Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Performance , Specialty , MISC Pagani Zonda R - Click above for high-res image gallery A diamond in the rough? We'd hardly consider the plethora of exciting new vehicle debuts and revolutionary concept cars that is the currently ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show as "rough." But behind the Tesla and Mansory show stands in the Messe - that's the German name for the exhibition grounds, not a critique of its tidiness - we stumbled upon a real jewel of carbon fiber and exhaust tubing. Pagani calls it the Zonda R, and it was on display courtesy of the Italian exotic automaker's German distributor. The ultimate incarnation of the eminently desirable supercar, itself due to be replaced shortly, the $1.8 million track-only Zonda R was unveiled back in February , but this was as close as we've gotten to the vehicle in the carbon yet. It costs about $1.8 million, is constructed out of a carbon-titanium weave, packs 739 horsepower and features Pagani's first sequential gearbox, delivering extreme performance, with a 0-60 mph run of three seconds flat and a 233 mph top end. Pagani Deutschland had the Zonda R on display with the engine cover removed, and with good reason: the engine bay - really everything aft of the bulkhead - is a beautifully sculpted masterpiece of mechanical engineering, from the 6.0-liter hand-built Mercedes AMG V12 to the inboard F1-style shocks. Unfortunately, the comparatively small display of a local distributor (as opposed to an independent automaker) meant that we couldn't get the kind of beauty shots to which we'd hope you've become accustomed by now, but trust us when we say that in this case, you can bet the devil's in the details. Have a closer look in the gallery below. Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Pagani Zonda R Frankfurt 2009: Up close and personal with the sensational Pagani Zonda R originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Filed under: Motorsports , Etc. , Videos , Ferrari Puma builds a Ferrari F1 car out of clothes - click above to watch the video after the jump People apparently love building full-scale Ferrari F1 cars. Whether made from 80,000 lego bricks , delicious chocolate , or $24,000 worth of carbon fiber , the legendary Italian racecars are a popular vehicle to replicate. We can now add clothing to that list. The latest recreation was built using a variety of Puma shirts, shoes, sandals, socks, hats, and other apparel to recreate a surprisingly detailed Ferrari F1 car. Thanks to Puma's licensing deal with Ferrari, the car even comes with the proper logos and badges. You can watch the video of the entire process after the jump . Thanks for the tip, Rahul! [Source: YouTube ] Continue reading VIDEO: Puma builds Ferrari F1 racer out of clothing VIDEO: Puma builds Ferrari F1 racer out of clothing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show - Click above for complete list of vehicles covered You're looking at a Porsche Panamera S with a trailer hitch. We're looking at an empty bottle of scotch and 11-hour plane rides. But never mind all that - what you really need to know is five hacks blogged over 60 posts and approximately ninety-billion photos in two days. Why so many cars? We're thinking that the OEMs had a ton of new metal lined-up pre-Great Recession then got spooked by the economic meltdown. Frankfurt proved to be a dumping ground for all the new stuff - or at least it felt that way. But hey, what's better than new cars? For us and you, not a whole lot. Follow the jump for a list of every car we covered in Frankfurt and discover exactly how we felt walking back to the hotel after being (almost) forcibly removed from the media room. At least you can't accuse us of not trying.

Filed under: Government/Legal , Technology , Ford , GM At first, Ford's SYNC wasn't much more than a way for drivers to access music on their MP3 players through their car's radio. But SYNC grew up and, in its last update , gained the ability to summon help in an emergency, access navigation and information services and, basically, match GM's OnStar. Ford had Joseph Berry to thank for that. Past tense. Had. Back in July, Ford reportedly terminated Berry without getting him to sign over several key SYNC patents. Berry says the patents are based on ideas he came up with before joining Ford and therefore belong to him. But, he says, he'll be happy to license them to his former employer. Ford basically says, "No comment." The patents are directly related technologies that allow SYNC to use mobile phones to access data such as weather and real-time traffic information. Berry says he's currently in talks with "several automakers" and the head of GM's OnStar division will only say that they "know who Joe Berry is." Should Ford SYNC users be concerned about losing service?

Filed under: Aftermarket , SEMA Show , Coupe , Performance , Auctions , Chevrolet 2010 Hurst Camaro - Click above for high-res image The SEMA Show is coming up fast, and already we're hearing about all the new tuner vehicles we'll get to see on the show floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center come November. One of those cars will be a one-off 2010 Hurst Camaro to be auctioned off on eBay Motors starting two weeks before the show. The original car was generously donated by GM, and proceeds from the auction will go to benefit SEMA's Memorial Scholarship Fund that supports students who want to pursue careers in the aftermarket industry. This unique Camaro features a paint scheme opposite to the Silver and Black Series 4 Challenger with red and silver stripes painted over Brilliant Black. The car also comes with a Hurst AIR-SPEED decklid spoiler, 20-inch polished forged wheels wrapped with BFGoodrich tires, Eibach suspension components, Magnaflow exhaust system and exterior Hurst badges. Of course, no Hurst-built car would come without a new shifter, and the Camaro gets a Competition/Plus unit with a red anodized HARD-DRIVE billet handle. Final touches include embroidered floor mats, a personalized dash plaque and signatures from the Hurst executive team under the trunk lid. There's no official word on whether Hurst will build a production version of the Camaro to join the Dodge Challenger , Dodge Viper and Pontiac G8 models that are currently available, but we wouldn't bet against it. Full details on the Hurst Camaro and the auction can be found in the press release after the jump. [Source: Hurst Performance Vehicles ] Continue reading SEMA Preview: One-off Hurst Camaro to be auctioned for charity SEMA Preview: One-off Hurst Camaro to be auctioned for charity originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:29:00 EST.

