Car2Be.com – Hot News & Reviews

Filed under: Convertible, Europe, Specialty, Racing

It was a year ago that Dutch sports car maker Doonkervoort teased the D8 GTO on its Christmas card. It took a little longer than expected (and we lost a fiver in the process), but Santa’s elves have crafted the thing in time for this Christmas. As predicted, it’s “clearly a size larger” than Donkervoort’s other fireballs, the GT and D8 270RS, by about a foot in length and six inches in width.

However, it doesn’t share much with its siblings because the company wanted to provide a perfect holding place for the 2.5-liter TSFI engine sourced from Audi. The same lump you’ll find in the TT-RS, only30 kilograms lighter, it’s been revised in conjunction with Audi engineers to make it even more suited to the GTO. It makes 340-400 horsepower depending on whether you flick a “race module” switch, and 331 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers in a two-seater that weighs just 1,540 pounds should make this the quickest car in Donkervoort’s stable.

The GTO’s steel-tube frame is wrapped in carbon panels and a one-piece door that swings up quasi Koenigsegg style. A first run of 25 – half of which are sold already – will get the Audi engines and go on sale early next year, while “regular” versions with an unidentified engine will be available later in 2012. Prices begin at €100,000 and go up to €150,000, before tax.

Follow the jump for a press release with all the info, and check the high-res gallery for a closer look at the best thing to come out of Holland since bitteballen and siropwaffelen.

Continue reading Donkervoort D8 GTO is bigger and badder

Donkervoort D8 GTO is bigger and badder originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:01:00 EST.

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Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota

Automotive News reports that Toyota may experience production delays tied to widespread flooding in Thailand. The Japanese automaker relies on certain Thai components, including audio systems, diodes and condensers that may see production shortages.

Such shortages have already caused three plants in Thailand to be shut down entirely and some of the automaker’s facilities in Japan to scale back production. Now there’s a chance that the squeeze may be placed on some North American Toyota plants. Currently, the automaker says that it’s evaluating its supply chain to determine just how far-reaching the production delays will be.

The report indicates that Toyota is already considering cutting one day of Saturday work at its four North American facilities and contemplating additional overtime restrictions. As of right now, the automaker says it has enough parts in stock to continue production while its suppliers source components from Malaysia and the Philippines. All told, the flooding in Thailand has caused a restriction on around 100 individual Toyota components.

Toyota says U.S. plants may be hurt by Thai floods originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:28:00 EST.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Videos, Racing

As much as we may wish otherwise, the vast majority of those reading this will never find themselves behind the wheel of a Formula 1 race car. And even if they did, actually piloting one of these beasts at speed around a real race track (video games don’t count) is a practice best left to the professionals.

This being the case, the closest you’re likely to get to seeing what it’s really like to drive an F1 car is by watching the video after the break. Lucas di Grassi, formerly a driver for Virgin Racing and now the official test driver for Pirelli, strapped an eye-level camera to his helmet and set out for a lap at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.

According to di Grassi, driving with such an apparatus affixed to his head wasn’t an easy task. “I had to drive with only one eye open as the camera was blocking my other eye, quite tricky,” he said. We bet. See it all shake down after the break.

Continue reading See what an F1 driver really sees while racing

See what an F1 driver really sees while racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:59:00 EST.

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Filed under: Classics, Performance, Videos, Australia, Motorcycle

We’re beginning to think Australia is the Promised Land. The wayward continent embraces all things motorized in a way that never fails to make us smile. Lately, we’ve become aware of the growing number of vastly talented motorcycle builders coming from that corner of the globe, including Matt Machine.

Machine is responsible for a volley of well-executed bikes, including a Moto Guzzi Mark 1 Le Mans that will stop your heart and start it back up again if you look at it for too long. A few video-oriented friends recently swung by the Machine farm for a few days to work up a quick flick on the man’s inner workings as well as his creations. The result is fantastic.

The video after the jump is a well-shot ode to hand-crafting works of two-wheeled obsession. As Machine says, “It’s about me learning how to use my hands and use tools and use my brain to build things from scratch.”

Amen. Hit the jump to check out the clip for yourself.

Continue reading The inner workings of Matt Machine makes us want to build, then ride

The inner workings of Matt Machine makes us want to build, then ride originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:29:00 EST.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, BMW

Now that we have a clear glimpse of the 2012 BMW 328i and 335i, it’s time for us to set our sights on the next chapter of the 3 Series story: the M3. Our trusty spy photographers caught this prototype doing its thing on the N