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Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Performance, Videos, Cadillac

When we were fortunate enough to have a Cadillac CTS-V for a week to review, we said it was “one of the finest cars on the road today and one of the best vehicles ever built by General Motors.” Of course, there’s always room for improvement. At least Hennessey Performance thinks so, and they have come up with the V700 upgrade package that boosts the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 to more than 700 horsepower.

What does it take to squeeze more than 150 more horsepower out of the LSA V8? Hennessey adds a cold air induction system, a smaller supercharger pulley, a new engine management system, long tube headers, three-inch exhaust system with high-flow cats, an upgraded intercooler, more aggressive cam, and high-flow heads.

The result? Horsepower is up to 707 at 6300 rpm, and torque is rated at 701 lb-ft. That all adds up to some impressive performance on-track, including a 0-60 mph time of just 3.3 seconds and a top speed of of 211 mph. Fortunately, Hennessey had the cameras rolling during test, and you can watch the Hennessey CTS-V tear up the drag strip in the video after the jump.

[Source: Hennessey Performance]

Continue reading Hennessey’s Cadillac CTS-V ready for prime time [w/video]

Hennessey’s Cadillac CTS-V ready for prime time [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:01:00 EST.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Spyker

Most people think of Ford when they hear the name Galpin. After all, the Van Nuys, CA dealership has been the Blue Oval’s number one volume seller for twenty years running. But Galpin sells more than Mustangs and Fusions. Their Premier Collection showroom houses inventory for Aston Martin, Jaguar and Lotus - it’s the same place we visited to get up close and personal with the Aston Martin One-77.

Galpin can now add one more to that list. Spyker, the new owner of Saab, has appointed Galpin as its latest dealer and the only one in Los Angeles. The announcement kicked off with a party earlier this week at Galpin’s Classic Collection building with various colors of the C8 Aileron coupe and spyder on display.

Don’t expect the Dutch supercars to fly off Galpin’s showroom floor, though. Just 45 cars were sold worldwide last year, with the United States accounting for less than half that total. That said, Beau Boeckmann, President of Galpin, has realistic expectations for 2010. He hopes to maintain ten percent of the North American market share, which would currently equate to just a couple of cars each year. Hit the jump for the press release from Galpin or click on our gallery of live shots from the event below.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Galpin launches new Spyker dealership in Southern California

Galpin launches new Spyker dealership in Southern California originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:55:00 EST.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Japan, BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Luxury

Tuners typically roll out one package at a time. When a big tuner show like SEMA comes around, maybe a couple at a time. But Japanese tuning firm Wald International is launching five body kits for some of the most desirable top-of-the-line luxury sedans, all at the same time.

Included in Wald’s plans are aero kits for the Rolls-Royce Ghost, Porsche Panamera, Infiniti M, Jaguar XJ and BMW 7 Series. Throw in a Quattroporte, Mercedes CLS, maybe a Bentley and the Aston Martin Rapide in there and they’d have the whole kit and kaboodle covered. Not much in the way of details available as of yet on this quintet of modified luxury wheels, but from the looks of it, each has been lowered and mounted with new front fascias, side skirts and big ol’ alloys. Check ‘em out for yourself below.

[Source: Wald International via CarScoop]

Wald International takes on Rolls, Porsche, Jaguar, BMW and Infiniti… all at the same time originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST.

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Filed under: Japan, Recalls, Toyota

Fifteen days after Toyota announced a recall of 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. for sticking accelerator pedals, the company’s president and grandson of its founder made a formal apology at an evening news conference in Japan on Friday night (early morning EST). Akio Toyoda has been largely silent during the last two weeks as his company struggles to contain the fallout from recalls affecting over nine million vehicles on multiple continents. The only other time he’s spoken on record was during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last Friday when he told a Japanese interviewer, “I am deeply sorry.” What’s the reason for today’s remarks? Toyoda told the audience of press, “”I came out here today because I would not want our customers to spend the weekend wondering whether their cars are safe.”

The company president also announced that a committee would be created to look at Toyota’s quality issues and address them going forward, something his predecessor, Katsuake Watanabe, also did back in 2006. Finally, in regards to braking issues with the 2010 Prius revealed yesterday, Toyoda said the company would soon announce how it plans to address them. Despite reports coming out of Japan to the contrary, there has been no official confirmation from Toyota that the new Prius will be recalled. Both the Japanese and U.S. governments have also opened investigations on the Prius and Toyota has pledged its cooperation.

We also learned yesterday of brake issues in the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid after Consumer Reports experienced a sudden loss of braking power in a Fusion Hybrid and contacted the automaker. The issue sounds similar to what some owners are experiencing in the 2010 Prius, though we’ve only heard of this one instance and Ford has already responded with a TSB to repair the issue with a software upgrade.

UPDATE: Statement by Toyota President Akio Toyoda added after the jump.

Tired of Toyota recall news? Try out the recall-free version of Autoblog.

[Source: The New York Times | Image: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty]

Continue reading Toyota President apologizes… again, calls situation a “crisis” *UPDATE

Toyota President apologizes… again, calls situation a “crisis” *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:58:00 EST.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Auctions, Ferrari

Very rarely does a Ferrari 250 GTO come up for sale, and if it does, you’ll probably never hear about it. Most sales are done behind closed doors, and the amount of said transactions are almost never disclosed to the public. That’s just part of the mystique behind the world’s most valuable car, and it’s partially why the cars are so coveted. Just 36 examples were built between 1962 and 1963, each still in existence and easily carrying an eight-figure price tag. A few years ago, a 250 GTO supposedly changed hands for nearly $30 million, but no one can completely confirm the rumor.

We will, however, have more details about the next sale of a 250 GTO. RM Auctions have announced that they will be doing a “private treaty sale” of 1963 250 GTO chassis #4675GT. The car has been in possession of its current Japanese owner, Yoshiho Matsuda, since 1996 (a low point for the value of the car compared to the high prices of the late 1980s), and it has an extensive racing history.

We saw the car at the Pebble Beach Concour d’Elegance back in 2004, and while its Series II bodywork isn’t quite as stunning as earlier models, it’s still an extraordinarily beautiful car. If you’ve got millions of dollars just sitting around, now is the time to break out the checkbook and buy your very own rolling piece of V12-powered Italian artwork. Hit the jump for the official press release from RM or click the high-res gallery below for a beautiful studio shot plus several of our photographs from our 2004 encounter with the car.

Non-Studio Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: RM Auctions]

Continue reading Ultra-rare 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO up for sale by RM Auctions… will it set a record?

Ultra-rare 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO up for sale by RM Auctions… will it set a record? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:56:00 EST.

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