Ferrari Unleashes 458 Italia Grand Am

Italian sports carmaker Ferrari has set its eyes on the North American Grand Am series, which it plans to compete in with the new 458 Italia Grand Am that was given its track baptism today at the Fiorano circuit completing several laps in the hands of Maurizio Mediani and Jaime Melo.

Developed in cooperation with Michelotto Automobili, the racing model is based on the European GT3 version of the 458 Italia but features less efficient aerodynamics as well as a detuned V8 delivering 500-horses due to the different regulations in the American series.

In addition, the Grand Am sports a modified braking system, as the car has neither ABS nor traction control.

Other differences compared to the GT3 include the strengthened roll-over bar to deal with the more frequent collisions in the American series, while the car is also fitted with Continental tires, the sole supplier to the series.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Racer 2012

The all-new 911, code-named 991, may be just around the corner with its debut coming next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but that doesn’t mean that Porsche is done with the soon-to-be-replaced 997.

At least not with its racing version, the GT3 Cup, which with more than 2,200 units sold, is the number one preference for customer racing teams worldwide.

Now, Porsche has unveiled the 2012MY 911 GT3 Cup. It is based on the 991 (997) GT3 RS, with the 3.8-liter flat-six engine producing an identical 450HP at 8,500 rpm.

However, it does get a race exhaust system that features a controlled catalytic converter to reduce CO2 emissions.

The new GT3 Cup has a larger 100-liter FT3 safety fuel tank, which is filled via an opening in the hood. According to Porsche, this change makes the car more suitable for a wider range of endurance racing.

The Porsche racer rides on 18-inch wheels shod in 25/64-18 front and 30/68-18 Michelin racing tires.

Both the front and rear anti-roll bars are adjustable in seven positions in order to achieve a customized set-up for each occasion.

In addition, the Porsche Mobil1 Supercar racers, which support the F1 championship, get exclusive use of the PCCB Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes that, compared to the composite cast units used in other race versions of the 911, reduce overall weight by 20 kg.

Deliveries of the new 911 GT3 Cup will start in September and the car will be available in this specification for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Pricing starts from €161,750 (~ US$228,700) not including local taxes.

Land Rover Defender New 2.2L Turbo Diesel 2012

There may be talk of a new Defender on its way with rumors of a concept model making its appearance as early as next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but for now, Land Rover is updating the current version with a new turbo diesel engine and the introduction of two new option packages for the 2012 model year.

The most important change of course is the new, EU5 compliant, 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine that replaces the EU4 2.4-litre oil-burner found in the 2011MY Defender.

Despite the smaller capacity, the new four-cylinder diesel delivers the same power and torque as the outgoing unit with 122PS at 3,500rpm and torque, 360Nm (265.5 lb-ft) at 2,000rpm.

The new engine also comes with a diesel particulate filter (DPF), while it's more frugal and delivers lower levels of the regulated emissions, NOx, CO and HC than its predecessor.

Land Rover says CO2 emissions on the combined cycle are consistent at 266g/km for the 90 and 295g/km for the 110 and 130 models.

Performance remains similar, however, top speed has been raised to 90mph (145 km/h) compared to 82mph (132 km/h) for the previous version.

Power is transferred to all four wheels through a GFT MT 82 six-speed gearbox.

Also new for the 2012 model year Defender is the addition of two new optional packages:

• Comfort Pack - Air conditioning, CD Player with auxiliary input, electric windows and remote central locking, priced at £1650.


• Off-Road Pack - ABS, heavy duty rim and MTR tyre, tow ball and under-ride protection bar, priced at £1500.

Other changes include the plain black Pick Up hood that will now be available as an option whilst a plain beige hood is introduced for the 110 Double Cab Pick Up, plus the addition of tinted glass on all models.

UK sales of the 2012 Defender begin in November with prices starting from £20,995 on the road.

Mercedes-Benz CLC Small Shooting Brake Model

We're still more than a year away from the presentation of Mercedes-Benz's CLC small sports sedan which will likely compete against the future A3 Sedan, yet Daimler’s boss Dieter Zetsche is said to have already given the green light for a shooting brake version.

