Motoramic - Yahoo! Autos

Bentley Mark VI Drophead Coupe: Flickr photo of the day

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:41:26 -0400

Steve Sexton photographed the Bentley Mark VI Drophead Coupe seen above in front of Tired Iron Works, an automotive restoration shop in Monrovia, Calif. If you care to share a spectacular image of your own, add it to the Motoramic group on Flickr, or send us a message via Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

Tesla pays off $465 million U.S. loan nine years early

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:59:44 -0400

Elon Musk may not be Tony Stark, but he's doing a credible impersonation of Lee Iacocca. The co-founder of Tesla Motors set another milestone for his electric car company today by making a final $451.8 million payment on the $465 million loan from the U.S. government — nine years earlier than scheduled. The massive payment [...]

2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe and Cabrio: Motoramic Drives

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:45:12 -0400

A handy test can determine whether you’re the target buyer for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe or Cabriolet. Like their sober sedan cousin, these more fun-loving E-Classes have receiving an unusually thorough “refreshing” for 2014. That’s industry shorthand for a makeover that occurs roughly halfway through a model’s life cycle, as opposed to the stem-to-stern redesign [...]

Searching for Joe Strummer’s lost wheels in “I Need A Dodge”

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:11:00 -0400

In the early 1970s, Dodge gave Europeans a sip of American muscle-car moonshine by building the 3700 GT in Spain, a cousin of the Plymouth Valiant with styling tweaks, a Euro-grade interior and a Slant Six that towered above the continent's field of four-cylinder motors. It was a cool enough combination 15 years later to [...]

May 22: “Winning,” starring Paul Newman, was released on this date in 1969

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:50:02 -0400

Long before Charlie Sheen made it a catchword, "Winning," starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, was a movie released in theaters on this date — May 22, 1969. While a great racing flick in its own right, featuring real footage from two Indy 500s, "Winning" is often overshadowed by Newman's other movie from 1969: "Butch [...]

McLaren MP4-12C Spider in volcano yellow: Flickr photo of the day

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:27:10 -0400

A McLaren MP4-12C Spider will accelerate from a dead stop to 60 mph in about 3 seconds, so Jon Wheel needed a fast lens to capture this one in motion in Exeter, Pennsylvania. If you want to share your own automotive daydream, add it to the Motoramic group on Flickr, or send us a message [...]

Hennessey mutates the F-150 Raptor into the barbaric VelociRaptor SUV

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:14:47 -0400

If you're unfortunate enough to visit Jurassic Park, it's the quick-footed velociraptor that draws ultimate fear. Evading such a nimble, aggressive creature requires a vehicle that's bigger, tougher, and generally more intimidating than anything else on the road. You might think the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor fits the bill pretty nicely, but Hennessey Performance disagrees: [...]

Forza Motorsport 5 teased to overheat the racing game wars

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:49:41 -0400

Barely a week after Sony previewed Gran Turismo 6 as the capstone of the outgoing Playstation 3, Microsoft revealed a peek today at its new Xbox One system featuring a new Forza Motorsport 5 game. The trailer doesn't spill much about specific improvements to the game, instead showing a McLaren P1 racing its F1 forebear [...]

Pawning your Porsche, the latest trend for hard-up elites

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:04:46 -0400

This garage full of exotic sports cars isn't a parking deck in Las Vegas or the valet stand at the Mall of the Emirates. Rather, its the temporary collection of Borro, a new sort of high-end lender which offers short-term loans to the wealthy against their assets — whether those are Ferraris or fine art. [...]

2014 Audi R8, perfection has its price: Motoramic Drives

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:21:29 -0400

Parking at Sonoma Raceway for a test drive of the 2014 Audi R8, I quickly realize it’s not the typical track-day press junket. Instead of the random assortment of Chryslers, Toyotas and BMWs with manufacturer plates, there’s a sultry red Ferrari 458, and a couple of R8s on the lot. Their California street plates show [...]

