia Day when I am trying to have fun with my mates."

Because of his P-plate restrictions, Tomic is only allowed to drive to and from tennis-related events.

Follow the jump for the video.

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Porsche will be adding several new vehicles to its U.S. lineup over the next two years, clearly trying to strengthen its U.S. sales by offering a wider variety of vehicles. The first new addition is something with which we’re already familiar; the newly redesigned 911 Carrera sheds its hermit-like hard top for two new soft-top editions: the 350-hp 911 Porsche Carrera Cabriolet and the 400-hp 911 Carrera S Cabriolet.

The Panamera family will also be getting a new sibling in the form of the 430-hp GTS. This vehicle bridges the gap between the 400-hp Panamera 4S and the 500-hp Turbo via revisions for more power to the 4S’s naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V-8 engine.



The Cayenne’s lineup is getting a new addition as well, and this addition will mark Porsche’s first diesel in the U.S. market. It is logically named the Cayenne Diesel and is set to be released in the second half of 2012.

The last of Porsche’s new additions will be the all-new Cajun, which is a smaller, sportier version of the Cayenne SUV set to be released in 2013.

[via Inside Line]

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Once in a while, a new piece of car technology will come along that will have us grinning with appreciation; it’s just not very often that that technology can be found in the car’s cup holders. So, much to our chagrin, we found ourselves gushing over the heated and cooled cup holders in the center console of our 2011 Dodge Charger SE test car. It’s an interesting bit of technology that we haven’t seen in another production automobile (similar tech was actually in an Audi Q5 we had in our care, but we did not notice that particular feature). Although we did not get a chance to test the units in the Charger, we wondered if they could be as useful as they could be potentially dangerous. What would happen if you put a paper cup or a low-grade plastic into the cup holder when the heating element was on? What about a sealed bottle?



Amerigon Incorporated, the company that produces the cup holders, quelled our concerns. We spoke to John Terech, director of commercial development at Amerigon, who explained that the cup holders do not get hot enough to cause plastic to melt or paper cups to combust; in fact, he assured, many of the car’s tests were conducted with a paper Grande cup from Starbucks. He made clear that the heating feature is designed to warms its contents to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is below the 140-degree temperatures that can normally be found in a fresh cup of coffee. We can also attest that the temperature ranges offered by Terech are not too far off from the interior temperatures of a car on a hot summer day in Florida, negating any of our concerns that the cup holders’ heating feature could cause a sealed bottle to explode.



We had no reservations with the cup holders’ cooler feature, which is capable of keeping aluminum cans at temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and water bottles near 40 degrees.

Does a couple degrees difference make a drink any less refreshing? Yes, according to Amerigon’s web site, which points to an Associated Press article titled “Temperature Does Make a Difference in How Your Favorite Beverage Tastes.” It states that Coca-Cola is most enjoyed at 38 degrees, Pepsi at 42 degrees, and water at 55 degrees.



If the heated and cooled features weren’t enough, we found another aspect of the Dodge Charger’s cup holders to be quite interesting. The extra bottle holders near the doors’ map pockets offer a small seal warning against the use of open containers. Common sense tells us that this is just to assert the need for a closed container in such a precarious position, but its depiction of an open container—complete with straw and garnish—made us immediately question whether it was also an official message from Dodge against drinking alcohol while driving; Dodge did not reply to our e-mail.

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The original General Lee that went flying through the air in the opening credits of The Dukes of Hazzard, dubbed Lee 1, has a new owner. Bubba Watson (whom we have just nicknamed Bo) purchased it from the Barrett-Jackson automobile auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, this past weekend, calling it his “dream car.” How much did Bo Watson pay for this iconic piece, you ask? $110,000. This is quite a steal in our opinion seeing how some people estimated this car would one day sell for more than a million dollars.

After spending most of its lifetime in a junkyard because of it being totaled after its historic flight, the Lee 1 was purchased and professionally restored in 16 months to pre-jump conditions. There were more than 300 General Lees produced during the run of the hit television show. An interesting fact pointed out by FOX news is that back in 2008, “a replica of the General Lee that was built for John Schneider, who played Bo Duke on the show, sold at the auction for $450,000,” yet the original didn’t come close to that number.

On a positive note, at least the original General Lee went to someone that will truly appreciate it.

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German tuning firm ASMA has increased the width of the current 958 Cayenne by nearly two and a half inches to create a giant. Actually, it has created “The Giant.” The carbon-fiber kit comprises a new front apron, hood, fenders, side skirts, rear apron, and rear spoiler. It pushes the wheels out and replaces the stock rims with 22-inch units wearing 265/35 tires up front and 295/30 tires at the rear. It also comes with a new dual central exhaust, which helps increase output from 500 to 550 hp.

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