Top Speed Cars Car News

Usually when someone buys a new car, they follow a very specific procedure. They start things off by going to their local dealer and arguing numbers for awhile – sometimes a long while. After the little “chat” with the annoying salesman, the customer usually gets to drive home with their brand new car. Of course, when you’re Jay Leno, things are a bit different.

During a very grand event, Jay Leno received his brand new Jaguar XJ. And just to conceptualize just how big this event was, two of Mr. Leno’s special guests were Claudia Schiffer and David Hasselhoff.

Check out the video so you can see both the presentation of the Jaguar XJ and the creation of the luxury sedan as well.

As a reminder, US customers will only get the 5.0 liter V8 engine, in both naturally aspirated and supercharged versions. Output will range from 385 hp to 510 hp. The European customers, however, will also get a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine.

Video: Jay Leno receives his Jaguar XJ originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 19:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

Being somebody that earns millions and millions of dollars to play basketball certainly has its perks, one of which is that the person can afford just about any car that catches his wandering eye.

Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum is no exception to that. With a salary of $13.8 million for the 2010-2011 season, Bynum can practically open the doors to any dealership in the world and drive off with that dealership’s most expensive ride. Yes, it’s unfair, but we’re not 7 feet tall and we certainly don’t play professional basketball for a living. Tough luck, eh?

In any case, of all the cars that he can choose from, Bynum decided to opt for a pretty nice ride, a modified-to-the-brim BMW M6. Apparently, there are other endeavors pro ballers enjoy as much as putting the ball to the hoop; tuning up their already expensive sports cars.

Read the rest of the story after the jump.

Video: Andrew Bynum introduces us to his pimped-out BMW M6 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

After a scandalous trip to the courtroom over a planned autobiography and a not-so-smooth release of official documents from the racer’s company, Collins Autosport, Ben Collins has been revealed and canned from playing the part of the world renowned Stig.

Of course, nobody has confirmed that Collins has been given the boot, but the decision was clear when The Stig showed up at a Top Gear Live event at the Nürburgring racing circuit in Germany on ­Friday while Ben Collins was photographed pushing his daughters in their toy cars in West Country.

The guy should have seen it coming. BBC claims that secrecy of the identity of The Stig is vital to his role played on Top Gear, and Collins even signed a confidentiality agreement to that effect. After news of Collins’ autobiography surfaced, BBC was none too pleased that the racer had breached the contract that has been in place since Collins took on the role of The Stig back in 2003.

We can take this news as truth and just run with it, or we can have a little fun compiling a slew of stories that could put a different spin on it. Hey, for all we know, this could be an elaborate scheme to take the heat off Collins. Of course, the fact that the autobiography is due to hit the stands on September 16th makes it pretty difficult to think this is anything, but the truth.

What do you guys think? Any ideas on who the new Stig could be? Hit us up in the comments section below.

Ben Collins is fired; The replacement Stig gets to work originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 30 August 2010 13:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

Transformers 3 is currently filming in Chicago, and when you are in the right place at the right time, you sometimes get the chance to see things such as this.

In these video you will see a Corvette Stingray Convertible Concept, a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a Ferrari 458 Italia (no, it’s not on fire), some NASCAR vehicles, and a new, upgraded Bumblebee Camaro. If that isn’t enough to get the testosterone flaring, then we might as well let you know that there is also racing, shootings, and a few fights! Hopefully this is enough to make you forget that the beautiful Megan Fox will not be returning to Transformers for this edition.

Transformers 3 will be out in theaters starting July 1st, 2011, so we’ll have to wait about a year to see these beauties in action, but we’ll keep our eyes out for any trailers or pictures that will give us an insight on the latest vehicular heroes.

Hit the jump because there is a lot more to see!

Videos: Transformers 3 in Chicago originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 29 August 2010 12:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

Transformers 3 is currently filming in Chicago, and when you are in the right place at the right time, you sometimes get the chance to see things such as this.