Filed under: Coupe , Sedan , Crossover , Buick , Cadillac , Chevrolet , GM 2010 Chevy Camaro - Click above for high-res image gallery Good news has been in short supply for General Motors so far this year, but increased demand for its new products shows that the worst of times may be in the rear view mirror. Automotive News is reporting that GM may increase production of four new vehicles due to heavy demand. The new-for-2010 Chevy Equinox and Camaro , Cadillac SRX and Buick LaCrosse are reportedly under consideration. Equinox sales are so brisk (13,157 sales in August) that GM is considering adding production of the efficient crossover at a second plant. Expanding Equinox production could also happen if GM adds a third shift to its CAMI facility in Ontario. One reason for the potential production increases stems from this summer's Cash for Clunkers bonanza. Inventory is now so low for many vehicles that a bump in production is inevitable. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson reportedly told AN that the company knew it would have to eventually bump production and that its new products have done the best job of outstripping demand. GM is likely hoping that these fresh faces are hot enough that a sustained production bump is necessary, which may mean that some laid off employees could be called back to work. Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Chevy Camaro [Source: Automotive News - Sub.

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Budget , Europe , Hatchback , Kia Kia Venga - Click above for high-res image gallery If you're going to ape the design of another automaker's product, it's best to choose one that's attractive. Therefore, we give Kia kudo points for making its Venga look something like a smoothed-over Ford Fiesta, a car we've gone on record multiple times as admiring. In any case, the Kia Venga is a somewhat derivative but all-in-all attractive take on the single-box hatchback bodystyle. If you're hoping to put a Venga in your driveway and you live in the United States, sorry to burst your bubble. While anything is possible, Kia has yet to give any indication that the Venga is headed Stateside. That being the case, feel free to gaze longingly at our gallery of live shots below. If you happen to live in Europe, all you need to do is wait a few months as the Venga is set to hit the showroom floor later this year. Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga Continue reading Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga is nice... and a little Fiesta-riffic to our eyes Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga is nice... and a little Fiesta-riffic to our eyes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:27:00 EST.

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show Frauleins of Frankfurt - Click above for high-res image gallery Yes, that's a Lamborghini in the picture above. We think. Could be a bar stool. As we do with every auto show, Autoblog is happy to present the one post that we're sure at least some of you have been waiting for since we touched down in Germany to cover the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show . It's time to honor those women (and one dude in a furry suit ) who are charged with keeping our attention focused on those vehicles they've been paid to lean against. These sirens of chrome (not our label, see here ) are sometimes controversial (are the women objectified, do we need this service anymore, who does their hair?), but always a pleasure to behold. Check out the gallery below for our roundup of an admittedly smaller group of car models than years past (damn global recession!). Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: The Frauleins of Frankfurt Frankfurt 2009: The Fraulein of Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Budget , Europe , Hatchback , Citroen 2010 Citroen C3 - click above image for hi-res gallery It's really a shame we can't buy Citroens in America anymore. Main reason is the awesome C6. Second reason is that all the small Citroens we poked our heads into at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show had sticks. By comparison, more than half the VWs were slushers. Moving on - check out this cute little guy! It's the new C3, complete with its "Zenith Windshield." As you may have noticed, the front piece of glass goes all the way to eleven. We like this, because as time moves on, safety concerns and styling trends are forcing more and more glass out of the cabin. It's getting so bad that you can't hardly see out of the new Chevy Camaro. Not so in this here Citroen C3. Forward visibility for the win. And the view from outside the car ain't so bad either.

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Europe , Hatchback , Citroen 2010 Citroen DS3 - Click above for high-res image gallery Seriously Citroen, what is up? We're all for premium small cars (think Mini Cooper, Audi A3) and pray nightly that more will start coming to our shores. But calling this C3-based hatchback a DS? For reals? Look, any new Citroen DS has some mighty big Louboutins to fill. Like, huge. And, well, come on now - who you fooling? End oleopneumatic-a-phile rant. Hey hey - this is a nice looking little guy. Love the two-tone roof, the LED fog light surrounds, blackened wheels, the trick mirror and general demeanor.