First Cadillac ATS To Be Auctioned For Charity
It’s becoming a tradition at General Motors that the first production unit of every new model gets auctioned off for charity. It’s great. We hope they keep it up. The first production Cadillac ATS will be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas auction on Sept 20-22 with all the proceeds going to Team Joseph, a non-profit organization that funds Duchenne muscular dystrophy research.
Barrett-Jackson is also laying its part by doing a commission-free auction for this ATS, so every dollar raised at the event will go to Team Joseph. The auction-bound is a juicy crystal red and fully equipped with a 3.6L V-6 developing 320 horsepower. It also features Cadillac’s highly anticipated CUE infotainment system.
Team Joseph is inspired by 5-year old Joseph Penrod was diagnosed with Duchenne, a disease that robs children of muscle function and ultimately attacks the heart and lungs, back in 2008. The organization funds research for Duchenne treatments.
“There are therapies in development right now that could help this generation of children, but we have to keep the momentum going. Someday soon, when a child is diagnosed with Duchenne, it will not be a devastating disease but simply a manageable condition.” said Marissa Penrod, Joseph’s mother and founder and CEO of the non-profit. “Team Joseph is thrilled to be the recipient of Cadillac’s generosity through the donation of the first ATS,”
BMW Super Bild of The Week.
Super Bild has been absent for a few weeks, for this I apologize. Moving forward BMWBLOG will keep a diligent weekly post showcasing nothing but the best Super Bild for your viewing and wallpaper enjoyment.
We kick off a new week with a stellar example of a daily driven track star M3 owned by Eric Hunter from Montgomery Alabama. Eric has owned many BMW M cars, from a Z4M to the quickly becoming legend E39 M5, all of them tastefully modified for track use. His current E92 M3 is both a great daily driver and a stellar track toy.
Eric didn’t want to ruin the character of his daily driven M3 with too many modifications so the list is well thought out with an emphasis on performance while maintaining the original character of the factory look.
Here is the list of modifications:
- Stage 3 ECU chip from Turner BMW
- Electronic Throttle Advance system for accurate throttle inputs in the fly by wire throttle
- Cold Air Intake
- Power Pulley Engine Kit
- Full Titanium Exhaust System by Akrapovic w/Carbon Fiber Tips
- Competition Suspension System by BMW
- BBS Wheels – Black
- StopTech 6 Piston big Brake Kit
- Carbon Fiber Rear Deck Spoiler, Front Splitter, Engine Intake Grills, Side Light Inserts
- Aluminum Accelerator, Clutch, Brake, Deadfoot Pedals
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2013 Citroën DS3 Cabrio: Economical Top-Down Motoring [2012 Paris Auto Show]
September 17, 2012 at 4:33pm by Jens Meiners
![grey 2013 Citroën DS3 Cabrio: Economical Top Down Motoring [2012 Paris Auto Show]](http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/themes/naked/images/grey.gif "2013 Citroën DS3 Cabrio")
One of the most refreshing luxo-minis is getting an open-top derivative: The Citroën DS3—marketed as “anti-retro,” which directly takes aim at BMW’s Mini—will be shown at the upcoming Paris auto shows as the DS3 Cabrio.
Like the Fiat 500C Cabrio, but unlike the Mini convertible, the DS3 Cabrio features fixed B- and C-pillars and a fabric roof that folds down on top of the trunk. The top can be opened in three positions: Half open, fully open, and open-plus-lowered. These positions can be selected at velocities up to 75 mph, a definite advantage over traditional convertibles. Up-level versions of the DS3 Cabrio also feature what Citroën calls the “world’s first three-dimensional LED taillights.” Its trunk is almost twice as big as the Mini’s and bigger than the Cinquecento’s.
The DS3′s seemingly only disadvantage? It won’t be offered in the U.S.
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Land Rover Discovery 5 could lose half a tonne
The next-generation Land Rover Discovery 4WD could lose nearly half a tonne in weight, according to a company insider.
The new ‘Disco’ is due in 2014 and will be third model to be constructed from aluminium following the just-unveiled fourth-generation Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport that will be released in 2013.
Land Rover engineers managed to reduce the new Range Rover’s mass by a stunning 420kg for the entry-level TDV6 model.
Yet as remarkable as that figure is, a Land Rover source told CarAdvice at the recent Range Rover unveiling event in England that number is set to be beaten by the fifth-generation Discovery.
“The Disco 4 already weighs 2.7 tonnes so it’s got more to lose [than the Range Rover], so we think it will lose more weight [than the 420kg],” our insider revealed.
The last two generations of the vehicle have been badged Discover 3 and Discovery 4, but our source says the next version could possibly revert to simply ‘Discovery’ rather than being called Discovery 5.
Build your own 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish
Aston Martin has finally launched the online configurator for the 2013 Vanquish coupe.
The configurator lets you circle through a range of exterior colors, wheel combinations and different trims for the exterior and lets you specify three different interior options including color, trim and stitching.
Check it out here.
Refresher: Power for the Aston Martin AM 310 Vanquish comes from a 6.0 liter V12 engine 565-hp at 6,750 rpm with a maximum torque of 457 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. Mated to a rear-mid mounted, 6-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic/sequential manual gearbox, 0 to 62 mph comes in 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 183 mph.
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Black and White Gaining in Popularity Says Ford
Ford Project Mustang GT
In case you hadn’t noticed black wheels have become increasingly popular on sporty cars. My son sprayed the wheels on his Porsche 924S black a couple of years ago. I must admit at first I thought it was a sacrilegious thing to do to genuine Porsche alloy wheels, but had to admit it looked good after he’d done it.
The trend has caught on with manufacturers who offer many sporty cars with factory painted black wheels. Ford says it is not surprised to find it is a popular option on cars such as the Ford Mustang but has been surprised at how many people are opting for it on other vehicles.
To meet this growing demand Ford says it will offer black wheels as an option on the 2013 Mustang, F-150, Focus, Edge Sport, Explorer Sport, Taurus SHO and Flex.
2012 Ford F-150 FX Appearance Package
“When you color a wheel, it looks smaller, but nowadays no one is blinking at the idea of a 20-inch wheel,” says Melvin Betancourt, Ford design manager of Exterior Design. “Manufacturers are providing larger wheels, and this makes black wheels more popular.”
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Lexus Hybrid Coupe Concept Hints At Future Model
Published September 17, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
Lexus will unveil the LF-CC for the first time this month at the Paris motor show, a new mid-size coupe concept with hybrid powertrain that presents design and technology ideas that will influence future models.
It is a follow-up of the LF-LC 2+2 sports coupe concept which debuted at the Detroit show earlier this year as a more compact model with rear-wheel drive and full hybrid power. It shares design cues with the earlier show car and demonstrates how Lexus is using its concept studies to influence future production models, in this case cars for the compact executive car market – the D-segment.
The LF-CC is linked to the launch of a premium mid-size Lexus coupe in the near future and reinforces the company’s commitment to creating more engaging cars that are attractively styled, deliver a better driving experience and harness the potential of advanced technologies.