In these video you will see a Corvette Stingray Convertible Concept, a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a Ferrari 458 Italia (no, it’s not on fire), some NASCAR vehicles, and a new, upgraded Bumblebee Camaro. If that isn’t enough to get the testosterone flaring, then we might as well let you know that there is also racing, shootings, and a few fights! Hopefully this is enough to make you forget that the beautiful Megan Fox will not be returning to Transformers for this edition.

Transformers 3 will be out in theaters starting July 1st, 2011, so we’ll have to wait about a year to see these beauties in action, but we’ll keep our eyes out for any trailers or pictures that will give us an insight on the latest vehicular heroes.

Hit the jump because there is a lot more to see!

Videos: Transformers 3 in Chicago originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 29 August 2010 12:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

Who remembers the Spice Girls? We know we do, but while most of the girls have gone on to live normal lives after the band, Posh Spice, also known as Victoria Beckham, has gone on to more glamorous things.

Over on that auctioning giant eBay, there is a new car for sale that once belonged to the wife of English football superstar David Beckham. The car is a TVR Cerbera that was built to the personal specifications of Mr. Beckham.

The English built sports car has been in dry storage as a part of a private collection for the last six years and wears the number VRM: W8 TVR. The body is covered in Crystal Topaz, which is a very rare pearlescent blue that was picked out by Victoria. The interior is covered in magnolia leather with Royal Blue Stitching.

Some of the options include a six-disc CD auto-changer, 18-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, privacy glass and an ice detector. Under the hood is a 4.5-liter V8 with 420 horsepower and 380 pound feet of torque. When pushed to the limit, the car can hit 60 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds and on to 195 mph.

So, hop on over to eBay to place your bid on this very precious ride.

Victoria Beckham’s TVR Cerbera For Sale On eBay originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 26 August 2010 18:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

Unlike the rest of the Mustang-loving fan base, Jay Leno is one of those people that can thoroughly enjoy being a Mustang aficionado because, well, he can afford to buy the best of the best without even making a dent in his bank account. The rest of us? Yeah, wishful thinking.

And being that he is Jay Leno, he can also take the time out of his busy schedule to meet a few people directly associated with the Mustang, one of which is Tom Barnes, the car’s vehicle engineering manager.

During a recent trip to the Monterey Motorsports Week at Laguna Seca, Leno caught up with Barnes to talk about the latter’s new – and returning – pride and joy: the 2012 Mustang GT 302 Boss Edition.

Hit the jump for the full story.

Video: Jay Leno drops by to pay a visit to the 2012 Ford Mustang 302 Boss originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 26 August 2010 09:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

Well, apparently, the rumors from last week are true and Top Gear’s famous mystery driver, The Stig, is amidst a legal battle with BBC. What we didn’t know was that the identity of the world’s most mysterious driver would be uncovered before the whole situation got into the courtroom. So, here it is, and it’s official; British media reports that “The Stig’s true identity has been revealed as Ben Collins.” The 35-year-old racing driver and stuntman’s identity was revealed this past weekend via a series of financial documents that were provided by the stuntman’s company, Collins Autosport.

The accounts of his company’s finances gave a pretty good picture of the driver’s identity with statements such as recording a “cornerstone year” in December 2003 thanks, in large part, to ’driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme.” Directors noted the work offered ’good long-term prospects for continuing income.”

However, when was asked about these reports, Ben Collins simply said he was on his way to Hungary and then added, “’I can’t speak to you. I’m going into a tunnel.”

This isn’t the first time Collins was pinpointed as The Stig either. About a year and a half ago, a builder doing work on the driver’s home claimed he saw the famous white suit in Collins’ closet. A year before that, rumors had already started circulating claiming that The Stig was Ben Collins.

This just goes to show; if it walks, talks, and acts like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Quack, quack Collins.

