Monterey: 1934 Packard convertible takes Best In Show at Pebble Beach

Hard decisions have been made, score sheets have been tallied and a new car now reigns over the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The 2013 Best In Show winner here at Pebble is the 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria owned by Joseph and Margie Cassini of West Orange, NJ. We'll give you a second to memorize that name.

The vehicle that beat out a huge field of worthy competitors is special indeed, despite being relatively unknown outside of the concours set. A giant open touring car â€" typical of the American metal of this social strata and era â€" the very scale of Packard is massive by modern standards. Well-known coachbuilder Dietrich stretched elegant flowing fenders, closed in the rear, to encompass the Packard's 140-plus-inch wheelbase. Powered by a pristine, L-head V12 engine, probably pushing something in the neighborhood of 150 horsepower, the pre-war coupe is more of a stroller than a sprinter. But the judges aren't bound to take performance into consideration when it comes to the utterly patrician field of competitors.

A similar 1934 Packard Victoria Convertible by Dietrich received a high bid of $2.2 million at an RM Auction in Amelia Island last year, but it seems as though the car went unsold. Chances are good that this very rare breed of Packard is due a slight bump in value after today.

Congratulations to The Cassinis, to the officials at Pebble Beach and to all the attendees lucky enough to catch a glimpse of yet another champion automobile.

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Official: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage to carry $12,995 price tag*

If you've only got about twelve grand to spend on a car and you want something new, you've got options, but not many: You can get a Nissan Versa sedan for $11,900, a base Chevrolet Spark hatchback for $12,170, or â€" as Mitsubishi has just announced â€" a 2014 Mirage for $12,995.

Not only does that make it one of the cheapest new cars you can buy, but Mitsubishi also claims it's "the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered non-hybrid vehicle in America," carrying an EPA highway fuel economy rating of 44 miles per gallon. But then that rating is for the CVT model, which will cost you an extra grand over the base five-speed manual version. The bog-standard DE model comes with features including automatic climate control, keyless entry and seven airbags, but for another $1,200 (with either transmission) you can upgrade to ES trim with a whole mess of other features. Regardless of which model you choose, though, you'll have to pay an extra *$725 for delivery ($920 if you live in Alaska or Hawaii), elevating the actual cost of entry to $13,720 in the Lower 48.

Mitsubishi Motors Announces Pricing for the All-New 2014 Mirage, the Most Fuel-Efficient Gasoline-Powered Non-Hybrid Vehicle in America
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 - Cypress, California -

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) today announced that the company's all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage 5-door sub-compact â€" the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid gasoline-powered vehicle available in America with an EPA rated fuel economy of 44 mpg highway (CVT-equipped models) â€" will have a starting MSRP* of only $12,995.

The all-new 2014 Mirage offers best-in-class fuel economy with an EPA rating of 37 mpg city/44 mpg highway/40 mpg combined (CVT-equipped models; 5-speed manual transmission model delivers an EPA fuel economy rating of 34 mpg city/42 mpg highway/37 mpg combined).

Major contributors to the new Mirage's outstanding fuel efficiency are its exceptionally clean exterior with its very low 0.28 drag coefficient, an engine equipped with the latest version of Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control (MIVEC) variable valve-timing system, and Electric Power Steering (EPS) that does away with fuel-burning parasitic drag on the engine from a conventional hydraulic-based power steering.

Every 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is equipped with a comprehensive list of advanced safety features including a seven (7) air bag Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), Active Stability Control (ASC) with Traction Control Logic (TCL), Mitsubishi Motors' patented Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE) impact-absorbing safety cell technology, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and convenient Hill Start Assist (HSA included on CVT-equipped models).

Featuring a plethora of welcome standard amenities, the $12,995 MSRP starting price for the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage DE model includes automatic climate control, keyless entry with panic alarm, sporty-looking rear spoiler, upscale piano black center console trim, auto-off halogen headlights, rear heater floor ducts, plus much more.

For only $1,200 more, the 2014 Mirage ES model includes all of the standard features from the DE trim level while adding FAST (Free-hand Advanced Security Transmitter)-key passive entry, One-Touch Start/Stop (OSS) engine switch, Bluetooth© hands-free phone system, steering wheel-mounted cruise and audio controls, 14-inch alloy wheels, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, fog lamps, silver interior accent trim, and other features. What's more, an available Navigation Package adds helpful features including a SD card-based navigation system and rearview camera system.

For more information on the all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage, please log on to media.mitsubishicars.com.

*Before destination/handling charge of $725 for 48 U.S. states ($920 for Alaska and Hawaii).

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, sales, marketing, research and development operations for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells sedans and crossovers/SUVs through a network of approximately 400 dealers. MMNA is a leader in the development of highly-efficient, affordably-priced new gasoline-powered automobiles while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

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Monterey: Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn boasts an embarrassment of riches

The Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach has again improved the phrase, "a gathering of exotics." Even if we've seen most of them before in other places, where else in the world would you see them not just in one place, but right next to one another in a space about as big as a suburban back yard?