May 21: Juan Manuel Fangio wins the Monaco Grand Prix on this date in 1950

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:29:38 -0400

By modern standards, Juan Manuel Fangio would have been considered washed up by the time he first sat behind the wheel of a Formula One car. The Argentinian had a long record of racing victories in South America, but World War II delayed his debut in Europe until he was 37 years old. On this [...]

Wrestler’s custom supercar rumbles with the Gumball 3000

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:54:29 -0400

For the past 15 years, the Gumball 3000 rally has managed to unite outrageous cars and a potpourri of celebrities behind a 3,000-mile road trip-slash-hoedown to wealth and speed. This year's race started in Copenhagen on Saturday, and it's lineup has a Stefon-ready quality: a Saudi prince, Cypress Hill, a replica of Batman's Tumblr and [...]

“Gone in 60 Seconds” star Eleanor fetches $1 million at auction

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:25:56 -0400

When Mecum Auctions estimated that "Eleanor" – the hero car from Gone in 60 Seconds — would sell for around $300,000, most believed that prediction was low. As it turned out, it was, as the modified 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 fetched $1 million at the blocks last week, proving that Eleanor was worthy of her "unicorn" [...]

2013 Volvo C30 T5 R-Design, a Swede speeder: Motoramic Drives

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:04:04 -0400

Volvo automobiles do not scream sports or sporty or sporting. I can say this given that my extended family has owned cars from this venerable Swedish nameplate for decades. Our Volvo chariot of choice has always been the company’s comically capable wagon, which in XC guise provides a reassuring combination of cavernous utility and foul-weather [...]

May 20: Electric taxi driver gets first U.S. speeding ticket on this date in 1899

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:20:57 -0400

The men behind the Electric Vehicle Co. thought they had the 20th century by the scruff of the neck. After two inventors had fashioned a working electric vehicle in 1894, they formed an electric taxicab company in New York, that grew enough to be backed by a wealthy industrialist. As of 1899, there were 60-odd [...]

Aston Martin celebrates 100 years with the CC100 speedster

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:59:05 -0400

One hundred years ago, Aston Martin was born. Founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, this classic British sports car company built a reputation for providing ultimate luxury meshed with a successful on-track pedigree. In celebration of Aston's birthday, the team developed a special concept showcasing the brand's past, present, and future curves, while taking [...]

2013 Ram 2500/3500 pickups, moving like Fred Astaire: Motoramic Drives

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:52 -0400

You don’t have to travel far from Chrysler’s proving grounds in Chelsea, Mich., to happen upon some surprisingly curvy roads. And when the morning sunshine glistens off the blooming dogwoods, it’s easy to forget you’re driving a Ram 3500, loaded with weighty slabs of concrete, and take the sumptuous bends with more vigor than a [...]

Media drive of Lamborghini Gallardos ends with totaled Gallardo

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:29:37 -0400

Lamborghinis can be challenging cars even for experienced drivers, let alone amateurs who aren't familiar with how quickly 552 hp can break loose whatever traction the tires have and turn the bull into an unguided missile. The latest toreador to get stabbed by the bull? A Chinese journalist who totaled this new Gallardo 560-4 during [...]

May 17: Horace Elgin Dodge was born on this date in 1868

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:16 -0400

Horace Elgin Dodge was just another poor kid born in Niles, Mich., on this day in 1868, but by the time of his death 53 years later, he and his brother John Dodge would be two of America's richest, most successful industrialists. Inseparable in life and beyond — both are buried in the family's massive [...]

Dubai imagines a Bugatti Veyron as its latest useless cop car

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:44:19 -0400

After acquiring a Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF and an Aston-Martin One-77 for its overexposed police force, Dubai public safety officials revealed last week that they'd soon snap up the only supercar left out of their set: a Bugatti Veryon, which starts at $1.4 million and goes from there. If only they could find some spare [...]