Ben Collins is The Stig! originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 23 August 2010 08:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

It was only about six months ago that 80-year-old Stirling Moss was unfortunate enough to fall down an elevator shaft in his very own home. After recovering quickly from minor injuries, Moss moved forward quickly by purchasing a Porsche RS61 just like the one he raced in the sixties. That little speedster set him back a record $1.7 million, but it was well worth it for Moss as he was set to race it in Monterey this past weekend.

Unfortunately, while Moss was taking a warm-up lap at the the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s qualifying session, a fellow racer ran into him on his out lap. Stirling was unhurt, but the car, however, suffered considerable damage rendering it undriveable for the rest of the Monterey weekend. As this particular weekend was due to be his only race outing in the RS this year, he will now have to wait until 2011, once it is repaired in the United States, to get back behind the wheel of this classic Porsche race car.

Stirling Moss’ Porsche RS61 crashes at Monterey originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 16 August 2010 20:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

If you have a collection of 35 world-class cars and haven’t a clue on where to put them all, architect Steve Hermann may have an answer for you. Fork up $35 million and you can have the ultimate car collector’s estate located in Montecito, California, a modernist, 15,000 sq-ft house sporting a 35 car garage.

The 35 car garage isn’t exactly a garage; it’s more of an outstanding automotive gallery. Walls and pillars lined in walnut lead way to the rear facade covered in extravagant glass panes which seem to seamlessly hover over the rolling hills of the 3.5 acre estate teeming with ancient oak groves. Neighbors are among the most famous, including Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Martin, Jeff Bridges, and John Cleese.

With neighbors of the up-most status in society, and a design which oozes modernistic times and a love and appreciation of the automobile, what’s not to love? For $35 million you can enjoy your top-of-the-line auto collection whilst treating yourself to the epitome of luxury.

Let’s just hope it comes with curtains – lots of them.

The Car Collector’s Estate can be yours…for $35 million originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 13 August 2010 11:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

Back when Top Gear conceived the idea of the “Reasonably Priced-Car,” they would sit around planning on inviting some of the world’s most famous celebrities, often cracking at the thought of seeing Tom Cruise sitting behind the wheel of a “crappy Korean hatchback”.

Years and years after that, Top Gear finally got its wish when both Cruise and Knight and Day co-star Cameron Diaz dropped by the show to promote their new movie, which is scheduled for release in the UK on August 6.

Not only did they drop by, but Top Gear’s dream scenario of Cruise – and Diaz – driving a Korean car also came to fruition when the pair each took turns behind the wheel of a Kia Cee’d to set their lap times for the “Reasonably Priced Car” challenge. And yes, Diaz also tried to take off the Stig’s helmet in a photo shoot, knowing full well that if she were successful, she would have been more famous than Cruise will ever be for being the person to unearth the identity of the enigmatic test driver.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz visit Top Gear And Try To Take Off The Stig’s Helmet originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 26 July 2010 22:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

The boys of Top Gear may be all fun and games on the show, but to think that these guys are the same crackling and snickering chaps outside of the studio is both short-sighted and, well, downright idiotic.

Take James May for example.

In the show, the man affectionately called as ‘Captain Slow’ is a bubbling ball of wise cracks and witty one-liners, but what many people don’t know is that May has just received a pretty unique distinction that sets him apart from his two co-hosts: an honorary doctorate from Lancaster University.

May actually graduated from the same institution back in 1985 with a degree in music. Twenty-five years after throwing his graduation cap in the air at Lancaster University, May returned to receive his honorary Doctor of Letters diploma, joining Top Gear co-host Jeremy Clarkson who also happens to have his own honorary engineering doctorate degree, one that he received in 2005 from Oxford Brooks University.

Now that May and Clarkson are officially designated with the title “Doctor”, that leaves Richard Hammond as the only member of the trinity without his own doctorate degree. Something tells us that that’s going to be a punchline on the show until Mr. Hammond gets himself one of those degrees in the future.

James May Receives Doctorate Degree From Lancaster University originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 26 July 2010 08:00 EST.