Although its design prominently displays a number of its supercar inspirations, the Icona Vulcano puts them together so well that few would complain. It didn't swim alone in the deep end of the exotic pool, joined by the Aston Martin CC100 and Lamborghini Veneno concepts, and the absurdly absurd Laraki Motors Epitome.

Slightly closer to Earth hovered the DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial, BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe, Jaguar Project 7, Superleggera Disco Volante Touring, Galpin Ford coachbuilt GTR1, the and the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis concept. Projects that were signposts to production cars included the Acura NSX, Lincoln MKC and Mercedes-Benz GLA concepts, and out back behind The Lodge, a Porsche 918 Sypder with its roof on.

The road-car ranks were no less Spyker B6 Venator Spyder concept, a concept in name only, the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, an SRT Viper GTS refusing to be intimidated, the Rolls-Royce Wraith, a 1963 Lamborghini 350 GTV, Saleen George Follmer Edition Mustang and a Bentley Mulsanne Le Mans Limited Edition parked next to one of its forebears, a Bentley 4-1/2-Litre Supercharged.

Incredibly, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse Legend edition dedicated to Jean-Pierre Wimille didn't make the party. You can check out those who did attend in the high-res gallery above.

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Monterey: Corvette C7.R makes a camo'd debut run at Laguna Seca

This year's Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion was a Corvette-heavy affair, to be certain. Corvette had a giant pavilion to show of it's spanking new C7 Stingray along side examples of each of the other six past cars, and the 2014 'Vettes were also running demonstration laps on the track between events. Both seemed popular with the crowds in Monterey.

But the perhaps the most exciting Corvette of the day was the running of the C7.R racecar prototype with Tommy Milner at the wheel. Still in development, and wearing standard-issue camouflage for this demonstration, the Laguna lap nevertheless presented our best look yet at the upcoming racer. Carryover design from the standard C7 is clear even with the wrapper in place, but no one will mistake this as anything but a competition piece with that lofty wing out back.

Corvette hasn't given us any indication about the greasy bits yet, but rumors seem to indicate that the C7.R will run some version of the same 5.5-liter LS7 V8 that lives under the bonnet of the current C6.R GT2. We've also heard that the car will debut with a traditional yellow Corvette livery. Stay tuned for informative updates on the mechanicals as we have them.

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Video: GTA Online gameplay vid shows all sorts of vehicles

Rockstar Games has just released its latest trailer for Grand Theft Auto V. In this latest vid, we get our first look at multi-player action. And as an added bonus, there are more than a few shots of the new cars we'll be driving around when GTA V arrives in stores on September 17.

Before we get into the trailer, it's worth noting that the amount of different vehicles available in Rockstar's new open-world games is breathtaking - we spotted muscle cars, exotics, police cars, ATVs, prop planes, fighter jets, attack helicopters, jet skis, boats, motorcycles and parachutes. Honestly, at this point, we wouldn't be surprised to see one of the game's three protagonists landing the space shuttle in a trailer.

As for the multi-player action, Rockstar is looking to revolutionize it by going beyond simple capture-the-flag matches. Like the single-player game, multi-player looks to be a world unto itself, with unique quests and the ability to form crews. The social aspect, which we've seen many games claim to have harness of late, seems strong here. Players can team up to commit heists and compete for money, which can then be used to upgrade and customize the player's avatar.

While GTA V arrives in stores on September 17, Grand Theft Auto Online won't be available until October 1. Until then, take a look at the full multi-player trailer below, and the screenshots gallery up above.

Grand Theft Auto Online is a dynamic and persistent online world for 16 players that begins by sharing gameplay features, geography and mechanics with Grand Theft Auto V, but will continue to expand and evolve after its launch with new content created by Rockstar Games and the Grand Theft Auto community. Grand Theft Auto Online takes the fundamental Grand Theft Auto concepts of freedom, ambient activity and mission-based gameplay and makes them available to multiple players in an incredibly detailed and responsive online world.

In Grand Theft Auto Online, players have the freedom to explore alone or with friends, work cooperatively to complete missions, band together to participate in activities and ambient events, or compete in traditional game modes with the entire community, all with the personality and refined mechanics of Grand Theft Auto V.

Players can invest in their character through customizing their appearance, improving their stats, owning customized vehicles, purchasing personal property, and taking part in missions, jobs and activities to earn reputation and cash to open up new opportunities to rise through the criminal ranks. The world of Grand Theft Auto Online will constantly grow and change as new content is added, creating the first ever persistent and dynamic Grand Theft Auto game world.

Access to Grand Theft Auto Online is free with every retail copy of Grand Theft Auto V and launches on October 1st.

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