Auto Extreme

It’s no secret that Porsche’s Boxster was inspired by the German sports-car maker’s classic 550 Spyder racing model. And it’s also no secret that Porsche loves to run limited-editions of its popular roadster. The first generation Boxster (that’s 986 for those in the know) saw a special 550 Spyder commemorative edition made in limited numbers, while the current (987) Boxster has a North American-only special edition on the market now, of which only 500 examples were produced - all in Porsche’s GT3 RS Orange paint.

Now, yet another special edition has been produced that once again harks to the Boxster’s heritage. Based on the current Boxster S, the Boxster RS 60 draws its inspiration from the 550 Spyder’s successor, the Type 718 RS 60 Spyder. Produced for the 1960 racing season in which numerous class wins were achieved, the 718 RS 60 Spyder became known as a dragon-slayer after it scored its first overall victory at the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring, dominating over rival cars possessing significantly more power. And that’s kind of the point with the Boxster RS 60 Spyder as well.

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In the New York International Auto Show, Chrysler uncover and announced its entire 2009 Dodge Challenger Model Lineup. The all-new 2009 Dodge Challenger merges the best American muscle-car characteristics — unmistakable design, world-class handling, powerful engines and technology — to delight driving enthusiasts across several generations.

The car’s pricing will start a little over $20,000. 35 years after the original Challenger, Dodge tried to create the modern American muscle-car and will offer three models of the 2009 Dodge Challenger in North America: Dodge Challenger SRT8, Dodge Challenger R/T and Dodge Challenger SE.

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Supercar maker Saleen unviels the S5S Raptor in the New York International Auto Show. This S5S Raptor is a Ferrari F430-killer that is designed to compete with the high-performance offerings from Ferrari and Lamborghini, the Raptor delivers 650 horsepower at 6300 rpm and 630 pound-feet of torque at 4400 rpm. The Saleen S5S Raptor looks like one serious supercar and if manufacturers like Ferrari don’t look out, they might fall prey to the Raptor. At the same time, I know that there is some major appeal to having a German or Italian supercar, and certain consumers will never blow that kind of money on a car that has such a strong connection to Ford.

Even so, the all-new Saleen S5S Raptor — which was unveiled at the New York Auto Show yesterday — is quite the sight to behold. It has much more aggressive lines than the Ford GT, offering a wide stance not unlike the Lamborghini Murcielago or the Ferrari F430. And it’s got plenty of grunt to back up that menacing look, generating a formidable 650 horsepower (at 6300rpm) and 630 lbs-ft of torque (at 4400rpm).

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Hyundai revealed and premiered its 2010 Genesis Coupe at New York International Auto Show. The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is highly anticipated at NYIAS. There ar e two stunt drivers performing burnouts and controlled skids in front of gathered journalists. The official unveiling confirmed much of the rumored information already known about the car.

Hyundai already has released some advance information on the car, with additional material leaked from an early marketing clinic last year. According to various Web sites, the Genesis Coupe will offer a choice of at least two power plants: a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a normally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 that is said to make more than 300 horsepower.

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The 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe steals the spotlight at the New York International Auto Show. GM revealed the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe glory. From the moment the original Pontiac Solstice Roadster Concept made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show until today, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has personally steered it through every obstacle in its path.

The Solstice Roadster has proven one of the few real success stories in the Pontiac line-up, in recent years. And with the demise of the largely forgettable GTO remake, the little two-seater is about the only product to justify that old tagline, “We build excitement.”

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The car you see here is the Geneva-bound Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel concept, the successor to 2006’s Exige 265E, which made 265 horses running on E85. The 270E goes a step further. Not only can it run on gasoline or ethanol, it achieves its peak output — 270 horsepower and 184 lb-ft — on methanol, hence the Tri-Fuel label. Incidentally, that power figure is the highest yet for an Exige coming out of Hethel. Even more interesting, however, is Lotus’ research into producing carbon-neutral synthetic methanol. You can read about it in detail after the jump, but in summary, the process involves using atmospheric CO2 and reacting it with hydrogen created via renewable electrical power to create methanol. Liquid methanol could be transported and distributed much in the same way gasoline is now, making for a feasible infrastructure if the idea were to take hold somewhere down the line.

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Pontiac will uncover and display the G8 GXP sports sedan at the New York Auto Show next week. The new Poncho flagship wears subtle visual tweaks including updated front and rear fascias plus the same 19″ HSV wheels that were shown on the G8 concept. More importantly, the GXP packs GM’s 6.2L LS3 V8 underhood.

The GXP is the new range-topping variant of the Pontiac G8 lineup. Like the company’s other GXP models, this high-performance G8 delivers more power and better handling than the base models. The G8 GXP delivers a zero to 60 mph time of about 4.7 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 13.0 seconds at 108 mph.

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Those expecting to see a new entry-level Ferrari at Geneva, possibly called the Dino, were disappointed. But we do hear such a car may be possible at the Paris show later this year. In the meantime, Ferrari unveiled an updated version of its 2+2, the 612 Scaglietti.

Although the exterior appearance remains largely the same, many of the updates are beneath the car’s sexy skin. The new premium GT now comes with a modified F1 semiautomatic gearbox, which features sequential paddle shifters and an automatic clutch. The new setup promises faster upshifts and ear-pleasing throttle-blip downshifts. The steering wheel is also fitted with a revised Manettino switch, which allows the driver to configure the car’s engine output for extra power and the level at which stability — and traction-control systems intervene as well as firmness of the adjustable suspension.

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The El-Camino has come to life in the form of the all-new Pontiac G8 Sport Truck that will hit the market in North America in 2009. This rumor and speculations has been around for months about a G8 Ute and GM even showed the GMC Denali XT concept at the Chicago Auto Show last month – a four-door ute with a two-mode hybrid power-train that may or may not see production.

Now that the Pontiac G8 has ushered in a new era of affordable rear-wheel-drive performance at General Motors, the car-based pickup truck, or Ute as they are called Down Under, is coming back. ust like its G8 sedan sibling, the Sport Truck is based on the corresponding Holden Commodore model, which bears the “Ute” nametag in Australia.

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In this year’s 2008 Geneva Motor Show, Pininfarina did not disppoint spectators and revealed it’s one of the most achingly beautiful four-door concepts we’ve seen to date. This exciting new car will be named “Sintesi”. The Sintesi, whose slow reveal we brought you incrementally as the studio released details week by week in the wind-up to this year’s Geneva Motor Show, takes the notion of a four-door coupe, crumples it up and ever so elegantly throws it in the face of just about every passenger vehicle that has come before it, including Pininfarina’s own Maserati Quattroporte. Come to think of it, the QP is due for a replacement, and if the Sintesi previews the next Trident sedan in any way, we just might have to mortgage our homes.

Before being unveiled at Geneva, the Sintesi has been the subject of a teaser campaign which has attracted a great deal of interest online among specialist journalists, scoring more than 250,000 hits on Google.

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