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Top Speed Cars Car News

The 2010 Life Ball was the scene of a peculiar auction where MINI came out and provided the gathered audience with a chance to bid for one of its three special edition Life Ball MINI Countrymans.

All three models, designed by notable fashion designers Francisco Costa, Kenneth Cole, and Diane von Furstenberg, were all unveiled at Vienna’s City Hall Square for the annual AIDS charity event that benefits the Foundation for AIDS Research, the largest European HIV/AIDS fundraiser.

While all three MINIs were presented to the gathered crowd, only one of them was auctioned off with Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa seeing his precious pride and joy auctioned off for €40,000 ($61,000). As for the other two MINIs, they’re going to eventually see their day in the auction stand at later dates with the proceeds for both cars also going to the Foundation for AIDS research.

Dr Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President MINI Brand Management, said: “We can now look back on a successful ten-year partnership with the Life Ball. The event is an excellent platform for the MINI brand, while our involvement allows us to contribute further to the fight against HIV/AIDS.”

Press Release after the jump.

MINI Countryman Life Ball Editions introduced in Vienna originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 20 July 2010 14:00 EST.

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Maybe it’s just us, but our fascination for sports athletes and the cars that they drive is a real sickness, bordering even on downright fanaticism. While we profess to be fans of these athletes and whatever sport they excel in, it’s hard not to get caught up in the fancy rides that they buy from the piles of money they receive when playing their respective sports.

This particular scoop photo was taken by a forum member from CorrieraDellaSera.it – noggin knock to you, Mr. SabraSport – featuring Inter FC striker Mario Balottelli and his jaw-dropping matte black Audi R8 V10.

Okay, given that this 20-year old soccer stud plays for Serie A in Italy, we’re going to excuse you for not being familiar with the dude. But even if you don’t know him, the car he drives certainly needs no introduction. And add that to the fact that it’s dressed in a matte black finish and has unique black/yellow rims with matching brake calipers and you have a car that’s going to make heads turn no matter who’s sitting behind the wheel.

Inter FC soccer star Mario Balottelli has one awesome matte black Audi R8 V10 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 19 July 2010 10:00 EST.

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The Chevrolet Volt got an unexpected visit from no less than US President Barack Obama when the Commanding Officer took a trip to Chevrolet’s production facility in Holland, Michigan. Yeah, and we’re all lucky enough to have the President himself knock on our front doors and ask to have a round of beer with us in our backyards.

President Obama’s visit came during the ground-breaking ceremony of Compact Power’s new facility in the area. Incidentally, Compact Power, which is owned by LG-Chem, will be a key supplier to the Chevrolet Volt. Likewise, the new facility is expected to be of the key sites that will spur further growth of the country’s high-tech industry, a sentiment echoed by the President during his visit at the facility.

As for the Chevrolet Volt, President Obama seemed to be eager to get behind the driver’s seat of the car and was optimistic that the electric car, which is capable of running 40 all-electric miles and can travel for up to 340 miles on single full tank, would set a new standard in fuel-efficient vehicles and would pave the way to a future where automobiles wouldn’t be as dependent on fuel as they are today.

Press Release after the jump

The President meets the Chevrolet Volt originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 19 July 2010 08:00 EST.

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In the show that takes lunacy and awesomeness and fuses them together to create things that are out-of-this-world comes yet another creation that’s definitely not suited for road use.

We’ve all seen Rob Dyrdrek’s ingenious show ‘Fantasy Factory’ perform some wicked stunts over the years, but never have we seen anything remotely close to what they’re about to do. And the best part is they have even invited Vaughn Gittin Jr. to join in on the fun.

The two are teaming up for an episode of Fantasy Factories, which will take a 2011 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 and modify it for a nice run along a skate park, complete, naturally, with ramps, rails, and just about anything you’ll find in the daredevil location.

This video is just a teaser of what’s to come on the show, and judging from what it’s already showing, we figure that there’s more – a whole lot more – where that came from.

Video: Vaughn Gittin Jr. ramps a Mustang GT inside a skate park originally appeared on topspeed.com on Sunday, 11 July 2010 06:00 EST.

