The News for March 16th, 2012

 

Welcome to The Hooniverse News: Slow News Week Edition! This is a weekly recap of everything that mattered in the automotive industry (or everything I could find) without the fluff or the BS. I also throw in some opinion, just because I can. This week, enjoy a fine selection of stories I wouldn’t normally cover here: 

  • Ford releases GT500 pricing info + configurator

  • GMC adds a touch of luxury to the Terrain

  • Subaru BRZ U.S. availability info leaked?

  • Porsche Boxster S laps the ‘Ring

  • Jay-Z and Kayne ruin a Maybach, sell it for $60K

  • An exact Nürburgring copy coming to Nevada? 

 

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Configurator and Pricing

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The Ford that has had everyone talking lately, the new GT500, has a price tag and a fun online configurator to go along with it. $54,200 gets you a Mustang with 650 horsepower out of a new 5.8-liter supercharged V8 and a reported top speed of over 200 mph. 600 lb.-ft. of torque, a 6-speed manual transmission, and tires that probably aren’t wide enough should make the GT500 a hoonigan’s dream at a price that some might consider to be a bargain.

For an extra $3,495, Ford will include the SVT Performance Package, which includes goodies like a Torsen differential, Bilstein adjustable dampers, and some unique interior bits. Other neat features include leather Recaro sport seats (with striping) for $1,595 and all the same gadgets as the normal Mustang, like an optional Shaker sound system and SYNC with voice commands ($2,340 for all the tech goodies).

The 2013 GT500 will be hitting dealerships soon enough, and when they do, they’ll be slapped with a $795 delivery charge, which is about a week’s worth of fuel costs for the thing.     

Source: Ford

GMC Terrain Denali

Denali, as you probably know already, is GMC’s sub-brand that’s typically tacked on to the back of fancy Chevrolets with some extra leather. GMC has now decided that their latest small SUV, the Terrain, was worthy of the Denali treatment.

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A new 3.6-liter V6 engine will produce 301 horsepower and 272 lb.-ft. of torque will sit up front and power either the front or all four wheels through some transmission. Fuel economy is expected to be  around 20 mph combined, which is equal to the standard V6 Terrains which are equipped with a smaller, less powerful V6. Buyers that want to save even more on gas can opt for GM’s current 2.4-liter EcoTec inline-four, which makes 182 horsepower and 172 lb.-ft. of torque and delivers 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway.

Signature Denali design cues, including a big chrome grille, 18″ or 19″ wheels, chrome exhaust tips, and just lots of chrome in general. Inside, soft leather with contrast stitching and smoked mahogany trim pieces totally make the extra cost worth it. The Denali comes fully-loaded with tech features like a touch-screen radio with IntelliLink that allows Bluetooth and Pandora internet radio. Other tech goodies include front collision alert, lane departure warning, blind-zone alert, and rear cross traffic alert promise to keep you safe without annoying you.

The GMC Terrain Denali will go on sale 3rd quarter 2012 at an undisclosed price.      

Source: GMC

Just 6,000 Subaru BRZ Coupes will be imported to the US for 2013

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The Subaru BRZ, which is Subaru’s result from a partnership with Toyota, will be hitting American shores in rather limited numbers for the time being. According to Car and Driver, just 6,000 BRZ Coupes will be imported to the US for the 2013 model year at an undisclosed price. Subaru wouldn’t confirm nor deny the figure, but Subaru apparently stated that the BRZ will be produced in “extremely limited quantities” quite a while ago. They also stated that selling in low quantities for about $25,000 each would be the most profitable route for them. So if you’re pumped about the RWD, light-weight, and enthusiast-focused Subaru BRZ, order yours quickly (or just buy the Scion FRS, which is pretty much the exact same thing).

Source: Car and Driver via Motor Authority 

Porsche Boxster S hits the ‘Ring in 7:58

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Porsche’s all-new Boxster S reportedly set a rather quick time around Germany’s infamous Nürburgring of 7 minutes and 58 seconds. This time, revealed to the world by Autoblog.nl, is a huge improvement over the last model and it rivals the times of car with twice the power. According to Fastestlaps.com, this time puts it on par with a C6 Corvette and ahead of a Cadillac CTS-V. For a little roadster with 315 horsepower out of a 3.4-liter flat-6 engine, that’s an impressive achievement for sure.

Source: Autoblog.nl

Jay-Z and Kayne West’s Maybach 57 Sells for $60,000

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What’s this? A celebrity-owned Maybach 57 sold for just $60,000 at an auction? Well, sort-of. This Maybach 57 isn’t like many other Maybachs, in that it was pretty much destroyed. The two artists got hold of a car that used to be nice and expensive and chopped it up and turned it into something you’d expect from a Transformers movie for a music video of the song “Otis”. Their plan was to then auction it off for a charity called Save the Children for a price between $100,000 and $150,000 at a contemporary art auction in New York. Sadly, those contemporary art type people didn’t see the value of it to be 6 figures as was expected. But think of it this way: $60,000 still goes to save some children and stuff!

Also, if for whatever reason you wish to hear the song this was done for, you can check it out on YouTube here

Source: Phillips de Pury & Company (the auction house) via Motor Authority

Exact copy of the Nürburgring coming to Nevada?

 As strange as that sounds, there really is a possibility that this dream will come true. A man named Bruton Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, is looking to build an exact copy of the world-famous racetrack about 10 miles from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (which Speedway Motorsports also owns). Smith has reportedly talked to “some Germans’ and the Nevada government about such plans, and seeing as how he hasn’t been escorted to an asylum, this might actually happen (just don’t get your hopes up). In an interview with Sirius XM Sports, Smith also mentioned that the track, if completed, will be available for use by manufacturers and guys who want to drive the ‘Ring but don’t want to blow through their paycheck to do so.

So what say you? Do you want a copy of the ‘Ring in the U.S. and would you actually drive it?

Source: Autoguide via Autoblog  

 

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