And if you ‘re wondering what's a shooting brake model, think of it this way: it is to the station wagon what the four-door coupe is to a regular sedan. In other words, a far more stylish but much less practical five-door model with a heavily raked rear hatch.

Being that the Stuttgart company has already officially confirmed a shooting brake derivative of the new CLS, which it previewed in April with the concept you see in these photos and that was displayed at the China Auto Show, Zetsche's decision to build a similar version of its “baby CLS” sounds reasonable.

Its styling will be a fusion of the CLC and the CLS shooting brake, with the emphasis given on the desugn rather than practicality and outright loading capacity.

Like its four-door sibling, it will likely be available with front or all-wheel drive and turbocharged direct injection engines.

The Mercedes-Benz CLC shooting brake is believed to go on sale in the US in 2014, a year after the four-door coupe version arrives in the market.

Ford Focus RS 2012

Earlier this month, Ford's global boss for small cars, Gunnar Herrmann, confirmed the development of a next generation Focus RS. The news motivated Carscoop reader Lil-k Amaru to create a computer generated version of the future hot hatch.

While Herrmann shared several juicy details, revealing for example that Ford is working on a highly tuned 2.0-liter turbo engine driving the front wheels, he didn't say if the Focus RS will be based on the 5-door hatch or the rumored three door version (keep in mind, it's not clear yet if the 3door Focus will be designed more on the coupe side like the Opel Astra GTC or more on the traditional side like the previous model).

Nevertheless, Lil-k Amaru opted for the second choice blending a whole lot from the body of the older RS with select styling elements from the newer generation of the Focus like the headlamps, tail lamps and the kink over the rear wheel arches.

Kia New Three-Door Picanto in Britain

For the first time since the Kia Picanto was introduced into the market in 2004, the Korean city car is available with a three-door body style.

Revealed alongside the second generation of the five-door model at the Geneva Salon this past March, the three-door Picanto will go on sale in the UK from the 1st of September with prices starting from £7,795 for the base 1.0 ‘1’ and rising to £12,295 for the 1.25 'Halo' with an automatic transmission.

Kia says it created the 3d Picanto because city car sales (referred to as the A-segment in Europe) are rising worldwide and are expected to grow to 2.4 million in 2014 and 3.3 million in 2015, and around a million of these will be three-door cars. In the UK, the split between body styles in the A-segment is 55:45 in favor of five-door models.

While identical in size with its 5d counterpart, the 3d Picanto features new front doors, bumpers, rear panels and glass aft of the A-pillar, along with a larger front grille that's available with silver or red trim surrounds, visible exhaust tail pipes and different alloy wheel designs.

There are four trim levels available for the 3d model, two of which, the "1" and "1 Air" are carried over from the 5d Picanto, and the Halo and Equinox that are new.

Standard features on all models include a trip computer, height-adjustable seat, a tilt-adjustable steering column, a RDS radio and CD player with MP3 compatibility, electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), and emergency brake assist system (BAS).

The Picanto 1 Air gets air conditioning, while the Halo and Equinox both benefit from USB and AUX ports, an iPod cable and steering wheel-mounted audio controls, alloy wheels, Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, automatic lights, LED front daytime running lights and LED rear lights.

In addition, the Halo version gets unique 14-inch alloys, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, reverse parking sensors, alloy pedals and a Supervision Cluster.

The Equinox spec features a premium red ‘Chilli’ upholstery with a contrasting high gloss black fascia and gearknob, 15-inch alloys, automatic air conditioning and a smart key with a start/stop button.

The Picanto 3d is offered with two gasoline engine choices, a 1.0-liter three-cylinder unit developing 68bhp and 95Nm of torque, and a 1.25-liter four-cylinder with 84bhp and 121Nm of torque, that delivers 60.1mpg UK with a manual gearbox, 53.3mpg UK with a 4-speed auto, and 65.7mpg UK when combined with a Start and Stop system.