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Seat may not be all that popular of a car brand compared to its competitors, but the Spanish automaker sure knows how to get the attention of each and every testosterone-laden man in the world.

The Volkswagen-owned car brand has joined forces with Colombian pop superstar and certified hot-stuff Shakira to release a pair of special-edition Seat variants for both the Ibiza and Leon hatchbacks.

Billed as the Ibiza Good Stuff and the Leon Good Stuff - the name, apparently, was taken from Shakira’s new album "She-Wolf" - each special-edition model comes with a number of engine options, as well as added goodies that include, among other things, a Tom Tom sat nav system, a black iPod Nano 8GB with Seat’s logo on it, Bluetooth hands-free capability, a multi-functional steering wheel, sports seats, heated side mirrors, fog lamps with cornering lights, and "Kenda" alloy wheels.

We’re not certain as to what extent the partnership is between Seat and Shakira, but we do know that the two special-edition Seat hatchies will play prominent roles as Shakira embarks on her Good Stuff European Tour.

Seat partners with Shakira for special-edition Ibiza and Leon "Good Stuff" originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 3 July 2010 12:00 EST.

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Unlikely as it sounds, Victoria Beckham, better known in music circles as Posh Spice and in the entertainment world as David Beckham’s squeeze, has now been appointed as Range Rover’s new creative design executive.

Incidentally, the announcement was made during the Range Rover’s 40th anniversary at Kensington Palace at the same time the brand finally pulled off the covers of its new baby, the ’mini’ Range Rover Evoque.

"This is a very exciting collaboration," the former Spice Girl said. "The classic British heritage of Range Rover and the effortless style, quality and beauty is something I truly admire and also what I hope to achieve with my own brand. I am honoured to take on this role and be part of the creative team."

Continued after the jump

Range Rover taps Posh Spice to be new creative design executive originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 2 July 2010 15:00 EST.

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Okay, we know the Ferrari 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5 Liter V8 engine that delivers 570 HP. That’s more than enough for most of us, but Eric Clapton wants more than that! He asked Ferrari to create a special V12-powered 458 Italia just for him! Will he get it?

His request was the 6.0 liter V12 engine delivering 620 hp from the 599 GTB. Eric Clapton is famous for his Ferrari passion, but apparently he never particularly loved the eight cylinders.

In a previous interview, Eric Clapton said: "I love the sound of Ferraris and I, as a musician, can confirm that these engines deliver proper music. I have to say that my weak point is the 12-cylinders’ music." So, it’s no wonder he wants a V12 in his future Italia.

The list of Ferrari models driven by Clapton include: Enzo, F50, 550 Maranello, 365 GT4 BB, BB512, Testarossa, 512 TR, F512M, and more.

Eric Clapton wants a V12 Ferrari 458 Italia originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 30 June 2010 21:00 EST.

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Top Gear’s 15th season kicked off in the UK last week and as we have come to expect from those fellas, well, we really don’t know what to expect from them because unpredictability has always been their calling card. This season figures to be no different.

That being said, one popular segment that looks like it’s going to continue for Season no.15 is the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" and Top Gear, in an attempt to get something a little more up-to-date than the Chevy Lacetti they’ve been prancing around with in past seasons, is gearing up - no pun intended - to debut a new car for celebrity guests to punch in their best lap times on the Top Gear race track.

And during the first episode of the 15th season, we finally caught a glimpse of what the new reasonably-priced car is, and as fate would have it, that car turned out to be none other than Kia’s affable Cee’d, a car that, incidentally, isn’t available in America.

Whether Top Gear’s celebrity guests will have as good a time behind the wheel of the Cee’d as they did with the Lacetti, and the even older Suzuki Liana, remains to be seen. But what we do know is Top Gear’s back, which means its time for season downloads to resume.

Top Gear returns for 15th season with new "Reasonably-Priced Car" originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 28 June 2010 09:00 EST.

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